7th Annual Holiday Hustle
Dec 1-31, 2022
~Move (balance with Steady, Intense, & Restorative)
~Share (post Sweaty Selfies for accountability and motivation)
~Track (watch your minutes rack up, see how you stack up!)
~Earn (bonus minutes for the 12 Moves Of Xmas challenges & for getting enough sleep!)
~Win (Ca$h & Prizes!)
Movement Balance
Though any movement is better than none, this challenge focuses on a balance of steady, intense/resistive, and restorative to reduce aches, pains, injury, & stress while helping you gain energy, strength, stamina, & a higher metabolism.
To be eligible to win cash & prizes, simply meet the percentages overall by the end (calculated for you in real time, from the even-easier-than-before daily online form). The remaining 10% can fall into any category – your choice!
- 45% STEADY – any steady state cardio workout that elevates your temp and breathing for at least 5 minutes
- 25% INTENSE – any movement lasting at least 1 minute that makes you breathe with force, brace your core, and find talking difficult, is intense! Note that intense exercise requires rest between sets in order to put your max effort in and reap the benefits, so rest time counts as long as it doesn’t exceed 2 minutes between sets. Includes resistance training, plyometric/power movements, and intense intervals (including those mixed in to your steady cardio)
- 20% RESTORATIVE – repair, lengthen, & loosen your muscles – passive and active stretching, relaxing yoga, mobility, muscle/fascia release with foam roll, tennis ball, etc, or percussive muscle liberators (massage guns)
Sweaty Selfies & Tracking Minutes
Snapping a pic of your workout glow, the beautiful environment, your equipment, or your leg stretching up in the air, is not only a fun way to feel accountable and share with the group, but also helps you remember your movement that day – a nice way to reflect on what you did! At the end of each day, you’ll post your pics to our private Facebook Group and fill in the online tracker which automatically records your minutes. See how you stack up with others in real time on the Hustle Minutes Sheet!
Bonus Minutes – 12 Moves Of Christmas Challenges & Sleep
On even days through the 24th, I’ll go live with an exercise challenge you can complete for 5 bonus minutes. You then have until I go live again 2 days later to complete it (go live yourself or post a recorded video if you prefer). You’ll earn the time you spent moving plus 5 bonus minutes added to the category of your choice. The exercises stack on like the song, so by the 12th time you’re doing all 12 exercises!
The sleep bonus is simple. If you were in bed for 8 hrs or more without lights or screens on, you earn 5 bonus points the next day. Grab a screenshot of the times (in bed and waking up) or your sleep tracker info and answer yes to the sleep question on the daily online form. It’ll automatically add 5 minutes to your restorative category.
Win Ca$h & Prizes
The top 5 with the most minutes (along with meeting percentages for steady, intense, and restorative movement) win a percentage of the pot!
- 1st place: 20% (with 20 participants, that’s $180!)
- 2nd place: 12% (with 20 participants, that’s $108!)
- 3rd place: 9% (with 20 participants, that’s $81!)
- 4th place: 6% (with 20 participants, that’s $54!)
- 5th place: 3% (with 20 participants, that’s $27!)
Or win one of these 3 categories and you’ll win a MelzaFit Training stainless steel water bottle! (eligible for 6th place and lower)
- Most Improved – from the 1st to 2nd half of the month, improve the most!
- Couch To Slay – a minimum threshold of minutes will be revealed at the end and if you’re the top minute earner under that threshold, you’re a slayer compared to anyone who chose the couch! So keep working even if you’re behind!
- Slay Everyday – take the least days off (restorative counts.. that’s “slaying” too). If there’s a tie, you both (or all) win this category!
New Guideline This Year
Exercise done as part of paid employment won’t count, same as last year. The change is that kids doing organized sports can now count their exercise from their sport as long as it’s not during school hours plus 2 hours after school on week days (to mimic an adult’s work day). This will even be the case over their winter break except for any 4 week days of their choice (also attempting to mimic what most adults would get for time off). That’s my attempt to allow kids to join without any unfair time advantages over adults. Since this challenge is about hustling to get that all important movement in, outside of our busy lives, that keeps within the spirit of the challenge while allowing kids to join if they’d like.
Cost & Registration
$47 per person until Nov 28th @ 8pm PST (cost increases to $57 after that)
For every new friend you recruit, get a $5 refund on your registration, up to 4 friends!
sign up here before 8pm PST on Nov 28th!
Past Testimonials
“Super fun event. It’s got me all jazzed to keep my routine going. I’m just sorry I didn’t sign up last year.”
“Thanks, really fun challenge this year!”
“We love it! It’s super helpful for me in December because I literally just want to curl in a ball and do nothing.”
“Thanks again Melanie for running this contest, hope everyone can keep their momentum going into 2019!”
“Thank you Melanie! This was really fun and I definitely moved more than I would have without the nudge.”
“Great work everyone, thanks again Mel for an awesome challenge!”
“Congratulations to all the winners!! Thank you Mel for organizing this, it was fun and I learned a lot about time management and what works for me exercise-wise. I’m bummed I only lost 1 lb over the course of 1 month, but it’s a start and I’ll keep at it! I’ll also chalk up the not losing weight to the holidays, too many good treats to pass up.”
“I didn’t lose any weight but perhaps gained less with all the chocolates I ate and more importantly, I felt great and had less aches and pains! Exercise is worth it just for itself.”
“My clothes fit a LITTLE better, and my energy level has improved. I appreciate the words, motivating me to the end!”
“I’m feeling slightly less motivated to take the dog on a walk today because it won’t “count” and I won’t have a group of people to feel accountable to.” (day after challenge ended)
“Great competition! Thanks for your hard work!”
“I think it worked out being a pretty good idea… I would never have done as much restorative or intense if it wasn’t required and I’m glad I did.”
“Loved the help to keep it varied.”
“I liked the split. It challenged me to think about whole body.”
“Very helpful, otherwise I would probably only do steady.”
6th Annual Holiday Hustle
Dec 1-31, 2021
~Move Your Body
~Snap a Sweaty Selfie
~Post in the FB group & Enter Minutes Online
~Earn Bonus Minutes (new this year!)
~Try to WIN 1 of 7 Ca$h Prizes
Move Your Body .. in a balanced way
Any movement is better than none but with a variety of steady, intense, and restorative movement, you’ll experience less aches, pains, injury, and stress while gaining energy, preserving muscle and increasing metabolism.
To be eligible to win, meet these percentages (calculated for you from the online form).
- 50% STEADY – your basic steady state cardio workouts
- 15% INTENSE – if you have to breathe hard, brace your core, and can’t talk, it’s intense! resistance, plyometric, intense interval, or power workouts, plus intense intervals mixed in with steady cardio
- 20% RESTORATIVE – rehab, repair and re-lengthen – stretching, relaxing yoga, mobility, muscle/fascia release such as foam or ball rolling or percussive muscle liberators
- The remaining 15% is up to you!
Snap Sweaty Selfies & Post to the FB Group
Show us your workout glow! (or the environment, your equipment, the sweat on your shirt, etc). Then post what you’ve done at the end of the day with one daily post in the group. Feel free to interact and connect with others as well! I’ll be doing the same with motivation, kudos, and some bonuses:
- Sleep Bonus
Without enough quality sleep to repair and recover, all those workouts are for naught! So don’t be naughty and get your zzz’s.. 7.5+ hrs without looking at a screen during that time, earns 5 bonus minutes in the restorative category! Just share a screen shot from a sleep tracker or of the time you put your phone down and pick it up in the morning. Post the pics along with your sweaty selfies or by themselves in their own post.
- 12 Moves of Christmas Bonus
On even days through the 24th, I’ll post an exercise challenge video you can complete for 5 bonus points. Post a video of yourself completing it (or just go live in the group) and get the time you spent plus 5 bonus minutes added to the category of your choice! (that’s a full hour of bonus minutes if you do all 12)
Enter Your Minutes Online
You’ll have 24 hours to enter your minutes, by 11:59 the following day, via a quick, easy Google form with an easy link to remember (& pinned at the top of the FB group). Your minutes will auto-fill in a spreadsheet so you can always see where you stand!
Try To Win Ca$h
Top 4 with the most minutes:
1st place: 17% of the pot
2nd place: 12% of the pot
3rd place: 9% of the pot
4th place: 6% of the pot
Or win …
Most Improved
From the 1st to 2nd half of the month, improve the most and 3% of the pot is yours! (not eligible if in top 4)
Couch To Slay Winner
An upper threshold of minutes will be revealed at the end and if you’re the top minute earner within that threshold, you win this category! So keep working even if you’re behind and you could take home 3% of the pot!
Slay Everyday Winner
Take the least days off (stretching counts.. that’s “slaying” too!) and 3% of the pot is yours! Tie? Most minutes wins while meeting the minimum percentage of each workout type. (not eligible if in top 4)
New Guidelines This Year
Paid work & organized sports for kids don’t count: Since this is about hustling to get movement, it’s not intended for those already moving as part of paid employment, or for kids, organized sport or PE. However, if there are 8+ people that would like to make up a Pro category and count those things, I will run a challenge for them alongside.
NO maximum minutes per day: Here’s exactly what counts toward workout minutes..
STEADY minutes must make you breathe a little heavier and feel warmer at minimum but if it’s continuous without rest, it’s steady. It also must go for at least 5 minutes to count. The only household chores that count here are shoveling, raking, vacuuming (must be a heavy vacuum), and picking up/putting away belongings (only if consistently moving and getting heated up. For regular workouts, this includes walking, jogging, running, swimming, dancing, biking, rowing, elliptical, stair climbing, hiking, skating, etc.
INTENSE minutes must make you breathe with force, brace your core, talk very little, and feel like it’s a really big effort. As little as 1 minute counts. With intense exercise, rest is needed to give maximal effort again, so the rest is included as part of the workout time, as long as it’s only up to double the work time (up to 1 min of work). For example, work hard for 10 seconds and you can rest for 20 seconds. Repeat that and you’ve done 1 minute in the intense category. Intense intervals can be 10 seconds to 4 minutes long. An interval lasting 2, 3, or 4 minutes can have up to a 2 min rest that counts as part of the workout. The only household chores that count as intense are scrubbing while down on hands and knees or while bent over/squatting and digging in tough material like hardened dirt. For regular workouts, this includes resistance training, HIIT, Bootcamp, tough Pilates class, Strength based Yoga, Barre, Sculpt, and downhill Skiing (only while going down), and any cardio movement done at really high intensity.
RESTORATIVE minutes must help you feel restored or improved through stretching, yoga that improves mobility and flexibility more than builds strength, and myofascial release (foam roll, tennis ball, percussive muscle liberator)
Cost and Registration
$45 per person
Venmo @melzafit, Apple Pay 707-853-2831, Cash or Check in person, PayPal mel@melzafit.com ($48 to cover their fee)
Past Testimonials
“Super fun event. It’s got me all jazzed to keep my routine going. I’m just sorry I didn’t sign up last year.”
“Thanks, really fun challenge this year!”
“We love it! It’s super helpful for me in December because I literally just want to curl in a ball and do nothing.”
“Thanks again Melanie for running this contest, hope everyone can keep their momentum going into 2019!”
“Thank you Melanie! This was really fun and I definitely moved more than I would have without the nudge.”
“Great work everyone, thanks again Mel for an awesome challenge!”
“Congratulations to all the winners!! Thank you Mel for organizing this, it was fun and I learned a lot about time management and what works for me exercise-wise. I’m bummed I only lost 1 lb over the course of 1 month, but it’s a start and I’ll keep at it! I’ll also chalk up the not losing weight to the holidays, too many good treats to pass up.”
“I didn’t lose any weight but perhaps gained less with all the chocolates I ate and more importantly, I felt great and had less aches and pains! Exercise is worth it just for itself.”
“My clothes fit a LITTLE better, and my energy level has improved. I appreciate the words, motivating me to the end!”
“I’m feeling slightly less motivated to take the dog on a walk today because it won’t “count” and I won’t have a group of people to feel accountable to.” (day after challenge ended)
“Great competition! Thanks for your hard work!”
“I think it worked out being a pretty good idea… I would never have done as much restorative or intense if it wasn’t required and I’m glad I did.”
“Loved the help to keep it varied.”
“I liked the split. It challenged me to think about whole body.”
“Very helpful, otherwise I would probably only do steady.”
5th Annual Holiday Hustle
Dec 1 – 31, 2020
December Workout Motivation & Accountability
It’s simple!
1. Move your Bod!
2. Take a Sweaty Selfie (or environment, equipment, a sweat mark on your shirt, etc)
3. Post in our private Facebook group (within 24 hours)
4. Fill out the quick & easy online form each night to note your totals for the day
Your minutes will auto-fill in the tracking spreadsheet so you can always see where you stand! A link to the form will remain at the top of our Facebook group, easy to find after posting your last activity each day.
How To Win
Earn the top 4 most minutes overall (per day cap of 210 minutes, aka 3.5 hrs)
- 1st place: 17% of the pot
- 2nd place: 12% of the pot
- 3rd place: 9% of the pot
- 4th place: 6% of the pot
Or earn …
- Most Improved: From the 1st to 2nd half of the month, improve your number of minutes the most and 3% of the pot is yours! (this prize not eligible if in top 4)
- Couch To Slay Winner: Become a “Couch To Slayer” by ending up below a secret threshold of total minutes. No one will know where this threshold is until the end, so keep working even if you’re behind! You could end up winning this category and take home 3% of the pot!
- Slay Everyday Winner: Take the least days off (stretching counts.. that’s “slaying” too!) and 3% of the pot is yours! Tie? Most minutes wins. (this prize not eligible if in top 4)
while meeting the minimum percentage of each workout type (calculated so you can see where you’re at anytime):
- STEADY: 50%
this is your cardio: walk, run, bike, swim, dance, skate, ski, elliptical, cleaning that gets you warmed up and breathing heavy; 5+ minutes per session to count) - INTENSE: 25%
intense intervals of strength, cardio, or combo (hard to talk during these!), weight/resistance training, Pilates, Barre, HIIT, Kickboxing, vigorous shoveling/digging/raking that feels anaerobic causing you to stop and rest between efforts at times; even 1 minute counts!) - RESTORATIVE: 15%
this is your rehab and recovery: passive or active stretching, yoga, foam rolling, percussive massage tools; even 1 minute counts!)
Daily Live Morning Stretch
Follow along every non-holiday weekday morning at ~8:15am PST (or with the replay, all videos will remain available) to start your day feeling awesome (and get some of that 15% of “restorative” movement covered!)
Past Participant Testimonials
Overall Program:
“We love it! It’s super helpful for me in December because I literally just want to curl in a ball and do nothing.”
“Thanks again Melanie for running this contest, hope everyone can keep their momentum going into 2019!”
“Thank you Melanie! This was really fun and I definitely moved more than I would have without the nudge.”
“Great work everyone, thanks again Mel for an awesome challenge!”
“Congratulations to all the winners!! Thank you Mel for organizing this, it was fun and I learned a lot about time management and what works for me exercise-wise. I’m bummed I only lost 1 lb over the course of 1 month, but it’s a start and I’ll keep at it! I’ll also chalk up the not losing weight to the holidays, too many good treats to pass up.”
“I didn’t lose any weight but perhaps gained less with all the chocolates I ate and more importantly, I felt great and had less aches and pains! Exercise is worth it just for itself.”
“My clothes fit a LITTLE better, and my energy level has improved. I appreciate the words, motivating me to the end!”
“I’m feeling slightly less motivated to take the dog on a walk today because it won’t “count” and I won’t have a group of people to feel accountable to.” (day after challenge ended)
“Great competition! Thanks for your hard work!”
Regarding the 3 workout types; steady, intense, restorative:
“I think it worked out being a pretty good idea… I would never have done as much restorative or intense if it wasn’t required and I’m glad I did.”
“Loved the help to keep it varied.”
“I liked the split. It challenged me to think about whole body.”
“Very helpful, otherwise I would probably only do steady.”
Cost and Registration
$45 each
4 ways to pay:
Venmo @melzafit
Apple Pay 707-853-2831
Cash or Check in person
PayPal mel@melzafit.com ($48 to cover their fee)
4th Annual Holiday Hustle
(NEW! Starts Mon, Dec 2)
December/Holiday Workout Motivation & Accountability
It’s simple! Workout, take a Sweaty Selfie, post in our private Facebook group (within 24 hours of the workout), and fill in a quick Google form daily with exercise mode and number of minutes (link to form will remain at the top of our Facebook group, easy to find and click after posting your last workout that day).
How To Win
Earn the top 4 most minutes overall (per day cap of 210 minutes)
- 1st place: 17% of the pot
- 2nd place: 13% of the pot
- 3rd place: 9% of the pot
- 4th place: 4% of the pot
Or earn …
- Most Improved: From the 1st to 2nd half of the month, improve your number of minutes the most and 3% of the pot is yours! (this prize not eligible if in top 4)
- Most Friends Recruited: Recruit the most friends to this challenge and 3% of the pot is yours! (this prize open to anyone, even top 4)
- Couch To Slay Winner: Automatically become part of this club by being below a certain secret threshold. Earn the most minutes in this club and 3% of the pot is yours! (So if you’re behind, keep going! You could end up being a winner!)
- Slay E’ryday Winner: Take the least days off (stretching counts.. that’s “slaying” too!) and 3% of the pot is yours! Tie? Most minutes wins. (this prize not eligible if in top 4)
while meeting the minimum percentage of each workout type (calculated for you so you can see where you’re at anytime):
- STEADY: 50% (cardio: walk, run, bike, swim, dance, skate, ski, elliptical, cleaning that gets you warmed up and breathing heavy; 5+ minutes per session to count)
- INTENSE: 25% (intense cardio intervals (hard to talk!), weight/resistance training,
- RESTORATIVE: 15% (stretching, yoga, foam rolling; even 1 minute counts!)
Daily Live Foam Roll and Stretching
Follow along every night (minus a few dates TBD) at 8:30pm PST (or later, all videos will remain available in the group) to feel awesome and sleep great after 10-15 minutes of mobility and flexibility (and get some of that 15% of “restorative” movement covered!)
Past Participant Testimonials
Overall Program:
“We love it! It’s super helpful for me in December because I literally just want to curl in a ball and do nothing.”
“Thanks again Melanie for running this contest, hope everyone can keep their momentum going into 2019!”
“Thank you Melanie! This was really fun and I definitely moved more than I would have without the nudge.”
“Great work everyone, thanks again Mel for an awesome challenge!”
“Congratulations to all the winners!! Thank you Mel for organizing this, it was fun and I learned a lot about time management and what works for me exercise-wise. I’m bummed I only lost 1 lb over the course of 1 month, but it’s a start and I’ll keep at it! I’ll also chalk up the not losing weight to the holidays, too many good treats to pass up.”
“I didn’t lose any weight but perhaps gained less with all the chocolates I ate and more importantly, I felt great and had less aches and pains! Exercise is worth it just for itself.”
“My clothes fit a LITTLE better, and my energy level has improved. I appreciate the words, motivating me to the end!”
“I’m feeling slightly less motivated to take the dog on a walk today because it won’t “count” and I won’t have a group of people to feel accountable to.” (day after challenge ended)
“Great competition! Thanks for your hard work!”
Regarding the 3 workout types; steady, intense, restorative:
“I think it worked out being a pretty good idea… I would never have done as much restorative or intense if it wasn’t required and I’m glad I did.”
“Loved the help to keep it varied.”
“I liked the split. It challenged me to think about whole body.”
“Very helpful, otherwise I would probably only do steady.”
Cost and Registration
$45 each
4 ways to pay:
Venmo @melzafit
Apple Pay 707-853-2831
Cash or Check in person
PayPal mel@melzafit.com ($48 to cover their fee)
Hone Your Hustle
Exercise & Nutrition Accountability, Motivation, and Guidance
We all know exercising and eating more veggies are a couple of the biggest keys to weight management, more energy, less disease, happier mood, and just feeling great. We often get bogged down in the details, thinking we have to wait until we can do everything perfectly to start … raise your hand if you always start diets on Mondays …. but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Spend a month feeling inspired and motivated to consistently workout and get those veggies in and you’ll be amazed at how you feel, how much easier it starts to seem to add these 2 habits to your life, and how it ends up fostering other healthy decisions as well. The connection with others and feedback from a certified exercise and nutrition coach is extremely motivating!
How To Participate
- You will be added to our private Facebook group, which will include guidelines and a link to view your standings, all pinned at the top and easy to find.
- Post a “sweaty selfie” along with a brief description, including # of minutes, each time you workout (or all at once at the end of each day). No minimum .. moving for even 1 minute counts!
- Post a “colorful closeup” along with a brief description each time you eat at least 1 very full handful of veggies
How To Win Half Your $ Back!
WORKOUTS: Average at least 210 minutes/week AND meet the minimum for each of these exercise categories:
- STEADY @ least 25% (includes any cardio: walk, run, bike, swim, dance, skate, ski, elliptical, cleaning that gets you warm and breathing heavier, etc)
- INTENSE @ least 25% (includes intense cardio intervals, weight/resistance training, Pilates, Barre, HIIT, Kickboxing, vigorous shoveling/digging/raking, etc)
- RESTORATIVE @ least 10% (includes stretching, yoga, foam rolling)
My Google Sheet will automatically calculate your percentages so you can see where more is needed to meet the minimums.
VEGGIES: Get veggies along with your meals or snacks (at least 1 very full handful) as often as possible to ensure you meet the minimum average of 2.25 times/day
Facebook LIVE Workouts & Nutrition Coaching
15-20 minute CORE, STRETCH, MYOFASCIAL RELEASE, or HIIT/STRENGTH workouts every Tue, Thu, & Sat @ 9am (excluding Feb 12 & 16) (Videos available after live sessions)
As you post your workout-and-veggie-eating awesome-ness each day, I’ll chime in with coaching tips about why you may have struggled to eat how you wanted or how a certain tweak could help you feel better/even more satisfied, so I’ll encourage you to add tidbits about the emotional/mental side of your eating and workout adventures as well.
COST
$40 (only $10/week!) ($2 off for every friend you recruit who signs up!)
3 ways to pay:
Venmo: @melzafit
Apple Pay: 707-853-2831
PayPal (select friends & family): mel@melzafit.com
Results From The Summer Slim Down (past similar program)
Participants assessed their eating habits and feelings at the beginning and end of the month and found themselves
- more consistently eating how they desired
- not feeling hungry as often
- thinking about food less often
- having less frequent cravings
- feeling more skilled in the kitchen
- having less digestive disturbances
In addition, inches and pounds were lost almost all around!
Waist measurements dropped an average of 2 inches!
One participant also reported feeling “SO MUCH happier & positive now”
3rd Annual Holiday Hustle
December Workout Motivation & Accountability!
Simply workout & post a Sweaty Selfie (including a brief description & number of minutes) in our private Facebook group. All your minutes will be tracked on a shared Google Sheet that will remain linked at the top of the group.
How To Win
Earn the top 5 most minutes AND meet the minimum for each of these categories:
- STEADY @ least 25% (includes any cardio: walk, run, bike, swim, dance, skate, ski, elliptical, cleaning that gets you warm and breathing heavier, etc)
- INTENSE @ least 25% (includes intense cardio intervals, weight/resistance training, Pilates, Barre, HIIT, Kickboxing, vigorous shoveling/digging/raking, etc)
- RESTORATIVE @ least 10% (includes stretching, yoga, foam rolling)
The Google Sheet will automatically calculate your percentages as we go so you can always see what you need more of.
Prizes
1st place: 29% of the pot
2nd place: 21% of the pot
3rd place: 14% of the pot
4th place: 8% of the pot
5th place: 3% of the pot
Also, a MOST IMPROVED PRIZE: one of the weeks (it’s a surprise), someone will win their choice of a yoga mat, resistance band, stretch strap, or foam roller
BONUS: Facebook LIVE Workout Sessions
10-minute STRETCH or HIIT workouts 3/week throughout the program (can be redone non-live as well)
Tue, Thu, & Sat @ 9am PST (the final week will be Wed, Fri, Sun)
COST
$40
3 ways to pay:
Paypal: mel@melzafit.com
Venmo: @melzafit
Apple Pay: 707-853-2831
Fall Food & Fitness Coaching Group 2018
In a supportive, connected group setting, experience confidence, happiness, fulfillment, and motivation while spending 5 weeks on …
- building consciousness and habits that fit into your everyday life rather than putting real life on hold while you buckle down. This is not a diet!
- improving energy & digestion, enhancing your mood, enthusiasm for life & finding more clarity, reducing bloating & lethargy, and losing inches and/or weight
- learning and practicing skills for a lifelong ability to take small actions that keep you thriving and improving your metabolic function.
- stepping away from the diet roller coaster’s lose, lose, lose situation.. lose weight, lose metabolic function, & lose long term at weight management
- supporting one another in practicing new weight management skills while celebrating the smallest of victories with a like-minded group
- reaping the benefits of a coach, always the quickest and most fun way to stay focused on learning new skills
Just as learning a language or an instrument takes instruction and repeated skill practice, so does learning and becoming proficient at weight management. Those who stay trim for the long haul aren’t finding and adhering to magic diets, shakes, and pills. They’re simply spending a lifetime treating food as the pleasurable, medicinal sustenance it is and listening to what their bodies need. It takes practice, but we can all learn these skills. Let’s do this!
Prep Time (Oct 10 – 14):
- Complete the Eating Behavior Worksheet (online form)
- Initial Weight, Measurements, and Before Pics (guide provided) * In-person measurements (before & after), including body fat calipers if desired ($20)
Week 1 (Oct 15 – 21):
- LEARN: The components of a Feel Good Meal
- PRACTICE: Eating Slowly
- VIDEO: Stretch To Feel Your Best
Week 2 (Oct 22 – 28):
- LEARN: Portion estimation using your hands
- PRACTICE: Eating to satisfaction/80% full (The Hunger Game – online form)
- VIDEO: Build Strength To Feel Energetic
Week 3 (Oct 29 – Nov 4):
- LEARN: Why Carbs, Fats, & Proteins Are All Important
- PRACTICE: Noticing & Rewording Your Thoughts Before & After Eating (Behavior Awareness – online form)
- VIDEO: A Circus Of Circuits
Week 4 (Nov 5 – 11):
- LEARN: Tips & Ideas For Food & Fitness Success
- PRACTICE: better vs. best choices at each meal (All-Or-None – online worksheet)
- VIDEO: HIIT Fit In 5
Week 5 (Nov 12 – 18):
- LEARN: Tips & Ideas For Sleep, Recovery, & Stress Reduction
- PRACTICE: Listing successful habits & choosing a new personal habit (with the help of the coach) for this week (Make It A Habit – online form)
- VIDEO: ABsolute Back Support
Post Program (Nov 19 – 22):
- Complete the Eating Behavior Worksheet again for comparison
- Weight, Measurements, and After Pics
- Points tallied and cash back rewarded for those who reach 80% or more of total possible points!
*80% = $20; 90% = $35; 100% = $50; best relative results in weight/ measurements = $30 - Practice your skills on Thanksgiving Day! Prove you can feel good physically and mentally during a holiday that emphasizes overeating .. enjoy the goodies while still feeling good!
Daily Tasks (Oct 15 – Nov 18)
- post once each day to our private Facebook group with:
- Colorful Closeups (pics of your Feel Good Meals) along with a brief description of what’s included
- Sweaty Selfies (pics of your gleam & glow after workouts) along with the type and duration of the exercise
- Optional additional sharing about how you did with sleep, hydration, emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc.
- track your daily points (all but the food points which I’ll track for you) on our private shared Google Sheet (link will remain at top of Facebook group).
- Exercise points: Enter the number of minutes you spent doing intentional exercise in these 3 categories: Intense, Steady, & Restorative (a key will be provided at top of Facebook group)
- Hydration points: 1 for seeing light yellow to almost clear in the restroom all day, 0 for not
- Sleep points: 1 for getting 7.5 or more hours of sleep the previous night without looking at a screen in between, 0 for less sleep or screen time interruptions
Sign-Up Deadline: Wednesday, October 10
Cost: $119 (PayPal mel@melzafit.com, Venmo @melzafit, or Apple Pay 707-853-2831)
Summer Slim Down 2018
4 weeks to kickstart weight loss for the summer and for those ready to …
- get off the diet roller coaster
- lose weight without stress or feeling deprived
- get rid of food confusion
- gain mental & physical confidence
What’s Included?
Nutrition Walk-n-Talks
Guidance, Accountability, & Points
Cash Back
Bonus Exercise Videos
Schedule
Cost
After The Program
Nutrition Walk-n-Talks
Saturdays, Wednesdays, or both for 45-60 min: time TBD by majority availability
(those not available can receive written versions if doing the full program)
Why Diets Don’t Work But Seem Like They Do: Metabolism Explained
You know how trying a new diet drops the pounds off like nobody’s business? Have any in mind that worked wonders for you? But if they work so well, why do they need to be done again? Because you lack motivation and will-power? That couldn’t be more wrong! Your habits, environment, thoughts, and most importantly hormones drive every nuance of how you behave with food. The same cookie will smell much better and seem more appetizing the more hungry you are. It’s not your will-power, it’s literally your hormones making you die for that cookie (cue “giving in”, “feeling guilty”, “falling off your diet”, and “needing to start again on Monday”). That’s the trap of the diet mindset. By slowly building new habits & thoughts, your hormones will begin driving you toward healthy actions instead.
Easy Portion Estimating & Feel Good Meals
Using different parts of your hand to estimate adequate portions of veggies, protein, fat, & grains is super easy! Learn why getting all these components into a meal makes a world of difference in how our bodies can regulate metabolism and therefor weight, not to mention mood, mental sharpness, cravings, and even the desire to move more. It’s an upward spiral that takes time, practice, and patience. There’s no such thing as screwing up and needing to restart. Every decision is a learning process for your life. In the meantime though, it sure will be hard not to lose weight when we put our main focus on getting the good stuff in. “Veggies, GET IN MY BELLY!”
Strategies For Staying Successful
Let’s talk about real, actionable steps you can take to make your environment, mindset, and kitchen skills translate into healthier choices more easily, without it feeling like a chore or a diet. I’ll share plenty of ideas and would also love to hear any successful ideas you’ve found as well!
Guidance, Accountability, & Points
- Easy guidelines on what to strive for with exercise, nutrition, sleep, and hydration
- Points toward 100% compliance by posting to private Facebook group or via text
- Post a Sweaty Selfie each time you exercise & a Colorful Closeup each time you have a “feel good meal”
- Post if you’ve met your hydration goal for the day and/or slept at least 7.5 hours
- Percentage toward max points will determine your cash back level
- Watch your compliance bar grow on the shared Google sheet
- Occasional treats are ok, even encouraged, and do not reduce your points! This is NOT a diet, it’s real life and you CAN lose weight & increase energy even when you
indulge in some goodies along the way.
CA$H Prizes – Multiple Winners Possible!
70% compliance = $5
80% compliance = $15
90% compliance = $30
100% compliance = $50
Best Relative Results (% change) = $25
Some consolation prizes along the way… TBD
Bonus Exercise Videos (10-15 minutes each, no equipment needed!)
2 short videos will be released when the program starts, with beginner & intermediate options, as an extra way to get your move on no matter what!
HIIT Strength Burn
Intervals of cardio and strength to both increase stamina and strengthen joints and muscles for improved energy levels and fat burning.
Release & Restore
Muscles that work hard need to rest hard.Stretch and roll out your muscles to feel rejuvenated, more limber, less achy, and less stressed.
Schedule
Prep Time (May 6-10)
- Habit awareness & eating behavior online worksheets
- Initial weight, measurements, & before pics (guide provided to complete on own)*
- Schedule the Walk-n-Talks, Receive bonus exercise videos
* In-person measurements (before & after), including body fat calipers if desired ($20)
Week 1 (May 11-17)
- Start posting your Colorful Closeups, Sweaty Selfies, and hydration & sleep info
- FOCUS = eating slowly & noticing your thoughts before & after eating
- May 12 & 16 Walk-n-Talk: Why Diets Don’t Work But Seem Like They Do: Metabolism Explained
Week 2 (May 18-24)
- FOCUS = eating to satisfaction & finding whole food sources for cravings
- May 19 & 23 Walk-n-Talk: Easy Portion Estimating & Feel Good Meals
Week 3 (May 25-31)
- FOCUS = finding what leads to healthier eating & more movement for you
- May 26 & 30 Walk-n-Talk: Strategies For Staying Successful
Week 4 (Jun 1-7)
- Final Week .. feelings of confidence and capability are hopefully taking over, it should be feeling easier to make healthier choices by now
- FOCUS = continue to practice making better choices instead of only best or nothing
- Weigh, measure, & progress pics (guide provided unless in-person appt scheduled)
- Winner announcements and cash prize distribution!
Cost
Whole Program: $99
All but the Walk-n-Talks: $49
Walk-n-Talks only: $20 each or all 3 for $54
In-Person Weight, Measurements, Pics, & Body Fat: $20
PayPal mel@melzafit.com or Venmo @melzafit to register by Mon, May 7, 11:59 PST
After The Program .. stay motivated and accountable with my new public Facebook group, “Feel Good Meals” (starting Jun 8). Simply continue to share Colorful Closeups of your meals and snacks (and see great ideas and inspiration from others). The continued accountability will help motivate you to slow down, think through all the components of a meal, add it to your colorful, appetizing plate (a big part of overall satisfaction), proudly snap a pic, and enjoy it slowly. Will it always be that perfect? Of course not. When it’s not, you’ll simply focus on fullness cues and remain guilt-free about your choices. The more time spent on these habits, the easier they will become!
Holiday Hustle 2017
Win $$ for working out! This challenge motivates you to stay moving in December instead of waiting for those short-lived New Year’s Resolutions that rely on will power instead of habit and skill. Practice making exercise a part of your life even when you’re super busy. That skill will carry over and consistency over time is the single most effective way to see results.
To earn points, you’ll simply:
- Post your “sweaty selfie” to a private Facebook group each time you workout. 8+ minutes count, but only 1 short workout (under 30 minutes) per day). Actual sweat not required though encouraged, but you must at least breathe harder and get heated up from the workout.
- Indicate whether you included any resistance training or intense intervals (earns a bonus point)
- A few fun challenges like 100 pushups in a day, 5 total minutes of planking, 100 squats in a day, etc. (NOTE: these can be done at any level (knee or wall pushups, knee planks, etc) and as spread out through the day as you’d like!)
- 12 instructional exercise videos included (posted to the private Facebook group), showing proper form and technique for different exercises and stretches (especially those in the bonus challenges)
To register, PayPal mel@melzafit.com or Venmo @melzafit by Thur, Nov 30th
COST: $25 ($1 reimbursed per friend you recruit, so spread the word!)
M.E.S.H. Month Challenge 2017
30 Days: Oct 7 – Nov 5
M.E.S.H. stands for Move, Eat, Sleep, Hydrate. As we focus on these 4 cornerstones of health for 30 days, you’ll hopefully develop some new healthy habits!
- Sweaty Selfies: Whenever you workout enough to either glisten, sweat, heat up, or breathe harder, track how many minutes you spent, including stretching time, and snap your Sweaty Selfie to share with the group (via a closed Facebook group you’ll be added to).
- Colorful Closeups: Show us those awesome, colorful, healthy veggies! Preparing your whole, visually pleasing, varied plate of food before eating sends signals to your brain that you are about to be fully satisfied. This works wonders over grab and go eating, on your satiety and appetite hormone regulation.VEGGIES count as along as there’s …
- a FULL handful included per meal
- fat and/or protein in the same meal
- fruit can be added as long as it’s less than 1/2 your handful (won’t count without being outweighed by the veggies)
- Sleepy Snapshots: Take a screen shot of your phone to note the time when your lights are out and again when you wake up. If you got 7.5+ hours of UNINTERRUPTED sleep (no screens in the middle of the night), you earn a point!
- HYDRATE: No pics needed here, but keep track of the color of your urine and if it remains light yellow to almost clear, you’ve kept yourself hydrated and will earn a point!
Finish 3 or more servings/cups of the following and earn another point! Water, Sparkling water without sweeteners (real or artificial, Coffee, Tea, Milks - BONUS POINTS: Whole Grains (2 servings/day), Resistance Training and/or High Intensity Interval Training (at least 8 minutes; or 20+ minutes for additional point)
$30 to join. Paypal mel@melzafit.com or Venmo @melzafit
You’ll answer this survey (http://mesh.melzafit.com) daily to earn your points.
Top 6 will win 63% of the pot (1st: 18%, 2nd: 15%, 3rd: 12%, 4th: 9%, 5th: 6%, 6th: 3%)
(further information about bonus points and other details are listed in the survey)
Holiday Hustle 2016
This 1-month incentive program to keep moving during the month of December was immensely motivating! It really helped people see that they could indeed fit in some exercise (as little as 5 minutes counted!) during even the busiest month of the year! Participants simply posted their “sweaty selfie” to our private Facebook group and earned points. The top 5 won money based on a percentage of the total collected. I’ll repeat this fun, motivating program every holiday season!
M.E. Challenge 2017
This 3-month program is designed to build on healthy habits around exercise and nutrition. It started off with simply posting “sweaty selfies” for workouts and “colorful closeups” for eating your veggies/fruits, all to a private Facebook group. As the program moved along, bonus point options were added such as adding whole grains, doing resistance training or high intensity intervals, eating whole grains after workouts, getting longer workouts, and getting at least 1 workout and veggie meal/day. I personally joined in the fun even though I wouldn’t be eligible to win and lost 7 lbs! The accountability and competition to keep up with with the top 6 worked wonders and I actually find myself craving veggies – seriously! – and find that buying, chopping, and using veggies (before they go bad!) to be way less daunting and much more of a habit than before.
MelzaFit Training 