We're back with another round of member stories.
These tips and stories come from some of our "Spark" preorder prize winners. These SparkPeople members won our daily T-shirt giveaways, and now they're Spreading the Spark in return by sharing their best tips, in their own words. Meet Cathy, Leah and Colleen! No More "Dieting" Cathy, aka BLUESKY104 from Brockport, NY, has been a member since February 2008, and she's on her way to a healthy weight.  What are your top 3 tips to stay on track? 1. Get rid of the word "diet" and think of it as making life style changes. 2. Make sure you drink that water 3. Find ways to get in as much activity during the day as you can--wearing a pedometer all day and tracking your daily steps is a really easy way to monitor how active you are. How do you stay motivated? I look at the big picture and do not get discouraged with what the scale might say. I also have an outfit that I keep in sight that is currently too small for my size but try it on every month or so to see how close I am coming to fit into it. What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started on a healthy lifestyle journey? Be patient and persistent. It was not overnight that the excess weight got there, and it will not be overnight that it will be gone. Patience and persistence will get you to where you want to be. What SparkPeople feature is the most helpful to you? Tracking my exercise The Power of QuickFires Leah, akaLEAHRC, lives in Rock Hill, S.C., and has been a SparkPeople member for six months. She's learning to eat better and stay active.  What are your top 3 tips to stay on track? How do you stay motivated? I stay on track by using the fitness and nutrition trackers, quickfiring with my daily QuickFire team, and reading the daily emails to stay motivated and informed, What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started on a healthy lifestyle journey? Think of it as a lifestyle and a journey, not a quick fix. Healthy living is a way of life, not a diet or short-term experience. What SparkPeople feature is the most helpful to you? The fitness and nutrition trackers. I am much more inclined to watch what I eat and make a point to exercise if I know I'm going to record it later! Be a Sponge Colleen from Coalport, Penn., joined SparkPeople in January of this year, and she's integrating daily exercise into her life and developing better eating habits. What are your top 3 tips to stay on track? How do you stay motivated? 1. Use the food tracker faithfully. 2. Exercise even if you hate to; there are so many different exercises to check out on the site and I am sure you can find some that you like, so there is no excuse for not doing it. 3. Drink plenty of water and eat your vegetables. It is hard at first to stay motivated, but once you get to know people and join the teams, the support is wonderful and they keep you motivated. Some days when I didn't want to exercise I would get online and read how someone did their exercise, so that made me feel guilty. Then I would go and do my exercise, and I felt so good. What advice do you have for someone who is just getting started on a healthy lifestyle journey? Take your time and use the site, make yourself familiar with every aspect of the SparkPeople site. Don't be afraid to ask another member for help. We have all been there and any of us will be willing to help you. Learn to use the food tracker and soak up all the advice like a sponge absorbs water. What SparkPeople feature is the most helpful to you? There isn't any feature on SparkPeople that isn't helpful. Everyone is wonderful and the knowledge and expert help you get from this site is just the best. Where else could you get everything they are offering you on this site and for free. I think Chris "Spark Guy" Downie should get major recognition from the president because he is helping a lot of people get healthy by his program. So there you have it. Three more stories from people who are using SparkPeople to improve their lives. Pre-order your copy of "The Spark" today, and your story could be next! What inspires you today? |
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