Better U: Week 1

The Better U program for our four challengers -- and for you, if you've signed up to join them -- begins today. The Getting Started section of Week 1 on the Better U website asks you to think of two women who are important to you. The odds are that one of the three of you will develop heart disease. Now is a great time to reach out to those women and ask them to join you in this journey. 

If you haven't yet signed up to participate in the free, 12-week Better U program, you can do so by clicking the link at the top of this page or clicking right here.

The Better U tool will help you set a goal for the week in at least one of the following areas:

• Physical activity
• Healthy eating
• Lowering your heart disease risk
• Making lasting changes

You'll also be encourage to choose way to reward yourself when you meet that goal.

We hope to make this blog a place for dynamic community conversation. Leave a comment below telling us what goal you've selected or how you intend to reward yourself for a job well done.

I can't wait to hear from Peggy, Carla, Annette and Natale to see how the first week of the Better U program is shaping up for them.

Amy Magan
2010 Better U Participant

Get'cha head in the game

We've been at this Better U challenge for almost two months now and one thing is clearer to me now than it ever has been before: Choosing to be heart healthy doesn't start in the gym or at the grocery store. It starts in my head.

I wasn't oblivious to the fact that my health was spiraling out of control -- I had plenty of prescriptions to prove it. But for some reason, maybe for several reasons, I was content to just live with that.

I joined Weight Watchers with a friend in mid-September and pretty much played around for two or three months -- losing and gaining with no real commitment to what I'd signed on for.

I'll admit that being selected for the Better U challenge was an ego boost and the thought of stepping out in front of hundreds of people at a luncheon and fashion show was certainly a motivating factor. But really, I didn't get my head in the game until I met with Dr. Branyas and she was so encouraging and so convincing that even starting out small could make a huge difference in my health.

That doesn't mean that it hasn't been a struggle from time to time. Recently, I went a whole week without setting foot in the gym. I let my head convince me that I had other things to do, that it was too snowy to drive, that "I'll go tomorrow."

And it's not always negative things that mess with my head. Sometimes my success is a limiting factor. I think to myself "I can have that brownie because people are telling me how good I look!" So I just have to set goals and keep those in front of me.

I set a goal to lose 20 pounds from the time I first met with Dr. Branyas until the luncheon. One little game I play with myself at the gym is to use the locker marked with the number that matches that weight -- a visual reminder of where I want to be. And if that locker is not available (curses!), then I use the locker that is the total number of pounds I want to lose when all is said and done.

Today -- 8 days from the big day -- I'm 4 pounds from my initial goal. Not too bad. When I told Kyle that this morning, I told him I thought I could at least get close. Maybe within two pounds. He challenged me to not think "close."

"Just do it," he said. "Cardio, every day. Watch what you're eating. Do it."

In other words, "get my head in the game."

And away we go

Tomorrow is our official start for the Better U challenge. Dee and I had a great time at WISH-TV this morning talking about this opportunity. And we meant what we said -- we hope other women will take on this challenge and join us here on the blog to share challenges and successes.

So I'd be ready to roll for week 1, I downloaded the Better U coaching tool, adding it to my personal blog and to my Facebook page. You can also choose to download it to your computer's desktop -- put it wherever it will remind you to stay the course for the next 12 weeks and beyond!

The first step is to click the button above to register (FREE!) for the Better U program. Then you'll be invited to download the coaching tool. I will say that I encountered a few frustrations getting into the program once I'd gotten the tool set.

TIP: Click "Update Your Journal" on the coaching tool to get into the program to set your goals for the week.

There are a few pages of easy reading about heart disease and realistic goal setting. Then you have the opportunity to set your own goal(s) and reward(s). Don't worry -- it's all for your eyes only!

But I'll share my Week 1 goal with you:

My Goal
This week I will exercise for 15-20 minutes 5-7 mornings on the elliptical trainer and do 30 minutes of the Wii Fit at least 3 times in the evening.

My Reward (I had a really hard time coming up with this!)
I'll buy some new makeup -- eyeliner and blush.

Barriers
Getting to bed early enough so I can get up early in the morning to exercise.

Strategies
I will set an alarm for 10:30pm to signal bedtime, as well as an alarm for 5:30am for waking up. This is important for me, as the hours seem to fly by while I'm flipping channels or surfing the web!

And on that note, since it's past 10:30pm, I'm off to bed! Hope to have many of you joining us to create a BetterU, too!