My name is Jan, and I’m a 39 year old working mom with three kids (son age 8, son and twin daughters age 6). Before I had kids I exercised regularly, as much as 5-6 times per week for 1.5 hours at a time. I was very fit. After having 3 kids within 3 years, in addition to working full-time, I no longer had that much time for exercise. Eventually, I was lucky to exercise once per week. And, although my weight gain wasn’t noticeable to most people I had gained several pounds which left me feeling like an out-of-shape blob. After Christmas 2008 I decided it was time to get back on the exercise track and lose a few pounds.

 
The Ms.Fits tallied up an impressive  total of 48 hours and 15 minutes of activity this week. The team members who hope to lose weight shed an additional five pounds. In all, the Ms.Fits have lost 30 pounds since the Live Health Iowa competition began. That’s the sort of healthy and steady pace that experts say can lead to sustainable weight loss. All ten members of the Ms.Fits–PDQhealth’s home team–say morale is high. Roughly one-third of the way through the 100-day challenge, they’ve hit their stride. Good going!

I’m Leslie.  On New Year’s Day, 2008 my husband and I made the first New Year’s resolution that we’ve ever actually kept.  We joined a fitness center, and went faithfully for the entire year, and are still going strong!
I never used to think that a fitness center was for me.  I mean, why go to a gym when you can walk, run, bike outdoors?  What never occurred to me was that the social aspect would be such a motivator!  We see the same dedicated group of people almost every day …

The Ms.Fits racked up 48 hours, 45 minutes of exercise this past week.That’s almost five hours for each of the 10 members. “Exercising as a group makes that a little easier and a lot more fun,” Carol wrote in a comment this week. She plans to continue doing 30 minutes of brisk walking and stair climbing a day, and to lose another ten pounds (she managed to lose 30 over the past six months.) Not all the Ms.Fits want to shed pounds, but those who do are making progress. The team lost an additional five …

I started yoga a year ago, when we brought a yoga instructor here to the workplace for a lunch-hour class. I have done aerobics and strength training in the past, but yoga was new to me. I really enjoy it, even though I’m still very much a beginner. The class is very low-key and I’m not pressured to do anything more than what I’m comfortable with.

Within just a few class periods I could tell my balance was better and my flexibility had increased. And they’ve continued to improve. Another benefit to yoga – and any other type of exercise – is stress reduction. I find I am able to control my hunger better when I control my stress level, and that happens far more often on the yoga days. I plan to continue both yoga class and the walking I am doing with my co-workers.

I’m also managing to control my weight.

The Ms.Fits, a group of friends and co-workers from the University of Iowa, are gearing up to begin the 100-day Live Healthy America challenge! PDQhealth will be covering their progress and posting their comments. The nationwide program, with teams in 47 states, encourages participants to be more active, eat a healthier diet and–for those with some weight to lose–shed pounds. Teams compete in two categories: accumulated minutes of activity and pounds lost. Check in with PDQhealth for regular updates.