The Beginning

Obviously, this isn’t the beginning of any specific event. But it is the beginning of this blog, and so I shamelessly stole this lovely photo from WordPress. (Just kidding – they posted it for me.)

I plan to use this blog to document updates on whatever happens in life along the way.

At the moment, my focus is largely on getting back into shape. Have you ever just hit a breaking point? I ran face-first into that point a few weeks before Christmas. At least Michael had the common sense to tell me to wait to start any new regimen until after the tempting holiday season. So I was able to indulge in all of the tasty goodness he cooked over the holidays, plus an extra bonus of Springfield, Missouri cashew chicken! (Yes, it’s a thing. Follow the link.)

I’m not a big fan of re-creating the wheel. So I’m doubling (actually quadrupling) down on some things I’ve used before. I think the rules of blog-land say that I’m supposed to say I’m not getting paid for promoting any of these things. Obviously not, since no one is reading this blog. 🙂

1. Body For Life – This method of eating six small (~200 calorie) meals per day worked well for me in the past. Paired with regular exercise that doesn’t take up hours and hours, it’s a winner. This time around it’s a little different because a) I’m more out of shape and b) I don’t belong to a gym. So starting out, I’m focused more on walking for exercise, paired with things I can do around the house. But the core concepts are the same.
2. Runkeeper – This is a super easy app that lets me track my walks. The OCD side of my personality appreciates tracking how far I’ve walked and my average pace. I can also automatically post updates to Twitter, and you’ll see why that’s important later.
3. Fitbit – This makes tracking EVERYTHING pretty easy. Steps, water, sleep – it’s all there in my trusty old Fitbit Flex. And aside from the occasional charge, it’s very low maintenance!
4. MyFitnessPal – The main thing I’m using this for is meal/calorie counting because it’s got an easy way to add meals and pull in calories and nutritional information.

I am doing a few different things. Namely, I’ve decided that the stakes need to be higher. So I’m cashing in on a few ways to earn money (guaranteed money) if I succeed at my goals. Body For Life (BFL) does have a contest, but winning that’s outside my control. The following things will definitely result in a payout, without depending on other people’s results. My goal is to figure out how much I can earn for being healthy!

1. Pact App – Ok, I’m not going to get rich. BUT, if I meet my goals for working out every week and logging my meals, I am guaranteed to get paid. I’ll share a little more about how this is working in a later post. So far after my first week, I’ve earned a whopping $0.43! But that’s more than I would have earned for sitting on my couch. And it pulls in data automatically from Runkeeper, Fitbit, and MyFitness Pal, so no extra work required.
2. Achivemint – This is a new site I am trying. You get points for any healthy activities. After you earn 10,000 points, you earn $10.00. The points are slow in coming, but I LITERALLY don’t have to do anything extra because – guess what – it pulls data from RunKeeper, Fitbit, and MyFitness Pal! I even get points for sleeping. HA!  After two weeks, I’m up to 817 points.
3. Healthy Wage – This is my newest challenge and the one I am MOST excited about. I invest $50 per month for six month. That’s my “wager.” At the end of the challenge, I will have invested $300. I committed to losing 30 pounds in that six months, and if I’m successful (WHEN I’m successful) I will be paid $927.35. I get it – Michael said that they are in the business of people who lose the bets. But I’m banking on the fact that I’m more stubborn than the average bear.

If the three of these payout, then the way I see it, by August 1, I should be at least 30 pounds lighter and my wallet should be about $950 heavier. If people want to pay me for getting healthier, who am I to stand in their way?

I’ll be posting updates and milestones on the blog (as well as random other assorted things) so hopefully you’ll start seeing some good news soon!