The Great Shape Game!

Auntie Em emailed today and said that some of the fam is going to focus on getting healthier in anticipation of our wedding and asked if I wanted to be included. I figured that would be great - while I'm mostly ok with how I look, I've fallen off the wagon and eat more carbs than I should (which goes straight to the belly). And no, I don't necessarily stick to a carb-free diet (I think Atkins works but at the sacrifice of too many nutrients, and I don't want to eat meat at every meal), but I do make healthy choices, like brown rice and whole wheat bread and vitamin-enriched pasta. But here, I admit, I go for taste more than anything, and the choices just aren't the same - after all, it's not like they have 95% fat-free beef (although I have to admit the produce and eggs and meat have an OUTSTANDING taste compared to our hormone-injected, grain-fed only meat and pesticide-sprayed produce). I thought about calling it The Great Shape Up, but we're all already a shape. Maybe some of us want to change our shape. So it's just the Great Shape Game (GSG for short).

I've read articles that advise against shaping up specifically for an event, but I say, screw 'em. In this crazy world, finding inspiration anywhere gets a thumbs-up in my book. The trick is to make exercise and healthy choices an everyday occurrence. At my previous job, we had a dietician meet with us for two months, and while some of it was fluff, what I took away is that a) that Blizzard at Dairy Queen is over half-fat - just imagine half of your DQ cup filled with Crisco and you'll think twice about eating it all in one sitting - what, you thought I'd say not to eat it at all? No way. Even I don't have that willpower. B) I learned that it takes approximately 21 days for a new action to become a habit. So I figure if I can continue doing something for 21 days, then after that, it's harder to say no. I've already made the time for it before, so I can continue doing so. Some days, that doesn't work, but I run more days now than I don't, and while it may not be a continuous 30 minutes, I don't beat myself up about it. Prevention.com said that 3 ten-minute bursts are just as good for you as one 30-minute run, and possibly even better, simply because you can fit in a 10-minute workout. Come on, you know you can!

To make it even more fun (and my aunts are great at being kids at heart, bless them), they're considering adding in prizes. But I think we need ideas on how to get this up and running (har har). Do we do it by pounds lost in x number of days and then email, or maybe set up a group? (Yes, we're all honest so I think we'll believe each other.) Or do we measure inches? If anyone has any ideas, other than to pass the potato chips please, feel free to comment.