"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity." ~ Gilda Radner

Sunday, February 27, 2011

SURELY THEY JEST

When setting daily goals/challenges, one must choose carefully and not make rash vows.

For instance, my insistence that I would spend the remainder of yesterday constantly moving my legs, never sitting till I went to bed, was absolutely insane.

I lasted five minutes, top.  Spent the late afternoon and evening curled up in a blanket on the couch, dozing through the latest issue of Woman's Day.

Who was I kidding?  It was a ridiculous suggestion at best.

But ridiculous doesn't even begin to describe yesterday's MeYou Health Daily Challenge.

It was downright sadistic.

Yes, I signed up for this daily dose of online motivation via Facebook a week or so ago, thinking it might do me some good.  A baby step a day toward self-improvement and better health.

The MeYou Health Daily Challenge is a little game where players get to share their experiences with their personal connections -- their FB friends who have also signed up to play --  all the while earning points, collecting stamps, and reaching new levels.

Wear SPF lip balm.  Eat an apple. Check your cupboard for food with added sugar.

You get the idea.

Well, I had earned over 2,500 points, passed the Sprouting level and had just reached Growing when I received yesterday's Daily Challenge in my email.

"Measure and record your waist size."

WHAT? ARE THEY FREAKING KIDDING ME? I'D RATHER WALK OVER HOT COALS IN MY BARE FEET TWICE THAN MEASURE MY WAIST SIZE. SURELY THEY JEST...

But noooooo.

The good people at MeYou Health were quite serious. Even offered explicit instructions on how to go about it:

To get the most accurate measurement, lift your shirt to expose your waistline.
Why, in the name of all that's decent -- and if by chance I could actually find it --  would I ever consider exposing my waistline?


Wrap a soft tape measure snugly around your middle, just above your hip bones and below your rib cage. 
Sorry, hip bones are buried. Not sure where they are at this point. Not to mention that I burned my soft tape measure years ago.


Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around and that it isn't too loose or too tight. Stand up straight, exhale and take your waist's measurement. Don't hold in your stomach.
Don't hold in my stomach? Wise guys. I can't hold in my stomach. Grrrrrr.


Suffice to say, I passed on that challenge.

Why invite depression?

Of course, the beauty of this Daily Challenge game is that they give you a second chance each day to complete it. They really want you to succeed.

I could redeem myself -- and my daily points -- by just taking a quick lookie-loo at the waist size of my jeans.

I KNOW WHAT SIZE MY JEANS ARE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DON'T NEED REMINDING.

Kudos to my FB friends who braved the challenge, took the measurements, and can happily report that their numbers are lookin' good...

Me?  Movin' on to today's Daily Challenge...let's see...

"Think about a past success."

Fitting into your skinny jeans is one example.

Ack.

Tiring of this Facebook game.

Is it too late to join Mafia Wars?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Annie,

Hi there. Personally, I didn't want to do this challenge either, for I worried it'd make me think less of myself, or fixate on the number the rest of the day. It actually did the opposite. At least for me, this was a good challenge to do - because, otherwise, I would have avoided a very healthy behavior. Just like measuring my height. These are insightful numbers that can help us, if we let them.

The "measure your waist" challenge was eye-opening for me, as I realized one inch really makes a big difference when calculating my waist-to-hip ratio. It's humbling to know how close you are to the border of higher risk versus low risk. At least I am. Need to work on that!

Eek. I even step on the scale once in a while. Now that's a number I despise, but I'm learning to live with it -- and my body type.

I hope you continue on with Daily Challenge. Small steps at a time really can lead to lasting change.

All the best,
Alicia Benjamin
Social Media Manager
www.meyouhealth.com

Annie said...

Alicia! Welcome to The Home Stretch! Thanks for stopping by! I think The Daily challenge is a great idea and it does help! Just poking fun at myself, really. I've got my BMI emblazoned on my brain, hence, already plenty humbled by knowing I am perched on a precarious borderline...just very old and tired and overwhelmed by life right now. Somedays, my daily challenge is to just get out bed and shower. Oh, if it were only the matter of an inch or two...the journey continues. Kudos to the designers of The Daily Challenge! Awesome health game!