Round five has ended. Please report your data today.

Reporting is easy. Just log into your account and click on the "The Challenge" tab. Next, select the "Track Results" tab and enter your data in the text boxes on the right hand side. Log into your account here http://members.shapeupri.org/

For video instructions on reporting go to http://www.shapeupri.org/resources/tutorials

Week 11 News: Doesn't it feel great?

April 19, 2010

Dear Friends,

We’ve walked thousands of miles together, and now it’s time – can you believe it? – to report our progress for Round 5! When you started this challenge, you may never have thought you’d routinely take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the store, volunteer to walk the dog in the rain, or take the long way to deliver something to a colleague – all to amass more steps!

But doesn’t it feel great to look at that pedometer and see how much you’ve accomplished each day? Many participants tell us that when Shape Up RI is over, they just can’t give up their “coach” – that little pedometer that urges them to keep on trucking, because 10,000 steps a day is the goal for a healthy lifestyle. Even on a day when you don’t make 10,000, your waistband coach is telling you that tomorrow is a clean start, and tomorrow you will do it.

We are nearing the finish line. But we have a special event for you and your team to gather and mark the end of this great challenge. See below for the 5K Cox Races on May 2 that can give your team a chance to finish our competition in style!

And if you’re feeling sad about the conclusion of this year’s challenge, guess what’s back by popular demand? Summer Shape Up RI will be held again this year, beginning in June, with new features and a new twist! Look for details soon.

Yours In Health,

Rajiv Kumar

Join the Shape Up RI Facebook page.
Join the Shape Up RI Facebook group.
Follow Shape Up RI on Twitter here.
Follow me on Twitter here.

Walk a 5K and Help Support Shape Up RI! 

Providence Races
Shape Up RI has teamed up with Cox Races in a series of "races" on Sunday May 2nd, the last day of the competition. Come join us and walk a 5K or run a marathon (or anything in between) as a wrap up to the competition. Part of the proceeds will benefit Shape Up RI. More information at Shape Up RI Cox Races

Register for any of the races at RhodeRaces.com and be sure to use the promotion code SHAPEUPRI2010. When you register, you can also join the Shape Up RI team using the same code, SHAPEUPRI2010, as the password.

Getting into this walking thing? Try a slow marathon!

May 2nd’s 5K is the perfect place to learn that you don’t have to actually run a marathon. Plenty of people are walking them, and others are using a combination of walking and running recommended by an Olympic long-distance athlete. Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03well.html?_r=1/

Calendar of Freebies: Get It While You Can

Time is running out for experimenting with different types of exercise classes as Shape Up heads into its final weeks. What haven’t you tried yet? Laughter Yoga (Tuesday night)?  A Body Pump barbell class (Wednesday night)? Or how about Thai Stamina Class, the best-loved event by Shape Up participants last year? That’s Thursday night. It’s all out there – go get it!  Pick your event at http://www.shapeupri.org/calendar/

How Much Exercise Prevents Weight Gain?

Researchers found that an hour of moderate activity a day — brisk walking, leisurely bicycling, ballroom dancing and playing with children — prevented women of normal weight from gaining more than five pounds over any three-year period. Half that amount of vigorous activity, like running, jogging or fast biking, will do the trick as well, they said. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/health/06regi.html?ref=health

Recipe of the Week: Stretch Your Budget, Squeeze Your Calories

Looking to save some money while making fabulous meals? Cooking Light, the magazine that specializes in tasty reduced-calories dishes, serves up a special report on stretching your food budget without sacrificing taste or nutrition. Check it out – beginning with a recipe for a fabulous (and beautiful) Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese – at http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/stretch-food-budget-00400000049819/

Walk of the Week: Take the Vacationing Kids Along

It’s school vacation week in Rhode Island. Here are some ideas for getting yourself moving and whisking the kids along with you.
 
Take the kids on the ferry to Block Island. You can bring the dog too. Once you get there, take a hilly hike to the Southeast Lighthouse (that’s the one they moved back from the cliffs) or trek down the flat Corn Neck Road along Crescent Beach as far as you can go – if you go all the way to the North Lighthouse at the tip, you’ll have walked 4 miles, the tourism council notes (if the kids are tired by then, call an island cab to bring you back to town).  For more walking ideas around the island, see http://www.block-island-family-vacation.com/hiking.html

Take a drive to Mystic Aquarium in nearby Mystic, Conn. You’ll get lots of steps as you and the kids race around to check out the sea lion show (now featuring a sea lion pup), see how sting rays eat, and go face-to-face with New England’s only Beluga whales. Remember that you can check passes out of many local libraries and go for free! http://www.mysticaquarium.org/

Take a bike ride along Ocean Drive in Newport before the tourist hordes descend for the summer. Bring along a kite and fly it at Brenton Point. On the weekends, the kite hobbyists will be there and you’ll really see a colorful show. You’ll find a plan for a 10-mile bike hike at http://www.oceandrivenewport.com/

And you might be able to get kids just to take a hike if they do it with some inspired Audubon naturalists in tow. Luckily, these knowledgeable folks are leading nine days of free guided walks this week to celebrate Earth Day. Tuesday’s a Rocky Hike, Wednesday is a Family Night Hike, Friday is a Pond Walk…you get the idea!
http://www.projo.com/lifebeat/tommeade/WK-Earth_Week_Activities_04-15-10_QAI11BD_v16.232948b.html

Ordering Pedometers and t-shirts

Getting a t-shirt or an additional or replacement pedometer is easy. Visit our Shop to Support page. Questions? Give us a call at 401 421-0608.

Important: The information provided by Shape Up RI is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be used as a substitute for the care and advice of a professional health care provider. Before beginning any physical activity and/or weight loss program you should consult your physician. Shape Up RI provides health information meant for people in generally good health. If you have an underlying medical concern, please consult your physician about how this information affects your specific medical conditions.