Yayyyyy!! Thank you!!! I had so much fun with this challenge!! I can't wait for the next one!!!

Thank you for allowing me to be part of such a great team!

Thank you so much!!

I am so glad to hear that there is going to be a new challenge shortly. I really want to get back on track with losing this weight and the challenge may help me! Thanks :)

It was a lot of fun and hard work!! I love all my teammates. Your all so sweet and supportive. We are a great team and as far as I'm concerned will still be a team after the challenge is over.

I'm sad that it's coming to an end. I loved being a part of this team!!! I think we worked together great!! I will always consider you gals my teammates!!! :sniff:

I too am feeling down that this is coming to an end. I look forward to continuing as teammates outside of this challenge. It has been great!

I'm going to miss the challenge, too! I feel like we have such a great team...the challenge has surpassed anything I expected as far as my teammates go. Really, you guys have been so super! I'm with everyone else...you guys will still be my "teammates" even after this challenge is over! GO ATHENA!!!

We are definitely a great team. I'm very thankful to have been part of this team. The good thing about is we all are members and can contact each other if we need a little motivational support. Good luck to all of you reaching your goals. I know you can make it.

I would like to once again thank everyone who voted me onto this team. It has been an eye opening experience and i have learned alot of things including DIET.COM HAS THE MOST LOVING, HELPFUL, FRIENDLY AND SWEET MEMBERS.

THANK YOU TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT.

well between my work and walking with you each day i should rack up close to the same lol well im going to try my best to get there (fingers crossed for knees and ankles) "I can do this and I WILL do this because I am woman, hear me roar *meow*" hahahahaha seriously, i am so determined to keep up with you that i'll walk walk walk this week till i cant walk no more.

ARE YA ALL WITH ME?????? LETS WIN THIS CHALLANGE GIRLS

GO TEAM ATHENA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheryl

Don't kill yourself, it took time for me to get here to this point where it don't sound too bad. Try shooting for the 5 miles per day, thats 70000 steps, then if thats going ok then I will force you to walk 30000 more on Sun, lol.

Deal hahahaha but remember I do close to 8000 a day just at work (unless they stick me on register)

don't want you to hurt your little knees, lol, we have a lot of walking to do soon and you need to not hurt yourself.

I'm embarrassed but I'm shooting for 8,000 per day. The job is not conducive to walking so I will have to get them in before and after work.

Don't be embarrassed about 8000 steps. Any steps count as long as you take them. I left my pedometer at home today and I know I walked around the office more than usual. I'll remember tomorrow so I can post my steps.

Hey, I'll join in. I was going to post today that I made 14,866 steps. YEAH for me!! :) I'll continue to work towards 12,000 steps a day. If I do more that will be fantastic.

GO ATHENA!!!

not to worry i wont hurt myself, if the knees get too bad i know enough to stop.

PS missed ya tonite went for a walk to Stop & Shop alone cause i didnt have a walking partner.

PSS took the Long Way.

I think I lost my pedometer today. Ach! the coveted sportbrain is gone! Wah!

No one should be embarrassed about however many steps they take. I am training for a distance walk in Sept and need to walk all kind of crazy amounts just to be prepared for it. I started out being barely able to walk a mile or two last year and that was overwhelming for me. I am not trying to make anyone feel bad about the amount of steps they are walking, and I am sorry if I did that to anyone. I know that it is time consuming and long distance walking is definitely not the thing for everyone. I have grown accustomed to it and actually enjoy it. Please I am sorry if anyone felt bad.

I think everyone is doing great with what they are doing and hats off to everyone no matter what ammount big or small.

I walk all day at work and do 5-7 miles daily during week and sometimes 9 miles daily on weekends. Its all good.

I meant to post on here much earlier in the week. Ever since I've had a pedometer, I've realized that it's harder than I thought to get 10,000 steps in a day! Like Bailey said before, I thought I was doing way more steps than I actually was! Because of this realization, I have made it my goal to get more steps in every day. Even if I can't make the 10,000, I try to get more in that I normally would.

This week I've gotten LOTS in! It helped that I was in Chicago Sunday and Monday and was able to walk. Still, it would've been easy to get a cab or take the bus, but I chose to walk! Sunday I think I walked around 13,000 steps, and Monday was mostly spend driving, but I got in around 7,000 steps. The rest of the week I got about 9,000 a couple of days, and the other days I got over 5,000 in. It stinks having a sit-down job. I got over 8 hours of exercise in though, so that made up for it!

Believe me, I know how hard it is to get steps in, but even doing little things like parking farther away at the store can help! Just think the extra calories you're burning! Plus, with the prices of gas, you're saving yourself money by walking places nearby. Just last week I walked to the salon rather than drive. It only took me 10 minutes, too, but that's an extra 20 minutes of walking/steps I got in for the day!

74932 as of Sunday evening 8:47pm

wow didnt think id get that many and if it doesnt rain, im going for a walk in about 30 minutes ill log extra milage soon as i get back

You ladies are awesome. I kept forgetting my pedometer so I don't hav a total to report. But I have been getting in extra steps.

didnt get to take that walk due to the weather. rain & pms dont mix well sad to say. but i still got alot for the week and im happy with that.

Great job ladies!!! Whoo-hoo!!

Fantastic job everyone. THIS TEAM ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I've learned consistancy. I haven't gained, nor have I lost more than a few lbs while on this, but I am going in the downward direction and it has taught me what I like about myself and how I can be part of a fun group all striving for good!

Caring, Strong, Self-Motivator and Determined. I've learned that I'm all of the above from this challenge and it means more to me than hearing it from a friend. Why? Because I'm in control of what I decide to do with my health. Caring because I care more about my health. I know I would have heard the words Diabetic or High Blood Pressure and more if I had not made the necessary changes to my way of eating. Strong because I'm more than capable of working out and I've pushed myself beyond the 2 to 3 times a week workout. I've also accomplished walking 5 miles! YES!! I've purchased a pedometer so that I can track my steps each day. Yet another thing I'll walk away with from this challenge. Self-Motivator? Oh yeah...I'M MOTIVATED! Thanks to this challenge I've made new buddies and as a team we've motivated each other. I've learned that with a team we can do much more. Also regardless to what the scales may show I'm motivated to give my all each week. The challenge helped me to see with several mini-challenges that I can motivate myself to acheive a workout goal. As a result of the success I've had with the mini-challenges I will continue to implement them. I love mini-challenges because they are easy and obtainable. Thanks to my fellow ATHENA buddies for helping me when I needed an extra push. As for Determination, I've learned that I'm more than determined to reach my goals. I approached this challenge with determination and energy and after the challenge I will continue down that path. Something else I will take with me after this challenge will be CREATIVITY. The more creative I can be with my exercises the more I will look forward to completing them. And so far so I'm ecstatic! :)

What have you learned about yourself this challenge? What can you take with you after this challenge has concluded?

Hmm what have i learned about myself this challange: I have learned that I am capable of doing more things than I had ever thought I could do. I was always the type of person who made up excuses for things that seemed hard for me. I was a couch potato for the longest time and when I started this challange, I was motivated to do more than I ever thought I could such as all the walking im doing and hitting the gym on a regular basis, creating optional workouts when unable to get to the gym, my self confidence has grown so much that I feel really good about myself where I hadnt before. No more self pity, only moving on doing more and keeping up the work ive been doing.

What can you take with you after this challenge has concluded:

The knowledge that I am somebody and that I can do what ever I put my mind to. No more what-ifs for me, this challange has taught me the "I Can" attitude. If I have an obsticle, i work around it no more saying its not do-able. What I take with me is Self Confidence and Self Respect.

I've learned that i can Motivate and be motivated. That i can make friends and be a friend. i can encourage and be encouraged. I can be negative or i can be positive but what this challange has helped me with the most is it moves me to the positive side. I watch others succeed and push through and so i know if they can then i can. I have learned the value of TEAM and we here at ATHENA have been just that a TEAM. T- is for Trying E- is for Encouraging A- is for Amp up your workout M- is for Management.

I have learned that when i try i can. Encouragement is a good positive motivator, Amping up the workout means i can do way more than i ever dreamed or imagined and see positive results and M means i have developed a new lifestyle that i can manage the rest of my life because its fun and its doable and its healthy. I CAN. You can too. Go team athena and thanks for helping make all this happen

During this challenge I have learned that I have great will power. It has been difficult for me to turn down some of my favorites foods, but I have done so on a daily basis. This had been difficult becuase I live with my cousin who is 6 feet and about 110 lbs. She can eat anything and will not gain weight. So when she orders pizza or fries chicken I simply restrain myself and eat a grilled chicken salad or my favorite lean cuisine flatbread or painini sandwich. I have also learned that I have an unstoppable determination. I am determined to finally lose the weight. I'm determined to continue to be active and add more minutes to my elliptical trainer. I'm up to 30 minutes now. When I began I could barely stay on for 3 minutes. After this challenge has ended, I can take with me all the wonderful people I've met and have been motivated by on team Athena as well as others members on the site. I became motivated just by reading some of the members struggles and stories. One person that motivated me is ShannonKristie. When I read her story I was truly inspired. Her and I are the same height and are trying to reach similar goals. Just seeing the happiness on her face in her feature story after losing 74 lbs let me know that my efforts are worth it and I can reach that goal as well as long as I continue to stay active, motived and look to diet.com for support.