I truly feel blessed. 

I'm asked all the time, "how do you find the time?"

Here's something you all need to remember—you are never too far gone, never too good and never above asking for or needing help.

Hello Challengers, this is Dan. Please, use your Chippewa Valley Challenge Fitness & Nutrition Journals! There is a reason we want you log your steps, log your exercise and log your meal. It's to teach you the habits that will help you change your lifestyle and lose weight. If you don't know how many calories you're eating or how many calories you're burning each day, then don't complain if you're not losing any weight! People who have been successful at changing their lifestyle use a journal to keep track of planning and progress. We are trying to give you the tools (pedometer, journal, access to personal trainers, a private MyFitnessPal group and incentives) to lose weight and change your life. But tools are only helpful if you actually use them. So take 5 minutes and make sure your pedometers are programmed or if you're using a fitness tracker, make sure to go online and complete your profile. Then take a minute or two a couple of times a day to log your food and exercise. Start good, healthy habits today and take control of your life! The Challenge is here to help guide, inform and encourage you to get healthy, but we won't do the work for you. Losing weight is hard, but learning how to keep it off and stay healthy is even harder. Develop those healthy habits now and learn how to use them going forward. Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to the Challenge and made the choice to change their life one step at a time.

So you've joined the Challenge. What now?

Now that the 2014 Chippewa Valley Challenge is in the books, we would like to take a moment to reflect on how amazing this year was for us and for many of our Participants.

We are almost three months in to 2014...so...how’s that New Year’s Resolution coming along?

For many of us who want to lose weight in the new year, this is the time we start falling off the wagon and lose interest in our goals we set back in December. It’s at this time most health clubs start seeing a decline in people coming to the gyms. This is why many clubs will run another sale in March.

So why do we give up so quickly on something we wanted so badly at one point in time? Why can’t we see past these first few months as being just the beginning of the healthier lifestyle we were trying to get live?

March weigh-ins are scheduled for Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7. Please note that some locations require appointments. Visit the The Sponsors page to view the specifics for your location. Also, if you have a conflict with the designated weigh-in dates, you will need to contact your Location to find out if you can arrange for an early weigh-in. Please be aware that the Locations are not required by the Challenge to accept early weigh-ins.

REMINDER -- You do not have to lose a certain amount of weight by this weigh-in in order to continue, but you MUST weigh in. Those who do not weigh in by the time their Location closes on Friday, March 7 will be immediately disqualified. Not sure if you should be weighing in? Check the list!

Use Your Resources
Remember to use the resources available to you as you journey to a healthier lifestyle.

• Contact Us
  • We are happy to answer your questions, offer any suggestions we may have or simply just listen to your struggles. Visit our website and click on the Contact Us tab.
• Facebook
  • Use the Chippewa Valley Challenge Facebook page for inspiration and to communicate with others in the Challenge.
• MaryAnne Erickson
  • MaryAnne has generously offered up her services to the Participants of the Challenge. She even created a website just for you! Visit her website byclicking here.

See you next week!

A BIG "thank you" to everyone who attended last week's Health Seminar! We had just over 60 people attend. Our guest speakers were excellent and really hit home their messages. Thank you to our speakers -- Craig Monson (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin, MaryAnne Erickson, Certified Intrinsic® Health and Wellness Coach, Jennifer Joswiak and last but not least Lisa Rambo (The Biggest LoserSeason 14 Contestant and founder of Losing it with Lisa). Also, a shout out to the night's sponsors -- Gordy's County Market, GNC Live Well, Subway, Eau Claire Children's Theater and I AM AN OVER EATER!! Blog.

Click on "Read More" to view notes from the seminar.

This is an exciting day for me. I’m going to The Biggest Loser Finale in Los Angeles! Who would have ever believed that my life would have changed this much over these last few years.

It wasn't that long ago that I remember filling out the application and sending it in and going to a casting call to try and get on the show. At the time I was a very large 326 pounds; however, it wasn't big enough for my height to meet the qualifications. But after doing my own personal weight loss challenge losing over 100 pounds, I’m on my way to watch the Season 15 finale tonight.

If not, what are you doing about it? 

Are you accomplishing your goals? 

Are you keeping up with your kids? Are you carrying around an extra 40, 50 or even 100 pounds of extra weight? 

Once again what are you going to do about it?

It's a new year; it's a new beginning to your life. Why not do something about it. Now the time to take control and start living a healthier lifestyle. Is it easy? Is it something that's going to come naturally? The answer to both is no!

The only thing constant in life is change.

This year has been a year of being extremely busy, working through consistent changes as well as experiencing many firsts.

Are you getting ready for the new year? Start planning now!

The New Year is approaching quickly and many of you are thinking about your New Year's resolution to start losing weight, get in shape and change your life. With the New Year just around the corner, that can mean only one thing--it's Challenge time!

Chippewa Valley Challenge starts January 6 and now is the best time for you to plan your eating and figure out how you're going to start exercising. If you wait until after the first of the year you may already be too late.

As over eaters, this time of year can prove to be quite challenging. With the time change, darkness falls upon us much earlier. The temperature is falling. And the holidays are just around the corner. Are these just excuses for us to over eat, or are these legitimate reasons we over eat?

How my life has changed by reaching for my goals

These last two years, and especially these last few months, have been filled with change and great potential all because I decided to change my lifestyle and the direction my life was heading. A little over two years ago I was overweight, out of shape and very unhealthy. My personal and professional life was in shambles and neither was heading in a direction which I was happy about. So I made a decision to lose weight, get in shape and change the way I was living my life. I also promised myself that I would give back even more to my community as well as commit to improving the lives of as many people as I possibly can.

The real changes in my life started shortly after I began writing this blog. I had already lost over 75 pounds when I first started "I AM AN OVER EATER!!,"and it was only a few weeks later that I created The Chippewa Valley Challenge. My life really started making strides in a new direction.