Hi OwnPace Family,

As we go into the month of March and get closer to spring, I’ve put together a challenge to get us all more active and in even better shape.

The theme for March is Start Good, Get Better.

So what is this challenge? I’ve called it “The 500 Calorie Challenge”, NOOO!!! we are NOT going to be eating only 500 but instead the goal is to burn at least 500 calories each day. Ps: don’t just stop at 500 calories, if you can do more go for it, 500 is the minimum.

But why 500? Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, it's estimated that you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. So, in general, if you cut about 500 to 1,000 calories a day from your typical diet, you'd lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Tracking: there are several ways to track your caloric expenditure for the day and the simplest ones are through fitness tracking devices such as fitbit, iwatch etc. In most cases, your phone also tracks your activity if you have it on you.

Quick tip: Taking about 10,000 steps a day is approximately 500 calories.

Consistency: During this challenge the goal is to stay consistent for the entire month and not miss a day. So you are going to have to push yourself to move on your off days from the gym. Any kind of physical activity counts, just get to 500 calories.

The Extra Mile: This section is for anyone who wants to challenge themselves even more and take their results up a notch. Here, we’ll be adding a 500 calorie food deficit. So if you estimated calorie consumption is 2000 calories, you’ll be doing 500 calories. By taking this step you give yourself a chance at doubling your results. To calculate you estimated calorie intake, you can use an app such as myfitnesspal to determine that number.

Please note: these numbers are estimates and results will vary from person to person based on factors such as age, gender, prior activity level etc, the key is give your best effort.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.

Until next time,

Olan