Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Join my 6-week challenge and you are entered to win a vita-mix!!!

I just came up with a crazy spur-of-the-moment idea and then acted on impulse so here we go!   There is a great organization called the Nutritional Research Project.  If you donate $1000 to them by Aug. 27, you get a vitamix blender.  Well, I already have a vitamix, but I feel strongly about this organization, so I thought, I could offer my vitamix to one of you guys!   Let's do a 6-week challenge together starting on Sept. 1.  I'll work out the details in the next few days.  I'm taking the day off work tomorrow to have fun, and I have lots of other stuff to do tonight.  Plus I'd like to hear your ideas for how we should award the blender.  I'm not sure I want to make it a competition but if I make it a lottery, anyone could say they are joining in and then not do anything.  So maybe it should be something in between.  You send me some info before sept. 1 (I'll clarify soon), and then send in your story at the end of 6 weeks and I choose one that is inspiring to others.  I want everyone to have a chance, from beginners to long-timers.  You don't necessarily have to lose weight if you are already healthy, for example.

Okay, I have to go fix tomorrow's meals, so will send more details later!

Oh, and if you have the means and would like to support a worthy organization and guarantee yourself a vitamix, feel free to donate to the NRP!

19 comments:

Amy said...

I would definitely be interested in joining you in the challenge - I am restarting E2L today and plan to really focus on it for the next 8 weeks (when ends with my 45th birthday)! The only thing is, living in Belgium, I don't think I would be eligible to win the Vitamix. But I would still like to join in!

Anonymous said...

Salutations Barbara,

I am glad that you are very well and that you are contributing to some amazing causes.

I personally would be game to an event such as this.

But maybe, you might want to think about those in need and create some sort of a program for children and donate the vitamix to a new organization that you could create, or locate one here in Madison that serves the purpose you strive towards.

- Matthew

kneecap said...

Great idea Matthew. The vita-mix could go to someone who donates to a great cause. However, I think even if this goes to one person who improves their health, that is a major success that would make me very happy.

kneecap said...

Amy, what a great birthday present for yourself!

Jen Havard said...

I am definitely IN! PLease let us all know how to proceed. :)

Linda said...

What a wonderful idea! I wonder if perhaps the most fair way to award the VM would be to do a lottery from among the people who actually participate throughout your challenge time.

I like the 'groupness' of your challenge, that we are all part of the group regardless of where we are in our journey to vibrant health via nutritional excellence.

Rachel Bruce said...

I'm so interested in joining. I have a ton of weight to lose & I want to earn my health back. I'm 26 and I am about 40 lbs overweight. According to Dr Fuhrman, I need to lose about 73 lbs--which is my goal;-)

Rachel Bruce said...

I'm so happy that you are deciding to do this challenge. I have really wanted a VM for sometime now but it's just really not in my budget right now. My step mother in law has one & she brags about it.

JudeEastman said...

Add me to the list! I'd love a Vitamix! I started ETL (and eating vegan in ernest) in the spring, started a blog in Aug as part of an Engine 2 challenge. Can't wait to hear the details.

Jude

kneecap said...

HI Jen, Rachel and and Linda, glad you are joining us. Jude, nice blog!

Tess said...

Wow! I read ETL about a month ago and have been working on it slowly, but this would be a great way to fire me up. Others too! count me in! Many thanks.

-Tess

Peggy said...

Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to win a vita mix! I am definitely interested!!

Pat said...

I'm in for the challenge and I would love to win the VitaMix, but not for myself. I have a friend from church who's been diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer of the mouth,specifically his tongue. We're all praying for healing, however he is going in for surgery to remove the entire tongue as the tumour is at the back. I don't know if he will undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but he will have some sort of feeding tube during his recovery and physiotherapy to learn to swallow again. All his meals from now on will have to be pureed or in liquid. Even without chemo and radiation, he will need to get as much nutrition in him as possible just to recuperate. A workhorse of a blender such as the VitaMix would be a great help, as it would be in use every day.

So, it would be wonderful if you were to look at all the 'entries' and choose one which you feel best deserves the Vitamix (choose me, choose me!!), but no matter how you decide, I would ask you and all the other followers of your blog to keep my friend in your prayers.

Thanks everyone...I'm really looking forward to this challenge as well, I really fell off the wagon this summer!

MichelleDW said...

I'd love to do this too! Great ideat Barb. You've been an inspiration to me for the last year ever since I found your blog....thanks so much!!!!

Rosaree said...

I would love to do this challenge, I have been doing ETL since May 15 and have lost 26 lbs but now I am not able to focus and not sticking to it like I was, I really need a refocus. Thanks Rosie

Carole said...

Hi Barbara,

I have started the E2L 5 months ago and have so much energy now. I was very depressed and almost gave up on myself for ever loosing weight and feeling better when I found Dr. Fuhrman's way of eating! I could never afford to buy a Vitamix and I thought, what the heck, will try and win one! :)
Thank you for being generous and offering this tool to one of us in our Yahoo Group!

Carole

kneecap said...

Carole,

Would you be willing to send me an email with your name and screen name (and your goals)? The reason is that I might want to send an email to the whole group of participants. It's not a requirement as I don't want to invade anyone's privacy who wants to protect it, but it just makes it a little easier for me. My email address is bwhitney@chi-squared.org

If you haven't seen it yet, the general guidelines for the challenge are here:
http://veganbarbie.blogspot.com/2011/08/6-week-challenge-for-vita-mix-heres.html

thanks!
-barb

ttujill said...

So far I have had a great start to my September challenge. I made it home from my second weekend in a row of travel for work (very stressful because I was in the deep south where healthy eating seemed to be a foreign concept) to find I had lost 2 pounds. I guess my 2 mess ups (forgetting to mention no salt or oil when it wasnt apparent on the menu that things would be served that way) did not do me in. Pretty happy with how well I did eat, considering the circumstances and how my diet influenced my co-workers during the trip. I know at least 4 people who wrote down the name and title of Dr. Fuhrman's book during my trip after I explained the diet I was on to them. And 2 people who said they would never be able to do the diet went with me a couple days in a row to a local raw food restaurant and were pleasantly surprised with the food.

One of my goals for the month was to improve my husband's health along with mine this month. So far in my ETL journey he has only been eating "good" when I am around and as soon as he is at work he eats like he normally would. Well, last night he watched the documentary Forks over Knives with me and now he is committed. He did great today and it was great for him to be actively involved in picking out recipes with me and helping to prepare rather than wen I felt like he was choking everything down and going through the motions. Hopefully this week he will actually read Dr. Furhman's book cover to cover.

Looking forward to our continued successes the rest of the month!

Rachel Bruce said...

Doing well eating wise. Just have to get back to exercising. I live in the SFV (in LA county) & it's been super hot. I'm hot when I wake up in the morning & at night when I go to bed. Today, it was 106;-(