Inspiration is found easily and often when you're a Sparker. You cannot deny the inspiration read in the triumphant entries of fellow members. The many, many interests portrayed through the various teams are seductive: "Come join us. You'll enjoy it! We exercise and lose weight the fun way!"

But how do you take this spectator mentality and turn it into a participatory one?

A comrade in our local spark team and I challenged each other to a "weight-off" in conjunction with a challenge posed by another team to which we both belong. We established the rules and a grading system and planned to get together regularly to both hold each other accountable and to see who's "winning."

At our first comparison meeting, I was blown out of the water by my friend's commitment. She took our challenge and ignited it with dynamite rather than a spark! Where was MY fire? What happened to MY old competitive all-excuses-barred, take-no-prisoners edge? Let me tell you, she honed it! She lit my fire! I told her after that meeting that I planned to turn her inspiration into perspiration.

Now, on days when my energy is lacking and my feet are dragging (justly so, even), I think of my accountability partner. I don't allow excuses. Maybe I don't have time for a two and a half hour bike ride, but I can work in 5 miles before the sun goes down. Can't get up the juice to wog 5K? Do a pep-step walk around the neighborhood instead. Forgot to take my dumbbells to my parents' house for the week? Use the light weights I took for my mother to use, and double them up in one hand (I've done that twice this week!). I have no excuses. There is no time for procrastination - it's now or die!

So I challenge you: take any of the myriad of inspirational stories found on SparkPeople, and turn them into your own perspiration. While you're patting yourself dry, you'll be so glad you did it!