Hi, my name is Charles Damiano and I am the 2004 Grand Master Body-for-LIFE Champion. When Shane Thomas, Sports and Conditioning coach and Body-for-LIFE judge, called me up to ask me if I can write about what to look forward to and expect from week 3 of the Body-for-LIFE Challenge, I was honored to share my story and experience in helping you get through the Challenge. I have entered the Body-for-LIFE Challenge three times previous to winning the Challenge in 2004. I entered in 1997, 1998 and again in 1999, where I place in the top 10 in my age group. I do not preach through theory, but from experience when I share with you what to expect from week 3 of the Body-for-LIFE Challenge.
For me the 2004 Challenge was just that, the biggest Challenge of them all for me to complete. With 3 young children, Jessica 10, Brandon 9 and Aidan only 2 at the time, working full time as the Executive Vice President of one of New York City’s largest health club chains and part time at night on my entrepreneurial internet business (www.bruceleecollection.com), I knew that completing the Challenge was going to be all about planning, determination and persistence. I am a big believer in goal setting and planning and have run my life and business with the philosophy that “IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL”.
With that in mind I began to map out my plan for the first four weeks of the Challenge. Hopefully by now you all did the same and put your 12-week health-related goals in writing. Mine was to lose 15 pounds of body fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle. You must also decide and plan where you will be working out and what time of the day you will be training. I decided to work out in the morning and do my cardio workout at home and my weight training workout at one of the health clubs that I supervised—all before going to work.
So, begin planning now, by asking yourself when will you be getting in your workouts? Is it going to be in the morning, afternoon or after work? And once you decide, remember to honor your self promise and stick with it! Planning my meals was also essential for my success and will be to yours as well. So the night before, I would always get my Myoplex bars and ready-to-drink shakes together and throw them in my work bag. You must decide and plan in advance what meals you would also eat on the run while at work and when.
What you can look forward to in week three is your body and mind getting use to the workouts; the eating schedule and you have worked some of the challenges out of your daily routine. Since it takes 21 days to form a habit, the BFL program by the end of week three should be getting easier and more fun to follow since it is now becoming a new healthy habit for you to look forward to. Physically, your energy level should be improving, you should be feeling stronger on your weight training days and you body should slightly begin to show signs of improvement in reduced body fat and improved muscle tone.
Remember, you still have nine weeks to go and results may be slow at first but you have to stick with your game plan, hold your goal before you, keep believing in yourself and visualize yourself completing the challenge and looking and feeling your best. With each passing week you will be one step closer to a new and healthy you! You will get through the Challenge and when you do you, will feel like a new person—vibrant, healthy and alive! I know I did! Week 3 is helping your body get acclimated to the BFL program, your routine and what’s to follow. I wish you the best of luck on your exciting BFL journey. Go for it!
I will leave you with a few of my favorite inspirational quotes:
"What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable"
- -Socrates
“What ever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve”
--Napoleon Hill
“If you can see the invisible you can do the impossible”
--Carl Mays
