Day 3!!

So at this point, I've completed the first "cycle" of exercise, upper body, cardio and lower body and man I have to say there have been a few surprises in there. have to get the diet aspect under control, I've been very careful as to what I'm eating and when but need to prep more the day before, as it is I get up just before 5 AM so I can be in the gym by 5 I may have to bump that back a few minutes cause I'm running a bit over time wise. what I'm seeing first hand now is the value of preparing in advance!! really is the way to go hands down.

Had a bit of a disagreement with that voice in my head yesterday. . . I'm laying in bed half a sleep maybe 45 minutes or so before my alarm is set to go off, and suddenly I'm thinking that maybe I should put off the cardio, do it later when I get home, it's early and I'm really tired. . . . blah blah blah for 45 minutes in my head, I had myself convinced that when the alarm went off I'd be hitting the snooze and not getting up. . . . but I had a nagging thought in there, and that was the promise that I made to myself to get this done No Matter What and that if I let even one work out get blown off because of being tired or not in the mood or anything like that, I would have just lost faith in myself. . . man that is a lot to have running through your head and 4 something in the morning!!

the alarm went off, and without a second thought or hesitation, I got up, got dressed, grabbed my water and hit the gym

Score Wrench!!

This morning no problem at all, got up hit the gym and off to work. . .of course I'm already hurting in places that I forgot I had but that's the feeling of change and I'm liking the thought of that!

Great job Wrench. That little voice can be very powerful in two ways. One little trick that I've learned from a past champion here that works for me is changing my attitude from thinking that - I 'have' to work out to -I 'get' to workout. Hope this helps and keep up the great work

Good point, kbert - about "getting" to work out!  I can't remember when it struck me in my last Challenge, but it wasn't long before I couldn't WAIT until the next workout!  It's good to hurt where you thought you couldn't, aye?  I take L-Glutamine just after my workout and that seems to curb the muscle soreness.  Keep up the great work . . . Think how good we'll all look this summer (just around the corner!!!!)

bmarks

Day 4!!

kbert, that's a great way to look at it, I'll put it in my arsenal. I'm also finding that everyday builds on the day before, there's a momentum gathering and it's becoming more of a reflex than a question, it's not am I going to get up it's more like. . . where are my socks, (I don't put the light on as my wife is usually still asleep when I get up) so finding the cloths I have layed out can be a bit of a challenge sometimes :)

bmarks, I've been using Muscle Armor, and am really pleased so far with the results, of course it's only been a few days but I've been to the point before, more than once and I remember the level of soreness and it's much improved, hey at this point in my life I don't recover quite as well as I used to, I'll take all the help I can get!

Day One!  Hope I can still hang with you guys since I've started a few days later...  It took me a couple days to get everything together.  Today I bought 8# dumbbells, a "commercial grade" 65cm ball (2,500# test!), stretchy bands, EAS protein powder... and did my first leg/ab workout.  I kept it very low-grade, 10 reps of each except 20 on abs.  I figure it will take three rounds of the 12-week challenge to get where I want to be, so I'm going to try not to burn out by starting too fast and furious.  Even with my "light" workout, my legs felt like jelly when I was done.  My eating has been pretty much perfect today.  Deliberately ate every three hours.  For the record, I'm going by Dr Pam Peeke's "Body for Life for Women," which may be slightly different, but I believe it's going to work for me.  Well, thanks for listening!

~Roni

Day 4

Yesterday I woke up like I hit a wall, exhausted. I took it as a rest day.

I don't know why, but I could barely get through the day.

I was doing some reading on a work break today and I am also wondering if I am eating too much, but I know, follow the plan, follow the plan, follow the plan. I was a vegetarian for many years but I started eating fish,  chicken and beef about 6 months ago.

I knew I could not get the results I want being vegetarian.

I am going to measure and not wing it. I was wondering does it work better if I package 3-4 of the meals? 2 of them are EAS advantage ready to drink shakes which I was having alone, but read to have a carb with it.

I feel that I am over-analyzing all of this, it is really not that hard, but I am still struggling a bit. I am grateful that I am able to even do this-

Thanks for listening.

LBWO tomorrow, am going to go to gym @ 5am.

Hope everyone had a great day!

Welcome aboard  RoniF, I think the more folks doing this together the better! My wife has a copy of Pam Peeke's book, there's great info in there! I think ultimately it's what works for you. For me this is a launching point, where it leads I'm not sure but I am going to enjoy this journey for all it's worth!

Hang in there  spaterra,

How much sleep are you getting? everyone reacts differently but I've noticed that if I only get 5 or 6 hours a night, over a week or 2 it eventually catches up to me and I end up crashing big time, I'll end up sleeping for 10+ hours for a couple of days and that make the weekends go WAY too fast  :) During training 8 hours seems to be the sweet spot for me.

I'm kinda prone to over analysing this too, it's in my nature, but eventually I fall back to a meal = a portion of protein and a portion of carbs, with an occasional free food (salad etc.) thrown in for good measure 6 times per day. I'll also fill in the "extra meals" with shakes and bars depending on where I am.

All that being said I've been tweeking this thing since day one to fit my needs, if something your doing doesnt' work or feel right, modify it or change till you find something that does work for you.

You can do this!!

Wrench42,  this is just my opinion but if I give u an apple pie recipe and you decide to 'tweak it' its no longer my recipe is it. I completed my first challenge with very good results but I did some tweaking as well. The combination of exercise and diet will do that after a sedentary life style. I just thought after that challenge that if I had done it to a 'T' than perhaps my results would have been like the champions.  If you watch Body of work you will see that those first champions were insanely devoted to the program. I have also read Porter Freeman's book and he gives a lot of insight to the mental aspect of the program.  Again just my opinion but I think tweaking makes the difference between Good results and a Great Transformation. This program is so much more than just about weight loss, change really does come from the inside first. Thanks for letting me on the Soap Box. ;-)

Thank you Wrench42 - This should be so easy for me, I am making it harder than it should be.

I just have to really stay focused, I have one goal date of March 23 for an 8lb weight loss which I feel is doable, second goal end of April for physical changes from the workouts.

I am have just run out of excuses, I am healthy and there is no reason I cannot do this.

I am a certified health counselor and have studied health and nutrition for 20 years, separate from my regular 'work' Monday to Friday. I am embarrased that I am having difficulty.

Thanks for the support, have a great day!

Morning of day 2 (and I hit a deer on the way home from taking the kids to the bus!  But all's well enough...except the deer!)

Went to the free health club that is at a local church and walked on the treadmill this morning, only 20 minutes but I'll quickly work up to 30 or more.  It wasn't too long ago (maybe a year) that I was walking outside for an hour at a time, but I want to add more intervals, which are easier to do on a treadmill, more consistent and programmable.  3-egg white scramble with peppers and onions in half a whole wheat pita for breakfast.  What is the recommendation on coffee?  I don't remember seeing that anywhere.  I drink 1-2 cups a day.

I'm with you!  You can do it!

kbert, you make a great point,

however by tweaking, I simply meant adjusting within the parameters of the program. we all have different tastes and situations we're in. someone may love fish and make that their primary source of  protein intake, and others my prefer chicken and so on, one of the greatest things about this thing is there are choices, there is flexibility and that make it possible for different people to be successful at this. The point really was to find out what works for you and run with it! Sorry for being unclear, it's never my intention to steer anyone in the wrong direction and reading it again I see that it could have been interpreted the wrong way.

Thanks!!

Wrench42.

No problem in the way u presented, I just have a passion for this new lifestyle and occasionally I jump at the chance to express it. I just get discouraged when I see people talk about how this or that does not work when they actually didnt do the program as specified!  I didn't mean to imply that you or anyone else here can't adjust slightly,  I am a firm believer in Bill Phillips and his transformation program and as such want everyone to do his program so at the end of the first session when you see the results you can honestly look in the mirror and say that you earned the results because of this program and not second guess some tweaks you may have done, or of you have yourself 10's instead of earning them.

You do make a very valid point of tweaks within the perimeters of the program and i will take that info and put it to good use. Thanks for expanding my thoughts.

Happy Saturday all you BFL'rs!  Well, I guess it's official - I am the 47+ female Champion 2011!  I received my 2nd e-mail and nobody's come to the door to tell me "I've been punked"!  Although I can't participate this year, I have officially entered this Challenge with you all to keep me on track and do the best I can to guide you all through it.

I'll be happy to help however and whenever I can.  Believe me folks, it IS worth it in the long run.  Do the best you can.  You will look and feel so much better!  Keep on keepin' on!

bmarks

47+ female Champion 2011!?

just do it man all the way no fear and you'll see the other side i promise because I'm scared too. but i been waiting 3 years to do this and I'm doing it finally it feels so good...cant wait to start..gotta take it slow and steady tho to not get burnt out...i believe in you man do or die no pressure