Getting Started

Basic Guidelines to Get You Started

Write Down Your Goals:

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the quorum of the twelve said “I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

I pivotal action you can take to be more successful in this challenge to write down your goals and review them every morning and every night.

The following steps will help guide your goal setting session:

1. Make the decision to change
2. List your reasons wanting to change
3. Dream what you would like to achieve in the next 12 weeks (be specific)
4. Turn 5 of those dreams into goals by giving them a deadline and a way to measure them
5. Identify 3 obstacles that might deter you from achieving your goals
6. Identify 3 ways to overcome these obstacles

Take Your Before Photos and Other Measurements

Be sure to take a before photo before challenge begins. Also, write down any measurements you interested in tracking progress for down (weight, body-fat percentage, waist size, arm size, resting heart rate, etc.).

Plan Your Meals and Workouts

Meals

Without plan a goal is only a wish. You should plan your meals for each day. Each meal you should consume a portion of protein (about the size of an open palm) and a portion of carbohydrates (about the size of a clenched fist). For at least two meals a day you should also consume a portion of vegetables avoiding starchy vegetables such as corn and squash. See the food list at http://bodyforlife.com/nutrition/foodlist.asp for ideas on what to eat.

Below is an example meal plan I have created for myself. While boring, my breakfast, snacks, and lunch will vary little because I favor monotony over complex planning.

	Sample Day
Breakfast	3 egg whites, 1 egg, ½ cup oatmeal
Snack	Protein Shake
Lunch	Turkey Sandwich w/ mustard & avocado, carrots
Snack	Yogurt w/ Cottage Cheese
Dinner	Grilled lean meat (chicken, fish, beef), side of steamed vegetables, whole grain bread, pasta, or rice
Snack	Cottage Cheese and Fruit

The 20-Minute Aerobics Solution

According to Bill Phillips in Body-for-Life, maximum calorie burn isn’t achieved by lengthening workouts, but by increasing the intensity of the workouts.

To perform the Aerobics Solution select your desired medium (stationary bike, bicycle, jogging or walking, swimming, etc.) then follow the intensity schedule and instructions below:

Minute: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Intensity: 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 6, 7, 8, 9, 6, 7, 8, 9, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 5

Instructions: Intensity level ranges from 1 to 10, 1 being a sitting on the couch watching TV, 10 being the level beyond where you think your physical limitation is. The important thing to remember is that everyone’s intensity scale is different, and what might be a level 8 for you might be a level 6 for someone else. Varying the intensity of your workout in the intervals laid out above will maximize the benefit of your aerobic exercise while minimize the time needed to gain the benefits.

Weight Training

Weight training uses the same intensity measuring system as described above to produce optimal results. During each training session you will work the major muscle groups of either the upper body or lower body. For each muscle group perform two exercises in the following manner:

Muscle Group: Chest
Exercise	Reps	Weight (lbs)	Intensity	Time Between Sets*
Dumbell Bench Press	12	40	5	1
Dumbell Bench Press	10	45	6	1
Dumbell Bench Press	8	50	7	1
Dumbell Bench Press	6	55	8	1
Dumbell Bench Press	12	50	9	0
Dumbell Flys	12	15	10	2

*A one minute break should be taken between each set except for between the last two where no break should be taken. After completing all the sets in the muscle group, take a two minute break before continuing on to next muscle group.

The web address http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/weighttraining.asp identifies the muscle groups (and possible exercises for each muscle group) to be worked out for both the upper body and lower body.

Track Your Effort

Track your daily effort in nutrition and exercising by using the calendar I have created at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t7ngSusXxP73YtVRiLobVVw&output=html. Rate your effort in each category as best, moderate, or miserable. Remember the your ratings on your personal effort will be used by the judges of the fitness challenge in determining the winner.

I hope this helps all of you to get started on your fitness journey. Feel free to post ideas on how to spice up the challenge such as the one recently mentioned – polling challengers on their best guess for the total amount weight lost in the challenge by all challengers. My guess is 225 lbs!