Week 1 Challenge - 12 Steps to Fitness

Every week we are going to be working towards developing lifestyle habits that will keep our programs rocking the results long after our 90-Days is completed. Many of you have started your New Year with resolutions to lose weight or get healthy in 2011. So we are going to take that one step further by focusing each week on simple tips that will ensure we reach our goals and develop the habits we need to sustain them!

I'm so excited about the New Year! As a matter of fact, I'm looking at 2011 as being the Year of Success! Whatever your heart desires, this is going to be your YEAR!!! Nothing but positive energy from this point forward. I'm hoping that you all have set your goals and developed the action plans to make them happen. I know I have a list of goals and they are posted right in front of me. I plan to look at them daily and make sure I am doing at least one thing each day that brings me closer to my goal.

Now let's see how this is going to work in here. One of the things I would like for us to do is start tracking our accountability. So how are we going to do that? Really simple: each day I want you to make it a point to just jot down the date, what you've eaten that day, your workout and how many 8 oz. glasses of water you drank. You can do this by logging your accountability into a spiral notebook or fitness journal, by using many of the internet tracking options available to you (one of my favorites is http://www.myfitnesspal.com) or you can stop by the Cinderella Pact thread and post a real quick accountability post. To post your accountability to the Cinderella Pact, you will need to have a Team Beachbody account. Just click here to sign up for a FREE account. Your FREE account will also allow you access to the virtual WOWY Super Gym, where you can log in your workouts and have an opportunity for daily cash drawings and prizes.

We will be using the following example to track accountability:

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Sunday - January 2

Breakfast: Chocolate shakeology with 1/2 banana and 8 oz. water
Snack: Apple wedges with 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
Lunch: Romaine lettuce salad with chickpeas, red onions, tomato wedges, celery and raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Snack: Gluten-free rice cake with 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
Dinner: Homemade tomato basil soup with gluten-free cornmeal muffin

Water intake: 64 oz. (that would be the minimum I want to see)

Workout: Insanity Plyometrics Cardio Circuit

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You are of course free to track your calories, carbs, protein, fat, fiber, etc. But the above is just the basics. It lets me know you are serious about staying on track with your diet and exercise and helps us stay on top of our nutrition and exercise. Even if you get off and have a "cheat meal" that is ok. I'm not holding you to any specific standards. If you purchased a Team Beachbody program, you should have nutrition guides that came with your programs and I trust you will be following them. If you haven't purchased a program, be sure to check out the various programs Team Beachbody has to offer by clicking the previous link. I would be more than happen to assist you in finding the program to work towards your fitness goals. Just go to my site and click the CONTACT ME BUTTON and tell me how I might assist you.  I'm hoping to merely build some accountability  for those of you looking for ways to get your fitness back on track and stay on track. The best way to stay on top of your program is by holding yourself accountable.

Our challenge this week is very simple...TO DRINK A MINIMUM OF 64 OZ OF WATER A DAY. That is the recommended 8 (8 oz.) glasses of water required for optimum health benefits. Water is a crucial part of your health and well-being. Water can increase your metabolism by as much as 3%!

Here are just some of the benefits you can enjoy just by adding H20 to your daily health & fitness regimen:

• A natural appetite supressant - try drinking at least 15 minutes prior to eating.

• Increase in metabolism - without enough water the body can't metabolize fat properly.

• Increase in energy - water generates electrical and magnetic energy in every body cell, providing a natural power boost.

• Less water retention - to get rid of water retention you must drink more!

• Helps reduce blood pressure - hydration is essential to help prevent clogging of arteries an the heart and brain.

• Eases joint pain - water is what our body uses to lubricate the joints.

• Releases toxic waste products - water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells.

• Improves skin - When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant.

It just makes sense that the most important part of getting fit and healthy should be our very first challenge. So we are going to get started in the right direction. For some of you, this will be a breeze. But then for some of you it will be a learning process. I totally understand. I, too, used to hate water. Probably because at one time I was such a Diet Dr. Pepper fanatic! I was consuming as much as a six pack a day and very little water.

One of the things that helped me was I invested in a 32 oz. tumbler. I simple fill it with ice water and keep it at my workstation during the week. I make a conscious effort to drink at least 2 tumblers full each day and most often 3! Another thing that helped me was drinking through a straw. Funny as it sounds, I tend to drink more when I use a straw. I also make it a point to drink water with my meals and when I workout. So it is nothing for me to drink 128 oz of water or more each day!

We will start logging our accountability tomorrow! If you miss a day, no worries. Just try to catch up as soon as possible. Looking forward to making this a YEAR OF SUCCESS!!! So let's get ready to BRING IT!!



Let's GET FIT & HEALTHY