We’re entering the season of eating!!! But the holidays really mean so much more. So let’s use this time to get fit and healthy so that we don’t wake up New Year’s Day thinking, “How did I get so FAT?!!!” If I'm already your coach, email me to let me know that you want to be a part of the Challenge. If you don't have me for a coach, click HERE to sign up for the free membership and then email me that you want to join the Challenge. The Challenge will officially begin on Monday, October 24th and end Sunday, November 13th.
Here are the RULES & GUIDELINES
- Before you start, write down your weight and measurements. You don’t have to let anyone other than your coach ever see them, but this will help track your progress and is a requirement for the challenge! It’s also a good idea to take before pictures as well! This is optional but it can really help you gauge your progress!
- You MUST post in the Facebook Accountability Group daily. I’ll be changing the Group name for the Challenge time period, but if you are not already in my FB group, let me know and I’ll add you. You can post however little or much as you like in your daily check in or even post several times a day. Many people (including me) find it’s so much easier to maintain the motivation if you know you have to check in with someone! You will need to post each day’s accountability such as “Got in my workout today! Ate clean the entire day! Drank 64 oz. of water!” It can be short, sweet and to the point or more detailed if you want. You are not only helping yourself by being accountable, but encouraging others!
- Commit to eating clean 7 days a week for the 21 days with the allowance of one cheat meal and one cheat snack per week. Eating clean is defined more clearly below. You will be allowed one “mess up” in addition to the weekly cheat meal and cheat snack during the 21 days. (So let’s say you've done great for two weeks with only cheating on your scheduled cheat meal and snack and then, oops, you blow it when the room mom brings the most amazing cookies to the PTA meeting! You’re still ok – as long as it only happens ONCE during the 21 days! J) It’s also a good idea to schedule your cheat meal and cheat snack ahead of time (yeah, I know, sounds weird, but it really does help!) and try to space them several days apart so maybe have your snack Tuesday and then cheat meal Friday (whatever works for you!)
- Keep a journal of everything you eat! If this is a new thing for you, it can be tricky at first but really, just write down everything you eat! It will really make you think about what goes in your mouth!
- Commit to exercising 6 times a week (if you are doing a program such as ChaLean that only has you work out 5 days a week, that is fine, but you must state that it is a scheduled rest day on the group page). Pick your workout program and let me know what you are doing for the 21 days. If you don’t have workout DVDs, let me know and I can help you pick one that would work well for you OR you can do some other form of exercise. It can be walking, running, a class at a gym, swimming, etc. Just make sure you are getting your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day 6 days a week and keep record of it in your journal.
- Commit to a positive outlook on your health. You don’t HAVE to eat healthy and exercise; you GET to! God has given you the ability; use that ability the best you can.
Eating Clean Explained
Since there is a wide variety of “opinions” on clean eating, Beachbody Coaches usually use MICHIS ladder as a guideline. For the Challenge, choose your foods from the top two tiers of MICHIS Ladder (found on your Team Beachbody homepage). Here are some other guidelines we will adhere to for the Challenge:
DO:
- Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Preferably breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner.
- Stop eating the last three hours before bed.
- Drink at least 8-10 8 oz. glasses of water a day. (Other beverages allowed are tea - green is the best choice – as long as you use only a small amount of honey to sweeten or nothing at all, coffee – again with limited sweetener and milk).
- Eat lean meats such as fish and chicken.
- Eat plenty of fresh vegetables. Eat 3 or more servings per day, best if raw.
- Grill, broil, or stir fry your meats rather than deep fry.
- Eat lots of fresh fruit. Two or more servings a day.
- Eat brown rice and whole grains for your starches. If the goal is to lose weight, I suggest limiting these as well.
- Use only coconut oil or sesame oil for cooking. (There are some other good oils available, but these are two I recommend. Olive oil is good for salads and such but NOT for cooking.).
THINGS TO AVOID:
- Fried foods!!!
- Processed foods!!!! (This means anything that comes in a package or has been prepared at a factory. Yes, they’re more convenient, but they have the natural nutrients removed and replaced with sugar or salt and chemicals.)
- Sodas, Kool Aid, any other processed, sugary drink!!!
- Sugar!!! For sweeteners, use honey, stevia, or agave (I haven’t researched this much but I have been hearing some bad things about agave lately so you may want to limit this as well).
- Artificial sweeteners.
- Foods high in fat content.
- Donuts, white bread, cake, cookies, candy, and other sweets.
- White rice.
- Crisco and other shortenings, vegetable oils, and any oil with the words hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated on the label.
This list is by no means exhaustive, just a guideline to get you started! If you have any questions, please let your coach know!
At the end of each week, you will need to state on the Accountability Group page whether you are in the Challenge still or not. Be honest! If you didn’t meet the requirements for the week, then you’re out of the challenge. This doesn’t mean give up! It just means you won’t be eligible to win the prize. You can still keep going with the challenge since the real prize anyway is a healthier you. Even if you are out, you can still keep posting on the Accountability Page, just mention that you are no longer in the running for the prize. Everyone who makes it through the entire 21 days will be entered in a drawing the final day for the prize (I will try to do the drawing on video and post on the group page – I’m an idiot with computers so still learning how to do this! J).
Measurement Chart
Date | Weight | Waist | Hips | Chest | R. Arm | L. Arm | R. Leg | L. Leg | Body Fat % |
Accountability Check List
DAY | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Exercise | ||||||||||||
Clean Eating | ||||||||||||
Water Drunk |
DAY | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
Exercise | |||||||||
Clean Eating | |||||||||
Water Drunk |
