Hey folks, next week I’ve committed myself to starting a new Health Challenge. Well, technically I stole that name from Jack Finlayson, our CEO at Layered Tech. You see, every year Jack runs a Health Challenge for the folks at work. It works about like this…
- First of all, participants are all on the honor system. You can choose to participate or not, but if you are disqualified then you have to admit it and you aren’t eligible for the prizes that come at the end.
- There are some exercise requirements.
- There are some dietary requirements.
- It lasts for about 12 weeks.
At the end of the challenge, whoever has shown the most notable improvement wins! So, starting this coming Sunday, April 12, 2009, I’m going to be kicking off my own little health challenge right here for readers of my blog. Complete with glory and prizes! You’ve got the rest of this week to prepare, but then the progress begins next week!
Personally, I am starting out at 188.8 pounds and 22.5% bodyfat. My number one goal is to lose inches off my waist which is 34″. Ideally I would like to have a 31″ waist.
Here are the Rules
- Almost completely eliminate sugar from the diet. No more candy, Coke, or other sugary drinks. In fact, nothing but water! One Coke and one candy bar per week are allowed.
- Decrease food portions by 40-50% for all meals. Instead of eating whatever looks good, stop eating after you feel full. (Overall, I want to consume half the calories I used to.)
- Snack all you want, but only fruit or nuts are allowed!
- Exercise every single day. This doesn’t mean long exercise daily. It means frequent bursts of exercise. Pushups and situps as many times a day as you can squeeze them in. Whatever you are capable of, just lots of it!
In a few days I’ll give you my Marine Corps style workout schedule. Perhaps I’ll even video a few of the exercises guaranteed to get you in shape… That’s it! Now, some of you are going to have to follow a couple extra rules if you decide to go along with me here.
- If you are a big beer drinker, you are going to have to treat it the way I treat Coke. Cut it out! Only one or two per week!
- If you are a smoker, I would prefer to see you quit altogether, but at a minimum you must cut down by 50% during the Health Challenge.
My Progress
As I’m going through the health challenge I’m going to report back right here on my progress pretty regularly. I’m also going to tweet periodically about it, so if you aren’t following me on Twitter, feel free.
| Date | Pullups | Squat Thrusts | Pushups | Arm Curls | Treadmill | Weight | Body Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6 | 35 | 34 reps / 60 lbs. | 188.8 lbs. | 22.5% | |||
| April 9 | 30 reps / 60 lbs. | 186.5 lbs. | 22.1% | ||||
| April 12 | 50 | 20 | 87 reps / 60 lbs. | 185 lbs. | 21.7% | ||
| April 15 | 80 | 57 reps / 60 lbs. | 183 lbs. | 21.5% | |||
| April 20 | 15 | 125 | 20 | 25 reps / 70 lbs. | 182.4 lbs. | 21.3% | |
| April 25 | 50 | 181.1 lbs. | 20.9% | ||||
| April 29 | 15 | 50 | 56 | 75 reps / 60 lbs. | 178.6 lbs. | 20.4% | |
| May 8 | 176 lbs. | 20.1% | |||||
| May 13 | 174.5 lbs. | 19.2% | |||||
| May 16 | 300 | 30 reps / 60 lbs. | 174 lbs. | 19% | |||
| May 22 | 30 | 75 reps / 60 lbs. | 172.6 lbs. | 19.1% | |||
| May 24 | 100 | 30 reps / 60 lbs. | 172 lbs. | 18.9% |
How to Join the Health Challenge
If you’d like in on this Challenge, here’s what all you can do:
- Drop your Twitter ID in the comments and I’ll follow you back (maybe you can follow each other too), as long as you promise to stick with it and give us all updates as well! Motivation is key people!
- You can give updates here in the comments on this blog, or via Twitter, or on your OWN blog, but your progression must be documented in order to be eligible for any sort of prize at the end.
Right now I don’t know what the prizes will be, but I’ll think of something if anyone actually joins me here and completes the challenge!
One last thought. A program like this always works best with peer support. So even if you don’t join in, how about sharing this with other people on your blog, or Facebook or Twitter or whatever. I’m committed, but I could use all the partners I can get!
Updates
Related posts
- The John P. Health Challenge Update #2ShareI’m back with another Health Challenge update for you guys. It’s been about two weeks since the last update, and...
- The John P. Health Challenge 2010 Official Rules!ShareOk folks, you’ve got less than 2 weeks of gluttony left before the Health Challenge starts again. We’re going to...
- Return of the John P. Health Challenge – Begins Jan. 1, 2010!ShareBack in April I shared my plans for a diet and exercise routine that I called the John P. Health...
- The John P. Health Challenge Update #1ShareFor those of you who are keeping up with my Health Challenge, here’s my first update. I’ll try and give...
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A bunch of folks are giving updates on Twitter. If you use TweetDeck you can set up a search for #HealthChallenge and you can see the progress people are reporting there as well. :-)
I’m updating my progress in the chart above ever few days too so everyone can see how I’m doing.
John P.
Hope it’s not too late to join in? Southernmuse on twitter.
Never too late Amanda! Welcome to the challenge! :-)
John P.
I would love to join! Twitter name MaybeMaeby
I swam a bit today. Good for cardio. How is the challenge going on John?
Hey Fas, I just posted an update on the blog. But I’m going to keep updating my weight and stuff on the chart here every few days as well as keep Twittering about the progress. It’s going well, and next week I intend to put out a workout video to show you guys my routine.
Cheers,
John P.
Great idea. Good luck with the workouts/diets. Why don’t you come down to the Boxing Gym for a free workout. It is good… And it does get tougher and tougher w/ age.
I didn’t workout today. Not in a position to workout today either but I am going to workout after remembering the challenge. Gonna do some pull ups and use a elastic rope to do various exercises.
So any update today. I swam for a little time and had done some exercises like pull ups.
Didn’t hit the gym today. But swam a bit and so dam sleepy. ZZZZZZ..ZZZZZZ..Zzzzz……..!
No updates here? I swam today. Been a few days not hit the gym.
Looks like everyone has gone cold. Any updates? Any goals achieved?
Fas,
Most people are giving updates daily on Twitter. If you get TweetDeck and set up a search, you can see the updates by checking for #HealthChallenge. Also, I gave another big update on a new post today…
John
Ok that would be cool, will check it out on Twitter.
My challenge went half way through. Fell ill, lost path, now back on to getting back to the challenge with more enthusiasm. Did legs today. Planning a diet now.
So with the new challenge for myself I am on my way to achieving some goals. @ John try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UheCchftswc
A few more people should be on this health challenge according to a recent poll published in Newsweek. See http://www.newsweek.com/id/199914.
Did you check out that video. I tried it and as the name says, its really killer.
I’ll do it. Add me @ rbherman.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
I’m totally doing the challenge! @beckanoel
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