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So you said yes to my challenge eh? You decided to buckle down, set a goal, commit yourself, take action and transform your body over the holiday season. That's good! Now, are you ready for the next 5 challenges?
New Challenge #1: Complete the 50 Day Burn.
Most people are not action takers, they're spectators. If you've accepted the 50-day holiday challenge, as an official contestant vying for the prizes, or simply to do-it-at-home for self-motivation, either way, you're already in a small, elite group by taking action and starting. However, another, even smaller elite group always emerges... the finishers.
I'm challenging you to be a finisher. The rewards are endless: Less body fat, more muscle, greater strength, better fitness, improved health, increased energy, self-confidence, the respect and admiration of others, and the list goes on.
You'll also finish the year strong and gain a satisfying sense of completion. The psychologist William James once said, "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an unfinished task." James may not have been talking about flattening an overhanging belly, but it's likely that an "unfinished task" that you face every morning in the mirror is even more mentally frustrating than a mundane unfinished chore such as cleaning a messy house.
Not only are the rewards of being a finisher immense, it's necessary to be a finisher just to avoid consequences. You will feel a nagging, festering sense of disatisfaction for as long as you say you must do something and you don't complete it. The only way to closure is to finish.
Getting completion at the END of the year is even more important because that gives you momentum that carries you through the new year. On New Year's Day, you'll already be "on a roll." You'll feel like you have a head start.
Make finishing this contest a MUST. PLEDGE to finish what you started NO MATTER WHAT. Finishing this contest means: (1) completing the 50 days, (2) taking after photos, (2) posting the after photos to your forum journal and (4) writing/ submitting your essay. If you've done all 4 of these things, you're a finisher.
New Challenge #2: Make the best transformation you can.
This contest is only 50 days long. Typically, transformation contests run for 12 weeks (84 days/3 months) and that is indeed a great period of time to allocate for body composition improvement. It's a short enough time frame to keep your attention focused and your urgency level high, but it's enough time to see major improvements in body fat reduction or lean muscle gains.
But just 7 weeks? Is that really enough time to achieve anything big? How much can you accomplish in 50 days? No one knows but you, until after you put forth your best effort and see for yourself. I'm hesitant to set any limits on what you could achieve in 50 days because I've seen too many "results not typical" transformations to say it can't be done.
This challenge might sound out of character for me because I've become known as a moderation guy. "Take off the pounds slowly, steadily and sensibly. Make it a lifestyle. Be patient." Those have been my mantras. Still are. When I recommend how much fat or weight people should shed each week, I usually cite the average amount or what is most likely to be typical.
But who says that this 50 day transformation has to be typical? isn't it possible that you could achieve better than average results in the next 50 days? Isn't it possible that by working extremely hard, by being consistent day in and day out - not missing a beat, by focusing all your energies on your 50 day goal and by feeding off the energy and support of the people in this community, that you might get the same type of results in 7 weeks that most peoople would take 12 weeks to get?
Hmmmm. That's an interesting thought to ponder: getting the same results in 7 weeks that most people would take 12 weeks to get.
It's not unrealistic to set goals for better than average results. It's unrealisic to expect those results without an above average effort. And if you want exceptional results, then it's going to take exceptional effort. The results you get come in direct proportion to the effort you put in. The key word is "willing." Are you willing to do what it takes to make this happen? It won't be easy. But remember, just because something is difficult doesn't mean it's impossible.
I have a prediction: I believe that some people, perhaps not all, but definitely some, are going to put forth an exceptional effort in the next 7 weeks and as a result, produce exceptional results. I think we're going to see before and after photos from this contest that are hard to believe were achieved in just 50 days.
Not only that - they'll be the type of results we want - not just weight loss, but improvement in body composition - fat will be incinerated and muscle will be gained. Health will be improved. Rapid weight loss is not always desirable (or healthy). But exceptional improvements in body composition are always to be applauded.
New Challenge #3: Keep going strong into the new year and take a long term perspective beyond 50 days.
Most people who set New Year's resolutions fall off the wagon by Super Bowl Sunday. Within 6 months, most of rest have dropped off as well. Only a tiny handful remain.
Why do so few stick with it? Short term perspective, and what I call "quick fix disease" are two of the big reasons. The winners of the world avoid quick fixes and look at the long term as they take action in the present moment. They view goals as steps along the journey, not end points. They make goal setting a lifelong habit, not a one time event. With each goal achieved, another one already lies waiting to be pursued next.
Perhaps most important, winners have a vision. A goal has an end point. A vision is not something you achieve, reach or complete. A vision is something you live every day for life - it has no end point. Dropping your body weight from 237 pounds to 180 pounds is a goal. "To easily maintain my ideal weight, improve my health, increase my quality of life, and inspire other people with my success story," that is a vision.
When you have a vision, it will not only keep you from backsliding, it will help you with choosing new goals as each new goal will naturally unfold when the previous one is realized. And that will keep you going strong into the new year and beyond.
New Challenge #4: support each other
There's a very important reason why I set up this challenge with teams and team prizes. That is, so you could prove to yourselves the power of support and teamwork. When you connect with other people, you tap into their energy. If your energy is down, your partner or teammate's energy may be up, and it's their responsibility to lift you up to their energy level. That's the agreement you have in a team. Another day, your energy may be up and when you see someone on your team who is down, it's your responsibility to lift them up. Other people - friends, family, mentors, coaches, teammates or anyone who supports you, can help you draw more potential out of you than you ever could pull out of yourself, simply because they see potential in you that you don't see yet. Look for the potential in other people - and show it to them! Connect with others. Find a support partner. Form a team. pull together. And make friends. People who never knew each other before can meet on an internet forum and real friendships can be formed. You may find yourself chatting with someone on the open forum. Next thing you know, you're sending private messages to each other. Next thing you know, youre emailing each other through your personal email accounts. Next thing you know, youre talking on the phone. And the next thing you know, youre meeting face to face. Most important: Don't just use support during this 50 day challenge. Learn about the power of support and learn how to reach out and get it, so you can take that skill with you after these 50 days and use the support strategy in the future as you go on to the next level. New Challenge #5: Enjoy the holidays and find balance as you transform your body Why do most people gain weight over the holidays? One reason is either/or thinking. They believe they can EITHER get in better shape OR enjoy themselves and the festivities, but not both. Stated in reverse: You can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, "either/or thinking" is neurotic thinking and a great killer of fitness programs. I will be eating pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. On Christmas, I wouldn't miss my mom's famous red and green Jell-O Christmas cake for the world. Then on New Year's I'm usually toasting champagne and having a blast with friends or family. Who says you can't eat delicious food and have a great time? The key is, I don't eat like that very often. It's just a few meals. Every other meal stays right on schedule and I work out hard and consistently over the holidays; (My gym is open thanksgiving day. Guess where I will be in the morning). I don't let everything fall apart just because 'tis the season.' But other people, due to faulty thinking patterns, believe that if they cheat once, they are a complete failure and their whole day, week, month (or 50 day challenge) is ruined. So not true! Life is not an either or proposition; it's a matter of achieving balance. Train hard. Eat clean at least 90% of the time. Enjoy the other 10%. Always watch your portions, whether regular meals or treat meals. Enjoy the holidays. Find the right balance this year. Your body and your mind will love you for it. There are your 5 new challenges. Show me what you've got. I'll be watching. Train hard and expect success! -Tom Venuto, CLICK HERE To discuss The holiday challenge in the burn the fat forums
