30 Day Challenge Update – Days 15 thru 21

It has been really cool to see how fantastic all of you are doing on this challenge. Some days are easier than others, but all of them are going to contribute in your efforts to lose fat, gain muscle, and feel great!

Don’t Skip Any!

Here is an additional challenge. Don’t think of these things as a one time shot, keep doing them, over and over, until they become habit.

I was reading a book by one of my mentors, Martin Rooney, called “Training to Win”. In it Coach Rooney was expounding on the power of habit. He wrote that studies show that 90% of what we do on a daily basis is done out of habit.

90%!

Now that could be a good thing and could be a bad thing.

For instance 15 years ago it was my habit to:

• Not exercise
• Watch hours of TV every night
• Eat loads of garbage foods. Soda, cookies, bread, pasta, pizza, french fries and fast food.

You know back then I thought it was normal for me to be drinking Pepto-Bismol every day. I am NOT kidding, you can ask Nancy.

These things were my “go to”. I did them every day because, well, that’s what I did. It was pure habit.

And what did that habit get me?

• At least 80 pounds overweight (I have been as low as 100 pounds under my all time high)
• High blood pressure
• Pre-diabetic with my blood glucose climbing higher and higher
• Unexplained spells of passing out
• Winded getting off the couch.

The good news is that I didn’t have to be stuck with those habits for the rest of my life, and Neither Do You!

Be A Creator!

But I want you to stop thinking that you have to “break bad habits”.

Instead I want you to think about creating new ones.

You see when we focus on what we “shouldn’t” be doing we dig in, we get stubborn, we go negative and we set ourselves up for failure.

This is one of the reasons the 30 Day Challenge has mostly “Do’s” and very few “Do Not’s”.

Human beings were created to be creative. So start creating new habits.

For instance when you start eating 20-30 grams of lean protein at each meal and adding healthy fats into your diet, you are creating an environment where:

• Your blood sugar stabilizes.
• Your body has what it needs to repair itself from training and maintain hormone balance.
• You feel fuller longer because protein and fat take longer to metabolize.
• Among many other amazing benefits.

When you do this all the time, when it becomes habit, you will most likely find that:

• Your cravings for high sugar foods will be reduced or eliminated.
• Your energy levels and mood will be enhanced.
• You are eating less overall.
• You start dropping bodyfat and inches.

And all this happened pretty much “automagically” because you were a creator and replaced habits. It largely takes the ever elusive “willpower” out of the equation because now this new habit is something that is as part of your nature as turning off the TV and going to bed early enough to get enough sleep. (You are doing that, right) 🙂

More than anything else this is the “secret” to my successfully losing bodyfat and keeping it off for years. I have no more willpower than the average bear. But I do have some pretty good habits.

So let’s get back to the challenge.

Don’t forget to keep checking in on our Facebook Page to let us know how you are doing. Be encouraged by all the people who are creating new habits, one by one, day by day.

Make it Happen!

30 Challenges in 30 Days 15-21

Day 15.    No alcohol today.

Day 16.    Eat fish for a main dish.

Day 17.    No bread or baked goods today.

Day 18.    Try a veggie you never had before. Artichoke, Kale, Brussel Sprouts? Just go for it!

Day 19.    Replace any fruit/fruit juice with a veggie.

Day 20.    Eat 5 colors at one meal. No Jonathan Kovar, Skittles do not count.

Day 21.    Stop eating at 7:30 or two hours before bed.