Posts Tagged ‘health’

We have all seen the ads. Lose 10 pounds in 5 days, lose fat without changing your diet, get ripped in 15 minutes a day, get the body you have always been dreaming of with our new magic pill. The ads always tell us it can be so easy and  usually display a picture similar to the one at the top of this post. Let’s face it. We all want to be in good shape. People sped huge amounts of money each year on make up, clothes, food, tans, and exercise programs to make themselves look and feel better. The advantage of getting in shape over the other things, is that you not only look better, but you feel better. You have more energy, motivation, and confidence. So can the results that everyone talks about really be achieved? This is what I plan to find out.

The problem with most weight loss or body shaping programs is that most people stop doing them after only a few days or maybe a few weeks. The beginning is always the most difficult because you body is revolting against the changes. I plan to compete an entire 30 days of training and see if I can get the body they always show in the pictures. I am not trying to go for a body builder body, but I will try to gain definition and increase muscle size though out my body and try to gain the famous “6-pack” everyone always seems to be trying for.

Now the point of my test is two fold. One is to try and get in great shape. The other is to see if it is possible to get in shape within 30 days living within reasonable means. For instance, anyone can probably get in good shape in a month if they are training 4 hours a day 6 days a week. For obvious reasons, this isn’t possible for the majority of people and therefore realistic. It is also doubtful that anyone would stick with that plan for a very long time. To keep this program possible for anyone, I have come up with a list of requirements.

Requirements

1. Must not train more than 5 hours per week. This seems like reasonable amount for someone with a job.
2. Will not use any expensive machines. Any equipment used must be easily attainable and cheap.
3. Can not join a gym or receive any personal training
4. No significant changes to my diet. To be fair, I eat relatively balanced meals. However, I am not going to drastically change my diet for this workout.
5. No pills or supplements

The Plan

Lose fat weight and create a toned body in 30 days by using methods that require either no equipment at all (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc) or cheap equipment that can be purchased at just about any store (exercise ball, pull up bar, dumb bell weights, etc).

The Program

I will be using “The Truth About Abs” program in conjunction with some of my favorite exercise routines to try and achieve my results.  I will start the program on February 1 and stop on March 2 exercising no more than 1 hour per day 5 days a week. (I’ve never actually tried this abs program, but it is actually very well written and comes with a number of bonus books. I will do a full evaluation of the program in 30 days, but if you would like to check it out now, you can find it here.)

Documentation

I will be taking pictures of myself through out the process and may even do a few videos a long the way. I will also try and keep track of my basic diet. I will also keep track of the types of exercises and how my body is adapting to them. If you would like to get all the updates, and not just the ones I make post on the blog, please follow me on Twitter.

Final Notes

As I mentioned, the point of this challenge is to see if I can get a toned/muscular body in 30 days on a a schedule that anyone could accomplish. I would like to mention that I am someone who eats relatively well and am in decent shape. By no means could I run a marathon, but I could run a mile. During this challenge I will try to lose some of by body fat and put on enough muscle to have a six pack and a toned body.

Wish me good luck and please feel free to leave any comments you may have.

Living here in Tokyo, working over 40 hours a week, and a 2 and a half hour round trip commute left very little time for me to exercise. Spending most of my time sitting at a desk in front of a computer certainly didn’t help either. Now that I have quit my job (see the full story here) I have been spending time every day getting back into shape. To be honest,

I am lucky and have a body type that doesn’t really gain too much weight, but my body had grown week, soft, and I would get tired very easily. Now getting in to good shape can take a lot of hard work (though that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun), but there are a few things you can start doing right now that can help make a big difference. And while they will probably not give you the six pack you want, they may help take off a few pounds.

1. Anytime is a good time to exercise- it can be difficult for someone with a busy schedule to set a side an hour or two a couple times a week to go to the gym. Instead, do a few push ups, sit ups, stretches, etc a few times though out each day. Even if it isn’t a full workout, it will help get your body into a little better shape. The benefit of this type of workout is that you can do it anywhere and anytime. For ex: stretch five minutes after waking up, do 10 push ups and 10 sit ups before eating lunch, and 10 minutes of exercising and stretching before going to bed. It may not seem like much, but it is enough to help your body to start getting in shape.

2. Stop using technology- One of the ways I found to get a little more exercise when I didn’t have time, was to do things the old way. Instead of elevators and escalators, use the stairs. Instead of calling someone on the phone at work, walk over and talk to them. Is the store you normally drive to within walking distance? Start walking instead of driving. You can also do things like using an exercise call to sit on instead of the couch. Not only is it good for posture, but it will give you a little more exercise a day.

3. Get rid of your scale- Everyone wants to judge their progress by how much weight they have lost. Walk into the store and you can find a headline on just about every magazine about how to lose weight quick. Unfortunately, weight isn’t really a good measure with your progress and will vary for each person. When you first start exercising you will lose fat and so your weight will go down. However, you will also gain muscle that can raise your weight. Instant results is one of the biggest reasons people give up their exercise routines. Get rid of your scale and just exercise because it makes you feel good.

Additional tips:

Of Course eating habits also has a great influence. Don’t try to change your eating habits all at once. That will just set your up for a higher chance of failure. Do it a little at a time. Maybe try and eliminate one item from your diet. For instance stop drinking soda and start drinking water or juice. Then start slowly switching others out for more healthy alternatives. The further a long you get the less you will want to eat crappy foods.

One great way to get in better shape is to find an activity that you love to do. If it is fun, then you can get your exercise without having to think about it. The funner it is for you and the more you are able to move the better.