Body For Life
Hello, my name is Marc and I am fat.
So here we sit in late January and after a rather lazy fall and a heavily fed December and January I am looking like I was prepping for hibernation. With the obvious problem being that I am not a bear and I don’t get to sleep several months per year away.
Now, I am not going to say I am a fatty, fatty, fat fat, because people think that is mean. I am going to suggest that maybe I have become awfully rotund. As such, over the past few weeks, I started, slowly and haphazardly, getting back to the gym. But still eating like shit. I am talking dinners of 2 pizza pops, a handful of jalapeno poppers and a peanut butter sammich. Yea, you are impressed. I know.
Anyhow, after watching me muddle through intermittent trips to the gym, my friend suggested I take a look at Body For Life
Here is the thing. I know myself. I know if I don’t have a plan, a program, a whole lot of structure and accountability my chances for success in the realm of health and fitness are minimal. This identified problem, or weakness, in me is what made me decide Body For Life
Body For Life Overview
Body for Life is a health and fitness program (and book) by Bill Phillips. It is not just another diet fad but rather a series of changes in dietary habits, physical activity and mental well-being.
The basics are:
1. Eating habits. A change in diet from the aforementioned pizza pops and jalapeno poppers to 5-6 smaller meals per day. Each containing a portion of protein, a portion of carbohydrate and 2 of them a portion of vegetables. Basically, it is suggested that the body is able to use 6 small meals a day much more efficiently to kick start the metabolism and regulate insulin levels than 3 bigguns. And frankly, the handy dandy “Daily Progress Report” sheets make it damned easy to keep track of. The best part of the change in eating habits? There is still one COMPLETELY FREE day per week to get your gluttonous grub on.
2. Weight training. The exercise routine that goes with Body For Life includes both weight training and aerobic. The program basically goes six days a week. Weight training, aerobic, weight training, aerobic, weight training, aerobic, off day. The weight training is intended to help you work at your peak and push you to increase your peak over the course of the program. The weight training days alternate between upper body and lower body.
3. Aerobic. Three times per week, alternating between weight training sessions a 20 minute, high intensity aerobic workout is thrown into the mix. It essentially works you from medium levels of intensity, slowly up to your peak and back down and back up and back down and back up for 20 minutes.
So that is your quick and dirty overview of Body For Life.
Starting Point
And so here comes the hard (and a little more than slightly embarrassing) part. Admitting to yourself that you are fat and throwing it out there for everyone to see.
Day 1. Starting weight 241 lbs.
So there it is. All out on the line. My rotund ass out there for everyone to see. And now this is where you come in. I am going to be writing about this 12 Week Challenge. I will write about my triumphs, my setbacks, my progress and my thoughts about the program. All I ask of you is this, help keep me accountable. If I haven’t written in a few days, harass me. If you see me with a donut or a hot dog, harass me. If I don’t check-in at the gym, harass me. If its free day come out and have a fabulous lunch or dinner with me!
Also note, as part of being accountable, I am going to use Foursquare to checkin to the gym 6 days a week. So if you REALLY want to be an accountable pain in my ass, you can follow me there too. I know Foursquare can be annoying, but it is a tool I will be using, once a day for the next 12 weeks.
Tags: BFL, body for life, fitness, health
