Celebrate Every WinSay goodbye to every pound lostWAVE GOODBYE TO EVERY POUND LOST
We must celebrate every success, no matter how small, because although our destination is important (reaching our target weight for instance), we wouldn't reach our destination without the small successes along our journey - so we celebrate every single pound lost, because when we acknowledge losing it as a success we reinforce our strength and resolve to continue on until the end. OK, I'VE LOST A POUND OF UNWANTED WEIGHT THIS WEEK, HOW BEST TO CELEBRATE When we say celebrate, we don't mean rush out and treat yourself to a fat-creating Mars Bar. Simply acknowledging your success is enough to motivate not only yourself but others too. Every time you lose a pound in weight, share one of the buttons below on your Social Media Site. Facebook wall, Pinterest Boards, or on Twitter. Simply hover over the button your want to use to mark another milestone on your journey towards your ideal weight, and select the social media site you wish to share your success on. Start The Fitness TestIf we are to plan our journey towards a fitter, healthier self, we first need to assess our current level of fitness - The fitness test provides us with a starting point..
The Couch Potato Challenge fitness test will provide a quick and effective way to check your personal fitness levels and of course, we’ll then have some measurements by which to compare our future selves too. Perform each fitness test and record your score. When you're ready to begin, choose a test from those listed below. For convenience, maybe start with test number one (Cardiovascular Fitness Test) and work your way through them in the order listed. You could also choose to perform one test per day, at the same time of day. COUCH POTATO CHALLENGE - FITNESS TEST There are 7 tests in total. Perform them in any order you wish, and over as many days as it takes. You should leave enough time between performing each test to allow your body to recover properly from the previous test. 1 - Cardiovascular Fitness Test 2 - Upper Body Strength Test 3 - Leg Strength & Endurance Test 4 - Abdominal Strength Test 5 - Core Strength Test 6 - Shoulder Flexibility Test 7 - Waist to Hip Ratio Body-Fat Test 8 - Body Mass Index Test 9 - Resting Heart Rate Test Accountability
How does this all relate to accountability and weight loss? Accountability is very similar to consequence. Just like you have to answer to your Boss, Teacher, or a parent, or even your friends to get the desired outcome, accountability in weight loss works the same way. If you have to answer to someone, you'll take the appropriate action, the right choices to help you lose weight. Accountability is one of the most important factors in losing weight, or changing any behavior. When you have to report to someone else, when you feel a level of pressure, it tends to change how you think and act. Different Kinds Of Accountability The simple act of writing down everything you eat is a powerful form of accountability. Being in an active group where everyone can follow your progress can also be an added lever. You'll find that logging alone is quite effective. You need to take this seriously- every day, consistency is key. In weight loss as with many things in life, each step isn't all that difficult, but consistently doing it every day is, and we repeat, consistency is key. The Role of Peer and Group Support In Weight Loss Accountability When you are ready to begin to lose weight in earnest, group and peer support are the most highly proven methods for success. It is one thing to learn how to lose weight and eat more healthy, it is another thing to put this into practice on a consistent basis. Friends and family are of limited use because there is only so much burden they can bear. Getting the support of a group of friends each day can make the critical difference. Self-monitoring is the other method, backed by volumes of research, that is highly correlated with weight loss success. You keep a log of your food, exercise, goals and thoughts. When you do this each day it keeps you accountable to yourself, and brings this aspect of your life to the top of your mental agenda. When you are writing each day, you are thinking about the things you write about. This begins to change how you think and facilitates better decision making. When you make better decisions, and have a broad support network, you are very likely to lose weight for the long term. When you do both these things, the odds of success increase dramatically. 10 Ways to Stay Accountable for Weight Loss
Tasks to perform1. Read the eBook to better understand these acts of accountability. 2. When you use any of these forms of accountability, you're saying to the world, I'm taking responsibility for reaching my goals. Hover over the accountability acts you're going to use to see your social media sharing option. 3. After clicking on the images below, hover over the image that appears, 3 social media buttons will appear in the top left hand corner of the image, simply select which of these 3 social media sites you wish to make yourself accountable on.
A pledge is a promise to ourselves...
Pledge eBook
3 - Leg Strength & Endurance Test What Now!
Before we start on our journey...  We need to know where we're going... We do this by setting goals we want to achieve. This is all well and good however if we keep these goals to ourselves it's all to easy to let them slip, so we'll be making ourselves accountable to our peers. Peer pressure can be a great motivator. So before we even start thinking about taking our first step on our journey towards reaching our goals, we must announce our intentions to those around us and what better way than on our social media sites.Sharing Your GoalsIf any of the goals below resonate with you, hover over their image, and three social media icons will appear. Click on any/all of the social media channels you wish to share your goals on.
More goals...Many of these fitness goals are very difficult, so you can scale them to your fitness level.
I personally have several of these goals set sequentially so that as I achieve one, I have another to strive for. I hope you give one, or more a try this year: “I want to lose X pounds this year” - In my opinion, weight loss goals are surprisingly ineffective for sustaining exercise motivation over the long run. Instead consider performance goals, which may help you stay more motivated to exercise not just this year, but for the rest of your life. Getting leaner and stronger is a byproduct of achieving these performance goals. Creating performance goals also helps shift the focus from the outcome to the process. You approach exercise as a skill that you develop over time. Working out for the sake of working out gets boring for everyone. That’s why I created these extra goals that are based on improving your performance to help you stay more motivated whilst on your journey for weight loss or getting in the best shape ever. Turn up your metabolism How fast your body burns calories depends on a lot of things, including genetics, your sex, and your age. Resistance training is one of the best things you can do to reverse the inevitable age-related slowdown—and if you've been following our program from Day 1, then you're already heading in the right direction—but there are also smaller habits you can adopt to fan your metabolism's flames, from adding an extra ingredient to your smoothie to watching a funny YouTube video. Download our eBook below by hitting that big red button, and try to incorporate as many metabolism boosting habits as you can.
Welcome to the Couch Potato ChallengeWhat is it?
I created the Couch Potato Challenge because I'm sick and tired of starting a new weight loss plan, only to lose interest or run out of steam before the end of the first month. The Couch Potato Challenge is a ONE MONTH campaign designed to kick-start your weight loss/get in shape plans. Look at it like a warm-up for the main event. Imagine you've finally convinced yourself to take up Boxercise to aid weight loss, or to simply get in better shape. Wouldn't it make sense to give yourself the best start by first taking a month to prepare your body and mind for the task ahead. That is where the Couch Potato Challenge comes in - Take the challenge, and in one month your mind and body will be ready to start that Boxercise class. And because you're better prepared for it, you're more likely to stick with it, and to reach your ultimate goal. What's Involved No Gym The Couch Potato Challenge will enable you to work out from the comfort of your own home in a way that is fun and doable (no set times, no hard limits). When you're ready to start working out at a Gym or Exercise Club, you'll at least know your body is prepared for the challenge. No Exercise Classes Seriously, if you want to get in shape and you haven't worked out in a while (or ever) then joining an exercise club and working out for 30 minutes to an hour at a time, is only going to end in tears. Take the Couch Potato Challenge, and prepare your body before hand. No Fee's (Ever!) Yep! It's free. No hidden costs either. It's Fun I have designed the Couch Potato Challenge to be fun and sociable, nobody wants to follow a plan that is strict and if I dare say it 'boring'. It's Convenient Let's talk about convenience for a minute. The Couch Potato Challenge includes pre-challenge, challenges. These should be tackled first because they provide the foundations upon which all other challenges are based. The remaining 30 or so challenges can be tackled in any order you want, and whenever you want. There is no 'arriving late to the party' here. You don't have to be in it from the beginning to join in either. No Fee's Did I mention it was Free to take The Couch Potato Challenge? I did! oh good.... 7 - Waist to Hip Ratio Body-Fat Test The Last ChallengeYou final challenge is to become Inspired by the work you've done already, and continue on your journey to reaching your weight loss or getting in your best shape ever! Goals. Enjoy Challenge 30. Inspiration and Weight Loss Secrets
Toss these low-fat foods Hate to break it to you, but it's time for another fridge and pantry clean-out. Look for anything labeled "low fat," "fat free," or "reduced fat." While these labels are fine for dairy products like milk, you shouldn't automatically assume other types of foods are any better for your diet than the full-fat versions. Why? All too often, companies use more sugar, salt, and additives to make them taste good. The result is foods that are lower in fat, sure, but more sugary and sometimes even more caloric. So search your cupboards for these nine foods, and replace them with our expert-approved picks.
 Turkey Bacon The Motivation To Lose Weight |
 | I've got a gut feeling about this!Consider this: Right now, as you're sitting there, there's a battle raging in your belly. Some 1,000 species of bacteria are duking it out, trying to establish dominance. Why should you care? Because whether the good bacteria in your gut or the bad triumph doesn't just decide how well you digest your dinner, respond to allergens and fend off diseases—it also helps determine how much weight you're likely to gain. Or lose. |
Simply put, if you get the microbiome— that collection of bacteria inside you —healthy, you will lose weight,
It's less about eating a certain percentage of carbohydrates, protein and fat than about correcting the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria, which is making you crave the wrong foods, triggering inflammation.
A flurry of ground-breaking findings are helping to connect the dots about how our gut bacteria may shape our, well, shape. In a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, obese women who took a probiotic supplement (of the bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus) lost twice as much weight and fat over about six months— and were better at keeping it off —as those who took a placebo.
Probiotics may have helped by controlling the women's appetites, which seem to have waned as their microbiomes changed.
Unhealthy gut bacteria also produce food cravings: A study published in BioEssays suggests that some microbes may drive us to eat doughnuts or another tempting treat. These gut bugs send chemical messages to the brain that sway our appetite and mood—perhaps making us feel anxious until we gobble a square of dark chocolate or a T-bone steak.
Fortunately, we can begin to take control by feeding our microbiome the right foods.
What we eat dictates the kind of bacteria we grow in our gut garden.
This is big news: There are trillions of microbes in your belly that will—if you feed them well—help you fight flab and win.
It's less about eating a certain percentage of carbohydrates, protein and fat than about correcting the overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria, which is making you crave the wrong foods, triggering inflammation.
A flurry of ground-breaking findings are helping to connect the dots about how our gut bacteria may shape our, well, shape. In a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, obese women who took a probiotic supplement (of the bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus) lost twice as much weight and fat over about six months— and were better at keeping it off —as those who took a placebo.
Probiotics may have helped by controlling the women's appetites, which seem to have waned as their microbiomes changed.
Unhealthy gut bacteria also produce food cravings: A study published in BioEssays suggests that some microbes may drive us to eat doughnuts or another tempting treat. These gut bugs send chemical messages to the brain that sway our appetite and mood—perhaps making us feel anxious until we gobble a square of dark chocolate or a T-bone steak.
Fortunately, we can begin to take control by feeding our microbiome the right foods.
What we eat dictates the kind of bacteria we grow in our gut garden.
This is big news: There are trillions of microbes in your belly that will—if you feed them well—help you fight flab and win.
Work those good bacteria - Slim Down With the Good Bacteria in Your Gut
 | eBook version of whats being said hereSimply download and keep for future reference. We'll also expand upon the article at a later date. |
Gut Check #1: Get Your Two P's
Basically, it all begins with probiotics and prebiotics, components of food believed to play an important role in improving gut health. Probiotics are a type of good bacteria, similar to the ones that already reside in your gut. Ingesting these organisms aids digestion and helps change and repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance what doctors refer to as "gut flora. Prebiotics are plant-fibre compounds, also found in food, that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and help stimulate the growth of good bacteria. When pre- and probiotics are combined, they become an intestinal power couple (or, in blunter terms, they kick nutritional butt).
Gut Check #2: Go Live
Fermented foods deliver probiotics directly to the gut. A cup of yogurt a day? It's a nice start. Look for products that say "live and active cultures" on the label, and be careful when it comes to fruit-infused flavours: Some are loaded with sugar, which can feed bad bugs, so be sure to check the ingredients and aim for fewer than 15 grams per serving. For even more probiotics, try Greek yogurt or kefir, a tangy dairy drink that's packed with good bugs. A 2011 Harvard study found that yogurt was more strongly linked to weight loss than any other health food. In fact, people who ate an extra serving a day lost nearly a pound every four years.
Gut check #3: Down Some Fibre
It does more than fill you up: Research shows that foods that are high in fibre help promote the growth of friendly bacteria. Case in point: In a University of Illinois study, people who ate high-fibre snack bars experienced a growth of anti-inflammatory bacteria in their bellies.
Gut check #4: Mix Up Your Menu
Eat an assortment of foods to encourage a more varied metropolis in your belly. Recent studies suggest that the intestines of lean people look more like bustling cities than sleepy towns. (Translation: They're densely populated and diverse.)
One study showed that individuals who had a healthy weight, body mass index, waist circumference and blood sugar level were more apt to have high levels of three different types of bacteria—Firmicutes, Bifidobacteria and Clostridium leptum. What's more, in a pair of French studies, people with diverse gut microbiomes were less likely to be obese or at risk of diabetes.
Plus, their intestinal ecosystems were home to fewer pro-inflammatory bacteria. It's easy to change up your meals: If you had salad with grilled chicken yesterday, for example, go with a fish taco or a tofu stir-fry today.
One study showed that individuals who had a healthy weight, body mass index, waist circumference and blood sugar level were more apt to have high levels of three different types of bacteria—Firmicutes, Bifidobacteria and Clostridium leptum. What's more, in a pair of French studies, people with diverse gut microbiomes were less likely to be obese or at risk of diabetes.
Plus, their intestinal ecosystems were home to fewer pro-inflammatory bacteria. It's easy to change up your meals: If you had salad with grilled chicken yesterday, for example, go with a fish taco or a tofu stir-fry today.
Gut check #5: Skip Bad-News Foods
What you don't eat is every bit as crucial as what you do add to your diet. Keep your gut flora fit by cutting back on these offenders.
Refined carbs
Fatty and sugary foods not only tend to lack fibre—which is ideal food for the microbiome—but can also cause bad bacteria to thrive. And let's face it: If you're pounding that bag of potato chips, chances are you're not munching on celery sticks, blueberries and other gut-friendly eats.
Animal protein
A diet heavy in fat and protein (such as meat and cheese) feeds a type of bacteria, Bilophilia, that has been linked to inflammation. Lawrence David, PhD, assistant professor at Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, saw the levels of this bacteria shoot up in study participants scarfing ribs and brisket, but not in those eating squash and lentils. Limit red meat to once a week. It's smart for your heart—and hips!
Refined carbs
Fatty and sugary foods not only tend to lack fibre—which is ideal food for the microbiome—but can also cause bad bacteria to thrive. And let's face it: If you're pounding that bag of potato chips, chances are you're not munching on celery sticks, blueberries and other gut-friendly eats.
Animal protein
A diet heavy in fat and protein (such as meat and cheese) feeds a type of bacteria, Bilophilia, that has been linked to inflammation. Lawrence David, PhD, assistant professor at Duke University's Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, saw the levels of this bacteria shoot up in study participants scarfing ribs and brisket, but not in those eating squash and lentils. Limit red meat to once a week. It's smart for your heart—and hips!
Are You Fit Enough To Workout
Safety First!
An important component in any weight loss plan is regular physical activity. It should be fun, healthy and above all safe, and if you want to lose weight, you might have to become more active than you already are.
Being more active is perfectly safe for most people, however, some people should check with their doctor before they start becoming much more physically active than they are already.
An important component in any weight loss plan is regular physical activity. It should be fun, healthy and above all safe, and if you want to lose weight, you might have to become more active than you already are.
Being more active is perfectly safe for most people, however, some people should check with their doctor before they start becoming much more physically active than they are already.
Common sense is your best guide when you answer these questions,
so please read the questions carefully and answer each one honestly.
Answer the following questions: If you can honestly answer NO to these questions, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the 'You Can begin Your Fitness test' link.
If you answer YES to one or more of these questions...Talk with your doctor BEFORE you start becoming much more physically active or BEFORE you have a fitness appraisal.
Tell your doctor about which questions you answered YES too.
If you answered NO honestly to all questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can start becoming much more physically active - begin slowly and build up gradually - this is the safest and easiest way to go and you can safely take part in a fitness appraisal - this is an excellent way to determine your basic fitness so that you can plan the best way for you to exercise and live actively.
DELAY BECOMING MUCH MORE ACTIVE
If you are not feeling well because of a temporary illness such as a cold or a fever - wait until you feel better. Or if you are or may be pregnant - talk to your doctor before you start becoming more active.
PLEASE NOTE:
If your health changes so that you then answer YES to any of the above questions, tell your fitness or health professional. Ask whether you should change your physical activity plan.
If you answered NO to the questions asked above - You Can Begin Your Fitness Test
- Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
- Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
- In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
- Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?
- Do you have a bone or joint problem (for example, back, knee or hip) that could possibly be made worse by a marked change in your physical activity?
- Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition?
- Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?
If you answer YES to one or more of these questions...Talk with your doctor BEFORE you start becoming much more physically active or BEFORE you have a fitness appraisal.
Tell your doctor about which questions you answered YES too.
If you answered NO honestly to all questions, you can be reasonably sure that you can start becoming much more physically active - begin slowly and build up gradually - this is the safest and easiest way to go and you can safely take part in a fitness appraisal - this is an excellent way to determine your basic fitness so that you can plan the best way for you to exercise and live actively.
DELAY BECOMING MUCH MORE ACTIVE
If you are not feeling well because of a temporary illness such as a cold or a fever - wait until you feel better. Or if you are or may be pregnant - talk to your doctor before you start becoming more active.
PLEASE NOTE:
If your health changes so that you then answer YES to any of the above questions, tell your fitness or health professional. Ask whether you should change your physical activity plan.
If you answered NO to the questions asked above - You Can Begin Your Fitness Test
Complete these challenges before starting the Couch Potato Challenges...
Losing weight and getting in your best shape ever, is a journey. And before you undertake any life journey, you must first prepare yourself for that journey.
Consider these 4 simple Pre-Challenge, Challenges, as your preparation for the journey ahead of you.
Consider these 4 simple Pre-Challenge, Challenges, as your preparation for the journey ahead of you.
 | The PledgeThe Pledge, this is simply a promise to ourselves. Its us, stamping our feet, screaming no more yo-yo dieting, no more sitting on the couch wolfing down another bag of whatever! This is a simple yet important challenge. Simply click on the image opposite to download your blank 'Pledge' template and write down your pledge to yourself. |
Are YOU fit enough to workout!
This final pre-challenge, challenge is perhaps the most important as it helps us determine whether or not we're ready to start working out.
Once you've completed the four Pre-Challenge, Challenge it's time for the main event. Simply click on the button below, and tackle the 30+ challenges in any order you wish (spread those workouts out so as not to overwork any particular muscle group.
Complete the workout
Sculpt your butt, legs and core with this great workout.
In a statement that will surprise zero people: Losing weight is tough. And sometimes starting is the hardest, no matter if you’re looking to lose only 5 to 10 pounds, or if you’re embarking on the first five pounds in a 50-pound journey.
We’ve got happy news for all you would-be losers: Shedding just five percent of your body weight does a lot. It’s enough to decrease total body fat, visceral fat (the dangerous kind that hugs your organs), and liver fat. Plus, that small tip of the scale can also lower your blood pressure and improve your insulin sensitivity.
All together this can also mean a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Results show that you get a large ‘bang for your buck’ with a five percent weight loss. But an additional 10 to 15 percent weight loss continues to cause even more improvements in measures like blood lipids and blood pressure.
So for those times you might be frustrated (maybe you’re down four pounds instead of the 40 pounds you were hoping for), remember this: Meaningful change takes time. Be sure to keep your non-scale victories in sight, and consider all the ways your small improvements have already done your body good. Here, five more reasons to be proud of every pound lost.
Remind yourself every day why you're losing weight—whether it's to improve your health, boost your energy, or simply feel better in your own skin—and that if you stick with the habits you've adopted this month, then you'll reach your goal
We’ve got happy news for all you would-be losers: Shedding just five percent of your body weight does a lot. It’s enough to decrease total body fat, visceral fat (the dangerous kind that hugs your organs), and liver fat. Plus, that small tip of the scale can also lower your blood pressure and improve your insulin sensitivity.
All together this can also mean a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Results show that you get a large ‘bang for your buck’ with a five percent weight loss. But an additional 10 to 15 percent weight loss continues to cause even more improvements in measures like blood lipids and blood pressure.
So for those times you might be frustrated (maybe you’re down four pounds instead of the 40 pounds you were hoping for), remember this: Meaningful change takes time. Be sure to keep your non-scale victories in sight, and consider all the ways your small improvements have already done your body good. Here, five more reasons to be proud of every pound lost.
Remind yourself every day why you're losing weight—whether it's to improve your health, boost your energy, or simply feel better in your own skin—and that if you stick with the habits you've adopted this month, then you'll reach your goal
 Click the button to download your free eBook, Get Inspired! | Download & Get InspiredThis eBook can be downloaded and read on just about any modern computer devise, computers, tablets, even smart-phones. You're welcome! |
