So this post is kind of just for anyone doing this challenge with me. Will resume regular programming on Saturday. [o:

The Whole Life Challenge (WLC) starts TOMORROW. That means that tomorrow is the first day that what we EAT counts and we must log that in on Sunday by 3 PM. Here is a quick list of allowable foods to help you get some ideas. Also here is a list of things you can do to make this 8 week challenge easier for you.

Tomorrow is also the day to do the baseline workout. This is the SAME workout that you will do at the end of the 8 weeks to see how much you’ve improved (can you do more reps?).

MY baseline workout will look like this:

9 Minutes AMREP (As Many Reps As Possible) of:

• 7 Kettlebell Swings
• 7 Standards Burpees (see this video on 8 kinds of Burpees)
• 50 Meter Sprint

If you’ve signed up to do this with me as a friend, you can choose to do this workout OR you can do something that fits you better. Just make sure you do the exact same thing at the end of the 8 weeks to measure your performance results.

Here are some alternative baseline workout options:

• Run a set distance for time. I recommend a 1 miler or a 5k.
• Swim a set distance for time.
• For 2 minutes each, do as many sit-ups, push-ups, and squats as you can.
• See how many calories you can burn on a treadmill or elliptical in 10 minutes.

NUTRITION ALTERNATIVES:

If you looked at the food rules and restrictions on the WLC website and were like, “no way, huh-uh, not possible”, then I have an scaled version of it for you, as you are participating as my friend. If you are my friend BUT you are participating through your CrossFit gym, you must follow the WLC rules as stated on their website. Just FYI.

My adapted version is still pretty strict but I really believe that anyone can pull this off for 8 weeks with relative consistency. AND, I highly believe in the benefits of cutting sugar from your diet and reducing grains and dairy. If you find that, during this challenge, this aspect becomes easy, you can always ‘upgrade’ yourself to the more restrictive rules. Doing that may help you increase your workout performance and see more progress in measurements.

Nutrition = up to 3 points a day

If you violate any food rule, subtract 1 point per violation. Lowest score you can get on any day is 0.

No wheat or unfermented soy – includes most breads, pasta, crackers and cookies and all baked goods, tofu and edamame.

• YOU CAN EAT: rice, quinoa, and corn

No milk or cheese

• YOU CAN EAT: yogurt (not froyo), butter, and coconut milk

No Sugar or Sweetener of any kind – including refined sugar, raw sugar, cane juice, evaporated cane juice, honey, agave, maple syrup, Truvia, aspartame, NutraSweet, sucralose, etc.

• YOU CAN USE – Stevia

No Alcohol, Soda, or Juice – Values for 1 point are 1 oz. liquor, 16 oz. beer, 1 mixed drink, 12 oz. of soda, and 8 oz. of juice.

• YOU CAN DRINK – Lemon and lime juice, and 1 glass of wine per day

No Artificial or Processed ingredients or foods – Any non-traditional food chemical is not permitted. This prohibition includes guar gum and agar. No food that required anything other than traditional food preparation methods such as cooking, drying, or curing. Food from jars, cans, or boxes are permitted as long as their ingredients or preparation do not violate the general nutrition rules.

Compound items – any item with more than one violation contained within (e.g. cake has grains and sugar, pizza has grains and dairy, a milkshake or latte has dairy and sugar) counts as 1 point only.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

1. NOT to get a perfect score every day. I won’t. We want to be disciplined and consistent but not to the point where we are burning ourselves out trying to be perfect.
2. If your diet currently consists of a lot of sugar (it’s in everything btw, even canned pasta sauces and most mainstream sports drinks, and some of the dried fruit in the bulk bins at Whole Foods), expect your body to revolt for a week or so. Sugar is addictive and your body will go through withdrawals. Don’t be deterred.
3. SUPPORT on the WLC website. The forums are rife with ideas on recipes, workouts, etc. If you have questions, there is probably a forum thread or a video from the WLC creators that will help you.

TODAY (Sept. 14th) IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP. If you haven’t already, you still can today. You will want to do so ASAP and try to take in the helpful information so you can get your questions answered before it gets real.

See the end of my earlier post on how to sign up with me. Signing up with me simply means you list me as your referral during registration. Doing this tells the WLC system to automatically link your profile and mine so that we can follow each other during the challenge and interact. This is important for my group of friends to be able to support each other….and also to see who is totally rockin the challenge so I can award a few prizes to you guys along the way.