The Instigator and the Plan
I first came across John Pozadzides, or John P, while listening to the Wealth Nation podcast. John sort of dominates the conversation, which is okay in my book.
His mission at One Man’s Blog is to educate, enlighten and entertain. He does a good job at all three.
I follow him on twitter, @jonpoz, where I came across a link to his Health Challenge for 2010.
The plan is pretty simple. From January 1, 2010 to the end of February you eliminate sugar, as much as possible, from your diet, decrease food portions by 30-50% each week, snack only on fruits, veggies, or nuts, exercise at least 5 times a week, and keep everybody updated on your progress.
It’s not all ball and chain. If you follow the rules, each week you can consume two illegal candy bars and two illegal drinks. Official Rules here. He’s even giving out prizes.
John P has also put together some exercise goals for the Health Challenge that you can use as a guide to get started.
Why do I need a Health Challenge?
In December of 2006 I ran the Tucson Marathon. The following January I developed a stress crack in my foot and stopped running.
Then for various reasons I stopped working out altogether, which was a big mistake. Good eating habits went slowly by the wayside.
Now I’m overweight and somewhat out of shape. So it’s time to get back to exercising and eating right.
What are My Exercise Goals for the Health Challenge?
12,000 core exercises
25 hours cardio (bike, elliptical, stair climber, running, jump rope)
3,000 push ups
25 hours walking
Light weights three times a week using dumbbells (15, 20 & 25 LBS) to tone the major muscle groups: biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, pectorals, calves, quads, and hamstrings.
Here is a look at the schedule I developed.
How will I track my progress?
I will keep track of the details on the Lose It! app on my iPhone; food intake, exercise and weight.
I also have a new Walkmeter app that’s good at keeping stats for, as you might have guessed, walking.
I will also keep track in Excel, since that comes natural to me.
How will I report my progress?
Daily tweets about trials, tribulations, success and tips that help. (Using the #GetHealth hashtag on Twitter)
Periodic posts on my blog when it seems relevant.
Weekly updates on One Man’s Blog to keep the community updated on my progress.
A monthly summary and a Health Challenge summary for the two months will be posted on both blogs.
What do I plan on getting from this Health Challenge?
Eating better than I am now and exercising enough to keep me fit.
Succinctly: A healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the long run.
Related posts:
- Last Day of Health Challenge 2010
- 44 Days of Health Challenge 2010
- 14 Days of Health Challenge 2010
- Halfway Point of Health Challenge 2010
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Neil,
Thanks for spreading the word about the RunSaturday web site. It looks amazing!
Great blog… interesting read…
I’m a runner/cyclist, so tend to use things like iSportstracker and Runkeeper on the iPhone rather than Walkmeter, but wondered whether you have looked about using a site like http://www.runsaturday.com?
I came across it recently, and have to admit to being a bit hooked!
Just struck me that it would work well with your challenge, as a group could be set up with a single challnge… would be fun!
I’m in. I’ll do the health challenge, but I’ll likely have a different fitness plan.