This month we started a challenge at the gym. Initially it was just a way to get a number of other people involved in a project I wanted to work on. Yet, it has grown and illuminated the need for further conversation. I have been mulling on the range of responses, and on just how I wanted to respond to them. My initial attempt to write something wasn’t great, but it did highlight the breadth of thoughts I have on the topic of ‘body composition’, and all of the noise that accompanies this topic. It also illuminated the need to create more mental clarity for myself, to ensure that what I am trying to comment on is heard, and not lost in poor writing. What follows sets the stage:
The Challenge is a simple attempt to get the community working towards a shared goal of improving body composition. It is not a ‘weight loss competition’.
It will take place between: Feb 1- June 1.
(Note: People can make late entries if they wish, and can ‘test out’ somewhere in the last couple weeks of May. However, the challenge is over June 1st.)
$200 buy in. Winner takes the pot.
The winner is: the person who manages to improve their body composition by the largest percentage. (Note: So a change from 30-20 would be a 30% change, so would a change from 12-8. We will collectively vote in a winner if their is a tie)
The Wager: For those who wish to further commit themselves, they can make a personal wager to keep themselves committed.
(Note: For example, I personally I am wagering 10k that I can move myself back into the single digits on body fat percentage. If I succeed, I keep my wager. If I don’t, it gets added to the pot.)
Now, this is also an opportunity for furthering a conversation on how to create change in ones physicality. This is one of those black boxes that is perhaps one of the most debated, discussed, and lied about items in the ‘fitness’ world. I also think it is largely bullshit that we have tried to make it as complicated as it is. So here are a list of thoughts on places to start, how to begin approaching this, and ways I am here to help:
  1. Track some data.
    • It is almost impossible to determine whether what you are doing is working without some measure of tracking change. So get a baseline measurement. Take photos. Do a calliper test. Measure yourself with a tape measure. Get on a scale. Do something that gives you an honest idea of where you are now. This is isn’t about shaming, or being negative. It is just getting a data point that allows you to create a starting point. This is useful. It also lets us track change. It does not need to be public. Personally I dislike simply tracking weight alone, as I think this is a very unhealthy metric to track. For the challenge, we are using calliper measurements to track body comp changes.
    • Start paying attention to what you are eating. Try an app. Write things down. Personally I like to get people to take photos of everything they eat/drink for a week and throw it in a google drive folder, or dropbox. If you don’t pay attention to what/how you eat, it is hard to determine what might need to be changed.
  2. Move.
    • You should move every day for an hour. In some way. This isn’t a punishment, this is just biology. There are a thousand studies out there that one could cite or read that will reinforce this, but I am not going to quote them. This is common sense. You need to move. Go for a walk. Run. Do a workout. Climb. Play with your kids. Just move. For an hour. Every day.
  3. Don’t eat shit.
    • Everyone gets so precious when I say this. I don’t care. You know what shitty food is, so start with removing that. You aren’t nine. I don’t care that you like it, or that you are tired, or that you eat when you are sad. Nobody does. It is your body. Your life. Your cells and biology become the food you eat. You should build your biology out of real food, not chemicals that arrive in bags. This doesn’t need to be complicated.
  4. Be kind.
    • To yourself. To other people. To strangers. Actually. It turns out that treating other people well will go a long ways to actually treating ourselves better, and ultimately this is what this is about.
So this is our starting point. I am going to try to fire off a ‘sermon’ every week, maybe more than once a week, on this topic. Some of them are going to purely logistics: portion sizes, what to eat, how much movement to do, exercise opportunities, etc. Some of them are going to rants that aim to create some dialogue or motivate you on a Monday morning.
If you want in on the emails, let me know, I will add you to the list. These will be a separate thread than the usual gym emails. If you want in on the challenge, same contact form will work.