Week 10 Challenge – Temptation Take Away!

 

It’s double digit time! Week 10 is here and if you’ve been following week by week, I think you’d agree that these weeks are just flying by!

If you’re new to the weekly challenges, I encourage you to get started with Week 1 first. You can find a list of weekly challenges by clicking here.

This weeks challenge involves taking away something unhealthy that you enjoy on a pretty normal basis.

The idea behind this is, although those 2 cans of a soda, sugar-stuffed energy drink, or late evening cupcake aren’t going to necessarily do too much harm if indulged once – it’s that these are all examples of negative compounding health-threatening things that many people consume day after day, week after week, month after month and usually, year after year.

To become healthy, you must “fertilize your body” with good nutrition.

You don’t see an orange tree squeezing out an orange all at once as if giving birth, do you? Hey, that would be pretty convenient for us, though!

An orange tree (or any fruit bearing tree) requires good nutrition (soil), a normal schedule (sunlight and temperature), and after time, it bares beautiful fruit.

Your body is the same. Feed it well, exercise, cut out the toxins, get good sleep and after time – it’ll bare your true exterior beauty. Your brain will stop craving the bad things and will instead crave the good things.

If you’ve seen a season of The Biggest Loser, then you understand the thought of, “wow – I can’t believe that’s the same person.”

This week is about taking the next step forward in health and fitness.

Right now, think about something you crave on a normal basis. Is it soda? Candy? An energy drink? Perhaps a late night sweet tooth induced indulgence? How about that morning coffee full of cream and sugar?

These are only a few examples… the list could be endless! Start thinking now, and write it down…

You’re about to eliminate it from your life.

Starting this week, you’re going to say NO to that NO GOOD tempting treat that you’re so used to saying yes to. Do it enough, and it’ll compound on itself and you absolutely will see the results. Here’s an example:

One 12 oz. can of Coke: 140 Calories (and 39 freaking grams of sugar!!).

1 can of Coke per day:

  • 7 days in a week = 140 x 7 = 980 calories.
  • 4 weeks in a month = 980 x 4 = 3,920 calories.
  • 12 months in a year = 3,920 x 12 = 47,040 calories.

There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. This equates to 1.12 pounds per month, or 13.5 pounds per year. If you’re drinking only ONE CAN OF COKE per day, you’re looking at an extra 13.5 pounds of fat in just one year. If you’re drinking 2 cans a day, you’re looking at almost 30 extra pounds per year.

I used a can of soda as an example for a couple of reasons:

  1. Because I understand that soda is one of the most common things that we consume – and most people do so innocently, not even aware of the negative effects.
  2. Because most of the time you’re drinking that soda, you’re sitting or being relatively stagnant – A.K.A. NOT burning calories.

In other words, you aren’t exercising while drinking soda… you aren’t swimming while drinking soda… you aren’t lifting weights, running a half marathon, or having sex while drinking soda (lets be honest here).

So the best way to eliminate calories is to participate in this weeks challenge and take away the temptation of consuming these needless calories.

Make a promise to yourself, in the better interest of your health, and hold yourself accountable every single day. Get some help, too! Seek support from those who are close to you – friends, family, and co-workers. Tell them about your goal and ask them to hold you accountable to being successful.

For most people, this challenge will last longer than a week. Eliminating that morning specialty coffee or daily soda on lunch break can be a very hard thing to do – especially if you’ve been doing it for years. Just keep in mind your end result. Visualize it, your body, and say no to temptation!

For support in this weeks challenge (or any week), join Christina’s Fitness on Facebook by liking the page. Click here to connect now!