WHOLE LIFE CHALLENGE – I’VE DONE OTHER CHALLENGES – WHY SHOULD I DO THIS ONE?
If you’re looking for something “hard,” something you need to get in shape or train for before you sign up, or something that is going to lead to huge, rapid changes because it forces you to “go hard or go home,” then you’ve come to the wrong place.
Most other challenges operate this way – asking you to make significant, uncomfortable, and rapid changes over four to ten weeks – to see how big of a change you can make (think “The Biggest Loser”). Unfortunately, while this seems exciting, motivating, and seemingly life-changing, challenges like this offer temporary results at best. As soon as most people complete these programs, they go right back to the behaviors that got them where they were in the first place.
The problem is these challenges don’t replicate reality. They put people in “survival mode” and challenge them to try to “make it.” It’s been repeatedly shown that for a limited amount of time people can make it (think Marine Corps boot camp, shows like “Survivor,” or any local eight-week boot camp program). We are all programmed to temporarily adjust our lives to survive these extreme conditions. We can do it. So, in a sense, these sorts of challenges “work.”
But if you take a longer lens look at the definition of “work,” what does it really mean? Does it mean surviving the extreme for twelve weeks and then going back to the way your life was before? What if it meant you made small habit changes over six weeks and they were still present and having an impact a year, two years, or even ten years later? How about for the rest of your life?
Most masters of any discipline will tell you that while it may look like they have nothing left to learn, they are still not “there” yet. They are constantly learning, tweaking, practicing, growing, and understanding right up until the moment they die. This is the real premise of the Whole Life Challenge.
The Challenge is an overlay for your life – a template that helps you focus on the things you have the ability to control: time, schedule, awareness, and taking action. It meets you exactly where you are – no matter how busy, bored, successful, stressed out, peaceful, big, small, fit, fat, young, or old you might be – and has you look at what you’re doing (or not doing) that could lead to better, healthier, long-term results. That may mean accepting things the way they are right now because it’s absolutely the best you can do or it may mean making changes to your daily schedule to accommodate healthier habits. Either way, these small, yet significant shifts make a major long-term difference.
And when are you done? While the WLC itself takes only six weeks, this is a lifelong journey. Like those masters, you’re never really “done.” You make small tweaks in your daily habits that allow you to sustain at least some of them once the Challenge ends. And the next time the Challenge rolls around, you might tackle a few more.
In a nutshell, the WLC is different because:
It’s not just about food. The Whole Life Challenge’s focus is your whole life.
It’s not about achieving short-term big, hairy, audacious goals. The WLC’s target is developing consistent habits that are small, sustainable, and lead to long-term results.
Perfection is not required. The idea you have to do something perfectly actually gets in the way of making healthy progress. Our focus is on progress, not perfection.
No need to prepare. The WLC meets you in your life exactly where you are.
It’s not limited to one type of player (i.e. advanced vs. beginners, skinny vs. fat, fit vs. out of shape.) The WLC is a template for your life, regardless of your life’s specific details. Its application is universal, as are its benefits.
It’s not over when it’s over. The habits you practice during the Challenge are best measured in their effectiveness a year, two, or even ten years from now.
The WLC has no referees or judges. You are the judge. You get to decide. When you look back on what you did on any given day and can honestly say what you ate, how you exercised, and how you stretched should count, then it does.
We offer no prizes or rewards. The prize is your life and the lives of your closest friends and family, changed forever.
Our focus is not weight loss or how you look in the mirror. That said, weight loss (and fitting into your skinny jeans again) is a common side effect. The WLC has you become acutely aware of your daily habits, and by keeping your attention on the things you have the ability to control, results happen.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP CHEESE? OR BREAD? OR BEER?
You don’t actually have to give up anything at all. But we do ask you to be present to your choices. You can eat cheese every day, even twice a day. But you’ll have to ask yourself, “Is this worth losing a point?” By going through the Challenge you will become more intentional with your food choices. We find this results in overall better food choices.
You also have the option of choosing from three levels of play. We don’t ask for perfection, just improvement from where you currently are. So with that in mind, you can play:
Kick Start—A great place to start if you’re new to the health and fitness game and need to make the most important tweaks to get yourself started in the right direction. Cuts out what your mom might call “junk.” This level will definitely be a challenge that culminates in amazing results.
Lifestyle—A good choice if you are looking for a long-term lifestyle nutrition program. Maintaining it to a “T” post-Challenge might be difficult, but it represents something much more adaptable to a long-term program than the Performance Level.
Performance—The strictest level of the WLC. If you already have good eating habits that you just want to fine tune, have athletic or performance related goals, or have a pressing health issue or inflammatory condition that you’d like to address, choose this level.
Warmup
3 Minutes Jump Rope
Hip Mobility
Downdog Push-ups
Skill
15 Minutes
All Levels
Barbell Snatch Progression
Hold the barbell with a snatch-width hook grip.
Dip + Shrug
Dip + High Pull
Dip + High Pull + Footwork transition
Overhead Squat
Behind the neck Jerk
Snatch Balance
Drop Snatch
Tall Power Snatch
Above the Knee Power Snatch
Power Snatch (from the Floor)
L3/4 – once through with empty bar, then add some weight and do the entire progression again
(like a partner complex with the emphasis on QUALITY)
L2 – start with pvc, then move to empty bar
L0/1 – practice with pvc
Conditioning
“The World Goes On”
Levels 2-4
25 Minutes E5MOM (5 Rounds)
5 Pull-ups
10/10 Kettlebell Snatches
10 Burpee Box Jumps
50 Double Unders
L4 – Chest to Bar pull-ups, 24/18, 24/20 inch box
L3 – 22/16, 24/20 box
L2 – no rx weight, 20/16 box
Levels 0/1
5 Rounds AFAP
60 Seconds Jump Rope
20 Alternating Swings
15 Burpees
Rest 60 Seconds