Living Life On The Edges!
I think that a well-balanced and well-lived life will find us going to the extremes of life regularly but not often. By that, I mean that we will be doing things and entering into relationships and activities that produce great joy in our spirits, and we will also be doing or enduring things that will cause us great physical or spiritual pain or grief from time to time. Both joy and grief are very intense emotions, and it is difficult to experience them on a sustained basis, but if we avoid them, then we really haven’t experienced life at the extremes that we were created to endure for short times.

Analogies to explain this are hard to come by. The best I have been able to come up with is that failing to experience the extremes of life is sort of like owning a high performance automobile and driving it for years without ever trying to see what it will do when you put it through its paces. We are made, like some batteries, to be both fully charged and occasionally completely drained, and if we don’t get that, we tend to lose some our capacity for such experiences, just like some rechargable batteries will not take a full charge unless they are completely drained on occasion.

For me, the joy usually comes when I am in the midst of a transformation challenge, and I get to that point where I really start seeing some significant changes in the mirror, or in the poundage of weights I’m hoisting. It can also come when I get away to an event where I meet and get to know people with the same interests in the “miracle” of transformations. As for the grief, it comes as it will, when people I know suffer or die. It can also come when I see someone driven under by an addiction or a marital affair, or when I see them stricken with cancer or some other chronic illness.

There’s a great way to keep yourself regularly going to these extremes of joy or grief without suffering the depressing  effects of grief. Can you guess what it is? It is the wonderful concept of working the universal law of reciprocation. Giving to another who truly needs it, and who has no capacity whatsoever to pay you back, simply gives you great joy. And it also gives you compassion for the suffering person you helped. Compassion, or mercy if you will, is a word that literally means suffering with another. So, when you help another who truly needs help, and is suffering due to a lack of it, you get the joy and take on some of the suffering of another as you serve them without thought or request to ever be paid back. The joy far outweighs the “co-suffering” you take on, and the whole experience is exhilarating.

So, having said all this, though I’m nearly 62 years old, and even though my before photos look about as good as some folks’ after shots, I’m embarking on a new transformation challenge tomorrow, 6/30/08. Why? When I have a goal in front of me, I tend to work a lot harder, and I tend to more willingly go to those extremes of life again. Something inside me wants to just “maintain,” but something bigger than that makes me want to experience all that life has to offer. It makes me a better person, and if I help others while that is going on, it makes them better people as well.

Eighty four days from tomorrow we’ll see what happened. 

According to Bill Phillips, the architect of this fabulous Body for Life system, the contest was designed as a way of giving people motivation to do the challenge and stick with it.  But Dave and Amy Sayers are living proof that there are other ways of staying motivated when you can’t enter the contest. This is their story!

 

            See, Dave Sayers, Amy’s husband, works for Abbott Nutrition, a company whose parent is Abbott Laboratories,  which owns EAS as well as the Body for Life contest and products.  Rules are rules, and the employees of the sponsor can’t enter the contest.  But Abbott, being a company that is heavily invested in promoting employee health, has a corporate challenge. There, the Abbott employees competed to change their bodies into the healthiest and fittest they could be—in twelve weeks. Dave decided to enter that contest, and that’s how it all started. At least that’s how the healthy changes got started.

 

            Dave and Amy’s relationship got started years before Dave started that  corporate challenge. Amy and Dave fell in love in high school, but their paths separated for quite a while. Dave always knew they were meant to be soul mates, so in 1995 when they married, it was no surprise at all. On that wedding day, not only did Dave gain Amy as his life mate, he also became the stepfather of Amy’s two beautiful daughters, McLaine and Shelby.

 

            Amy is an epileptic, and the seizures required some very strong medications. Those medications came with a huge price.  In a very short time, Amy’s weight ballooned from a trim 130 pounds to 235 pounds. Not only that, but the seizure medications are tough on the liver, and as her weight rose, so did her cholesterol levels. Amy was faced with a weight that was uncomfortably high, cholesterol levels that were dangerously high, and a predicament—since cholesterol medications would only add to the liver stress from the anti-seizure meds. So, she made a literal life-changing decision. She joined Dave in the challenge and they did this transformation thing together!

 

            Though for Amy the BFL routine was at first a struggle, Dave was used to physical exercise and had always wanted to do this contest anyway, so he took right to it. Soon, it became a regular routine for both of them, and their results, outside AND inside, have been nothing short of amazing.

 

            The first challenge results were stunning. Between the two of them they lost a total of 70 pounds, about 35 pounds each! Though Amy’s highest weight was 235 pounds, she now weighs 137, and took 43 of those pounds off the BFL way in her first two challenges.

 

            I have an entire picture gallery on my website, www.mikeharris.org dedicated to the Sayers’ pictures.  They tell a great story in themselves, but they are only a part of it. I really like how Amy put it when I asked her how it went and what kept her motivated. Amy is a school teacher and expresses thoughts very well.  “You know, even though I never entered an official challenge, the challenge was on within me from day one.  No amount of recognition or prizes could ever compare to the assurance that I have inside me that I will be able to enjoy my later years with my children, and with their children. I have come to appreciate that I was given only one earthly body to last my life long and I have a responsibility to take care of it.”

 

            Both Dave and Amy say that quitting was never an option once they got started together on this new road of life. Amy even got in the habit of getting up at 4:30 a.m. to do her cardio, so that her busy school days don’t leave her too tired to do it later in the day. The obstacles they have faced are just the same as those of you doing the contest have run into, eating clean, especially when no one is looking, knowing when you’re too sick to work out and need to rest, and just fitting this grand lifestyle in with all the other things this busy family has going—church activities, gymnastics meets for the girls, and lots of other things.

 

            As to the great things that have come their way in addition to their svelte looks and better health, here is what Amy mentions in her interview responses:

 “David and I have our priorities in line, and when two people put their health at the top of that list, great things happen for each of them. What’s nice about doing BFL together is that these great things happen for the two of you-together. David and I plan our weekly menu together, we shop together, and we coordinate our workout schedules together. To be able to openly discuss something that you are working so hard at each and every day is great. It’s not this separate thing that I do and want to tell him about, it’s something we share.  

As far as accountability, well, to be honest, it’s quite “in your face” when it comes to doing it with the person you love the most. It drives me to stay on track, and I only get resentful once in awhile that his portion sizes are bigger than mine. Mind you, I can go head to head with him on free day!”

 

            As for how David responded to that same question, read what he said here and see if you think he just might have some strong feelings for this “soul mate” of his.

 

“Before BFL and the way it has made me feel, both physically and mentally, I never fully realized how bad I used to feel.  My brother had a valve blockage a few years ago that required Angioplasty and having a stint put in.  After his surgery, it was so easy for him to breath and his stamina improved so much, that he then realized how hard it had been to breath before his surgery, and how often he had become short of breath.  As we put on weight and become more and more out of shape, because this happens at a steady pace, we don’t necessarily notice the changes in how we feel physically.  The greatest benefit I’ve received from BFL, physically, is how great I feel.  I get around easier, I feel good, and I have stamina and endurance to handle anything I decide to do on a given day.  My overall confidence has improved dramatically, because I feel like I can literally do anything I put my mind to.  Physically, I know I can do it, and BFL has shown me that I’m mentally strong enough to do it too.

 

As for our relationship together, it has always been great.  BFL has just made it even better.  As I just said, the greatest benefit I’ve received from BFL, physically, is how great I feel.  But without doubt, the number one greatest gift I’ve received from BFL is how great Amy feels about herself.  When you truly love someone with your whole heart and being, there just isn’t anything in the world more important to you than their happiness.  I knew for years before BFL, that Amy didn’t feel good about herself, and I had serious fears that she might never really feel good about herself ever again.  That’s hard to deal with.  I tried so hard to make sure that she felt loved and appreciated, but in the end, you can’t make anyone feel good about themselves, unless they feel good about themselves first.  Body for Life has lifted the weight of the world (and actual body weight) off of Amy’s shoulders and now she feels as good about herself as I’ve always felt about her.  There is no amount of money in this world that is equal to what that is worth to me.  She has always been a beautiful person on the inside (where it counts the most,) but BFL has helped her to feel so good about herself on the outside, that now that inner beauty just radiates out from her every day, and that is really awesome to see!”

 

            I asked these two what they’d like to say to those of you couples who are thinking about doing a challenge but really wondering if they can get through this. I can’t do any better than just quote what they wrote for you, because it sounds absolutely perfect. Here is Amy’s response:

 

 “Realize that though you are doing this together, you each need to have separate goals. I have found that even if I might not eat something that David eats, or understand why he is doing his workout a particular way, that is ok. I don’t question what is working for him because I realize that the routines that we establish are very personal, even if we are both body for lifers. It makes for some great discussion, and David does a great job of answering my questions when I have them.   

What you can do is this: When your spouse either needs to miss a day because of sickness, OR, if he/she doesn’t eat clean or misses a workout, point it out in a positive way. Last spring I had some seizures and didn’t work out a couple days because of it, and sometimes those nasty migraines still disrupt my day. David does a wonderful job of reminding me that a few days out of my life will not change the lifestyle I have chosen for myself. It is because I adhere to the program almost all the time, that make it ok when I’m sick and unable to work out. Also, if one of you eats unclean or misses a workout, well, because you CHOSE not to for one reason or another; don’t make your spouse feel bad about it. Instead, remind them to “isolate it” as we say at our house. Don’t dwell on it, move on, and make your next workout out or your next meal, a great one. Remind them this is NOT A REASON TO JUST GIVE UP A CHALLENGE OR EAT UNCLEAN THE REST OF THE DAY. “

 

            And Dave offered this advice for you all:

 

            “To me there are two huge reasons for couples to do this together.

1. Eating is so easy if you’re both following the program versus one following BFL and the other eating whatever and whenever.

2. As Amy noted, the encouragement you are able to give to each other is invaluable.”

 

            Well, there was more in the transcript, including the fact that this couple spend some time volunteering at Notre Dame to help with seating folks at the Irish football games. That is why you see them in ND and usher’s garb in the one head shot photo in the gallery. Please take a look at those pictures, and just let it sink into your mind how truly amazing this life turnaround really is. About a hundred total pounds of fat, GONE, for Amy, and a healthy lifestyle that co-exists with a difficult condition, epilepsy. The girl of his dreams for Dave, 35 pounds of fat gone, and a healthy lifestyle as well!  Oh, this family has the same challenges and “moments” that all the rest of us have, but they also have a tremendous commitment to the healthy lifestyle that is body for life, as well as lasting commitments to their faith, and to their family relationships. 

 

            Now you know why I wanted to tell you about Dave and Amy! If you have questions for them, or would like to contact them, let me know, and I’ll see if I can’t hook you up. They’re willing to help with questions you might have about their transformations!

 

 Here’s how Amy summed up the entire body for life experience: “Mike, it is just so hard to put into words how [much] BFL has done for me. I thank God everyday for taking my life down this path.”

             So do we, Amy, so do we!       

As I get older, I get bolder. So I often ask people, even those I hardly know, the “big questions.” What are these big questions? Here’s an example: “Do you know where you’re going when you die? How can you be sure?” Another one of my favorites, and much less intimidating by the way is: “If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do with today?” The answer to that question, if people have a chance to ponder it at all, will reveal what the person really cares about. So will their checkbook registry. Where your money goes tells a lot about what you really care about. The enigma of it all is that even though we are created to write and live our own victorious life stories, and we are all hard-wired to strive for great things and build great relationships–so many of us settle for living unexamined lives, with neither victory nor defeat. Most older people I meet today are simply looking forward to the day when they will retire–yet they seem to be already retired in place! Most younger people’s biggest goal is just to “be rich someday.” Those don’t do it for me today. I want to always serve and never really retire, and the job I choose to do today pays 1/3 of what I used to make, yet I love it! See, one of the wonderful side effects of a body for life transformation is the opportunity to recognize the enormous value of your life, and the tragedy of just living it out day to day, neither giving or getting anything truly phenomenal out of it. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that every day has to be either Disneyland or a war movie. We need to live ordered and prudent lives, with plenty of structure and rest. What I’m talking about, though, is aimlessness. A life that has no real goals and no real progress in it, is really not life but a slow version of death. Every person should be focused on two things: having goals, and leaving a legacy. Having goals is a simple–but not easy–thing to do. Body for Life almost requires great goals to ensure a good finish. You get used to formulating and aiming at goals if you are a transformer, and you know them and can articulate them well. These goals keep you focused, intentional, and effective. Leaving a legacy is more about vision. To leave a legacy you have to intentionally understand and get to know the people who are in your sphere of influence. This means your family, your organizations, your neighborhood, and your workplaces. Then, you need to intentionally undertake relationships deep enough to help people achieve goals, to aim higher, and to strive harder. You need to be there when they fail or fall, and to help pick them up. You need to encourage them, empower them, and let them know that they are of immense value and deeply loved. You cannot and should not even try to reach them all. It’s too big a job. Try to reach those who one day will try to reach others. That’s what a legacy is, something that is given to another to be passed on, over and over. Body for Life, and your transformation, will help you to build into others’ lives. It will give you the strength and courage to reach them and help them get better. Body for Life will help you earn the right to try to help them. Most of all, it will give you the secure assurance that you are living the kind of life that pleases your Creator and you as well. In a word, it will bring you great JOY! So, if you’re new at this and all this seems so complicated or far away, trust me. The first step is simply to accept the body for life challenge, read the book, and get on your way. You’ll understand all of this before you finish that challenge.

I am just recovering from the exquisite joy of attending the Kansas Girls’ Body for Life conference called “Living Legends at the Legends” in KC Kansas!  What an event, and what tremendous and powerful emotions it evoked in me to see so many beautiful and successful BFL’ers all in one place.

Friday night was get-acquainted time, and it happens nearly instantly with BFL’ers. After dinner there was time to talk more, well into the night for some. Saturday began with a morning workout at the local Y, an opportunity to see this group of athletes in action, and it was great fun as well. following that, there was still more free time and an opportunity to visit, break up into small groups and take in what the Legends shopping area has to offer. At 5:30 the banquet began.

The speakers were all great, and my duty was quite easy. All I had to do was to enjoy the great privilege of introducing them.They included living legend Kelly Adair, 2001 Grand Master Champion Gregg Kemp, 2003 50 plus champion Becky Southard, my good friend and 2004 jumpstart winner Dave Wendel, 2007 31 to 45 champion Suz Ihde, Transformation champion and God’s relentless servant, Denise Taylor, Tracy Jeffries, a 2002 champion, who introduced her friend and hero Kenny Vaughan, the creator of Shields of Strength and the president of Athletes for Christ.

All these men and women brought messages about transforming. Every one of them emphasized the courage and sacrifice that it takes to make an excellent transformation, and each talked about what a privilege and honor it really is to be a member of this terrific community.

This was, in a phrase “a mountaintop experience.” I was challenged and touched by the messages and by the way the crowd received them. These messages were not just instruction on how to get fit. They were challenges to transform our very lives and spirits as we strive to get stronger, happier and more effective. I wanted to just stay there in Kansas City and spend as much time as possible with all these wonderful people who came from all over the country to be there. The energy from all was literally palpable. I know when it came time to leave I hugged as many as I could, and some many times. It was really difficult to let go, get in my car and head down the road.

But, the brutal truth is that God gives us a few of these mountaintop experiences in our lives, but we are created to live most of our lives on level ground. We are not made to live and thrive in the “thin air” of the mountaintop. I honestly think these experiences like this conference are designed to give us a bit of a glimpse of what paradise might be like. There was great joy, and also moments of grief as well, especially as we all heard from Denise about Jonnae’s final days on earth. I was struck by just how close to each other those two emotions are. Both joy and grief produce tears, an inability to speak without almost sobbing at times, and a sensation that one cannot truly tolerate for very long. At times, many of us were literally laughing and sobbing at nearly the same instant. You had to be there to understand what I’m getting at.

Now, as I sit here typing this on “level ground,” I’m sad that I won’t see many of new friends for some time. I miss them already. I’m also sad that many of my friends weren’t there. These are busy times, and each had his or her reason for not making this conference a priority. Though it was very well attended, and perfectly organized, there was room for more who could have come. Those who chose to stay away–well, they just missed out on a wonderful mountaintop experience.

I know many are going to Knoxville this fall. I am. There is another great lineup of speakers, and the keynote will be by Bill Phillips. I’m going, but really it’s not mainly to hear Bill Phillips. Don’t get me wrong–I DO WANT TO HEAR Bill speak, but the real reason I want to be there is to catch up on those hugs again, to see the tears and the laughter in so many eyes, and to experience the exquisite emotions again–and by the time October rolls around I’ll be needing it badly.

You know, of all the gifts I received as a BFL champion, the one I treasure most is the privilege of doing this Blog. The money was nice, but is accounted for; the trophy was pretty, but it sits gathering dust in a display in my courtroom; the jacket, which is the one thing I thought I really “wanted most,” hangs in my closet. I’ve worn it perhaps 5 times in the last year and a half.  But this Blog, and the comments that are placed at the end of it, are my connection to a community of people that I have come to love deeply. They call me “judge,” or Yoda, or Uncle Mike, or Champ, and I love it. I call them dear friends, and I love them much.

Enough of this mush, boys and girls, let’s get out there, wipe away those tears, and blow the weekend cobs out of these creaky old bodies, shall we? God bless you! Don’t let this year go by without giving yourself the reward of attending a community event like this last one!

 

 

More than anything else, a challenge hinges on what you put in writing as you go. It begins with your goals, and it ends with writing down that last meal on the last night of your challenge!

 

You’ll need a journal, a durable and spiral bound type of document to put all this down. You’ll start with your vision, the overarching idea of what you hope to accomplish–something simple an broadly stated, like “Become muscular, get to optimum weight, and become a champion in 2008.” From that vision, youll move to specific goals, figures that are sufficiently detailed so that you’ll know if you made them. Goals should be difficult but clearly achievable. Examples: “Lose twenty pounds of fat; 4 inches off my waist; reduce cholesterol and blood pressure by 20 points; Bench press at least 200 pounds.” You don’t need all of these, but things like these.

 

Next, you’ll put down your current condition, measurements, weight, ability to lift, blood pressure, etc. Then, take your photos and put them in the front of your journal as well. They’ll keep you going when you’re tempted to quit!

 

Plan your entire 84 day challenge and reserve the times for the workouts. Look carefully at the calendar so you’re not blindsided by business trips or vacations or holidays as they come up.

 

Prepare your workouts, including specific exercises, each week. Do all your shopping and write out your menu and meal plans for that week every Sunday. check off each exercise session and meal as you do them, noting where you went right and went wrong. Carefully noting the starting and ending pounds of each exercise will save you lots of guesswork at your next workout. Every night, put down at least three things you hope to achieve the next day, doing the worst first.

 

Learn to do all this, and you increase your odds of finishing by about 10 times! Putting ideas on pencil and paper adds significant power to them, and they become a firm contract with yourself. Rely only on your thoughts and hopes to guide you, and you’ll soon drift off into neverland. Written information is critical to your success, and your journal is your source for that.

 

Do I practice what I preach? You betcha! I have a journal in my car, in my gym, and at my bedside. I have done that for 7 years. It helped me a great deal during those years, and it helped make me a champion.

 

Give it a shot!

 

 

 ACTUAL POSTS FROM THE GUESTBOOK OF THE BODY FOR LIFE WEBSITE LAST EDITED 6/17/08 

 This is a document that consists of either actual guestbook posts from ladies, or responses from personal emails (where I requested additional details) These posts have only been edited by the Microsoft spell check system to avoid embarrassing and unreadable errors in the posts. Otherwise, these are the exact words used, and the  names and dates on which these occurred.  This document probably represents less than 3 % of the overall number of posts I’ve seen on the topic, but I chose not to copy posts that did not give detailed information and were only general in nature. The few that are copies of emails sent to me were sent after I saw a post about progress on the guestbook, and asked for more details. Of course, as you might imagine, there are some who have posted and said that they DID NOT experience the 8 week miracle. None of them admitted to struggling with eating right, but why would they? My sense is that most women who do not see good results on BFL simply are unable to adhere to the diet 6 days a week.  Happy reading! Mike Harris  

Posted by Loise Miller, 6/30/04What if I had quit at week 4 when my scale weight went up 5 lbs and I cried because I worked so hard. I read everyone’s posts about week 8 and 9 and I continued. What if I had quit on week 6 when I saw no change but I visited Hussman sight and he said when there is no change in body weight that is the time your body is changing fat for muscle. I believed and carry on. If I had quit, at night I would not have gone to bed smiling after looking at my 8 week pictures. They are absolutely awesome. If I had quit, I would not be jumping for joy because I have lost 6 lbs of scale weight. The feeling is awesome; this result had me in the gym so fast I hit all my 10’s and then some. I am in week 10 my next 2 weeks will be the best ever. Have ever wonder why results come out in the last four weeks? Please stick with the programme it works.   

Denise Kowal, 1/7/04C1D52 I haven’t posted in a while, so I owe you all some encouragement. After the first six weeks of feeling changes but seeing little, the “high burner” switch must have turned on inside me. The last week and a half has yielded unbelievable results in terms of increased energy, decreased body fat, and (shock of all shocks) a little six-pack peeking out! No, I haven’t changed anything - still eating clean and about the same quantities (like the book suggests), and workouts leave me in tears every time, but it just goes to show me that patience, persistence, and hard work will be rewarded. So those of you who are wondering how come you aren’t getting the results you hear about from other people, remember this: every body is different, and each has its own schedule for change. Stay with the program, because it works. Review it often to make sure you are doing what you should, and carry on! Results will be yours if you stick with it. Be strong! –Denise 

Linne, Goleta California, 2/28/05Well, I posted my Week 8 photos on BFL Tracker! I am finally seeing a difference, my clothes are getting baggier, I’m feeling happier and all is well! So many people told me they didn’t see a real difference until around week 7 or 8 and I felt like…”week 7 or 8?” “I can’t wait that long!” But you have to power through it and know you may not see it right away, you may not see it until wk or 7-8-9, but it will happen. For anyone who gets discouraged, please hang in there, the early weeks can get discouraging (maybe even a little depressing) but don’t give up, you can do it. 

From “Chriss” in a personal email to me on 4/10/05: “my transformation took the entire 12 weeks,didn’t actually see a lot of change until week 8, and I am really GLAD that I did not step on the scale, measure myself, or anything until day84, and wow what an improvement.  Actually, the photos were the icing on the cake, because the scale only moved 7 pounds, but I lost 15 inches,went from size 10 to a size 6, and lost 12% body fat!  So, who cares what the scale says, and doing the weekly re-measurements is for the birds.” 

Kellie, from Santa Clara Utah, 5/16/05Happy Monday Everyone!!! I am proud to write it is C2D1 Here!!! I NEVER would have believed that I would be writing that! It’s amazing what happens when you commit to a goal and actually FOLLOW through. All you women starting out, don’t get discouraged. Keep working towards your goal. Keep your self promises. If you falter a bit, don’t get down and out just brush it off and over come it. Be patient with the results. I didn’t see any till week 8, but what happened between then and the end, is amazing to me. Am I the best??? Far from it!!! But in my opinion I’ve already won!!! I’m already a champion, because I followed through and finished something that is important to me! My greatest reward is a healthy body and a brain that says I CAN DO IT, energy to keep up with my 12 1/2 year old daughter who runs a 6 min. mile and my 2 year old who just plain runs me ragged!!! The level head that keeps me sane when I’m rushing from work, to ball games, to ballet!!! And the self confidence that I’m not so bad after all and I know that I can handle all of the above!!!! 

Karla, in an email to me 8/12/05I could tell a difference after 4 weeks, but it was slight.  The biggest change I noticed was after 9 weeks, when I took a photo.  I’m highly critical of myself in the mirror, but I couldn’t deny the change in the pictures.  Also around week 9, my clothes were more loose fitting, and now, most of them don’t fit at all.  To be clear, I wasn’t overweight before.  But I was completely out of shape.  I don’t know if it’s harder for really overweight people or not, as far as seeing quicker results. Even though I didn’t see the physical changes right away, the mental changes came within a week or two.  Not to the level I’m at right now, but I could already tell I was feeling good.  And in other ways physically, the better diet has helped in so many ways, and early on.  I hope people focus on the bigger picture, instead of only worrying about their appearance, weight on the scale, etc.   I know it’s hard to do that.  Sorry for the long response.  Thanks for your interest! 

Amy San Diego, 8/7/06Hello I know it has been a while but as some of you know I have been on the hunt for a job! It is going well a few interviews here and there. I am completely elated with all of my changes so far I am in week 10 and people are now noticing the differences. Hallelujah! I got asked if I had lost 15 lbs. ****************************For all of those concerned with not dropping scale weight I haven’t lost a pound but I look like I have and my pant size doesn’t lie!!!! Size 11/12 to an 8!! Keep up your dedication and hard work! Started boot camp for abs today…oh my gosh! I know I will be feeling this in the am. I had a funniest home video moment in the gym today. I feel very at home in the gym and comfortably know my way around. Well today was a different story I was following the abs training and only could find a flat bench for the side obliques. (Now it is visual time) I reached up to hold on to the bench and twisted my body as I curled my legs up I fell off the bench…Ha Ha Ha!! I was sooooooo embarrassed but I shrugged it off and kept up with the ab workout. Guaranteed that everyone in the gym saw the fall out. At least I laughed and moved on!! Keep up the good work everyone it is totally worth it!  

Kimberley, Bunker Hill W.V., 2/8/07 I have been reading some of the other posts and the 8-week change. It is sooo true. I did this program in 2003 and week 8 and all the rest of the weeks were stunning. I would wake up looking different everyday. Amazing. I had been so discouraged because my husband was losing like crazy and looking great. And here I was stuck, so it seemed. Week 8 oh week 8 I cannot wait to get there. I could see a different lump (that’s a good thing, muscle) everyday. I would look in the mirror and wonder who the heck was that. Hang in there ladies. The results WILL come. It is like Christmas. Almost overnight it happens. I can’t wait for week 8, I can’t wait for week 8. 

Posted by Jami from Medford Oregon on 3/8/07  Okay, this is going sound lame, but a few tears shot out of my eyes this morning when I changed into my workout clothes and took a gander at my progress from yesterday. We’re in the middle of week 10 and we’re literally seeing change every day. THIS PLAN WORKS!!!! The more faithful you are to how it’s laid out, the more results you will see. My goal for the 12 weeks was 20 pounds lost and I’m now down 23.5. I cried, I guess, because I was so hopeful when we began and wasn’t sure how it would go. Tears of joy. The changes inside are more wonderful than the exterior. I am really blown away at how life changing it really is. EDITOR’S NOTE: Jami’s couple’s challenge was on the featured challengers of the 2007 BFL website. She and her husband are featured in the Champions Body for Life book as well.

 Posted by Sarah, on active duty in Afghanistan, on 3/21/07 Well, here I am- staring down the last 48 hours of my challenge. I feel like I’ve been through it all. I had the withdrawal headaches from sugar in the beginning. i had the aches and rotten attitude during the first couple weeks- wondering why the fat wasn’t falling off of my body and why I hurt so darned much. I’ve been at that point where I couldn’t understand why my weight would plateau…and I would get on the scale every day. I measured my body every day- more for accountability purposes than anything else. in the process, I learned how sensitive my body was to extra calories and sugar (which would explain why everyone in my family is diabetic!) When I hit a plateau and felt frustrated, I kept asking myself how much effort I had put into eating exact amounts that day. I discovered a few things. 1. I lost a majority of my weight in the first three weeks, but a majority of my inches after that. 2. The last two weeks really do matter. My last 7 pounds came off and I went from a snug size 8 to a size 6, AND I lost another 2 inches from my waist. I am energetic and full of hope. For everyone who wakes up feeling bloating or wondering why they just aren’t losing that fast, I have three recommendations for you. Ask yourself if you’re eating the right amounts (for women- that’s less than 1500 calories a day). Ask yourself if you’re eating high glycemic carbs- like a lot of fruit. I’m not saying that fruit is bad- I’m just saying it could have a profound effect on your challenge. And lastly- are you eating a lot of sugar-substitutes? They are a lesser evil than sugar, but plenty of substitutes will cause your body to react in the same way as it would to sugar. Anyway, I’m getting ready to head back to the states after a long year in Afghanistan. I had a few days where I was dragging my food around the mountains with me- it took some creative planning on my part. Oh yeah- for all you new guys starting out. Stay flexible. If you cheat, give that day up as your free day. If you miss a workout, let that be your free day. Don’t tell yourself “oh, no big deal…I still am going to take my original free day.” Realize that you may be breaking a sugar addiction and be patient with yourself and your cravings, but be strong. I’ve got faith in you. I’m 26 pounds lighter and went from a size 12/14 to a size 6. I’m looking forward to sending in my packet- not because I expect to win- but because it symbolizes my completion of a something great. See you all next year at the expo! (I’m planning ahead.) AND, a personal email to me from the same Sarah:  “Mike, feel free to add anything I said to that document.  It helped me immensely to read that women’s document- and if I can be a part of inspiring or helping other people out, I’d be proud to be a part of that.  I just felt so compelled to share my joy with everyone today, so I posted that note on the guestbook.  I hope that others out there realize if I can drag my rice and tuna around the mountains (questioning my sanity the whole time) while working with the people/livestock or whatever the mission/crisis was- they can do it with their own particular set of adversities and challenges.  if I even inspire one person, I’ve done great.  So yes, please add me to that document.  I’d be proud to be a part of that. Sarah”  (email 3/22/07) EDITOR’S NOTE: Sarah’s transformation was also among the 2007 featured challengers on the BFL website.  

Posted by Lacy, Olney, Md, on 4/2/07 “Hi all! First all, I’m stoked! I looked in the mirror yesterday and saw the makings of a lil’ 6 pack, too cool!! If that isn’t motivation I don’t know what is!Okay, I’m on challenge 2, week 2 day 1. For those early in the program with no changes, please listen to my story….
NO CHANGE in weight, barely any in clothing, and little difference in the photo up until week 8. Then I started to see some changes. Week 12 I took my photo and was literally astonished with my new bod, jumped on the scale and weight EXACTLY the same thing as my starting weight! Dropped from size 16 to size 12 and the photos don’t lie. Same weight on the scale. That hit me hard, but I’ve since had my sanity talked back in and I’m really psyched. I’m on essentially week 14 and just feel like at the end of this second challenge I’ll have that body I’ve always wanted!So please, please, please don’t expect pounds to melt off fast, this is a slow moving program where you literally get healthy on the inside before you start to see it on the outside! You must be patient, you must stick with the program, and you must keep going or you will never see those changes start to manifest them on the outside. You can’t visualize the great things happening inside, but if you keep going and keep going, soon they will be on the outside and when they start to show, they show fast!!” (In an email to me, Lacy told me that she weighed 173 at the beginning and end of that first challenge and that people have told her she looks like she weighs 140.) 
KRISTY, a 41 year old lady who did BFL three years ago with good results, reported on the guestbook on April 24 2007 that she had seen great results at the beginning and near the end of her challenge, losing five pounds or more in weeks 10 and 11. She has gone from a size 8 to a baggy size 6, but not quite a size 4. She estimates her starting body fat at 35% and knows that her measured body fat at the end of week 11 is 24%.  She has lost 17 scale pounds so far. She was sedentary for the most part before her latest body for life transformation and endured a lengthy plateau between her early results and the results that came in weeks 10 and 11.  Sometimes it doesn’t take quite 8 weeks to see really amazing things.

Nicole T wrote this email to me on 4/25/07: “I am 43, always been active and healthy but weighed 185 lbs on January 1st of this year.  I vowed to learn to eat reasonably and lose some weight.  I started by buying a skin tight pair of size 15 black jeans which I would use as my benchmark.  I weighed and measured myself as well.  I tried on my own to change my eating habits and exercise but wasn’t progressing.  I finally gave Body for Life a chance.  I started my first challenge on March 5.  My jeans were still skin tight.  I followed the program to the letter.  At the four week mark I couldn’t wait to weigh and measure myself and try my jeans. I did and I was so devastated.  The scale hadn’t moved although I was ready and warned about that.  So I went to my measuring tape.  I was sure the changes would show there.  Nope.  Not one centimetre lost.  In fact I GAINED on my thighs. But the worse came when I tried on my jeans, they were still suck-in-your-gut-to-snap-shut tight.  I only kept going with BFL because I’d heard that week 8 was the week to see changes.  Truthfully, I didn’t think I would see them.  I did not alter anything; I stuck to the BFL following it to the letter and counted the weeks.  Well, at the end of week 7 I was getting dressed for work and pulled out the only clean pants I had: the black jeans.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  They were huge and baggy!  I was making my children’s lunches and had to keep pulling up my pants because they were hanging at my hips!  My daughter told me I was gross because she could see my underwear.  I finally had to get a belt to keep them on.  I haven’t worn those pants since. They’re TOO BIG! That was last week.  I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have to offer.”  Signed simply, “Nicole”  

Posted by Frances from Biloxi Mississippi on 4/29/07: Hi, everyone! Just dropping in to let you know about more changes I am going through. If you will remember, I am one of the ladies whose fat is just so darned stubborn it won’t budge. Well, week 8 came and went and not much diff:( BUT…week 9 came and something began to happen. Inches started coming off and weight started dropping on the scale. The BF% did not change but at least it did not move up. I previously had lost 5% BF in the early 5 weeks and was amazed at how much marbleized fat I had in my muscles. I truthfully just didn’t have much muscle mass to begin with so I was carrying quite a bit of adipose tissue on some skinny bones. WoW! I just had to go back and change the last sentence to reflect a PAST tense!So here are some more changes and I am only day 3 on week 10. I woke up skinnier! Yep. I stretched to get the mind racing and when my hands fell across my abs there was nothing there!!! I jumped out of bed and the scale was down another pound. Now my scale has not moved in weeks. I think I might have lost 2-3 lbs the first 4 weeks and then nothing until week 9. I began to lose a pound a day! I am not fibbing here. A pound a day! I am eating 6 balanced meals a day , sometime 7-8 depending on how long the day has gotten. I exercise with all I have and do the appointed workouts as BFL wrote them. That is it! I am losing inches, too! I lost 3 inches last week in my waist. I know I have lost more but I am not measuring again till Thurs (my free day).BTW: Regarding free day for me, I take a free meal. And not just some junk meal because I can. I just eat out someplace and get home cooked style food that is not as artificial as the fast-food places. I watch my portion size too! For me, eating BFL is about eating wholesome foods, not “dieting”. I was already a whole foods buff, but  I still have cake and hot dogs and what not on my free day but it is all natural products and usually a dessert I made from scratch using wholesome ingredients. These things are not bad for you if you begin with healthy ingredients. It’s that other stuff that is killing us all! Well, that and eating way too much of it! So try to think in terms of long-term health when using your free day/meal. It is not an opportunity to junk out. We should never ever  have an opportunity to do that to our bodies! If you are craving processed food, go make the item you are craving from scratch! I am NOT saying not to eat cake, cookies, doughnuts, pizza, etc…just saying make them yourself using wholesome ingredients. That is MY take on Free Day/Meal. ABS MAY APPEAR EVEN LATER THAN WEEK 10 IN LADIES!!

Here is a guestbook post from Jocelyn of Waco on 5/31/07 (whose husband works in a Snicker’s Candy Bar plant by the way!!), followed by an email from her with a bit more information: “Thank you all so much for your compliments! I trained my abs HARD like every other muscle. As the layers of fat melted off they eventually uncovered my abs. It wasn’t easy, this is the first time in my life I’ve seen abs, and that’s after having 2 kids lol. It’s possible, just not easy. I got my packet sent in I also had delivery confirmation added to it, so at least I know EAS will get it “  On June 1, Jocelyn added dietary details to her remarkable results story: “My progress started stalling out a few times. At week 10 I was at my old afters (from 03) measurements and weight wise), I thought there was no more room for improvement. So I figured I’d end strong. I cut out whole wheat bread and tortillas and pasta out after week 10, week 11 I cut out fruit and I upped my water. Week 11 was when I started noticing my abs were coming out, I couldn’t believe it. When I did my final measurements my hips and my thighs were both one whole inch each less than my old afters (I didn’t think it was possible to get any smaller than that). In my 2nd challenge I lost about 24 lbs, went from 26.9% body fat to about 12%, and I am in better shape than I EVER have been before. I am smaller than I was in high school, better shape than the last times I did BFL.”  [Editor’s note: Dropping the starchy carbs in week 10, cutting out fruits in week 11 and increasing water consumption really helps to drive out those last few pounds off fat and water between the skin and abs, and is a strategy long used by professional bodybuilders and fitness competitors.]   And in an email to me she tells more about how it happened:  “Wow Mike I am very honored that you’d ask to put this in your success document!  Of course you can!!  My abs didn’t appear until I was below my possible perceived smallest weight and waist size.  I didn’t think it could get better, I didn’t think I could see my abs.  I felt them rock hard below that last layer and in my very last week of this challenge they uncovered.  Honestly I thought things couldn’t get better, but I ate a little bit cleaner just to see and made sure I hit my 10’s and they came out.  (the bold is mine, not hers)The # of inches and everything is irrelevant, everyone is different.  When I had my week 10 results I didn’t think there was room for improvement, but I found that there really was.  I hope this is helpful to you!  Thank you Mike :)”  EDITOR’S NOTE: Jocelyn’s transformation was among those selected for featured challengers on the BFL website. She is also a feature in a new infomercial for the P 90 X fitness program.

 From Michele B, received by email of 11/8/07: Mike,I promised I would send you information for the ladies success journal, so here it is: During the first 6-7 weeks of the challenge I was one of the “lucky” ones.  What I mean by that is I saw steady weight loss on the scale during those weeks.  However, when I took my week 6 picture I saw little change.  There was some drop in inches, and I went from a 16 to a loose fitting 14but still not a 12.  At the end of 8 weeks I wondered if I had any chance of seeing the “8 week miracle” that so many women with little to no weight loss speak of getting.  Somewhere around week 10 I started seeing the difference.  The size 12 pants fit, and the next week they were loose.  By week 12 I was in a comfortable size 10!  The inches seemed to melt faster after week 10, and people started noticing it in my new body.  Even one of the very conservative guys at work commented on my weight loss!  That was when I knew it was real.  I lost 24lbs total over the 12 weeks, but dropping from a size 16 to a 10 was the bigger accomplishment.  The best part was when my husband stared at my legs one day while I was tying my shoes before a run. He said he  was amazed at how strong my legs have gotten, and that he could really see the muscle coming out.  After 17 years of marriage I’m thrilled that he is still checking out my legs!  One of the women at work told me I look “fit”….me, fit?  Imagine that!  I’ll be forty in less than a year, and thanks to BFL I am on my way to 40 and FABULOUS!  I have more energy than ever, and I’m not even the least bit moody anymore (yes, I admit I WAS moody).  The sugar highs and lows are gone, and the cravings have gone from cupcakes to long runs.  I’m training for a half marathon now and am currently running over 7 miles without falling over on the side of the road…all thanks to my improved body…thanks to BFL and hard work! I hope this helps someone else hang in there.  I wanted to give up more than once, but I stuck it out with the support of the wonderful people in my life, especially on the GB.  If you are a lady reading this…YOU CAN DO IT!  The end result is WORTH the difficult days. And here’s the best part. I am still exercising regularly with cardio and weights, eating 6 meals each day, and  following a maintenance eating pattern, and the weight is still coming off.  I would like to drop one (or 2) more size, and I know I can do it by completing another challenge after the half marathon.  Life is good! Michele 

FROM LIL OFF THE GUESTBOOK on 12/3/07: Robin, 8 Week Miracle Story here. If you are frustrated with or questioning your progress, I am a living 8-week miracle. At weeks 6 and 7, I was considering whether I had the ability to lose weight at all. I saw no change in my pants. Around week 8, people at my office started commenting, and I noticed a change in my pants, etc. From that point on, I saw almost daily changes.  End of challenge results: 15.5 lbs lost; down . 8% body fat; all tape measurements went down,; my waist went down the most (2 inches). Mike, feel free to snip and drop this into your ongoing “book.” Thank you to all who helped me along the way! I am so glad I finished! I am so proud. Thank you, thank you. 1/23/08 KARLA sent this to me via email: “In my first 4 weeks of BFL, I had the normal 4 week freak-out because I wasn’t seeing any really noticeable results. I’d lost 3 pounds and nothing more. Then I ran upon your “Success Document” and had hope of what I might begin to see at the 8th week. The 8th week came and I did think I was seeing some changes. So, I pulled out the measuring tape and I had lost 3 inches off of my waist. By the 12th week, I’d lost a total of 5 inches off of my waist. I also fit into a smaller pants size in the 11th week. After taking all of my measurements, I was down 6 inches all over. The definition of muscle that I was seeing in my legs and my arms also began around the 9th week. Now, that scale of mine wasn’t doing much in terms of moving, but I was definitely seeing and measuring those changes. Right then I knew for myself that the scale is NOT a good measure of how well I was doing on this plan. I don’t care now what the scale says…if I can look good at this weight then so be it. That is what I’m after anyways. So, to sum it all up, at the end of 12 weeks, I lost a grand total of 8 pounds and 12.75 inches. So, I lost 5 more pounds and almost another 7 inches in the last 4 weeks of BFL!! BFL works!! Just keep with it and don’t give up or give in!!  I can’t imagine what I will look like from here on in. It can only get better and better!!! 

Then, KARLA, who already had the lady success document added: “I know when I doubted, I would re-read that document and keep working hard knowing it would happen!”

 FROM LINDA from Winnipeg, on 3/31/08: “One week ago, I posted voicing my frustration with lack of weight loss and no change noted on pictures between weeks 6 and 9. I was hoping for the results most women get in weeks 8 and 9. Well, I weighed in yesterday at the end of week 10 and I was down 6 lbs! My new jeans are so loose they are uncomfortable. So, hang in there! It will happen.” HERE IS LINDA’S end of challenge information: “ Day 84! I’m happy with the results. I lost 10lb. Very strange…I lost 4 in the first 2 weeks and 6 in week 10. My goal was 135 and I’m at 144 so I have a ways to go. Better than scale results though, I lost 2 inches on my chest, 3 and a half on my waist, 3 on my hips and 1 and a half from my thighs. My menopot is nearly gone and I feel great. I am taking a few days to rest and reflect on new goals before starting again.” 

FROM JULIE OF MERRIMACK N.H.: on 4/12/08: “Lynette - I took two weeks off between challenges with the recommendation of Mike Harris. I was only going to take one week but I sure am glad that I took two. I didn’t gain anything back, actually lost a 1/2 lb. and felt much stronger when I started back up this past Monday. I will do the same thing again after this challenge! Your body totally needs that rest from all the heavy lifting.”  

6/17/08, posted by Mary Okoniewski from somewhere overseas: “DAY 85! Thank you so much it has been an awesome journey- I could not have done so without the guest book, blogs, and the support of other people. I am so thankful - I joined the military 23 years ago because I lacked self discipline. I realized shortly thereafter that self discipline comes from within and that could not be instilled by another. I went about my days letting life happen to me, not really concerning myself with my lack of discipline. These 12 weeks have been a challenge in several ways, as they are for most (if not all) I’m sure. For me… I’m retiring from the US NAVY after 23 years of service, I just completed my BS on June 6th, my daughter graduated from high school last week, I’m coordinating three separate household moves, I don’t have employment after the service(I know it will come:), my girls leaving their friends.. moving once again…, trying to be the rock, stable and supportive, has been difficult. But through it all I have derived my strength and determination from all of you here and have inspired three others to take the challenge. Let me share what happened on cardio day Week 11 - my workouts were getting pushed later and later, my eating wasn’t “clean” 100% but rather clean and never missed a workout. I was running people here and there… and was to go out for lunch when I realized.. no, I HAD to workout - so in the 90 degree heat I put my running gear on and went. As I was jogging along I realized - this was it - this was SELF DISCIPLINE - I was so happy - I never imagined that this journey would lead me there - what I’ve admired in others my entire life I now had. What a gift - I ran 2.5 miles in 20 minutes! Hit my HIITs and set a personal record. When I returned home I looked up self-discipline in the dictionary just to be sure - self discipline: the regulation or correction of one’s self for the sake of improvement. WOW - Thank you Bill Phillips, Guest book, Champion Bloggers, and numerous others. I have received the greatest gift. I love my new self and looking forward to the taking and facing my next challenge whatever it maybe. Thank you and I will continue to read and hopefully inspire.

 

I’m sitting here… surround by movers…who don’t speak my language…LOL… all that is left in my room is my computer!!! YIKES My Body Life Success Journal has been packed- oops- these guys are good. I thought I might share some of the numbers with you!
I am a 43 yr old female, 5’6″ tall, who started BFL on the 24th of March 2008. I weighed 178lbs, my waist was 34″, my thighs 26 1/4″, I wore a size 14. Today, i weigh 157!! and my waist is a slim 28 1/2″.. my thighs 24 1/4″…and wearing a size 10 but tried on three pairs of 8’s two weeks ago.. and YES I can wear an 8… is that CRAZY???? Yes crazy… but wonderfully so!!! it WORKS!! I saw the physical results early on and then very slow - but the greatest reward is not in the numbers but on the inside … although don’t get me wrong - the numbers ROCK!!!! I’m sorry if I’m rambling… just so pleased and thankful.”

In the great movie “Chariots of Fire,” which is about the life of Olympic athlete, Eric Liddell, there is a memorable line. Liddell is explaining to his sister Jennie why he does what he does, and simply sums it up by saying that, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” Liddell’s point is that his running is not more important than his missionary work in China, but that God had created him to be fast as well, and that he had more than one passion in life.

So, what is it that you were created to do, and what is it that when you do it–you feel His pleasure? I’m not trying to make a religious article out of this, but I am trying to get you to think deeply about what it is that you are created to do, for your life’s work, and what it is that you do best in other settings that makes you know that you were cut out for it.

One of the really wonderful things I see as I follow the transformations of others is that during this process they really do find what it is that they are cut out for and what it is that they love to do, but didn’t do, because their low self-esteem, their size and de-conditioned state were holding them back. I have seen people change careers, become runners or tri-athletes, all kinds of things that they never would have dared do before finding new confidence in the challenge process.

For me, my first real awakening was when I got sober in 1983. My second one was when I did my first challenge and really realized that a nonathletic, out of shape guy could reinvent himself. Soon after that, I also realized that the job I had, a dream job for most people, was one that I just didn’t fit into. I got a different one, one that pays a lot less money, requires more time and travel, and can be very demanding. You know what? I LOVE it! There is not a day that goes by that I don’t want to go to work. I really don’t think I would have had the courage to make that job change had I not really gotten immersed in the transformation thing!

It’s amazing. You start out trying to get lean enough to look good on the beach, or to fit into an outfit, or look good at a wedding, and before you’re done, you have become pretty much a new person. And a new person that you are pretty darned comfortable being around! It doesn’t come instantly, but it happens. And it happens because you work the universal law of reciprocation, and you start helping others with their challenges, and you start becoming a more balanced person who is content with himself.

The main ingredients of a good transformation, at least the “mental aspects” of the transformation, can be described in many words. My favorite words begin with P. I don’t know why they are my favorites, but P is just a great letter of the alphabet that begins many, many powerful (catch that last word there?) phrases. Here are the main ingredients, in P form of course, for a great transformation.

1. Purpose: The greatest selling book of recent eras has been one called “The Purpose Driven Life.” Without purpose, there is no meaning to an effort. In a transformation, the purpose is the core reason you do this. Find that, record it in writing, and you have made a great beginning.
2. Passion: This word describes the zeal and super-charged attitude you will need to do this thing and to make it the greatest thing you’ve ever done for yourself.
3. Planning: Thorough planning becomes, along with preparation, an investment in your transformation that returns divdiends.
4. Preparation: The readying of all that you need to execute your transformation follows the planning of your transformation. People are often confused about the difference between planning and preparation. Planning is deciding when and where and what to eat; preparation is getting and cooking the food!
5. Progress: Celebrate every gain you make, and every loss you wanted.
6.Perseverence: The will to keep going when will is about all you have left!
7.Pursuit: The relentless look toward the ultimate goal that accompanies perseverence.
8. Pleasure: Not required, but certainly a transformation well-done will produce this, even if it doesn’t take place DURING the challenge.
9. Peace: Real satisfaction, and freedom from anxiety, fear and depression that were part of your old life.
10.Profit: In the sense that profit means permanent gain, you will certainly see this in all aspects of your life following the transformation–in strength, character, and attitude for sure.

So, my friends, mind your P’s and the Q will follow! Q? Yes, Quality, and ….well, that’s another blog isn’t it?

The most common structural damage to buildings is from settling. A building that seemingly was built on bedrock or solid ground begins to settle unevenly and big problems begin! Cracks appear and if the process continues uninterrupted the end result is a building that is uninhabitable. All because the ground ended up not being as solid as the builder thought it was.

The same thing happens with your personal dwelling–your body! If you don’t do your body “building” on a strong foundation and solid ground, that whole process will begin to deteriorate, crack and eventually become uninhabitable.  In this case, I am talking about building on solid mental, emotional and spiritual ground. If you’re not truly ready for the great 12 week adventure known as a transformation, all the mental conflicts and battles that can crop up will almost certainly sabotage your building efforts.

That’s why I just finished the series of blogs on various mental attitudes and character defects that make a challenge very difficult. I also included a brief paragraph on how to solve the problem if you find yourself hampered by any of those shortcomings.

A transformation is one of the most difficult and rewarding things you’ll ever do. And you deserve to have at the end not only a fully functioning and beautiful body, but also a fully functioning and beautiful attitude, outlook, and mental state.  In order to do that, while you’re doing the transformation physically, you really need to work on the mental aspects at the same time. If you do that, you will not only have a new body for life, you’ll have a truly transformed life, with a renewed love for life as well.

The blogs I wrote on resentment, envy,shallowness, faithlessness,impatience, a controlling mindset (co-dependency),self-pity, selfishness, and self-sabotage can be found on the Body for Life blog sites, or on my own website, www.mikeharris.org. Each one describes a common defect or stumbling block to being able to do a good challenge. Once you identify the “issue” that is likely to be your biggest enemy as you prepare to go into this transformation battle, you’ll have the basics to be able to conquer the enemy within, and to bring this problem to and end once and for all.

Do that, and you’ll find that your transformation ground will indeed be solid, and that there’ll be no settling of that ground. Nor will there be any need for you to settle for less than the best that you deserve.

I wish you each and every one a joyous twelve weeks of work and fun as you begin the making of a new you!

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. That gives you some idea of the destructive and difficult a problem it is. Envy can be differentiated from greed and jealousy. Jealousy is a curious mixture of desire and insecurity that usually is found in love relationships. Greed involves strong desire to accumulate material possessions. Envy is a condition where one strongly desires and tries to acquire things or relationships that another has. The goal of envy is not only to get it for ourselves, but also to deprive whoever has it of the right to keep it. So, envy involves not only the strong craving for something or someone, but also hatred of the person who currently has it. 
So, let’s be clear here. When I use the term “envy,” I am talking about the real deal, a malicious state of mind that borders on the criminal mind in many ways. I’m NOT talking about envy in the common usage sense at all.  I’m not talking about the kind of feelings we have when we see a person with a new car and say, “boy, I really envy you for having that new car.”

So, is envy a problem for people trying to do transformations? Rarely, but it does occur. I have seen it under circumstances where someone was trying to restore a broken relationship  after they were rejected for their physical problems or inadequacies. The transformation attempt began with a goal to get the other person’s affection  back, but realization that it wasn’t going to happen degenerated into envy that ended up being a really lousy motive to finish up the transformation. Last I knew the person was thinking of writing a book about how badly they had been treated. Boy, there’s one that everyone will be dying to read—NOT!

The most tragic circumstances under which I have seen envy rear its ugly head were on the Body for Life Tracker site a while back. To rehash the details of what was done to a few competitors by some members of the site who were eventually banned would be to dredge up the muck and risk opening old wounds. It was ugly, and it was completely destructive both in intent and in its impact. The saddest thing of all was that everyone was devastated. The transformers who were hurt, and libeled by the malicious efforts of a small group of people actually left the Tracker for some time, and still have difficulty trusting. The small group of envious folks who pulled this vicious stunt were permanently banned from the Tracker site, and have essentially left the transformation community. Even those who were not picked on and did not participate in the attack were frustrated, and many of them left the Tracker website simply because it had gotten too rough to be worth the while. To the great credit of the site administrator, he stepped in strongly and cast some new rules which have made that site a growing and excellent one.

Here’s the trouble with envy. It never is satisfied, and it always destroys, both the person against whom it is directed and the person who is the victim.

What is the “cure” for envy? It’s a character defect in my opinion, which means that it is quite unlikely to ever go away. The best “cure” for the rest of us is to avoid envious persons at all costs. To try to deal with them is to risk total destruction.

One last thing. When you did a terrific transformation, and you really thought you had a shot at winning and didn’t, you felt some really tough emotions, didn’t you? That was NOT envy. That was disappointment, which is a natural occurrence, and it is a normal and temporary setback, which comes whenever someone who competed intensely does not end up successful. It will go away, and you will live.

A book on recovery says that the number one offender of an alcoholic is resentment! Not addiction, not temptation, but resentment! And the same flawed mindset that keeps alcoholics and addicts relapsing can derail YOUR best efforts toward a good transformation as well!

Resentment is old anger, that has not been dealt with. It’s related to some long standing offense or situation against you that you have not let go of. You let it leave your mind when you’re really busy, but when circumstances remind you of what “they” did to you, back it comes, along with same old feelings of sadness, anger and self-pity. One person says that resentment is old anger that you keep on a shelf and occasionally take down and polish.

The cause of resentment can be traced directly to unforgiveness–by YOU! In other words, while it may have been righteous anger to begin with, refusing to forgive the offender has turned it into an offense you are carrying around and using against yourself!

Few realize the destructive nature of resentment. Some mistakenly believe that it can be diverted into positive energy to fuel a challenge. It can’t. Why? Resentment is corrosive to your emotions and your spirit.

Unforgiveness can literally rot you from the inside out. Joyce Meyer says that resentment is like “I take the poison, and then I wait for YOU to die!” It’s true, too.

In the end, someone who resents ends up depressed, sick, and without close friends. No one really wants to be around negative people, and no one is more negative than one who resents.

The cure? Forgive. Forgiveness is not an emotional thing. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until you feel like it. Don’t wait for the offender to ask for forgiveness–that’s what got you in the mess. Just say to yourself, and write down in your journal the date, time and place that you said you forgave this person. Then refuse to bring it up, or think about it, or even listen about it if someone else brings it up. It will take weeks for your feelings to catch up with your actions, but they will. While you’re at it, pray for the person who offended you–asking God to give them the desires of their heart. And, one last thing: Forgive yourself for carrying this internal timebomb around with you for as long as you have!

Today was supposed to be a blog about envy. It is half done, along with a half-done blog on resentment, and another half done one on denial. These are the remaining “challenge Killer” subjects, and I wrote on every one of them this evening. But, it’s just not there—there’s something else on my mind I have to write about, or I’ll never be able to finish that series.

What is on my mind is the passages of life. Things like births, christenings, baptisms, first communions, salvation decisions, graduations, weddings, deaths and funerals. These are all events where the windows of heaven are thrown open and we really know we’re made for things greater than ourselves. Tears flow; emotions are labile; we feel closer to our family and loved ones; the importance of jobs, houses, cars, money and power and prestige dim and pale in the overpowering essence of these moments. We all have a sense that for good or bad, we are designed to go through these passages of life, both with ourselves and with family and loved ones.

I’m fixed on this topic because of the life celebration for Jonnae that took place Sunday, a graduation I attended Sunday for my favorite niece, and the wedding of my youngest child this coming Saturday. These three events in such close proximity have made it tough to function and to think about only the next right thing in front of me.

What I want to suggest may sound strange but I hope not. I want to draw an analogy to the completion of a difficult transformation and some of these other life passages I just mentioned. I think that the people most likely to misunderstand are the very ones I am hoping will understand. They are the people who have not yet experienced the completion of a well-done transformation. At the end of a well-done transformation, whether you made it what you wanted or not, there are tears, fatigue, labile emotions, a sense of oneness with many people you hardly know, and a terrific sense of completeness. There’s also a sense that you did something that you could not have completed alone, something that took more power than you really had inside you.

Am I suggesting that a completed transformation is another genuine passage in life? Maybe I am. Certainly it has the right to be as important as making it through boot camp, or completing a particularly difficult course or certification. It is certainly an event that deserves to be recorded, celebrated, and remembered. And to the extent that you do those things, you will add value to your experience, and to the ability of your experience to inspire others.

At one time, EAS would send out a certificate of completion for each completed challenge. If they are still doing that I haven’t heard about it lately. They also sent out a red bracelet and a T shirt at various times. These are all insignificant in value by themselves, but to the person who received them for their accomplishment, they were quite valuable. Even if Abbott doesn’t continue the traditions, you owe it to yourself to do something to preserve the memory of your transformation. Take your photos and make a memory book out of them and your journal. Preserve the emotions you felt by making a lengthy ending entry in your journal. Make the most of this, because you do not know how much it may mean to you or someone else some day.