If you’re on the fence about joining our No Excuses Challenge, the time is now! We’re going to kick it into high gear on Monday, so you have until midnight on Satuday, January 17th to sign up and commit to changing your habits. Before we get into the rules again, I wanted to touch on a few questions and concerns we get asked time and time again…
Why should I do this?! What should I expect?!
Improve your habits: diet, sleep, and exercise go a long way to make us feel healthy and happy (or not)
If you have a specific vice—sodas, candy, coffee, or something else you’d like to change—this will give you the framework and support to do this!
This is a challenge, and it will be tough at times. You will have some ups and downs, but as long as you stick to it, you will see results. You’ll feel better overall, have more energy, potentially drop some weight (if that’s what you’re looking to do), and likely see LOTS of PRs at the gym.
You WILL be held accountable. You WILL be billed for any infraction. We’ve found that raising the stakes makes the grey area decisions much more black and white—it’s hard to justify “it’s just one donut, and I’ve eaten well all day” when it’s going to hit you where it hurts. This will also help you avoid the snowball traps that come with unhealthy habits—does one donut turn into two? One M&M turns into a handful? We’re all guilty of it. Wait for cheat day, plan your cheats for your most favorite foods, and it will be so worth it.
I’m scared/nervous that I can’t stick to the rules. Or, I’m unsure what I CAN eat, now that all of these items are eliminated!
First, 25 burpees for “can’t”… YOU CAN DO IT!
You’re not in this alone—you’ll have the full support of your coaches as well as your assigned accountability partner. You’ll always have a cheerleader and people in your corner that WANT you to succeed. We found that these relationships were not only helpful, but a great way to get to know yourself and a peer.
We have resources to help! We’ll be sending out a printable shopping list of foods to eat freely and those to avoid.
When you DO stick to the rules, the benefits are twofold. One, you’ll see results: you’ll feel better, think faster, move faster, and get leaner in the process (if that’s your goal). Feeling the results is the best positive reinforcement for continuing these habits. Two, the habits get much easier to maintain as you develop a routine routine. While the diet prescription and sleep guidelines may be a large departure from what you do currently, it will become more normal and easier to stick to as you reform your habits
It’s is ONLY 6 WEEKS! If, after the challenge, you find that certain foods belong in your pantry… fine! Maybe your biggest takeaway is sleep, or training, or rebuilding another habit… great! It’s a small commitment and a great way to kick start your progress toward your goals
What is included in the $40 participation fee?
Daily logging and support from your accountability partner
Special events: a group cooking demo, a halfway check in, an end-of-challenge BBQ
Weekly emails with useful tips, tricks, and resources to help you succeed
Unlimited email support from your coaches
As always, if you have any other questions, please see one of your coaches. We’re here for you and all of us have done this challenge.
Ok, onto the rules. Here they are, in detail.
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy.This is not “strict Paleo,” though eating in that manner would be within our guidelines. If you’re searching for recipes, anything labeled “Paleo” or “Whole 30” would generally be a great place to start.
You will have a total of 6 cheat days—by Wednesday, January 21st, you will let your partner know which dates you choose to use for your cheats (to make it simple, we recommend keeping the same day each week, and this ONLY applies to meals, not sleep). You have from noon to midnight on that day to indulge in your treats. Try to keep your cheats within reason, as you’ll definitely feel it the next day if you go overboard
You will get 7 hours of sleep each night, BARE MINIMUM (ideally, shoot for 8 or more, as needed). We realize that we can’t always track when we nod off, so we define this time as follows: lights off, head on the pillow, eyes closed, not talking (or other) with your partner, Facebooking, texting, checking emails, reading, or using any device. Keep the distractions out when it’s truly bed time, and you’ll wake up feeling ready to tackle the day.
You will get at least 10 minutes of purposeful exercise five days per week. This could be your regular CrossFit class, yoga, a brisk walk, jog, or run, skiing, biking, or whatever else you choose. Ideally, it’ll be high intensity, but check in with yourself on what you can handle each day. This is not meant to crush you–it should be a conscious daily effort to do something active.
You will log your food/lifestyle points daily (link to be provided at start of challenge), and you will check in with your accountability partner at least weekly.
Any infraction of the above—diet (outside of cheat days), training, sleep, or logging—will result in a $50 penalty, to be billed to your card on file. There is no limit to the number of times you can be charged in one day. One slice of pizza is $50. Two slices is $100. Two slices, a beer, and less than 7 hours of sleep is $200. Choose wisely.
Again, if you’re ready to make the commitment to yourself, we’d love to have you join us on this challenge. This decision is not to be made lightly, but we had some great results last round, and we expect to see the same this time. If you’re on board, please be sure to sign up by midnight on Saturday. We can’t wait to see the results the next 6 weeks will bring!
Sign up online by clicking this link – https://crossfithale.frontdeskhq.com/events/429820
Or email us at info@crossfithale.com.
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