Introduction to the New Year 8 week challenge

Scott Schwab:
Well here we go. The first of the year goals, dreams, and resolutions. We welcome you to the challenge if this is your first and welcome you back if you are joining us again.

This week:
We are collecting the goals and pictures of the participants. While we are doing that, feel free to start a cleanse and get your body recovering from the holidays. During the Holidays people can put on between 5-20 pounds.
Our bodies need to get back to a point of balance and the best way to do that is a cleanse. Find one that you like, or search for the ones that we have done and had success with. The most grueling is the Master Cleanse or the Lemonade cleanse. You don't have to go for 10 days. It will give you results after 3. The main idea is to clean out the excess garbage and toxins in your body.
Start drinking a lot of water. Not only will it cleanse the toxins out of your body and skin, it will also act as a meal suppressant and help keep you feeling full longer. The figure is to take your body weight and divide it by two and drink that weight in ounces. However, if you would feel better, you can also do 64oz and get a similar result. The main goal is to start your day with water and slowly eliminate all other drinks. I know this is hard, but you are doing this so you can get results. Some people notice weight loss after 2 weeks of not drinking soda or other sugar drinks. The best thing that you can do is drink the H2O and plenty of it.
Another step is to take the meals you eat and start cutting them in half so you have 6 small meals. This will help with portion control, but also mental control. When looking at the plate sizes today, they have slowly increased through time. Eating everything on your plate today, means something more than eating everything on your plate in earlier years. The trick is to have healthy snacks that keep your body moving. Choose six meals that are about the size of your fist and spread them throughout the day every 2-3 hours.
Exercise will be most key. Choose a plan and stick with it. Even if your time is cut short, keep the commitment to go. You will soon notice that even if you didn't get in the time, the commitment has been kept and a habit has been formed. Even more important than everything above, is the simple plan of exercise. You choose what you like to do, and add in some things you don't like to do. That will keep the workout interesting and allow you to push yourself.
Good luck and give it all you got!