Getting prepared

The Body Enlightenment System gives out a huge amount of support as part of its programme, and one of the things they ask you to do before you begin (at 6pm tonight!) is to go through their Advanced Workbook and Daily Success Planner. So, on Friday morning I curled up on the sofa and began.

Their philosophy behind the Workbook is that it allows you to write down (and therefore articulate) your goals and commitments regarding this Challenge. I think it's a great way to begin, because crystallising your goals and hopes for the challenge away from the fuzzy "I want things to improve" really helps to get in the right mindset for the Challenge. Or for any other major undertaking, really.

The first thing I had to write was "My binding commitment". This is what I wrote: I commit to making a go of this. I will do this by: adhering to the programme, feeling positive about my commitment to it, and paying attention to what my body is telling me throughout this process.
The next thing I had to do was to write down, in detail, aspects of my fantasy for my "ideal body—health, physique, shape, energy, clothes, confidence, etc." I was to complete the following sentence in the present tense: "This is my fantasy; I'm so happy now that I..."
» ZING! with energy
» Feel more confident to face the day
» Can push myself further when I exercise
» Can wear the clothes I want to and look great wearing them!
» Have the awesome legs (that go up to here) I've been promising myself
» Have taken control over my food intake
» Have clear and readiant skin

Building on that, I was asked to evaluate my current "levels" as regards ten key areas of life: Personal appearance, fitness/exercise, social life, personal development, sleep, work/employment, attitude, time management, eating habits, and home environment. Having evaluated them, I was asked to choose 2-3 changes (not goals) that I will make in each area. Here they are:
» Personal appearance
i. Take better care of my skin
ii. Put more effort into how I do my hair
» Fitness/exercise
i. Do at least one core exercise every day
ii. Stretch every day
iii. Push myself further when I exercise
» Social life
i. Accept all reasonable invitations
ii. Intitiate contact with important friends
» Personal development
i. Blog this journey every day
ii. Be open to all questions
» Sleep
i. stop using the computer/watching TV at least one hour before bed
ii. make time for at least eight hours sleep each night
» Work/employment
i. reflect and learn from each session
ii. be open to other job/career opportunities
» Attitude
i. be positive to/with the people around me
ii. be a "happy pylon"
» Time management
i. make a "timetable" for work and play
ii. no internet (except for research) while applying for jobs
» Eating habits
i. listen to my body re: hunger
ii. focus on how healthy foods make my body feel
» Home environment
i. de-clutter my living space
ii. organise my work/study space

I will then go back and rate myself again, and see if I feel I have improved.


The second booklet was the Daily Success Planner, which has a lot of (customisable) routines, affirmation phrases and so on, but also has a set of 30 daily worksheets (to keep track of things) and a page entitled "Your Enlightened Body". I was to "jot, sketch, and draw to solidify [my] IDEAL body image." Because I can't draw, mine was entirely made up of small phrases and ideas written in language. And this is what they were (in no particular order):
» clear skin
» strong core
» active mindset
» boundless energy
» feel like an empowered professional
» funky hair and clothes look good!
» strong physical stamina
» look and feel healthy inside and out
» flat tummy, slim legs
» look hot in a bikini
» toned limbs
» feel sexy
» flexible limbs
» unashamed at the beach


It is amazing how powerful writing these things down has been for me. I feel as though there's a lot less nervous energy going into this Challenge, but rather that I am embarking upon a new experience with serenity, calmness and confidence. It sounds woo-woo, but I really do feel much more content about the whole thing and, as a result, much more likely to succeed.

Tonight we begin our 24 hour fast after dinner.

Current weight: 82.1kg
Current body-fat percentage: 38.4%
Current feeling: ready to go!