When I moved to San Diego a few years back, I experienced one of the most fun but eye-opening summers. I bought a loft in a unfamiliar town, I made new friends and experienced fresh establishments. I spent the entire summer playing futbol, drinking, philandering and living hungover. I had a blast but in the end, I hadn’t accomplished anything, lost a lot of weight, felt disgusting and possibly depressed.
My first thought was “health kick time”. I needed to test myself and take some time and attempt to improve my well-being. I laid out a daily plan and I made it a Six Week Improvement Test. (SWIT)
Some say you can form a habit in 21 days. For others, it could take longer. I’m so damn stubborn to the point where after three weeks, if I’m not seeing results or enjoying it, I’ll try something new.
My Exercise plan:
- Cardio or futbol 1x/week
- Gym 5x/week
My Daily Diet plan:
- No alcohol
- 4000-6000 calories
- 140-160 grams of protein
- multivitamin & BCAA
- Creatine
- Fish oil
At the end of Six weeks, I felt so good that I did another three weeks!
I weighed myself after a six weeks and I had went from 142lbs to 175lbs! Not only did I fill out my clothes again, but most of that weight was muscle and I had to purchase new clothes. More importantly was how I felt.
Dedicating yourself to an exercise and diet plan can drastically change your life. Waking up optimistic, refreshed with a ton of energy is a priceless gem. I can pop out of bed at 6am feeling happy! I can have an early start, make some eggs, grab a workout, drink a health shake and now I’m set to take on whatever the day brings. This leads to productivity, creativity and innovation which lead me to Chapfloss and so on. To me, this is the foundation of motivation. Action!
That is one of my many examples of how six weeks can open your eyes to a different life.
This is an awesome video of actors explaining and giving advice on diet and exercise. This alone motivated me a lot! To hear exactly what you have to do in order to see a difference in a short amount of time is refreshing. I understand that we don’t have personal trainers, private chefs and nutritionists but that makes it that more challenging because everything falls on you. And if you genuinely want it, you’ll do it. If you genuinely like the idea, then you won’t.
SIX WEEK IMPROVEMENT TEST
People are content with losing challenges but when you’re truly testing your will, motivation and discipline, no one likes to fail. I test you to improve your lifestyle and well-being in every way you can every single day for six weeks.
Instead of drinking booze, drink water or juice. Instead of playing XBOX, learn something or try to make some money. Instead of happy hour, search the Meetup app for your favorite sport or learn a new one. Rather fast food, meal prep. Instead of being lazy, be productive. Develop a positive habit and the happy chemicals in your brain will naturally rise in time.
I’m constantly trying to improve myself. Two years ago, I took up squash which is more of an east coast activity but Forbes rated squash as “The Healthiest Sport in the World”. Sometimes I play just for the workout and sometimes I take lessons. The point is that I am NOT ON THE COUCH. Last December, I attended a Christmas party and I met a man from New Zealand. Guess what he does for a living?……He’s a professional squash player. You never know where your actions will lead you, who you will meet and what you will have in common.
To define self-motivated for me is, to look forward to something that makes your life better. In my eyes, a lot of people assume work, exercise, learning a new skill, eating better, etc. are difficult and they complain which in turn, makes it difficult. Find a way to make it fun. You don’t have to travel the same path as everyone else. If you need a second job, you don’t have to go apply at Starbucks. If you need to work on yourself, you don’t need to hire a nutritionist and personal trainer. There are other ways. Just remember that.
If you have a question or a relatable story you want to share, please comment.
-Casey
