Getting Started
Hot Ghoul Autumn Team Weight Loss ChallengeSign-Up Period:
Tuesday, September 17th through Monday, September 23rd.
Initial Weigh in:
September 23 - September 29
Requires a Photo by September 29th at 8PM PT
Week 02:
September 30 - October 6
No Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 03:
October 7 - October 13
No Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 04:
October 14 - October 20
Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 05:
October 21 - October 27
Requires a Photo by Sunday October 27th at 8PM PT.Results will be posted within a few days following the completion of the challenge.
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Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Recommendations
Need a recommendation? Below are books and apps I've read and used.
They don't work for everybody, but I've seen them impact a lot of individuals in positive ways.
I hope these help!
-Kev
Books
For the Mind
Mindset is absolutely important in life, and in fitness. I HIGHLY recommend it.In fact, Make it first on the list.
You've seen him around. He doesn't stop. Something in his path? It's gone. Check out the book. Audiobook is even better.
Sometimes... You just blame yourself. Stop. Don't give a f*ck, and keep crushing everything in your path. You got this.
For the Body
This book has a great selection of exercises. You see the form, parts you’re working. It's a great starter book.
This is the first book I purchased getting into fitness. It’s all common information, but more structured and incredibly helpful.
I cannot comment on this book since I didn’t read it personally, but I’ve heard it’s pretty decent. Just wanted to include this since the above book was more for the male physique.
Health Apps
While I’m not a fan of the MyFitnessPal subscription, it does currently have the best meal tracking system that I’ve seen to date. Prior to subscription status, you could simply scan the barcode, add the number of servings, and be done. Easy peasy. Now, they hide the scanning of the barcode behind a paywall of a subscription. I’m kinda bummed by that, but it does not discredit the app.
I have two things, the Renpho tape for helping me track grains and the Renpho scale to track weight changes. The nice thing is when you step on the scale or use the tape - it just syncs via bluetooth on your phone. This just helps me keep an eye on progress.
I was recently introduced to this App. This focuses on providing you feedback about the products you've scanned, including scientific resources. This has been helpful to get a general rating of not only healthy food choices, but cosmetic products as well.
Workout Apps
For a simple app to track your workouts, reps, sets - The strong app is where it's at. Highly recommend it. It’s easy to use, and my favorite piece - no ads or subscriptions! (at the time of this posting)
A friend recently recommended it. It looks at your posture and draws a bit of a movement line for you to review. All you have to do is keep your phone looking at you from the side and replay it after your set.
Habit Building Apps
As a IT Professional, I suck at remembering to drink water and stretch. I found this app that lets me set up hourly reminders to do such things without the need for many alarms. I am using iOS, and I don't see that this app is available for Android. I did link a comparable App for Android!
Like Video Games? Habitica is a great little accountability tool Essentially you track your habits, as you complete your habits and other tasks, you get experience points! You can battle enemies with friends and earn rewards for your hard work. Fun way to keep up with your daily goals!
Do you have a bit of trouble staying off certain apps? Do you sometimes work when you should really be off work? ScreenZen has helped me limit my social media and falling into the doomsday of scrolling, but you can use it for so much more. I highly recommend checking this app out.
Other Products
This is by far my favorite product. I travel quite a bit, and a pain point has always been getting a shaker that breaks up the protein shake powder equally. This thing has lasted me 2 years so far. Easy to mix, easy to clean, rechargeable battery powered, and make the magic.
The best way to describe this... Bouncy. I don't typically use this exercise ball for exercise. Instead, I use it for my offer, and switch between the exercise ball and the chair that I have. It allows me to constantly compensate for movement, and form. Its lasted this long, through multiple moves before I settled down.
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Little Known Incentatives
Most websites focus on fitness diets and workouts, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t the kid who had to be bribed with a new video game from Gamestop back in the day in order to have straight A’s on his report cards. Where are the REAL incentives? Show me the money!
There are a bunch of apps that offer rewards, but tend to require an obscene amount of work to make it past a dollar or two at a time. I guess for good reason - if everybody could easily make a million dollars - that company would disappear in an instant. Instead, I want to talk more about where to find programs you might not even be aware you have access to, with some actual examples. Side note - I am in the US, and not sure if these apply to other countries.
Your company MAY NOT be on the kind of health plan that offer these kinds of incentives, but it never hurts to look.
Making Your Own Incentives
Identification
What do you truly want to achieve?Be specific and realistic about the outcome, and make sure that it aligns with your values.
You should set a goal that is long term, accompanied by a series of short term goals.
For example, if you want to be fit in order to complete a Tough Mudder challenge....
Your long term goal is to complete a Tough Mudder Challenge.Your short term goals may include
-Getting to a certain weight.
-Being able to do a certain number of pull-ups.
-Be able to run a certain distance in a period of time.Your short term goals can also be broken down into segments! For example:
1 pound loss a week.
Increments of 3 pull-ups per week.
5 miles increments per month.
Set a Timeline and Track Progress
You know your goals... Now it's time to plan your route to the finish line.Assign dates to each milestone and regularly review your progress. You can use a dry-erase board, chalk board, a notebook, an app.Consider the length of the deadlines, and where the milestones should appear.For example... Lets say I begin training in January, and the next Tough Mudder race in my area is not until May.I would break my deadlines across weeks as check ins, and by the end of the month for actual milestone deadlines.
Rewarding Yourself
Celebrate small wins by rewarding yourself after reaching key milestones to stay motivated and maintain momentum.You can award yourself in a variety of ways. Maybe you want to play this new video game, or have an expensive Lego set you've been dying to buy and build. Maybe there is an event that you want to attend, such as a Taylor Swift concert.These give you something to constantly look forward to as you progress towards your goal.
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Where to Start
Time to get stronk!whether you are looking for a specific look, or trying to get into shape, you need to consider a couple of starting factors:A regular schedule is important.
The most common schedule for working out is one day on, next day off for rest. Much like Monday, Wednesday, Friday (and you should include some sort of activity on the weekend!). There are other schedules, such as 5 days on and 2 days off. I’ve also met those who workout daily 7 days a week, but still get adequate rest to continue to crush it that way. Regardless what kind of workout you intend to do, keep in mind it takes time and energy.If you’re not a morning person and most of your energy is in the evening, start by making time in your schedule to work out in the evening, get that warm up in. Your schedule is always amendable. I started in the mornings, but found myself in the evening with more energy.Be smart when starting out.
Don’t overdo it, if you feel over exhausted all the time, most likely you’re pressing too hard, adjust your schedule!Working out for about 20 minutes at the minimum is recommended.
There are so many different programs out there. From my experience, if you do at least 20 minutes, You burn the fat and you crush the calories. You tear down the muscle so it can rebuild itself with stronger fibers. Your heart pumps, your blood flows, and your need for air increases. But through the minimum of 20 minutes, You become mightier than you were 20 minutes prior.
/n
Don't Forget
STRETCH for 10 minutes before and after working out. Everybody forgets to do this. STREEEETCHHH. Whenever you can. Always.Sleep:
Try to get 8 hours. I know, these days it’s not easy to do. I personally never get more than 6 because that’s what I’ve trained myself as a kid to do. There are some studies out there on sleep, but majority go with the 8 hour rule for rest and recovery.Stress less:
Can you imagine hearing this out loud from others? The rage inside rumbling in response
“IF I COULD, I WOULD’VE BY NOW!”
Right?I’m just gonna say it anyway - stress impacts your body. Everybody has a different tolerance. I easily gain weight when I am stressed. If I have a really stressful day I expect a 2-5 pound difference within a couple hours, and yes - I’ve tested this. When I look bloated, you can tell I’m stressed.My advice is to do whatever you can to stress less. Work out, read, meditate, take a walk, play a video game - whatever it is that helps you relax, roll out and let yourself enjoy that time free from whatever is bothering you.
Get into the habits quick:
As a IT Professional, I suck at remembering to drink water and stretch. I found the Reminder App that lets me set up hourly reminders to do such things without the need for many alarms.
For me, I set up three:
HYDRATE
STRETCH
SET OF TEN (pushups,situps,whatever)
Food:
Diet doesn’t mean not eating fun stuff - but it does mean eating the right food. Eating the right amount also works towards your goal of the version of you.Sometimes it’s hard to find a good starting point.
This is one of the sites I personally use to get a general idea. Understand that you don’t have to be so super specific, but to stay around the area of the TDEE.
If you don’t like cuss words, you may want to ignore this - but I love the generator because I can just shuffle until I find something I can make that fits my diet plan, and the meal might be interesting.
To identify a caloric, proteins, fats and carbs intake, I recommend TDEE. It’s a great tool to get a general idea how much you should eat whether you want to bulk (term for gaining muscle) or cut (term for shedding weight).It’s pretty straightforward, add your height and weight (and Body Fat percentage if you know it, not required), and it gives you some variances to consider for each.
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Getting Started
As a Team Lead
Responsibilities of a Team Lead will include (and are not limited to):
+ choosing an appropriately themed name and color for your team+ aggressively hyping up your team aggressively pinging your team to keep them motivated (EVERY SINGLE DAY)+ aggressively nagging your team to SUBMIT THEIR WEIGHTS WEEKLY
All team leads will be required to select an assistant if one is not provided to them; if you are going to miss any days or are too busy to keep the chat active you must have your assistant fill in the gaps.Teams with inactive leads have very high drop off rates and do not perform well.
We gotta make the magic happen and let it build up!
Hot Ghoul Autumn Team Weight Loss ChallengeSign-Up Period:
Tuesday, September 17th through Monday, September 23rd.
Initial Weigh in:
September 23 - September 29
Requires a Photo by September 29th at 8PM PT
Week 02:
September 30 - October 6
No Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 03:
October 7 - October 13
No Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 04:
October 14 - October 20
Photo Required, just weight check in by 8PM PT.
Week 05:
October 21 - October 27
Requires a Photo by Sunday October 27th at 8PM PT.Results will be posted within a few days following the completion of the challenge.
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Getting Started
As a Team Lead
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT.
This is just what I do to simplify where the information is!
Feel free to do the same or do your own thing!
———Do not need to Pin this.
What is up everybody!Who am I:
-ADD YOUR INTRO HERE-I’m here to support you whenever and however I can:
Just a note, my main role as your team lead is to support you. Whatever you need, know you can count on me to help. Ping me anytime or DM me if you need something. My door is always open. If there is ever a delay in response, I’m most likely in a meeting at work or sleeping (I’m on ET time). If you need something urgent, open a ticket in #ask-for-help so the admins can step in while I am away.Updates and how to find them:
I always create an expectation though, that I will be PINGING YOU ALL AGGRESSIVELY WITH LOVE AND SUPPORT, at least once a day.
On days that a submission is due, I will probably ping up to 3 times.The schedule in the submissions will ALWAYS be in the PINS, among with a FAQ piece. I will update these as changes occur. The link to the current submission will always be at the top of the schedule. I will remove it once submissions are no longer accepted for that specific week.
——— Add the Image below! It helps!
——— pin first then schedule below.First order of business: (LATER TO BE FAQ):
We need a team name, a team color, and team emoji!Note: The team color cannot be any of the colors that are to similar to the below image.The title of this challenge is —CHALLENGE NAME— and the theme that it’s been revolving around is something something.Let’s think of ideas! We only have a few days, so I will be holding a final vote on the 3rd day, in which by the end of it I will report back to the admins our decision.
—— Pin this last. So it'll always be on top!Current Submission link -> Week 01:Schedule:
ADD SCHEDULE HERE FROM MAIN PAGE
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Getting Started
As a Team Lead
WEIGH IN REMINDERS
Day Before:Good morning XXXX, just a reminder, submissions are due by 8PM PT tomorrow!Day of:What is up everybody! TODAYS THREE PING DAY! You know what that means! Weight Submissions are due today! Just a reminder, submissions are due at 8PM PT today! Check the pins for the link!
____
Awww yeah, midday ping! Just another reminder to submit your weight if you haven’t already! Check the pins for the link!
____
This is it! The final stretch, the final reminder of submission day! If you haven’t submitted already, don’t forget! Check the pins for the link!
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.
Getting Started
As a Team Lead
> Pick an Assistant that will help you help your team if one has not been assigned to you.> Communicate with your assistant if you know you might be busy! Together you can keep the magic flowing!> Sometimes getting an idea for a daily post can be challenging. It can't hurt to use Google or ChatGPT to get you started!> Activities are GOLD. You don't have to do them all the time, but a weekly one can keep the excitement for something new!> When submitting a reminder, use this timestamp tool to help the conversion of submission due dates and times.
Is this site helpful?
Disclaimer for legal reasons - I am not a certified professional. Every action you might take from information on this site is your responsibility. Links provided ARE NOT referral links. They're legitimate links to the defined apps and products, should you want them and I won't earn anything off of them. All rights are reserved to their owners.