Congratulations on this great decision to change your body and your life!

If you’re like most people who accept the Body-for-LIFE challenge, you approach BEFORE photo day with anticipation, fear, and a TON of questions.

Let’s see if we can alleviate your fears (at least a little bit!) and answer some of your questions.

BEFORE PHOTO DAY

Approach with patience! Be gentle with yourself!
(Yes, even you !guys!=0)

You may not have realized this yet, but you are changing your life! While this monumental decision to change happens in an instant, the physical change happens one little (but vitally important!) decision at a time.

As much as you want to change your body as quickly as you changed your mind, it’s going to take some time.

It is MOST important to be determined, yet patient.
Disciplined, yet tolerant.
Driven, yet forgiving.
Motivated, yet accepting.

Though I wish I could tell you differently, your results will NOT be instant.

Today I’m giving you tips to prepare for your photos. I’ll argue why you should wait a week to actually take your photos. But I know you’ll do what’s best for YOU.

As you begin your challenge, you may view Photo Day as THE DAY that your transformation begins.

I have a secret for you.

You’ve already made that transformation.
You’ve already begun your journey.

Still, Photo Day is of extreme importance. Not only does it mark your ‘official’ Body-for-LIFE start date, it is the day you are likely to realize just how badly you need a change.

Have you ever heard the expression ‘It’s going to get worse before it gets better?’ I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who said that had a photo of them taken of them in their bathing suit, after surviving their holiday feasting.

Photo Day is the day you strip down all that you’ve been hiding for too, too long. You bravely blow away all of those excuses and scams. You’re right there, in all of your glory. You are facing your reality.

It’s tough. But it’s SO necessary.

It is “THE WORSE” — before it can get better.

It is the day you realize how far you’ve slid out of control. Gratefully, it is also the day you are given the greatest gift of knowing that YOU ARE NOW IN CONTROL!

You’ve accepted the challenge to change your mind, your body, AND your life!

But let’s take this one step at a time, and just start with your body. As much as we’d all like it to be true, change does not happen in an instant. In the first week of your challenge you are not likely to experience a noticeable physical change. (Though you WILL experience a noticeable change in mindset!)

But over 12 weeks, you will notice a MASSIVE physical change.

So, I recommend you begin ACTING like you’ve begun your challenge, eat right, figure out the workouts. Then set your Photo Day for one week from today.

A week from today?

Yes. Working out and eating right for one week is not likely to make a difference in your ‘before’ photos. But that week WILL make a DRAMATIC difference in your ‘after’ photos. It will be like gaining a free week of your challenge. It’s not until you’re almost done with your challenge that you’ll truly FEEL what I’m saying, but I hope you’ll trust me.

Set your photo day for one week from today. I promise you that I’ll tell you everything you need to know.

But if you are too eager to get it going, I’ll give you all of the Photo Day tips today.

Whether you take your photos immediately, or wait a week, we’re here, cheering you on!

PHOTO DAY TIPS

After your dinner meal, plan to hang out on the couch and drink a ton of water. Find a friend you love and trust. Many people prefer a trusty tri-pod. But I recommend you subject yourself to doing this in front of someone. I found that added bit of embarrassment of my husband and sister-in-law witnessing me in my bloated state gave me extra reason to stick to the program.

In a well-lighted area, snap those photos. Get close up, but don’t cut off any part of your body, including your feet.

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NO POLAROIDS! They’re not good enough quality and they don’t scan well.

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Don’t hide your face.

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Relax completely, but don’t falsely extend your stomach. A trained eye can tell if you purposefully make it look worse than it is.

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Take front, side and back shots. Since you don’t know what part or parts of your body will experience the greatest change, you want a lot of variety in your before shots.

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Move around a bit. Have your friend take shots from an even level, from the floor, up and from a higher spot looking down at you. You won’t know until you get the photos developed which angles accentuate your body the best.

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Take an entire roll of film. Consider also buying a disposable camera and taking another roll, just in case the first doesn’t develop for any reason. (If you can help it, you don’t want to have to relive this day!)

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Get your photos developed or printed first thing the next morning. Not only do you want to see yourself in your full glory so you further commit yourself to your change, you want to make sure the photos come out. Some competitors wait until several weeks into the challenge before they have the courage to see their photos, only to discover the photos won’t work! Get yours done immediately.

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Take Your Measurements
No matter how hard I try, I’m not likely to convince you to throw away your bathroom scale - yet. So go ahead and weigh yourself.

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Get your Body Fat measured by a qualified trainer who knows what they are doing. There are many different methods and calculations to measure your body fat. Through your 12-weeks, the most important thing is that you remain consistent.

Use the same measurement method and the same trainer throughout your 12-weeks. Note the time of day and day of week and day of month (especially women!) you take your measurements. Measuring on the same day of the week, at the same time, at 4 week increments, you’re likely to get your most accurate reading.

Don’t do ANY cardio or weight training for at least 3 hours before you take your measurements. On nights we’d scheduled to do our measurements, even if we’d done 1 rep, Donovan says “no” and we measure the next day.

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On the same day, use a tape measure to measure your bicep, shoulders, chest, waist, hips and thigh.

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Record all measurements in your journal.

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Be real. Be you. If you feel like smiling, smile.
If you feel like frowning, frown. If you feel like crying, cry.
And if you feel like celebrating your new commitment, celebrate!
This transformation is for YOU!

It’s going to be OK. You can do this.
You’ll be so glad you did!