8 week transformation challenge

 

8 week transformation challenge

Three months ago, I turned to Orangetheory Fitness to break my exercise boredom. Now I am relying on them once again to take me to the next level of fitness with an 8 week transformation challenge. This is not necessarily a weight-loss challenge, though that would be a welcome side effect. The ultimate goal is to improve total body composition.

Orangetheory transformation challenge

The challenge starts with an InBody scan to examine the starting composition of your body, including percentage of body fat, muscle distribution, and body water balance. The test is easy and painless. You simply wipe your feet and hands with a special wipe, stand barefoot on the electrodes on the InBody machine, hold two handles out to your side, and stand perfectly still for roughly 30 seconds. For best results, they recommend that you do not eat, drink, or exercise for two hours before testing. When you’re done, your results print out.

I’m going to be brave here and share my results–both as an example of the information available from an InBody scan and as motivation for me to make progress by the time I report the final results eight weeks from now.

8 week transformation challenge starting point

My weight and body mass are within the healthy zone (just barely). My body fat percentage is slightly high at 29.3 percent. Not surprising, since I’m right-handed, my right arm is slightly more muscular than my left. My legs are pretty evenly matched, with the right leg having just .02 lbs more lean muscle mass than the left.

The ultimate goal recommended for me is to lose 11.7 lbs of body fat and gain 2.6 lbs of lean body mass. Over the eight weeks of the challenge, I am hoping to lose 6 lbs of body fat and gain 1 lb of lean body mass, for a net loss of 5 lbs. That will require an increase in my workout intensity and closer attention to my nutrition, including a decrease in the amount of sugar I’ve been consuming, which has gotten a little out of control over the past year. I’ll be checking in half way through to see if I’m on target and make any necessary adjustments. Wish me luck!

***Your turn***

  1. What is your preferred form of physical activity?
  2. Have you ever participated in a weight-loss or fitness challenge? What was your experience?
  3. Do you know what your body fat percentage is? (Yes or no is okay; you don’t have to share your number.)

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40 Comments

    1. Thanks Anneliese. On average, three times a week. You must attend 24 sessions during the 8-week period to participate in the challenge. I’ve been going twice a week, then running or yoga on the other days. I will be curious to see if changing the mix has an effect on my lean muscle percentage. Of course, nutrition is a big piece too. I’m hoping this challenge will help me be more mindful of my food choices.

  1. Thanks, Christie, for sharing this. Your commitment to health and fitness is awesome. My preferred form of physical activity is power walking. I like variety so currently I also go to the gym 3x a week, do yoga 3x a week, and run 5k once a week. I’ve never participated in a weight loss or fitness challenge before. I don’t know what my body fat % is. We have a Wellness Wednesday link up tomorrow (Feb 7). You’re welcome to join in with this post. I think other bloggers may want to know about Orange Theory.

  2. This is all fascinating, and you’re in a great position to improve and thrive!
    My favorite activity is walking. We have lovely hills here that really get my heart beating!

  3. Hi Christie thanks for the sharing this inspiring challenge with us at #MSTL. I love to run and try to run twice a week, with yoga and a couple of PT sessions. Since coming back from my holiday last November it has been hard to get into a routine again. You’ve inspired me to start seriously again with my workouts and lift the intensity plus yes I need to look at less sugar. It is surprising how we can eat sugar without realising it because so many foods contain high sugar content. We don’t eat much processed foods but still need to keep an eye on things. Good luck with the challenge. #midlifesharethelove party.

    1. Thanks Sue. It is difficult to get back into a healthy routine after traveling. I do eat quite a bit of processed foods. That’s an area I want to improve upon. My husband and I have been trying a healthy new recipe each week, so it’s a start. Thanks again for the Midlife Share the Love party!

  4. I don’t know my body fat percentage, and no I haven’t joined any group fitness challenges. But I’m finding your expose fascinating and will follow with interest! I need to lose a few kgs and it wouldn’t hurt me to gain some muscle of that I’m sure. I need to get more focussed on this. Thanks for the inspo today 🙂

    1. You’re welcome, Jo. At this point in my life, I’m not aiming to look like a fitness model, but I’d love to keep my body healthy and injury-free as I age. I want to enjoy as much of life as I can and maintain my independence. Both of my parents were quite sedentary by midlife and struggled with mobility later on. I don’t want to repeat that mistake. Have a happy, active day!

  5. The only challenges I’ve ever done were challenges I gave myself. Once to lose ten pounds I used My Fitness Pal, a combination of counting calories taken in and calories burned. The other one was my 10K with you last year! Power walking is definitely my favorite work out. Good luck-you will do well!

    1. Thanks Cindy. That was a lot of fun training together–even when we weren’t actually running together, the checking in and encouraging each other made it more exciting than training alone. Let’s go on a walk together soon. Might as well take advantage of this crazy warm weather.

  6. Wow this is really full-on Christie and very inspiring. Good on you for posting your starting figures and being accountable. I really need to get serious with my weight now that more is gradually creeping on, but I don’t think I’d ever be game enough to take it to this level! I’ll be following your updates with great interest. Thanks so much for linking up with us on #MLSTL and I hope you enjoy commenting and sharing on some of the other posts.

    1. Why is it so hard to lose weight, but so easy to gain it? Hmmm… Thanks for the encouragement on my challenge. The nutrition aspect will be the biggest hurdle for me. I eat healthy foods for the most part, but too many sweets. I find it nearly impossible to say no to any home-baked goodies, and they show up a lot at my office.

      Thank you for the Midlife Share the Love party. I am thoroughly enjoying the other posts and have already commented on and shared several. I’ll be back to see what’s been added since I last checked.

  7. This is very interesting Christie. I hope you enjoy your challenge and get the results you’re looking for. I’ll be keen to see the end results and hear how you’ve approached the 8 week challenge. All the best ?

    1. Thanks Debbie. When I was younger, I would have gone in hoping for the perfect body, but now my goal is more about health. I want to be strong and balanced as I age. I want to experience as much of this world as I can and to set a good example for my children and grandchildren.

    1. Thanks Shirley. Orangetheory Fitness may be an U.S. thing. Many of my friends from other countries have said it’s not available where they are. A challenge like this should help me stay motivated and accountable. Fingers crossed!

  8. Christie – love your putting to out there for some accountability partners to aid in your fitness quest. I’m trying to get to “moving” every day. That’s a big change for me… even if that moving is just a go stretch session in the morning. I’ve never been someone who goes to a fitness place…not sure why! Maybe I’ll need to reflect on that. But a commitment to moving everyday is a challenging yet achievable goal for me. I look forward to your updates over the fitness challenge!

    1. A commitment to move everyday is a great goal. I really need to consider ways to move more during the day. I’ve got the regular exercise down, but except for days when I run, I rarely come close to the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Thank you for the encouragement on my 8-week transformation challenge. It’s a little intimidating to put my goals out for public consumption, but it definitely adds some motivation!

  9. It is so brave of you to share your stats and your journey. You will have some built in accountability.

    I swim regularly, but it seems to be not doing the trick anymore and I need to shake things up. I am starting Zumba videos. I used to attend classes and loved it. Maybe it is just what I need to get my weight loss reenergized.

    1. Yes, I think when we do the same routine for a long time, our bodies get used to it, and we also get a little complacent about the effort expended (at least, I do). Mixing it up might be just the thing. I’ve been tempted to try Zumba, but am not terribly coordinated. 🙂 That’s putting it nicely.

  10. Christie, I’m in my own weight loss challenge now! I’m trying to eat Paleo. Just bought a spiralizer so I will eat more veggies!

    1. Good luck Linda. I have some friends that are eating Paleo. That’s some dedication! It does seem like a healthy way to eat, though I confess I don’t know a lot about it. I’d love to hear how you like the spiralizer.

    1. Thanks for stopping by Marci. I sometimes do pilates when we are staying at our cabin. I like that I can do it in a small space with little to no equipment and still get a good workout.

  11. I am not on any sort of fitness program, but I need to work on something. During the winter I really wind up sitting a lot! The last two years I have seen that I gain weight a little bit easier! Yikes. Not much, but enough that I am not happy. A lot it has to do with some gut issues that I have, which I need to adjust my diet to help with. And I am not, doing that like I should! My 9 year old son wants to start running, so I think we are going to start that next week! So that will me find a good workout program for that with stretching, running, and some strength training. And also some food adjustments.

    Good luck to you!!

    Hopping over from #OvertheMoon

    Blessings,

    Amy

    1. Welcome Amy. Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation. I too have noticed that the weight creeps on a little easier each year. I was getting a little complacent; that’s why I joined the challenge. Running with your son sounds like a fun way to get moving more. I’m glad to hear you are including stretching and some strength training to round things out. I love running and just signed up for my annual 10K. I’m going to hop over to your blog now. Have a wonderful weekend!

  12. I had heard another blogger mention Orangetheory but without an explanation about it. Now I know! Looks like they conduct a very comprehensive study of your body’s makeup and mass. Pretty sure knowing my fat percentage would scare me to death. Seems that even though I am not that heavy, everything has always gone to cellulite. So attractive.

    Will be cheering you on.

    1. Oh, Leslie, I feel your cellulite pain. I’ve given up trying to have a perfect body and am focusing on the health benefits of this challenge. Of course, I won’t complain if things look a little better too. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement. I plan to post a short weekly update at the end of each Tuesday blog to create accountability.

    1. I also love running, walking, or hiking outdoors. You get the benefits of physical activity and spending time in nature. If you can get your family or friends to join you, all the better!

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