Week Two: Dr. Kelly Traver’s Life-Changing 12-Week Program

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.                                             

~Mark Twain

Week 2: Dr. Kelly Traver’s Life-Changing 12-Week Program

This is the second week in a 12-week program where we will adapt the principles outlined in Dr. Kelly Traver’s life-changing book, The Program. Those of you who are learning about this program are welcome to join. As a participant in this 12-week program, you will be expected to contribute as follows:

1. Show up and comment weekly.
2. Undertake the weekly exercises and report on your efforts. 
3. Playfully and enthusiastically encourage others who comment.

Here are the highlights of week 2:

Become Your Own Best Coach

Once you realize that you are constantly changing and that you can change for the better, you realize a sense of your own power. The goal of week 2 is to create your personal nutrition and exercise program.

Dr. Traver says, “You have a lot of control over who you are and who you will become, even after you’ve taken your genes into account. Your brain is incredibly adaptable, and so are you.”

The biggest driving force for change must come from within you. Only you can pick the strategies that work best for you. Work on making changes one step at a time and make peace with your imperfections. Setbacks and failures are opportunities for learning and growth.

Exercise 1: Develop an Eating Strategy

To develop a nutrition plan, multiply your goal weight by 11. This number tell you how many calories you should aim for each day. Design an eating program around the total. For instance, if your goal is 1,200 calories a day, you would eat five servings of grains, four servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, two servings of dairy, two servings of meat or a meat substitute and two servings of fat.

But lest you think this plan is a lot of food, be aware that a serving isn’t the same as a helping. A serving of grain, for example, is one slice of whole-wheat bread or one-half cup of rice. Half of a banana is one serving of fruit.

Exercise 2: Create Your Exercise Program

Three elements are essential to your exercise program: cardiovascular exercise, strength building and stretching. You should include 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity (such as walking) every day. You should include 15 minutes of resistance exercises one to three times a week. You should also include at least five minutes of stretching daily.

Exercise 3: Do Your Homework

Review last week’s goals and decide on this week’s short-term goals. Learn how to estimate food servings. Eat breakfast daily. Leave a comment on your progress, setbacks, insights and this week’s short-term goals in response to this blog post.