STRONGER Challenge Motivation Day 1: I Can, and I Will!
Watch this one-minute message from Nicky Holender, the celebrity trainer who created STRONGER with the LIVESTRONG.COM team.
Welcome to the STRONGER Challenge! If you're joining us — or just thinking about it — for our 8-week STRONGER Challenge and you're looking for motivation, watch this one-minute message from Nicky Holender, the celebrity trainer who created STRONGER with the LIVESTRONG.COM team. It's all about one of the mantras of this challenge: "I can, and I will!"
As you can tell from the video, Nicky's an amazing motivator. What you might not know, though, is that he's a former pro soccer player who trains CEOs, moms and pro athletes as well as celebrities — including Gerard Butler, Robbie Williams and Mel B. Nicky understands how busy you are (he's a father of three kids!), and he won't let you give up.
If you're anything like the rest of us, you probably have those days where you could use a little push to hit the gym or press play on your at-home workout. One of the best things about this challenge is that you can sign up to receive daily emails from Nicky, including a short coaching video every morning to set the tone for the day and get you ready to start your workout.
Another cool feature in STRONGER: When you finish a workout, you click on the "I Did This!" button underneath the video (or in the iOS version of the MyPlate app), and it'll show you a personalized estimate of how many calories you burned. The STRONGER workouts go by fast and they burn tons of calories!
And make sure you join our LIVESTRONG.COM Challenge Facebook Group to get tips, encouragement and motivation!
Read more: How to Find Your Motivation
How to Sign Up for the STRONGER Challenge
1. Download the MyPlate app for iOS and create your account. If you're on Android or don't have a smartphone, you can also use the desktop version. Make sure you set July 9 as your start date so you can be on the same page as the rest of the LIVESTRONG.COM community!
2. On your start date (we're launching our next challenge July 9th), you'll be able to log into your account and click on "Meal Plan" in the bottom navigation bar of the app. There, you'll have access to each day's meals as well as each week's shopping list.
3. For each meal and snack, track your calories by clicking the check mark next to each food or recipe. If you need to deviate from the meal plan, you can also enter foods manually from the "Track" tab on the bottom navigation. Just search for your food and click the "I Ate This" button. Also be sure to track your water intake from the "Track" tab.
4. Print out the STRONGER Challenge workout calendar and and follow along with each day's free workout video.
5. Track the STRONGER workouts in MyPlate. On the app's main page, click Exercise then search STRONGER. All of the workouts will be listed below. Select the one you performed that day.
6. Join our LIVESTRONG.COM Challenge Facebook Group to get daily tips, encouragement and motivation! You can also join the conversation in our community boards in the app ("Community" on the bottom navigation) and on desktop.
7. Do the workouts with us, cross them off the calendar and post about it in the Facebook group. We're cheering for you!
Readers — Are you joining us for the 8-week STRONGER Challenge? What do you think of the STRONGER workouts? What do you think of the meal plan? Are you having any trouble accessing and using either the workouts or the meal plan? Have you ever done a fitness challenge group before? How did it go for you? Have you joined our LIVESTRONG.COM Challenge Group on Facebook? Leave a comment below and let us know!