Instructions

The Challenge Chart

Fill out your Challenge Chart the day before you start your week. Use it to make a specific contract with yourself concerning how you will modify your eating, exercise and study activities. Then, follow through on these plans to meet your short and long term healthy goals. Enjoy rewarding yourself by checking off a task when you have completed it. Give yourself a star when you had a success or comment on how great you felt after a walk when you had to force yourself out of the house. Write down where and when you are having trouble so you can learn how to work through difficulties.

Let’s begin. What is the first day of the week you are planning? Fill in that date at the top of the Challenge Chart.

Exercise planning is next. Choose an activity you can realistically accomplish at least three times in the week you are planning. Three exercise sessions are realistic if exercise is new to your routine. Write down your planned exercise activity on line #1 on the top of the Challenge Chart. It needs to be a specific exercise that is measurable. You may plan to walk or jog for two miles or 20 minutes, for example. If you are lifting weights, plan which muscles you want to work, how heavy a weight you want to use and your number of planned sets.

Decide exactly when you will exercise. Think about it and make it a priority. Be prepared to defend this time. In the top table of the Challenge Chart, specify the day and time you plan to exercise. Record your actual exercise activity when you accomplish it. Note if you did more, less or exactly as planned and give yourself a ✔︎ to reward yourself. You can also note any challenges you may be having.

Plan to eat. Decide, and write down on line #2 of the Challenge Chart, how you want to structure your eating this upcoming week. You can pick any eating program but you must pick something specific. You can customize it. For example: “limit my fat consumption to _____ grams, according to my doctor’s instructions.” Be specific. Avoid vague words and ideas like “cut-down,” or “avoid __________ foods.”

Schedule Bible study time. Set a time each day to complete the Bible study assignment. Write that time in the bottom table on the Challenge Chart. You may need to plan a different time for each day of the week depending on your schedule. Plan it and track what works! When you get ready to plan your second week you can look back on your first Challenge Chart and make adjustments.

Sign it. Last in the planning process is your signed commitment. This is hard, if you take it seriously. Think about this commitment and what you want to accomplish during this Bible study. Go for it. You are worth it!