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I'm sure you've heard and seen lots of promises about losing weight and getting in shape. I hear them too. Some pills promise you'll lose twenty pounds without exercising. Some exercise plans promise a perfect body without really breaking a sweat.

My promise to you is simple: I did it, so can you. I lost the weight. I got in shape. I turned my life around. By following my program I promise that you can too.

I can't promise that you'll look like a model and have the perfect body after four weeks. I don't think anyone can make that promise. What I can promise is that you will see and feel changes in your body-and life-after four weeks. Those changes will be different for each of you reading my book and following my program. But I guarantee you will see changes and results.

SEVEN SIMPLE PROMISES TO YOU

I encourage you to take a picture of yourself at the beginning of the program and file it away. Then at the end of the four weeks take another one and see how your body has changed, not just on the outside but on the inside. By the end of my four-week program you will:

• get stronger, healthier, and leaner by making small, simple changes in your life
• discover the tools and means for a life of fitness
• achieve a positive approach to eating without dieting
• challenge yourself to reach new fitness limits
• look at your reflection and be happy with the person looking back at you
• make "fitness" fun so you continue building a better body
• develop an individualized program for achieving your personal fitness goals

My first promise, that you'll live a healthier and happier life, is really one of the most important. Sure, you want to look great, but you can't do anything without a body that is healthy and lean from the inside out. And I also promise that you will be able to do it all by making small, simple changes. Yes, you will have to put in the time and the effort. As I'll show you later on, there's no magic pill or gadget that's going to get you healthier. It's all up to you. But I'll be there every step of the way as you make all of these small changes. For instance, I'll show you how to gradually make small substitutions in your diet and to gradually cut out harmful saturated fats. Like for breakfast I used to smear loads of butter on white bread toast. I grew up doing that. By substituting a nutritious whole-grain bread and some farm-fresh jam or jelly, you can cut out lots of calories and fat while at the same time adding fiber to keep you feeling full. That's what I mean by a small change.

As a personal trainer I've helped hundreds of people get in shape. What I always tell my clients is that you can give a man a fish for a day or teach him how to fish for a lifetime. I know it sounds simple-maybe too simple-but, believe me, I have found it to be so true. What I promise you'll get from this book and my program are the tools "to fish for a lifetime." First, I'll get you started on a day-by-day, four-week program called "Shock Your Body." What's so unique about my program is that it will give you the means to get fitter and healthier for your entire lifetime. So many weight-loss and fitness programs don't work for people because-as you probably know yourself-it's just about a quick fix. Lose those twenty pounds over the weekend or get those rock-solid abs without doing a crunch. In Chapter 9, "Fit, Fitter, Fittest," I'll show you how to transition from my four-week program to an entire lifetime of fitness.

If you're like me, you've probably tried all those crazy fad dieting gimmicks. Take it from me, they simply don't work. Yes, I've lost weight on those diets, but no sooner did I lose the weight than it came right back. So what I promise to you is that you won't be dieting at all on my program. And I promise that I'll hardly even use that word. What you'll achieve through my unique ten-step "Power of Positive Eating" program is a healthful way to eat and look at food. I don't want you to see food as horrible or evil. It's not. You need food to live a healthy and happy life. Once I show you how to change your relationship with food so that it's a positive force in your life, you'll never have to think about dieting again.

My own greatest personal challenge was breaking the Guinness World Record. As I told you, that fitness challenge really took me to a new level of fitness and continues to keep me motivated to work out. It's like a job. If you don't have a challenge for yourself at work, you'll probably get bored and won't perform well at whatever job you do. Now, a challenge doesn't have to be a crazy fitness competition like the one I did; it can be something simple and fun you can do with your friends and family: a 5K Fun Run or an AIDS Walk. In my "Challenge Yourself!" chapter I'll help you find a challenge that's right for your fitness level. Most of all, a fitness challenge will keep you motivated to continue your lifelong goal of a healthy and fit life.

So much of our society is based on looking good. We're inundated with images of beautiful people and bodies. Just look at the cover of those men's magazines and you'll surely see a guy with rock-solid, six-pack abs. And open up a women's magazine and you'll see models so thin they defy an actual dress size. But living a healthy and happy life is so much more than just looking good. A lot of models and celebrities may look great on the outside, but on the inside they're a mess. Just look at all the headlines about celebrities addicted to drugs and getting into all sorts of trouble. You'd think they'd have it easy. What this tells you is that it's not just about looking great in the mirror. It's so important to ultimately be happy with who's looking back at you in that very same mirror.

I can't tell you how many of my clients come to me saying how they're so bored with going to the gym and how their workouts have become stagnant. In fact, that's probably the biggest complaint I get from new clients, that they've stopped working out because it's so darn boring. So many people do the same workout day after day. Believe it or not, it's probably the same workout they've been doing since high school. Then, they tell me they're not seeing any results. Of course not! Your body adapts to that workout and stays at the exact same level. It's like going to the movies every weekend and seeing the exact same movie. How boring is that?

Your body is an amazing piece of machinery. You'd be surprised, it can take just about anything that you do. When it comes to working out, you've got to have a lot of variety, a lot of variation, because your body adapts so quickly. If you do the same thing over and over, believe me, nothing is going to change. I promise to show you how to add variety with a unique tool I call the FIT Equation. I guarantee that this equation will add variety and fun to your workouts. That's right, I'm going to make sure that you have "fitness" fun. I know to many of you that sounds like a contradiction in terms. How can you have fun working out? You'll see-by the end of my "Shock Your Body" program, I promise that you won't be dreading that next workout. Whether you're at home or at the gym, I'll show you simple ways to spice up your workouts and push your body so that you'll keep getting stronger and leaner.

JOE, WHAT'S YOUR SECRET?

When I broke the Guinness World Record I can't tell you how many people kept asking me questions about getting fit. How did you do it? How did you get in such great shape? How did you do all those crunches and push-ups? I remember a television interviewer asking me, "What's your secret? Is it in your genes? Are you preprogrammed to be fit?" Of course not. My genes are no better than anyone else's. The secret is there is no secret. There is no magic bullet. There is no quick fix. There is no eight-minutes-to-get-fit program. What it's about is hard work and making the promise and commitment to yourself to change. If you've done that, you're halfway there. The next half is my job. I'll show you how to get the results you want.

So many people believe that to lose weight you have to enroll in an expensive program, buy lots of special food and supplements, or follow the regimen of a fad-diet guru. But that's not true. Research shows that most successful weight losers actually do it on their own.

HOW I DID IT

I developed this program through years of working with people like you as part of my personal training company. I've helped housewives, executives, mothers, fathers, and even children get in shape. I've also gone to corporations and helped busy people like you find the time, energy, and motivation to become fit. Through all these people's sweat and my own training for competitions like the Guinness challenge, I know what works and what doesn't. I know that if you want to become the World's Fittest You you're going to have to work. So memorize these words: YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK. You're going to have to work at changing the way you eat, the way you move, and the way you think. This is about making a commitment to improving your life. In the end you truly appreciate and value things more when you make that commitment.

SMALL CHANGES... BIG RESULTS

Whether you're new to working out or want to take your body to the next level, you've got to have a plan. What's so great about "the World's Fittest You" is that this book is really about YOU! No matter what your level of fitness. I'll show you how to develop an individualized program that will work for you. It's also important to have goals to keep you on track, motivated, and focused. In Chapter 2, "Getting Started," I'll help you assess your fitness level and goals. Then, in the rest of the book, I'll show you how you can tailor my program to your specific needs.

Think about all the times you've tried to make changes in your life. You wanted to change careers. You wanted to get married. You wanted to have a family. You wanted more success. You'll remember that these changes didn't come overnight. They didn't even happen in a week or two. Instead, these changes happened slowly, in small steps. I remember that first ten-speed bike I wanted. It cost $50. At the time, $50 was a lot to me. So to get that bike I baled hay for my grandpa and did odd jobs for other farmers. After weeks and weeks of working hard, scrimping and saving, I got a bike. Making lifestyle changes, the way you eat and work out, is no different. The effort you put in now will pay off later.

So the core of my book, my program, is about how to make these small changes. And how these small changes will have big results for you. By big I mean results that match your specific goals and are, above all, realistic and achievable.

I'M HERE FOR YOU

My final promise is that I'm going to be here for you. As you read through the book and try out the different meal plans and workout techniques, you're bound to have questions. That's part of the process. You have to ask questions. So jot those questions down and send them off to me. You can contact me anytime through my Web site; there's a special area for sending me your questions. Even if you don't have a question and just want to give me an update about your successes, that's great too. You can also access more information and get helpful tips on my Web site.

Copyright © Joe Decker and Eric Neuhaus, 2004 All rights reserved.

Tags: Exercise and Fitness

About the Author

Joe Decker is an ultra-endurance power athlete, renowned fitness trainer, syndicated fitness columnist, and motivational speaker who has helped thousands of people get fit and lose weight.

About the Author

Eric Neuhaus, is a writer, journalist, and former television producer for ABC News 20/20. He is also the coauthor of The World's Fittest You: Four Weeks to Total Fitness.