You see, I went to bed just 3 hours and 45 minutes before, yep – 4 am. Been doing this quite regularly lately… seems I’ve turned into quite the night owl.

It’s the only way to get anything done with all the distractions during the day and family time I need to attend to.

So I’m taking my son to school in the morning, he’s having his kid-healthy shake I taught my wife to make him (fresh-frozen fruit – strawberries, blueberries, peaches, grapes, apples, a banana, a healthy protein powder I found, and some UDO’s choice “healthy blend” oil), drinking it down to the last drop (he absolutely loves fruit as I’ve given it to him since birth and his school “snack” consists of dried apricots, prunes, raisins, and cashews while the other kids eat all manner of empty and nutritionally worthless snacks).

Did I tell you he won an award from the school as “The Healthiest Child in Cushman”. I’m so proud.

Anyway, so I’m dropping him off, and I look at most of the parents there. Almost all are out of shape and/or overweight. Especially the superintendent of the school.

On my way home I start to think of all the things I have to do, making a mental note to remember to do certain things.

When I get to my office I start to write, as is my daily habit, all of the things floating around in my head so my head doesn’t get clogged down with having to remember so many things I have to do.

So when I finish my “to-do” list for the day, it comes to 18 items. And I total up the time I’ve allotted for each one and it comes to a stunning 14 hours (now you know why I stay up until 4 am all the time…)

A lot of things to do… I know. But you’re no different, you also have tons to do every single day of your life… never seeming to be able to quite do everything you want or need to do.

Well, with my busy schedule I know if I don’t schedule in time for my workout, that it certainly won’t happen just by itself. So I pencil in 30 minutes for my workout. Then I thought about having to drive (or bike, as I usually do) to where I workout, and the ride back, and then showering… and I knew that 30 minute workout would take 60 minutes or more of my time today.

So what I resolved to do, like I did the other day, is to exercise using only my bodyweight, right here in the office.

The other day I was scheduled to work out my legs, but didn’t have tons of time, so I just went right outside my office, found a flat bench (the kind you sit on, not lift weights on), stepped up on it, and started to do my single-leg squats. In 15 minutes I finished having one of the better leg workouts I can remember in a while.

Now, I don’t recommend this exercise unless your legs are extremely strong, as most people can’t do even a single one. But that’s not the point. The point is I chose an exercise that “taxed” my muscles so as to create the “stimulus” for them to get stronger, which in turn leads to maintaining, or gaining the muscle I have, helps keep my metabolsim high, and helps keep the fat off my body.

But more importantly, I chose NOT to give myself an excuse for NOT working out that day because I didn’t have the time, and instead got a little creative, and got a fantastic workout in only 15 minutes. It was a sunny day too so I also got some critically important Vitamin D benefits from the sun.

What can YOU do that will allow you to exercise either at home, or at work, without having to go to the gym, and using your bodyweight only as the resistance?

The old ’standards’ apply here every time:

Pushups (hand shoulder width, hands wide, and hands close together)/bent-knee situps/full, deep-knee squats (keeping your back arched which tightens the lower back muscles – stabilizing your spine). Pull-ups (if you have access to a bar – Walgreens sells one, I believe it’s called the Ultimate Pullup Bar), or, if you’re a woman, just move the chairs away from a table, slide your body under it (face up) while grabbing the edge of the table, then pulling up with your arms so you are doing kind of an “upside-down” pushup. This works the upper back and the front part of your arms. Also if you’re a woman, you can do regular pushups on your knees. JUST REMEMBER… if you’re not taxing your muscles, i.e., if the exercise is too easy, then it’s not doing you any good.

You don’t have to slave away at exercise. You just have to “stimulate” your body to get better (all it takes is 15 minutes), then get the heck on with life.

I’d love to hear from the “knowledgable” folks reading this what other types of bodyweight exercises you know about or have done. Please let me know in your comments below.

So, no excuses everyone! There’s always the time to exercise… if you ever DO say you don’t have the time… you’re just lying to yourself…

Now go kick some Butt!

p.s. Want to: Learn the “Easy” wat to get and stay in shape? Discover the secret to quick fat loss? How to exercise less and get better results? Discover the secret to ripped abs without doing endless crunches? Then be sure to get my “Amazing Fat Burning Formula” HERE.

BODY TRANSFORMATION UPDATE:
2 days….
lost 4 pounds of fat…
Need I say any more?

It’s my birthday (I just turned 49), AND, my 10-year anniversary of winning the 1998 Body For Life contest.

To celebrate my birthday and commemorate my winning the Body For Life Contest, I’m going to put it all on the line for you. I am going to attempt to recreate the condition I achieved 10 years ago when I won. And, show everyone that anybody can get into great shape regardless of your age!

My goal is to recreate my 16-week body transformation experience in less than half the time… Starting Oct 17, I will attempt to go from my current bodyfat level of 17%, to my Body For Life contest-winning shape at 5.5%… but in only 49 days.

Can I change my body that quickly in only 49 days? I don’t know, I might not make it. So…

I need your help…

Please give me your positive encouragement and support AND your biggest challenges to getting in shape. I’ll try and answer everyone’s questions here for all to learn from. Tap into the experience and knowledge I used to win the Body For life contest, as well as the knowledge my fitness professional friends from around the globe will be providing you with their posts here, to help you get into your best shape, regardless of your current condition, age, sex, or reason you currently have for not getting in shape.

As you watch my body transform during the next 49 days I’ll be providing you the tips and techniques I use so you can get into great shape too.

When I finish on Dec 5th, I will give you my BODY MAPS TO FITNESS SUCCESS: HOW TO GET INTO THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE… FREE…just for coming here.

And I have a special surprise offer as well that I can only give to the first few hundred people. Trust me… you’ll really want this if your goal is to finally get into the best shape of your life. So stay tuned, and be quick to sign up on Dec. 5th. I’ll be making periodic announcements so you won’t forget.

The BODY MAPS I’ll be giving away helped me win the Body For Life contest in 1998. There is no way I would have won without them… they are that powerful. You’re going to want to get your hands on them, trust me.

So keep coming back for regular updates. Even better…

Go to http://twitter.com/hankjohnsonjr and “follow me” there. Make sure to check the option to receive Mobile text messages so when I make a new post, you’ll get a quick “tweet” from me to come here. Also, sign up for my RSS feed too.

I’m also putting together a documentary-style video of my 49-day transformation as well. I’ll give that video to those that come on Dec 5th (the last day of my transformation) and sign up to receive my Body Maps. By “looking over my shoulder” you’ll see exactly what you need to do, in a step-by-step fashion, to get into the best shape of “your” life. It’s like looking over the shoulder of a mentor as he does the things YOU should be doing doing to get into great shape. I promise a lot of “aha” moments…

Thanks for coming!