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This is a continuation of the series of posts on Bill Phillips’ book Transformation, a component of his Transformation fitness program, which I started back in July before I started the program in earnest in August. So far I’ve lost 10 lbs and 4% body fat on the program, so I know it works, and wanted to encourage those readers who want to lose weight and keep it off to give the program a try. In fact, I checked this morning and I’m on track towards losing my next 10 lbs as well.

 I will stop at Chapter Six tomorrow and then go back to my regular blogging schedule regarding project management.

 1. Introduction

A recap: Chapter 1 dealt with goal setting, Chapter 2 with the exercise portion of the program, Chapter 3 with the nutrition portion of the program, and Chapter 4 with the support system in the form of the online community at Transformation.com.

Chapter 5 deals with aligning your goals for the Transformation program with the larger intentions of your life. This will give your working towards those immediate goals a lot more will power because it is tied to your deepest desires for a better life.

2. A Tale of Two Lives

This is one of these chapters that is best not to just read, but to go along with and do the imaginative exercises involved.

 The exercise has two parts:

a) Imagine you are sitting talking to Bill Phillips and you are sitting comfortably healthy in your retirement. He asks you to look back at your life before then and tell him what your secret was: how did you get here? What will you tell Bill Phillips that have you done right so he can learn from your success?

 b) Imagine you are sitting talking to Bill Phillips and he is visiting you not in your retirement but on your deathbed in the hospital where you are dying many years “before your time” due to an illness that was preventable. He asks you to look back at your life before then and tell him what went wrong: how did you end up here? What will you tell Bill Phillips that you have done wrong so he can learn from your mistakes?

 3. Mission Statement

So these imaginative stories show you the direction you want to go in your life and the direction you don’t want to go. But how do you push or motivate yourself to go in the right direction. Here Bill advocates writing a mission statement. These are helpful in corporations to give a shape to the company culture and its values. They also help on an individual basis giving you clarity when it comes time to choosing what is best for you.

 4. The Importance of Intentions

Having positive, life-affirming intentions may seem like a nice idea, but are the benefits illusory? Is this something that belongs on an Oprah program, but not in a book about fitness?

To answer this question, Bill Phillips looked at researchers in the area of neuroscience, the study of the brain and its functions, and found their studies show that intentions in the mind have a positive effect on the physical health of the brain. The mechanism of HOW this works requires further study, but the FACT that it works is something you can use NOW.

 Follow the exercises at the end of the chapter on developing your personal, life-affirming mission statement and the rewards will extend far beyond the end of the 18-week Transformation program!

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