Brendan Pelletier outlines a SMART goal to gain half a pound to a pound of muscle per week through consistently eating a high-protein diet and lifting weights 5 times a week. He tracks his calories and weight weekly using the website Livestrong.com. So far, he has stuck to his diet and workout routine, gaining 3 pounds in the first 2 weeks. He feels more energetic, motivated, and is sleeping better since starting this goal.

1. Brendan PelletierFinal Presentation

2. SMART GoalSpecific Consistently eating healthy and following a specific workout routine. Measurable I will count my calories daily through www.livestrong.com and weigh myself weekly. Attainable I believe I will be able to consistently gain 1/2 - 1 lb of muscle per week, I need to follow a strict protein diet and hit the gym 5 times a week with heavy lifting.Realistic I can do it! I have followed workout routines before and know what difficulties I will face, eating right is easy for me where I struggle is finding the motivation to go to the gym. I will overcome this by having a partner that is already on a consistent workout routine and who goes daily. I personally know I have to get up and go to the gym at that moment rather than saying "I'll go in an hour" which never turns out well. Timely This is achievable in a little over a month if I work hard. I currently weigh 160 lb's and would like to weight 165 lb's. Once I achieve this, my new goal will change from heavy lifting to a lighter weight but more reps to add tone and definition.

3. Accomplishing my goalsSo far I have stuck to a solid diet which consists of high protein and balanced carb/fat ratio.Since I was aiming to gain weight during these few weeks I eliminated purely cardio workouts, not including the 10 minute pre workout cardio exercise.Hitting the gym 5 days a week rotating between different muscle groups in order to make sure my body had enough time to recover.

4. www.livestrong.comLivestrong.com has been the biggest tool I have used.This tool has been amazing while tracking my daily foods and allowing myself to view my carb/proten/fat ratio in a pie chart.I have been aiming for 3,500 calories a day, my metabolic rate is 3,000 calories so a surplus of 500 calories daily should allow me to accomplish my goal in only a couple months.I am 2 weeks into my workout, though my current environment is still unstable and finding time has become a problem.

5. DietMy goals required a diet which would consist of high proteins food. I mainly rotated my meals between chicken, steak, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, milk and peanut butter.It is optimal to keep a balanced carb to fat ratio as well so the natural peanut butter offers healthy fats mixed in with various nuts, vegetables, fruits, and whole grain foods.ONLY DRINK WATER!

6. AccomplishmentsSo far I have gained 3 lbs.There are a few factors that I believe have caused this sudden weight change.I just arrived 2 weeks ago from another country where vegetables were the majority of what they eat.Sudden change in activity level considering I haven’t worked out previously in around 6 months.

7. I am much more energetic since I began working out and noticed a big decrease in the “daily yawns”.I feel mentally healthier and am more ambitious and motivated to accomplish longer term goals.I have been able to increase my weight while maintaining the same reps at the gym.Sleep has been amazing at night!

8. Beyond this courseWell my first goal was to gain 5 lbs in about 2 months. My new goal will be to reach 10 more lbs then switch to a new workout routine.I would like to reach a point where I can focus on more reps and moderate weight to add tone and definition.

9. Course reflectionOver the past few weeks I have learned a lot regarding nutrition, health, and working out.I have never been an avid weight lifter and instead relied on sports most of my life, this course has opened me up to a different perspective.I now am more aware of what my body needs in order to maintain a well balanced diet and how much easier it is to accomplish your personal goals if you live a healthier life and record your progress.