The 10-day health challenge

Do you have enough energy every day? Are you satisfied with the physical state of your body? If your answer to these questions is “no,” it may be time to transform your lifestyle with Tony Robbins’ 10-Day Challenge. What will it take so that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, your commitment to health remains strong? What principles are you going to incorporate into your daily routine so you can achieve the physique you have always dreamed of? 

You want to be your best every day: strong, energetic, healthy and in great physical condition. It doesn’t matter how far you are from that goal. What matters is your mindset and determination to reach it.

It’s time to take charge of your life. Stop spending your hard-earned money on quick fixes and “experts” who don’t know what’s important to you. Achieve a peak state with Tony’s 10-Day Challenge diet plan and learn what is possible when you truly hold yourself to the highest possible standards.

What is Tony Robbins’ 10-Day Challenge?

With the 10-Day Challenge diet plan, we encourage you to apply a new set of principles that will help you achieve a lifestyle where your body and health are in their peak states. Tony’s 10-Day Challenge is designed around 12 core principles that create health and vitality, helping you look better, feel better, have more energy and optimize all the most important areas of your life.

Don’t be fooled by “magic” solutions. Programs, products, books and ideas about how to prevent disease, lose weight, increase your strength or improve your appearance are a $100 billion industry. In the United States alone, two-thirds of people are overweight, 25 million people suffer from diabetes and half are on some type of prescription drug. 

Clearly, what many people are doing isn’t working. That’s because the solution to these challenges does not lie with technology, science, pharmacology or the many “quick fix” solutions available. Nor does it require you to put your time, money and resources into an outside “expert” who will tell you what to do. The solution lies in developing healthier habits.

You can revitalize and transform the most important areas of your life – physical health, energy and vitality – if you commit to our 10-Day Diet Challenge. You will not only lose weight, feel better and experience greater energy, but you’ll have a renewed sense of excitement, joy and possibility.

Is a 10-day diet challenge effective?

Research suggests that achieving quick, visible results in the first two weeks of a new diet inspires you to make those changes permanent. Physicians who work with people to revamp their lifestyles attest that there is one defining factor in clients’ success: getting results quickly through sustainable lifestyle adaptations. This amounts to embracing a diet and exercise plan that’s both healthy and enjoyable (the 10-Day Challenge fits the bill). When you’re able to enjoy what you eat without feeling guilty, it’s easier to transform your diet. And as you learn to enjoy exercise instead of dreading it, fitness becomes a welcome part of your lifestyle instead of a chore. 

Rather than looking at your 10-Day Challenge as a once-and-for-all technique, look at it as a tool for incorporating the following into your life.

Envisioning a healthy you:

When you successfully complete the 10-Day Diet Challenge, your new, healthy self isn’t a dream – it’s a reality. The outcomes you reach in just 10 days inspire you to pursue bigger, better goals.

Incorporating small changes:

The 10-Day Challenge requires making small changes on a daily basis. When you complete the challenge, those changes become tangible. It no longer takes brute force to behave your way to success – you’ve already accomplished your goals. From here, adapting your lifestyle becomes a matter of course.

The ability to think through your trouble spots:

With 10 days under your belt, you’re able to see your former habits through a different lens. Old habits are now just that – old – and you have traction in new habits aligned with your overall vision. 

Enjoyment of healthy foods:

Now that you’ve enjoyed a delicious, nutritious menu for 10 days, changing your diet is no longer a feat. Now, eating foods that fuel your best life is a pleasure, not a bore.

The 10-Day Diet Challenge: 12 steps of pure energy

Tony Robbins’ 10-Day Challenge leads you through the 12 steps of pure energy to get the body you want, generate lasting energy and develop greater fulfillment in your life. The key to achieving pure energy through the 10-Day Challenge diet plan is giving yourself the power of 8 gifts and eliminating 4 poisons.

Gift 1: The power of vital breathing and lymphasizing

When was the last time you truly paid attention to your breath? Breathing comes so naturally to us, we don’t often stop and focus on it. But doing so has many benefits for the body and mind.

One of the best ways to help oxygenate your body is to learn how to breathe correctly. Why is oxygenating an important part of your 10-Day Challenge? Oxygen is picked up by the hemoglobin in the blood and distributed to all of the body’s trillions of cells where it is then used to fuel the cells and release energy (ATP). The body is largely composed of the element oxygen, making optimal oxygenation of your cells through proper nutrition, fluid intake, exercise and stress management crucial for maintaining your health and creating a vital life.

Discover the power of vital breathing during your 10-day diet challenge: Take 10 power breaths 3 times each day in the ratio 1-4-2 (inhale for 8 seconds, hold for 32 seconds, then exhale for 16 seconds).

Lymphasizing is all about stimulating and improving your lymphatic circulation. Your lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs, such as the spleen and the thymus, that is responsible for cleansing and nourishing your body. But unlike your cardiovascular system, your lymphatic system has no circulatory pump of its own. It depends on physical exercise and movement to propel lymph fluids throughout your body.

Research has shown that an exercise technique called rebounding will help your lymphatic system the most. Each day, 20–30 minutes of rebounding, or bouncing, preferably on a “rebounder,” will help provide the ideal conditions for cleansing your cells.

Rebounding has innumerable benefits during your 10-Day Challenge, including providing the stimulus for a free-flowing lymphatic drainage system, which helps rid your body of toxins, cancer cells, wastes, trapped protein, bacteria, viruses and other waste the cells cast off.

Gift 2: The power of living water and live foods

Would it surprise you to learn that water is a major part of the 10-Day Challenge diet plan? Water is an essential and major component of all living matter and is the largest single component of the body. Our brains are 76% water, our lungs are 90% water, our blood is 84% water and blood plasma is 98% water. Critical bodily functions such as digestion, circulation and excretion cannot occur without it. It carries nutrients to all vital body substances, plays a crucial role in maintaining body temperature and serves as building material for growth and repair of the body.

Make the most of your 10-Day Challenge by giving your body the water it needs. Drink half of your body weight in ounces daily (for example, if you weigh 150 lbs., you will drink 75 ounces of water per day). You must also strive for at least 70% of your diet to consist of water-rich foods. A sustainable health diet with plenty of water-rich foods such as low-toxicity fruits and vegetables will allow your body to cleanse itself.

Gift 3: The power of essential fats

During this 10-day diet challenge, you can say “yes” to fats. Fats are actually very important to our overall health; the secret is to know which fats are healthy and which fats are not. Completely eliminating fat from your diet is one of the worst things you can do. Essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6 are healthy or healing fats. Every cell in your body requires them to function, particularly your brain, which is made up of 60% fat. Your body must consume these fats to survive. Without them the lipid membrane around your cells starts to break down.

Consume foods that contain unprocessed fats in their natural state: avocado, nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, oils such as flaxseed, olive oil and fish oil.

Gift 4: The power of alkalinity – go green!

Since balance is important in all aspects of your life, including within your body, the 10-Day Challenge diet plan works to restore physiological harmony. One of your body’s highest priorities is to make sure that its alkalinity remains at a level supporting cellular life. Balanced body chemistry and maintaining a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in your diet are of vital importance to maintaining your health. In fact, too much acidity in the body’s tissues is the cause of many types of health changes, ranging from lethargy and premature aging to obesity, and ultimately to much bigger health challenges and disease.

Treat your body right during the 10-Day Challenge and ensure it maintains an alkaline state and supports cellular life with these rules:

  • Consume 70–80% foods that are alkali-forming and life giving (green vegetables, almonds, avocados, lemons, limes, etc.).
  • Avoid acid-forming foods that are devoid of life: animal meats, dairy products, refined white foods, sugars, caffeine, etc.
  • Supplement your diet with quality greens. Check out Tony Robbins’ store.
  • Test your pH.
  • Add fresh lemon to your water daily.

Gift 5: The power of aerobic energy

Aerobic exercise is vital to your health and is a critical part of this 10-Day Challenge. The term “aerobic” means “with oxygen” and refers to moderate exercise sustained over a period of time. Your aerobic system gives you endurance and it encompasses the heart, lungs, blood vessels and aerobic muscles. If you condition your metabolism to operate aerobically, and supply it with proper diet and exercise, you burn fat as your primary fuel.

There’s no need to be intimidated by starting a new workout routine during the 10-day diet challenge. In fact, you can even perform invigorating exercises right at your desk. Follow these guidelines for aerobic exercise:

  • Build your base with 30 minutes of quality exercise 3–5 times per week (walk, run, swim, bike, take an aerobics or spinning class, ski, snowboard, etc.). This will also help lower your set point.
  • Understand your ideal aerobic training heart rate: 180 minus your age.
  • Create a training plan: Once you have a base established, craft a regimen that will take your health to the next level.
  • Make it fun: Learn to love working out by adding fun elements to your routine (music, friends, a change of environment, a compelling race, etc.) that inspire you to follow through.

Gift 6: The power of maximum nourishment

Your body is always working hard for you, and you should ensure you give it what it needs to function optimally. To achieve maximum nourishment during the 10-Day Challenge diet plan, follow these energy diet guidelines:

Adhere to the five rules of healthy eating:

  1. Drink water before or after your meals, not during.
  2. Properly combine your foods (eat fruit only on an empty stomach; do not eat carbs and proteins together; eat green vegetables/salad with proteins or with carbs; do not combine fats with proteins).
  3. Eat in a relaxed state.
  4. Eat comfortable amounts of food.
  5. Eat organic (foods free of pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones).

In addition:

  • Watch the “Flash Flood Sugar Effect” – keep your glycemic index below 55.
  • Create your ideal food pyramid: 70% of your diet should be live foods, 10% plant-based proteins or quality fish, 10% carbohydrates and 10% quality oils.
  • Add supplements to help your body regulate itself toward optimal efficiency.

And, follow these three principles to enhance your 10-Day Challenge:

  1. Create the base: Follow a daily regimen with the 7 vital nutrients for a foundation of health.
  2. Challenge and grow: Complete a periodic cleanse of your internal organs and body.
  3. Celebrate and reward: Do nice things for yourself when you reach certain goals.

Gift 7: Structural alignment and maximum strength

The motion of the human body is a gift. Even if you are not athletic, as long as you can move your body, you can enjoy this gift. The human body was designed for motion, yet few of us actually use the full range of movement. This gift, the power of structural alignment and maximum strength, is designed to take charge of the motion-powered musculoskeletal system. Exercising this system is one of the primary foundations and frameworks for human health and the systems that support it.

During the 10-Day Challenge:

  1. Move as much as you can. Take the stairs, stay active and move as many muscles in your body as possible on a daily basis.
  2. Implement an effective regimen of stretches and exercises that are balanced through bilateral symmetry and working opposing muscle groups. (Get an evaluation and personalized program from Pete Egoscue).
  3. Have daily gratitude for the body you have and the ability to move it. Even if your mobility is limited, you can still give thanks for the movement your body is capable of.

Gift 8: The power of a directed mind and heart

For thousands of years, alternative forms of medicine have focused on a natural, internal ability of the body to raise its resistance, fight disease and create health. One of the most potent biological mechanisms that promotes this type of health and healing is found directly in the mind. Utilized and directed effectively, our thoughts, emotions and mindset can be one of the most potent allies toward mitigating disease and manifesting energy and vitality.

Make a concerted effort to practice these principles during the 10-Day Challenge:

  • Stand guard at the door of your mind: Empower yourself by conditioning emotions such as gratitude, courage, faith, determination, compassion and love. Break your pattern and avoid emotions that create stress.
  • Utilize the healing power of the heart: Three times a day stop what you are doing and shift your focus (mind, breath, emotion) to the area around your heart.
  • Focus on your vision: Flood yourself with positive memories and meaningful goals for 10 minutes a day.

The 10-Day Challenge is not just about increasing the good things in our lives – it’s also about decreasing or eliminating the bad things. To maximize your results, be aware of the following four poisons:

Poison 1: Eliminate or reduce processed fats

Your 10-day diet challenge isn’t just about calorie-cutting and working out. On average, Americans consume 35-40% of our total calories in fat. The major kinds of fats in the foods we eat are saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fatty acids.

In Gift 3, we learned that not all fats are bad – but some of them are. The dangers of bad fats (or processed fats) include poor circulation (leading to high blood pressure), poor elimination, excess congestion and toxicity in the body. In addition, the body is not able to perform the functions that good fats (or unprocessed fats) provide.

This is why it is critical during the 10-Day Challenge diet plan to:

  • Eliminate or dramatically reduce your consumption of processed fats, trans fats and hydrogenated fats.
  • Keep your total daily fat intake below 25% (i.e., fewer than 25% of the calories you ingest should be fat, ideally less).

Poison 2: Eliminate or reduce animal flesh

Are you a meat eater? You’re not alone, as most Americans eat meat. However, in order to maximize your health, you need to reevaluate this during the 10-day diet challenge. Countless studies and large amounts of research have shown a direct relationship between an animal-based diet and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Even small amounts of animal-based foods can cause adverse effects.

During the 10-Day Challenge, aim to:

  • Eliminate or dramatically reduce your consumption of animal flesh.
  • Protein should come from plant-based sources, which are more efficient and have more antioxidants, fiber and minerals.

If after the 10-Day Challenge you decide you still must consume animal flesh, follow these rules: Eat it 3-5 times per week, combine it with green vegetables/salad, eat it in the middle of the day and choose a source that is free range, kosher, antibiotic free and organic.

Poison 3: Eliminate or reduce dairy products

Dairy is another diet component that is very popular – even though it isn’t very good for you. Recent studies on the effects of dairy products have shown that it contributes to osteoporosis, kidney problems and certain forms of cancers. In one of the most prominent and comprehensive nutritional studies to date, The China Study, lead researcher Dr. T. Colin Campbell found that cancer was consistently promoted by casein, which makes up 87% of cow’s milk protein. Additionally, women who eat diets rich in animal foods excrete more calcium in their urine, leading to a negative calcium balance.

For the 10-day diet challenge, you should:

  • Eliminate or dramatically reduce your consumption of dairy products.
  • Daily calcium intake should be 400 milligrams per day and should come from plant-based sources that are calcium-rich.
  • Try other alternatives (in moderation) such as rice milk, soy milk or almond milk when you desire the texture or taste.

Poison 4: Eliminate or reduce acid addictions

During the 10-Day Challenge diet plan, it’s vital that you address your addiction to acid. This can be one of the toughest parts of achieving your optimal health and fitness because acid addictions are frequently some of our favorite things such as a morning cup of coffee or an evening glass of wine.

Other top acid-producing “addictions” are soda, fruit juices and processed drinks like powdered cocoa. Regularly indulging in these can lead to inflammation that triggers conditions such as arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies and much more. A diet that promotes over-acidification of the blood and tissues allows for a terrain that is conducive to the growth of virus, bacteria, yeast and fungus – the great decomposers of cells and tissues in the human body. Knowing the consequences of these addictions will help you break your pattern and those cravings will eventually go away.

To reduce and eliminate acid, you need a diet consisting of live alkaline foods prominent in the 10-day diet challenge: dark green and yellow vegetables, soy beans, sprouted nuts, seeds, grains and essential fatty acids. This diet lowers the over-acidification of the blood and tissues with its abundance of bases and alkaline salts.

For the 10-Day Challenge diet plan, break your pattern with the following tips:

  • Eliminate or dramatically reduce your consumption of acid addictions.
  • Alkalize. When you are consuming at least 70–80% alkaline, life-giving foods, your body will naturally decrease its desire for these addictions. A green-based supplement such as Tony Robbins’ BioEnergy Greens™ will also help decrease this desire.

Tony’s 10-Day Challenge isn’t easy – but it is worth it. As Tony says, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” and challenges like this one will do wonders for your personal growth. Want to learn more about living healthy and weight loss? Take a look at our comprehensive resource guide, How to Achieve Lasting Weight Loss

Team Tony

Team Tony cultivates, curates and shares Tony Robbins’ stories and core principles, to help others achieve an extraordinary life.

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