January Challenge: working out for 1 month

You Can Be A Real He-Man,* originally uploaded by mando maniac.

I'm on the challenge-a-month bandwagon. I ramped up my blog writing in October, and wrote my fourth novel in November. Why not tackle an ambitious challenge for the first month of the new year?

Lifting weights and gaining muscle are habits I have wanted to cultivate for a long time. They are also goals on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was inspired by the Zen Habits post, From Skinny to Muscular in 7 Steps. Not that I mind being thin--I've made my peace with that--but it would be nice to pack some muscle on top of all that skinny. Here's how I plan to tackle it:

1. Gain weight with a diet plan
2. Turn it into muscle with an exercise plan
3. I have the POWER!
   

With the remainder of December, I'm making a habit of tracking calorie intake with FitDay. Once I'm getting enough carbs and protein, I can start a full-fledged workout regimen in January. I've half-assedly started to research weightlifting methodology on StrongLifts.com, but I'm very open to advice on both diet and exercise from any athletes or body builders out there.

*I would settle for being a Master of the Universe