I’m jetting off to Puerto Rico in 24 days with a bunch of girl friends. I can’t wait. Starting in late October, I begin to slack on the healthy eating and working out because of Halloween(my candy corn obsession gets the better of me), my birthday, Thanksgiving(extra whip on the pumpkin pie please), Holidays (lots o’latkes)…. you name it, I’ve got an excuse to eat like shit, drink lots of wine and use a hangover as my excuse to avoid the gym. Well, now I’ve got 24 days to turn it all around and get bikini ready for the sunny sandy beaches of PR.
Aside from that, I’ve instituted a new healthier work environment in my office in 2013. We will be stocking our pantry with all healthy snack foods and a few of us will be wearing a FitBit (tracks daily fitness and sleep activity) to help motivate us towards living a healthier, fitter life.
As much as I don’t believe there needs to be any specific time of year to make changes in your life, I know many people use the new year as their time for ‘resolutions’. I’ve enlisted a few friends that I know are on health kicks to join me in my quest and I am laying it all out for any of my followers that want to get healthier and fitter as well. For starters, get yourself a FitBit-One so we can link up and follow each others progress. This is not a paid endorsement but maybe they’ll throw me a bone if enough of you buy one:
http://www.fitbit.com/one
Drinking:
Water – Each day you should be drinking at least 6 glasses of water. Keep a cup full of water next to the bed and the first thing you should do when you wake up, is chug it. Your body starts the day dehydrated and craving water. Make it happy, water it.
Coffee or Tea – 1-2 cups (try to go 2% milk or soy rather than whole and Raw sugar instead of Splenda or other sugar alternative).
Alcohol – I’d like to tell you to avoid alcohol but who the hell am I kidding. Any healthy regimen that makes you kick the things you love the most is one you should avoid at all costs.
Sleeping:
This depends on how well you know your own body. I know that I can function well on 6 hours of sleep and if i get more than 8, it makes me more tired. As my mother always said, it’s the hours before 12am that count so try to get in bed by 10-10:30pm.
Morning Exercise:
I read an article this weekend that talked about how morning workouts help kick your metabolism into gear and starting burning off the bad fat earlier in the day. All you need is 8 minutes. This morning I set my alarm for 10 minutes earlier and started doing this.
Side Leg Raises – Knee to Elbow – 2 min
Squats or Lunging Squats – 2 min
Mountain Climbers – 1 min
Plank Pose or Jumping Jacks – 1 min
Abs – any abs will do – 2 min
(Feel free to switch this up to include whatever you like and take out what you hate. If you don’t like it, you aren’t going do it)
Other Exercise:
If you’re a morning gym person, ignore the above and just go to the gym. If you are a night time work out person like I am, then the above should still be done in the morning even if you plan on working out at night. Don’t try to jump into a work out routine that is overwhelming, that’s the biggest mistake. Start slow. I think everyone should own a set of workout DVD’s for those times when you just can’t get to the gym. (I love Insanity but some people are into P90X, Turbo Fire, Chalene – Beachbody.com is big in my town but use what you like. If you want Beachbody DVD’s, click here: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/laurenmundell
Week 1:
8 minute morning workout – 4 days a week. You can do this in your underwear with no shoes on. It’s that easy.
2 days/week – a work out DVD or hit the gym if you belong to one. Workout should include 30 minutes of light cardio – walk on the treadmill, ride the bike, climb the stairs or elliptical. Follow with a light arm workout. There are plenty you can research online. If I include all of that here, people will stop reading – most of you already have.
Week 2:
8 minute morning workout – 5 days a week.
3 days/week – 30 – 40 min of moderate cardio. Step it up one level on all machines. If you aren’t sweating, you aren’t working hard enough. Get your heart rate up – wearing a heart rate monitor is the best thing you can do for your workouts… especially in the beginning.
Follow with arm exercises – keep the same weight level but bump up the reps.
Abs – 20 – 40 crunches, elbow to knee, leg raises or any type of abs you like.
Week 3:
8 minute morning workout – 5 days a week.
3 – 4 days/week – at least 40 minutes of moderate to high impact cardio. Run – 5.0 – 6.0, Stairs – 8.0 – 10.0, Elliptical – 8.0 – 12.0, Bike – 7.0 – 10.0. (Want more impact than this – ask me about what I learned from Barry’s Boot Camp)
Arms – kick up the weights – if you were lifting 8 lbs, graduate to 10 – 12 lbs. YOU WILL NOT BULK UP. You will burn the fat and tone the muscles under the fat. I’ve used 15 – 20 lb weights and was at my leanest and didn’t bulk. It’s a misconception.
Abs – 40-60 crunches, elbow to knee, leg raises or any type of abs you like.
Week 4 and ongoing:
8 minute morning workout – 5-7 days a week.
At least 4 days/week – 40-60 minutes of high impact cardio. Run – 6.0-7.0, Stairs – 10.0-15.0, Elliptical – 12.0-15.0, Bike – 10.0-15.0.
Arms – Mix it up on different days
Abs – 80-100 crunches, elbow to knee, leg raises or any type of abs you like.
*Any day of the week can be substituted with a class of some sort – spin, boxing, physique57, Barre Method, Yoga, etc.
Mind over Matter: There are things you can incorporate every day into your routine that WILL make a difference. I do things like take the stairs instead of the elevator, run to the gym instead of drive, walk places instead of take a cab, squat at the toilet instead of sit (you’ll feel the burn if you don’t hold onto anything), kegels while typing this blog (did you ladies all just do one? Why is it that when someone says Kegel, you automatically do one -LOL) etc. It’s a mindset people. Once you start to feel good and see results, it will become second nature. Kegel – LOL. Ok, maybe not.
FEEDING TIME:
Overall I’m a healthy eater. This has been something I’ve learned to do for a number of years now. However, if you know me, you know that I am a pig and I’ve been called a Skinny Pig because I eat the things I love. I have trained my brain that MODERATION is key and if I’m a total pig, I know to kick it up an extra notch or two the next day at the gym. I have done a ton of reading on healthy boosters, fat busters and superfoods and this list is not backed by anything other than my expert opinion so do what you’d like with it.
Health Boosters – Eat 4-5 of these each day
Grapes, Blueberries, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Apples, Dark Chocolate, Salmon, Avocados, Beets, Lemon/Limes(squeeze into your water), Mushrooms.
Fat Busters – Eat 4-5 of these each day
Olive Oil, Edamame, Grapefruit, Beans/Legumes, Carrots, Chestnuts/Almonds/Pine Nuts, Figs, Horseradish, Mangos, Eggs, Lean Meats, Sprouts, Ginger/Cayenne/Blk Pepper (great metabolism boosters)
SuperFoods – Eat 4-5 of these each day
Sweet Potato/Squash/Pumpkin, Hummus, Cruciferous Veggies (brussels(ask me for my recipe), cabbage, cauliflower, brocc rabe), Dark Leafy Veggies (spinach, kale, swiss chard, seaweed), Alliums (leeks, onions, shallots, garlic), Whole Grains (Buckwheat, Quinoa – ask me for my Quinoa recipe), Spelt/Flax/Sesame Seeds, Yogurt (low fat – Coconut Milk, Soy, Greek), Walnuts (best nut for Omega 3), Miso (B12 and Zinc – great for immunity), Oregano (just 1/2 tst has same benefits as Spinach Salad)
When you get home, take a lipstick and write on your bathroom mirror in huge letters: NO EXCUSES!!! This should keep you motivated. The other great thing to keep you motivated is a FRIEND. Don’t go at it alone. Recruit someone that will motivate you and you can help motivate them. Also, as an important thing to note….. I have absolutely no background in nutrition or fitness training so the above is based on my own experiences, reading a ton of articles and books and what I’ve learned works for me. If you want this in Excel format, email me at hayley@vergemkg.com and I can send you a chart that you can print each day and put it on your wall to keep track of your progress. If you want to follow my motivational Pin Board on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hayleybyer/fit-and-fab/
Thanks for reading.
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year, New You.
WT Hayley
Tags: Beachbody, Diet, exercise, Fat, FitBit, Fitness, Happy, healthy, Nutrition, Superfoods
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