10 Week Challenge

Making positive changes to your lifestyle can seem daunting. Where do you start? Do you try and do it all at once? These are the typical questions my clients ask me and here’s my solution: integrate 2 changes per week and start wherever you feel most comfortable. It doesn’t have to be with number one, you can do them in any order, just start with the changes you think you’ll find the easiest. Don’t do more than 2 changes per week! Instead take baby steps towards a healthier, leaner you.

1. If you’re pressed for time cut your workout into smaller increments, do 10 minutes of core work when you get up in the morning, walk 15 minutes at lunch, walk another 15 minutes in the evening and do another 5 minutes of strength work and stretching before bed.

2. Start your day with a large glass of cool water, 8-16oz, before you have your morning coffee.

3. Cut back on refined food products like sugar, white flour, candy, sweets, sodas and partially hydrogenated oils.

4. Increase your fiber intake by eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, eat closer to the earth!

5. Cut out fried foods, go for steamed, grilled or broiled.

6. Choose lean protein, chicken breast (no skin), turkey breast, seafood and lean red meat.

7. Increase your omega 3 oils by eating more fish such as salmon and tuna.

8. Do your static stretches at the end of your workout, when you are warm. No static passive stretches before you train please!

9. Don’t skip meals or go longer than 4 hours without eating something and always, always eat a good breakfast.

10. When you’re out and about, carry a healthy snack like an apple, an energy bar (my favorite is the Nut Naturals from Power Bar) or a small handful of almonds.

11. Drink more tea! Tea (black and green) is super high in antioxidants and research has demonstrated that it guards the body against certain types of cancer.

12. Eat off smaller plates! It has been demonstrated that the larger the plate, the more you end up eating.

13. Don’t clean your plate, eat slowly, chew thoroughly, put your fork down between bites and take the leftovers home for tomorrow’s lunch.

14. Always give yourself adequate warm up and cool down.

15. Cross train! Your body adapts to what you do, so to keep your fitness progressing, change what you do regularly.

16. If you’re just starting out, take it slowly, think “micro-progressions” and ease your way into getting fit. This way you’ll be less sore and less prone to injury or dropping out.

17. Monitor the intensity of your workouts. I love my Suunto heart rate monitor, it keeps me honest. No heart rate monitor? No problem! Go by how you feel, for example, a warm up or cool down should feel easy and comfortable (50-65% of your maximum HR), for health benefits the intensity should feel challenging but comfortable (65-75% of your maximum HR), for fitness improvements you should feel like you’re working harder, it feels challenging and uncomfortable but sustainable (75-85% of your maximum HR), and for performance benefits you will feel breathless, your breathing will become shallow and fast (85-90% of your HR maximum HR).

18. Vary the intensity of your cardio, do some days at a lower intensity at a steady pace, some interval training where you’re pushing your heart rate higher and recovering between and some tempo days where you work a challenging continuous pace.

19. Change your weight training routine every 2-3 weeks.

20. Find a workout buddy and take your workout outside, hiking, biking, walking, inline skating and trail running really makes the time pass.