The Last Push: Fit 4 2013: Your first Assignments

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Day01, Week 1 of “The Final Push: Fit 4 2013” Challenge.

Day01 has arrived and it’s time to get things in order and our minds right for this challenge!

We have a lot to cover today, so without further a due, here are your 3 first assignments:

ASSIGNMENT no.1: Grab a pen & paper and start writing…

• Your REALISTIC 4-week Goal (4-31 December)

By realistic I mean achievable, yes you can set your goals high but don’t get unreasonable, for example: losing 20 pounds in 20 days is not a smart goal, instead, opt for 2-3 pounds a week.

Here is a good example: Lose the last stubborn 8 pounds, be able to perform 5 proper form pushups, tone up mid-section by sculpting my core and hips.

You want to be specific,” lose weight and get in shape” would be too vague.

• Your REALISTIC 4-week Plan – Outlined

Your plan should answer the following questions:

• What will you eat/ what will your diet look like
• When will you prepare your meals and lunches
• What will your workout schedule look like
• What kind of workouts will you be doing
• What days of the week will you be working out
• How will you progress your training routine
• How will you track your progress
• How are you going to overcome upcoming triggers
• How are you going to deal with “the bad days”, what do you plan on doing if you slip…

And so forth, you can add additional aspects to this section, you can make it as detailed as you wish. Just remember that you might have to make a few adjustments to your plan along the way, depending on how you will be feeling, how your body will be reacting. Etc. Let’s say you setup a detailed diet plan and after a week or two of feeling energized and getting the results you were looking for, you start feeling tired, unmotivated and you stop getting results… perhaps it’s time to up your caloric intake for a couple of days and get your metabolism back up so you can avoid plateauing.

• Your detailed 1^st week Goal (4-10 December)

What do you want to achieve in this first week?

Here is a good example (once again, you want to be realistic while keeping it challenging enough): Lose 2 pounds of fat, feel lighter and more energized, be able to perform one proper-form pushup, and start to feel tighter in the mid-section.

• Your detailed 1^st week Plan

What set of actions do you need to take in order to achieve this week’s goal?

Here would be an appropriate plan for the example above: Eat clean foods that I will have prepared for the whole week on Monday morning, follow my required caloric intake (ex. 1,700 calories a day), follow my outlined training program (workout 5 days a week while focusing on my mid-section), practice my pushups every other day (doing 3 sets of 5 reps as well as I can).

ASSIGNMENT no.2: Revamping your DIET plan & TRAINING program

As I mentioned on Sunday, I’m not getting you on a fad diet or encouraging you to spend countless hours at the gym, but you will have to push yourself out of your comfort zone and make every single day count if you want to see those results by 2013!

• Your Diet:

I can’t speak for everybody, but I believe that most of us can use some improvement when it comes to our diet and following a sound nutrition plan. You must remember that your diet is the no. 1 key to achieving your desired goals, so let’s take a look at the following guidelines and do our very best to apply these concepts and suggestions during this 4-week challenge (and hopefully beyond that). I will keep it simple for now, and get into more details as we move along.

1) Eat CLEAN food (get rid of everything processed and any junk you may have hanging around the kitchen)

Grab a copy of Tosca Reno’s “Eat Clean Diet Grocery List” and bring it with you next time your go grocery shopping. If you are not used to buying natural and clean foods, this might seem a little weird at first and you might be thinking that you have nothing to eat but this is not true. There are so many simple, quick, delicious and nutritious meals you can make with basic, clean foods. Which brings me to my next point:

2) Learn how to prepare meals with basic natural ingredients

I will get more into “flash-cooking” later on this week. For now, you can follow me on Instagram to  get a basic idea. Here is a quick example of what you might eat in a day: Breakfast = oatmeal with nut butter and fruits; Snack = celery with humus; Lunch = eggs, salad, whole wheat toast; Snack 2 = almonds and an apple; Supper = veggie stir fry with chickpeas and half a cup of wild rice; snack 3 (if you feel hungry only) = mango, banana, hemp protein shake. Voila, it’s simple, easy and clean!

3) Eat when you feel hungry, not before and not when you are starving

This is a big one, but try to stick with it. Eating for pleasure or just because you are at a party and everybody is munching on something will sabotage your efforts and only get you frustrated at the end of the day. Waiting until you are starving isn’t any better, this will only make you want to pig out and overeat. Try to listed to your body, eat when you feel hungry and stop before you are full. If after 20-30 minute of finishing your meal you still feel HUNGRY, then you can have a little more.

4) Control your portion size

Obviously, calories in and calories out do matter and do make a difference. If you eat more that you burn, you will end up packing those pounds. On the other hand, if your goal is to build muscles and you are not eating enough, you wont see any results. Try to find the appropriate caloric intake for your body, your metabolism. It might take a few trial and errors but remember that we are all different and we cannot just assume that one size, or number in this case will fit us all. You can check out THIS calorie intake calculator to get a basic idea, once again, it might not be right for you, remember to listen to your body and make some adjustments as you track your progress.

5) Do not let yourself feel deprived

Yes, you want t eat clean, control your portion size, eat only when you feel hungry. This doesn’t mean that you cannot have a little treat, daily. Why not get yourself some quality dark chocolate (over 70% cacao) and a bottle of wine to enjoy in moderation at the end of the day. I will also be sharing some really delicious recipes in this 4-week challenge that will definitely satisfy your palate. For now, you can find some recipes HERE.

6) Get out of the comfort zone daily. Ex. If you are used to having a late night desert (healthy or not), try removing it gradually. Perhaps you can have only half of it, then remove it completely. The first few days can be challenging, but you will get used to not eating late at night. Note: if you feel your stomach rumbling, please do have a little something… a few nuts for example. I myself have tried this and I can definitely tell that it made a difference in my overall results. Try to find what eating habits are not doing you any favor, whether its constant snacking, eating fast and having a second portion before you feel full, etc. Challenge yourself and start building new habits TODAY!

• Your Training Program

Once your diet is in check, you can finally expect to start seeing great results from all those workouts you’ve been doing. Even so, you want to take it up a notch and challenge yourself in this department as well. If you are training at a gym, try to schedule an appointment with a trainer to make a new program. If you are working out on your own, you can increase the intensity of your workouts by reducing time, increasing your reps or sets, adding supersets, training more frequently or a combination of these. In case you are attending group classes, you can always push yourself 100% instead of just showing up and following the crowd. Most of the time, when we make a mental effort to give it our very best, we can truly increase our effort and our results in return. If you are training home alone with no equipment you can check out My Girly Crushes for some free YouTube workouts or get the amazing Nike Trainer app for a variety of kick-ass workouts.

ASSIGNMENTS no.3: Final reminders and tips

1) Get yourself a little reminder of what you’re committed to for the next 4 weeks:

It can be a little lucky charm (a bracelet, hair pin, etc.), something you can carry around all the time. This will serve you as a reminder to stick to your goal and be strong when you are feeling doubtful of yourself.

2) Clean up the kitchen and get rid of all the processed food, junk and stuff you won’t need for the next 4 week:

As I mentioned above, you want to fill up your fridge and pantry with clean, natural and unprocessed foods. You don’t need to throw anything away, you can throw a big party and make special treats for everyone, you can giveaway your food to a friend, or bring it at the office, maybe even donate it to people who need it.

3) Your daily visualization practice:

Visualize your goal in a very clear and detailed manner every morning when you wake up and every night before falling asleep. Think about what really motivates you, why are you doing this challenge? Is it to have a banging body, is it because you want to feel strong and energized…perhaps a combination of both? Imagine yourself already there and you will get there sooner than you think. The mind is a powerful tool if you use it right!

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