Week 5--10 Weeks to a Slimmer Summer

by Rebecca J. Clark
NSCA & ISSA certified personal fitness trainer

Welcome back! If you've been following the steps, you should have dropped about 5 lbs by now. If you're just joining us, be sure to read the previous weeks, starting with Week One. If you're not losing at least a pound a week (assuming you have weight to lose), then I suggest you read through the previous weeks and find out what step you need to work on. 

This challenge is adapted from my new book, The Checklist Diet, available at most ebookstores now. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo 

This week, you’ll continue the steps from Weeks 1-4. Plus you’ll add this next step: 

Eat a fruit or vegetable every time you eat. Aim for 5 total servings — 2 fruits and 3+ veggies a day.

The quickest and easiest way to improve your diet and to lose weight is to eat more produce and less junk food. When you’re hungry, reach for a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar. You’ll still get the sweetness you crave but for a fraction of the calories.

Fruits and vegetables are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you just can’t get in a pill or any other food. They’ll fill you up, they’ll improve the look of your skin, and they’ll give you tons of energy. My goal is always to make half of my daily food intake produce. Do I always meet that goal? Oh, hell no. But when I do, my energy is boundless and my skin looks great!

Why am I limiting you to just two fruits a day? Isn’t fruit good for you? Yes, it’s really good for you. I’m pretty sure nobody ever got fat from eating too much fruit. However, fruit is sweet because it’s full of sugar. And too much sugar of any kind can pack on the calories and the pounds.

EXERCISE 

We're changing it up a bit this week by adding the use of dumbbells. You'll need one set of light to medium dumbbells. 

CARDIO: Five days this week, choose one of the following cardio workouts. Feel free to mix and match, or do the same one each day: 

--Walk out your door. Walk for 18 minutes. Turn around and come back. For 10 minutes in the middle, pick up the pace until you’re a bit winded. 

--Get on a cardio machine of choice (treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc). Go slow for two minutes. Pick up the pace a bit for 25 minutes. Cool down at a slow pace for 2 minutes. 

--Pick sevenof your favorite fast-paced songs (for a total of about 30 minutes). Crank the speakers. Dance around your house until the songs are over.

STRENGTH-TRAINING: Two days this week, do the following strength moves (can be done on the same day as the above workouts). 

Pushups--until you can't do anymore (against a wall, counter, or on the floor)--make these harder than the version you've been doing. If you've been doing them against the wall, move to the counter. If you've been doing them against the counter, move to the floor on your knees. If you've been doing them on your knees, move to your toes.

15 Sit and Stands from a chair or bench--hold the dumbbells by your sides. 

15 Dips (slide your hips off a chair or bench, fingers curled around edge. Bend and straighten your arms.) Straighten your legs to make them harder.

10 Biceps curls with dumbbells Stand, holding weights in your hands, arms straight, palms facing away from body. Curl weights to shoulders, straighten.

45 seconds of elbow planks (lie on the floor on your belly, propped on elbows. Lift your body up until you’re balancing on your elbows and toes. Hold.)

20 Supermans (lie on your stomach, arms overhead like Superman. Lift and lower arms and legs at the same time)

Repeat this series 3 times.

Have a great week. Let me know if you have any questions. If you are enjoying this program, please tell your friends!