6-Week Hot Body Challenge!

I'm on a mission. My last 10 pounds of baby weight is still hanging on, and I'm determined to stomp on its fingers and make it let go!

I've decided to challenge myself to 6 weeks of clean eating and a strict workout plan with the goal of losing those 10 pounds or dropping 3% in body fat. Accomplishing either or both of those goals will do two things: put me in very close range to some fitness baselines I had maintained before getting pregnant and help me break through a sticking point.

AND I challenge you, too!

I encourage you to set a goal for yourself and use the next month and a half to get there. What this also should do is help establish some momentum as we work to achieve our long term goals.

Finding a starting point to stick to a workout and diet plan can be difficult. But now, here's your chance. Just make it happen! 

At the end of these short 6 weeks, you'll be so happy you did. I know, you may be thinking, "Oh, but the timing. I have this and that coming up." 

Well, if you wait for the perfect time to get your body right, you never will.

There will never be the perfect time. Let me repeat. There will never be the perfect time.

There will always be something pulling you away from focusing on you. If dropping a few pounds or a lot of pounds, building some muscle, getting healthier or whatever your goal may be is important -- you'll make it happen.

There are two types of people. People who do and people who make excuses.

Here's the challenge: Monday, May 9-Sunday, June 19 (6 weeks) commit to the diet and exercise guidelines that follow:

CLEAN EATING

• Say NO to:
• Drinking calories
• Juice
• Soda
• Fast food
• Junk food
• Fried food
• Simple carbs
• White grains 
•  White pastas
• Sugar-based foods 
• Candy 
• Sugary cereals
• Desserts
• Say YES to: 
• Water
• Minimum 60 ounces per day
• 5-6 small meals per day, eating every 2-3 hours
• Low glycemic index fruit 
• strawberries
• cantaloupe
• apples
• pears 
• Lean protein
• skinless chicken
• fish
• lean beef cuts
• Complex carbs 
• Whole grains
• sweet potatoes 
• Green vegetables
• spinach
• broccoli
• green beans

WORKOUT

• Frequency
• Minimum 4 times per week 
• Strive to do something extra every day
• Take a walk
• Do a set of push-ups or squats when you wake up
• Intensity
• On a perceived exertion scale of 1-10 (1 being sitting on the couch and 10 running for your life), you want to be between 6-8
• While doing cardio, holding a conversation should be difficult
• While weight training, if you do a set of 10 reps, the last two reps should be difficult to complete. Doing a set of 20 reps, the last 4-5 should be difficult to complete
• Duration
• Cardio
• 30-60 minutes per session
• Or short 10 minute bouts throughout the day that total 30-60 minutes (Only do this if you absolutely cannot devote 30-60 minutes at once)
• From time to time, kick it up and do 2 hours. 1 hour in the morning and 1 more hour in the evening
• Resistance training 
• Pick several exercises and perform 3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Each muscle group needs to be worked at least once over the course of a week
• Type
• Cardio
• Any machine cardio equipment: treadmill, stairmaster, cross-strainer, etc.
• Outdoor running or walking
• Classes: dance, step aerobics, Zumba
• DVDs or any fitness program on cable (on demand)
• Resistance training
• Be sure to hit all muscle groups over the course of a week
• Free weights
• Bodypump classes offered at most chain gyms
• Bodyweight exercises
• All weight equipment offered at gyms
• Flexibility
• Do light stretching before workout and longer stretching after workout

Make it a point to eat clean all week. Allow yourself a small treat once a week to keep binge urges at bay. Don't miss a workout. Set a workout schedule: days and time and stick to it. I will be posting my diet and workout journal daily. Feel free to use my plan as a guide. Have questions? E-mail me.

Throughout the 6 weeks, I will be posting Hot Body Challenge specific blogs. Including entries on goal-setting, motivation, diet & exercise as well as recipes. We'll keep in touch through the comments section to help encourage and inspire each other.

Now, who's with me?