Day Five

If you don't take time for your health now, you'll have to take time later.

Here are just a few of the positive benefits:

Weight Management:  Helps maintain a healthy, appropriate weight for your body type. Helps regulate your appetite and you have a better chance of maintaining that optimal weight for life. Weighing less also helps you avoid back and knee issues.

Disease Protection:  As we get older we are more susceptible to a myriad of diseases, and for women, osteoporosis.  You can help prevent cancer and heart disease, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol and reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Good Mood:  Exercise releases endorphins in the brain - - these are chemicals that improve your mood and self image, and help decrease the amount of pain you might be feeling. That trigger of endorphins leads to an overall better mood!

Relieves Stress:  Taking time off from a difficult or stressful situation to exercise can help.  After you exercise you might find a new solution to that problem that’s been bugging you, or you might work it out in your head while exercising. 

Stronger Brainpower:  Not only does your body benefit from exercise, but exercise can improve mental strength and acuity.  Research shows people who exercise regularly have improved memory and a decreased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's (by as much as 40%!)  That's a good reason to workout!

Your exercise for today:

Go for an hour of cardio!  Even if it's a light jog, power walk, biking, walking the dog, cleaning the house, playing with the kids, putting on some music and dancing or a combination of any...just get your butt moving. 
OR--Go back and do one of the workouts or videos* that you liked. Try a new class--Zumba,  yoga, or a boot-camp class. 

Links to videos* are listed above at the top of the page.

Your pre-made meal for today:

BREAKFAST:  An egg-white omelet stuffed with veggies. Fresh squeezed juice.

SNACK:  Fruit salad.

LUNCH:  Lean turkey or vegan protein, lettuce, tomato on *bread. Green salad.

SNACK:  5-6 wheat thin/triscuit crackers with veggie cream cheese/fake cheese.

DINNER:  Vegetable soup/chili, small piece whole wheat bread, green salad.

Tip:

Don't forget to take care of your skin. Once a week use a natural loofah or dry bristle brush, brush your skin (removing the dead skin cells) before you soak in a hot tub. Add two cups of Epsom salts and a few drops of essential oil (lavender is my favorite) to the water.

Recipe:

Roasted veggies with lemon-olive oil

Use asparagus, brocoli, green beans, brussel sprouts, etc.
Spread on a roasting pan/sheet and sprinkle veggies with a little olive oil, sliced garlic and salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees until they get a little crispy then take them out and squeeze fresh lemon juice and a little parmesan cheese (if you like.)
This is easy, cheap, quick, healthy and delicious!

Day Seven

Congratulations on making it to Day Seven!

The beauty of the 7 Day Slim Down is you can interchange any days you like, start any day of the week, and mix and match fitness and food plans.
If you missed a few days (we all have stuff that shoves our best laid plans onto the back burner from time to time) just get started again as soon as you can.
Making lifestyle changes don't happen overnight.  Don't get discouraged!  Even the little changes add up. Hey, we all get set in our ways, become creatures of habit, and the best way to break "bad" habits are to create "new" healthy habits.
Thanks for coming along on this journey, you're all very important and beautiful to me!
Stay tuned for Phase Two of The 7 Day Slim Down.

Your exercise for today:

This is one of my favorite workouts to do for myself, in my classes and with clients. It really challenges you and works the entire body, burns tons of calories and gets that endorphin rush pumping!
Add about 30 minutes of cardio and you've got a GREAT workout---another one you can do anywhere.

Ten Each

Always check with you doctor before performing any new exercise routine.

 Warm up a few minutes before starting, take a break if you need it and  always stop if experiencing any pain. 

 This is an INTENSE routine, and fairly advanced.  Modify wherever needed.

Perform each exercise 10 times with as little rest as possible until you complete one full cycle.  

Take a 2:00 minute break and repeat full cycle 2 more times.

1. Burpees:  Standing, lean over and place both hands on the floor in front of your feet, then hop back on toes, hop feet back up to hands, stand/jump up.  Modified:  Step back one leg at a time, and forward one leg at a time.
2. Squat Jumps:  Squat and jump! (land light on the feet.)
3. Push-Ups:  On toes or on knees.
4. Toe-Touch Sit Ups:  Lie on floor, legs extended, roll up touch toes, roll back down. 
5. Triceps Dips:  Sit on edge of bench or coffee table, place palms close to your sides, fingers pointed forward and dip down and up (keep chest lifted and shoulders down)
6. Plank Jacks:  Assume forearm plank position, on toes, jack in and out.
7. Tuck Jumps:  Standing, squat down a bit and jump up, tucking knees up towards your chest and slap thighs. Land lightly back on the floor.
8. Split Lunges:  Assume stationary lunge position, explode and switch legs.  Modified: Step back and lunge one leg at a time, alternating.
9. Leg Drops:  On back, place hands under butt and extend legs up to ceiling, lower as close to floor as possible then raise back up. 
10. Down Dog to Up Dog:  Assume down dog position, take a few deep breaths then flow through to up dog, engage abs move back to down dog.

Your pre-made menu for today:

BREAKFAST:  Plain greek yogurt mixed with fresh fruit and a little honey. Toasted whole wheat bread/english muffin.

SNACK:  Rice cake with organic peanut butter or veggie cream cheese.

LUNCH:  Spinach salad with chopped veggies, hard boiled egg, balsamic dressing, small piece of protein tossed in.

SNACK:  10 (organic) chips and salsa.

DINNER:  Grilled fish or sushi/sashimi with brown rice. Steamed mixed veggies.

Tip:

Click Here:

EXERCISE AND YOUR BRAIN

Recipe:

Garlic-Basil Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta

1 cup whole wheat pasta

4 ounces fresh cooked or frozen pre-cooked shelled shrimp, thawed

1 cup chopped steamed zucchini

2 Tbls chopped fresh basil (I like more than that!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbls olive oil

Cook pasta. Sauté garlic and zucchini in olive oil in skillet, add shrimp, cooked pasta, and basil. Salt and pepper to taste and add a little more olive oil if needed.

Serve with green salad and one piece whole grain bread.