Today, thousands of people suffer from excessive weight gain, high stress levels, and difficulty sleeping (2). These issues often lead to serious health conditions. That is why it is essential to make corresponding adjustments when these issues arise. One of the main problems for people who have decided to change their lifestyle is that they don’t know where to start. This 30-day weight loss challenge helps to provide the guidance needed to transform lifestyles.
This challenge is a set of healthy lifestyle habits proven to contribute to weight loss. By following these simple rules, one can slim down in a safe and healthy way that will provide long-term results.
The 30-day weight loss challenge consists of four basic steps.
This rule is an integral part of a healthy weight loss process (1). It is recommended to work out at least 30 minutes a day and combine different types of physical exercises such as strength conditioning which may include lifting weights, yoga, ect. and cardiovascular training which may include jogging, cycling, hiking, etc. Including both types of exercise is crucial to a proper weight loss program. You can start with very simple workouts and gradually making them more and more complicated as you start to improve.
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Example of Exercise Program to do with the 30-day Challenge:
Start this exercise in the push-up position. Push into your palms, explode your body off the floor and clap your hands, if possible. Do all this while keeping your feet on the floor. Land to the starting position carefully and softly. That’s one rep.
This exercise is quite simple. You should run in place with your arms bent and pulling your knees towards your chest. It is also important to move your arms as well.
Stand with your feet close together. Now you should jump to your left and land on your left foot. Next, you should bring your right foot behind you and to the left. Then return to the starting position and repeat the same movement for the right side. Continue quickly alternating sides.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure to engage your core muscles to perform the move safely. Now you should take a big step forward with your right leg, keeping your arms by your sides. Then shift your weight forward with this leg until your heel touches the floor first. Then lower your body down until the forward leg is parallel to the floor. Now you should jump up as high as possible quickly swinging your arms overhead and switch your legs in air. You should land with your arms by your sides, with your left foot forward and bending your knees immediately. That’s one rep.
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Lie down on the floor with your legs extended. Extend your arms above your head. Then lift your legs up to a 45-degree angle engaging all the leg muscles. Simultaneously lift your head, neck, shoulder and upper back up. Make sure to engage your abs. Extend your arms with your palms facing down while performing the exercise. Raise your legs and upper body further so you are sitting in a V-position. Keep your shoulders down and your arms parallel to the floor.
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Then get into a squat position, keeping your elbows bent at sides and your fists together in front of your chest. Then jump as high as possible keeping your feet wide, straightening your legs and swinging your arms above your head. Get to the starting position.
This is probably one of the most popular exercises among people who want to lose weight. To perform this move you should stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides. Then lower your body into a squat. Place your hands on the ground in front of you almost between your feet. Softly jump your feet back and get to a plank position. Make sure that your body is straight and your lower back doesn’t arch. Do one pushup, jump your feet back to a starting position, stand up and reach your arms over hand, quickly jump and land back to a standing position. Then get back into a squat and do another rep.
As you can see, the challenge is based on seven effective exercises. There is also a workout calendar, which will help you to achieve the best results. For this challenge you should perform one exercise each day, for seven days, and then repeat them in the same order, adding 10 reps each week.
For example: on the first day you should perform high-knees sprint, on the second day – jump switch lunges, on the third day – squat jacks, on the fourth day – burpees, on the fifth day – speed skater lunges, on the sixth – pilates teasers and on the seventh – plyo push-ups. In this way, you’ll perform 10 reps for each exercise on the first week, 20 reps for each exercise on the second week, 30 reps – on the third week and 40 reps on the fourth one. The last two days of the challenge perform 50 reps for each exercise.
A habit of drinking necessary amounts of water daily is underestimated. Hydration is one of the main keys to your health and weight loss (7). So, our challenge includes this simple habit. According to this rule, you should drink approximately 8-8ounce glasses of water a day. You can add some fruit slices to your glass to improve the taste. Water boosts your metabolism, flushes out toxins, and delivers essential nutrients to your body’s cells. By following this simple habit, you will also increase your energy levels and feel much better.
The third rule is to avoid artificial sweeteners and refined sugar. It is challenging for most people, because sugar is quite addictive and is added to a lot of common foods. To stick to this rule, you should attentively read the labels on the packages. Almost all processed foods contain sugar, so the best option is to avoid them completely and add more whole foods to your daily meal plan. If this point is too hard for you and you can not avoid sweeteners completely, you may have 4 teaspoons of honey per day or stevia. By reducing the amounts of sugar in your diet, you’ll not only lose weight, but you will also prevent numerous diseases (5).
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This rule is essential, if you want to lose weight (4). An easy way to monitor portion sizes is to replace your dinner plate with a salad plate (it should be about 7 inches in diameter). Using measuring cups can also help with watching portion sizes. With things like soup, you should generally have 1-1.5 cups a meal. If you are unsure what to measure out, look on the back of the food’s packaging and it will tell you what an appropriate portion size should be. If measuring isn’t your thing, you can also simply use your hand to portion out foods i.e. Meats should be the size of your palm, grains such as rice or pasta should be the size of your fist, and fats such as butter or oil should be the size of the tip of your thumb.
When it comes to weight loss, support is crucial for you. That’s why it’s a great idea to involve your friends in your weight loss challenge. People with similar goals and ideas help each other to reach desired results and become better every day. You and your friends can create your own meal plans, work out together and encourage each other’s results.
There are some tips that will make the process of weight loss easier and help you to improve your results. Avoid drinking alcohol (3), choose lean cuts of meat, and consume low-fat dairy foods. It is also important to exclude processed and packaged foods as well as any fried foods due to their high sugar and fat content.
In conclusion, it is essential to remember that old habits die hard. Following new lifestyle rules might be challenging at first, but you shouldn’t give up. By working on yourself and being patient, you will achieve the desired results in a healthy way that you can maintain long-term. If this challenge seems like something that may be right for you, make sure to consult a health professional and get started on the right track to shedding excess weight, lowering stress levels, and improving sleep!
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!