You have made the decision to get off the couch, lose some weight and get fit, but you have no idea what to do or where to start. If this sounds like you, then this the guide for you. This guide will give you weekly tasks to do that will get you off the couch and on your way to good health in just one month. However, be warned, if you are not motivated or determined to change your lifestyle then I’m afraid nothing is going to work for you. But if you are prepared to put in the hard work, you will see results.
Week One
Diet
- Fill up your fridge with fresh whole foods like vegetables, meat (if you eat it), some fruit and dairy products. Don’t buy anything that comes in a box or lasts more than a week, except for frozen vegetables and frozen fruits.
- Use a calorie counter to calculate how many calories you are eating. For women it shouldn’t be less than 1200 calories and for men less than 1500 calories. Use a site like SparkPeople which will tell you how many calories you should be consuming for your weight, height and activity level.
- Reduce your intake of sugary drinks like soda by half or switch to the diet versions.
- Reduce your intake of refine carbohydrates like bread, pasta and rice. If you are having 5-6 servings a day normally, reduce this to 3-4 servings.
- Drink as much water per day as you can. Keep a bottle of water on your desk at work to remind yourself to drink it.
Exercise
- Start your exercise program by walking 10-15 minutes a day, five times a week. If you can walk for longer, do so, but you must do 10-15 minutes at a minimum.
Week Two
Diet
- Keep buying lots of fresh whole foods and keep the junk out of your house.
- Keep counting your calories. Remember not to drop below 1200 or 1500 calories depending on your gender. Also make sure you don’t eat more calories than you should.
- Keep reducing the sugary drinks you are consuming or switch over to the diet version.
- Also keep reducing the amount of refined carbohydrates you are consuming to 2 -3 servings a day.
- Keep up the amount of water you are drinking.
Exercise
- Increase the amount of walking you are doing to 20-30 minutes a day, 5 times a week.
- Add in some strength training twice a week, this can involve doing push-ups, sit-ups or free weights. Some good starting strength training exercises can be found here.
Week Three
Diet
- Keep counting your calories and eating lots of fresh whole foods.
- You should now not be drinking any sugary drinks like soda and if you absolutely must have them be drinking the diet version only.
- Reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates to only one serving a day.
- Now that your diet is under control, you can have one cheat meal a week. Just remember don’t go overboard and consume a week’s worth of calories in one sitting.
Exercise
- Increase the amount you are walking up to 45 minutes a day, five days a week.
- Keep up your strength training twice a week
- Add in one strenuous exercise routine once a week. This can be jogging, cycling, a high intensity workout video or class at the gym.
Week Four
Diet
- Keep doing everything you were doing last week. You should now be eating a healthy diet and be seeing the results of your hard work on the scales.
Exercise
- Increase the amount you are walking to one hour a day, five days a week.
- Increase the amount of strength training you are doing to three times a week.
- Try to increase the amount of strenuous exercise you are doing to twice a week.
After four weeks, you should be seeing the results of all your hard work. Your clothes should be feeling looser and the numbers on the scales less. Don’t stop now, but keep up everything you have been doing. Make sure that your diet is kept clean at least 85% of the time and that you are exercising daily. Take up an exercise class at your local gym or take up martial arts or something physical you have always wanted to do. If you are wanting a real challenge, check out CrossFit.
