Alright, so we’re almost done with the 30-day program! Great work if you’ve stuck with it this long! I hope you’re loving the way you’re feeling and looking these days. 

Today we’re going to talk about exercise.

You might be wondering why I left this topic for the end. Well, I have a good reason. Exercise definitely can play a role in losing weight, but I can tell you first hand that diet is WAY more important than exercise when it comes to body composition.

You can’t exercise away a terrible diet, so I wanted to focus on the most important thing first: what you eat.

But now that we have that under control, the time has come to talk about this. The right kind of exercise can help you turn fat into muscle, and it can help your health. Did you know that the right kind of exercise can help you use insulin more efficiently? 

Do you exercise?

If not, what is it that keeps you from regularly moving your body? Is it time, motivation, or are you overwhelmed by the idea of it? It really can be overwhelming, especially when you haven’t really liked exercising in the past.  

So I suggest that you find something active (besides just walking) that you like doing, whether that be in a gym or not. I mean, if I didn’t have rock climbing, I don’t know what I’d do! The drive to be the best climber I can be keeps me incredibly motivated to continue working out, lifting, climbing hard, and staying lean.

What’s your sport of choice? 

Is there a sport you used to love playing? Could you try a new one? What about just putting some short sprints into your walks with the dog? Or playing a little more rambunctiously with your kids?

Could you get into yoga, pilates, join a softball league, take up horseback riding? Are there fun classes you could take at your local gym or YMCA like Zumba? I did a zumba class recently and was surprisingly tired afterward.. 

It doesn’t have to be torture. 

There are so many things we can do to get that much-needed exercise, and it doesn’t have to look like 3 hours in the gym 5 days a week. It doesn’t even need to be running, like everyone seems to think. Be creative and let yourself take chances!

Exercising makes you feel alive – like you’ve DONE something with yourself. It also helps you look good, it helps you sleep well, and it helps your body detoxify, among other things.

I want you to make a commitment to yourself to exercise, starting tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be a ton! It could just be 5 minutes going up and down the stairs at your work 3 days a week. Or 25 push ups twice a week (not even all at one time).

A Sample Workout

Like I said, this doesn’t have to be torturous or lengthy. You have other things to do with your time, and honestly less is best for an otherwise stressed out person like you. Too much exercise can stress your body further and cause weight gain, water retention, fatigue, and depression.

The best fat-burning workouts are not slow runs. Slow runs just make you hungry – they don’t really burn fat. You’ve gotta rev things up and try hard for just a short period of time 1-3 times a week and I promise you’ll feel different (and eventually look different). 

Here’s what you do:

1. Pick 4 exercises

(push ups, crunches, planks, pull ups, elbows to knees from a plank position, sprints, running up stairs, box jumps, squats, weighted squats, lunges, burpees)

2. Do each of those exercises for 1 minute without stopping at all. 

3. Rest for 2 minutes.

4. Do the same thing again 3 more times. This is about a 20 minute workout altogether, which you could do at any time of the day with little to no equipment.  

5. Record your results. How many squats did you do in that minute? How many pull ups or pushups? Then compare your results to later workouts and watch your improvements. 

WARNING! Make sure you don’t hurt yourself! Don’t push too hard with exercises you’re not used to doing. Alter them if they’re too hard. Remember, proper form is more important than then number of reps you do. If you don’t use proper form, you’ll end up injured and unable to workout at all.

This kind of high intensity workout will help you continue to burn fat even after your workout is over. And it’s short and sweet!  

Make A Plan

I want you to make a plan for yourself for the next week. I encourage you NOT to plan on working out every day, or even 5 days this week if you’re not accustomed to working out.

You might get overwhelmed, too sore to workout again, or you won’t find the time and then you’ll get failure syndrome (“Ah screw it! I can’t do this! I give up!”).

So make a plan for yourself that’s realistic, involving activities that you like, or that you’re willing to give a try.

If you already work out regularly, consider switching up what you’re doing, unless you feel like it’s working. Like I said, running isn’t the best form of exercise for fat loss, so either add some sprints to it or swap it out for something shorter and more intense. 

So write out your week of exercise and then go do it!

Think of this as a short-term goal so you don’t get overwhelmed. If you hate it, change the schedule and/or activities next week. Just do something. Keep moving. After all, what is life without movement?

Keep up the great work and I’ll talk to you in a few days!

 

Until next time,

Neely

neelyquinn.com

 

P.S.

Don’t forget about your downloads! They’ll really help you understand this diet more thoroughly, as well as make it easier and more do-able for you.

—>>>DOWNLOADS<<<—

——> Food Guide for Fat Loss (PDF)

——> What Is Paleo? (PDF)

——> Meal Planning and Recipes Guide (PDF)