Naomi
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Hi Nikki- here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/623577507822501/
🙂
Hi Rebecca- Yes, I would advise to go ahead and use a rest day for any missed workouts (strength-training and/or cardio 😉
Hi Carissa- to get the best possible results in the short 30 Day Challenge, I would recommend only sticking to the foods listed on the Meal Plan, in the Food Exchange List, and on the Grocery List. You can eat other foods not included in the 30 Day Challenge nutrition portion, however you may not see as effective results. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Marybeth,
The lower your total daily intake of sugar is, the better, however there are traces of natural sugars in many healthy foods such as sweet potatoes, even broccoli. Since this is only a 30 day program (and we’re halfway through already! WOW!) my suggestion to you is to try to not go any higher than 30-35 grams per day if you can. The per meal total isn’t as important as the total sugars racked up by the end of the day. There are foods on the list that are higher in sugars than other foods, such as bananas which are perfectly fine to eat. But I find, personally, that the lower my total daily sugars are the more quickly I lean out. I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
Hi Melissa,
I am so sorry to hear about your shoulder injury 🙁 My advice to you is to not do any chest or shoulder movements that will aggravate that tear. Working out that area will only increase the severity of the tear. Make sure you ice that area frequently several times a day, and ask your doctor what physical therapy-type of exercises you can do to help the tear heal 😉 Good luck on your recovery! I hope it heals quickly!!
Hi Jennifer! TIme is flying, isn’t it?? Every person is different so there is no set time limit on how often the workouts and diet should change, as this will vary from person to person. My advice is that as long as you are still seeing changes/results, keep going. When you stop seeing changes or your body stops reacting (also known as a “plateau”) that’s a sign you might need to change things up 😉 Good luck! And have a great last two weeks 😀
Hi Marci- there are a number of participants who have wondered the same thing as you, so you are not alone! 😉 Remember that there are a lot of factors that contribute to weight, which is why we don’t use that as our only means of progress. Soreness, your cycle, sickness, lack of sleep, change in nutrition, etc. can all cause water retention. Do not let that deter you or allow negative thoughts to creep into your head. Your body is still adjusting!
If you are SEEING and FEELING changes, those are more significant indicators of progress than weight 😉
Thank you so much, Rebecca!! We are LOVING all the questions and interactions and posts and comments. Everyone has been so awesome!! Nicole, Maureen and I have dedicated our lives for just this very thing: to help you better understand your fitness journey and to help you be better equipped for success! We are all here for you, and hope that you learn a ton on this 30 day journey that you can apply to your life for the rest of you life! 😀 xo ~ Naomi
Hi Diane- I do understand the morning rush and need for convenience, but with this particular 30 Day Transformation Challenge, we really discourage any protein bars and do not recommend them because of additives and preservatives, the macronutrient ratio and ingredients are not conducive to getting the desired results. My recommendation for a quick and convenient breakfast on-the-go is a protein shake (pre-prepared the night before and in the fridge ready for you in the a.m.) and an apple. If you aren’t already doing so, maybe try to prepare as many of your meals for the week as you can on Sunday for the week ahead? Here are some tips Nicole recommends on how to be best prepared for the nutrition portion of the challenge- Transformation Challenge: Nutrition
I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
I also stay at the same weight for 6-8 months, sometimes even more than a year depending on the body part. As long as you are feeling the workout in the muscle you are targeting, the amount of weight really isn’t the main point, unless building strength is one of your top priorities. I stayed at the 20lb barbell for barbell curls for it seemed like forever, then stayed at the 30lb barbell for 2 years. I have been able to curl w/ the 40lb barbell now for about 6 months, but still can only do that one for about the 1st or 2nd set then have to move to the 30lb barbell. BUT if I am doing barbell curls at the very end of my workout when my biceps are already shot,sometimes I can’t even use the 30lb and have barely just enough strength left to curl the 20lb barbell. So it also depends on how fatigued your muscles are when you get to a certain exercise in your workout.
My advice, if you are looking for strength gains, is that after the challenge is over you re-group your strength-training split to work the muscles you are trying to gain strength in by themselves, or grouped with as little other muscles as possible. For example, only work chest one day, then hamstrings/glutes/abs the next day, then maybe group back & shoulders together in one workout the following day, then quads/calves/abs, then biceps/triceps. That’s a 5 day split. Or you if you’re really looking to gain strength in your back and shoulders, then work chest/biceps/triceps together and work back by itself one day, then only shoulders another day. Limit your cardio to about 20-25 min 3-4 days per week and keep your rep ranges between 6-8, lifting as heavy as you can for 6-8 reps for 4-5 sets of each exercise.
There are other ways and methods of gaining strength, but this is just one way of doing it. If you haven’t read this already, check out this Tip Me Tuesday: Gaining vs Losing
I hope this helps! Good luck with the challenge and with your strength goals 🙂
One more thing I’d like to add is that being in a caloric deficit will affect your strength, which is why it is important to focus on one thing at a time 😀 If you are focusing on gaining muscle and losing body fat in a short amount of time (30 day body transformation challenge), because of the required caloric deficit you may not feel as strong as if you were focusing only on strength-gains, which could entail being in a caloric surplus 😉 Does that make sense?
Hi Nancy- Any seasonings are fine, a long as you look carefully at the ingredients! You’d be amazed at how many seasonings have SUGAR in the first 5 ingredients. Even if the label looks “harmless” and wouldn’t seem to have sugar in it, never assume and always read the ingredients, making sure to stay away from long lists of ingredients, strange ingredients that you don’t recognize and any/all added sugar 😉
Hi Lisa- It is best to listen to your body, as everyone has their own experiences with different foods and beverages. If you drink regular water often, and electrolyte water and alkaline water makes you bloated and low energy, that is all you need to know to tell you it is maybe not the best thing for YOUR body 😉 Keep drinking regular H2o! 😀
Hi Tracy- It takes a LONG time to build strength. Of course every person is different, but in my experience it seems like it takes longer to build strength than it does to lose fat or see other body composition changes. This particular challenge is a transformation challenge and the workouts are designed for body composition transformation results, not necessarily strength-building results, though some strength gains may come as a result for some challenge participants.
My recommendation is to lift as heavy as you can for the rep ranges given. And as you mentioned, the last 5 reps shouldn’t just be hard, but you should feel like you can barely get through the last 3-5 reps. It should be a struggle. I hope this helps! Good luck and keep pushing hardddddd 😉
Hi Krista- For reps. I there are the following guideline ranges:
8-10
10-12
10-15
12-15
15-20For all of these, aiming for the highest rep range possible isn’t necessarily “better” or harder, nor is is less beneficial or easier to aim for a lower rep range. The varying rep range (chosing 10 reps instead of 15, for example) allows participants a little flexibility in selecting a heavier weight that will challenge them and a given rep target range. If you select a weight for a rep range of 12-15 reps, but you struggle to get 10 reps out, your weight is too heavy. If, however, you breeze through 15 reps with no problem, your weight is too light. Think of Goldielocks and the Three Bears. You want to choose a weight that is just right where you’ll struggle to get the last three reps out. If you’re at rep #12 and you think you can muster out just three more, then go for it! I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
Hi Sharon- I also train clients/work at the gym where I workout (though there are a few other nearby Anytime Fitness locations I try to workout at if I can, or I try to workout at home so I can just focus on my workout). If I am working out at my gym in between clients and someone interrupts me, I kindly say “Hey, I would love to talk but I only have a short window to get my workout in so I need to try and keep it going. But let’s chat after, or I’ll catch up with you in just a bit.”
This sounds really bad, but body language speaks volumes and I rarely get interrupted anymore when I workout because I carry this look on my face (headphones on and brim of hat low) so that I ooooze “please don’t interrupt me while I’m working out.” I basically try to not be very inviting while I’m working out. That sounds awful, and I hate that I feel I have to do that where I work, but my workout time is so incredibly valuable to me and I feel it is my break time. I do try to be very friendly and inviting at all other times, and I do explain to any gym members I interact with regularly that I am totally in my zone when I am working out, so I think at this point people understand and don’t interrupt.
It is very hard though when people need help with something or have a question, etc., and it is your job to assist them. Just use your best judgement, but you can always politely tell them you don’t have much time for your workout and would love to talk to them when you’re finished 😉
Hi Lori- with any of the daily meals and daily macro totals for the meal plan you’re following, you can substitute any of the foods recommended on the foods exchange list here and here for your last meal to make up for any macros you are short on. So yes, if you are short on protein, you can either eat another 4 oz chicken breast, egg whites, etc., or a protein shake at the end of the day to try and get all your protein in for the day. I hope this helps! Good luck 🙂
Hi Nicole- That sounds very serious. If you have an injury of any kind (even as seemingly minor as a strain), I would recommend not doing any leg workouts until your injury is healed. All you are doing is increasing the severity of injury and possibly exposing other muscles, tendons and ligaments surrounding the injury to possible injury as well because they are trying to pick up any load that your injured area simply cannot physically support. Have you gone to the doctor to find out exactly what’s going on in that area?
Hi Julia- nonimpact lunges or Bulgaian split squat are fine. You are doing the right thing by listening to your body and avoiding any kind of weird or concerning sensation or pain. Great job, keep it up! 🙂
Hi Vanessa- Good question! I would recommend going immediately from strength-training right to yu cardio, then having your post-workout shake after your entire workout (strength-training and cardio) is complete. That way, you’re not trying to digest the protein shake while doing cardio, especially if it’s HIIT (eeeek, the shake might come back up??) Good luck girl! 🙂
Hi Sharon- the best way to get around this is by using the scanner bar in MFP and scanning the barcode for food items. The exact nutritional and macros info should pop up so you can plug the appropriate portion size right in! 😉
Hi Tracy- this link seems to be working fine on my end, so you may want to restart your computer and try it again? I am not a tech person, so I am not sure what the problem could be since it is working find here 😉
Hi Krystal- I would advise that you rest. If you have body aches, sinus pressure and a chest cold, then the energy and effort you use to try to workout will only take away from your body trying to fight off being sick and you may end up prolonging getting well. Also, if you try to workout while you’re not feeling well, you’re not going have a great workout because your energy and strength is so low. Try to rest up, and you can catch up when you start feeling better. I hope you feel better soon! 🙂
