#ShapeUpSlimDown

6 Week - SHAPE UP SLIM DOWN SQUAD
July 1- August 12th

Hey Guys,

Recently, I've been having such a great time pretty much eating whatever I want. I haven't really been restricting myself with food, as well as not going as hard with my workouts as I used to a few months back. It's been fun but as a result I have gained a few extra pounds. Well, keeping it real.. 12 lbs. Yikes! Although my body type helps disguise it I can definitely feel and see the difference. With that said I've decided to get my self back on track in time for my 30th birthday(Almost Exactly 6 weeks away). Click here to read about how I started my weight loss journey

When I started over 5 years ago the thing that motivated me the most was that I had the opportunity to do it as a group. It was co-workers of mine that were cool enough to be supportive and help motivate each other to challenge ourselves. It didn't hurt that there was a cash prize from our boss but that's neither her nor there. ;)

THE SQUAD

Keeping this in mind, I thought it would be fun and help keep ME accountable if I shared my plan during this 6 week period. Along with sharing the things that I will be doing I wanted to assemble a squad of peeps that would like to join in and help motivate each other. GUYS AND GALS of all fitness levels. We all have our own individual goals and we can help aid each other in achieving them. Some people have more experience than others. I know a lot of people that continue to work hard and live a healthy life style that can be motivational. I also know that there are some people that need just a little boost maybe a little inspiration to just get up and get going with their fitness goals.

Wouldn't it be cool if we helped each other out in reaching our goals ? It would be sooooo Dope.

So, if you would like to join in on the fun please e-mail me at victoriaherrera11@gmail.com or send me a private message and let me know your Name, Goal, Plans, and if you have any questions or tips. I'll be keeping track of the progress and staying in touch sending you some helpful information to utilize. Also, fell free to stay informed by following my blog, and Instagram as well as my other social media. I will be using #shapeupslimdownsquad ; that way everyone can see all of the ideas that are gonna be shared. Whatever you have going on during this time that you feel will be helpful, motivational, or maybe even just funny, use hashtag: #shapeupslimdownsquad . If you guys have ideas to share or topics you want to discuss please comment here on my blog or on any of my social media sites so that I can keep it in mind. You can also email me privately with any questions regarding exercises and food options.

For now I wanted to give you an idea of my plan during this time. Maybe this will motivate some of ya'll to incorporate a few of these tips into your diet and exercise regimen during this 6 week period.

Do's & Don'ts

During this here are some of the things I want to include in order to stay on track.

Do Do's

SET A GOAL- Whether it be a smaller pants size, dropping numbers on the scale or building muscle mass; decide what your Goal is and stick to it.
GET SLEEP- Your muscles grow and repair while you rest so make sure you're getting enough.
EAT CLEAN-No processed junk food and refined sugars
HIGH PROTEIN-Fish, Chicken, Red Meat, Egg whites, and almonds are all good.
PLAN FOR 6 SMALL MEALS- Planning it out will help you stay on track and not give you a reason to go out and buy fast food or junk food. Small meals often. Every 3-4 hours or so.
LOTS OF FRUITS & VEGGIES
KEEP IT BELOW 300 CALORIES- Every meal (That's if you are trying to lose weight)
ONE SPLURGE MEAL WEEKLY- This will be something fun to look forward to and it wont feel like you are completely denying yourself during this time.
WEIGH YOURSELF WEEKLY - This will help you keep track and see your progress. weighing yourself daily is sometimes more mentally damaging. Wait a week write it down. Keep going. Then do it all over again next week. :)
EXERCISE 4-5 X PER WEEK- You gotta sweat and burn calories in order to cut the fat. Get up and get active. Do something for at least 30 minutes. I know.. sweating sucks but it'll be worth it when your looking fine.
PLAN YOUR WORKOUTS- Like with planning your meals, planning your work outs will help keep you on track with your goals and keep you aware of whats next so that you can improve each week.
STRETCH- You don't want to get hurt or pull something. Stretch every time. Always.
WARM UP- A good 5-10 minute warm up will get your heart pumping and ready for your work out. Get started that way. Run a little, dance to a couple songs, maybe some jumping jacks. Just get warmed up.
CARDIO & STRENGTH TRAINING- The best results come from mixing Cardio with Strength training. Try to do a little bit of both with every workout or at least keep it equal throughout the week.
WALK MORE-Park further away from stores, take the stairs, walk the dogs, etc. Try to fit in some more walking calorie burning time.
HAVE FUN-Try new things with food and exercises. There is no exact plan to follow. Just have fun with it.

DON'T

GO TOO LONG WITHOUT DRINKING WATER- Stay hydrated during your work outs and drink about 2-3 liters a day.
EAT STARCH/ENRICHED GRAINS-White Rice, Flour Tortillas, White Potato, White bread.
EAT HEAVY MEALS PAST NOON-Give your body the chance to use all of its resources. by eating your heavier meals earlier in the day you will stay full longer and it will give your body enough time to break everything down before bed time.
EAT FAST FOOD-Cut back significantly. If absolutely necessary make smart decisions. Keep it real. French Fries are not gonna be a good decision.
EAT SUGAR-No artificial sugar, candy, chocolate and sweets. The sugar takes a long time to break down and eventually what doesn't get used is stored as fat. YOU GOTTA CUT IT.
DRINK SODA-Soda will make you bloated and never really make you feel like your thirst is quenched. It also has a lot of sugar. Just cutting this will make a significant change in your weight loss
DRINK BEER- This one is hard for me, but beer just has a lot of carbs. It will keep you bloated and not really help with weight loss at all. If you must the lightest beer with the lowest amount of calories and carbs is best. Shots have less calories and carbs. Just Sayin' ;)
SKIP BREAKFAST-It's the most important meal of the day. Really, it is. Skipping breakfast will make you feel lethargic and starving by the time is lunch and will most likely have you over eating at your next meal. It's never a good idea to skip a meal.
EAT OUT AS MUCH- Eating out often will cause you to make excuses based on whats available and will ultimately end up costing you more money. Save money and save on calories by cooking fresh meals at home.

HELPFUL TIPS :

Try alternative workouts: Dancing, Swimming, Hike , Run Outside, Brisk Walk, Frisbee, Bike Ride Wii Dance, Punching Bag, Stairs, Basketball, Soccer, etc.
Be Consistent. This is only gonna work if you do.
Drink lots of water. Anywhere from 2-3 liters a day.
Have one cheat meal for the week. splurge. then get right back on track with your next meal.
Drink coffee or green tea for an energy boost. This will help fuel your work outs a little better and give you energy throughout the day.
Consider taking vitamins to make sure you are getting what you need. At the moment i'm taking a gummy woman's one a day multi vitamin, B-12 Glucosamine, Biotin, and Fish oil. Those can all be things to keep in mind for the future if you don't take them already.
Get a workout buddy and/or look for classes available in your community or at the gym. That will help keep you motivated and you can help keep each other on track.

So, I literally drew out a Calendar in order to make it easier for myself. The plan is to stick to this schedule as much as possible. I don't really have set times for each meal or exactly what i'm going to be eating planned out too much as of yet but I will update you as I go.

Below is a list of meal options you can keep in mind for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snack Times. I've written down a general idea of how I want my workouts to go but that can be changed up as much as I need to accommodate what I have going on. The idea is to follow a plan that works for you so that you can stick to it.

At the end of the week I'll let you know what I did to make this happen if things need to be changed or if I didn't do something I wanted to.

MEAL IDEAS

BREAKFAST

Eggs+Bacon+Fruit
English Muffin+Almond Butter+Apple
Vanilla Protein Powder+Mixed Berries+Banana+Almond Milk
Hard Boiled Egg+ Cheese+ Grapes

LUNCH

Rice Cake+Hummus+Cheese+Turkey
Bowl of Chili+ Shredded Cheese
Salad+Chicken+Vinaigrette
Egg Salad+Rice Cakes

DINNER

Beef +Broccoli+ Brown Rice
Ground Turkey+Lettuce Wrap
Burger Protein Style (No Bun)
Chicken + Veggies

SNACKS

Apple Slices+Peanut Butter
String Cheese+Almonds
Strawberries+Dark Chocolate
Rice Cake+Peanut Butter+Banana+ Honey
Granola Bar
Carrots+ Ranch
Jell-O
Popcorn

I will be adding videos and pictures of my meals and exercises as much as I can on Instagram.

Stay tuned .. I'll be sharing some at home workouts you can do without and equipment. YAY...VIDEOS!!

Let me know what you guys think about this. I would love some feed back. I hope some of you will participate if not, that's OK too. Maybe this will get ya thinking about making moves at least.

Thanks for stopping by.

Peace Out

-V

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