Week Eight – Increasing your cardio

Chris is continuing his 12 week challenge to improve our fitness and nutrition.

Week 8 is a great time to increase the amount of cardio that you are doing every other day. You should have a good idea of the nutrition phase that your body is reacting to by now, so now it is time to change up the cardio. In the industry we use something called the FITT principle to maximize cardio for weight loss. Basically, any time your body stops changing, you must change one of the following

Frequency: increase the number of cardio workouts you do weekly from 3 to 4

Intensity: step up the intensity of the workout

Time: increase the time of your workout sessions from 30 minutes to 40 minutes

Type: change the type of cardio you do (for example: if you were walking, start cycling or jogging)

Keep up the good work!

Phase 1:  Boost Metabolism

• Energy levels - exhausted at first, then increased
• Body temperature - increased & hot
• Appetite - FULL all of the time / perhaps some craving
• Cravings - little to none
• Inches / Clothes - lost inches / Same or loose clothes
• Water - slight retention possible (1-3 lbs)
• Weight - stabilized or drop 1-5 lbs

Phase 2:  Weight Loss

• Energy levels - high, then slight decline after lunch
• Body temperature - increased & hot
• Appetite - hungry every 2 to 3 hours
• Cravings - reduced, but slight carb craving at night
• Inches/ Clothes - lost inches / loose clothes
• Water - slight retention (1-3 lbs)
• Weight - drop 1-7 lbs

Phase 3:  Verification

• Energy levels - high thru mid morning, then stabilized slightly low
• Body temperature - moderate to cold (extremities)
• Appetite - hungry every 2 to 3 hours
• Cravings - reduced (conditional)
• Inches / Clothes - loose clothes
• Water - flush 1-3 lbs
• Weight - drop 1-7 lbs

Cheat Day

• Energy levels - high, then crash after cheat meal
• Body temperature - increased, overheated at night
• Appetite - stuffed after meal, then severe cravings
• Cravings - shortly after cheat meals
• Taste - sweet tastes ‘sweeter’fat tastes ‘greasy’          
• Water - retention 1-3 lbs
• Weight - gain (water) 1-3 lbs

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Rules:

• You MUST eat at least 6 times daily.
• Drink at least a gallon of water daily.

Approved Foods

You may use the following flavorings for your foods:
NOTE: NO Sodium!

You may use the following flavorings for your foods:

• Balsamic vinegar
• Mrs Dash
• Cloves
• Lemon juice
• Salsa
• Ginger
• Onion
• Curry paste
• Garlic Basil
• Paprika
• Peppers
• Horseradish
• Nutmeg
• Chili powder
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Pepper

To make preparation easier, I strongly suggest you purchase the following at your local Target or Wal-Mart:

• Rice Cooker & Steamer $25
• Foreman Grill $19-$35

Learn more about Chris.

The information presented and the opinions expressed are those of the content provider. KTVK-TV and KASW-TV do not endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information by the content provider. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, or information shall be at your sole risk.