Denise's Daily Dozen (48 page)

Cheri Lewis,

35, hairstylist and mother of two, Waterloo, New York

POUNDS LOST: 60

I
had an extra sixty pounds to lose after my second child was born. I’m proud to say I did just that using the wonderful lessons I learned from Denise. I simply made small changes in my everyday routine. I count my calories (but don’t obsess about it), keep junk food out of the house, and take a little time for myself every morning before my boys get up to exercise faithfully—no matter what because consistency is so important. It gets me up and going for the day and it definitely makes me a better person, especially for my family. Because of these habits, I’m in the best shape of my life—both physically and mentally.

“I have also been able to give up my bad habit of snacking on junk food. Now I snack on fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and cheese sticks—healthy foods that give me energy all day long. I’ve worked hard, but I feel better than ever! I have more energy and more confidence in myself. Anyone really can lose the weight! You really have to want it, and—above all—you must believe in yourself. Anything is possible! Denise has been so inspirational, aiding me in my success. Thanks to her, this has been a life-changing experience! I’ve realized that the more you work at taking care of yourself, the more you get out of life. It is a great feeling! I’m a happy person because of my life changes and I know that my whole family has benefited! My new healthy life is really worth living!”

Attitude is everything—so pick a good one!

Friday

T
GIF! Yes, Friday is here and you should give yourself a big pat on the back for making it through the workweek while sticking with your healthy eating and exercise routine. You have put in the hard work and you have made it! You’re really doing great. Be proud! Be positive! I know that you can keep it up!

ZIP UP YOUR ABS!

Keep your abs tucked in all day long rather than letting them pooch outward. Imagine that you’re zipping up a corset, starting at your pelvic bone. As you do this, your tummy pulls in and up. The more often you do this, the more your tummy will stay flat naturally. Do it while you drive, wait on line, or sit at your desk and six-pack abs may be a reality.

I also know that you’re going to love today’s Body Boot Camp Workout. It’s one of my favorite ways to stay in shape because it works your body from head to toe as it tones muscles, jump-starts your metabolism, and blasts away the pounds. It’s a form of interval training where the high-energy segments consist of cardio exercise and the slower-paced segments consist of focused strength-training moves—a very effective combination for reaching your weight loss goals. Why? Because when you’re doing the heart-pumping cardio circuits, you’re burning fat and calories. Then when you slow down a bit to do the strength moves, you’re allowing your heart rate to recover while your muscles keep working. Yet just before your heart rate recovers
too
much, you’re back doing a cardio segment again. Then before you know it, you’re done with your twelve minutes! With this workout, you’ll sculpt gorgeous muscles, trim fat, and move closer and closer to your goal of being fitter, healthier, and slimmer.

CLEAN YOUR WAY SLIM!

Could your house or apartment use a good cleaning? Got a basement or spare room that’s packed full of who-knows-what? Well, roll up your sleeves and get to it! Here’s why: Housework—such as vacuuming, sweeping, lifting boxes, and gardening—is actually an effective calorie burner! Depending on the types of task, you can burn up to four hundred calories an hour simply by accomplishing household tasks that need to get done anyway. By mowing the lawn, for example, you can burn up to 300 calories per hour; by sweeping, you can hit up to 250 calories per hour. Set aside a time to tackle a project around your living space that needs doing—maybe a closet needs organizing, or you can finally get around to hanging that new shelf—and work away until you finish. Just like that, you’ve completed your workout for the day, and your home looks and feels more organized! You can’t beat that!

You’ll also build muscle endurance while building muscle strength. This is truly training like an athlete and makes the most of every minute, which of course is the goal of the workouts in the Daily Dozen. After all, to reap results in a short amount of time, your workout has to be high-energy, and you’ve got to both target the muscles and burn fat. Your metabolism will stay high and your body will continue to burn calories and get fit fast. And not only is this workout going to change your body, but it’ll help you gain endurance and stamina so you can get through your busy day with energy.

FRIDAY'S BODY BOOT CAMP WORKOUT

If you rest, you’ll rust!

1. Warm Up

Get that blood and oxygen flowing so your body is ready to blast fat and burn calories!

  Stand on a diagonal facing the right with your legs about two to three feet apart and your right leg in front of the left. With your arms bent as if doing the top part of a bicep curl (which I call muscle arms), lift your bent right leg to chest height.

  As you bring the right leg back down to the floor, lift your left leg straight out to the side. Extend your arms laterally at shoulder height. Alternate lifting the knee and extending the leg. Time: 30 seconds on each leg.

2. Cardio Circuit 1

Slim that waistline! Strengthen that core!

 
DOUBLE KNEE LIFTS
: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Alternate lifting your knee to hip height two times on each side. Make sure to keep your back straight and your abs pulled in. Time: 1 minute.

 
CHALLENGE
: Add a bounce and travel as you do the double knee lifts. If you feel really strong, extend your arms behind you in a triceps extension with each knee lift.