The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life (14 page)
Read The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life Online
Authors: Arthur Agatston,Joseph Signorile
Tags: #Cooking, #Health & Fitness, #Medical, #Nutrition, #Health, #Diet, #Fitness, #Diets, #Weight Control, #Recipes, #Weight Loss, #Health & Healing, #Diets - Weight Loss, #Diets - General, #Reducing diets, #Diet Therapy, #Reducing exercises, #Exercise
PHASE 1
INTERVAL WALKING
Interval Walking on Phase 1 eases your body into working at a higher intensity, but it does this so gradually that you won’t even realize it’s happening. Your fast intervals are very brief, and they’re followed by nice long recovery periods.
The program varies slightly from day to day over 2 weeks in terms of intensity and the number of fast-slow patterns. Depending on what day it is, you will do between 6 and 12 short intervals. For example, on Day 1 of this phase, you will start off with a 5-minute warmup walk. Once you are warmed up, you’ll begin your intervals. You’ll walk fast for 15 seconds and then recover by walking slowly for 60 seconds. You’ll repeat this fast-slow pattern six times and then end with your cooldown. The entire program for the day takes about 15 minutes. Of that time, you will be working hard for only 1½ minutes.
On your second day of Phase 1 Interval Walking (which is actually Day 3 because you will have done the Total Body Workout on Day 2), your assignment is a bit different. Instead of doing 15 seconds of fast walking and 60 seconds of slow walking, you will do 15 seconds of fast walking followed by 45 seconds of slow walking. This time you will repeat that interval
eight
times before ending with your cooldown. This walk is slightly harder than your first day out, but you still have a generous amount of recovery time between your high-intensity fast-walking intervals.
You may wonder why the walking program is more difficult on some days than on others, and you may be tempted to try to work at your highest intensity level all the time. Don’t! If you worked at your highest intensity level every time you did cardio, you would run the risk of an overuse injury, which I talked about in
Chapter 5
. Your body needs time to recover with less strenuous days between high-intensity workouts. Furthermore, if your muscles never get a chance to fully recharge and are always tired out, you won’t be able to work as hard as you’re supposed to on your high-intensity days. If you don’t recharge, you’ll feel as if you’re working harder than you actually are, and you’ll just be cheating yourself. (For a refresher on why interval training works, reread
Chapter 4
, “Supercharge Your Metabolism.”)
As noted above, you will do your cardio interval walking every other day, alternating with the Total Body Workout. Ideally, on days when you are not doing cardio, try to also fit in a 15- to 20-minute recreational walk when you have the time.
The beauty of the Phase 1 walking program is that you’re making progress every day: Your heart and lungs are getting stronger, your cells are burning more fat, and you feel more and more energized. By the end of 2 weeks, you will see an increase in your cardiovascular capacity, which means that everyday tasks, such as walking up a flight of stairs or running for a bus, should feel much easier.
THE TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 of the Total Body Workout will give you a trimmer, leaner, more defined body. After each session, you’ll notice that you’re standing a bit taller, your midsection feels tighter, and you feel lighter on your feet. The Total Body Workout is not just about strength and toning. It also teaches you how to use your body safely so that you remain free of injury and pain. The focus is on awareness, mobility, and movement, not just while you are doing the exercises, but in your everyday life. The simple movements in Phase 1 prepare you for the more complicated exercises in Phase 2. Each exercise builds on the others, helping you to maintain and restore function and mobility in your body. By the end of 2 weeks, you’ll feel stronger, more confident, and ready to begin Phase 2. If you’re pressed for time, you can shorten your workout by doing 2 sets of each exercise instead of 3. Or, if you are physically unable to complete the entire workout, you can do 1 set and gradually work up to 3.
Phase 1 is fairly easy and safe for most people. If, however, during any exercise you feel any pain or discomfort, stop doing it. Make sure that you are using proper form and have followed the instructions correctly. For example, when the directions say “Tighten your abdominal muscles” for an exercise that involves strengthening your shoulders, it’s for a good reason. These core muscles provide stability, and if you’re not engaging them, you’re not getting the most out of your workout. Even worse, you may inadvertently be putting strain on your neck or back.
Remember to go slowly and breathe through each exercise. You don’t need to rush to finish a rep or a set. You’ve probably seen people at the gym racing through their exercises without the guidance of a trainer. These men and women are candidates for injury. While I urge you to increase your pace during Interval Walking, I much prefer that you take it slow and easy, concentrating on every movement, when you’re performing the Total Body Workout.
For your convenience, the chart on the following pages lays out what you’ll be doing every day for the entire 2 weeks of Phase 1 of the South Beach Supercharged Fitness Program. As you’ll see at a glance, you’ll alternate Interval Walking days with the Total Body Workout days. You may want to photocopy these pages and keep them handy for quick reference.
THE SOUTH BEACH SUPERCHARGED FITNESS PROGRAM
PHASE 1—WEEK 1
DAY 1
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Moderate Pace.
- Walk for 60 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 6 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 2
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15-20 minutes (optional).
DAY 3
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Moderate Pace.
- Walk for 45 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 8 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 4
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15-20 minutes (optional).
DAY 5
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Moderate Pace.
- Walk for 60 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 11 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 6
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15–20 minutes (optional).
DAY 7
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Revved Up.
- Walk for 60 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 8 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
THE SOUTH BEACH SUPERCHARGED FITNESS PROGRAM
PHASE 1—WEEK 2
DAY 1
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15–20 minutes (optional).
DAY 2
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Revved Up.
- Walk for 45 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 10 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 3
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15-20 minutes (optional).
DAY 4
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Revved Up.
- Walk for 30 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 12 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 5
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15–20 minutes (optional).
DAY 6
—INTERVAL WALKING
Warmup: Start with a 5-minute walk at Easy Pace.
- Walk for 15 seconds at Supercharged!
- Walk for 60 seconds at Easy Pace.
- Repeat 8 times
.
Cooldown: End with a 2-minute walk at Easy Pace.
DAY 7
—TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
Phase 1 exercises: See
PHASE 1: “Supercharged Fitness Program”
Section.
Take a recreational walk at Easy Pace for 15–20 minutes (optional).
Phase 1 Total Body Workout Exercises
Increases spinal mobility and function, helps posture, tones the butt, and relieves stress. It also feels great!
- 1.
Sit up straight on the edge of a chair with your feet hip-width apart and your knees in line with your ankles. Place your palms on your thighs, press your heels into the floor, and contract your butt muscles. - 2.
Slide your hands up toward your hips as you continue to contract your butt muscles; you should feel a slight lifting sensation. Gently arch your back and look up, tightening your abdominal muscles. Feel your neck lengthen as you lift your head. Imagine that you are hovering over the chair. - 3.
Continuing to hold your abdominal muscles in, round your back as you slide your hands toward your knees. Look down to the ground. Return to the starting position (1). Arching and curling is 1 rep.
Do 3 sets of 8 reps. This exercise should be done in one fluid motion without stopping between repetitions
.
