_________________ A Note from Phil _________________
I want you to enjoy the fullest life you can. I know you are on the right path because you are already reading this book. You are dreaming again of the desires that you
want in your life. You have recognized where you are physically and have set some goals of what you want to accomplish in the next ninety days. You have learned
what foods you need to eat to fuel your body and how many calories you need to lose weight.
Today you will learn about the fourth key in our DREAM principle—activate your body. Here’s the deal. If you want to lose weight, cutting back on calories is
simply not enough. Exercise needs to be a regular part of your lifestyle to help you get to and maintain a healthy weight.
Before I got started on my weight-loss journey, I shuddered at the thought of exercise. In my mind, fitness training was something other people did. I never fully saw
the value in it. But since being on The Biggest Loser and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I have seen the amazing benefits of keeping fit. Not only does fitness improve
your body, but it does wonders for your mental and emotional well-being.
When I was on the show, I would have mini panic attacks before our trainers worked out with us. Exercise scared the living daylights out of me. I soon realized I was
dealing with a deeper issue. Secretly, I had always wanted to be athletic, but I never was. As a kid, I played sports with my friends at my church. When I was in the
eighth grade, I tried out for basketball but didn’t make the team. When I got to high school, I played some tennis and golf, but something about the failure with
basketball stuck in my mind.
When I was eighteen, I decided to join a local gym. I was determined to get into good shape. I met with a personal trainer who worked me out so hard, when the
session was over, I crawled to the bathroom and threw up. Though I had paid for my membership, I never went back. Once again, I felt like a failure.
It took being on the show to face my fears of failing when it came to fitness. While struggling through grueling workouts, I had no choice but to endure the process
and face my fears. I slowly came to realize that I had to change my attitude toward exercise. My past defeats did not have to dictate my future health. I wanted to be
healthy. I wanted my family to be healthy. And I had to work through my mental block to make those things happen.
The Benefits of Exercise
Here are several awesome benefits that come with regular exercise:
• You’ll lose weight. Cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercise is what is going to help you burn fat and make the pounds peel off.
• Weight training will help shape your body. Building your muscle will give you the tight and toned body you always wanted.
• For every pound of muscle you gain, you burn calories, even when you are sleeping.
• The more you exercise, the more your metabolism will increase. This also helps your body burn more calories.
• Exercise boosts your immune system, helping you fight off sickness and even serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. It also reduces high blood
pressure.
• Exercise reduces stress. This is my favorite. When you exercise, various brain chemicals are released that make you feel relaxed. I feel so much better when I work
out than if I don’t. Even something as simple as walking will help to clear your mind and put you in a more positive mindset.
• Exercise does wonders for your cardiovascular system. It helps keep the blood circulating through your heart and lungs, and when your heart and lungs work more
efficiently, you have more energy.
• Exercise improves your sleep. Getting enough sleep, about seven to eight hours a night, is important to good health. Research has shown that exercising helps you
sleep better.
What Is Exercise?
What do you think about when you hear the word exercise? What thoughts or pictures form in your mind? Maybe you have visions of scary equipment you don’t
think you can ever figure out how to use. Maybe you feel overwhelmed at the thought of following a workout plan that seems way too complicated to do a couple times
a week. Maybe the thought of exercising frustrates you because you don’t think you have the best balance or coordination.
Whatever your reasons for not working out, by now I hope you understand that you must just do it. From now on, exercise is going to become a permanent fixture in
your life. I want you to get excited about it. I’m here to help you through this process, to lessen whatever fears you have, and to help you realize that exercise can be fun
and creative.
So what is exercise? The bottom line is that all activity counts. If your body is moving around doing something, that’s a good thing. It means you are burning calories.
Think about it like this. You burn more calories standing than you do sitting. You burn more calories walking than you do standing. You burn more calories running than
walking. You get the idea.
Let’s start by talking about the traditional ways of exercising that you have probably already heard about. It’s important to understand the basics because even if you
hire a personal trainer, he or she going to give you the same fundamentals.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training might conjure up images of people jumping around and sweating like crazy. Well, you’re on the right track. Cardio is the key to fat loss.
On average, you can burn about five hundred calories in a one-hour cardio session. This helps create the calorie deficit you need to lose weight. If you forget everything
else, just remember cardio is what will ignite your weight loss. On the ranch, we were on the treadmill, the stepper, the elliptical machine, and other cardio machines for
hours. And I literally mean hours. You don’t have to spend that much time doing cardio, of course. I just want you to see the direct link between this exercise and fat
loss.
To put it simply, cardio exercise raises your heart rate. You are working out at the right intensity at the beginning of this challenge if you are slightly out of breath but
can still hold a conversation. How long should you do a cardio session? I recommend you start out doing thirty minutes three times a week and work your way up to
forty-five to sixty-minute sessions five times a week.
Here are some examples of ways to get your cardio in. I’m giving you a wide variety to work with depending on whether you are a member of a gym. While you
don’t have to join a gym right now, it might help you stay motivated. It’s your choice.
If you have equipment or go to a gym with cardio equipment, you can use the:
• Treadmill
• Elliptical machine
• Stair climber
• Stationary bike
• Rowing machine
• Pool for lap swimming
If you join a gym, you can also take the cardio classes they offer such as:
• Kickboxing
• Cardio Blast
• Spin
• Water aerobics
• Step classes
• Zumba
If you play tennis, soccer, or basketball, you can get your cardio in that way. You might want to join a local community team or even create your own sports team. If
you don’t belong to a gym, no worries. You can:
• Rollerblade
• Walk or run in your neighborhood or around a local high school track
• Dance inside your house with high-energy music (have your kids join you)
• Hike a trail at a local park
• Rent a cardio DVD from the library and do it in your living room
• Find an early morning exercise program on TV and join in with the trainer
• Go to the local high school and walk up and down the bleachers
• Take your dog for a brisk walk
• Rake leaves
• Do heavy housework, such as mopping floors and vacuuming
• Play outdoor games such as Frisbee or catch with your kids
Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you get and keep your heart rate up for at least thirty to forty-five minutes.
Weight and Resistance Training
The other piece to getting fit is weight and resistance training. This can sound intimidating if all you think about are the big and bulky guys grunting at the gym. But it’s
not all about the meatheads. The reason a lot of The Biggest Loser competitors looked so shapely and had minimal loose skin after they lost so much weight is that they
strength trained. With cardio you will lose weight, but your body will still be the same shape, only smaller. True body transformation with strong muscles that make you
look tight and toned comes from strength training. Once you start lifting weights, you will see your body shape changing and your weight being better redistributed in just
three months.
How do you strength train? So much information is out there on how to weight train, such as doing slow sets, supersets, high reps with low weight, low reps with
high weights, and so on. We will stick with the basics for these next three months so you don’t get overwhelmed. In appendix E, you will find a three-tier workout plan
for the next ninety days, which includes strength training exercises you can do at home.
But Phil, I Just Don’t Have Time to Exercise
Many people complain they have no time to exercise. You might think I’m crazy for asking you to find thirty minutes or an hour almost every day out of the next
ninety days to focus on fitness. You might think it’s an impossible task to commit to. Here’s something to think about—you don’t have to exercise all at one time. You
can break it up into spurts. If you exercise an hour at a time or for fifteen minutes four times a day, you will still get the same benefits.
See how manageable that sounds? I know all of you can sneak in fifteen minutes of exercise here and there throughout your day. I have a friend who has two jobs; he
is both a school teacher and a personal trainer. You can imagine how busy he is, but he always gets mini workouts in throughout the day. Some days he’ll do 30
pushups every hour between classes. That’s 240 pushups a day. Incredible.
I know you may not be able to “drop down and give me 30” every hour, but there is always a way to be active even if your schedule is jam-packed. And let’s face it
folks, if you want to change your life and lose weight, you are going to have to make time. No excuses.
How Hard Do I Need to Exercise?
I’ve said before that exercise is activity that gets your heart rate up. If you are breathing harder and your heart is beating faster than it would if you were sitting down,
you are exercising.
If you are working at a moderate-intensity level, you are sweating and able to carry on a conversation, but not able to belt out a favorite song. Walking, water
aerobics, and riding a bike on a flat surface are examples of moderate-intensity activities.
Once your body adapts to a workout routine, you are going to want to make your workouts more intense. At a high-intensity level, you’ll be able to say only a few
words without pausing to breathe. Some examples of high-intensity activity include running, playing basketball or soccer, and walking on an incline.
One great way to gauge the intensity of your exercise is by measuring your heart rate as you work out. You can do this either manually by taking your pulse on the
inside of your wrist or you can wear a heart rate monitor.
Your maximum heart rate is when you are exercising at the highest level of intensity. This number is determined by subtracting your age from 220. I obviously don’t
expect you to start out exercising for an hour at your maximum heart rate, but I do want your workouts to increase your heart rate to between 50-85 percent of your
maximum rate. This is your “target heart rate zone.” The following chart lists the target heart rate zones and maximum heart rates based on your age.
AGE Target HR Zone 50-85% of max. Average Maximum Heart Rate 100%
20 years 100–170 beats per minute 200 beats per minute
25 years 98–166 beats per minute 195 beats per minute
30 years 95–162 beats per minute 190 beats per minute
35 years 93–157 beats per minute 185 beats per minute
40 years 90–153 beats per minute 180 beats per minute
45 years 88–149 beats per minute 175 beats per minute
50 years 85–145 beats per minute 170 beats per minute
55 years 83–140 beats per minute 165 beats per minute
60 years 80–136 beats per minute 160 beats per minute
65 years 78–132 beats per minute 155 beats per minute
70 years 75–128 beats per minute 150 beats per minute
These guidelines can help you gauge the intensity of your workouts, but I don’t want you to get too bogged down by these numbers. Remember, the most important
thing is to move. A good start is just to get off the couch and walk around the block.
Variety Is the Spice of…Exercise
Another important thing to remember as you start working out is to include some variation. You don’t want to do the same thing every day because your body will
get used to your routine. Let’s say you start out walking around your neighborhood every day for an hour. Great. You notice you are feeling better and are beginning to
lose weight. After you do this for two or three weeks, suddenly your weight loss slows down even though you are doing the same thing. You wonder what on earth is
happening. Your body is simply getting used to the activity. It has figured out your routine, and the growth you once experienced from walking has stopped.
Amy and I are always switching up our workouts. We don’t do the same thing every day. Some days we run. Some days we swim. Some days we take a weight-training class at the gym. This helps our body to be constantly surprised so we are always gaining the benefits of exercise.
Another way of varying your workouts is to vary the intensity with interval training. Training this way gives your metabolism a shock to its system. Interval training is
getting your heart rate really high for a short amount of time (fifteen seconds to one minute), and bringing it back down for a few more minutes, and then repeating the
process. This is not hard to do. If you start out walking, add some spurts of brisk walking to your routine. If you walk on a treadmill, every few minutes hit the grade
button and increase your incline for thirty seconds.
If you are a member of a gym, you can mix up your routine by taking classes that include aerobic activity and weight training. Check out the schedule at your local
gym and see what they have.
Tips and Resources
As you get started on your fitness journey, here are a few recommendations. You don’t need to do all of them right now, but keep them in mind as you incorporate
exercise into your new, healthy lifestyle.
Get a good pair of running shoes. I recommend getting these as soon as possible. Go to an athletic store and get fitted for the right athletic shoe for your feet. We all
can’t wear the same kind of sneaker. Each person has a different arch and instep and different fitness goals. Spend some time with a professional in the store and talk
about these things. He or she will suggest the right shoe for your needs.
Buy a water bottle. This is a necessity right off the bat. You must have a water bottle with you at all times. By now you know you need to be drinking water all the
time. Buy a water bottle that holds at least twenty ounces and that will keep your water cool.
Get some workout clothes. You don’t have to go nuts and spend tons of money. If this is not in your budget right now, don’t worry. Just wear some oversized T-shirts
and shorts you have in the house. When you are ready to buy (since the clothes you’re now wearing will soon become very baggy), buy clothes that are comfortable
and reasonably priced based on your budget.
I suggest investing in clothes made from moisture-wicking material, especially if you cycle or run. You can ask the clothing specialist at a store for help picking out the
right apparel. Most people wear clothes made of cotton when they work out, but cotton absorbs sweat and clings to your skin. Moisture-wicking apparel gets rids of
moisture quickly and keeps you drier.
If you are a woman, buy a few good sports bras that will give you support and keep you comfortable.
Another great investment is a pair of compression shorts you can wear underneath your regular shorts or workout pants. They help with the chaffing that comes when
your thighs rub together.
Buy a heart rate monitor. While this is not a must, it is a great tool for judging the intensity of your workouts and how many calories you are burning.
To gym or not to gym? You do not have to join a gym, but there are many advantages to being a member—trainers who can help you on your way, different classes
and activities so you can try new things and switch up your workouts, and people you meet who may eventually become your workout buddies. This has happened to
both Amy and me. We have met some of our closest friends at our local gym.
I know it might be intimidating at first to work out in front of others. This is a fear you might have to work through. Try not to think about what others are thinking
about you. Who cares what they think. You are there to focus on your health goals. You are there to feel and look better. You are there to ultimately gain a better life.
Don’t let your insecurities keep you from joining a gym.
Most gyms offer free passes. Try out a couple of facilities in your area and choose the one you like best. Pick a place that motivates you and moves you forward and
offers a comfortable and positive environment that you can grow in.
Fitness equipment for your home. If you are not going to join a gym and you want to keep some equipment in your home, this is what we recommend. Our workout
plans (see appendix E) list exercises you can do with some of these items. Otherwise, take a look at the many instructional fitness DVDs out there, find one you like,
and buy the required equipment to do those workouts. Some basic (and inexpensive) home equipment includes:
• Jump rope
• Dumbbells (3 lbs–25 lbs)
• Yoga mat
• Workout and instructional DVDs
• Medicine ball
• Inflatable large ball
• Resistance bands
The Plan
The 90-Day Fitness Challenge comes with three fitness plans, one plan for each month. You’ll find these plans in appendix E at the back of the book. The first is an
easy one to get you started and get you comfortable with the basics. Since you are probably a beginner at exercise, it will include activities tailored for someone just
starting out on a weight-loss journey. The plan for the second month is more challenging and will encourage you to try different exercises. The third plan is the most
intense with heavier weight workouts and higher-intensity cardio. It will also help your fitness level grow and help you to stay motivated.
Don’t feel the need to attach yourself to all of our recommendations. They are meant to guide you on your way, but you should commit to a plan that you enjoy and
that works for you. If you want to get a personal trainer, by all means go for it. You can even tailor your routine on your own. There are great resources out there to
help you get started. We like:
• Shape Magazine’s Ultimate Body Book: 4 Weeks to Your Best Abs, Butt, Thighs, and More by Linda Shelton with Angela Hynes
• Fitness for Dummies by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent
• 8 Minutes in the Morning for Extra-Easy Weight Loss by Jorge Cruise
• The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough by Sean Foy, Nellie Sabin, Mike Smolinski, and William Sears, MD
• The Biggest Loser Fitness Program: Fast, Safe, and Effective Workouts to Target and Tone Your Trouble Spots —Adapted from NBC’s Hit Show! by
The Biggest Loser experts and cast, with Maggie Greenwood-Robinson
When you get to the daily challenges in Part 2 of this book, you will see each day has space to record your workouts. Write down what you do every day. You might
want a separate notebook to do this. The key is to monitor your fitness levels and see where you are increasing your intensity and weights.
Remember, being active is a key part of living a healthy lifestyle. Gaining health and losing weight means getting off that couch and moving around. You’ll quickly
notice the difference in how you feel once you substitute an active lifestyle for a sedentary one.
Losing weight brings tremendous positive life changes. For us, one of the big things we learned was our responsibility to help others better their lives. When we saw
how drastic our lives changed by taking care of our bodies, we knew we had to pass the message along. You’ll see what we mean in the next chapter when we explore
our final key in the DREAM principle.
I want you to enjoy the fullest life you can. I know you are on the right path because you are already reading this book. You are dreaming again of the desires that you
want in your life. You have recognized where you are physically and have set some goals of what you want to accomplish in the next ninety days. You have learned
what foods you need to eat to fuel your body and how many calories you need to lose weight.
Today you will learn about the fourth key in our DREAM principle—activate your body. Here’s the deal. If you want to lose weight, cutting back on calories is
simply not enough. Exercise needs to be a regular part of your lifestyle to help you get to and maintain a healthy weight.
Before I got started on my weight-loss journey, I shuddered at the thought of exercise. In my mind, fitness training was something other people did. I never fully saw
the value in it. But since being on The Biggest Loser and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I have seen the amazing benefits of keeping fit. Not only does fitness improve
your body, but it does wonders for your mental and emotional well-being.
When I was on the show, I would have mini panic attacks before our trainers worked out with us. Exercise scared the living daylights out of me. I soon realized I was
dealing with a deeper issue. Secretly, I had always wanted to be athletic, but I never was. As a kid, I played sports with my friends at my church. When I was in the
eighth grade, I tried out for basketball but didn’t make the team. When I got to high school, I played some tennis and golf, but something about the failure with
basketball stuck in my mind.
When I was eighteen, I decided to join a local gym. I was determined to get into good shape. I met with a personal trainer who worked me out so hard, when the
session was over, I crawled to the bathroom and threw up. Though I had paid for my membership, I never went back. Once again, I felt like a failure.
It took being on the show to face my fears of failing when it came to fitness. While struggling through grueling workouts, I had no choice but to endure the process
and face my fears. I slowly came to realize that I had to change my attitude toward exercise. My past defeats did not have to dictate my future health. I wanted to be
healthy. I wanted my family to be healthy. And I had to work through my mental block to make those things happen.
The Benefits of Exercise
Here are several awesome benefits that come with regular exercise:
• You’ll lose weight. Cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercise is what is going to help you burn fat and make the pounds peel off.
• Weight training will help shape your body. Building your muscle will give you the tight and toned body you always wanted.
• For every pound of muscle you gain, you burn calories, even when you are sleeping.
• The more you exercise, the more your metabolism will increase. This also helps your body burn more calories.
• Exercise boosts your immune system, helping you fight off sickness and even serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. It also reduces high blood
pressure.
• Exercise reduces stress. This is my favorite. When you exercise, various brain chemicals are released that make you feel relaxed. I feel so much better when I work
out than if I don’t. Even something as simple as walking will help to clear your mind and put you in a more positive mindset.
• Exercise does wonders for your cardiovascular system. It helps keep the blood circulating through your heart and lungs, and when your heart and lungs work more
efficiently, you have more energy.
• Exercise improves your sleep. Getting enough sleep, about seven to eight hours a night, is important to good health. Research has shown that exercising helps you
sleep better.
What Is Exercise?
What do you think about when you hear the word exercise? What thoughts or pictures form in your mind? Maybe you have visions of scary equipment you don’t
think you can ever figure out how to use. Maybe you feel overwhelmed at the thought of following a workout plan that seems way too complicated to do a couple times
a week. Maybe the thought of exercising frustrates you because you don’t think you have the best balance or coordination.
Whatever your reasons for not working out, by now I hope you understand that you must just do it. From now on, exercise is going to become a permanent fixture in
your life. I want you to get excited about it. I’m here to help you through this process, to lessen whatever fears you have, and to help you realize that exercise can be fun
and creative.
So what is exercise? The bottom line is that all activity counts. If your body is moving around doing something, that’s a good thing. It means you are burning calories.
Think about it like this. You burn more calories standing than you do sitting. You burn more calories walking than you do standing. You burn more calories running than
walking. You get the idea.
Let’s start by talking about the traditional ways of exercising that you have probably already heard about. It’s important to understand the basics because even if you
hire a personal trainer, he or she going to give you the same fundamentals.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training might conjure up images of people jumping around and sweating like crazy. Well, you’re on the right track. Cardio is the key to fat loss.
On average, you can burn about five hundred calories in a one-hour cardio session. This helps create the calorie deficit you need to lose weight. If you forget everything
else, just remember cardio is what will ignite your weight loss. On the ranch, we were on the treadmill, the stepper, the elliptical machine, and other cardio machines for
hours. And I literally mean hours. You don’t have to spend that much time doing cardio, of course. I just want you to see the direct link between this exercise and fat
loss.
To put it simply, cardio exercise raises your heart rate. You are working out at the right intensity at the beginning of this challenge if you are slightly out of breath but
can still hold a conversation. How long should you do a cardio session? I recommend you start out doing thirty minutes three times a week and work your way up to
forty-five to sixty-minute sessions five times a week.
Here are some examples of ways to get your cardio in. I’m giving you a wide variety to work with depending on whether you are a member of a gym. While you
don’t have to join a gym right now, it might help you stay motivated. It’s your choice.
If you have equipment or go to a gym with cardio equipment, you can use the:
• Treadmill
• Elliptical machine
• Stair climber
• Stationary bike
• Rowing machine
• Pool for lap swimming
If you join a gym, you can also take the cardio classes they offer such as:
• Kickboxing
• Cardio Blast
• Spin
• Water aerobics
• Step classes
• Zumba
If you play tennis, soccer, or basketball, you can get your cardio in that way. You might want to join a local community team or even create your own sports team. If
you don’t belong to a gym, no worries. You can:
• Rollerblade
• Walk or run in your neighborhood or around a local high school track
• Dance inside your house with high-energy music (have your kids join you)
• Hike a trail at a local park
• Rent a cardio DVD from the library and do it in your living room
• Find an early morning exercise program on TV and join in with the trainer
• Go to the local high school and walk up and down the bleachers
• Take your dog for a brisk walk
• Rake leaves
• Do heavy housework, such as mopping floors and vacuuming
• Play outdoor games such as Frisbee or catch with your kids
Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you get and keep your heart rate up for at least thirty to forty-five minutes.
Weight and Resistance Training
The other piece to getting fit is weight and resistance training. This can sound intimidating if all you think about are the big and bulky guys grunting at the gym. But it’s
not all about the meatheads. The reason a lot of The Biggest Loser competitors looked so shapely and had minimal loose skin after they lost so much weight is that they
strength trained. With cardio you will lose weight, but your body will still be the same shape, only smaller. True body transformation with strong muscles that make you
look tight and toned comes from strength training. Once you start lifting weights, you will see your body shape changing and your weight being better redistributed in just
three months.
How do you strength train? So much information is out there on how to weight train, such as doing slow sets, supersets, high reps with low weight, low reps with
high weights, and so on. We will stick with the basics for these next three months so you don’t get overwhelmed. In appendix E, you will find a three-tier workout plan
for the next ninety days, which includes strength training exercises you can do at home.
But Phil, I Just Don’t Have Time to Exercise
Many people complain they have no time to exercise. You might think I’m crazy for asking you to find thirty minutes or an hour almost every day out of the next
ninety days to focus on fitness. You might think it’s an impossible task to commit to. Here’s something to think about—you don’t have to exercise all at one time. You
can break it up into spurts. If you exercise an hour at a time or for fifteen minutes four times a day, you will still get the same benefits.
See how manageable that sounds? I know all of you can sneak in fifteen minutes of exercise here and there throughout your day. I have a friend who has two jobs; he
is both a school teacher and a personal trainer. You can imagine how busy he is, but he always gets mini workouts in throughout the day. Some days he’ll do 30
pushups every hour between classes. That’s 240 pushups a day. Incredible.
I know you may not be able to “drop down and give me 30” every hour, but there is always a way to be active even if your schedule is jam-packed. And let’s face it
folks, if you want to change your life and lose weight, you are going to have to make time. No excuses.
How Hard Do I Need to Exercise?
I’ve said before that exercise is activity that gets your heart rate up. If you are breathing harder and your heart is beating faster than it would if you were sitting down,
you are exercising.
If you are working at a moderate-intensity level, you are sweating and able to carry on a conversation, but not able to belt out a favorite song. Walking, water
aerobics, and riding a bike on a flat surface are examples of moderate-intensity activities.
Once your body adapts to a workout routine, you are going to want to make your workouts more intense. At a high-intensity level, you’ll be able to say only a few
words without pausing to breathe. Some examples of high-intensity activity include running, playing basketball or soccer, and walking on an incline.
One great way to gauge the intensity of your exercise is by measuring your heart rate as you work out. You can do this either manually by taking your pulse on the
inside of your wrist or you can wear a heart rate monitor.
Your maximum heart rate is when you are exercising at the highest level of intensity. This number is determined by subtracting your age from 220. I obviously don’t
expect you to start out exercising for an hour at your maximum heart rate, but I do want your workouts to increase your heart rate to between 50-85 percent of your
maximum rate. This is your “target heart rate zone.” The following chart lists the target heart rate zones and maximum heart rates based on your age.
AGE Target HR Zone 50-85% of max. Average Maximum Heart Rate 100%
20 years 100–170 beats per minute 200 beats per minute
25 years 98–166 beats per minute 195 beats per minute
30 years 95–162 beats per minute 190 beats per minute
35 years 93–157 beats per minute 185 beats per minute
40 years 90–153 beats per minute 180 beats per minute
45 years 88–149 beats per minute 175 beats per minute
50 years 85–145 beats per minute 170 beats per minute
55 years 83–140 beats per minute 165 beats per minute
60 years 80–136 beats per minute 160 beats per minute
65 years 78–132 beats per minute 155 beats per minute
70 years 75–128 beats per minute 150 beats per minute
These guidelines can help you gauge the intensity of your workouts, but I don’t want you to get too bogged down by these numbers. Remember, the most important
thing is to move. A good start is just to get off the couch and walk around the block.
Variety Is the Spice of…Exercise
Another important thing to remember as you start working out is to include some variation. You don’t want to do the same thing every day because your body will
get used to your routine. Let’s say you start out walking around your neighborhood every day for an hour. Great. You notice you are feeling better and are beginning to
lose weight. After you do this for two or three weeks, suddenly your weight loss slows down even though you are doing the same thing. You wonder what on earth is
happening. Your body is simply getting used to the activity. It has figured out your routine, and the growth you once experienced from walking has stopped.
Amy and I are always switching up our workouts. We don’t do the same thing every day. Some days we run. Some days we swim. Some days we take a weight-training class at the gym. This helps our body to be constantly surprised so we are always gaining the benefits of exercise.
Another way of varying your workouts is to vary the intensity with interval training. Training this way gives your metabolism a shock to its system. Interval training is
getting your heart rate really high for a short amount of time (fifteen seconds to one minute), and bringing it back down for a few more minutes, and then repeating the
process. This is not hard to do. If you start out walking, add some spurts of brisk walking to your routine. If you walk on a treadmill, every few minutes hit the grade
button and increase your incline for thirty seconds.
If you are a member of a gym, you can mix up your routine by taking classes that include aerobic activity and weight training. Check out the schedule at your local
gym and see what they have.
Tips and Resources
As you get started on your fitness journey, here are a few recommendations. You don’t need to do all of them right now, but keep them in mind as you incorporate
exercise into your new, healthy lifestyle.
Get a good pair of running shoes. I recommend getting these as soon as possible. Go to an athletic store and get fitted for the right athletic shoe for your feet. We all
can’t wear the same kind of sneaker. Each person has a different arch and instep and different fitness goals. Spend some time with a professional in the store and talk
about these things. He or she will suggest the right shoe for your needs.
Buy a water bottle. This is a necessity right off the bat. You must have a water bottle with you at all times. By now you know you need to be drinking water all the
time. Buy a water bottle that holds at least twenty ounces and that will keep your water cool.
Get some workout clothes. You don’t have to go nuts and spend tons of money. If this is not in your budget right now, don’t worry. Just wear some oversized T-shirts
and shorts you have in the house. When you are ready to buy (since the clothes you’re now wearing will soon become very baggy), buy clothes that are comfortable
and reasonably priced based on your budget.
I suggest investing in clothes made from moisture-wicking material, especially if you cycle or run. You can ask the clothing specialist at a store for help picking out the
right apparel. Most people wear clothes made of cotton when they work out, but cotton absorbs sweat and clings to your skin. Moisture-wicking apparel gets rids of
moisture quickly and keeps you drier.
If you are a woman, buy a few good sports bras that will give you support and keep you comfortable.
Another great investment is a pair of compression shorts you can wear underneath your regular shorts or workout pants. They help with the chaffing that comes when
your thighs rub together.
Buy a heart rate monitor. While this is not a must, it is a great tool for judging the intensity of your workouts and how many calories you are burning.
To gym or not to gym? You do not have to join a gym, but there are many advantages to being a member—trainers who can help you on your way, different classes
and activities so you can try new things and switch up your workouts, and people you meet who may eventually become your workout buddies. This has happened to
both Amy and me. We have met some of our closest friends at our local gym.
I know it might be intimidating at first to work out in front of others. This is a fear you might have to work through. Try not to think about what others are thinking
about you. Who cares what they think. You are there to focus on your health goals. You are there to feel and look better. You are there to ultimately gain a better life.
Don’t let your insecurities keep you from joining a gym.
Most gyms offer free passes. Try out a couple of facilities in your area and choose the one you like best. Pick a place that motivates you and moves you forward and
offers a comfortable and positive environment that you can grow in.
Fitness equipment for your home. If you are not going to join a gym and you want to keep some equipment in your home, this is what we recommend. Our workout
plans (see appendix E) list exercises you can do with some of these items. Otherwise, take a look at the many instructional fitness DVDs out there, find one you like,
and buy the required equipment to do those workouts. Some basic (and inexpensive) home equipment includes:
• Jump rope
• Dumbbells (3 lbs–25 lbs)
• Yoga mat
• Workout and instructional DVDs
• Medicine ball
• Inflatable large ball
• Resistance bands
The Plan
The 90-Day Fitness Challenge comes with three fitness plans, one plan for each month. You’ll find these plans in appendix E at the back of the book. The first is an
easy one to get you started and get you comfortable with the basics. Since you are probably a beginner at exercise, it will include activities tailored for someone just
starting out on a weight-loss journey. The plan for the second month is more challenging and will encourage you to try different exercises. The third plan is the most
intense with heavier weight workouts and higher-intensity cardio. It will also help your fitness level grow and help you to stay motivated.
Don’t feel the need to attach yourself to all of our recommendations. They are meant to guide you on your way, but you should commit to a plan that you enjoy and
that works for you. If you want to get a personal trainer, by all means go for it. You can even tailor your routine on your own. There are great resources out there to
help you get started. We like:
• Shape Magazine’s Ultimate Body Book: 4 Weeks to Your Best Abs, Butt, Thighs, and More by Linda Shelton with Angela Hynes
• Fitness for Dummies by Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent
• 8 Minutes in the Morning for Extra-Easy Weight Loss by Jorge Cruise
• The 10-Minute Total Body Breakthrough by Sean Foy, Nellie Sabin, Mike Smolinski, and William Sears, MD
• The Biggest Loser Fitness Program: Fast, Safe, and Effective Workouts to Target and Tone Your Trouble Spots —Adapted from NBC’s Hit Show! by
The Biggest Loser experts and cast, with Maggie Greenwood-Robinson
When you get to the daily challenges in Part 2 of this book, you will see each day has space to record your workouts. Write down what you do every day. You might
want a separate notebook to do this. The key is to monitor your fitness levels and see where you are increasing your intensity and weights.
Remember, being active is a key part of living a healthy lifestyle. Gaining health and losing weight means getting off that couch and moving around. You’ll quickly
notice the difference in how you feel once you substitute an active lifestyle for a sedentary one.
Losing weight brings tremendous positive life changes. For us, one of the big things we learned was our responsibility to help others better their lives. When we saw
how drastic our lives changed by taking care of our bodies, we knew we had to pass the message along. You’ll see what we mean in the next chapter when we explore
our final key in the DREAM principle.
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