Monday, February 4, 2008

Weight-Loss Without Fuss In 20 Minutes a Day

Important Notice

Important Notice Regarding Program Prerequisites
This weight-loss routine assumes that the person undergoing the routine (you!) is young and healthy and not suffering from any obvious or non-obvious health problems. We believe that the routine is safe and based on a sound theoretical understanding of physiological principles. While the vast majority of people undergoing this routine will have a very smooth experience, we recommend that you speak to your health-care professional before embarking on this or any other fitness or weight-loss routines.

The "No Excuses" Mindset
Following are some excuses that people give when they want to avoid exercising
  • I've had a hard day
  • I'm busy
  • I have no time
  • I'm tired
  • I'll workout later
  • I'm getting onto a plane in the next few hours
  • I've just arrived from a long-distance plane journey and I'm tired

However, these same folks don't make such excuses when they need to:
  • Shower
  • Brush their teeth
  • Watch TV

Resolve today to develop the "No Excuses" mindset. Resolve that you will exercise your body or your mind for at least 20 minutes everyday. This program will make it easy for you by teaching you exercises that you can accomplish in the privacy of your home. Let's get started!


Introduction to the Weight-Loss Without Fuss Routine
You will see that the routines in this program don't focus on isolating various parts of your body. There are no "upper body days" or "chest days" which are common to those with even the most rudimentary exposure to body building or weight training. Unlike body-building routines which break up your workouts into those targetting specific body parts, this workout simply serves up very basic exercises that impact your system and your core.This is because, the vast majority of people that are simply looking to improve and maintain their overall health will benefit more from a whole body routine that has systemic impact rather than isolation moves.

The Weight-Loss Without Fuss routine is always broken up into 3 parts:

1. An initial visualization part lasting about 3 minutes
2. A warm-up section lasting about 5 minutes
3. A toning work-out section lasting about 10 minutes
4. A cool-down visualization section lasting about 2 minutes

And while you must attempt to workout almost everyday, it is completely alright to miss a workout because of illness or a time-crunch. During these days, however, you must spend at least 3 minutes doing the visualization for that particular day. Also, because you want to make exercising a habit, work out first thing in the morning - just before you shower.


How To Visualize
Visualize the body you want to have and the kind of person you want to be. Affirm the following while visualizing the statement in rich detail:
1. I'm lean and in excellent physical shape
2. My waist is trim
3. My posture is erect
4. My breathing is deep and rhythmic
5. My muscles and strong
6. My joints are supple and flexible
7. I'm the kind of person who needs to exercise everyday
8. I'm the kind of person who likes to eat healthy food
9. I'm the kind of person who likes to eat slowly
10. I'm the kind of person who is calm, relaxed and tranquil

These statements tend to ingrain themselves in your consciousness and impact your behavior long after your workout routine. Mention each statement 3 times and visualize in rich detail the associated feeling. For example, when you say "My joints are supple" imagine yourself leaning forward and touching your toes with ease. Or when you say "My muscles are strong", visualize yourself doing a push-up with perfect form. This visualization routine should be carried out everyday and should last about 3 minutes.

The Warm-up Exercises:
The Toe Touch
Stand with your feet a little less than shoulder width apart. Knees very slightly bent. Raise your hands overhead. Lean back with your arms raised and look up at the ceiling. Now lean forward and touch your toes. Repeat very slowly 5 times taking 5 seconds to go down and 5 seconds to come up. Breathe slowly and audibly.

The Side Stretch
Stand with your feet a little less than shoulder width apart. Knees very slightly bent. Raise your hands overhead. Now lean to your left. Then to your right. Repeat very slowly taking 5 seconds for each movement. Breathe slowly and audibly.


Jogging in Place
Jog in place. Bring your knees high up nearly about the level of your hips. Keep a steady rhythm. Do this continuously for about 3 minutes.


The Toning Exercises
Overhead Squat with Laptop

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold your laptop (in it's carrying case please!) with both hands and raise it overhead by extending both your hands. Squat down till your thighs are parallel to the floor. Rise up. Take 2 seconds to go down and 1 second to come up. Breathe out while going down and breathe in while coming up. This exercise strengthens your posture muscles and your thighs.

Push Up
This is the basic pushup. Get down and face the floor while supporting your body on your palms and toes. Touch your chest to the floor. Get back to the starting position. Take 2 seconds to go down and 1 second to come up. Breathe out while going down and breathe in while coming up.

Squat Upright Row With Laptop
Stand in a wide stance with feet wider than your shoulders. Hold your laptop with it's handle with both hands. This means that the laptop will be dangling between your legs. Now squat down till your thighs are parallel to the floor. Come up and while you near the top of your stance, raise the laptop handle up till your neck. Keep your elbows high. Take 2 seconds to go down and 1 second to come up. Breathe out while going down and breathe in while coming up.

Squat Thrusts
Get into the push up starting stance (Get down and face the floor while supporting your body on your palms and toes.) Jump and bring your feet close to your hands. Get back to starting position.

Bent Over Row With Laptop
Hold your laptop with both hands and lean forward. Keep your back flat. And allow your laptop to dangle below your chest. Bring your laptop up to your chest. Extend your hands slowly until the lap top is dangling below your chest again.

Lunging Press with Laptop
Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Hold a laptop with both hands on your head. Lunge forward with one leg while simultaneously raising both your hands (and your laptop) overhead. Get back to starting position. Repeat.

The Turkish Getup
Lie down on the floor with a small weight (say a thick book like a bible in your hotel room.) Hold the weight in one hand and straighten the hand holding the weight (your arm will now be perpendicular to the floor.) Now get up from the ground and come up to a standing position while holding the weight perpendicular to the floor. When you finish you will be standing with one arm extended upward. Go back to the sleeping position while continuing to maintain the perpendicularity of your arm.

Abdominal Curl
Lie down on the floor with knees bent. Bend your arms across your chest. Now slowly curl your body until your shoulders are off the floor and you are looking through your knees. Then uncurl yourself back to the starting position. Do this really slowly ... one vertebra at a time.


The Cool Down Exercises
The Cobra
Lie face down on the floor with the palms of your hands on the floor at the level of your shoulders. Arch yourself up on your hands while twisting your spine backwards. Continue rising till you are able to look up and see the ceiling. Hold this position for about 20 seconds.

The Cat Stretch
Get down on the floor on your knees and hands. Round your back like a cat until you can see your navel. Hold for 10 seconds. Then arch your back till you can see the ceiling. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat.


The Routines
The visualization, warm up and cool down routines are common for all days. Only the work-out routines will change everyday. Pick a routine based on your interest, energy level , availability of equipment and previous day's workout. Do three sets of 10 reps each for each exercise. Rest 20 seconds between sets. Workout slowly and deliberately.

Day 1:
Overhead Squat with Laptop
Push Up
Squat Upright Row With Laptop


Day 2:
Squat Thrusts
The Turkish Getup

Day 3:
Bent Over Row With Laptop
Lunging Press with Laptop
Abdominal Curl



Eating Smart
Diet is an extremely important part of a weight loss routine. Follow these tips to lose weight:
  • Eat a heavy breakfast
  • Consume a handful of almonds everday
  • Consume some milk-products (like skim milk or yoghurt) everday
  • Don't eat more than one egg yolk a day. Consume at least 3 egg whites everday.
  • Consume at least 10 glasses of water everday
  • Eat foods that are heavy in water - like watermelon and cucumber
  • If you want to indulge yourself with desert, ice cream or chocolate, do so before 3:00 PM when your metabolism has a chance to deal with the excess calorie intake.
  • Eat complex, unprocessed foods like whole wheat.
  • Avoid white bread.
  • Avoid sugar and sugary foods.
  • Avoid too much of caffeine. Stick to a maximum of two cups of coffee or tea per day (and that too before 4:00 PM.)
  • Eat very light after 4:00 PM and until bedtime (this is probably our most important recommendation.)


Tying It All Together
Reaching your ideal weight requires a combination of diet, exercise and most importantly stress control. If you sleep too little or sleep badly you will tend to overeat and you'll not have the clear-headedness required to eat smart and work-out regularly. If you are too anxious or stressed out your adrenaline levels will cause you to eat more sugar. So watch your thoughts and your responses to events in your life. Develop a harmonious, equanimous outlook to life. In the end, you will get what you deserve. Sleep well, eat smart and workout regularly. Don't overdo anything or you'll risk injury or your body will crave more food. Stay with the program for six weeks and enjoy your new life!

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