Les Mills 21-Day Nutritional Challenge

Les Mills 21-Day Challenge

Nutrition is an essential part of health. We all know the huge benefits of exercise and that eating healthy, whole, clean, nutrient-rich foods enhance health even further.

You may have heard about the new 21-day eating plan Les Mills is offering.

Les Mills is moving into nutrition because they stand for a fitter planet, plain and simple.

The 21-Day challenge is a way to RESET YOUR HABITUAL EATING PATTERNS.  This means they are using a safe 3-week period to help detox your body and healthy eating habits so you can start fresh with more conscious behaviors around food.

The Penn State University undertook a Literature review on the safety and efficacy of low carbohydrate diets like this one.

What you need to know is the 21-day plan is a low carbohydrate diet and it has the essential components to be considered safe.

You must follow the plan, as it is, especially the prescribed amounts of vegetables and water and eating at the regular intervals. And if you can't live without carbs, eat some; just make sure they are whole unprocessed and nutrient rich.

And remember, this approach may not be right for you; it is just an offering for those of you who want to try it!

If you have tried and feel it is beneficial, you are most welcome to share it. You can find the full report at www.lesmills.com/research

What Is Included In the Les Mills 21-Day Challenge

Reduce your waist size in just 21 days! Check out the Les Mills Pyramid (NOTE pyramid contains photos that aren't in the plan) to remind yourself of the different food classifications first. Now, this is tough - but Les Mills promises that you won't regret it. You will only be sorry for not having tried it sooner.

This is it: Women eat FIVE meals per day and men eat SIX meals a day. On workout days, one of these meals is a post-workout protein shake.

THE FACTS

1. There is no evidence to suggest that low carbohydrate diets for a SHORT period of time are harmful.

2. This plan eliminates the foods we KNOW to be terrible for us - high calories and low in nutritional value - like processed snack foods and sweetened beverages.

3. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that low carbohydrate diets improve glucose control in the body, raise HDL cholesterol, reduce triglycerides (TGs) and improve the parameters of metabolic syndrome.

MEAL PLANNING

Every Meal MUST Contain:

Protein: one palm full of animal protein; that includes fish, chicken, turkey, duck, pork, beef, lamb, shellfish and eggs.

Fat: a thumb size focusing on getting in your essential fatty acids; like avocado, olive oil, walnuts and flax seeds.

Carbohydrates: one to two handfuls of low starch carbs such as asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, raw carrots, onions, tomatoes and eggplant.

Protein Shake: only WHEY protein and water. Women should have .01 ounces per kg of body weight; men should have .02 ounces per kg of body weight.

Water: take your body weight in kg and multiply by 0.033 liters of water per day, then add an extra 8 ounce glass of water for every hour of exercise.

Foods to Avoid: diary products, roasted salty nuts, grains, including oats, polenta, rice, couscous, wheat, fruit, legumes (beans), starchy vegetables, and soy apart from Tamari.

And to drink: Water, herbal tea, coffee (black), black tea, No sweeteners.

TIPS

- Never skip meals, as this will just leave you feeling hungry

- If you feel hungry between meals, snack on 6-8 nuts

- Try to stop eating 2 hours before bedtime so the digestion process does not affect your sleep and recovery

- Vary your protein sources to get a good mix of amino acids, so you do not end up with food sensitivities

- Never skip the veggies, as these are an important source of fiber to keep your digestive system healthy

- East a ratio of 2:1 white meat to red meat

- To monitor how well you are doing, take a waist measurement before the after the challenge

DAY 22

Follow the eating guidelines shown in the Les Mills Food Pyramid and make sure you practice following the portion sizes suggested. Remember: try to stay focused on eating whole foods only!

This eating plan is difficult; you will have moments when you want to chew your arm off, and times when you'd consider mugging someone for their French Fries! But once you slide gracefully into your skinny jeans in three weeks' time all the pain will be forgotten. Go to your cupboard now, put everything that's not on the list in a box, drive it to the nearest homeless shelter and leave the box there. Go to the gym and enjoy the next 21 days of Bliss.

Make sure you check out the commonly asked questions at: www.lesmills.com/research

If you need specialized nutritional guidance or help contact Flow Studio's Health and Wellness Coach (Teresa Harlow) at teresa.harlow@youcanwellness.com or (740) 972-1116.

Visit www.flowwithus.com for more information on Flow Studio's Elite Group Fitness Classes.