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Day 1

Words John doe Photography Jane doe

Drink mor
water e

52/FEBRUARY 2013/menstness.co.uk

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FIT BY FEB

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31
DAYS
TO YOUR FITTEST
YEAR EVER

Make one change a day and see your

body transform in a month
Words Joel Snape Photography Danny Bird
Fitness isnt an all-out war, its a series of small skirmishes. By taking tiny steps and
changing your life one day at a time youll be more likely to stick with the
changes you make and theyll mount up to improve your life. This plan
runs for one calendar month, with some tasks designed for the
working week and some that are easier to tackle at the
weekend. Stick to it and within weeks youll
be fitter than ever.

Day 1

SAT Drink more water

Good news the best nutritional supplement is already

pumped conveniently into your house. Studies have shown
that low hydration levels affect everything from physical
performance to mood and the remedy couldnt be simpler.
Aiming for half a pint of water per hour will see that youre well
hydrated throughout the day, says trainer Stephen Hoyles. Just
stop at least an hour before bed so your sleep isnt disrupted.

Day 2

SUN Push, pull, lunge

Want to get lean

while adding muscle? Strength
and conditioning expert Chad
Waterburys ultra-simple push,
pull, lunge programme is the
solution: do pull-ups, lunges and
press-ups every day for the next

30 days. If you can already do

ten pull-ups, start with ten reps
of each exercise. If you cant,
start with one. Add one rep every
day for the rest of the month.
The first week should feel
like nothing, says Waterbury.
But small additions each day
make a big difference over the

long haul. Do it first thing in the

morning so it wont interfere
with your other workouts
apart from providing an
easy boost to your fat loss,
muscle and endurance.

Day 3

Fix your breakfast

Day 4

Its easiest to eat cereal on

workday mornings, right?
Wrong. Eating cereal for
breakfast will give you low
blood sugar by mid-morning
and make you hungrier in the
long run, says Dr John Briffa,
author of Escape The Diet Trap.
You dont need to eat a lot to
fuel the body throughout the
morning but you should have

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something low-carb thats

nutritionally sustainable, such
as plain full-fat yoghurt with
berries and nuts, scrambled
eggs or hard-boiled eggs with
smoked salmon or ham that
you dont even have to cook.

Rethink your commute

According to a 2011 study

on Swedish office workers,
commuting by car or public
transport as opposed to on
foot or by bike has links to
depression, exhaustion and
stress. If switching isnt an
option, get off a stop earlier so
you get a walk or take the stairs
when you get to the office.

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Day 5

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Upgrade your lunch

If youre suffering from mid-afternoon tiredness, reduce your

carb intake at lunch, says Hoyles. Opt for high-protein, low-carb
meals such as chicken salad to stabilise your blood sugar and
prevent afternoon energy dips. Use olive oil as a dressing for a
boost in healthy fat.

Day 6

Streamline your inbox

Every ping from your email

produces a tiny spike in your
levels of the stress hormone
cortisol, which promotes fat
storage. Cut back with Gmails
filter option: create a NonEssential folder and filter
Amazon shipment updates,
newsletters and the like
directly into it. And switch
off the notification noise.

Day 7

Hit the bar

Unless youve decided to quit

booze (it wouldnt hurt), switch
your Friday night pints for a
paleo margarita, invented
by The Paleo Solution author
Robb Wolf agave tequila with
soda water and plenty of lime.
The tequila doesnt give much
of a blood sugar hit and the
lime blunts it even further. The
bubbles just make it taste nice.

Day 8

SAT Get outside

Words John doe Photography Jane doe

Go for a walk. A study

in the Journal Of Environmental
Science linked outdoor
workouts with increased energy
as well as lower levels of
tension, confusion, anger and
depression. A brisk walk will
also boost your fat loss without
elevating harmful cortisol levels.

Day 10

Use the officechair stretch

If youve got a desk job, your

glutes and hip flexors are
dormant for most of the day.
Wake them up with this stretch
from mobility coach Kelly
Starrett (mobilitywod.com).
Sit resting your right foot on
your left thigh. Keeping your
back straight, bend forward
at the hip. For more support,
hook your crossed knee on
a desk or table.

specialist Chris Kemp.

Experiment to see if it works
for you. The spray version is the
easiest to use try it before bed.

Day 11

Day 13

The easiest, most effective

change to your eating habits
is to keep your drinks simple.
The sugar or fructose in soft
drinks and even orange
juice is unnecessary and
leads to weight gain, says
personal trainer Max Manlay.
Stick to coffee, especially in
the morning caffeine is a mild
fat-burning agent. As a bonus,
studies say it will also help
you work harder in the gym.

Replace grains with greens to

improve your body composition
and load up on crucial nutrients,
says Hoyles. If you dont like
greens, blend them into a
smoothie to avoid the taste
but enjoy the benefits. Spinach
in a shake sounds awful but
youll barely notice it.

Ditch the cola

Day 12

Try magnesium

Magnesium has been linked to

fighting depression, regulating
blood pressure and improving
sleep quality, says strength
coach and biosignature

Eat your greens

Day 14

Enhance your sleep

Its Friday again and time to do

something about your recovery.
To get the best nights sleep
you can, make your bedroom
as dark as possible: blinking
lights, such as alarm clocks and
standby LEDs, will affect your
bodys melatonin levels and
decrease your quality of sleep.

Day 9

SUN Soundtrack your gym sessions

Several studies suggest that music in the

120-140 beats per minute range will help you work
harder during your workout. Create a playlist on your
MP3 player and use the free Nike+ app to assign your
favoured tune to the easily accessed power song slot.
54/FEBRUARY 2013/menstness.co.uk

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Day 15

SAT Automate your shop

Use an automated service such

as Amazons Subscribe & Save to keep
a steady flow of your non-perishable
recipe choices, and the Grocery IQ
app to organise your meat and veg
needs. With a firm plan, youre less
likely to stray down the cake aisle.

Day 15

Automa
your shote
p

Day 16

SUN Batch cook

Do a big cook at the

weekend and you wont need
to rely on your local eateries
during the week, ensuring you
eat healthy meals. Instead of
going to the gym on Sunday, use
the hour to chop and bag veg,
boil eggs or otherwise prepare
meals, says strength coach
Dan John. It will pay bigger
dividends. Need inspiration?
Try this muscle-building recipe.

Muscle chilli

500g lean beef mince / 1 red

onion, roughly chopped /
3 cloves garlic / 1 can chopped
tomatoes / 1 medium carrot,
grated / 1 medium courgette,
grated / 1 tube tomato pure /
-1 organic beef stock cube /
1tsp honey / Dried chilli flakes
to taste / Chilli powder,
hot paprika, sweet paprika,
cinnamon powder (all to
taste) / 1tbsp olive oil

b Heat the oil and saut the onion

with the chilli flakes until the
onions start to caramelise.
b Add the garlic and spices, and
cook for a couple of minutes
before adding the mince.
b Fry the mince until thoroughly
ghly cooked
then add the rest of the ingredients.
b Stir thoroughly, reduce
duce the
heat and leave to simmer in
a covered pan for at least
40 minutes,
utes, or longer
if you have time.

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Day 17

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Train your handshake

Whatever you do in the gym, your hands are the last link
in the chain, says Kemp. Use thick-handled weights
in your workout to make sure they arent holding you
back. Or get a pair of super-strength hand-grippers (see
strengthshop.co.uk) and use them at your desk.

Day 18

Tea off

Switch one of your daily

cups of builders tea for the
green variety. It has mild
thermogenic effects, which
means its a fat-burner, and
antioxidant properties to reduce
cell damage. Add a slice of
lemon for a hit of vitamin C.

Day 19

Catch some Z

Low zinc levels exacerbate the

effects of stress and ageing
on the body, says Kemp.
Poor immunity, inability to
focus and a poor memory
are signs of a deficiency. An
easy way to get some is to
cook with garlic, which is also
high in vitamins B and C.

Day 20

Rethink the sofa

Commercial break? Instead

of lying motionless on the
couch, use it as a stretching
aid. Face away from the sofa
and put one knee on the seat
with your instep against the
back and your other foot on
the floor, says Starrett.
Squeeze your glutes and
drive your hips forward
to feel the stretch in your
quads and hip flexors.

Day 22

SAT Have sex

Its the weekend, so

spend some time with your
significant other and get
in the mood for romance by
mentioning that regular sex has
been linked to improved heart
health, stress levels and sleep.
It also burns up to 144 calories
in half an hour just right for
working off a glass of red wine.

Day 17

Train youkre
handsha

Day 23

SUN Fix your

shoulders

The band pull-apart is a versatile

move that can give you extra
upper-back definition, make
your shoulders stronger and
prevent damage from bench
presses or press-ups. It will also
improve your posture. Hold a
band with your hands shoulderwidth apart, then stretch it
across your chest. Get in 100
reps while youre watching TV.

Day 24

D-day

Vitamin D improves immunity,

organ function, mental health
and joint mobility, and helps
metabolise fats, says Hoyles.
In winter, you dont get enough
from the sun, so supplement
with at least 1,000IU a day.

Day 21

Go barefoot

Words John doe Photography Jane doe

The human foot has more than 100

muscles and tendons, says NFL
performance coach Joe DeFranco.
Wearing cushioned shoes is like
wearing a cast all day the muscles
and tendons become weaker over time,
which increases your chances of ankle,
knee, hip and back injury. Fix it by
training barefoot or by wearing minimal
shoes such as Vibram FiveFingers.

56/FEBRUARY 2013/menstness.co.uk

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Day 25

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Try fish oil

Fish oil has been shown to increase

fat metabolism, improve mood,
prevent cravings for unhealthy foods
and improve your joint health, says
Hoyles. Eat more salmon or keep a
fish oil supplement in the fridge.

Day 31

Take your
reward

Day 26

Superpower your shake

Still drinking just protein and water? You

can do better. Upgrade it with a handful of
berries (blueberries are best), some chia
seeds (for the omega 3 fatty acids) and a
splash of almond or coconut milk (if youre
trying to put on muscle). A meal in a glass.

Day 27

Start a journal

Its only for three days and dont worry,

you dont have to tell it your feelings. Use a
food-tracking app such as MyNetDiary to
track everything you eat over a three-day
period. The chances are youre going over
or under your calorie/protein/fat/carb
requirements and dont even realise it.

Day 28

Do a protein audit

You should be getting a minimum of

1.5g protein per kilo of lean body mass
per day, says Manlay. So if you weigh
80kg and have 10% body fat, aim for
108g a day. If youre not getting that,
make today the day to fix it. Its the
easiest way to fuel your muscle needs.

Day 29

SAT Eat more fat

Words John doe Photography Jane doe

Heres your new rule of thumb

for fats: unsaturated fat (found in avocado,
coconut, olive oil and fish) is good,
saturated fat (in red meat and butter) is OK
in moderation and trans fat (in processed
food) should be avoided at all costs. Use
today to familiarise yourself with them.

Day 30

SUN Test yourself

Turn to our feature Join The Gym

Elite on p60 and choose three tests. Note
your scores and commit to improving them.
Having measurable goals is the easiest way
to make progress they will keep you more
than motivated looking in the mirror ever
will, says strength coach Zach Even-Esh
(undergroundstrengthcoach.com).
58/FEBRUARY 2013/menstness.co.uk

Day 31

Take your reward

Have you changed your habits over

the rest of the month? Did you do your
full complement of pull-ups, lunges
and press-ups yesterday? Take the
day off and dont worry about it.
Dont think of it as a cheat day, says
nerdfitness.com founder Steve Kamb.
That implies youre doing something
wrong. Instead, apply the 80/20 rule
eating great 80% of the time and
having whatever youre in the mood
for the other 20% allows you to look
great, feel great and enjoy your life.
Tomorrow, start again.
For some great pull-up variations go to mensfitness.co.uk/links/pullups

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