The 45 - Day Challenge

This challenge is the tool you need to focus on your health and fitness journey. You are challenging yourself to create a lifestyle change through fitness and food selection. The response from Phoenix Silhouettes subscribers has been overwhelmingly positive. I want to encourage each and every person to ‘GO HARD OR GO HOME’ when participating in this challenge and to continue even after the official challenge ends. You need to decide what is best for you when it comes to the right nutrition and the right amount of exercise based on your level of physical fitness and current state of overall health. The smallest changes can yield the most significant results. BOTTOMLINE….. we ALL want RESULTS!!!!

Active Participants

You have a choice to accept the challenge and be active participate or stand and watch others transform from the sideline. All active participates will receive special emails and direct messages to assist with holding you accountable through the duration of the challenge. To be an active participate, you need to contact Phoenix Silhouettes by email or through Instagram/Facebook confirming you will be participating (for those who have already been communicated your desire to participate - there is nothing for you to do at this time). The top active participant with the best results from the 45-Day Challenge will have the opportunity to feature in the July Blog with an interview and before/after photo layout. The feature is NOT mandatory to participate but rather an option to Display Your Phoenix showing everyone the RESULTS from your hard-work, dedication, and determination. It’s a chance to share your experiences i.e. the good, the bad, and the ugly. The greatest reward from this challenge is CHANGE. There is absolutely nothing to lose but pounds and inches. You will gain discipline, patience, and confidence.

RULES FOR ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS

Between May 1st and May 7th

Take Your Measurements

The largest part of both upper arms “bat-wing”
Natural waist above belly button
Hips
The largest part of both thighs
Step on the scale for an accurate weight.

Submit your information with a good quality full body photo to thephoenixsilhouettes@gmail.com (don’t worry - I don’t need the panty and sport bra photo). The photo should be one you can re-create (same pose, same place, similar outfit, etc.) a side by side at the end of the challenge to show your results.

The MENU

DISCLAIMER: You should always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan. The below are recommendations based on my own personal experiences.

During this 45-day challenge, you should drink plenty of water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea. Using artificial sweeteners and/or powdered drink mixes are an option but not recommended as several of these are known to spike insulin. Please do your research if you MUST use a sweetener.

Absolutely NO sodas (not even diet), juice, energy drinks, etc. The only exception is the carbonated flavored water like the Clear American brand at Wal-Mart (if you can tolerate the taste).

You need to practice portion control. You should only eat when you are hungry AND avoid snacking. You should consider 2 meals (some will be able to do one meal) a day through Intermittent Fasting (IF) and consume your meals during a 6-8 hr restricted eating window. For example, consider having your first meal around 1 pm and second meal around 6 pm or 7 pm. If you are unable to reduce your number of meals, it will be extremely important to watch your portions and to only eat when you are hungry or as directed by your doctor. Remember, sometimes we are emotional eaters (depression or anxiety). You should try drinking a bottle of water first. If after consuming a bottle of water you are still hungry, then have your meal. It is necessary to control your desire to snack during the day.

Your meals should consist of moderate protein and plenty of vegetables. The protein should be meats such as chicken (breast or thighs), beef (all cuts), turkey (all cuts), and seafood (all types). You can grill, broil, bake, sear, skillet fry (no grease), or Crock-pot action as you desire. You CANNOT have fried foods.

You can have plenty of vegetables. The best vegetables are the dark green leafy such as collard greens, spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, etc. You CANNOT have potatoes and YES (Veronica), this includes sweet potatoes.

You MUST stay away from carb-filled starchy foods like rice, beans, bread, tortillas, and pasta. This includes the wheat variation and it includes CORNBREAD. There are some diet friendly alternatives but right now the focus is on detoxing.

As many of you will be reducing your carb intake drastically, you will experience cravings. While you should AVOID sugars like candy, cookies, and sweet snacks, if you cannot fight the craving then you should try eating nuts and/or limited fruit options like:

sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts BUT please WATCH YOUR PORTIONS. Remind yourself, you are not being deprived, you are detoxing.
blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, green olives, and avocados BUT please WATCH YOUR PORTIONS. Remind yourself, you are not being deprived, you are detoxing.

The goal is to prepare your meals at home if at all possible. You are able to control ingredients used and ensure portion control. There are so many recipes available with 4 - 5 ingredients total and it tastes the same if not better than these restaurants. My best advice to you is PREPARE & KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!!!

#mealprepsunday example shown here. I cooked all of this in 2 1/2 hours on Sunday, 04/28/19.

As you can see the meals will consistent of a source of protein (portion size should be about the size of the palm of your hand) and vegetables (lots of vegetables).

The WORKOUT

DISCLAIMER: You should always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan. The below are recommendations based on my own personal experiences.

Ideally, you want to do some form of cardio 3 - 4 times a week. If you are just getting off the couch for the first time in a long time, you should start with power walks 3 - 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes and work your way up to more sessions per week or longer walks. A power walk means you will not be able to hold a conversation because you should be breathing hard or struggling to get words out, OTHERWISE, you are not performing strenuous enough to get your heart rate up to yield results. This also means you likely should not be able to scroll Facebook/Instagram, view emails, or text messages. As a matter of fact, put your phone in your pocket to avoid distraction. Use your phone for music only or to follow a video workout.

If you are currently a little more active and do not consider yourself a couch potato, you should attempt High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for an hour at least 3 - 4 days a week. This is what I have been doing since 12/31/18 when I decided to recommit and start my 2019 Health and Fitness Journey. This type of exercise allows me to burn 500 - 700 calories during the workout session. It is a total body workout including 20 mins of cardio on the treadmill as well as body weight exercises to get my heart rate up and keep it up for optimal results.

Before the start of the challenge, please do your research and determine your level of fitness AND what your current schedule allows when planning your workouts and the times you will workout. You need to factor in your work schedule and family commitments. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES TO AVOID WORKOUTS. Let me tell you, it is so easy to talk yourself out of going to the gym. The only person impacted by not working out is YOU. There are so many YouTubers with workout videos, DVDs, blogs, etc. There are exercises as simple as jumping rope or doing jumping jacks, high-knees, push-ups, squats, lunges, arm curls and press with dumbbells, planks, burpees, and donkey kicks. The options are endless. The main objective is to have a plan going in before you get started so you do not get intimidated. Again, KEEP IT SIMPLE. I suggest you write down your workout so you know exactly what you will do when you start your workout.

Sample of HIIT Workout

The sample below should take an hour to an hour and 15 mins to complete:

1st Set - Pick two leg exercises and two arm exercises and one exercise to get your heart rate up.
Do 10 - 20 reps of each exercise. Do 4 rounds.
Get on the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike or run in place for up to 10 mins. Example at home - I literally ran from my front door around my living room to the back door (and made like a circle) for 10 mins to get my heart rate up and to keep moving.
2nd Set - Pick two more leg exercises and two arm exercises and one exercise to get your heart rate up (DIFFERENT EXERCISES FROM 1ST SET).
Do 10 - 20 reps of each exercises. Do 4 rounds.
Get on the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike or run in place for up to 10 mins.
3rd Set - Pick either two leg exercises or two arm exercises and one exercise for your abs (sit-ups/crunches/leg lifts/Russian twists, etc.).
Do 10 - 20 reps of each exercise but at least 30 - 50 reps on the abs exercise. Do 4 rounds.
Get on the treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike or run in place for up to 10 mins.

When performing HIIT, you need to complete the (4) rounds a short 30 second breaks if you need to stop (long enough to grab water or wipe sweat).

The WAIST TRAINING

DISCLAIMER: You should always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan. The garments available for purchase are LATEX and consumers should be cautious and avoid exposure if allergic. The below are recommendations based on my own personal experiences.

To aid in your workouts, you can utilize the Phoenix Pheathers Premium Waist Trainers (as seen in my monthly updates and recent Facebook/Instagram posts). This is NOT a requirement to participate in the challenge. The waist trainer is designed to help stimulate thermal activity which makes you sweat more (reducing water weight) and this increases your internal body heat (boosting metabolism). This boost in your metabolism helps you burn calories and coupled with a caloric deficit results in weight loss.

If you are considering “Waist Training”, you need to understand the garment is a tool to assist with slimming down the waist/mid-section. The results vary based on a person’s lifestyle, body type, body goals, etc. My journey is proof the waist trainers will provide an added benefit with the proper exercise and diet.

If you are new to waist training, you should start slowly. You should wear the garment 1 - 2 hours a day for the first 3 - 5 days. You need to stay consistent to break in the garment. By Day # 5, your garment should feel more natural allowing you to increase the wear time to 4 - 6 hours a day for at least 10 days (you can remove the garment after 2 - 3 hours for about an hour and then put it back on for the remaining 2 - 3 hours). After 10 days at 4 - 6 hours, you should be able to wear your garment 8 - 12 hours each day. The longer you wear the garment the more likely it is for your to see and feel results.

Not only will the trainer #SNATCH the waist and #ENHANCEFIREBODIES, your posture is likely to improve which in itself will help you exude confidence.

The available latex trainers are long torso (full coverage). They do not roll or fold with movement, sweating, or when worn for extended periods of time.

3 Months Progress - From 1st Row of Hooks to 2nd Row of Hooks

If you are interested, please visit Phoenix Pheathers for the waist trainer options and order yours today.

The WRAP-UP

It’s time for you to ask yourself a few simple questions:

ARE YOU READY TO JUMPSTART YOUR WEIGHLOSS JOURNEY? DO YOU WANT TO LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE?

IS THE WAIST SNATCHED CUZ #SUMMASCOMING? ARE YOU #SUMMATIMEFINE?

You do not have to purchase a Phoenix Pheathers Premium Latex Waist Trainer to participate. This challenge is FREE. You have nothing to lose but pounds and inches. You should follow the steps above to confirm your participation and also submit your measurements and “before” photo by 05/07/19. The challenge ends 06/21/19. The participates have until Noon 06/22/19 to submit their measurements/weight/post-challenge photo . The winner will be announced by 06/25/19.

LET’S DO THIS!!

DISCLAIMER: You should always consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan. The garments available for purchase are LATEX and consumers should be cautious and avoid exposure if allergic.