Living a No Excuse Lifestyle

December 28, 2012

 

Disclaimer: You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program as well as making any nutritional changes in order to determine if it is right for your needs.

Opening thoughts:

In Scott Peck’s opening statement of his famous book, “The Road Less Traveled”  he writes: ‘Life is difficult.’ It is not meant to be easy – and if you think this “No Excuse Plan” is going to be a cake-walk then be aware right now that it will not. According to Peck, a fulfilled human being is a disciplined human being. Components of disciplines include delaying your gratification for future gains, accepting responsibility for your choices, dedicating yourself to seeking truth and balancing life’s conflicts.

Discipline.

Remember that word, because it will come up often in this “3-month No Excuse Program”.

Why THREE months? I use it because the number 3 is a sacred number. It represents balance, growth, abundance and clarity.

There are 3 evolutions in this process:

  1. Your mind
    Your mind has the power to create and the power to destruct. It will find a way or it will find an excuse. This fitness journey will require you to control your mind and the negative, self-defeating thoughts that stream through it on a daily basis. If you can discipline your mind, you can control your actions, if you can create positive works you can dictate your own destiny.
  2. Your body
    Your body is your temple – it’s the only thing you own in this world. It houses your incredible spirit and will be your savior or your setback in your long life on this earth. When you begin to treat your body with love, nourishment and respect, your body will begin to serve you.
  3. Your spirit
    There are feelings – felt in the mind and influenced by the body – and then there is intuition, which is felt in the soul. Your spirit is the invisible energy that will train when you’re tired, work when you’re weak and drive when you’re drained. Your spirit will unmask itself when you challenge it to fight for something you truly want.

There are 3 components we will focus on:

  1. Strength
    Muscle building is absolutely key to sculpting a toned physique. Muscle speeds your metabolism, increases your flexibility and protects your bones. Muscle is what literally shapes your body.
  2. Cardio
    Cardio requires you to challenge your heart and the blood and oxygen that flow through your veins to vital parts of your body. Cardio increases circulation, boosts endurance and burns fat.
  3. Flexibility
    Flexibility is having an optimal range of motion. Focusing on your flexibility helps prevent physical pain, loss of balance and risk of injury. In other words, it keeps you young.

There are 3 Macronutrients we will focus on:

  1. Carbohydrates
    I don’t promote low-carb diets. I can never survive on one. This is a balanced diet, which includes complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, brown rice/pasta/bread, sweet potatoes) and fruits – all of which provides you with energy.
  2. Proteins
    Proteins are amino acids, which are primarily helpful in building and repairing tissue in your body. It can be found in animal meats, fish, tofu, eggs and protein shakes.
  3. Fats
    Fats are key to brain health and overall energy. It can be found in avocado, olive oil and nuts.

There are 3 key people pertinent to your success:

  1. Your mentor
    That’s me. I will guide you. I will answer your questions and I will be your inspiration because I have walked your path before.
  2. Your supporter(s)
    That’s someone of your choosing. You may have to do this alone – but I assure you, if you really wanted to find someone who wants the best for you, you can find someone, even a stranger online. You need someone (other than me) who will be your support in this process.
  3. Your follower(s)
    Life is about give and take – it’s about balance (remember Peck’s statement?) So in order to receive, you must also give. Find someone who you will inspire, motivate and guide. There is always someone who needs more help than you, so find that person and help them. Becoming a role model creates a level of personal and social responsibility that most first born children are “blessed” to be given. In helping others, you are in essence, helping yourself.

Lastly, there are 3 stages in this transformational process:

  1. 3 days to overcome a craving
  2. 3 weeks to develop a new habit
  3. 3 months to see a significant transformation

This is my “No Excuse” Fitness Plan. This isn’t (all) about how to eat right and exercise. This is about Goal Setting. It’s about getting to know YOU: your strengths, your weaknesses, your excuses and most of all….your motivation.

I get countless emails asking ‘how I lost weight’ after carrying three kids in my belly for three years and the answers can be summed up like this:

–          I conditioned my body through exercise and healthy eating years prior

–          I gained the recommended pregnancy weight (30-38lbs for me)

–          I performed various core exercises and massaged my belly after every birth

–          I constantly set short term goals.

–          Most importantly: I was MOTIVATED to get back in shape.

Motivation is the KEY principle in this fitness journey. If you examine the lives of those who are incredible shapes you will see an invisible energy constantly pushing them to stay disciplined and train harder. It’s motivation. It’s motivation because their career depended on their physical body and beauty (celebrities). It’s motivation because their personal identity is closely tied to a fit body (athletes and models). For us ‘normal’ people, it’s because we set a life stage where we set higher expectations for ourselves.

I really want you to examine what motivates you.

There is a philosophical principle that states all human behavior is motivated by two things: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

For some of you, your desire to get incredible shape stems from wanting to look amazing in an outfit or walk confidently into a room without feeling physically insecure.

For others, focusing on your health means avoiding health-related diseases or escaping the torment you felt as a child for being overweight.

You need to find what motivates you – and WRITE IT DOWN.

After I gave birth I was motivated by both pain and pleasure. In my twenties I feared childbirth because of how it would destruct my body. At the gym older women would constantly react to my fit physique by saying, “What until you have children…”

I wanted to prove them wrong.

I also wanted to feel confident in my skin. After recovering from an eating disorder my weight ballooned into the 150’s and didn’t decline for several years because it became unresponsive to my yo-yo dieting.  I wanted to feel sexy, firm and fit again. I was driven by the pain of failure and the pleasure of success.

You need to be too.

This plan is not about perfection. It’s about progress. It’s about not giving up. I will be honest with you by confessing that I ate a couple cookies earlier tonight. I was premenstrual, incredibly stressed from work and fatigued from days on end with the kids. Do I feel bad? No. Will I begin anew tomorrow? For sure.

My point is that I’m not going to ask you to be perfect. I’m going to ask you to try to be perfect, knowing that it is impossible. While unachievable, it’s the strive that I’m seeking you to master…

As I stated (a couple sentences ago), The goal is to get to the end without giving up. You will achieve your fitness goals this year if you make a personal promise to not give up until you get there. This mentality makes success a matter of ‘when’ you will reach your goals and not ‘if’ you will.

In the next 3 months I will continue giving workout routines, nutritional advice and fitness motivation. However, since this is a community effort and I’m a busy mom with 3 kids, a business and hopefully a life, this effort will require a set of rules you will need to follow.

The Rules:

  1. Follow every task I give you
  2. Set weekly fitness and physical goals
  3. Do not message me. If you have a question, post it to my page: www.facebook.com/mariamkang and allow me and other people to comment. This ensures that I don’t have to answer the same question multiple times and provides other people to provide advice.
  4. Do not be negative towards anyone. I will block you.
  5. When I ask for results, I need your comments. I read every comment and I notice trends in those who comment most. In working with people in the past, I have observed that the more a someone communicates, the more successful he/she will be.
  6. Set your notifications to ‘see in news feeds’ for this page as I will be providing information daily.

Program Rules:

  1. Eat Breakfast every morning.
  2. Write down everything you eat
  3. Workout 3-4 times a week (or more)
  4. Drink ONLY water (or straight black coffee/tea)
  5. Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime (preferably 7pm)
  6. Eat small meals throughout the day (calories are dependent on current weight)
  7. Each meal must have a protein and carbohydrate. Include healthy fats as needed.
  8. Limit carbohydrate intake after 4pm.
  9. Weigh yourself weekly. Measure yourself monthly.
  10. Focus on core training twice a week
  11. Plan your cheat meals, which you can have once a week.

Exercise Rules:

  1. Warm up for five minutes before strength training
  2. Stretch after you warm up
  3. Focus a minimum of 20-40 minutes of strength training 3x/week (home workouts will be given later) Strength training can be broken up into upper/lower, push/pull, whole-body circuit splits.
  4. Focus on intense cardio and focus on a minimum of 20 minutes at least 3 times a week (or more) making sure you’re at your target heart rate, which measures anywhere between 130-180 beats per minute. (put your finger on the side of your throat, count how many beats for 15 seconds then multiply that number by 4)
  5. NOTE: I imagine you will be performing both strength and cardio training together, which is why you should be training 3-4 times a week for 40-60 minutes at a time. (see the math fits!)
  6. Use proper form : shoulders back, stomach drawn in, hips squared, back slightly arched, knees straight ahead.
  7. Stay hydrated at all times.

Diet Rules:

  1. Don’t starve yourself. Get to know calories and how much is in the foods you consume. I strongly suggest not changing your diet drastically in the beginning, just cutting your consumption for unhealthy foods in half.
  2. Don’t go low-carb. Enjoy bread, but just eat a slice. Enjoy rice, but try brown. Enjoy pasta, but measure out one portion size. Carbohydrates are your main sources for energy so don’t eliminate it.
  3. Don’t drink high-calorie, sugary drinks at Starbucks or Jamba Juice. (your body and budget will thank me)
  4. Don’t drink alcohol. You can indulge in one glass of wine a week (I would say totally omit it, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t indulge in one glass per week) Just know that it’s best to eliminate it totally if you seek faster results.
  5. Drink water but add lemon to it if needed. The acidity in lemons helps balance and detoxifies the body.
  6. The day after your cheat meal, get right back on track.
  7. Prepare your meals in advance (invest in Tupperware) to ensure consistent consumption
  8. Speaking of which – make sure you eat every 2-3 hours.

Personal Rules:

  1. Create a successful environment. This requires you to get rid of junk food in your house (nobody needs it there, not even your kids).
  2. Tell everyone you know that you are changing your lifestyle. (sometimes people like to be hush about this – but it doesn’t create a level of social accountability required to push you to the next level)
  3. Befriend other people who are on a similar journey (you will find many on my page, I encourage you to ‘friend’ each other)
  4. Write down your long term, specific  goals and secure it in a place you see every day. (I would choose my bathroom mirror)
  5. Envision what you want every day. Envision your day, your meals, your workouts and your positive attitude every morning.
  6. Write down motivational quotes and post it in places that will assist you in making better choices. For example, I post “you’re not hungry when you’re sleeping in my bedroom” – I have posted “take action” above my TV and “Nothing tastes good like being fit” on my refrigerator. Find the quotes (and people) that motivate you and post it!
  7. Reflect on your past Excuses. Was it lack of time? Lack of support? Stress? What was it?? Most often, the end answer is ‘lack of motivation’

…..because if you truly wanted it, you would make it happen. Regardless of excuse. I suggest you find what has prohibited you from succeeding in the past and create action plans on how to battle them in the future. Sometimes you will fail in the battle, but you get up and try again, and again and again…until you master the ‘excuses’ that prevents you from progressing.

Other thoughts:

  1. Enjoy the free service that ‘Google’ and ‘YouTube’ provides. I get so many questions, but the answers are also online. Find healthy recipes, home workouts, core training and nutritional information all on Google, Youtube, Bodybuilding.com and even my own websites: www.mariakang.com and www.fitnesscure.com
  2. Get organized. If you have a cluttered house, a messy room or a dirty car, clean it now. Your outward life is a reflection of your internal energy.
  3. Invest in a jump rope, pair of dumb bells, workout bands and a fitness DVD. If you don’t have a gym membership this is a $30 investment towards your health.

Homework:

  1. Write down your goals. Make at least 5 goals that are specific. I don’t want you to say ‘lose weight’ or ‘get a six pack’…I want it to be personal and realistic. I want to hear that you want to fit into old jeans, lose 20 pounds or run a 5k. Tape your goals to your bathroom mirror.
  2. Invest in your End Date, which is set for March 31st. At this time I would like you to invest into something that will make you personally connected with that date. Is there a family event at this time? A birthday? Can you treat yourself to a photo shoot or a shopping spree? What will you do in exactly 3 months that will motivate you to stay on track???
  3. Write “Thoughts becomes Things” and place it somewhere in your house, on your screensaver or in your car. You are telling yourself a story every, single day, so make sure it’s positive, uplifting and progressive. Don’t tell yourself excuses, tell yourself there are solutions. Don’t say, “I am stressed, fat, tired, busy….” Say: “I am beautiful, fit, strong, energetic, positive, and happy.”
  4. Weigh yourself. Remember Progress is made where progress is measured. I need you to get on a scale and not be afraid of the number because that is your starting point. Put that number in your journal (which will be used for writing your daily food intake as noted in Program Rules #2)
  5. Measure yourself.  Take a measuring tape (soft one) and someone or yourself measure your neck, shoulders, arms, chest, waist, hips, legs and calves. (make sure you know exactly where you place the tape)
  6. If you have access to a trainer at the gym, have them take your body fat via skin calipers. This is typically a free service (they might try to sell you training – which I am not against. I believe in the value of a trainer) If you can’t, that’s ok; this is just another measurement to track your progress.
  7.  Perform a series of fitness tests: how many pushups can you do (not on knees) without dropping? How long can you perform a plank? How fast can you run a mile? Put your results in your journal
  8. Start writing down everything you’re eating right away. You don’t have to change your diet too much (I assume many are waiting for Jan 1st anyways) – it’s key to see what your habits are…when you do eat, or don’t eat. When you eat, how often and why you eat (or overeat).
  9. Create a fitness calendar. You can color code it as you complete workouts but DO NOT write down workouts in advance. Only write when you’ve completed a workout. Find the instructions and download here.
  10. Tell everyone in your life including those on Facebook you are starting a fitness plan and encourage them to join you. Accountability is important. Your friends will look for your updates, be inspired by your progress and support you in this process. Creating a successful environment requires you to be accountable to others.

With that said. Get to work. This is a ton of information and it’s only 10% of what’s going on in my mind right now! Print all the rules out and read it as a reminder to you. Remember, if it doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you. So get uncomfortable in your environment. Rid yourself from comfort foods, comfort people and comfort thoughts.

It’s the year of No Excuses.

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40 Comments

  • Reply Jessica Wratten December 28, 2012 at 9:55 am

    I want to be successful but seriously am scared to start would like to follow this program to get motivation to hopefully see where i need to be 🙁 here’s to 2013

    • Reply Martina N December 28, 2012 at 10:37 pm

      What have you got to lose Jessica?
      Sometimes the first step is the hardest. Sometimes it is better not to think about it too much.
      Just do it! 🙂

  • Reply Sonia December 28, 2012 at 11:37 am

    This awesome thanks for all ur hard work!!

  • Reply Shauna Burkhead December 28, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    I am very excited to start your fitness plan. I have been searching for one that is doable and your plan definitely fits my needs. Thank you for sharing with me. I look forward to March 31st.

  • Reply Kathy Nguyen December 28, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Hi Maria,

    I hope you are your beautiful family had a wonderful holiday. I just finished reading your post via fb about giving yourself a time out in your bathroom for 5 minutes & your fitness plan here… I felt compelled to leave a note to you after reading… You are a fascinating person & great job using your true self to inspire others. I’ve followed some of your posts & some of what you’ve written here & wanted to share with you my fitness goals for the coming months ahead…. I use to work out and eat well consistently when I worked out with a personal trainer…I was in my best shape in 2006 & have desire to get back to that fitness level. I loved loved loved running, but because of knee problems, can no longer do what i love most…I would get depressed about this if i gave it too much thought because clearly there are other ways to get a cardiovascular workout in…

    I wanted to give you a compliment that you look absolutely fabulous for having 3 adorable kids & you inspire me!!! I can’t wait to get back into better shape this upcoming year. One of my dearest friends will be getting married in October & I will be one of the bridesmaids…that’s my personal motivation to get back into shape for now.

    Cheers to Friday, good mental health & physical health,
    Kathy 🙂

    • Reply Maria Kang December 29, 2012 at 5:56 am

      I know it must be very frustrating Kathy to be injured. I was too at one point! I sprained my ankle and couldn’t bear weight on it for several months (especially since I was impatient about the healing process). But I’ll tell you what! I got into the best shape of my life on a recumbent bike! Being bored on a bike made me focus on my workout and heart rate even more. I rarely go on a bike now (since my ankle is healed) but I have fond memories of ‘doing whatever it takes’ to get my workout done!

  • Reply Michaela Sword December 28, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    You’re so inspirational! Can’t wait to get on board and start my fitness journey with you! Thank you so much for taking the time to share and motivate others! Here’s to 2013 and all the wonderful things to come!!!

  • Reply Kim Chinn December 28, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    I’m so glad you are including homework in your plan! I always read and never act on what I read! I don’t actually plan on officially starting until the baby is born, but that will give me a week or two to mentally prepare…let go of all my excuses 🙂

    So far I’ve gained 25 lbs this pregnancy. Do you think a realistic goal is to just loose the baby weight in the 3 months or do you think I could push a little harder and maybe go for loosing 40 lbs?

    • Reply Maria Kang December 29, 2012 at 5:54 am

      In a 3 month period, considering you won’t exercise for six weeks (recommended) and keep your calories relatively higher for nursing, I think you can realistically lose 30-35lbs in 3 months. Within a week or two after birth, you will probably drop 20lbs.

  • Reply Estrella December 28, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    I am so excited to embark on this journey. I got my journal all ready and most my homework already done.

    -Estrella

  • Reply Deidra December 28, 2012 at 10:37 pm

    Very excited to begin this journey!! Thanks for the additional motivation I needed to start! Ready to take on 2013!!

  • Reply Ashley McCullough December 29, 2012 at 3:25 am

    This is amazing! I can’t wait to get started! Thank you so much for doing this! I look forward to getting to know some of these amazing people who are ready to make changes as well! 🙂 I am doing my measurements tomorrow morning and getting my journal together right now!!!

  • Reply Sophia December 30, 2012 at 4:22 am

    Hi Maria, Im excited to start your 12 week challenge on January 1st. It is exactly what i need after having my 2nd baby almost 5 months ago. Your first chapter says to eat a mix of carbs, protein and fats, but in the future chapters will you be giving a more detailed breakdown on what is best to eat for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks?
    Thanks! Sophia (Brisbane, Australia)

  • Reply Czhel Macogay December 30, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Thanks Maria for this wonderful plan.
    This will serve as my rally point to better fitness journey.
    — runnerbyheart

    • Reply Czhel Macogay December 30, 2012 at 10:06 am

      Thanks Maria for this wonderful plan.
      This will serve as my rallying point to better fitness journey.
      — runnerbyheart

  • Reply Sharon Frost December 30, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    I’m late to the party, but so ready for this!!! I know my struggle will be dinner time meals, as I am the cook in the house and my husband does not eat healthy at all. I am prepared to make two meals, or modify what I am eating for dinner. I’ve tried for 8 years to change my husbands eating habits, but maybe my results at the end of this 3 months will change his way of eating. With a 17 month old all day the work outs will be interesting but staying motivated and not making excuses will be my key! Thanks Maria!!

  • Reply Suzanne Peck December 31, 2012 at 3:55 am

    I wanted to thank you for being an inspiration and for leading us all on this journey. I gained 40 pounds after having a reconstructive foot surgery and not being able to bear any weight on my foot for several months. My full recovery took around a year, the doctors don’t let you do much before that. I look forward to starting this journey and getting to know others that are one the same journey. Thank you again Maria!

  • Reply Therese D. January 4, 2013 at 5:37 pm

    I will be having a total hysterectomy on Feb. 8 and won’t be able to workout for a couple of weeks. What can I do to keep me on track? I currently workout 5-6 times a week. Not being able to workout is going to drive me crazy. LoL

  • Reply Clor January 15, 2013 at 12:40 am

    Hi there, so how does this program work? Do you put up each chapter as the week comes?? I am really inspired by you and I am going to follow this 3 month fitness plan to see where I’ll be at! But of course, it all starts from eating healthy and that is my biggest challenge because I have three kids also, and my cravings for food is like from left to right, lol. I work a full time job, as well as a full time mommy too. But to be honest I really dont know where to start from eating healthy. I’m so clueless. I tried and failed numerous times, lol.

    • Reply Maria Kang January 15, 2013 at 11:29 pm

      I post chapters (almost) weekly…read and follow the homework!

  • Reply Kim April 17, 2013 at 6:03 pm

    Hi will you have this book available on ebooks? Where can I purchase this hard copy?
    Thanks!

  • Reply Paige April 30, 2013 at 5:28 am

    I can’t wait to start this and have more energy again. Thank you. It will also help me to learn how to cook better more healthy meals and hopefully will help my spirit and mind . Thank you for all you do.

  • Reply Paige April 30, 2013 at 5:35 am

    I am a new mom and didn’t know how to start getting back into shape. Chapter 1 is such an amazing start I need to start slow and adjust my life style. Being a new mom I felt like I wasn’t able to focus on myself and I felt bad for wanting to workout again. I was wondering in order to start this should I clear out all foods and just go to the grocery store to buy more healthy foods ? I was also wondering I wanted to have my husband as my support but he isn’t completely on board with eating better. How should I handle him not being very supportive ? I’m sorry for all the questions I just really want to feel better, have more energy and I just don’t want to do it wrong .

    • Reply Maria Kang May 14, 2013 at 1:44 pm

      Paige, I would stock up on healthy foods and remove all the bad if you think you can’t handle the temptation. I also think you should have a friend as a supporter…most often, husbands aren’t the best (unfortunately). If he isn’t supportive, then you need to build a strong support base with your other groups of friends

    • Reply Rachel October 16, 2013 at 5:26 pm

      Paige, I am in the same boat that you are in. Although my son is now one. I am excited to get my life together after seeing Maria on GMA this morning. She was the aha moment that I needed. What is my excuse? I have none, so I’m trying to better myself one step at at time. My husband too isn’t the best support system so feel free to keep in touch with me. Together we can motivate one another, and monitor our progress to keep one another accountable. It’s nice to meet you Paige, I’m Rachel!

  • Reply Binäre Optionen handeln October 6, 2013 at 4:47 am

    I think what you said made a lot of sense. However, what
    about this? suppose you added a little information? I am not saying your information isn’t solid, but suppose you added a title to maybe get a person’s attention?
    I mean The No Excuse Program – Chapter ONE | Maria Kang is a little boring.
    You might glance at Yahoo’s home page and note how they create news titles to grab
    viewers to click. You might try adding a video or a picture or two to grab readers interested about
    what you’ve written. In my opinion, it could bring your posts
    a little bit more interesting.

  • Reply tubeconvert.org October 6, 2013 at 5:41 am

    Excellent post. I will be experiencing a few of these issues as well..

  • Reply Sarah Holiday October 16, 2013 at 4:00 am

    I have read your blog and this first chapter. I am very inspired through you and I am happy to say that I am going to get back on track. I’m currently training for a marathon in February so this is my three months goal. Thank you. I hope to hear from you soon. What kind of exercise do you do for core strength? How many reps?

  • Reply Shirley Beyea October 16, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    I am so happy that yahoo posted the story about a Hot Mom Defends Herself against facebook haters. I just read your first chapter and am hyped….. Friends and I will be making our calendars Friday as a team 🙂

    • Reply Susan October 17, 2013 at 8:43 pm

      Where did you get the book to read???

      • Reply Shirley Beyea October 21, 2013 at 7:02 pm

        its on her website if you look at the categories on the right its towards the bottom “No Excuse Program”

  • Reply Susan October 17, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    Hi Maria,

    I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and you should be of yourself in that photo with the What’s your excuse and your 3 beautiful children!!

    The other ones that have had all those nasty things to say about you bullying them and fat shaming them. That’s insane. They are doing it to themselves. They are just jealous at what you have accomplished. The shape you are in wasn’t handed to you you worked for it and YOU worked very hard for it.

    The ones complaining are too busy to be a good parent, role model to their children, eat their own bag of chips and watch tv and refuse to do anything about how miserable they are and to hold themselves accountability for how miserable they are.

    Easier to pick on you so who is the bully??? Not you! You have done something about your body and may I say what an incredible job you have done. I am so proud and happy for you.

    I have always been slender and in great shape, I was involved in a car accident 2 years ago and now have 4 herniated discs, steroid shots and have gained 15 lbs. I’m not happy with but only I can change my habits and lifestyle to make it better. 1 day at a time! and I hope in the next few months after 4 more injections and one for migraines I can get this weight off and feel better. But the positive is I am here, I am alive, I am a proud mother of 2 wonderful children and I am their role model. I will make the best of my medical injuries and try to get back on my exercise track after these next few treatments!!!

    God Bless you and the strength he has given you to be strong, beautiful, compassionate and accountable for your beauty inside and out and to be a wonderful mom to 3 handsome little boys!

    Susan

    PS Your no excuse program – can that be purchased as a book or just your website to read it each day? Please let me know.

  • Reply Debbie R. October 19, 2013 at 2:43 am

    Maria,
    I just wanted to tell you that You did great on Megan Kelly’s program. I understand what you mean by “what’s your excuse” statement. I do appreciate that she had you on. I was inspired by what you said, I thought I recognized the bridge behind you , and decided to Google your site, I’m glad I did…so much information, just the tools I’ve been looking for. I hope to utilize so much of the information. I only wish you would’ve shared the info the Kelly file. Thanks again.

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  • Reply Usha Pradhan October 21, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    Just been through your website, its really awesome and encouraging, I didn’t understand the exercise rule part of it which says 20-40 minutes of strength training 3x/week, intense cardio and focus on a minimum of 20 minutes
    would appreciate, if you can be more specific and detail as to how to do these exercises as I am new to it also I am new to these exercises should I go slow in the beginning? the exercise I have known till date is running on a treadmill 🙂

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  • Reply Joanyett Mays February 11, 2014 at 9:34 am

    Just getting familiar with your No Excuse Program. Lots of great info! Thank you so much!!

  • Reply Laura Smith February 12, 2014 at 11:15 am

    I have been enjoying learning about your philosophy, and just started to make some major changes in my lifestyle. However, I was wondering what happened to the other chapters of the No Excuse program??

    • Reply Sandy February 16, 2014 at 12:56 am

      Laura- I was wondering the same thing…What did happen to the other Chapters? Does anyone know? Thanks.

  • Reply Jane April 7, 2014 at 5:09 am

    A really good outline, but one small correction – pasta & bread are not complex carbohydrates. They are refined grains. Only foods with whole grains can be complex carbohydrates – such as whole-grain sorghum, buckwheat, bulgur, millet, whole-grain barley, wholegrain wheat, wholegrain oats, brown rice, quinoa, pasta made from alternative grains such as rice, quinoa or buckwheat, bread made from whole grains – rye or wholegrain wheat. Brown bread is often just white flour, sugar, salt & wholemeal flour. It is not a while grain.

    Best thing to do is to buy yourself a bread maker & make it yourself. That way you know what is going in it, reduce the salt & sugar (I replace it with Manuka honey as sugar is always refined….even raw sugar! The only time it is not is if you chew on the actual cane!).

    As for the rest – spot on. Eat & drink cleanly – water, green caffeine free tea, fruit, veges, lean meats, fish & whole grains & the weight will fall off. Ladies go through your pantries – you will be shocked to see how much sugar you are eating per day. Keep it simple – less processing, less packaging, the closer to nature it is & the better it is for you. Don’t listen to those who waffle on about the sugar in fruit – no one got diabetes from eating fruit. Fruit has vitamins & fibre which means unlike processed foods it does not send you pancreas into a panic!

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