Diet without exercise is a set up
for failure, plain and simple. Food or “diet” control is only half the battle
the other half is exercise. If you want to be successful with this or any diet,
you have to exercise too. Most diet programs fail because there are no exercise
plans designed into the program, or the dieter is doing the same routine over
and over without variation, or just the bare minimum.
Exercise is something your body
can grow a custom to and develop a tolerance for and the routine eventually
stops working for them. If you are doing the same routine day in and day out,
it will not have the same
effects as it did in the beginning, because your body will have adjusted to it.
You have to be ready to shake up your metabolism and keep it awake, otherwise
you will reach an unbreakable plateau, get frustrated and you will take it out
on your food. So be ready to vary your routines and literally go that extra mile.
However, before we can even go that extra
mile, we must determine your level of activity now and then later vary it in
the future. With Diet Royale, there only five levels of exercise as mentioned
Chapter 3, in the section on
Calories.
Level
|
Activity
Level That Best Describes You and The Activity Planned
|
I
|
Sedentary:
little to no exercise
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II
|
Active Light:
Light exercise and/or sports 1-3 days a week
|
III
|
Active
Moderate: Moderate exercise and/or sports 3-5 days a week
|
IV
|
Active Hard:
Hard, very active exercise and/or sports 6-7 x a week
|
V
|
Active Extreme:
Extreme exercise 7 days a week plus a physical job and/or extra training
|
Level I: Sedentary
Most people are at level 1 and
believe it or not, it is a good place to start and heal. When you are at Level
I, you are living, breathing, working, and experiencing life as usual. When you
are at this level, you can plan for the next level. However, it is critical that you do not stay at Level
1 for more than a week, because it can lead to the same behaviors that made you
fat to begin with.
Level I is a place where you can
do some research and explore exercising possibilities. Purchase new equipment
or even map out a new routine. Once you have a clear picture in your mind about
what you are going to do the following week, design yourself a plan of how you
are going to participate in the next Level and push it to its limit.
Level I can also be a place of
healing. The body needs time to heal as it is redesigning itself. If you are at
Level II-V for too long, without rest, your body finds another way to rest and
this is what leads to plateaus, because your body will regulate itself and decide for you, that this is the normal level of activity and stop working
towards losing weight. Healing is
critical to your well-being and we do it with rest. Staying in Level II-V without rest is a prescription for
failure and even dis-ease. So remember, give yourself a break every 4 weeks.
A good activity for Level I is
meditation. Meditation can help relieve stress and give you focus in the coming
weeks ahead. Meditation is an excellent activity to work on breathing and
putting your mind in the right
Will Power. If your mind is in the right place, the rest is a piece of cake!
To better prepare you, try
planning the kinds of workouts you are going to do this week or next:
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Sun.
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Mon.
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Tues.
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Wed.
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Thurs.
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Fri.
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Sat.
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Activity
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Duration
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Level II: Active Light
Now that you've made a plan it is
always a good idea to start at Level II after a Level I rest period. If this is
your first week at Level II, here are some basics you will want to remember.
-
It's not about quantity, it is about quality. Exercise for 20-30 minutes Sessions without
stopping, for no more than 3 times during Level II.
- Be sure to stretch for 5-10 minutes before
starting a Session and wear the appropriate clothing and shoes.
- Work on cardiovascular (cardio) activities like
walking, jogging, jump-rope, cycling and elliptical training, and try to meet
your target heart rate.
- Work on your core with a balance ball, sit-ups,
yoga, palates or crunches.
- Build up your arm strength with low level weight
lifting.
- Housework and yard-work are considered Level II
if high level of activity is involved.
- Get 8
hours of sleep every night!
It is recommended that you stay in Level II for no more than
two weeks. It is a good idea to advance to Level III or Level IV after Level II,
so you can keep your metabolism and your body working hard towards weight loss.
Level III: Active Moderate
Level III is a good place to shake
things up in your workout routines. A moderate activity level is considered to
be working out and exercising 3-5 times a week. Those consistently active in
sports are at this Level or higher on a weekly basis. However, most of them are
used to it and their body is no longer losing weight. For this Level of activity,
it is recommended that you only stay at this level for only 3 weeks at a time
if you are trying to lose weight. Be sure to take it down to Level I for at
least 5 days before starting another Level of activity or returning to Level
III.
- Like Level II, Level III is not about quantity, it is about quality. Exercise for 20-30 Sessions
minutes without stopping, for no more than 3-5 times during Level III.
- Be sure to stretch for 5-10 minutes before
starting a Session and wear the appropriate clothing and shoes.
- Work on cardiovascular (cardio) activities like
speed walking, jogging, running, jump-rope cycling and elliptical training,
step aerobics, aerobics, or stairs climbing.
- Push your cardio workouts to the limit with an
active aerobic workout.
- Participate in sports like basketball, football,
soccer, hockey (ice or field), lacrosse, swimming laps, hiking, or any sport
that maintains a consistent level of high energy and movement.
- Advanced core activities with a balance ball, water
aerobics, rowing, or crunches.
- Build up your arm and leg strength with moderate
levels of weight lifting.
- Get 8
hours of sleep every night!
Before proceeding to Level IV, be sure to give yourself 5
days of Level I give the body time to heal. Drink plenty of water. Drink plenty of water. Drink plenty of water.
Drink plenty of water. Drink plenty of water. I can't stress that any more.
Level IV: Active Hard
Level IV is only recommended for
no more than two weeks. This is a Level of serious burn and energy usage.
Activity level is high, intense and lasts between 6-7 days a week. It is
critical that after two weeks of Level IV that you return to Level I for some
well-deserved R&R, before attempting to do it again. If you don't get
rested in between levels, you will start to harm your body more than improving
it. It is very easy to advance into a Level V workout if you are not careful
with Level IV activity.
- In this Level, it is a good idea to exercise for
no more than 30-50 minutes Sessions without stopping, 6-7 days a week. Any more
than this level and you will advance to Level V.
- Be sure to stretch for 10-15 minutes before
starting a Session and wear the appropriate clothing and shoes.
- Consider using the expertise of a professional
trainer before proceeding with hard activities.
- Work on cardiovascular activities with
activities listed before for longer time and distance. Advance cycling such as
mountain biking is considered hard to extreme. Enjoy a small 4-5k run/walk
race.
- Participate in sports that maintain a consistent
level of high energy and movement.
- Build up your arm, abdominal and leg strength with
harder levels of weight lifting.
- Drink
plenty of water and be sure you are providing your body with enough
calories for fuel your energy. Get
plenty of protein and carbohydrates
as your body will need them.
- Get 8
hours of sleep every night!
Before proceeding to Level V, be sure to give yourself 7 days
of Level I-II to allow the body time to heal.
Level V: Active Extreme
Level V is only recommended for no
more than 1 week. This level is exactly what it implies, Extreme. It means that in addition to a physical job, you are also
working out 7 days a week with great intensity and energy usage. It is critical
that after a week of Level V, that you return to Level I-II for a minimum of 7
days before returning to any other Level of activity. Your heart, your joints,
your body and your muscles can only take so much of Level V activity before
they start to burn out and lead to serious medical problems. Talk to your
doctor or a professional trainer before participating in a Level V activity
level.
- In this Level, you are exercising for no more
than 60 minutes without stopping Sessions, 7 days a week.
- Be sure to stretch for 15-20 minutes before
starting a Session and wear the appropriate clothing and shoes.
- Drink
plenty of water and be sure you are providing your body with enough calories
for fuel your energy. Get plenty of
protein and carbohydrates as your body will need them.
- Activities include, extreme cardiovascular
workout sessions, marathons, extreme weight training with a spotter or trainer,
rock climbing, and any extreme sport.
- Get 8
hours of sleep every night!
Basic Exercises, for Level II-IV
Now that you know what activities there are and what is
involved in each level. It's time to give you the tools to do the basics of at
home exercising in Level II-IV.
Level II
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Sun.
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Mon.
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Tues.
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Wed.
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Thurs.
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Fri.
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Sat.
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Activity
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Elliptical
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Brisk Walking
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Balance Ball
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Duration
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20 min. or
2000 steps
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3 miles or 30 min.
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30 min.
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Level III
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Sun.
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Mon.
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Tues.
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Wed.
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Thurs.
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Fri.
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Sat.
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Activity
|
|
Elliptical
|
Balance Ball
|
Elliptical
|
Balance Ball
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Brisk Walking
|
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Duration
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20 min. or
2000 steps
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30 min.
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20 min. or
2000 steps
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30 min.
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3 miles or 30 min.
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Level IV
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Sun.
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Mon.
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Tues.
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Wed.
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Thurs.
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Fri.
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Sat.
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Activity
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Elliptical
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Run/ Walk
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Elliptical
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Run/ Walk
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Elliptical
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Balance Ball
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Duration
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40 min. or
4000 steps
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4 miles or 50 min.
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40 min. or
4000 steps
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4 miles or 50 min.
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40 min. or
4000 steps
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40 min.
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You will need to develop your own fitness sheets for level
five.