The Sugar Smart Diet: Stop Cravings and Lose Weight While Still Enjoying the Sweets You Love (40 page)

Stand with your feet together and hold the dumbbells by your shoulders, arms bent and elbows pointing down
[A]
. Step your left foot out to the side and bend your left leg to sit back while keeping the right leg straight. As you lunge, extend your arms and lower the dumbbells
[B]
. Press into your left foot and straighten your leg to stand up. As you do that, bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, then press them overhead as you bring your feet back together
[C]
. Do 10 times, then repeat the lunge on the opposite side.

Make it easier:
Break up the exercise into two separate moves: Do the side lunges, only going as low as is comfortable for your knees. Then stand with your feet about hip-width apart and perform a biceps curl followed by an overhead press.

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, holding the dumbbells with your arms at your sides. Keeping your abs tight and your chest lifted, bend at the hips and slowly lower until your torso is about parallel to the floor and the dumbbells hang beneath your shoulders
[A]
. Don’t round your back. Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells up toward your rib cage
[B]
. Lower the dumbbells and then stand back up. Do 10 times.

Make it easier:
Do single-arm rows with a chair. Holding one dumbbell, bend forward and place your free hand on the seat of a chair, then perform rows with the opposite arm.

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell down in front of you with both hands. Bend your hips and knees and sit back into a squat, lowering the dumbbell to the outside of your left leg
[A]
. As you stand up, raise the dumbbell diagonally across your body, keeping your arms extended, and rotate your torso to the right
[B]
. Do 10 times, then repeat, swinging your arms in the opposite direction.

Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
[A]
. Pull your navel toward your spine and curl your tailbone up toward the ceiling, lifting your hips slightly off the floor
[B]
. Hold for a second, then release
[C]
. Do 20 times.

This is a deep, subtle move. You aren’t looking for a lot of lift, but rather full contact of your lower back to the mat.

Hold a pushup position, balancing on the balls of your feet and toes and your palms, hands directly beneath your shoulders
[A]
. Shift your weight forward
[B]
, to the left, and to the right
[C]
, without moving your hands. Hold each position for up to a count of 5 and return to center in between each shift. Do 3 times.

Make it easier:
Hold the plank without shifting.

Up the challenge:
Raise one foot off the floor and then shift.

Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands behind your head. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor and twist to the right, bringing your right knee in toward your left elbow and extending your left leg at about a 45-degree angle. Lower and switch sides, twisting to the left and bringing your left knee and right elbow toward each other. Do 20 times, alternating sides. Each side counts as 1 rep.

Make it easier:
Lift only one leg while keeping the other foot on the floor.

Up the challenge:
Lower your extended leg so it is closer to the floor.

Sit with your legs bent, feet on the floor, and grasp your hands behind your thighs. Shift your weight back onto your sitz bones as you raise your feet off the floor so your calves are parallel to the floor. Once you’ve found your point of balance, extend your arms out in front of you. Keep your chest lifted and don’t round your back. Hold for 1 minute. If needed, you can bring your legs down and take a break. Then hold again until your holding time adds up to 1 minute.

Make it easier:
Lift your feet only a few inches off the floor. You can even keep the tips of your toes on the floor, if needed.

Up the challenge:
Straighten your legs so your toes are pointing toward the ceiling.

Balancing on one leg, swing your arms forward and back as vigorously as possible
[A]
. Next, alternate reaching one arm up overhead and lean to that side
[B]
. Then rotate your torso from side to side
[C]
. Do each of these moves 20 times, alternating arms. Each swing or twist counts as 1 rep. Switch legs and repeat. Finally, extend your arms overhead and diagonally to the left
[D]
, and pull your arms and right leg toward each other and then apart
[E]
. Do 10 times, then switch legs.

Make it easier:
Take a break, putting your foot down in between moves.

Up the challenge:
Stand on a pillow as you perform the moves.

Stand tall with your feet together, toes forward, and arms at your sides, palms in. Lift your chest and drop your shoulders back and down. Breathe deeply for 1 minute, pressing your feet into the floor and reaching the crown of your head toward the ceiling.