The No More Excuses Diet by Maria Kang Read Free Book Online Page B

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    #NSV
    NSV stands for “Non-Scale Victory.” Too often we measure our progress solely based on what the scale says. I encourage you to discover your #NSV in your fitness journey. Your success is dependent on how good you feel, how consistent you are with the program, and how healthy you become. If you can run longer, lift heavier, fit into old clothes, overcome sugar cravings, run a 5K, or confidently wear a bikini—then it’s a victory!
CARDIO FITNESS
    To measure your cardio fitness, hop on a treadmill or go outside and start running. Time how long it takes you to complete 1 mile at a good jog. When you finish, record the time and your heart rate. As your heart health improves, you will build strength and endurance.
    Another way to test your cardio health is to get a 12-inch-high bench or box and step on and off the box for 3 minutes. This is abasic step test that involves enduring physical demand on your heart. After 3 minutes, remain standing and immediately check your pulse. If you are a man and your pulse is below 85 beats per minute, you have excellent cardiovascular fitness. If you are a woman with a pulse below 92 beats per minute, you are in rocking good shape. Everybody else? Now you have an idea what to strive for!
STRENGTH
    One of the basic tests of fitness includes no equipment at all. Push-ups are a great upper-body exercise that uses your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. To perform a full push-up test, you warm up with some stretching and light activity. Then, you position your body facedown on the floor, legs extended straight back and toes bent, hands shoulder-width apart with elbows straight and arms fully extended. While keeping a straight line from your toes to your hips and to the shoulders, you lower your upper body so your elbows bend to 90 degrees. Then, you raise your body to the earlier position and count this as one rep. You continue raising and lowering, and complete as many repetitions as possible without breaking form.
    While performing full push-ups, you lift nearly 75 percent of your total body weight; if you do a modified push-up (knees bent, holding some of your weight), you lift about 60 percent. Both types of push-up are fine as long as you challenge yourself. Record the total number of push-ups completed. If you are a fit adult male between the ages of 20 and 40, performing 50 or more push-ups is considered excellent. If you are a fit adult female between 20 and 40 years old, performing 30 or more push-ups is considered above average. However, if you are a beginner, performing just 5 to 10 push-ups (or none at all!) for both men and women is normal. Keep in mind that this is a test, and the goal is to become stronger in the weeks to come.
    Another good test of strength is the plank hold. Get into a push-up position with your toes and forearms on the floor. Keep a neutral spine and hips squared and draw in your belly button toward the small of your back. Use a timer and measure how long you can hold the plank position.
    Building your best body means serious business, so you need to record your reps to establish yourbaseline. From this day forward, your goal will be to shift these numbers in your desired direction. Remember, the direction of your journey depends on the actions you take, because every action has a consequence. You will start to see this incredible power that you have to control these consequences when you take proper action today.
YourNutritional Baseline
    In addition to documenting your physical starting point, it’s time to establish your nutritional baseline. For the next three days, you won’t focus on dieting; you’ll eat as your normally do, but you’ll write everything down. For each meal or snack, you’ll record the time, meal, portion size, and calorie count. Just make sure you are documenting everything you eat: the bite from your child’s sandwich, the piece of chocolate you took from your coworker’s desk, the sweetened tea you drank during