BeWOW Six-Week Challenge: Week 4

Welcome to Week 4, Be Wellers! How are you feeling? If you’ve stuck to the Challenge so far, you should be feeling insanely energized and ridiculously strong. Good job!

This week’s nutrition challenge might be a tough one. I want you to cut back—waaaay back—on sugar. This includes Splenda, Truvia, Equal, agave or any other sugar substitute you reach for. You’ll have to trust me on this one: Once you get your body off sugar, you’ll realize how clean and balanced you can feel. No more wild energy swings, no more cravings. If you can kick your sugar habit in this six-week challenge, you’ll have taken a huge step toward a lifetime of better health.

Check out the rest of this week’s guidelines, including your workout, below. As always, share you progress with the rest of the Be Well community by leaving a comment on this post, or sharing your results on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #BeWOWChallenge.

BeWOW Six Week Challenge: Week 4

The Rules

Always start by warming up for a few minutes (light jog, elliptical, bike, etc.).

You are going to do 25 reps of one exercise, 20 reps of two exercises, 15 reps of three exercises, and 10 reps of four exercises, as outlined below. Complete this circuit three times.

The Workout

Run one mile

25 squat jumps
20 ab twists
20 ski jumpers (left and right is one)
15 push-ups
15 dead lifts
15 tricep dips
10 burpees
10 pull-ups
10 lateral raise
10 reverse lunge with knee drive

*Repeat circuit three times

The More or Less Nutrition Challenge

Eat less sugar—real and fake.

Yes, the fruit that you added into your diet last week does have sugar in it, but that’s not the kind of sugar I’m talking about this week. I’m talking about refined white sugar, and all of the zero calorie/non-food/artificial sugar stuff. The kind that is packed into soda, cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, yogurt (yes, flavored yogurts have a ton of sugar in them), and most other things that are prefab and packaged. Get rid of it.

Your Homework for the Week

• Do at least 45 minutes of cardio three days this week
• Do two more strength-training workouts (here’s a great suggestion!)
• Keep a food diary

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.