Healthy Indian Sandwich Recipes for Weight Loss

This is a healthy and convenient way to lose weight.

So many people have asked me to put a list of good Indian sandwich recipes together. Specifically, people want sandwich recipes that will help them with their weight loss and health goals. These sandwiches will help people with both.

What I like most about all of these recipes is that they are simple to make and don't take too long to prepare. Each of them makes more than enough for a satisfying meal for two people. You can make more by doubling the ingredients. If you are making these sandwiches for yourself, freeze the filling that is left over so that you can use it for later.

Indian Sandwich Recipes for weight loss

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1. Mixed veg sandwich (and variations)
2. Grilled Paneer sandwich (and variations)
3. Chicken Curry sandwich (and variations)

Use high protein, multigrain or low GI bread for all of these Indian recipes. You can swap out the bread for a multigrain roti or multigrain flatbread in any of the following weight loss recipes as well.

1. Mixed vegetable sandwich recipe

This Indian sandwich recipe will help you to lose weight. It will give your body the good nutrients (like fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) and reduce your consumption of bad nutrients (like sweeteners, preservatives, artificial flavors, sugar and carbohydrates). Sweeteners lead to weight gain.

Vegetable sandwich recipe

Ingredients (excluding bread)

1. A medium onion, finely chopped
2. A medium tomato, finely chopped
3. A medium carrot, finely chopped
4. A cup of corn
5. Half a cup of coriander leaves
6. 1 Teaspoon of cumin seeds
7. 1 Teaspoon of crushed garlic
8. 1 Teaspoon of crushed chilies (or chili paste or curry powder of your choice)
9. 1 Teaspoon each of green pepper, red pepper and yellow pepper
10. 1 Teaspoon of lemon juice
11. 2 Teaspoons of oil (Coconut oil or olive oil is preferred)

How to make the mixed veg sandwich

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl
2. Add them to a pan and slowly bring up the heat
3. Fry the food until the veggies start to soften and turn a slight golden brown
4. Serve onto the bread as a sandwich filling
5. Place all of the ingredients into sandwiches (this recipe makes four sandwiches) or freeze the mix for later if you are only making one or two sandwiches at a time
6. You may toast the bread for taste
7. Serve and enjoy with a glass of milk, water or lemon juice.

Additional Notes

1. Try other vegetables such as spinach, cucumber or potatoes as replacements. This will give the sandwiches a different taste.

2. Grilled Paneer sandwich recipe

It is full of fiber and nutrients.

Paneer is an Indian cheese made from curdled milk. It is 23% protein. That is enough protein to satisfy your hunger and keep you full until your next meal - without adding fat. This is especially true if you combine it with the healthy types of bread we have discussed (multigrain, high protein or low GI bread) and the other ingredients in this recipe. You can substitute Paneer for cottage cheese.

Ingredients (excluding bread)

1. Half a cup of Paneer
2. A quarter cup of green, yellow and red peppers (finely chopped)
3. A quarter cup of broccoli (finely chopped)
4. A quarter cup of a chili paste, ginger or chili powder (your choice)
5. A quarter cup of finely chopped tomato

How to make the grilled Paneer sandwich

1. Mix all of the ingredients together. Feel free to add more Paneer, spices or vegetables if you want to.
2. Place them within your sandwich.
3. Toast the bread until it turns a light brown.
4. Serve and enjoy with a glass of lemon juice, water or milk.

Additional Notes

1. You can try different types of cheeses
2. Substitute some of the vegetables for others like carrots, corn, onion, celery or spinach.
3. You do not have to toast the bread if you don't want to.

3. Curry Chicken sandwich recipe

This sandwich is healthy and delicious.

For those of you who would like a non-veg option, the chicken curry sandwich is full of good protein and will have you fully satisfied until your next meal. Chicken is very good for you.

Ingredients (excluding bread)

1. A cup of cooked chicken breast
2. A quarter cup of yogurt
3. A quarter cup of chopped apples
4. A quarter cup of cranberries
5. A quarter cup of mixed nuts and seeds
6. A quarter cup of celery
7. A quarter cup of mixed curry powder (add spices of your liking if you want to)
8. A quarter cup of finely chopped spinach
9. A quarter cup of finely chopped onion
10. A teaspoon of lemon juice
11. A teaspoon of oil (coconut oil or olive oil is best)

How to make the chicken curry sandwich

1. Mix all the ingredients together and fry it in a pan until the mixture is lightly brown.
2. Once the mixture begins to soften, remove it from the pan and place it in a sandwich.
3. Serve while hot.
4. Freeze the left over filling so that you can use it on another day.
5.  Keep the remaining sandwiches in the fridge for later (eat all of them on the same day to prevent them from spoiling).
6. Serve with a glass of milk or lemon juice.

Additional Notes

1. You can try this recipe with other types of meat.
2. Replace the curry with chili powder for a different taste.
3. You can add cheese to the recipe if you want to.
4. Try other vegetables like corn, mushrooms, pineapple and carrots.

How to turn a sandwich into a healthier option to lose weight

Now that we've seen some great sandwich recipes that will aid in weight loss and support a healthy diet, let's look at how you can turn any sandwich that you make into a healthier version. You can turn almost any meal into a healthier version when you use the right ingredients.

Choose healthy.

1. Always put something that is high in natural fiber on your sandwich

Fiber helps you to lose weight. It keeps you full so that you don't crave more food too quickly. The nutrients in fibrous foods take longer to digest. This ensures that you don't flood your body with so many nutrients that it stores most of it as fat. Good fiber sources include lettuce, spinach and tomatoes.

Vegetables and fruits also provide the body with precious vitamins and minerals that help it to create energy. When you feel good and have more natural energy, your body burns fat naturally. Antioxidants (found in fruit and vegetables) also protect your heart and help your liver to convert fat into energy.

2. Use multigrain or high protein bread whenever you can

Multigrain bread is higher in fiber (which will give you the benefits mentioned above) than plain or white bread. It also has more of the nutrients that your body needs (like vitamins and minerals) and less nutrients that turn into fat (like carbohydrates and simple sugars).

High protein bread has the same filling, nutritious and fat-burning effect as multigrain bread. You eat less simple sugar or carbohydrates when you eat more protein. Low GI Bread is also very good for these reasons.

3. Add ingredients that nourish you

Look for the types of food that have many micro nutrients (like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants). When your body has all of the nutrients that it needs, it is easier to burn fat. Choose healthy and your body will look better naturally. Good nutrition will support energy production. Energy production uses fat as fuel. Nutritious foods include cucumber, garlic, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cheese, banana and yogurt.

4. Choose healthier condiments

Ketchup (or tomato sauce) has two to four teaspoons of sugar per serving. That much sugar will stop the body from using fat for energy and cause it to store the excess sugar as fat instead. Almost all processed foods have too much sugar (which is what makes them so tasty and addictive). Opt for natural ingredients. Choose real tomatoes over ketchup. Try plain yogurt or instead of mayo (it is actually delicious).

Health always looks good.

Commonly asked questions

What makes these Indian sandwiches so healthy?

These sandwiches have a combination of the nutrients that you need to stay healthy (vegetables, spices and grains in one meal). You will burn more fat storage naturally when you are healthy. This is because the body has all of the vitamins and minerals that it needs to create its own energy. This leads to an increase in your metabolism.

Additionally, these meals are loaded with good protein and fiber. Both of these things help to satisfy your hunger and keep you full so that you don't eat too much food throughout the rest of the day. Here are some of the benefits of fiber.

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Will I lose weight if I eat these sandwiches every day?

These meals should form a part of a healthy diet. If you do not eat right during your other meals, you will not lose weight. You will, however, lose weight if the other meals in your diet are just as healthy as these ones. There are only 7 things that you should concentrate on to lose weight and be healthy.

They include exercise, sleep, building a strong gut bacteria balance, drinking enough water, making sure that you get all of the nutrients that support weight loss, practicing good hygiene and protecting your mental health.

Choose a complete weight loss solution.

Can I eat these sandwiches every day?

You can eat these healthy Indian sandwiches every single day. Add variety to them (recommended) by switching up some of the ingredients. This will help to ensure that your body has all of the important nutrients that it needs.

Spinach, for example, has a totally different vitamin and mineral profile compared to lettuce (even though they look a little similar).

Variety is good for you.

Do I need to toast the bread every time?

You do not need to toast the bread every time. It is okay to eat these recipes without toasting the bread. The only reason why you toast it is for taste.

What should I avoid putting on my sandwiches if I want to lose weight?

Avoid the following processed ingredients which are high in added sugar:

1. Peanut butter
2. Ketchup (tomato sauce)
3. Mustard
4. Mayonnaise
5. Sweetened yogurt
6. Chocolate spread
7. Jam and jelly
8. Processed meat like sausages and cold cuts

What eating plans should I follow to lose weight?

Check out this Indian Diet Chart for a list of the healthiest Indian foods to lose weight. Use traditional Indian food to help you lose weight and stay healthy. 

This eating plan is perfect for younger males.

Do not eat a lot of food too close to bed time. Doing so will disrupt your sleep and lead to bigger cravings for unhealthy food the next day.

What else can I do to lose weight?

A very crucial step for weight loss is exercise. If you want to lose weight, try out this easy exercise chart for weight loss. Here is an exercise plan for belly or stomach fat. If you prefer, you can take the 30 day fitness challenge to jump-start your metabolism in a single month.

If you struggle to find the motivation to exercise, perhaps this plan is best for you. It starts with a single squat on day one so that you don't feel overwhelmed with the idea of exercise.

Make sure that you exercise every single day. Your body stores all of the calories that it doesn't use as fat when you do not exercise regularly.

Conclusion

I hope that you enjoyed reading this article and that you learned something that will improve your everyday health. If you have any other questions or feedback, you can let me know in the comments below. Stay Strong!

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Exercise to Lose Weight

How to exercise to lose weight

Discover how you can drop a few pounds through exercise. This article includes detailed workout guides that you can do at home without spending a single penny.

Exercise to lose weight

Exercise will help you to burn fat. To get you on the path of dropping a few pounds, I want to first tell you about how these exercises will help you lose weight. Once you understand the basics, I will guide you through the best exercises to lose weight naturally.

How exercise will help you lose weight

Your body stores calories from food as energy in the form of fat. It uses these calories to perform everyday functions. These functions include moving around, recovery, digestion and brain power. Did you know that the brain uses more energy than the rest of the body in relation to its size? Fat is basically a storehouse for future energy. The more calories you eat from food, the more calories get stored in the form of fat.

In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than what you take in. If you can do this, your body will have to start using your fat stores for energy. Exercise helps you to do this in a few ways:

Exercise burns calories

Firstly, exercise burns a lot of calories. This will increase the number of calories that your body burns in a day. When calories burned are higher than calories consumed, you will lose weight. You can see which exercises burn the most calories here.

Exercise increases your metabolism

Secondly, exercise raises your metabolism. When you start exercising regularly, your body will adapt by learning how to burn more calories. It does this to try and make the exercises easier to do. As your metabolism increases, the amount of calories that your body naturally burns throughout the day increases too. This will increase the amount of fat that is burned for energy. As long as you are burning more fat than what you are taking in from food, you will start to lose weight.

Exercise decreases fat-storing hormones

Thirdly, exercise helps to increase fat-burning hormones while decreasing fat-storing hormones. Did you know that there are hormones that are responsible for storing fat? One of these hormones is insulin.

Insulin contributes to weight gain

Insulin is released when you eat something that has sugar in it. Sugar is used for energy by the body, but it can damage cells if sugar levels get too high in the blood. In order to stop blood sugar from damaging the cells in the body, insulin is released.

Insulin takes the sugar from your blood and shuttles it away before it can do any damage. It moves sugar into the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. It also takes sugar out of the blood and stores it away in the form of fat.

When you eat a lot of sugar, more insulin is released. If there is a lot of insulin in your body, it may take away too much sugar out of the blood to store it as fat. This will lead to sugar cravings and a sharp energy drop. When this happens, you eat sugar and more insulin is released. This repeats the cycle over and over again - making you gain more weight each time.

Insulin also directly affects appetite. The more insulin you have, the hungrier you will be. In fact, insulin release blocks the part of your brain that should tell you that you are full. That is why it is so easy to finish a whole lot of junk food even when we aren't hungry anymore.

Our bodies are designed to consume as much sugar as possible when it is available because sugar used to be hard to find many years ago.

That is how insulin leads to weight gain. Sugar consumption increases insulin levels. Exercise, on the other hand, decreases insulin levels. Here's how:

Exercises decreases insulin levels

Exercise requires energy. One of the ways that your body gets this energy is from sugar. When exercise decreases blood sugar because it gets used up for energy, less insulin is produced.

Lowered insulin levels lead to a decrease in appetite. This leads to less calories consumed and less food that is stored as fat.

Exercise also burns through glycogen (glycogen sugar stored in the muscles and the liver). When these stores are empty, more sugar can fill these stores instead of being converted to fat whenever you eat something that has sugar in it.

Exercise depletes the glycogen that is found in the liver and your body switches over from using sugar to burning through fat stores.

Insulin levels drop when fat stores are being burned for energy in place of sugar. When this happens, you crave less sugar because your energy is coming from your fat stores instead.

To sum it up, insulin is the hormone that makes you eat as much as you can when there is lots of sugar available. Insulin drops when the body has to use its own fat stores for energy instead. Exercise helps you to make this change inside your body.

The exercise program to lose weight

Now that you have learned how exercise will help you to lose weight, let's look at the exercise program that you can do to start losing weight right now.

This program is designed for beginners. If you want a weight loss exercise program that is suited for people that already exercise regularly, try the 30 day fitness challenge. You can find it here.

Chart of Exercises to Weight Loss. Right Click or Long Press on the image to save it or print it.

Weight loss exercises: Day 1

In the morning

• 20 squats
• Jumping jacks for 30 seconds

In the evening

• 10 push-ups
• Plank for 20 seconds 

Weight loss exercises: Day 2

In the morning

• Do 20 lunges (10 on each side)
• Do 10 crunches

In the evening

• Do 15 good mornings
• Do 20 Russian twists

Weight loss exercises: Day 3

• Rest (no exercises)

Do your exercises in a 3-day cycle. Every time you complete a cycle, add 10% to the number. This is what the second round would look like:

Weight loss exercises: Day 1 (round 2)

Morning

• 22 squats
• Jumping jacks for 33 seconds

Evening

• Do 11 push-ups
• Plank for 22 seconds 

Weight loss exercises: Day 2 (round 2)

Morning

• Do 22 lunges (11 each side)
• Do 11 crunches

Evening

• Do 17 good mornings
• Do 22 Russian twists

Weight loss exercises: Day 3 (round 2)

• Rest day

Keep adding 10% to the number of exercises every time that you do them. If you cannot add 10% to your workout number because it is not an even number, round it off. You can round it down. This is how you should slowly increase the numbers so that every time you exercise, you lose more weight.

Because of this; every round that you do; you will burn more calories, increase your metabolism even more, decrease insulin faster and use up more of your fat stores.

Questions for these weight loss exercises

Here are some of the most popular questions about this weight loss program:

How long will it take before I start to see weight loss with these exercises?

Everybody is different. Some people will start to see results sooner than others. In most cases, you should start to see that you weigh less on the scale during the second week. From then, you should start to lose a pound of weight every week or so.

As the numbers of the exercises that you do increase, the rate at which your body can burn fat for energy will also increase.  You will notice after the first week that your energy levels feel better. This is because exercise teaches your body to start using its own energy reserves.

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I don't know how to do some of these exercises

Here are some useful guides that will teach you everything that you need to know about doing these exercises. If you prefer, you can watch the videos instead.

This is how to do a squat.
Watch a video to learn how.

This is how to do a jumping jack.
Learn via this video.

This is how to do a push-up.
See how it's done in the video.

This is how to do a plank.
Watch the video on how to plank.

This is how to a lunge.
Check out this video on how to do a lunge properly.

This is how to do a crunch.
This video will show you how.

This is how to do a good morning. (You can do it without any weights or bars).
This is a video about how to do good mornings.

This is how to do a Russian twist.
See how to do a Russian twist here.

I was losing weight, but I gained a pound. What's going on?

We expect our bodies to change in a linear motion. In other words, we think that our body will gain weight or lose weight is a straight line without going in the opposite direction. This is almost never the case.

There will be days when you drop a lot of weight. There will also be days when you gain a little weight. This will happen as your body tries to adapt to the weight loss exercises.

Give your body time to get used to losing weight regularly. Remember that it does not know that you are trying to lose weight. All it knows is that its fat storage are getting empty. This can be a shocking experience for your body.

As you lose weight consistently, your body will grow accustomed to its new weight and it won't fight back as much as before.

Don't measure your success on a day-to-day basis. It is okay to gain a pound here and there while you are losing lots of pounds in the long run. This is why it is better to monitor you weight loss goals on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis. You will stress less and you will see that you are still losing weight consistently.

If you gained a pound today, but lost 3 pounds in the last 7 days, you are still in the fat burning zone.

What else can I do to help me lose weight even faster?

Eat fewer calories

You can speed up the weight-losing benefits of these exercises by restricting the amount of calories that you eat. You can use an app like this one to track how much food you are eating and set it to help you eat enough to lose weight.

Try not to shock your body too much with too many big changes at once. If you make too many big changes, you risk pushing yourself too far. This can cause you to drop your weight loss plans because they are getting too hard for you to stick to. Rather start small and give your body (and yourself) time to adapt.

You can restrict your calories to lose more weight, but don't restrict them too much.

Avoid junk food

Avoid foods that are highly processed. Chemicals are added to these foods to increase their shelf life. These chemicals mess with our hormones and stop the body from working properly. They slowly kill us in the same way that they kill bacteria.

Eat nutritious foods instead.

Opt for foods that are high in micro nutrients like vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, antioxidants and other good nutrients. Foods that are not cooked or processed are much healthier for you.

Add in some wholesome foods like fruit and vegetables. Grapes are good for you. Learn how spinach and lettuce can help you to lose weight.

You can also exchange your coffee for lemon juice or green tea for even more weight loss benefits.

If you need some great ways to turn unhealthy foods into nutritious ones, see how to turn junk food into healthy food with these great-tasting alternatives.

Drink plenty of water

The best way to drink more water is to make sure that you always have your water bottle with you. When your water bottle is in your hand, you will continuously sip from it automatically. Keep a jug of water on your desk to remind you to drink more water while you are working.

I skipped a day of my exercise. What do I do now?

It is okay to skip a day every once a week or so. Do not try to do two days in one to make up for it. Rather do the same exercises on the following day. If you were supposed to do day 1's exercises on Monday, but forgot, do them on Tuesday instead.

Do not skip day 1 and go straight to day 2. This will help you to maintain balance with all of the exercises.

Additional tip: Take weight loss progress photos

I highly recommend that you take before pictures before you start with these exercises to lose weight. Also measure how much you weigh and the circumference of your waistline. Write these measurements down. Take new photos and write down the new measurements every month.

This will show you how far you've come. It will motivate you to do even more and keep losing weight. After 6 months of this weight loss program, you will be surprised at how much weight you've lost - all without spending a single penny!

If you have lost weight with these exercises, please share this link with your friends and family to help them out too. I recommend bookmarking this page so that you can refer to it or read through everything when you need some motivation to keep losing weight.

I am looking forward to reading your questions in the comments below. If you have lost weight through this exercise program, let me know in the comment as well. This will inspire other people to lose weight for themselves. Stay Strong!

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30 Day Fitness Challenge

See massive results in just one month!

Take a few minutes every day to complete the 30 day fitness challenge - whether you currently exercise or not. This challenge will jump-start your fitness goals. It will ignite your metabolism. Your body will burn fat for energy. This challenge will tone and tighten every part of your physique. You will sleep better, have more energy, weigh less and feel good in a matter of days. Discover how well a few minutes a day totally transforms how your body works.

The 30 day fitness challenge

How much can you improve your fitness in 30 days? What kind of results can you expect in a month? I have designed this 30 day fitness challenge to set your metabolism on fire. In just 30 days you will burn fat, build muscle and spark the changes that are needed for better energy levels.

Can I do the fitness challenge in addition to my current workout program?

Absolutely! If you are already exercising regularly, do this challenge as an addition to your current workout routine. It only takes a few minutes per day. This challenge will help you to blast past a plateau and set you back onto the path of getting actual results.

How does the 30 day fitness challenge improve my body?

It is so easy to get stuck in a routine. Our bodies are very good at adapting to whatever we do. If you don't exercise, your body adapts by reducing its energy output and storing saved energy as fat. When you do the same exercises all the time, your body will adapt by reducing the amount of effort that it puts into each workout. This will help it to save on calories (which go straight to fat storage) and lessens the effort it has to put into changing itself.

Physical transformation takes a lot of effort from your body's point of view. It will always try to do as little as possible so that it can save energy for an emergency. This 30 day challenge acts as that emergency. It will shock your body into burning fat and building muscle.

After the month is over, your body will have revamped its metabolism. This is great for adding a kick to your existing workouts. It is also great to get yourself moving in the right direction if you are new to exercise. Seeing big changes in a month will motivate you to do more and more every day.

What equipment do I need for the 30 day fitness challenge?

You don't need any equipment at all. This challenge is designed to be done wherever you are. You can do it at home, during your lunch break at work or at your friend's house while you are waiting for them to get ready. It also does not require much space. You don't need a special floor mat or any other kind of workout gear. This eliminates the excuse of not having time to go to the gym. You'll be done with your daily challenge in less time than it takes to get to the gym in the first place.

Complete your daily task for great results

The 30 day fitness challenge

There is only one exercise that you need to do every day. Complete it and you're done for the day. Here's what you need to do:

Save this chart (right click, save image on desktop or long-press, save image on mobile) and print it out. Cross off the days that you complete. Bookmark this page so that you can print a new sheet whenever you do the challenge, or to hand it to friends and family who do the challenge with you.

Day 1: 50 Squats

Do 50 squats. If you can't do them all at once, break them up throughout the day. Don't go to bed until you've done all 50 squats. Squats boost the hormones that tone muscle and burn fat. Do body-weight squats without any weights. This is what a good squat looks like:

Day 2: Jumping jacks for 5 minutes

Do jumping jacks until you are out of breath. You can stop if you feel pain in your ankles, shoulders or knees. Set a timer to check how much time you've done. If you stop at 2 minutes, complete the other 3 minutes later on in the day. Jumping jacks ramp up your metabolism while toning up your whole body. Finish at a total of 5 minutes. This is what a jumping jack looks like:

Day 3: 50 Push Ups

Do 50 push-ups. Break them up if you can't do them all at once. Push-ups burn calories, speed up metabolism, tone your upper body and increase physical endurance. This is the best way to do a push up:

Day 4: Plank for 5 minutes

Planks are an isometric exercise that improves strength and stability. Just like with the jumping jacks, use a timer to count the time that you plank for. Do 5 minutes total for the day. If you can do this all in one go, well done! Most people will need to break it up into 2-4 separate exercises. You can spread it out throughout the day (leaving hours in between each time) or take a few minute breaks to rest until you're done. The choice is up to you. You will still reap the fitness benefits either way. If you can't decide which is best, I'd recommend doing the planks as close together as possible so that you can get it done and not have to worry about it later on. This is what a good plank should look like:

Day 5: Rest day

Congratulations for coming this far! Be proud of yourself. Take a well-deserved rest day. Feel good about the progress that you are making.

Day 6: 50 Lunges

Do a lunge onto one leg. Then lunge using the other leg. This counts as one lunge. Perform as many of these as you can in one go. Do more after resting. Lunge (on both legs) 50 times in total before the end of the day. Lunges are great for total lower body strength and endurance. Similar to the squat, they kick your metabolism into high gear and stimulate the hormones that burn fat. This is what a lunge looks like:

Day 7: Jumping jacks for 5 minutes

Do jumping jacks for 5 minutes total for the day, the same way that you did on day 2. Try to do the jumping jacks for as long as you can during each session. Your goal is to build up to the point where you can do all of the jumping jacks in one session. By the end of the 30 day fitness challenge, you should be able to complete all 5 minutes in one quick session.

Day 8: 50 Push ups

Do the same as day 3, trying to do as many per session so that you eventually land up doing them all in one session. By day 30, you should be able to all your push-ups in two sessions or less.

Day 9: 50 Crunches

Crunches are a favorite exercise for many people. Similar to the exercises above, do as many as you can in one session. Crunches work the muscles that are responsible for stabilizing your core. These muscles are what make up a visible 6 pack when your body fat is low enough. Do as many as you can in the following session until you have reached your goal of 50 crunches. This is how to do a crunch:

Day 10: rest

You deserve another day of rest. Well done for making it this far along the fitness challenge!

Day 11: 50 Squats

Do squats in the same way as day 1, trying to do more per session.

Day 12: 5 Minutes of jumping jacks

Day 13: 50 Push ups

Day 14: Planks for 5 minutes

Day 15: Rest

Day 16: 50 Lunges

Day 17: Jumping jacks for 5 minutes

Day 18: 50 Push ups

Day 19: 50 Crunches

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 50 Squats

Day 22: Jumping jacks for 5 minutes

Day 23: 50 Push ups

Day 24: 5 Minutes of planks

Day 25: Rest

Day 26: 50 Lunges

Day 27: 5 Minutes of jumping jacks

Day 28: 50 Push ups

Day 29: 50 Crunches

Day 30: Rest

Congratulations for finishing the fitness challenge! I encourage you to take pictures of yourself before and after the challenge. Be sure to point people to our site if they ask how you look so much better so quickly (or keep it a secret - that's up to you).

Here are a few commonly asked questions about the 30 day fitness challenge

Will this challenge make me lose muscle if I lift weights?

You put a lot of hard work into building muscle mass. The last thing you want to do is throw your body into a catabolic state, which is where the body breaks down muscle for energy. If your current program is so intense that you feel exhausted or fatigued for hours after your last training session, I'd recommend not doing this fitness challenge just yet. Give your body some time to catch up with what you are currently doing first.

If you feel back to normal in an hour after training, your body will benefit from the metabolism-boosting effects of this training program. In fact, cardio can help you to build more muscle. A program like this fitness challenge might be exactly what you need to push your muscles into greater growth.

How does this challenge improve my metabolism?

Firstly, you need to understand what your metabolism is. Your metabolism refers to the rate at which your body turns nutrients (from food and fat stores) into energy. People with high metabolisms can eat more and still be skinny because their bodies turn all of those nutrients into energy.

Those with slow metabolisms will struggle to lose weight - even when they restrict their caloric intake. This happens because their slow metabolisms don't turn a lot of the nutrients into energy. Nutrients are stored as fat instead of being used.

Compound exercises (like the squats, push-ups and lunges) burn a lot of calories in a short period of time. This shocks your body into burning more nutrients for fuel as it tries to adapt to the intense physical activity. The metabolism-boosting effects of these exercises last for days. If you do them often enough, they can permanently increase your metabolism.

Cardio-vascular exercises like jumping jacks require a lot of calories as well because they force the entire body to move. Core-focused exercises like the planks and crunches improve the muscles around your waistline. These muscles are needed to do exercises like the squats and lunges. You will notice that you tense your core when doings the squats, lunges and push-ups. All of these exercises need a strong core to be done properly.

Why are the exercise numbers and times so high from day 1?

In this challenge, you start off with a high level of intensity right off the bat so that it can shock your body into transformation. The greater the shock, the more your body is forced into changing itself. Our bodies are wired to conserve as much energy as possible. It will only lose those extra calories if it feels like it really needs to do so.

Why don't the exercises increase in number or time in this challenge?

The numbers stay the same for two reasons. Firstly, the high numbers serve as a good shock to your metabolism right off the bat. The rest of the program facilitates your body's adaption to this shock. If you keep raising the intensity higher than what your body can handle, it may be more than what your body can bare. This could cause muscle to break down. We want the muscles to tone and strengthen while fat breaks down. If you challenge your body too much, it can hold onto fat mass instead of building muscle.

Secondly, the growth in the program does not lie in the total amount of exercises that you do. Instead, it lies in how much of the exercises you can do in one go. The first time you do 50 squats, it might take you 5 different sessions to finish them. By the end of the program, it should only take you one or two sessions to complete them. This method of training forces your metabolism to increase and forces the muscles to get stronger without pushing them too far.

What else can I do to increase the effectiveness of the 30 day fitness challenge?

Drink at least 2 liters of water every day

This will help your body to flush out any toxins that could be holding it back.

Get enough good quality sleep

This program shocks your body into metabolic change. These changes happen on a metabolic, hormonal and muscular level. Most of these changes will occur during sleep. Sleep is where your body physically responds to the stimulus of the day.

Eat a varied diet that is rich in nutrients

Your body will require lots of good nutrients to make these changes. Eat a varied diet so that you get a variety of micro nutrients like vitamins, minerals, trace elements and antioxidants. Opt for wholesome food instead of processed foods. Avoid sugar as much as you can, since sugar tends to slow your metabolism down. This will make it harder for your body to adapt to these changes.

What kind of results can I expect after doing the 30 day fitness challenge?

Increased energy

You should notice a large increase in your energy levels at around the second week mark. This is a good sign that your metabolism is burning more calories for energy naturally.

Fat loss

The exercises on their own will burn calories, which are taken from fat storage. As your metabolism increases, more fat will be burned throughout the day - even when you are not exercising.

Better body tone

Fat loss and stronger muscles will lead to a more toned looking body. Say goodbye to flabby arms and jiggly legs.

Better strength and endurance

As your body gets stronger, you will notice that everyday tasks are a lot easier to do. You will be able to sit at your desk for longer periods before getting back or neck pain. Things that you carry will feel lighter. You will also notice that you can do things for longer before getting tired. This includes mentally-taxing tasks like focusing at work or listening to a long speech.

Improved sleep

Your body will want more sleep so that it can adapt to these changes. That is why exercise improves sleep quality. Improved energy levels are closely associated with improved sleeping patterns. In fact, I used exercise to improve my own sleeping patterns.

Better mood

Mood, mental health and physical energy levels are very closely interlinked. When your body feels good, your brain feels good. Exercise releases endorphins. When you exercise regularly, the constant release of endorphins will improve your overall mood throughout the rest of the day. Fresh forms of exercise, and exercises with a higher intensity, stimulate the release of more endorphins than the same kind of exercise that you have been doing for too long. Lower exercise intensities also lead to a smaller release of endorphins.

More motivation to exercise

When you start to notice the benefits mentioned above, you will be more motivated to exercise. You will want to look after your health more and more because of how good it makes you feel. We only start getting passionate about exercise when we start seeing results. Results make us want more and more of the exercises that we do. This 30-day challenge could be exactly what you need to jump-start your journey to better health.

Read about all of the benefits of exercise in general.

I highly recommend that you take before and after pictures of yourself before starting this challenge. Take measurements of your waist, upper arms and legs. Weigh yourself before and after the challenge. These things will help you to quantify how much the program has benefited you. When you are surprised at how well this program has worked, you will be motivated to exercise in more creative ways so that you keep these kinds of benefits coming.

Bookmark this page so that you can refer to any of the information here as you go along. It is also a good idea to bookmark this page so that you can download the printable challenge chart whenever you need it. You can do this challenge every 6 months, in addition to your regular workout routine, to shock your body back into producing good results. If you don't have an existing exercise program, you can continue with this challenge on a monthly basis. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me in the comments below. Stay Strong!

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The Easiest Way to Lose Weight - Ever

I made this program for a client who did not have the motivation to exercise and couldn't keep a healthy eating plan for longer than a few days. For people like me, it is very easy to stay healthy, because I know how good exercise is for you. I also long for that feel-good endorphin high that I experience after every workout. For those who don't exercise regularly, it can be hard for them to understand, or even look forward to, these happy hormone encounters. Endorphins are released during exercise to uplift your mind and body and improve performance. The feeling is very similar to the dopamine release that you feel after eating chocolate. It makes you want more.

I have also been doing it for so long that I forget about how hard it might be for someone who is just starting out and hasn't built up the continual momentum yet. Many people are very overwhelmed by the idea of hard, physical effort. They see it as a chore, when I see it as a chance to experience a sense of achievement and progress.

This program makes healthy lifestyle changes simple, small and easy. All you need to do is start off with a single squat (Yes, just one squat and you are done for the day!). You are now following an exercise routine. Let that sink in for a moment - you are one your way to a healthier you. It does not sound as bad as you always thought it did, does it? Once you come to terms with the fact that you are already getting healthier; the idea of doubling the health effects by doing two squats doesn't sound too intimidating, and I'm sure that the idea has already crossed your mind. This is progress. Every step is not only easy and seemingly insignificant, but after no time at all you will be as fanatic about your health as I am.

This is the basic idea of the program: You start off by making small changes that seem too easy to make a difference, and they add up every day until you are taking down mountains. By starting out extremely low and increasing gradually, you give your mind time to come to terms with the new change. You will also start to change your mind-set about exercise. After some time, you will start to look forward to your little achievements. Once you start to see the changes in your face, weight, energy levels and mood, you will start wanting to do more and more on your own. This helps you to change your mind-set from the negative chore-like image of exercise to the positive, life-giving one that it actually is.

By now I'm sure you get the point, so let's jump right into the program:

The Progression Program

Week 1: Exercise: Squats

On day one, all you need to do is a single squat. Add one more squat each day so that you will do two the next day, three the next, etc. Keep adding a single squat to your routine every day (and continue to do so into the following weeks).

See: Benefits of squats and How to squat properly

After a week or two, you might start struggling with the amount of squats that you are doing, depending on your fitness level. If you reach this stage, firstly reward yourself for getting that far! Secondly, you can stick with the amount of squats that you are doing for a few days before you are comfortable with increasing the number by one again.

Week 2: Just add Water

As you continue to build up your squat count, start off this week by making sure that you drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Since you have been so good at keeping your past goal from the last week, you will be motivated to keep the ball rolling by adding this simple extension. This is the power of momentum. Once the ball is rolling, it gets easier and easier to increase its speed.

Most people are dehydrated, and water is needed to flush out excess sodium. Too much sodium (which is found in almost all processed foods and requires fluids to be flushed from the body) leads to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Proper water consumption also allows your body to eliminate toxins and regulate its internal systems through proper circulation and blood flow. According to Everyday Health; dehydration is a major cause of lethargy (lack of energy and feeling tired all the time), headaches, and even sugar cravings!

Since you are building up your new body, help it speed up the change by giving it the water that it needs to refresh and revive itself. Adding lemon juice to water will increase its detoxifying benefits.

Make sure that you drink at least two liters of water every day, and you will have successfully completed this step!

For those who are wondering, yes; it is possible to drink too much water. This usually only happens if you are drinking something like 5-10 liters of water in a day, or if you drink too much too quickly. Don't chug 2 liters in one go! Read more about getting too much water here.

Week 3: Que the Fruit

Fruit are full of nutrients, aid digestion, keep us young and get rid of toxins. This week, all you need to do is make sure that you have 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. They can be any fruit or vegetable - as long as they are fresh, uncooked, and different. Two apples do not count as two servings. Rather have an apple and a carrot to make two different servings. This gives you a greater variety of micro nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals (see their importance), trace elements, phyto-chemicals and more.

You can add them as an entire meal or separate them into small additions to your current diet. Don't worry about changing anything else about your diet just yet, although at this stage you will probably start wanting to.

As you start to see a positive change in your body (which you definitely will at this stage if you have followed the steps correctly so far), you will naturally want to do more and more to keep the results coming. Acknowledge this and celebrate the fact that getting healthier is starting to become exciting for you.

Week 4: Alternatives

This is the week where the changes get a little bigger. I'm sure you've been wondering when we were going to address your current eating habits, and this is the week. Now that you have made small changes and seen results, you will be motivated to make the bigger changes. Even at this stage, I have good news for you: It is not going to be as horrible or dreadful as you have made it out to be in your head. Read this page for the alternatives that you need to make and start experimenting with a few of them. Try them out and see which ones you like the most. Discover which ones seem to make a bigger difference. You might be shocked about how easy the changes are (No substituting a burger with a carrot).

A simple example would be making a protein shake instead of buying a milkshake, eating nuts instead of your usual snack or having one of your daily fruit instead of a candy bar. Remember: Gradual changes stick, radical changes don't. After a while, you will start to crave a protein shake instead of an unhealthy meal. This will happen because your body will realize that it gets more useful nutrients from the one, compared to the other. It is important to experiment with different flavors and brands, because some will suit your taste and nutritional needs better than others.

Week 5: Time to Shine

At this stage you will feel better, have lost weight and be ready to take things to a whole new level after seeing what you are capable of - and how easy it actually is to change your body into the version that you want. Now that you have built up the momentum and started with the basic elements of a healthier lifestyle, you get to choose what you do next. Are you going to join a gym or fitness club, start a sport, add a running routine, experiment with other dietary ideas or search for the next item to add to your weekly list? The choice is up to you! All you need to do is realize that you can do anything through small changes and that getting healthy is a lot easier than you make it out to be in your head. Congratulations on making it this far and best of luck to you on your new journey. Stay Strong!

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