Hordes of us are still looking for a healthy regime boost. As the booze-free battle is banished and the new year diet becomes a distant memory, there are lots of options for anyone looking to up their exercise and cut down on treats.
What is it?
The 90 Day Plan is a three-month regime that gets you working out four to five times each and every week while cutting back on lots of fats and carbs, and upping the veg intake.
It’s not for the uncommitted. The exercise is tough and the meals take time and organisation, but it can instill some great habits, which can potentially last a lifetime.
Cycle one
Signing up is a brilliant way to focus your mind and commit to being healthier – whether you’re doing it to lose weight, tone up, be fitter or sculpt that six pack.
The plan is split into three sections – or ‘cycles’ – which helps prevent boredom, and each one is slightly different.
The first hurdle, once you begin cycle one, is ‘prepping like a boss’ – as Wicks puts it. If you’re busy and you don’t make the time to batch cook, you might struggle. You don’t have to have 21 Tupperware tubs labelled up for the next seven days, but when you do have time to cook, at least double the portion, so you’ve got a meal sorted for later in the week.
The recipes don’t actually take that long to cook and taste pretty amazing, but sometimes it all feels like a bit too much, so it helps to have some plates you prepped earlier.
Fitting in the workouts can also be tricky. Ideally, you’re looking to do five a week (four minimum) and depending on how much you’ve got going on in your life, this can be really tricky.
On the plus side, cycle one workouts are only 25 minutes long. For me, the only way to fit these in was to build it into my weekly routine, getting up (even) earlier. That way, you’ve smashed your workout at the beginning of the day and you can forget about it until tomorrow.
The HIIT workouts across these first 30 days are tough, so mustering the energy to do one when I get in from work in the evening just wasn’t an option for me.
Depending on your fitness levels, you might find these really hard work, but you will get better and stronger – and the pain only lasts 25 minutes!
The plan achieves different results for everyone, but at the end of cycle one, I’d lost half a stone and – more importantly – an inch and a half off my hips. My clothes felt much looser, I felt more comfortable and happier with my body, and lots fitter too.
Cycle two
Cycle two comes along and flips everything on its head. So, just as you’re feeling lighter and less bloated for cutting lots of carbs, this part of the plan puts them back in. On a workout day, you can have two refuel (carb) meals (as opposed to one in cycle one) and they’re all tasty.
The workouts are still demanding, but arguably slightly more enjoyable and maybe easier. Weights are introduced in order to build lean muscle, so although there are still some burpees, there are more chest presses, weighted squats and lunges. The dumb-bells can leave you aching in places you haven’t ached before, but there’s a good mix of weights and cardio.
Time restraints and a busy social calendar made cycle two tougher to stick with for me. I kept up all the exercise, but had the odd meal out, a small(ish) amount of booze and some chocolates that kept calling my name.
When you sign up to my tailored 90 Day Plan you’ll be eating incredible food from a banging menu that includes burgers, curries, pancakes and more ????????????
Find out more here: https://t.co/9oFpSCZChn pic.twitter.com/XC1lO4jUjH
— The Body Coach (@thebodycoach) 22 January 2019
By the end of the second batch of 30 days, I’d lost more weight and inches, could clearly see the results for myself, and felt fitter and happier.
Cycle three
Cycle three builds on the last two months of hard work. Wicks maintains this is the part where most people see the biggest change, because you’re in the habit of the eating regime and exercising regularly.
The workouts are strenuous, but you will be able to do them. Not everyone will keep up with the video or go the full 35 minutes without needing a breather, but you’ll be impressed at what you can achieve.
And, undoubtedly, you’ll see results. You’ll see body parts that belong to you looking properly sculpted. Don’t get me wrong – depending on your body, you may still have lots of wobbly bits, but you will see exactly where all the hard work has gone in. Which is nice.
The food is a little bit more down to you, though there is a new raft of recipes. If you enjoyed extra carbs on workout days during cycle two, and are happy with your results, you can keep it up. If it made you feel bloated or you weren’t happy with your measurements, go back down to one carb-fuelled meal on a workout day.
There’s no denying this regime is challenging. Unless you have loads of time on your hands, the workouts are still difficult to fit in, despite being a maximum of 35 minutes long.
The food is great, but prepping is the key to it all, which wipes out a load more time. And it is expensive to buy all of the ingredients.
But it can be fairly flexible, so if you want to socialise or go out for dinner, you can still make it work. And if you need a weekend off, have a weekend off, just make sure you get back on it come Monday.
Ultimately, if you stick to it, you’ll see results, and it might just change your mindset about how to eat healthily and exercise more regularly forever.
Visit thebodycoach.com/90dayplan for more details.