The 14-Day No Sugar Diet(38)
Easier: Perform the hip raise without doing the press-out part of the exercise using the exercise band. Hold the top position for a second or two while engaging your core and glutes. Do 8 to 12 reps.
Harder: Do the hip raise without the exercise band. But at the top position, when your butt is off the ground, extend one foot out straight while keeping its thigh parallel with the thigh of the other leg. Return your foot to the floor and then repeat with the other leg. After returning that foot to the floor lower your butt to the floor. Repeat that sequence for 8 to 12 reps.
Mountain Climber Finisher
Remember these fondly from high school? Mountain climbers are a great strength exercise with aerobic benefits to end your circuit. Get into the “up” pushup position with your hands directly under your shoulders and arms straight. Now, rapidly bend and straighten each leg one at a time in alternating fashion. It’s like running in place with your hands on the ground. Try bringing your knees to your chest with each pump of your legs. Do these as fast as possible for a full 20 seconds. Then rest and repeat twice more.
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DIY PROJECT
Water Weights
Half gallon or gallon-size water jugs are great for adding resistance to strength-building exercises. Use them as you would a pair of dumbbells. Try them with the Farmer’s Carry, one of the best total-body fat-burning exercises you can do anywhere. Hold a filled water jug in each hand. Stand with your back straight and shoulders pulled back (don’t hunch your back). Keeping good posture, walk around your house or yard until you get tired. Put the jugs down, rest for a minute to catch your breath, and then repeat. Work up to doing 6 sets a day.
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Appendix A
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Unhealthiest Restaurant Meals
These popular menu items may cause the greatest impact on your blood sugar. Make better choices
WHENEVER YOU EAT outside the home, you lose some control over what you consume. After all, at a restaurant, you’re not welcome in the kitchen to see what’s going into your meal or how it’s being prepared. And even if you could sneak in, the chef probably wouldn’t appreciate your suggestions. As you know, restaurant fare is not ideal for people who are trying to reduce consumption of added sugars, lose weight and prevent type 2 diabetes.
To keep your meal from impacting your health, do some detective work before you head out for dinner. Check the restaurant’s website to see if you can find nutrition information for the entrées, and preselect a better choice. The more you know before you go, the easier it will be to avoid carb-and-calorie overload. To that end, here’s some useful intel—the worst offending meals at popular national restaurant chains:
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Olive Garden’s Eggplant Parmigiana
Nutrition: 1,060 calories, 54 g fat (12 g saturated), 1,190 mg sodium, 113 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 23 g sugar, 30 g protein Olive Garden is known for its classic unlimited soup, salad and breadstick lunch duo that starts at $6.99. While this is a dangerous option for people with diabetes—four breadsticks alone are equivalent to 100 grams of carbs—the dinner portion of the Eggplant Parmigiana contains enough carbs to put you into a hyperglycemic state immediately after consumption.
Eat This Instead! Chicken Margherita
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