Read an exclusive excerpt from The RESET Method, by Jimmy Sévigny | JDM

I have to tell you a secret: after the release of my two books which had meal prep as their theme, I told myself that I had toured the garden, that everything had been said and written on the subject and that it was time for me to devote myself to my other projects, such as AKTIVATION, Go Matcha!, Go Choko!, etc. However, on my Facebook group "Activate change with Jimmy" (75,000 members), I continued to read many success stories, but also those of people who, despite the millions of healthy recipes available, simply could not not to change their life habits in a lasting way. The reasons for these failures were numerous, but what often came up was the fact that these people needed to be 100% committed to a process of change in order for it to really work. I have therefore spent the last few years creating a method which, in my opinion, would cover all the bases of a change in lifestyle by making sure to prioritize the motivational aspect; because, even if our fridge is full of healthy foods and we have the latest equipment to train at home, if the head is not ready to begin a turn, nothing will happen. It is with this in mind that I have the immense privilege of presenting our brand new book: The RESET Method! The word "reset" was chosen because it strikes the imagination, and I firmly believe that all the tools contained in this book will allow you to initiate a healthy and permanent reset. In addition to benefiting from a detailed menu developed over 28 days as well as 4 training programs, you will have to make a commitment to yourself from the start and, thereafter, do introspection on a daily basis with our tools in order to know your strengths... but especially your weaknesses. It's the first book of its kind that puts so much emphasis on the psychological aspect, because that's what, in my opinion, makes all the difference. Good reading!

Jimmy Sevigny

We are more than proud to offer you the RESET Method, which is the first method to place so much emphasis on the three axes of health: diet, training and, above all, motivation.

Before starting week 1, turn to page 31, which contains the visualization sheet. This page is probably the most important in the book, because it will ask you to commit to yourself. Being psychologically ready for challenges is the basis for all change. On this visualization page, you will need to list 1 to 3 goals that you set for this 28-day period. In order to imbue your subconscious with these objectives, you will have to read them aloud in the morning when you get up and in the evening before going to bed. I know, this may seem esoteric as a way of doing things, but I confirm that it works! Health goals can be of any order, for example: "At the end of these 28 days, I will have eliminated X pounds", "I will have a positive attitude throughout the day", "I will not let anyone make me doubt myself and/or put me down”, “I will train 3 or 4 times a week”, etc.

Once you have completed the visualization sheet correctly, be sure to place it where it will be visible as a reminder to read it aloud (you can simply remove it from the book or visit the site internet www.methodereset.ca, and we will send you all the documents free of charge by email so that you can print them whenever you need them).

Next, go to week 1. There you will first see your training plan for the week. This weekly exercise program is taken from our AKTIVATION training platform; if you feel like taking the experience to the next level, we invite you to visit www.aktivation.ca. Each week is designed to work on a specific aspect of your body.

Then you will have access to the meal plan of the week as well as the list of ingredients attached to it (go to www.methodereset.ca for printable lists) so that you can find your way around very easily. at the grocery store. Finally, a logbook will help you to do a daily introspection.

About Meal Plans

Our guilt-free menus have been designed to help you shed those extra pounds while preserving your muscle mass. Each day contains an average of 1500 calories; this is what we recommend consuming during the process. However, if you realize after a week that your weight loss is more than 5 pounds, you may need to eat a few more calories each day. To do this, go to the snacks and desserts section of this book (p. 262) to increase your intake by 100 to 400 calories (total of 1600 to 2000 calories per day).

The factors that can influence your daily calorie consumption are your gender (men have a higher basal metabolic rate than women), your daily energy expenditure (including your work, sedentary or active) and your age. To get a more detailed idea of ​​how many calories you need daily, turn to page 13 to calculate your basal metabolic rate.

Everyone knows the concept of calories. The foods we eat all contain their own "energy", and therefore a specific number of calories. When we breathe, sleep, digest, exercise, the body burns this energy (these calories); this is where the weight gain or weight loss principle, also known as the calorie-in, calorie-out principle, comes into play. Purely mathematical, this principle states that if we burn fewer calories than we consume, we gain weight, while if we burn more than we consume, we lose weight. Sounds easy, all that, right?

In fact, this centuries-old principle is beginning to be questioned. Yes, the amount of calories ingested is important, but the origin of the calories is now more emphasized. You will probably agree that 2000 calories of cucumber and 2000 calories of potato chips will not be metabolized (processed) in the same way by our bodies; this is where our view of food comes in.

Calories

On a purely scientific level, a calorie represents the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by 1°C. For our body, it is a fuel. It is therefore partly the calories that allow us to live, to function day after day. The foods we eat each contain a different amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which, taken together, provide us with X number of calories.

Change your perception

Move to reward your body or move to compensate for bad choices? Without hesitation, I choose to do this to reward my body. I deeply want everyone to move with the intention of celebrating what we can achieve and feeling gratitude for all that our bodies give us. Training your mind to have a better relationship with your body goes through these little nuances. Repetition is the key. Remember that our thoughts are trained and modulated as we train and tone a muscle. Our way of thinking is trained every day, by the thoughts that we decide to create and those from which we decide to free ourselves.

Moving is allocating quality time with yourself

There is a very therapeutic side to moving, because it allows you to empty your mind of what is not useful at the moment and to focus on the present, on our body. Our mind then puts the body first, and that is the key! The cocktail of feel-good hormones secreted by our glands makes us feel better, and we appreciate ourselves more. It's like that for ALL movement types or training approaches. Running, Pilates, functional training, yoga, tai chi, cycling: the focus is on us and our physical well-being. I'm not teaching you anything by telling you that physical well-being is not isolated from the rest... By being physically well, we will necessarily feel the benefits in our minds.

How to apply this plan?

Each week is associated with different motor and physical skills, in order to make you experience several types of movements and training techniques during these 28 days.

This will allow you to observe your strengths and weaknesses on the physical level, but also on the mental level. You will have to do, for each workout, the warm-up, the main structure and the stretching.

Warming up is very important. It is designed to awaken your reflexes, optimize attention to your body, increase your heart rate, lubricate your joints and signal your nervous system to increase blood supply to your muscles.

The main structure is designed to work on the specific skills of the week. It is different from week to week in order to bring variety to your training. A quick reminder: sometimes what we need physically isn't necessarily what our ego prefers. So I urge you to complete all the themed workouts and trust the process.

Stretches are targeted to progress with you and allow you to release tension in specific areas. I take this opportunity to remind you that a tight muscle is a weak muscle. If you want to gain stability and strength, and limit injuries in training or simply those that can occur with normal aging, you need to invest energy in stretching and mobility. These stretches will serve you for the next workout.

This plan will allow you to move 3 to 6 days a week, for 25 to 45 minutes. Each week's theme workout will repeat 1 to 3 times, depending on your goals. I also offer you a choice of cardio intervals to do while walking, running or cycling (p. 20-21, #1 to 4) as well as exercises

“bodyweight” (p. 21-25, #5-7) to complement each of your training weeks with variety and fun. These physical activities are excellent for cardiovascular health, for releasing tension and for having some time for yourself with a minimum of equipment and planning.

Studies show that moving at least 30 minutes 3 times a week is an excellent habit for preventing cardiovascular disease and obtaining the maximum benefits for overall health. I therefore encourage you to exercise at least 3 times a week and, if your training is more regular, to allow yourself at least one day of complete rest over a 7-day cycle.

Cardio Interval Workouts

Interval workouts 1 through 4 on the following pages apply to walking, running, stationary cycling, rowing, elliptical, or any other device that primarily engages the cardiovascular system. To start, I suggest you complete the first structure, which is simpler and easier to remember. Please refer to the chart on page 20 to determine your heart rate zones or, if you do not have a heart rate monitor, refer to page 19 to reach the suggested intensity more subjectively. The 'Exercise Time/Rest Time' column refers to the interval of minutes or seconds that you will be working harder (the number at the top left), followed by the rest or recovery time (the number at the bottom right ).

If the type of activity chosen allows it, train with music! Research has clearly shown that training to a tempo helps you train longer and harder.

EXERCISE Interval structure: combo jumping jacks and burpees

Another simple way to incorporate cardiovascular training is to combine two movements and chain the reps together.

Basic Jumping Jack Option: No Jump

For a non-impact jumping jack, in a standing position, open the right leg by raising both arms above the head. Return to the center. This counts as one repetition. Open on the other side, and so on.

Jumping Jack Advanced Option: Star Jump

The star jump is a progression of the jumping jack with the opening phase in the air. This is an athletic and advanced level exercise. From a standing position with your legs together, jump powerfully upwards by opening your legs and raising your arms above your head. Bring the legs and arms back and land in the starting position, legs together.

Understanding Nutrition Labels

Choosing healthy and nutritious foods inevitably involves reading the nutrition labels found on most products purchased at the grocery store. These allow you to analyze your food quickly and make comparisons with other products of the same type in order to choose the one that will be the most beneficial for you.

The reference portion

At the top of each Nutrition Facts table (NFT), there is a reference serving, which is the serving associated with the values ​​listed in the table. As this portion varies from one product and one brand to another, it does not automatically represent the portion you should consume, but is used to compare your choice with another product of the same type. So be sure to always use the same amount, in grams, milliliters or units, when comparing two products (for example: 2 slices, 1⁄2 cup, 125 ml, 85 g, etc.).

To help you make the best choices, you can use the 5-15% rule for the percentages found to the right of the NFT which represent percentages of an item's Daily Value based on an energy intake of 2000 calories. per day. In the 5-15% rule, a food with a percentage below 5% is considered low in this element, while a percentage above 15% would be high in this element. Looking at the TVN opposite, you will notice that this product is interesting in terms of lipids since it is at 1%. In the case of fibres, we try to choose products containing more; its daily value is 8%, which means it's a good product, but there's probably a better one out there with a higher percentage. Finally, you'll notice that protein doesn't have a % Daily Value. Why? In fact, protein needs vary far too much from person to person to target a general daily value.

Calories

The calories represent the energy contained in the reference portion. Remember that you need to multiply this number of calories if you are consuming two or three times the reference serving.

Lipids

Lipids or fats are also listed in the TVN. As you can see in the image to the right, there are three types of fat: saturated fat, unsaturated fat and trans fat. Trans fats should be limited because of their harmful effect on cardiovascular health. A product with 0 g of trans fat, like our product above, will therefore be preferred. Saturated fats, on the other hand, are contained in many animal products and processed products. As they can also influence, in particular, cardiovascular health, bet on the product containing the least. Finally, unsaturated fats, which are rarely listed in the NFT, represent the good fats, the ones you want to include in your diet. The total in the “lipids” section therefore represents the sum in grams of these three types of fat.

Bodybuilding: what you need to know

It is common to see women avoid bodybuilding for fear of increasing their muscle mass and becoming "Madame Muscles". However, it is extremely rare for strength training to be 100% responsible for weight gain.

First of all, what is muscle hypertrophy?

Hypertrophy is characterized by the increase in muscle volume. It reflects structural changes in the muscle, either an increase in muscle fibers (muscle cells), or an increase in the size of existing muscle fibers. This phenomenon occurs during muscle reconstruction following training that has generated either cell damage or the release of various hormones (mainly testosterone and growth hormone).

Increase in muscle mass in women

In general, when strength training is practiced on a regular basis, it is possible to gain between 2 and 6 pounds over a period of 4 to 6 months. In the context of weight loss, the increase in muscle mass is good news since it increases the basal metabolism, which allows greater caloric expenditure at rest, and thus a loss of mass. long-term fat.

training

As mentioned above, in women who train hard, mass gain can be 2-6 pounds after 4-6 months of training. But then, what causes such a sudden weight gain on the scale when you start weight training? Broadly speaking, two things explain this.

When you decide to get back in shape, there are often weeks, months, or even years of inactivity on your physical activity counter. So, when you train for the first few times, it's a safe bet that you will create muscle microlesions which will create an inflammation process (healing process). This will inevitably lead to weight gain, but weight gain is temporary. It will subside when the body has finished its process of muscular adaptation.

Many people tend to overestimate their energy expenditure related to training by taking, for example, one or more snacks of 300 to 600 calories when they only “burned” 200 during training. Over time, this can lead to weight gain.

In short, if you are obsessed with the weight displayed on the scale, it might be worth putting it away in the back of the closet for a few weeks when you start a fitness program!

4 SERVINGS

Nutritional value for 1 parfait: Calories 240 ▪ Fat 8g (11% daily value), Saturated 1g + trans 0g (5% daily value) ▪ Carbohydrates 29g ▪ Fiber 11g (39% daily value) ▪ Sugars 11g (11% daily value) ▪ Protein 18g ▪ Cholesterol 10mg ▪ Sodium 95mg (4% daily value) ▪ Potassium 125mg (3% daily value) ▪ Calcium 250mg (19% daily value) ▪ Iron 0.4mg (2% daily value).

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (125 ml) chia seeds

1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened vanilla soy beverage

1 C. 1/2 tsp (5 mL) stevia (or 20 drops if liquid)

2 cups (500 ml) plain 0% fat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup (60 mL) unsweetened raspberry jam

1 C. . soup (15 ml) matcha (optional)

12 raspberries

1 ∕ In a bowl, combine the chia seeds and soy beverage. 2 ∕ Divide among 4 containers. 3 ∕ In the same bowl that you rinsed, mix the stevia, yogurt and jam. Pour over the chia mixture. Add, if desired, matcha at this stage. 4 ∕ Garnish with raspberries.

4 SERVINGS

Nutritional value for 1/4 of the recipe: Calories 420 ▪ Fat 15g (20% daily value), Saturated 2.5g + trans 0g (13% daily value) ▪ Carbohydrates 32g ▪ Fiber 4g (14% daily value) ▪ Sugars 2g (2% daily value) ▪ Protein 41g ▪ Cholesterol 150mg ▪ Sodium 730mg (32% daily value) ▪ Potassium 700mg (15% daily value) ▪ Calcium 150mg (12% daily value) ▪ Iron 3.5mg (19% daily value) .

INGREDIENTS

400g penne, cooked

125g canned cocktail shrimp, drained

400 g canned tuna in water, drained and crumbled

200g pollock, coarsely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced

1 cup (250 mL) celery, finely diced

2 cups (500 mL) baby spinach, chopped

3 tbsp. (45 ml) light mayonnaise

2 tbsp. (30ml) olive oil

Pepper

Fresh chives, chopped, to taste

1 ∕ In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Season with pepper and garnish with chives to taste.

4 SERVINGS

Nutritional value for 1/4 of the recipe: Calories 350 ▪ Fat 16g (21% daily value), Saturates 4g + trans 0g (20% daily value) ▪ Carbohydrates 25g ▪ Fiber 5g (18% daily value) ▪ Sugars 6g (6 % Daily Value) ▪ Protein 29g ▪ Cholesterol 5mg ▪ Sodium 120mg (5% Daily Value) ▪ Potassium 750mg (16% Daily Value) ▪ Calcium 125mg (10% Daily Value) ▪ Iron 6.5mg (36% Daily Value).

INGREDIENTS

500 g flank steak

3 tbsp. (45ml) olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

Pepper

1 C. (15 ml) red wine vinegar

1 C. (15 mL) fresh parsley, chopped

1 C. 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh basil

1 C. (15 mL) fresh oregano, chopped

1 C. (15 mL) fresh thyme, chopped

2 tbsp. 1/2 tsp (10 mL) chilli flakes

8 cups (2 L) lettuce of your choice

1 cucumber, sliced

2 tomatoes, finely diced

3 tbsp. (45 mL) light Parmesan flakes

2 cups (500 mL) Quebec baby potatoes, halved, boiled

1 ∕ In a bowl, combine the flank steak with 1 tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil and half the garlic. Pepper to taste. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 2 ∕ In another bowl, combine the remaining oil and garlic, vinegar, herbs and pepper flakes. 3 ∕ In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and Parmesan. 4 ∕ Cook the flank steak to taste in a nonstick skillet over high heat or on the preheated barbecue. 5 ∕ Cut the flank steak into thin slices and place it on the salad and the potatoes. 6 ∕ Drizzle with chimichurri sauce.