Reboot and Revive
Movement Guide
The most important parts of this lifestyle are the food lists and your daily must-dos.
This includes walking. Aim for 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day at a brisk pace. Imagine you are late for a meeting. Walking at this speed will increase your heart rate, also known as Zone 2 Cardio. Benefits of walking include:
- helps burn fat
- helps lower cortisol levels + reduce stress
- increases endorphins production
- gentle on joints (ankles, knees, hips)
- low impact exercise
- improves heart health
- improves blood sugar levels
- supports brain health
- improves sleep
Including movement from the Eat Burn Sleep platform will genuinely support your efforts. The right type of exercise will get your blood flowing, strengthen your muscles, improve your body composition and posture, benefit your digestive system, help with mental wellness, and lower your inflammation levels.
However, there is a trick here. The form of exercise has to be the right type.
What do we mean by that? Let’s make it simple. How do performance athletes age? Do they outlive the general population? Do they have healthier organs and higher longevity? The answer is no, for a very simple reason: excessive and high-intensity exercise is inflammatory. The body sees any form of pain as inflammation, and Yalda often gets requests from professional athletes to help them with a low-inflammation diet to offset the effects of their profession.
Yalda’s Exercise Story
During my years of trying to get my ulcerative colitis under control, I would have periods of being unwell. As soon as I felt slightly better, I was desperate to exercise again. I would book a session with a friend of mine who is a personal trainer. He would do what personal trainers usually do, i.e., “push me.” I have a high pain threshold and can’t resist a challenge, so I would do them all, no matter how hard the exercises were. Every single time, without fail, my symptoms would return with a vengeance, and I wouldn’t be able to work out again for a long time.
What became a game-changer in my exercise was when I started focusing on lower-impact workouts, such as Pilates, yoga, and walking. It worked well for me and allowed me to build muscle definition without increasing my inflammation levels. I started attending many more classes, and what I faced then was like returning to square one.
Nowadays, it seems like anything extreme is fashionable. When I started yoga and Pilates around ten years ago, the movement was slow, controlled, and intense. Today, many of these classes are fast-paced, teachers rarely check your form, and how those classes are conducted can lead to injury and inflammation. Unfortunately, that happened to me in March 2016. I was in an Ashtanga class in Miami in one of my favorite studios. As I was in a forward bend position, the teacher came behind me and pushed me on the back so I would go “deeper in the pose.” I suffered a disk bulge between the discs L3 and L4 and had to do months of rehabilitation work. It was utter agony and absolutely depressing not to be able to move my body freely.
I did most of that rehabilitation work myself, knowing precisely what hurt and what didn’t. I strengthened my core, improved my posture, and researched the importance of a strong core for our overall health. I looked further at the link between inflammation and high-impact/high-intensity workouts. Many people ask me how I look after my body composition as I get older and after having had two children and so many health issues. I can assure you that it isn’t by following what’s fashionable and attending the crazy classes I see everybody attend! I go to the gym or work out at home, but I always stick to what I shared with you here. When something feels wrong during a Pilates or yoga class, I do not participate. I basically stick to my guns, and it pays off!
Thanks to that injury, I have devised amazingly effective and straightforward workouts, which I share here. I like to use the word “thanks” here, as I always make the most of negative experiences and turn them into positives. These exercises will help you stand taller, improve your body composition, build lean muscle and a muscular physique.
Extra Movement Tips
USE YOUR BREATH!
It is so important to take deep breaths to relax and energize your body! And if you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you know how essential connecting your body to your breath is. It builds self-awareness and helps you tap into your inner strength. Focusing on proper breathing techniques can help you stay energized, get a better workout, and prevent injury!
Here are some breathing guidelines to keep in mind during your next workout:
- Yoga. During yoga, focus on slow, deep, and even breaths. Your inhales and exhales should be long, lasting an equal amount of time as you breathe in and out from your nose. For example, if you inhale for three seconds, focus on making your exhale last the same three seconds.
- Pilates. With any toning or weight training exercises, you want to exhale on the exertion (when your body is performing the move). For example, if you’re working your abs on the reformer machine, exhale as you crunch and inhale as you lower. For lunges, inhale as you lower and exhale as you come up.
The Eat Burn Sleep lifestyle focuses on improving gut health and reducing inflammation. High-intensity exercise is inflammatory and does not necessarily yield results in body composition. This refers to all sorts of classes, not just the HIIT or spinning classes, but also some yoga, barre, and Pilates classes, which are conducted in a way that can be too intense for the body.
Eat Burn Sleep’s movements aid in reducing lactic acid in the body.
When you perform high-intensity exercise, your body works hard to produce the energy needed. Your muscles need more oxygen than the body can take in, which causes anaerobic respiration and can lead to lactic acid build-up.
Poor dietary habits and chronic stress also cause lactic acid build-up.
Lactic acid build-up leads to inflammation. This is why you feel ‘swollen’ after a hard workout. Lactic acid triggers an inflammatory response, leading to water leaking out of the capillaries and eventually to water retention.
HEALTH FACT
Raw foods stimulate enzyme production and support good digestion. They keep your system more alkaline (not acidic and less inflamed). Fruit also contains vitamin C and antioxidants, which have many health benefits.
FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF YOUR MOVEMENT ROUTINE
All the movement videos on this platform are low-intensity and low-impact. They are safe to perform on an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. They will benefit core strength, gut motility, lymphatic drainage, positive mood, bone and muscle mass preservation, and liver detoxification. The more you practice the Eat Burn Sleep movement routines, the more you tune into your body, and the more you will be able to identify your needs. Including the right kind of movement in your lifestyle might not seem significant, but it has magical effects. Put the time in; it is worth it!
You can do 3 to 5 Eat Burn Sleep movement routines (Movement videos or the Grey, White, or Pink series, 20 to 35 minutes) a week.
You can also mix it up by doing the following classes/workouts (max. three times a week):
- You can do 3 to 5 Eat Burn Sleep movement routines (Movement videos or the Grey, White, or Pink series, 20 to 35 minutes).
- You can also mix it up by doing the following classes/workouts (max. three times a week)
- Traditional Pilates reformer class (not the mega reformers)
- Gentle yoga classes (make the most of them by focusing on your breathing, as that’s super anti-inflammatory)
- We recommend a maximum of 3 classes per week as they generally last up to an hour. If you want to end a class early because you have reached a point of pain, do not be shy and do so!
- Always give your body a day of rest between workouts/classes
- If you feel it gets too intense during a class and the teacher pushes you too much, don’t be afraid to stop or slow down. Trainers tend to do that sometimes. We strongly recommend you do the modifications that suit your body to avoid overpush.
- Make sure to breathe and exhale properly during your workout
- Include a stretching or yoga movement routine once a week to release lactic acid, which can be inflammatory
- If you are tired, hormonal, sleep-deprived, or don’t feel like doing a full-blown movement routine, you can also choose a stretching routine or do some gentle yoga for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Focus on your muscles while working out. Movements are more effective when you keep your attention on your muscles. Focusing on form and the mind-muscle connection is essential for optimal results.
DO YOU NEED A PRE OR POST-WORKOUT MEAL?
You don’t. Hydrate during exercise and stick to your mealtimes. You can choose from the list of allowed snacks only if you really need one, regardless of whether you are exercising. Yalda often works out before a meal; if she doesn’t, she has a cup of herbal tea and an apple if she feels hungry after her movement routine.
HEALTH FACT
Raw foods stimulate enzyme production and support good digestion. They keep your system more alkaline (not acidic and less inflamed). Fruit also contains vitamin C and antioxidants, which have many health benefits.
We spend much time sitting in front of our screens, computers, desks, or driving. This tightens our hips and creates a rounded upper back. Backbends, hip opening, stretching the Psoas muscles – which run from our lumbar region to the bottom of our pelvis- and strengthening our gluteus muscles are very important to counter those bad habits.
The movement videos on this platform are what Yalda uses to relieve back pain and improve posture and body composition (increase muscle and reduce body fat).
It is essential to stick to anti-inflammatory movement to shed fat. When the body is pushed through challenging workouts, it perceives pain like inflammation, which releases cortisol (the stress hormone). This increases blood sugar levels by releasing glucose into the bloodstream and causes fat accumulation in the body.
We are often overdeveloped at the front of our bodies, while the back needs to be challenged more. As this affects our posture, training our back muscles (particularly the lower back), shoulders, and glutes is crucial. The movement videos on this platform are simple and easy yet highly effective in correcting your posture.
HEALTH FACT
Raw foods stimulate enzyme production and support good digestion. They keep your system more alkaline (not acidic and less inflamed). Fruit also contains vitamin C and antioxidants, which have many health benefits.
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Series & Challenges
Sports Performance & Recovery
Achieving peak performance isn’t just about lifting heavy—it’s about training smart, staying consistent, and allowing your body to recover effectively. Whether you’re focusing on building strength, improving endurance, or enhancing mobility, these core principles will help you maximize results.
The Mind-Muscle Connection: Train with Intention
One of the most powerful tools in your fitness arsenal is the mind-muscle connection. When you focus on contracting the right muscles during an exercise, you increase muscle activation, improve movement efficiency, and reduce injury risk. Whether you’re using bodyweight exercises or small weights, moving with control and intention leads to better performance and long-term strength gains.
Body Composition Over Weight on the Scale
Your fitness journey isn’t just about the number on the scale—it’s about body composition. Building lean muscle while maintaining a healthy fat percentage improves strength, metabolism, and overall function. Using bodyweight exercises and light weights with proper form can be just as effective as heavy lifting when done consistently.
HEALTH FACT
The Power of Rest Days Rest days aren’t a sign of weakness—they’re essential for muscle repair, nervous system recovery, and preventing burnout. Overtraining can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, and even injuries. Incorporating active recovery, such as stretching, yoga, or light movement, keeps your body engaged while still allowing it to heal.
Daily Movement: Get Those Steps In
Consistent movement outside of structured workouts is just as important. Walking, stretching, and mobility exercises help maintain circulation, reduce stiffness, and support overall recovery. Aiming for 8,000-10,000 steps per day improves cardiovascular health, aids in muscle recovery, and keeps you feeling energized.
By combining mindful training, balanced movement, strategic recovery, and daily activity, you’ll create a sustainable, high-performance lifestyle that enhances both physical strength and mental resilience.
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