FREE GUIDE

24 DAY S H R E D
CHALLENGE

JUNE 2022
CONTENTS

#1. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Challenge 4
How to Get the Most Out of this Challenge 5
Checklist / Accountability Tracker 7
Equipment Needed 8
Let's Talk Fat Loss 9

#2 . THE WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Week 1: Home Workout 14

Week 1: Gym Workout 15

#3. RECIPES

Recipes 18

#4 . EXTRA INFO

FAQs 26
Support 29

2
 #1.
All You Need
To Know
3
THE CHALLENGE
First things first to clear it up once
and for all: You do NOT need to
lose body fat for summer, and
maybe not at all.
If you are aiming for fat loss, it should
be part of a sustainable, long-term
approach and an overall healthy
lifestyle and balanced diet. However,
we also know that summer is the time
for bikinis (or swim shorts), and less
clothing in general. It is the time for
vacation, the beach and ocean, outside
workouts and activities, and
a time where we especially love to be
care-free and happy. Thus, we all want
to feel comfortable in our skin and
subsequently, there is nothing wrong
with striving to lose a bit of extra body
fat at this time of the year.
We provide you with information
about the challenge itself, a checklist
to hold you accountable, some helpful
info about fat loss, 2 fun and sweaty
workout schedules that you can
choose from, 4 fresh, nutritious &
colorful juice recipes as well as some
fitting FAQs at the end of this guide.
All workouts will be follow along
style and they will be uploaded to
my YouTube channel (@train with
gainsbybrains). This means that we are
training together!
This challenge is going to be 24 days
long. You can choose between a weekly
workout schedule for at-home or a
weekly workout schedule for the gym.
The latter one is meant to include the
workouts as an addition to your weekly
strength-training program in the gym.
Thus, the home-schedule will provide
you with a full workout program, while
the gym-schedule consists of additional
workouts that you can do on top of your
normal training routine.
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HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THIS CHALLENGE
For the home-workout schedule, we
recommend you to do all the videos
listed for each day.
For example, if a day includes three
videos, you should do all three. The
order in which the videos are listed is a
recommendation. If you're limited on
time, you can break them up and do
them across the day, but it's favorable if
you can get them done in one session.
For the gym-workout schedule, we
understand that you may have your
own schedule with a different amount
of workouts per week, distributed
among different days of the week.
Therefore, you can change the days,
but we recommend taking rest days
where you do not train to give your
body some time to recover.
MAKE TIME TO RECHARGE
To get the results you want, as with
every workout program, make sure
you take time to recharge and rest.
Pay attention to your stress levels and
your sleep as this is an essential part
for your overall well-being. Some good
examples to destress are e.g. taking a
walk in nature, getting some sunshine
or a massage, doing breathwork,
following a guided meditation,
spending some (extra) time stretching
or foam rolling, or doing any other
of your fav self-care activities. This will
help you with being recharged and
energized for your next workout!
EAT ENOUGH QUALITY FOODS
More to nutrition in our below section
‘Let’s Talk Fat Loss’. But as a sneak
peek: Take care of yourself. While it is
necessary to be in a calorie deficit in
order to lose body fat, you still don’t
need to 'earn' your food, or restrict
certain foods or food groups. Try to
focus on eating enough quality foods
to support your training and
to fuel your body, despite being in a
caloric deficit.
G E T O N T H AT D A I LY S T E P G R I N D !
Keep track of what you are currently
averaging at, and if it’s lower than you’d
like – set a goal to challenge yourself.
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Hold yourself accountable and get
walking. It’s a great way to ensure that
you are staying active throughout
the day. Next to getting your steps
in, feel free to include additional
(outdoor) activities that can add to
your activity level throughout the
day. Hikes, swimming, surfing, inline
skating, riding your bike - these are all
fun ways to move while getting in
some fresh air and sunshine.
Remember, living a healthy and
active lifestyle is our ultimate goal
here!
NEXT TO THAT, HYDRATION IS
KEY !
Make sure that you drink enough
water during the day and during your
workouts. Water is vital for all
cell functions, it keeps your joints
lubricated (important when training),
prevents infections, keeps organs
functioning properly, helps you
stay focused by delivering essential
nutrients to the brain and increases
your energy. Keep track of how much
water you’re drinking – it makes a
huge difference! How much water you
need varies. If you’re outside when it’s
hot, or when you’re following a sweaty
workout, you’ll need to drink more
to stay hydrated. But there are some
guidelines: For women, the Institute
or Medicine (IMO) recommends a little
over 2 liters (or 9 cups) of fluid each day.
For men, it’s around 3 liters (or 13 cups).
6
CHECKLIST / ACCOUNTABILITY TRACKER

Here is a little checklist that you can fill out on a day-to-day basis every week
throughout the duration of the challenge. It is aimed at helping you hold
yourself accountable. Try setting yourself goals that suit you and your schedule
best, and then try to stick to them in order to keep working towards them.

DONE MISSED

*If you successfully completed the daily activity, put a check mark in the right box ( ), if you missed it,
put a ( ) instead, and try again the next day!

ACT IVI TY MON TUE WE D THU F RI SAT SUN

Workout

Steps

Meditate

Juice

Read

Self-Care

Sleep

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EQUIPMENT NEEDED

All you need is your phone, laptop or

tablet with the guide and your workout
schedules, a mat & something to drink
(let’s stay hydrated) and your beautiful
self- and you’re ready to go!

Most of the workouts consist of
bodyweight exercises that don’t
require additional equipment to be
effective. But some workouts might
include dumbbells or other equipment.
If you don’t have dumbbells, you can
also use something else that’s easy to
hold and has the right weight. Make
sure to listen to your body and evaluate
your form before adding weight.

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LET ’ S TALK FAT LOSS
The goal of this challenge is healthy
and sustainable fat loss, and you need
to be in a (slight) calorie deficit to
accomplish this.
This is achieved when you burn more
than what you consume, or you
consume less than what you burn
during the day. Luckily, we live in an
era with highly developed technology,
so instead of providing you with the
formula – you can head over to my
website to calculate your TDEE. It’s
based on the Mifflin – St. Jeor formula.
Select the goal ‘lose weight’, and
it provides you with an estimate of
how many calories you should be
consuming if your goal is to decrease
your body fat percentage. If unsure,
always overestimate and correct if
needed. Note: this is an estimate, your
actual calorie requirements might
differ. The calculator also gives a macro
recommendation. After establishing
the amount of calories you should
consume to help you work towards
your goals, it’s time to determine what
those calories should be composed of.
Almost all foods provide some amount
of both macro- and micronutrients.
Macronutrients are fats, carbs and
protein and are needed in larger
quantities compared to micronutrients.
One gram of protein is 4 kcal, 1 gram
of carbs is 4 kcal and 1 gram of fat is 9
kcal. This doesn’t mean that you have
to track macros and count calories.
That is just one nutritional strategy that
can help you with working towards
your goals. There are many different
ways you can go about nutrition, and
you should go with what works best
for you: what makes you feel best, is
easiest to stick to and what you can
maintain over time.
As we learned above, you need to
be in a calorie deficit in order for
you to lose body fat. Restricting your
caloric intake, and movement such as
resistance/strength training, cardio or a
combination of both will help put you
in the required calorie deficit in order
for you to burn body fat. Here are a
few tips that can help you to stick to a
calorie deficit and thus support you on
your fat loss journey:
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1. INCLUDE STRENGTH TRAINING
IN YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE
Muscle tissue is more metabolically
active than other tissues such as fat,
which means it burns more calories
at rest. Additionally, research has
shown that you burn more calories
in the hours post weight lifting. Thus,
growing your muscles can help with
increasing your resting metabolic rate
(the amount of calories you burn at
rest).
2 . EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN WITH
EVERY MEAL
Protein makes up the building blocks
for our muscles, and it’s needed to
maintain and repair tissue. Consuming
an adequate amount of protein
ensures that you are maintaining or
building muscle mass – or preventing
it from breaking down. Furthermore,
your body expends more energy for
you to digest protein than it does for
e.g. refined carbohydrates.
Additionally, protein keeps you full for
longer by giving your body a feeling of
satiety.
3. EAT AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT
OF FIBER
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that
your body cannot digest. Unlike other
carbohydrates, fiber cannot be broken
down into sugar molecules, and
instead passes through your body
undigested. This in turn helps to
regulate your body’s use of sugars, and
it helps you to keep your hunger and
blood sugar levels in check. It is found
in a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits
and grains.
4 . DON’ T CUT OUT FOOD
GROUPS - EAT YOUR CARBS AND
F AT S
Fats tend to get a bad rep, as there
is still the myth that fats make you
‘fat’. That’s not the case. Eating above
your needs means that your body
stores that extra energy as fat, and
that comes down to your total calorie
intake. Not to your macro ratio. Fats
are essential for your hormonal levels.
Carbs on the other hand are fuel for
your body and will be used as a source
of energy, e.g. for your workouts.
5 . E A T M I N D F U L LY A N D C H E W
Y O U R F O O D P R O P E R LY
Your digestion starts with chewing
your food. Properly chewing helps
with better absorbing the nutrients in
the food that your body needs to stay
healthy, and it aids with your
digestion. Eating mindfully as a whole
(i.e. without scrolling through your
phone or watching TV) helps you with
slowing down and thus paying
attention to your satiety levels. This will
help with avoiding overeating, and
actually stopping to eat when you are
full.
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6 . STAY HYDRATED WITH
BEVERAGES LIKE WATER & TEA
Proper hydration has scientifically been
proven to contribute to body weight
loss, mainly through a decrease in
feeding and thus calorie intake, and
a loss of body fat through increased
lipolysis, which is the breakdown of fats
and other lipids in your body. Staying
hydrated, especially when you
workout, is key and comes with a lot of
benefits that support not only fat loss,
but your general health and well-
being.
7. GET ENOUGH SLEEP AND REST
Sleep deprivation decreases your body’s
ability to process insulin - a hormone
needed to convert sugar, starches and
other food into energy. When your body
doesn't respond properly to insulin, it in
turn does not properly process fats
from your bloodstream, and ends up
storing them as body fat. In addition,
insufficient sleep enhances your drive to
consume food and compromises your
control of appetite and thus the success
of dietary interventions.
8. MANAGE YOUR STRESS LEVELS
Keeping your everyday stress levels in
check will help you with the adoption of
healthier dietary patterns. This is key in
order for you to create and maintain a
healthy diet and lifestyle long-term -
and that’s exactly what we want. Now,
we all know that we are most likely not
able to avoid stress altogether, but this
is where regular self-care practices
come in handy. Figure out what it is
for you that keeps you grounded and
care-free, be it spending time outside
in nature, quality time with friends
or family, or just being by yourself
reading a book or taking a bath. Then,
try incorporating one of these activities
at least once a day.
9. INCREASE YOUR TDEE (TOTAL
D A I LY E N E R G Y E X P E N D I T U R E )
There are two main ways to increase
your TDEE – taking in fewer calories by
eating less (calorie-dense) foods, or by
doing more exercise and increasing
your physical activity. Having a higher
weight also increases your TDEE which
includes muscle mass. This in turn
indicates that building muscle leads to
a higher TDEE. We recommend
starting small: Set yourself a daily step
goal, add an additional 5-10 minutes of
cardio to your workout routine, walk
instead of taking the car for short
distances, take the stairs instead of the
elevator, incorporate more fresh
vegetables and protein into your diet,
do strength training to build lean
muscle mass etc. Small changes will
yield big results over time!
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10. INCLUDE HIIT, INTERVAL AND
CIRCUIT TRAINING OR SUPER
AND GIANT SETS:
Such training can be a time-efficient
way to burn calories as you are more
likely to burn more calories in shorter
HIIT routines compared to longer
continuous exercise sessions. High-
intensity exercise, like intervals, results
in a greater disturbance of your body’s
homeostasis which means that your
body requires more energy and
oxygen to return to its normal basal
levels. Further, high-intensity exercise
has been shown to significantly
increase both aerobic and anaerobic
fitness, to lower insulin resistance and
to result in increases in skeletal muscle
capacity for fatty acid oxidation -
which both aids in fat loss.
..but most importantly, find a way of
exercising and a diet that is enjoyable
to YOU, so you can stick to it long-
term, and even after you’ve finished
this challenge!
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#2.
The Workout
Schedule
WEEK 1: 40 MIN Remember, you can click the thumbnails to
be directed to the videos. The new uploads
Home Schedule will be uploaded that week on my channel.

MON New Upload +

Meditation A WATCH VID EO

TUE Step Goal + Wim Hof Method Guided Breathing for Beginners
(3 Rounds Slow Pace)

WED New Upload +

THU Step Goal + Meditation B WATCH VID EO

Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing

FRI New Upload +

SAT

SUN Rest Day

14
WEEK 1: 20 MIN

Gym Schedule

MON Gym Workout +

Meditation A WATCH VI D EO

TUE Step Goal + Wim Hof Method Guided Breathing for Beginners
(3 Rounds Slow Pace)

WED Gym Workout

THU Step Goal + Meditation B WATCH VI D EO

Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing

FRI Gym Workout +

SAT Gym Workout

SUN Rest Day

15
#3.
Recipes
 RECIPES

Recipe on next page 17

 Pictured on previous page

Monday Green Juice 4 Servings 10 mins Vegan

M A C R O S (per serving) CAL : 96 FAT: 0g CARBS: 23 g PROTEIN: 1 g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 4 cups fresh spinach 1. Clean and cut all fruits and vegetables.
• 3 medium green apples
2. Place the apple, cucumber, lemon and baby
• 2.5 cm ginger root
spinach in your juicer or cold press.
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 small lemon
3. Blend until smooth and strain your juice.
• 1 ½ cups cold water
4. Add the cold water and mix to combine.
• handful ice cubes
(optional) 5. Pour into glasses and optionally serve with ice
cubes.

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 RECIPES

Recipe on next page 19

 Pictured on previous page

Wednesday ‘Orange’ Juice 4 Servings 10 mins Vegan

M A C R O S (per serving) CAL : 84 FAT: 0g CARBS: 19 g PROTEIN: 2 g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 4 large carrots 1. Wash and rinse the carrots. Cut into pieces.

• 2.5 cm ginger root

• 2 naval oranges
• handful ice cubes
(optional)
2. Remove the orange peels and cut into slices.
3. Remove the skin from the ginger.
4. Feed the carrots, orange slices, and ginger
through your juicer until smooth.

5. Pour into glasses and optionally serve with

ice cubes.

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 RECIPES

Recipe on next page 21

 Pictured on previous page

Friday Yellow Juice 4 Servings 10 mins Vegan

M A C R O S (per serving) CAL: 96 FAT: 0g CARBS: 23 g PROTEIN: 1 g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 3 cups ripe pineapple or 1 1. Clean and cut the pineapple and ginger root.
medium pineapple 2. Place all ingredients in your juicer or cold
press.
• 2.5 cm ginger root
3. Blend until smooth and strain your juice.
• 1 cup water
4. Add the cold water and mix to combine.
• juice of 1/2 lemon
5. Pour into glasses and optionally serve with
• handful ice cubes
ice cubes.
(optional)

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 RECIPES

Recipe on next page 2 3

 Pictured on previous page

Sunday Red Juice 4 Servings 10 mins Vegan

M A C R O S (per serving) CAL : 96 FAT: 1g CARBS: 22 g PROTEIN: 2 g

INGREDIENTS METHOD

• 8 cups sweet watermelon 1. Remove the seeds from the watermelon and
cut into cubes.
• 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves

• 2 tsp lime juice 2. Roughly chop the fresh mint leaves.

• pinch of salt
3. Place along with salt and lime juice to a
• handful ice cubes high-speed blender or mixer.
(optional)
4. Blend until smooth and frothy.

5. Pour into glasses and optionally serve with

ice cubes.

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 #4.
Extra Info
25
FAQS

1. Why is weight lifting beneficial for weight loss?

While a weight training session As a general rule of thumb, a more

generally doesn’t burn as many calories
as a cardio workout, it has other key
benefits. Building muscle is one of
them, as muscle is more metabolically
active which means it burns more
calories at rest than other tissue such
as fat does. Thus, growing your muscles
can help with increasing your resting
metabolic rate, which is the amount of
calories you burn at rest.
Additionally, research has shown that
you burn more calories in the hours
post weight lifting compared to cardio.
Your resting metabolism may stay
elevated for up to 38 hours after your
weight training workout, while no such
effect has been shown for cardio.
intense workout is more likely to
increase the number of calories you
burn afterwards.
However, keep in mind that lifting
weights isn't a shortcut to weight loss:
In order to lose fat you have to be in a
calorie deficit which means you have to
burn more calories than you consume.
However, if you spend time building
muscle and consuming a sufficient
amount of calories to support this
process, it will help you long-term in
burning more calories.

Thus, for weight lifting, calories burned

aren’t limited to the time you’re
actively exercising as you may continue
burning calories for hours or days after
your session.

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2. Why am I gaining weight while losing body fat?
If you feel like you are getting leaner
but maintaining or even increasing
your weight and you regularly strength
train, you may actually be losing fat
and gaining muscle. The process
of gaining muscle and losing body
fat at the same time is called body
recomposition.
You may be weighing yourself
regularly, but most scales won’t tell you
how much of your weight stems from
body fat or muscle. For example, two
people can weigh the exact same, but
have completely different body fat and
muscle proportions. The person with
a higher ratio of muscle mass to body
fat is more likely to look leaner and has
smaller body measurements as muscle
is denser than body fat.
3. I want to lose weight. What are good ways
without drastically decreasing calories & carbs?
Oftentimes, when we try to lose body
fat, we jump into a major calorie deficit
and avoid carbs, sugars or fats. This is
what the diet industry tells us to do -
But we’ve all been there and we know
what happens when you do this. Yes,
you may initially drop weight fast, but
next to fat this also includes water
Strength training combined with an
adequate caloric intake and a high
protein diet favors muscle gain and
fat loss, which can result in body
recomposition. The simultaneous
muscle gain and fat loss can lead to
either no weight loss, a much slower
weight loss over time or even weight
gain.
This is one of the reasons why you
shouldn’t solely rely on the scale to
measure your progress when trying
to lose weight. Further, your ratio of
muscle to fat mass might be a better
indicator of your health than your body
weight is.
weight and muscle mass, and you
are most likely not be able to sustain
this drop in calories sustainably. You
may end up giving up, binging or
overeating, and ultimately you end
up putting all the weight and body
fat back on. Additionally, you may
end up with hormonal imbalances,
27
digestive issues, sleep problems and
more. So, instead of going on the next
low calorie, low carb or low fat diet, try
working on a sustainable approach.
Here are a few helpful tips:
1. INCREASE YOUR LEAN MASS.
Lean muscle mass is more
metabolically active at rest than fat
tissue and also needs more calories
to maintain. Thus, try to focus on your
training performance and progressive
overload in order to build muscle.
2. GET MORE QUALITY SLEEP.
Sleep is essential for a healthy body
and mind. It allows us to recover and
recharge. Not getting enough sleep
can also cause you to overeat the next
day. If you find you wake up in the
middle of the night, make sure to have
nourishing dinner before your body
fasts at night, or try a bedtime snack.
3. LOWER YOUR STRESS.
Stress is a normal part of life and
you can cope with stress to a certain
extent, but if you're experiencing
chronic ongoing stress such as due
to a stressful job you hate or a toxic
relationship, this will negatively affect
your health and make it hard to stick
to your nutrition plan. Thus, try to find
ways that work for you in order to lower
your stress levels, set boundaries and
prioritize healthy relationships.
4 . DO MORE LOW-INTENSITY
EXERCISE (LISS).
Walking is easy on your body and can
do wonders. It will increase your calorie
expenditure, puts less stress on your
body than other forms of exercises and
is great for recovery.Try setting yourself
a step target and hit it daily.
5. EAT NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS
T H AT S U P P O R T YO U R H E A LT H
A N D M E T A B O L I S M . Limit processed
foods, vegetable oils, additives like
artificial food coloring and high-
fructose corn syrup, and start eating
more quality proteins, nutrient dense
natural carbohydrates/sugars and
saturated fats.
6. SWAP OUT VEGETABLE OILS
like canola and sunflower oil for quality
saturated fats. This being said, try to
minimize the amount of vegetable
oils in your diet as those are prone
to oxidation, can suppress thyroid
function and can block cells from
utilizing glucose for fuel.
7. F I N D A M E A L F R E Q U E N CY
T H A T W O R K S F O R Y O U , but keep
in mind that skipping meals may not
be the best solution. For most people,
fueling your body frequently every
3-4 hours with nutrient-dense foods
can help to lower stress hormones
and provide your body with adequate
energy throughout the day.
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DISCLAIMER

The contents of this document should not be taken as medical advice.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health
problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.
Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any
matters regarding your health. Use of the information in this program
is strictly at your own risk.

To avoid any injuries or harm, make sure you check your health with
your doctor before exercising. By performing any fitness exercises
without supervision, you are performing them at your own risk. See a
fitness professional to give you advice on your exercise form. Sophie
van Oostenbrugge will not be responsible or liable for any injury or
harm you sustain as a result of the videos.

Sophie van Oostenbrugge and GAINSBYBRAINS B.V. will not assume

any liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages that may result
including, but not limited to, economic loss, injury, illness or death.

SUPPORT

For support, please email hello@gainsbybrains.com. I love to connect

on social media, but unfortunately I cannot keep up with DM’s or
explain things in detail in the comments. So for any questions or
remarks, please email hello@gainsbybrains.com and we’ll get back to
you as soon as possible!

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