INTRODUCTION

I am not going to bore you with my life story.

This book is about giving you the information and experiences that have brought me to the place I am now. But to be clear, between the ages of fourteen and thirty-four, I tried just about every style of eating and exercising known to man.

And at age thirty-four, Pretty Intense was born.

Pretty Intense describes more than just my diet and fitness program; it describes the way I approach everything in life. That mind-set has brought me success in so many ways, but it’s also brought me some things that are more important: health, happiness, and a deeper appreciation for the simple things in life. And that’s what I want to share with you. Yes, the program in this book will boost your metabolism, shrink and tone your body, and give you more energy than you’ve ever had. But it will give you something even more powerful: the confidence to set new goals—and truly achieve them.

I began developing the Pretty Intense plan in early 2016. My job doesn’t allow for time off, so as a woman driven to succeed at all costs, I decided to undergo IVF treatment to freeze my eggs. I wanted a backup plan—or maybe someday an actual plan! Friends and doctors said that my body would go back to normal after I had a regular cycle. I was shocked by the weight gain I experienced from the hormone shots. It was the first time I really understood the power of hormones and why it’s so difficult for women to lose weight after a pregnancy—or for anyone, man or woman, to drop pounds after a significant hormonal shift. Even though I was eating the same way and took only two weeks off from exercising, my body had changed. I had extra fat on me, and it was not coming off with my normal workouts. I realized that if I was going to look and feel the way I wanted to, I was going to have to do something different.

That “something different” is what you hold in your hands. It’s a new way of eating and working out that has given me my best body ever, hormones be damned. And it will do the same for you.

I’ve been a professional athlete all of my adult life, and I’ve been training hard since my teens. But even at my level of fitness, the Pretty Intense program changed my body more than any program I’ve ever followed.

How I Became Pretty Intense

One of the earliest lessons I learned in my career was this: the most powerful thing about you is your mind.

That’s what makes this book different from any other diet and fitness book on the market. Yes, I’m going to teach you how to eat and exercise to reshape your physique, but first, I’m going to give you the tools you need to bring focus and discipline into your life—tools that are essential to reaching your diet and fitness goals. These are the mental and emotional strategies I use not just when I’m racing at two hundred miles per hour, but when I’m managing and engaging in every aspect of my life, from planting my garden to executing my workout to spending the best possible time with the people I love.

So many of us begin a new fitness or diet plan, or make a promise or a resolution to ourselves, only to drop out after a few weeks or a few months, and that makes sense to me. What makes us think we can change our bodies and our behaviors without changing the way we think about ourselves first?

The fact is, we are all creatures of habit, and the biggest habit of all is our way of thinking. Our lives are the sum of our actions, and our actions come from our thoughts. If we think we’re not motivated enough, not smart enough, not good enough, then our actions will reflect those beliefs. If you’re in the mental habit of backing down from difficult challenges, of giving up when things get tough, of letting slide commitments that you made to yourself and to others, this mind-set will reflect in your actions, and in the results of your day-in, day-out life.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.”

—THOMAS JEFFERSON

On the other hand, if you train yourself to habitually push forward when a problem arises, to confront challenges head-on, to stick with difficult situations even when it’s not comfortable or convenient, you’ll begin to effect change, in body and mind.

Do you feel like you’re doing what you were put on Earth to do? Are you excited about the day ahead? Do you come away at the end of the day feeling as though you’ve made another step toward your goals? Pretty Intense will teach you how to get into the right state of mind to do all those things. You’ll learn how to confront difficult situations and master them quickly and honestly; how to create a positive energy that will give you confidence in any social or professional situation; and how to fall in love with your own company in a way that brings stillness and calm into your life so that you can truly enjoy the company of others without using them as a means of escape. These are among the tools you need to begin changing your body, and your life. With this newfound confidence, nothing will stop you from getting where you want to go!

That’s what Pretty Intense has to offer.

Get Strong—from the Inside Out

When was the last time you made a resolution? I am going to eat healthier. I am going to work out every day. I am going to save more money. I am going to be nicer to people.

Here’s my yearly resolution: I am not going to make any resolutions.

Resolutions are nothing more than momentary decisions to effect permanent changes, and they don’t work for exactly that reason. If it were so easy to eat right, exercise more, and pursue our dreams, we’d all be doing it every single day, and we’d all be lean, healthy, and happy.

Look around. How’s that working out?

To get what we truly want, we need to go deeper.

Pretty Intense will get you out of the resolution/relapse/regret cycle by asking you to do just one thing: the next healthy thing. Together, we’ll decide just for today to exercise; to make just this next meal a healthy one; to tackle just this one problem and bring it to resolution. And, over time, brick by brick, we’re going to build a new and amazing you.

We’ll do it by changing your habits, starting from the inside. (Remember, habits are nothing more than individual actions you take over and over again.) So let’s make this easy for ourselves!

Take exercise, for example. I know that there will be days when you wake up full of energy, the sun streaming through your windows, the birds chirping—days when you can’t wait to break a sweat and feel fully alive. But there will also be days when the rain is pouring, the kids are screaming, your mind is spinning, and the idea of working out seems like just too much to bear.

I designed the Pretty Intense Workouts for those days. When it comes to exercise, motivation is job one. That’s why you’ll begin this program with the Pretty Intense Fit Test, a simple workout that will test you physically and mentally. You’ll record your time, and you’ll revisit the Fit Test again at the end of the program to see real, undeniable proof of how much stronger and healthier you’re becoming.

And except for the Fit Test, you’ll never do the same workout twice.

Intensity Is the Key to Everything

If anyone has ever told you that you’ve gained weight because you don’t exercise enough, or because you’re not motivated enough, or because you’re too stressed and too busy, I can almost guarantee they’re wrong. In fact, studies show that the average American gets more exercise today than he or she did twenty years ago, while eating about the same number of calories.

The problem isn’t time, effort, or motivation. It’s intensity. You need to work hard enough to be great.

Too many of us work out all the time without seeing results, because the workouts we’re doing simply aren’t effective at boosting our metabolism. Burning calories on the stair climber or running on the treadmill will shrink you a little, but it won’t help you reshape your body. It won’t give you a flat belly, sleek thighs, strong arms, and a tight, firm butt.

The Pretty Intense Workout will. It brings intensity back into your life, resetting your metabolism with brief, high-energy workouts that will program your body to burn the maximum amount of fat—not just when you’re working out, but all day long. As you reset your internal calorie furnace with a combination of body-weight exercises, resistance training, and aerobic conditioning, you’ll begin to see results on an almost daily basis.

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

—JACK CANFIELD

Pretty Intense is based on a simple philosophy: it all comes down to intensity. That’s true in every aspect of life, but especially in the exercise arena. This workout plan will get you in and out fast—without the need for a gym, expensive equipment, or rearranging your already complex life.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is the style of workout we’ll be focusing on. HIIT refers simply to a workout in which you go hard, at maximum intensity, for a certain amount of time, then back off for a “recovery” period before going at it hard again. I’ll show you a combination of fitness plans that includes weights and cardio, with plenty of short workouts (and the occasional longer one), and I’ll keep you motivated and challenged. Plus, like me, you’ll utilize a series of inspirational phrases (use mine or develop your own with my Magic Mantra Maker) to keep you moving forward—literally.

And throughout, I’ll show you exactly what works for me, while introducing you to some of the newest science that informs my approach to fitness, food, and life.

Feed Your Body, Feed Your Soul

I have been a student of nutrition since I was fourteen, and I’ve experimented with every diet trend that’s come along in the last two decades: I’ve eaten low-fat. I’ve eaten low-carb. I’ve made everything whole wheat. I’ve done dairy-free, gluten-free—you name it, I’ve tried it and tweaked it to fit my lifestyle. But the biggest lesson I’ve learned about diet is this: you need to eat more simply, and in order to do that, you need to have control, and you need to not be afraid of your own kitchen.

In fact, if there is one piece of health and fitness advice I would give to anyone, it is this: learn how to cook.

The way we eat today—even food commonly accepted as “healthy,” from brown rice cakes to baked potato chips—has the effect of basically slowing our metabolism, undermining our body’s own internal fat-burning systems. Once you learn how food is really prepared, you’ll begin to understand why the food at your favorite chain restaurant tastes different: the baked salmon (it’s covered with butter!), the pasta sauce (it’s loaded with sugar!), even the “grilled” chicken (it’s actually fried with vegetable oil!). You’ll understand what all those seventeen-syllable words on food labels mean, and why you should avoid them. And you’ll finally gain control of your food, your diet, and your life.

More important, you’ll never feel hungry. In fact, you’ll find yourself eating more food—and more delicious food—than ever before.

The Pretty Intense Diet is a Paleo-friendly program featuring dozens of delicious recipes I’ve built using simple dietary principles that form the basis of my personal nutrition plan: eat real food! It’s not about bland, boring rice and beans; on this plan, I’ll show you how to grill the perfect steak, caramelize onions to dress an amazing hamburger, and turn even vegetables into savory and irresistible stars of any meal, all the while stripping away the unnecessary and unhealthy additives that can cause weight gain.

And these foods and recipes are just the beginning. I believe the key to becoming a success in the kitchen is to unleash one’s own creativity. I’ll guide you through the processes I use to create my own recipes so you can enjoy the same great foods I eat every day while developing your own repertoire of delicious go-tos.

So what do you think?

Can you do this?

I know you can. And I’m going to be with you every step of the way.

The Pretty Intense Program at a Glance

Nutrition

The idea for this eating plan is to focus on eating REAL food! Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats. I want you to eat foods as close to their original form as you can. Look at the ingredients list: in most cases there shouldn’t be more than five ingredients, and you should be able to pronounce them all!

Everything you eat should be adding to your well-being, not reducing it. It will be a little tricky for a week or two adjusting your meals and figuring out what foods and combinations you like, but stick it out. I promise, it will be worth it. I can’t wait for you to discover new and delicious simple foods!

Number of Meals

Three per day—no skipping breakfast!

Number of Snacks

Two or three per day (hunger is your enemy!)

Eat More

Meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, avocado oil, nut milks, coconut milk, potatoes, and eggs

Avoid

Dairy (including milk, cheese, and yogurt), wheat flour–based foods (including whole-grain and white bread, pasta, and pastries), soy, sugar, and artificial sweeteners

Cut Down On

Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts) and grains (corn, oats, rice, quinoa)

Calories

Don’t sweat it! Eat the right foods at the right times, and the calories will take care of themselves.

Cheat Days and Cheat Meals

Since there are occasions when we have very little control over what we fuel our bodies with, I don’t plan cheat meals. That way, when I don’t eat quite as well, it’s no big deal. Do your very best all the time, and you will stay ahead! Cheat meals are a gimmick that a lot of diet marketers use to make their plans more palatable. It’s not something you need. Yes, there will be special occasions when you will indulge, and that’s okay! No need to feel guilty when celebrating, finally getting to relax, or eating something you rarely get! Just get back to eating your Pretty Intense diet at your next meal! What you’ll discover is that you’ll no longer crave unhealthy food, because of how good you feel. If you don’t yet believe me, you will. (Imagine a life in which you don’t even want bad food!)

Alcohol

It’s allowed, but remember that each time you indulge, you’ll reduce your results. When you do drink, avoid beer, and cocktails made with sugary mixers. (Those frozen margaritas and piña coladas are the worst!) Instead, choose wine, or cocktails made with clear liquor and club soda with lemon slices (not tonic water, which has lots of added sugar).

Hunger Is Your Enemy

The first thing you might notice when you see this nutrition plan is, there’s a lot of food! In fact, you’ll probably be eating much more often on this plan than you’re used to. How can that possibly translate to weight loss?

Because the right food, eaten at the right time, is the most effective weight-loss tool out there. More than exercise, much more than “dieting” or calorie restriction, fueling your body with healthy, high-protein, high-fiber, nutrient-dense food at regular intervals throughout the day will have the greatest impact on the shape and size of your body.

Eating the Pretty Intense Way

To help your body start burning fat and give you the energy you need, you’ll focus on a series of super-healthy food groups, each of which spark metabolism in its own particular way, while giving your overall health a boost. Here’s a general idea of the foods you’ll enjoy on this program:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Desserts

Fitness

For the past year, I’ve been working hard in the gym, adapting my own exercise regimen into a plan that’s perfectly suited for anyone. This 12-week program starts off moderately challenging and ramps up from there. Each week will include:

Each workout is designed to take between 20 and 25 minutes, except for the “long circuit,” which will take between 30 and 45 minutes.

Equipment needed

Only you know your schedule and lifestyle, so I can’t impose my regimen on you. But if I were to recommend when to do these workouts, and in what order, it would look like this:

MON

cardio (A.M.)

upper body (P.M.)

TUES

lower body (A.M. OR P.M.)

WED

cardio (A.M.)

abs (P.M.)

THURS

cardio (A.M. OR P.M.)

FRI

off

SAT

long circuit (A.M. OR P.M.)

SUN

off

This is just how I would do it, and following this regimen would provide me with maximum strength to perform each workout to the highest of my ability.

You’ll notice that on a couple of days, I’m recommending two workouts in one day. I would like you to get comfortable with that idea, even if you just want to stick with one workout a day in the beginning, or to stack two workouts together to save time. But my hope is that at some point you will be able to work out twice a day on occasion, which will really stoke your metabolism and change it up on your body.

Over the course of the next 12 weeks you’ll never do the same workout more than once. There are two reasons why: First, it’s a lot more fun if the exercises, structure, and rep schemes change. Dah! And second, I want to keep your body and your mind constantly challenged and tested. You will not only become stronger physically, but mentally. You will no longer be afraid when you see a hundred reps of something in a workout, because you’ve done it! And it wasn’t really that bad. It also teaches you that when you have only ten reps to do, it’s going to seem really easy!

“I lost my love handles.”

MICHAEL TASCONA, 37

Tampa, Florida

A former lineman working on high cable towers—sometimes rappelling down to them from a helicopter—Michael had always been physically active. But a few years ago he moved to Florida to start a new career in sales. “That’s a different ballgame,” he says. “It’s not physical at all—it’s all eating and drinking.”

Despite running, taking some exercise classes, and following diet advice from his sister, a nutritionist, Michael was starting to see his weight creep up. Soon, he was up to 207 pounds, and with his travel schedule, working out more just wasn’t an option. He needed to work out smarter. Then he found Pretty Intense.

“My friends were following Danica on Instagram and I saw her post about this program. When I first did the Fit Test I thought, Wow, this is going to be intense. But the first workouts weren’t intimidating at all.”

It didn’t take long for that extra business-meal weight to start to fall away. “I lost my love handles, and that was a big thing. My goal was to get down below 200, but I lost 14 pounds, and I’m down to 193.” Michael admits he’s got a love/hate relationship with some of the exercises: “Abs day sucks, but it’s also one of my favorite workouts.” And now that his love handles have melted away, he can start to see the result of his efforts.

If there’s one overriding idea with this program, it’s this: I want you to crank up the intensity, at least for a short amount of time. This isn’t “slow and steady,” and it isn’t “lift and then rest.” You should be working a lot more than resting!

That said, if something hurts, then stop or modify the exercise! You should modify especially if you’re feeling pain in joints like your knees, hips, elbows, or shoulders. You might also have to modify the workout if running outside isn’t possible due to weather, like a snowstorm or freezing temperatures in Chicago in January—brrrr! Here are some options to replace running in the cardio workouts (the following moves are written in my preferred order of effectiveness to get your heart rate up): jump rope, stair taps, skipping, high knees, jumping jacks, butt kickers, or running stairs (if you have a lot of them, such as in a high rise). Also, if you have a rowing machine or bike, they would work as well.

But don’t confuse “it hurts” with “it’s too hard.” That’s merely a mental hurdle. It’s not any harder to keep going slowly than it is to stop and then have to talk yourself into starting again. My trick when I have to take a break is to count to three or five and then start again.

These workouts will be over before you know it, so work hard! I’m sure the time you have to work out is limited; don’t waste it resting. Give it your best effort for the short amount of time you have to not only look better but feel better, too!