Davide Campagna and the method to get back in shape in 21 days

Summer is now one step away and the desire that unites many of us is to lose the pounds gained during a sedentary life in lockdown, finding not only a leaner body, but also and above all toned and snappy muscles. Casca a bean, therefore, the release of the new book by Davide Campagna, food and fitness influencer from Bologna passionate about healthy nutrition and sport. Is titled “The cooked al dente method” (Vallardi) and proposes a 21-day training plan, accompanied by dietary advice and a series of healthy and balanced recipes, surprisingly tasty.

The fact that the remise en forme proposed by Davide Campagna focuses on a time span of just three weeks (just in time for the summer season), makes the program even more attractive. Here’s what the author told us.

What are the habits that most of all risk making us fat?
«Boredom and stress. Pay attention to it: when we are stressed or bored, we tend to eat a lot more than when we are busy doing something that gives us satisfaction and keeps us focused ».

We still bear the marks of the various lockdowns. What are the most common mistakes at the table in the past months?
«We are leaving behind a period that is not very complex to define. We tend to exaggerate with the classic comfort foods, see sweets, pizza and biscuits under the heading. Going on food to cheer yourself up has been a great classic of lockdowns. And then many people have abandoned training, thanks to the closure of the gyms ».

Let’s move on to his method of remise en forme. What are its pillars?
«First of all the movement, that is to activate oneself. A walk or the stairs on foot can be enough, passing to the real sport, from running to cycling, from pilates to functional training. Second pillar: eating in a balanced way, without having to give up taste ».

Why 21 days?
“According to a study from several years ago, 21 days is the minimum time it takes to create a habit. By eating healthy for 21 days, we make this type of diet a habit of ours. From then on it’s all downhill, because we managed to internalize a healthy lifestyle ».

What does the diet proposed in the book consist of?
«No rigid or prohibitive schemes. I don’t like completely eliminating food families from my table. On the contrary, I am convinced that it is essential to eat more or less everything, as long as it is in the right doses. Depriving ourselves of certain foods leads us to crave them even more. The only ingredient I have excluded is white or brown sugar, replaced by healthier alternatives. The food I propose is varied, colorful, tasty. And he often sees the presence in the dishes of legumes, ignored by many people, wrongly, since they are rich in beneficial properties, as well as satiating ».

What kind of training do you suggest to follow?
«I propose functional free body training, with the help of elastic bands and / or weights. Workouts to combine with walking, jogging, cycling or swimming, complete aerobic workouts. Without forgetting the yoga and pilates sessions. The number of workouts per week and the type of workouts greatly depend on the starting level of the individual: there is no universally valid sports plan ».

How to find the motivation to be consistent with diet and sports?
«Being happy with and in our body: this is the greatest motivation to continue with training and healthy nutrition. When you finally feel good, you can’t do without it anymore ».

Many women experience sluggish metabolism with age. How to stimulate it?
«To activate it you have to move, getting up, walking, leaving the house. Ban laziness, use your car as little as possible and your legs as much as possible ».

Do you have any favorite snacks before and after training?
“For my taste, after sport I have more desire for salty food, while before training I prefer sweet foods, to have energy ready for use”.

What is never missing from his meals?
«Legumes, fruit and vegetables, enhanced with greedy combinations to avoid the risk of monotony».

Practical advice for the often very delicate phase of maintenance?
«Eat well, without ifs and buts. Obviously, in the less strong phase, you can serenely indulge in cheats, in addition to increasing the portions. But I do not recommend making a clear separation between the phases of weight loss and maintenance of the weight obtained. It is about eating reasonably, avoiding excesses. A method that pays off in the very long term ».

In gallery, some of the recipes Davide Campagna’s favorites: balanced, healthy, colorful and delicious. Other than diet monotony!