It’s been a ten year journey that still continues today to be healthy and fit. I’ve learned a lot through my various experiences of being a high school athlete, gaining 35 pound in college, losing my college weight, a group fitness instructor, a Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and a nationally qualified fitness competitor.
Throughout these different experiences, there were some common things that consistently kept popping up. Low-carb, Paleo, low-fat, high-fat, cardio, strength, yoga…what works and what doesn’t? What’s the best? Out of all of the different diets, books, certifications, and experiences I’ve had, there are some underlying themes that I feel are the “must wins” for living a healthy lifestyle. These are my keys to success, my “must wins” for being fit and healthy.
- EAT FREQUENTLY- Eat every 2 to 3 hours. You might not be hungry for the next meal, but eating every few hours increases your metabolism and will get your body burning fat all the time for you. Once you start doing this, you will notice your body starting to get hungry every few hours. Your body needs fuel to turn it into a fat burning machine!
- EAT WHOLE FOODS- This means foods that contain one ingredient (or at least less than five!). Examples would be bananas, chicken, broccoli…etc. These are all foods with only one ingredient. If you can’t pronounce half of the ingredients on the back of the label, it’s probably not good! Genetically modified foods are not foods that our body was made to process naturally. Putting these chemicals in your body can cause your hormones to fluctuate and also slow down the weight loss process.
- EAT BREAKFAST…and eat a big breakfast. This will give you energy for the entire day and will help you to not feel as hungry late night when you are winding down and less active at night
- HYDRATE– Drink 1 Gallon every day. Chances are, this will be challenging, but if you aim for one gallon and don’t get there, you will at least be close! Measure it out! Water flushes all of the bad things out of your body that prevent you from losing weight. If you eat something bad or drink alcohol…drink even MORE water immediately after and the following day. Prepare to succeed and buy a jug to track your water intake and keep take it with you throughout the day
- SLEEP- Sleeping is super important and a big factor in helping to lose weight and live a happy lifestyle. Weigh yourself the morning after a bad night’s rest and a morning after you are very well rested. You will see a difference!
- TRACK YOUR PROGRESS- Don’t just use the scale as a guideline. Take photos, measurements, and use the scale. Healthy is not determined by a number on the scale. If you are getting stronger and gaining muscle, you will weigh more. Using a combination of tools to track your progress is good for your mindset and to truly see how you are progressing.
- THINK OF ALL THE THINGS YOU GET TO EAT…Not all of the things you can’t eat. Get excited to discover new and healthy food options. Mindset plays a big role in our health
- MACRONUTRIENTS- The macronutrients are the nutrients your body needs in the largest amounts to function optimally each day. The macronutrients are Protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
- YOU WILL NOT BE PERFECT-Take it one meal at a time, one day at a time. If you eat something bad, or have too many cocktails, don’t throw the rest of the day away. You’re taking steps to change your lifestyle which takes time. Keep making good choices and putting good things in at every meal and you will be successful. Have patients and be proud of the small victories every single day!
- REMEMBER THE 5 P’s- Proper planning prevents poor performance! You will need to grocery shop every week. Before you go to sleep every night, look at your calendar for the next day and see what you have going on. What is on the schedule that could potentially interfere with your progress? Do you need to prepare and pack snacks? It will be hard at first, but after a few days of planning and packing it will come naturally. You can do it!!!!
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