Nutrition and Fitness 101

Okay, so I've had a MILLION (okay maybe not that many) e-mails/FB questions on what did I eat for 17 weeks of training? Sorry to say my answer is NOT going to be "sexy" so, I'm gonna try to make it sound it :)

First I'm gonna tell you what you have heard a thousand times - Diet is a temporary thing, lifestyle is a commitment! Now that being said....I've NEVER stuck with a diet longer than...2 days. For some of you, this may sound like what I heard when I came to this conclusion..."I will never be able to eat ice cream, dorritos, cheese, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream - chocolate ANYTHING!" NOT TRUE! (Can you see what items I crave?)

What this does mean is, the "processed" foods don't do anything for you - HOWEVER, I do eat them but VERY sparatically and truthfully - I don't even crave them that often except that one week out of the month - not sure why the Dr. couldn't fix the craving part with my surgery that saves me from dealing with every month!! ANYWAY....

So....nutrition 101 (again, I am not an expert, these are just things that I have come up with over the past 10 years and from trainers)

1. Eat clean - if you need help with this - I recommend Tosca Reno's books, (it's the bible for ALL figure girls) http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ Tosca is an amazing woman who looks amazing! She knows her stuff! She will go over basics, like how much protein, carbs, and good fats you should be consuming on a daily baisis. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently to certain foods. She also recommends certain vitamins/supplements. These are CRUCIAL!! Before I trained I used to tell my husband that I eat "healthy" enough that I don't need any vitamins. Ha! They are my lifeline now! So, check her out, she's recently been on several "daytime" shows and is very "popular."



2. Exercise - First you need a routine. Exercise is very important for the outside of your body and internal. So, when you workout think about what you are doing not only to the outside of your body but the inside too!

Okay, routine. I like to lift and do cardio 6 days a week....it's kind of a habit now...but in all honestly it's not that easy to put into your schedule when life happens. So, what I recommend is for you to find what works for your schedule as long as you get in 4 days of weights/cardio. Abs 4 days a week too!

Crossfit and TRX are great programs where you can incorporate both - I really like these programs they mix it up for me :) See what works for your schedule! If you are in Logan, I highly recommend http://www.crossfituac.com/ this is a great gym with a very positive workout environment, plus you can get a punch pass if you can't seem to let go of your Gym membership (that would be me :) )

If you wanna take it up a notch and get a great personal trainer I recommend mine! Marla is AMAZING!!! And SOOO worth my $$ I honestly can say she put in 100% for me all 17 weeks! There were days I would call or text her and say, "I just ate 8&$%$&^" and wanna give up....and she would calmly say..."take a minute and look in the mirror and make your choice. You make your choices everyday, you decide how you want to look." I LOVE THIS LADY!! Duskin her husband also trains too!

http://www.bodyuwant.com/

Need a "trainer" away from the gym? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Oxygen Magazine! It is my new addiction! I don't throw an issue away! Yes, they have a special shelf in my closet so that I can refer to them at anytime! If you don't have a suscription, you can find them at Borders or Sam's Club :) Also, http://www.oxygenmag.com/


3. The Whole Package - If you're like me, before I trained, I would get my "Fitness Magazine" in the mail and pour over the workouts for 1 week and then stop and wonder why I didn't look like the models? Well, truth be told (and I NEVER beleived it) till I tested myself with this competition....here is the secret formula...ready....it's not pretty...but here it is :)

80% Diet + 20% Exercise + 5% Sticking With It + 5% Genetics

YEP!! If you want your rock solid abs to show, then keep eating clean!

I hope this helps everyone, feel free to post any questions or comments - LOVE comments! Best of luck!!