Hope you all are doing great and enjoying Spring!! This time of year is when a lot of people take some time to go on VACATION!!! It’s one of our absolute favorite things to do! Getting away for a while is a great way to relax and unwind, but as many of us know from experience can often lead to coming back with a couple of extra pounds that AREN’T from your luggage! It can also be tough to get back in your gym routine after a few days of R&R. I thought I’d share some helpful tips I use when we’re on vacation 3.that help me balance my fitness and nutrition goals with having some fun too! We took an amazing Caribbean Cruise vacation last month, and these points helped me enjoy myself and stay on track.
1.) Realize it’s all about BALANCE!!!
One of the best parts of any vacation is relaxing and spending time with loved ones, having fun, and eating yummy food! Focus on enjoying the experience and not what you can/can’t eat, and realize that it’s okay to tone down the crazy workouts some. BALANCE FRIENDS!!! Eat dessert, order the wine, enjoy yourself! I try to make healthy eating choices for breakfast, snacks, and lunch or dinner, but allow myself to enjoy a few bites of desert and a drink or two every day. It’s all about moderation! More on the workout piece in a bit.
2.) Drink alcohol in moderation
It might be fun to toss a few back, but the hangover the next day will NOT be fun! I love a fruity drink by the pool or beach just as much as the next girl, but I don’t love the bloated, gross feeling that comes from over indulging or the horrible feeling a hangover gives you! Enjoy your alcoholic beverages in moderation while on vacay, and you won’t have to worry about missing out on fun from not feeling well, and it will also save you THOUSANDS of calories! Those delicious fruity/ frozen drinks can add-up quickly, so again, try to enjoy those in moderation when possible. This tip will also save you some cash too!! Drinks can add up quickly leading to a hefty bar tab!
3.) Enjoy some ACTIVE-ities!!!
My husband and I love to gallivant and sightsee when we travel. Exploring is the name of the game! We also like to do fun things like hike if there are caves, architectural sites, or natural tourist points to trek to and explore. While we were in port in Falmouth, Jamaica on the cruise, we spent the day climbing the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls in Ochos Rios. It was so much fun! We also love theme parks and ziplining! Other great activities could be snorkeling, skiing, mini-golf, sports at your resort, whatever your heart desires! These are all great calorie burners that get you moving and are sure to be a fun time for all!
4.) Plan to workout
At least pack some workout/gym clothes in your suitcase! Even just a quick 20-30 minute lifting session, some cardio, or a circuit workout will keep you somewhat in your routine and easier to get back into the swing of things when you get back home. My rule of thumb: 3 workouts if I’m gone for a week, one if it’s a shorter trip like a weekend. This is easy to do if you have a gym on your ship or your hotel! We worked out every day on the cruise, but when we were abroad for three weeks in Japan last year it was much harder to find gyms (they literally DO NOT exist there. Thank god for the Ritz!) so we only worked out like three times. Just make it a priority and make it fun—you won’t regret it!
5.) Pack some protein focused snacks and get as much protein as you can!
I love this one. Our favorites: Protein powder and Quest Bars! I never worry about carb intake on vacay, but really try to eat as much protein as I can. Snacks can help you in a pinch if you get stuck in an excursion or in the airport too! Protein is key. It’s easy to get the fat and carb macros you need eating out on vacation, but the protein will keep you full and will help curb overindulging on some not so healthy foods. Aim for grilled chicken, seafood, or fish when you can, and don’t be afraid or embarrassed to order a salad!
I hope these tips are helpful if you’re planning a fun trip anytime soon. You’ll be so proud of yourself for sticking to your fitness and nutrition goals that it will make you want to take another vacay to put them to use!
I’ll shoot you straight. There’s no “short cut” to weight loss. It takes consistency and hard work! One of the questions I get asked most from clients is “What are some easy things I can do to lose weight?” You’ll still need to work hard in the gym and stay consistent with a clean diet to really change your physique, but here are some simple ways you can “cut the crap” and make minor changes that will save you hundreds of calories that can add up to some major pounds dropped!
1.) Rethink your coffee—did you know that most flavored coffee creamers have 20 (up to even 50 calories!) per a 2 tablespoon serving? Not to mention that they’re packed with sugar and fat too! Most coffee drinkers probably use more than two tablespoons (basically a shot glass) in just one cup of their morning joe! That adds up quick—upwards of hundreds of calories and a day’s intake of sugar! I’ve mentioned in previous posts that a typical Starbucks latte has upwards of 300 calories! Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE coffee, and I love mine with a creamy delicious flavor to it! Your better option is to get the SUGAR FREE coffee creamers—unfortunately they don’t come in a ton of flavors, but they save you lots of calories and (hooray!) have no sugar!! I love Coffeemate’s Sugar Free French Vanilla, Caramel, and Hazelnut flavors and it is a HAPPY HAPPY DAY when the sugar free seasonal flavors of Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha come around!! You can also opt for fat free half and half (20 calories per 2tbs, no fat, no sugar) and some Splenda or Stevia instead of real sugar. That’s my other go to! You can also use the Torani sugar free syrups too! You can find those at World Market or Amazon, and they also are great in egg whites or oats or plain Greek yogurt!
2.) Juice and “regular” soft drinks and sweet tea are NOT your friends— read the nutrition label, pay special attention to the sugar content and the ingredients. SUGAR is the enemy here. Absolutely no nutrition value, and those calories add up super quick! Fruit Juices are laden with added sugar—you’re much better off just eating an orange or an apple instead of drinking the juice of them! Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Root Beer, etc. a large fountain drink of one of those will easily put you at close to 500 calories and 50 grams of sugar!! That’s two days worth of sugar and easily almost a third of an average female’s daily caloric intake. NOT WORTH IT FRIENDS! If you have a die hard soda habit, cut it down as much as you can and swap it for sparkling water or tea (unsweet, but you can use Stevia or Splenda). You’ll feel better and will be more hydrated too! Those bottled and fruit smoothies can go in this category too—tons of sugar in those too!!
3.) Candy, cookies, cakes, JUNK—If you’re not around it, and it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it! I can guarantee that if you portion out these sweet treats and enjoy them once or twice a week in moderate amounts, you will ENJOY them so much more! A sugar craving is hard to kick, but you’ll never truly be successful with weight loss unless you can get it under control. Pay attention to how you’re feeling when you reach for candy or chips or cookies—ask yourself if you’re eating it out of hunger or cravings or because of your emotions. If you’re truly hungry, try to pick a more healthy, satisfying option!
4.) Fruit—I love fruit! Especially when it’s fresh and in season! Honeycrisp apples are my JAM, but I also love bananas and berries and pineapple! Fruit is GOOD for you! It’s packed with vitamins and nutrients, and even fiber! But it also has a lot of natural occurring sugars, which can make it high in calories. Try to keep your fruit intake to 1 or 2 servings per day. If you’re really serious, keep it to half a serving to one serving per day.
5.) Alcohol—I LOVE wine, and margaritas, and craft cocktails just as much as every other lady out there. BUT, when it comes to weight loss, alcohol is the absolute enemy. Yes it’s delicious, it helps you unwind, and it often leads to fun times and good memories, but that comes at the expense of hundreds (even thousands!) of calories! A bottle of wine easily packs a 500 calorie punch—that’s three large glasses! A frozen drink? You’re looking at 400 – 600+. Even just a light beer comes in at around 150. It adds up! And most alcohols have tons of sugar too! That’s where the calories come from! If you consume several alcoholic beverages a week, you’re without a doubt offsetting the work you’re putting in in the gym.
Nothing worth having comes easy. Like I tell my friends and clients all the time—this “being healthy” thing is a lifestyle. It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy treats or sweets or wine any more at all, but it does take being cognizant of your intake! 3,500 calories burned equals one pound of fat. Small changes that save calories add up to big results! You can do this!!
I can’t believe we’re already coasting through January! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your 2018 is starting off well! We’ve all heard it. New Years comes with a ton of promise. January is full of resolutions—people wanting to do better, feel better, get better, etc. The number one New Year’s resolution? You guessed it—losing weight! Here are my top tips on how you can get your year started on the right track to make some major changes and lose those last few pounds for good!
1.) Awareness. The first step in making changes in diet and fitness is being AWARE of what you’re eating. It means paying attention to portions, labels, skipping meals, behavior patterns, etc. The first thing I typically make new clients do is keep a food log or journal for EVERYTHING they ate and drank for at least 7 days, including times and amounts. Most people don’t really pay attention to what they’re eating, and that’s where problems start. If you don’t know where you start point is, then it’s really hard to figure out a gameplan. Pay attention to emotional eating, alcohol intake, eating out, even those little handfuls of snacks here and there at the office and at home add up, sometimes even to hundreds of extra calories a day.
2.) Activity. Not every gym rat came out of the womb a gym rat. It sometimes takes years to develop behavior patterns that result in spending multiple hours a day in the gym. What I always tell my clients is to find a form of activity that you ENJOY and ultimately you will be more motivated to do it! It’s NOT going to be easy, especially when you’re first starting out or have a lot of weight to lose, but every bit of activity is a step in the right direction. Maybe it’s just a walk around your neighborhood, or a yoga class at the Y, or just parking a few spaces futher out at the mall. Aim to be active as much as you can every day. Make a list of active things that you enjoy— I promise you that you will look forward to doing those activities! It doesn’t even have to be the gym (although obviously that’s what I recommend the most!!), it can be hiking, the zoo, running, bicycling, dance lessons—you name it, there’s a TON of ways all around you that will give you an opportunity to be active and burn calories! You can even go with a friend and it will make it that much more enjoyable! Just get out there and get moving!!
3.) Consistency. There’s a saying that it takes 4 weeks for YOU to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your close friends and family to see, and 12 weeks for the world to see your changes. Rome wasn’t built in a day! True weightloss and transformation comes from being CONSISTENT with nutrition and exercise day after day for several weeks. Can you have pizza or a cheeseburger every now and then, OF COURSE! But at the end of the day, it comes down to making healthy choices on a daily basis. You can’t expect to see major changes in just a couple of weeks. In fact, most doctors and nutritionists advise against losing any more than 1-2 pounds per week! If you have 20-30 pounds to lose (which is most people just starting out) then do the math!
4.) It’s a LIFESTYLE. Newsflash: There’s not a pill, a 21 day fix, a pink drink, a wrap, or a shortcut that will help you have true, lasting, successful weight loss. It may work in the short term, but unless you truly begin to understand what it means to have a healthy lifestyle, I guarantee you’ll succumb to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. THOSE THINGS DON’T WORK!!! You can’t expect to do the “whole 30” for thirty days, or eat clean for 21 days, or drink a pink drink or Shakeology when you remember to, and go right back to your old habits and not gain the weight back. You have to make true changes in how you approach choices in what you’re eating and the activity that you’re doing.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m here to help! I love working with people to educate them on how to be healthy and fit! We all start somewhere. I’m taking clients on a part-time basis right now and would be honored to work with you and help you start your fitness journey. Feel free to email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com, or message me for more information.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me reading this post today. Cheers to a wonderful 2018!!
Hope you all are doing well and you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! I know it’s been a while between posts, but I’ve been a busy girl studying for my NASM Personal Trainer test! Can’t believe I’m finally taking it in two weeks!!
One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve seen and heard out there about meal prepping is that is expensive. I’m here to tell you that that is so far from the truth! If you really think about it, eating out multiple times a week at $6-10 a pop minimum quickly adds up! Although you may not realize it, hitting up drive thrus and restaurants frequently can add up to hundreds of dollars a month. Shane and I didn’t realize it at the time, but several years ago, both of us ate out for lunch nearly every day of the week. You figure $15-20 for two people a day times 4-5 days a week, for 4-5 weeks a month, that equates to $250-$500 a month! Unbelievable!!! And that’s just lunches out, we’re not even talking dinners yet! Not only can eating out sabotage your budget, but you have very little control over the nutrition of your food when you’re eating out, so it sabotages your fitness goals too. Here are some easy ways to make meal prepping (or preparing your meals ahead of time) cheap and easy!
Buy in bulk! Costco, Sam’s Club, or something similar is your friend! These warehouses typically cost $50 a year to join, but it pays for itself in savings! Personally, I’m a Costco girl!! You’ll see from my Instagram posts, that we’re huge fans of their chicken and egg whites! Liquid egg-whites are an excellent source of protein, and they’re safe to drink because they’ve been pasteurized. Costco sells 6 small cartons for 8 dollars! That’s super cheap! You can get chicken for about $3 a pound. One 7-8 pound package costs about $21 dollars and will feed the two of us for a week, supplemented with maybe turkey, fish, or ground beef to mix things up. You can catch chicken on sale at your grocery store, but the quality and price of warehouse clubs are hard to beat. I’ll also buy boiled eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, oats, rice and potatoes here too. All of the staples J And warehouse clubs are GREAT for cleaning products and household goods too!
Salsa + Chicken + Crockpot= delicious chicken for days! This recipe could not be easier! Take a small jar of salsa, about 3-4 pounds of chicken, and cook on low in your Crockpot or slow cooker for about 8 hours. I use a spicier salsa (Joe T’s Medium is our favorite) and like to add about 4 tablespoons of low sodium taco seasoning. Once it’s done, you shred up the chicken and you’re ready to go! The salsa and seasoning don’t change up the macros that much, and this version of chicken is easy to serve over rice or lettuce for an easy meal. You can also sub out Buffalo sauce for salsa. It’ll keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. See—cheap and easy!
Baked potatoes and rice—carbs are super easy and cheap to prepare ahead of time. I’ll make a cookie sheet of sweet potatoes) and a few baked potatoes (spray them with oil, sprinkle some salt, and roll in foil) and bake them all together at 450 for 90 mins. Rice is also really simple to make ahead of time. AND CHEAP.
Frozen vegetables—personally I prefer fresh veggies, but from a nutrition standpoint, frozen is just as good! They are really inexpensive too! Typically you can find pretty much every vegetable for $1-$2 a bag, which has several servings. I should point out, however, that you want to make sure that you’re getting PLAIN vegetables—there are several brands that add in sauces, cheeses, and seasoning—steer clear of those! They pack a ton of sodium and fat. Frozen veggies are also found in bulk at your warehouse clubs!
Spices—Variety is the spice of life! Spices are really inexpensive—typically $3-5 for a jar—and are probably the easiest way to change up flavor profiles on protein, carbs, and vegetables. Penzy’s Spices (penzeys.com) has an excellent assortment to choose from, and you can buy them in all different sizes! Flavor God seasonings (www.flavorgod.com) are also delicious, low sodium options, but they are a little more expensive. They keep for a long time, and you will get several uses out of one jar.
I tell my clients all the time that starting out meal prepping isn’t easy. You have to put some effort into it, and it takes PREPARATION. You will have to get comfortable and used to eating a lot of the same foods. It takes some time to adjust and get used to it, but I promised you’ll see the positive payoffs in your waistline, your energy levels, your stress levels, and your pocketbook!
I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your New Year is off to a wonderful start! I love New Year’s Day. It’s a fresh start, an exciting opportunity with a whole year ahead of new adventures, challenges, and experiences ahead. Isn’t that great?! January 1st is also a day when a lot of us recommit to health and fitness, to a “new you”. Resolutions can be an excellent way to set goals and challenge yourself. In that spirit, I wanted to share my 17 tips on how you can make 2017 your best year yet!
Be realistic. All good things take time. Especially major weightloss or physique changes.
Start with small changes. What are small changes you can make in your life today that will have an impact on what you’re trying to achieve?
Be consistent. Success is built on consistency. Stay the course!
Find your why. We all have different motivators, but only you can find out what yours is.
Set SMART goals. Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-line driven.
Have a game plan. This is huge, and perhaps one of the most important on this list. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
Surround yourself with support. Birds of a feather flock together friends! Lifestyle changes aren’t easy. You need people around you to support you, and help keep you accountable.
Challenge yourself. This is the fun part. It’s you vs. you.
Measure progress. And NOT just by what the scale says! (see number 16). Record your workouts. Pay attention to your food choices. Take progress pictures! It will get easier, and you will get better. Progress can also be a great motivator. When you see how far you’ve come, it’s so encouraging to keep pushing forward!
Rest is part of the program. Listen to your body. Sleep, rest, hydrate.
Practice mindfulness. This is one of my favorites. It’s so easy to just go through the motions with the minutiae of life. Mindfulness is a practice of being present and paying attention. Be mindful of your spirit. Of what you’re eating. Of how you’re feeling. Be present friends!
Remember to have fun. You won’t stick with anything that isn’t fun! When you’re having fun, life is more enjoyable!
Reward yourself. Not necessarily with food, but with little perks that will keep you motivated and excited!
Be nice to yourself. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you can keep your attitude and mindset in check, the rest will come.
Balance is KEY. Life is too short to not enjoy it! Everything is fine in moderation. Have the wine, eat the cupcake, get some tacos!
The scale isn’t everything. Especially as women, it’s so easy to tie our progress and attitude to what the damn scale says. Remember this is a lifestyle, as your physique changes, the scale will change. That’s why it’s so important to look at progress in every area.
Take one day at a time. Honestly, take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Be nice to yourself and enjoy the process!
I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to see what this new year holds! I’m finishing up studying for my NASM Personal Training certification, and can’t wait to partner with more clients to help them in their fitness journeys. Happy New Year everyone!
Happy Monday everyone! It seems like people are always asking me how to lose weight. Once the find out I’m a gymrat, or that I compete, or that I’m a “trainer in training”, that’s usually the first question they ask. My answer pretty much always starts off with some form of—“it’s definitely a lifestyle” and “it matters more what you EAT the other 23 hours of your day, than what you do for the 1 hour in the gym!”. Whether you’re looking to lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds, here are my 5 TOP TIPS for losing weight!
Eat out less. It goes without saying that restaurant meals have a ton of hidden calories and fat. Although they’re delicious, those meals can pack on the pounds quick! When you cook your own meals at home, you have so much more control over what you’re eating, and the amount you’re eating. Plan ahead, grocery shop, and make most of your meals at home. Try eating out for lunch just once a week instead of every day. I promise you’ll start to lose weight, and your bank account will appreciate it too!
Read nutrition labels. How many calories, fat grams, sugars—the information is all right there at your finger tips. If you only pay attention to one or two of the numbers on a label, pay attention to the sugar content and carb content. You’d be SHOCKED to see how much sugar comes in foods with a nutrition label! Also, have you ever thought about how a lot of “whole” foods (i.e. produce, fruits, most meats, etc.) don’t really have a nutrition label, and if they do, they usually have less than 5 ingredients?
Avoid processed foods. I know y’all have heard me say this so many times—if it comes in a package, has a bunch of ingredients, or is anything frozen that’s not a vegetable, it’s probably not something you want to eat a lot of. Processed foods are right up there with restaurant foods in terms of having a ton of added calories, sugars, and fats. Their bright colored and appealing boxes, bags, cartons, and packages all cover this up, so it’s best just to avoid them or eat them in small amounts.
Avoid drinking your calories. Whether it’s alcohol, a daily 3pm Dr. Pepper, your favorite smoothie, or your venti frappucino/latte/can’t live without it Starbucks creation, those calories are empty! Most people don’t know how many calories are in alcoholic drinks, sodas, coffee beverages, even smoothies! These tasty treats can pack a punch of hundreds or calories, and lots of sugar. Just start paying attention to how often you imbibe in a high-calorie drink. If it’s more than once a day, what can you do to change that?
Pay attention to portion control. This one is huge. Challenge yourself to really pay attention to how much food you’re eating on a daily basis. Keeping a food journal, or using a food tracking app like My Fitness Pal, will really help you see exactly what you’re taking in on a daily basis. It’s important that you’re not getting too many calories, and also that you’re eating enough calories to really keep your metabolism burning strong.
So that’s it! It was hard to narrow down to my Top 5, but I think this will definitely get y’all headed in the right direction! If you would like some extra help or coaching on fitness or nutrition to help you reach your goals, I would LOVE to help you! Feel free to message me, or email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com.
Hi friends! It’s hard to believe Fall is already here! This summer absolutely flew by! Between the move and vacationing, things have been a little nuts around here, but things are FINALLY starting to settle down a bit. In my last post, I mentioned planning to start prep in August for a November show. We all know how life throws curveballs, and I got a bit of an unexpected surprise when I ended up getting a small stress fracture in my foot that required rest and a boot for several weeks throwing my plans completely off course. I basically had what felt like a sprain at the top of my right foot for several weeks. I thought between the move and my usual running, plyo, crazy workouts that it was nothing. It kept getting more annoying and the pain got worse. I hobbled around for about a month before finally caving and seeing a sports orthopedic doctor on the advice of both my coach and MAT therapist. The treatment—anti-inflammatory prescriptions, rest, and a boot for at least 3 weeks. There was no way I’d be able to get ready for a show by November—I saw the doctor the week I was supposed to start prep! Fortunately, I was still able to work out, I just didn’t put much weight on my foot, and had to modify my leg workouts. I also stopped doing cardio—thankfully my weight has maintained this whole time, despite not being perfect with my eating! Some days were easier than others, but it slowly got better! Honestly though, if wearing a boot for 3 weeks and postponing a figure competition are my only major problems in life, then I’m really doing okay. Hey—at least since I’m not in Prep I can enjoy pumpkin spice everything season, right?! Thankfully I just had my follow up appointment and things are looking and feeling better, so I can slowly get back into training legs as usual and cardio as I feel like it. Other than that, it’s just been fun to enjoy our beautiful new home, and go through my normal routine.
In other news- I’m happy to report that I have officially started preparing to take my NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine—they’re the leader in personal training certification) CPT exam! My book and studying materials are en route, so I will be able to start studying next week, and plan to take the exam in February. You have six months to study, which is great because there is a TON of material to cover. The test covers everything from anatomy and physiology, to exercise science, client assessment and evaluation, nutrition, supplementation, and a ton more. I’m so excited to take my passion for fitness and nutrition to the next level, and use it to help others on their journeys too. Here’s to a new adventure and learning ALL of the things!
Since I’m building up my client base, I really wanted to give you guys some ideas for cardio workouts. An important thing to keep in mind when doing cardio is that interval training is best to really get the highest calorie burn in the shortest amount of time. HIIT is where it’s at to get the most bang for your buck! To be honest, I’ve kind of missed cardio these last few weeks! I’ve done all of these—give them a whirl the next time you’re up for a sweat! I guarantee you’ll get a great calorie burn!!
Tabata Workouts—these are some of my favorite forms of HIIT training! Basically the idea is that you have all out intensity for a “work” period, followed by a brief “rest” period. You can download the Tabata Timer app, and set it to any split of the two that you’d like, but aim for about a 2:1 ratio of rest to work. Trust me—you want a timer! Typically I do tabatas for 10-15 minutes. When done correctly, that’s about all you can handle of these guys. These are great for finishers on top of say 20 minutes of an incline walk, jog, or stairs. Here are a few of my favorites:
Set your tabata timer to 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for 10 rounds, and do the following 5 exercises 2x through: squat jumps, mountain climbers, jump rope (in place is fine), butt kickers, burpees. This should take you 10 minutes to do, or you could do a third time through for 15 minutes.
Battle ropes! Most gyms have these—set your timer to 30 seconds of work, 1 minute of rest—aim for 10 rounds. I LOVE to do these as a finisher on an upper body day—especially arms and shoulders! Hit the ropes HARD as fast as you can, you can even alternate or make waves with the ropes. Your shoulders should burn and your heart rate should be UP!
Sled pushes—most larger gyms have these. Load that puppy up and push for 20 seconds with a 40 second rest. After leg day it’s particularly good!!!
8 rounds of burpees on the 20 sec work/ 10 sec rest split is BRUTAL, but you feel like a BOSS after finishing it!
For my lower body days, I love to do a split of lower body exercises with HIIT training—try the 30 sec work/ 1 min rest split again, but with squat jumps during the work period and body weight squats during the “rest” period, or lunge jumps/ lunges.
Sometimes I’ll even challenge myself to do 50 reps of 5 different exercises 5 times—this can be pretty difficult, but it’s fun—do whatever you want, jumping jacks, high knees, skater hops, frog jumps, pop squats, you name it!
Treadmill Workouts:
Poor treadmills get a bad rap! Honestly, they are a multi-purpose MACHINE and can be used for more than just running.
Incline Walk—set the incline for a 13-15 and walk at a 2.8-3.0. You will feel this in your hams and calves. I PROMISE. Don’t hang onto the hand rails unless you absolutely need to, and then only for short periods of time. Work your way up to 20-30 minute sessions.
Sprint intervals—You can do these with or without a timer. Sprint for 20-30 seconds, followed by a minute to minute and a half of rest. A sprint should be a speed of at least 8.0 on the treadmill. During your rest periods, just hop up and put your feet to the sides of the belt. I like to crank up the inline to about a 4 to make them extra difficult.
Jogging intervals—you can walk (3.8-4.0) for 1 minute, then jog or run at a 5.0 – 7.0 for 2 minutes, this one’s much easier to do for longer periods of time. 10 rounds of it for 30 minutes, and 15 for 45 minutes respectively.
I also LOVE the stairmill for cardio! It really works your lower body and glutes like no other. Try the interval programs on the machines, or make your own intervals at high and low speeds. I like to make my own, and skip steps on the lower speeds to really work those glutes!!! The elliptical is also beneficial, but it’s not my preferred poison of choice.
Also—cardio is more fun when it’s nice outside! Take your tabatas outside, or go for a jog around your neighborhood instead of on the treadmill. It’s good for your soul!!!
Track Workouts:
When it’s not 100+ degrees outside here in Texas, I LOVE to hit the track with my girlfriends for a crazy cardio session. Here are some of our go to workouts—most of these we’ll combine for a total time of 45 minutes to an hour.
15 minutes of stairs (run up the bleachers, walk down), 15 minutes of sprinting the straits along the track and walking the curves/endzones, 15 minutes of plyos consisting of the following: 1 min squat jumps, 1 min rest, 1 min jump rope, 1 min rest, 1 min burpees—3 rounds, with one minute between each round. THIS IS KILLER!!!!
Suicide sprints– Sprint to the 10, jog back, sprint to the 20, jog back, etc. all the way to the other end zone.
Jog a lap around the track, 50 jacks/ 50 squats/ 50 mountain climbers. Repeat 5 times.
Running the stairs on one side of the field, sprint to the other side, do those stairs, then run around the track.
I hope y’all enjoyed these ideas—can’t wait to hear your feedback! I’m working on putting more blog posts together, especially as I learn more these next few months as I’m studying. Stay safe and stay fit!
I’ve said this before. There is so much a contest Prep teaches you. There’s so much more to it than just workouts and dieting. It teaches you about life! There is so much mental work, dedication, and focus required to get through the journey to the stage. You have to prioritize, juggle, make sacrifices, put in the time, and the results will come. You have to push through the hard parts, keep pushing yourself, and get out of your comfort zone. You have to be honest with yourself. Are you sticking with your diet and training 100%? Above all else, this process teaches you about ATTITUDE. These my friends are LIFE LESSONS that I will carry with me long after any show, and in the whole scheme of things will make me a better person than any trophy ever will.
Let me share with you two interesting scenarios that came up just in the past week that threw me for a loop! Both may sound dumb, but you girls will understand. I have very short (a pixie cut in fact) hair. I’ve never been a “high maintenance mane of hair” kind of girl, but I get it trimmed and colored every 4-5 weeks like clockwork. Knowing how busy my schedule can get and how important good hair is on stage, I booked up appointments with my regular stylist for cuts and color all the way through June so I would be all set with hair from my photoshoot, which was April 3rd, all 3 shows, and all the way through our vacation to the Bahamas in June. I had an appointment last Thursday for a much needed cut and color with my amazing stylist that would make me photoshoot ready for Sunday. Plus I needed cute hair for my birthday the next day, right? So I thought. As it turned out, my usual guy was going to be out that day, and so the salon squeezed me in for a cut and color with two separate stylists. I let both of them know there was a lot riding on this cut, and that James does such a great job that I was nervous letting them do it. Shane’s aunt passed away last week as well and the Funeral was Saturday. Throw in house hunting Friday afternoon, MY BIRTHDAY PARTY THAT NIGHT, family time and the service for the Funeral Saturday, if they screwed this up, I had NO TIME to get this fixed before my shoot Sunday that I had booked months ago with a very popular photographer. And my birthday was the next day, and I had a Show in two weeks! Long story short, by the end of my 3 hours in that salon chair, I was taken to platinum blonde and “fixed” to the worst shade of brown with blonde chunks in the most awful excuse for a pixie cut. Shit. I was exhausted, hungry, and this was the last thing I needed. I still had two hours of training and cardio to do after my appointment and it was 8 o’clock at night. I flipped—I HATED the color, but the cut was worse! Could we fix it?! What was I going to do?!? On the verge of a meltdown, I left the salon Thursday night and fortunately was able to get into my usual stylist (who had dislocated his shoulder!) the next afternoon. He worked his magic and brought me back to my usual blonde shade and (although he had to go shorter to fix it) my cut was at least manageable after he finessed it. By Saturday afternoon I could breathe a sigh of relief. Hair is just hair. At the end of the day, screwed up hair is a total first world problem. I’m not in a hospital, it’s not an emergency, it’s totally fixable. Although, I must say that I definitely feared that my hair would fall out because of being processed three times!!!
Ugh. Awful.
We got through the weekend just fine. The funeral was sad but perfect, and it was great to see our Houston family. The photoshoot with Jay Fuertez was AMAZING and exactly what I needed to give me the extra confidence I needed to be ready to razzle dazzle at these shows. We had so much fun! It was the perfect celebration of all of my hard work these past few months. I can’t wait to see how the pictures turn out, but here’s a sneak peak. Who is this girl?!
No words. Just incredible.Transforming into the Hulk!
This week, another situation presented itself. If you don’t know anything about the suits (or bikinis) that competitors wear in shows, you should know that they take WEEKS to make. I ordered my suit in a beautiful shade of Gunmetal Gray metallic fabric from a renowned suit designer (who is extremely well respected in the industry and a WPD Olympian herself) in January and paid $650. I’d be all set—she did my suit last year and it was gorgeous, so why should I worry right? She has a 12 week waiting list, and my suit was expected to arrive any day now. We were cutting it close to show time! The designer emailed me last week that she had started stoning it and it would be shipping soon. I got home from the gym Tuesday night and Shane was beaming. It had arrived!!! I felt like a kid on Christmas. Shane was camera ready–I opened up the package and case and pulled out my suit. It was BLACK. The fabric color was completely wrong and I HATED IT. The stoning design was right, but the color was awful on me. This wasn’t going to work. Even Shane and my coach both said it wasn’t a good look. My first show was 11 days away. If the designer couldn’t fix it, I would have to wear my suit from last year, or be forced to wear this one. Neither option was ideal and I was heartbroken. Cue the water works and meltdown. The SUIT is a big deal. It’s the icing on a cake and you better love it, especially if you’ve worked this hard and paid that much for it. After 14 weeks of Prep and I had yet to have a breakdown (even after the hair) but I barely slept that night and was a hot mess for cardio that morning. Yep, I totally cried crocodile tears on the Stairmill. Thank goodness I was sweaty enough that no one noticed! I’m not a very outwardly religious person, but I will assure you that I believe that God works in mysterious ways and often in ways that we don’t always understand. He sure was looking out for me in this situation.
I spoke with the suit designer the next morning, and this worked out even better than I could have planned. She was extremely helpful and apologetic, and had the perfect solution. It would be impossible for her to remake my suit before the show, but luckily she had several high-end suits that she rents out to competitors as well. Most of them were used by IFBB Pros and are just beautiful. I could “borrow” a brand new for-rent suit that had never been worn and wear that for the first show or two while she remade mine. She sent me pictures of 4 GORGEOUS suits that were 2 and 3 times as expensive as mine for me to have my pick from that would fit perfectly since they were the same cut. I would have a beautiful princess suit that would be even better than the one I had originally planned! It was all going to be fine. The cool part: She had received an email from another girl the day before inquiring about my “mistake” suit that she had seen on the designer’s Instagram. She wanted to purchase it for her suit in a couple of weeks, but with the designer’s time frame that wouldn’t be possible at all. Guess what—she’s close to my size and will be able to buy that suit now because of what happened. My loaner suit should be here by Saturday, just in time for my final posing class. The gunmetal fabric I originally wanted has been discontinued as we’ve come to find out today, so I’m deciding on whether or not to just buy out the loaner suit (it’s discounted J) or just pick a different fabric color. But it all worked out!!! What did I learn from both of these situations? That you cannot control everything no matter how hard you try. You have to role with the punches. Your attitude will make or break your happiness. I could have been really angry and mean to the designer and yelled and screamed, but that would have done NOTHING. Instead, I chose to believe that all things were working together for my good, and that everything happens for a reason. The result: I will get to wear not one but two fabulous suits and another girl will get her dream suit. Win win! Also, in the whole scheme of things if I had worn last year’s suit or the black suit next weekend, the world wouldn’t end, and I would be fine. Really, I would have been fine.
Pretty but not for me.
Life is all about road blocks. None of us know what’s coming and things can change in a heartbeat. As much as you control EVERYTHING in Prep—your training intensity, the cardio, your heart rate, your food intake, your supplements, EVERYTHING, there are still things and situations you can’t control. Lou Holtz and Charles Swindoll both have said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens to you.
I couldn’t agree more. More updates coming soon—we’re in the final stretch of this Prep!
So much to catch you guys up on! Last weekend was AMAZING!!! I had the privilege of attending Nicole Wilkins’ Phat Camp. Best. Weekend. Ever. In case you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know who Nicole is, she’s a 4x Ms. Figure Olympia Champ. Basically that means she’s the best Figure competitor in the world. Also a renowned trainer, Nicole has set the benchmark for Figure competitors worldwide, and has gained a huge following of fans that love her social media and website posts of helpful fitness and nutrition tips and videos. A few weekends a year, she travels to cities here in the U.S. and abroad and hosts Phat Camp, a women-only fitness retreat where ladies at all fitness levels competitors and non-competitors alike can train with her, learn all about nutrition in Q&A seminars, build relationships with each other, and learn from one of the best Figure competitors in the sport of Bodybuilding.
Nicole at the 2015 Olympia
I’ve looked up to Nicole since I started weightlifting a few years ago. Her physique is INCREDIBLE, but she’s also humble, classy, smart, and down to earth. I’m a member of her website, and have learned SO much from her! Needless to say, I had been looking forward to meeting her at Phat Camp since the moment I found out she was coming to Dallas! This weekend absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. Not only was it incredible to meet Nicole in person (she said I was pretty!!!! J) but it was so inspiring to meet so many amazing women who love fitness and nutrition as much as I do! Even though we are all at different places in our fitness journeys, we all worked out together, laughed together, and learned together all weekend long. This weekend just confirmed for me that I really am passionate about this lifestyle, and I love seeing others become encouraged and motivated by that too. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a camp with Nicole GO! This weekend just motivated me to push through the rest of the last few weeks of this prep and do my best at these shows!
Nicole and yours trulyLearning from the best!
It’s hard to believe my first show of the season is just over 3 weeks away! HOLY COW!!!!!!!! I’m feeling really pretty good about my conditioning, and so is my coach, which is good! Still not where I want to be completely, but it takes YEARS to develop a muscular physique like the elite Figure pros have. I am constantly reminding myself of that. I should be proud of how much work I’ve put in so far and the improvements I’ve made since last year. When I constantly compare myself to others (damn Instagram!) it really screws with my head and can be a total buzzkill. That’s when the nerves set in. When I focus on just MY progress, it’s much easier to feel confident and prepared for that stage.
Some autographed swag!
Things are progressing quickly—it’s really the last 5 weeks of a prep where you see the most change. My weight’s still staying pretty stable. I’m at 133 and change now, from 141 when I started, so that’s good! Energy levels are still pretty awesome, and I’m taking things day by day. I’m still not having crazy cravings like I did last year, and I’m not a total zombie on my low-carb days- thank goodness! I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a ton. Sure a glass of wine and a patio, some Mexican food, and a brownie all sound pretty damn good right now, but don’t they always sound good? As far as the game plan goes, Easter is this weekend (and Batman vs. Superman), my photo shoot with Jay Fuertez (YAY!) is next weekend (which coincidentally is also my birthday weekend) so I’m getting everything ready for that, and then it’s PEAK WEEK! So really just two more weeks, plus the week before the show which is a piece of cake. See, it’ll be here before I know it!
That face you make when you see “the line” down your leg!
It’s not about winning. I repeat. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT WINNING. The show itself is a celebration of hard work, discipline, commitment, and accomplishment. Every competitor up there has worked their ass off for their 12 seconds in the spotlight. It takes some serious BALLS to get up there in less than a square foot of fabric!! I have a great support group around me, and regardless of what happens at these 3 shows, I’m already a winner for getting up there.
I don’t know about you, but I love when seasons change, particularly winter into spring and summer into Fall. My allergies might disagree, but Spring for me is a time to bring in freshness, tidiness and renewed energy. The weather gets warmer and bikini season is right around the corner! I thought I’d take some time this week to revisit some ideas on how to bring about freshness and “clean”-liness into your nutrition! It’s time to shed that winter coat and get ready for Summer!
I get asked all the time by acquaintances, gymgoers, strangers, you name it, ways that they can clean up their diet and lose weight. I’ve said it a million times—weight loss starts with nutrition! You simply can’t out train a bad diet. No matter how much you work out or what you’re doing in the gym, what you’re eating will make or break your progress. You don’t have to be a bodybuilding competitor or professional athlete to take steps in the right direction towards better nutrition and health. With Spring here, I encourage you to challenge yourself to really take inventory of what you’re eating. How much are you eating? How healthy are the foods you are eating? Are you making food choices that will help you meet your overall weightloss goals? So many of us have events (a graduation, reunion or wedding, perhaps?) or vacations, or special things coming up over the next few months—why not challenge yourself to take the next 30 or 60 days to make your health and fitness a priority so you can look and feel your best?
Here are some easy tips I thought I’d share on how you can CLEAN-UP your nutrition and diet!
Have a goal! But make it realistic. Maybe it’s to fit into that dress you haven’t been able to wear in a while. Maybe it’s to feel better in a swimsuit before your cruise, or to look better in pictures with loved ones, or drop the 5 pounds you gained over the holidays. Regardless, set a goal for yourself!
Make it measurable. When I first started working out and eating clean, I tried to keep track of how many times a week I stuck to my workouts. It helped that I had paid for them ahead of time and was less likely to skip out, but I also liked seeing exactly how many times I could log a workout in my calendar over a period of time. It’s pretty motivating! I also logged my food in My Fitness Pal, and could see when I was within my calorie goal. If your goal is to lose weight, keep in mind that a healthy weight to lose for most people is 1-2 pounds per week. Anything drastic where you’re on a liquid diet, or cleanse, or quick fixes like that where you’re losing more than that are not only aren’t very healthy, but they won’t lead to LONG TERM results.
Don’t focus on what you CAN’T eat—a core principle of clean eating is essentially cutting out anything that’s not plant based or animal based, staying away from processed foods and sugars. Instead of moaning and groaning about the wine or cookies or cheese you “can’t” have, focus on all of the fresh, healthy options you have in front of you. The more you think about what you’re cutting out, the more likely you’ll be to succumb to cravings. You can still have the wine and cookies and cheese, just in MODERATION. More on that in a later post.
Keep it easy. Plan to eat 5 small meals a day- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and a mid-afternoon and mid-morning snack.
Go grocery shopping! Pro-tip: If you don’t bring crap home, you won’t eat crap. That means that the cookies, chips, candy, and junk don’t make it home with you! Stick to the perimeter of the store, take a shopping list with you, and stock up on healthy options!
Log your food. Research has shown that if you hold yourself accountable to log exactly what you’re eating that it can really help motivate you keep you consistent. Check out the My Fitness Pal app, or the Fitbook (available on Amazon).
Try not to eat out as much. This one is difficult. You can still have a social life and not eat out all the time!! See if you can keep restaurant visits or takeout to once on the weekend, and once during the week.
Challenge yourself just to cut back on alcohol (having just 1-2 drinks per week), soda, and sugar, and to get just 3 30-minute workouts in a week. Do this for just 1 MONTH, and I promise you that you will see results!!! These are all easy things you can do to help get your diet on the right track.
It’s not easy. Even after years into it, I still struggle some days. We all do. If it were easy, everyone would be a lot “skinnier” and the obesity epidemic wouldn’t be as outrageously out of control as it is. I can tell you that with CONSISTENCY and DEDICATION that you will finally get the results you’ve been looking for.
I’m not an expert, and I’m not a trainer, just a girl that loves nutrition and fitness and wants to help others as much as she can. As always though, let me know if you have any questions!!
