Day 16: Bring on the Weight

How did you do yesterday staying in your target heart rate? Was it easier or harder than you thought it would be?

Today we are going to talk about picking up those weights the next time you are at the gym. Why? Well you see lifting weights builds muscle and muscle not only takes up less space than fat, it also burns more calories per pound. So if you are looking to speed up your metabolism, building muscle is a great way to do it!

Now for you ladies, I don't want you to think that your going to get big and bulky, because your not! You are going to see more definition in your body, maybe a few abs, but its going to look sexy I promise.

So today remember your target heart rate, lift some weights, and take in liquid protein within 30 minutes post workout and get your sexy back!

You can do this!

Day 14: Optimize Your Exercise

What did you do to be active yesterday? Did you find a class or group to join?

Today we are going to talk about the importance of protein post workout. When you exercise your muscles tear, so that they can rebuild bigger and stronger. Within 30 minutes after your workout you should take in some kind of liquid protein. In liquid form it doesn't have to be broken down before your body can use it, so the protein gets to your muscles fast enough to aid them in repairing.   

Be mindful of what you drink after your workouts read labels and ingredients. Do research online before you buy protein shakes from the store. Many can be dangerous or counter productive because of high sugar or bad ingredients. I use Herbalife 24 Rebuild Strength because it is banned substance tested and has a great protein to carb ratio (and it takes like chocolate milk :) for more information about Herbalife email me at stdeal89@gmail.com

It is also important to know that if you are strength training (i.e. weights, muscle building exercises like squats, lunges and crunches) to not work the same muscle groups two days in a row. This allows them to heal before you begin the tearing and repairing process again. So split your days into arms, legs, core, back and shoulder, lower, upper etc..)

You can do this!

Day 12: Let's Get Prepping

Many people use Sunday as a prep day for the week. (It doesn't have to be Sunday, just a day you have some time to prep meals.)

Remember all that yummy stuff you got at the grocery store yesterday? Get out your nifty new containers and start separating out meals and snacks.

Wash and clean and cut your veggies. Pre-cook roasts and cut them. Pre-make casseroles, frozen crock pot meals, home-made burritos, it doesn't matter as long as you have everything ready to go. Convenience is key!

Once that is all done, enjoy the rest of your weekend and know that you have set yourself up to have a great and healthy week!

You can do this!

Day 11: Making a List

Now that you have your goals and plans set and you have an idea of what you should be eating to live a healthy, active lifestyle its time to make a list, a grocery list that is.

Go through your pantry, separate anything that doesn't fit you plan. You can donate it to a food bank, give it away, or put it where you can't see it and be tempted to eat it.

Next make a list including fruits, vegetables and proteins. Scour Pinterest for healthy recipes and meal ideas. Have some kind of plan for what you will be eating and cooking this week and what ever you don't already have at home put on the list.

Remember spices and seasonings, you can experiment with them if you need to but if something taste great you are more likely to stick to your plan. Most people don't want to eat bland and boring food.

If you want pick up some nifty reusable containers while you are there so you can pre-pack and pre-separate meals and snacks. Convenience always makes things easier.

Now get shopping,

YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Day 10: Carbohydrates

How did you do with your fats yesterday? Did you avoid the bad ones, and have enough of the good ones?

Today we are talking about carbs, which should consist of 40% of the calories you eat. Now don't take this as a invite to gorge on bread, pasta and other refined carbs. While bread and pasta are oaky
in moderation, you don't need it with every meal and keep an eye on your serving sizes. (And if you are eating pasta skip the breadsticks or garlic bread) the key is to eat balanced meals.

Instead I want you to focus on getting your carbs from fruits and vegetables. There is a reason we are supposed to get seven servings a day! Try eating a couple fruits and or veggies with your three main meals and having a two part snack once or twice through out the day.

A two part snack is one protein and one fruit or veggie. This will help keep you full and satisfied all day long. Now remember I am not telling you, you can't have grains. I am telling you that the largest majority of your carbs on most days should come from fruits and veggies. Try to limit breads and pastas to one meal a day or take baby steps by cutting it from one meal at a time.

You can do this!

Day 9: Fats

How did you do yesterday with your protein? Today we are going to focus on fats. Typically you should base your macro-nutrients off 40/30/30  plan. Meaning, that, of the calories you eat 40% should be carbohydrates and 30% each should be fats and protein. You can use the estimator here to determine those numbers just adjust the percentages at the bottom of the screen.

Here is the thing with fats, I know you're thinking but I need to cut fat or go low fat to lose weight. This isn't true, we need fats for our brain to function properly. The key is getting good fats, instead of bad ones. Why? Good fats eat bad fats. See I told you you wanted to eat that fat ;)


The Bad Fats
Avoid and limit these

• Saturated fat comes mainly from animal sources of food, it raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.
• Trans fat occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals, but most are made during food processing through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than are naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats. Research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

The Good Fats
Incorporate these daily to get your fat goal

• Monounsaturated fat is found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
• Polyunsaturated fat is found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats  improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s, found in some types of fatty fish, appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels

Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Visit this website to see an example of good and bad fat food sources.

You can do this!

Day 7: Calories

How were your calories yesterday? They should be no lower than 1200, the human body needs 1200 calories minimum for your body to perform all its necessary functions.  With that being said you may need more calories than that for weight loss depending on gender, muscle mass, and activity level.

For example when I first started my healthy, active lifestyle journey I was set at 1200 calories a day. About a year later, after I had dropped 40 pounds, I began exersising five times a week. Suddenly the weight stopped coming off and started going on! My coach told me to up my calories to 1500-1800 a day and suddenly the weight started coming off again.
 

Women need about 12 calories per pound of body weight

• For example: I weigh 143 lbs so I need about 1716 calories to maintain my weight

Men need about 14 calories for every pound of body weight

• For example: My boyfriend weights 190 lbs so he needs about 2660 calories to maintain his weight

Once you have your calorie needs subtract 500 for weight loss, but do not go below 1200. If subtracting puts you below 1200 aim for 1200 calories and some exercise. 

Once you cut your calories pay attention to how full you feel through out the day and if you are losing or not. Losing weight is a science that you have to tweak until you get it right. Add calories back on until you start to lose again.

I know its a hard concept to grasp because people don't understand that to lose weight you have to eat enough. If you consume less calories than your body needs it goes into starvation mode and hangs on to everything you eat, storing it as fat. The key is to eat enough that your body gets enough fuel so it doesn't need to store back up fuel.

You can do this!

Day 6: End of Day Summary

Are you seeing any patterns as you track your normal?

Be sure to include the following as you track:
Your stress levels through out the day
How you feel before and after your eat and exersise
Everything you drink include ounces
When you fall asleep and wake up


Before you go to bed every night use an app or website to track your calories, protein, carb, fat, sugar and water for each day. This will be key next week when we start changing habits.

You can do this!!

Day 5: Tracking Your Normal

You have your goal, your why and your backup plans. Now its time to see what you're working with. One of the best ways to hold yourself accountable is to track your diet and exercise. You may be thinking to yourself: "I eat great", "I eat a lot of junk", "I get a lot of exercise", etc but the truth is sometimes our perceptions don't match reality. Maybe you do go to the gym for an hour everyday, but how much time do you spend in the locker room or prepping for your workout? Tomorrow, Monday, I want your to focus on tracking your normal.

Tonight I want you to prepare. Is it easier for you to carry around a notebook or journal, put an app on your phone or use an online tool? What ever it is I need you to be able to use it though out the day. Track everything that goes in your mouth, the exact minutes, weight, incline etc of your workout etc. Don't stray from your normal plan. You're not trying to impress, your goal is too see what you've been doing to yourself and to identify patterns you would like to change. Do this for a few days. What patterns emerge? Do you go to the vending machine a few hours after lunch? Are your workouts not as intense as you though?

Don't stray from your routine quite yet. Track for a few days and look for your problem areas, and pick one to focus on next week.

I track for a few weeks every now and then to make sure I am on track. I use I-Change you can find me here or use which ever method, app or site that works best for you.

You can do this!!!

Day 3: Plan B, C, D, E, F etc....

You have your goal, your why and now its time for you back up plans. At least once this year something is probably going to through a wrench in your plans: an emergency, water leak, bad weather, late night at work, sick kids etc..

Today we are going to come up with a few backup plans in case our first one falls though. For example if you know you are going to work late and miss the gym go for a walk or run on your lunch break. Look up some crock pot freezer meals on Pinterest and have them in your freezer ready to go for days you get home late or have lots of errands to run. Have some exercise DVDs or games ( I like Dance Central and Niki Fitness Trainer) at home in case your gym is closed or you can't get out of the house because of bad weather. If you're stuck in a doctors office or hospital look for stairs to workout on.

Think of everything that could prevent you from achieving your goal on any given day and come up with a plan before it happens to still work towards your goal. In college we called this crisis management ( I was a public relations major) and creating a crisis plan. Work out your crisis plan today and save it for those days you need a plan B, C or D.

You can do it!

Day 2: Why

Now that you have your specific, measurable and achievable goal I want you to think about why you want this. Think hard because your why will be the tool you use every time you feel like giving up. It has to be strong and powerful.

It could be your children, setting a good example for them, being healthy to see them grow and see your grand kids born. Maybe its being fit by your wedding, anniversary, family reunion or bikini season. Maybe you lost a loved one because of a health problem and you don't want to follow in their footsteps. What ever it is, make it strong enough to get you through those tough days when you don't want to eat right, exercise etc.

My why was always to prove others wrong. I started an Herbalife Nutrition program and everyone told me it wouldn't work, I wouldn't lose wight and even if I did I would just gain it back. Two years later and I lost the weight, I feel better than I ever have and not only have I kept it off my coach has motivated me to workout and gain muscle. Everyday I eat right and workout is another day I can look those who doubters in the eye and say "I DID IT, what is your excuse?"

What ever your why is find pictures or quotes or even that bathing suit you want to fit in that reminds you of why you are doing this and put them where you can see them, and every time you make a decision that takes you toward that goal look at your reminder and be proud.

 Every day you are tempted to cheat look at it and remember why you're doing this. Every time you slip up and know that mistakes happen, we make bad decisions, we stray from our goal but its not the falling that sabotages us, its the not getting back up. So look at your why and say I am getting back up and I will be better!

You can do this!

Day 1: Getting Specific

Happy New Year!! 2014 is the year for healthy, active lifestyles and we're going to go one day at a time. Do each daily task or take a few days if you need to. The key is to work towards your goal one step at a time.

Today we are going to make our goal. It needs to be specific, measurable and achievable. What is your goal? Lose weight, be healthy, eat more home cooked meals, exercise more?

Now make it specific, measurable and achievable:

I will lose two pounds a month this year (1-2 pounds a week is healthy so this is achievable and measurable)
I will eat a fruit or veggie with every meal.
I will eat at least four home cooked meals a week.
I will exercise at least three times a week.

The purpose is that you can track your progress by keeping track of how many times you do each of these so you can see how many days, weeks or months you hit your target and it allows for you to up the ante when you get used to your routine. So if you hit your four home kicked meals weeks in a row make it five, or up your exercise regime when you get comfortable with it. This way you don't overwhelm yourself with change and burn out or give up in a few weeks. You are working towards your goal slow and steady. Imagine where you could be in 365 days!!

Share your goal below or if you need help getting specific or setting a plan e-mail me at stdeal89@gmail.com I'm here to help.

You can do it!