Hi!
Firstly lets touch a little on eating habits. I do not like to be hungry and do enjoy eating food however I just choose foods that will help my body, not hinder my body. I try to stay away from preservatives (preservatives are found in most foods that come in can, packages etc). I eat lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, grass fed meats and don’t really have much dairy other than Greek Yogurt. The reason being is a hundred years ago when people lived longer and didn’t have as much sickness and cancers they didn’t have the luxury of things being in packets, cans and full of preservatives. They lived off the land. To some it may sound a little weird but Fruit and Vegetables have so many different vitamins in them that our body needs and loves and their are so many different ways to prepare them and eat them. When I have a real sweet tooth I will eat Grapes- that helps me. Nuts are very good for you as well, one thing I like to do with my nuts is soak them over night in water it makes them swell a little and releases different enzymes into them which help the body digest them quicker and they taste so yummy. I have nothing against dairy however in todays times it is hard to find dairy that does not have preservatives or extra hormones in it. I love cheese and expecially Goat Cheese, I will have that on all my salads instead of normal cheese. Meat is a big thing as well. I know some people are vegetarians however I am not. I love my meat but make sure it is hormone free etc grass fed if possible. I drink lots of water. I may have a coffee once a week but try to just stick to water. Soda/softdrink is a big no no as it turns acidic in our stomachs, which we don’t want as it slows our digestive system down. One thing I want you to make note of is not to deprive yourself. It is important to not become too militant with this. If you want to go out to dinner once a week that is ok, if you want to have a muffin once a week that is also ok. As long as it doesn’t happen every night you will be fine.
Here is what I would eat one day for example: Breakfast: Lots of fresh yummy fruit- Mangoes, grapes, berries, banana, cherries etc with some Greek Yogurt. That is the type of fruit I enjoy most. I will snack on a carrot or more fruit before lunch if I get really hungy. Lunch: A big fresh salad with every vegetable I can think of, I will also add Avocado, Goat cheese, grilled Chicken or Salmon and some balsamic dressing. Yum! I will snack on some nuts, fruit etc before dinner. For dinner: A peice of grilled Chicken, Steak, or fish with some steamed vegetables, if I am still hungry and need some carbs I will eat some Brown Rice with my meal.
Ok next question. 2) What exercise to I do. Exercise is one of the most important things we do and it will give us the best results. You can eat healthy and not exercise and wonder why you don’t see the results as quick as some other people. Exercise not only keeps us in shape and toned it also keeps the body feeling good and all our internal organs functioning properly. I try to exercie at least 5 times a week for around an hour a day but half an hour a day is also sufficient. I have found that exercising in the mornings will give you the best results. When you exercise early it will kick start your body including your metabolism, it allows your body to burn the food you intake during the day much faster then normal. It is still great to exercise in the afternoon however it only gives your body an extra boost for burning off your dinner instead of all your meals through out the day. I like my workouts to be cardio based work out with strength built into it. I will do 30 minutes of Cardio at least 4 times a week- my favorite cardio to do is the Spin Bike, Elliptical Jump rope or running on an incline on the Treadmill. On my cardio days I also focus on my abs everyday then I alternate legs one day and arms one day- I use lighter weights on these days but do more reps of each exercise. On the other two days I like to focus more on weights with a 10 minute cardio warm up. Yes weights, a myth a lot of women have is if they do weights they will get looking like a man – this is not true. Doing some weight training will actually show you amazing results and it releases into the body a enzyme that will help burn more calories off then just doing cardio would. I don’t do 50kg/100pound weights by all means but I do like to hold weights while doing squates, lunges, and all may arm work outs. Small weights are fine as long as it is a weight. I use around 10kg/20 pounds in each arm while doing lunges etc. It will vary for each person. On another note – I am also a huge beleiver of using the stairs not the elevators. Little things like that during the day will show you a huge difference.
Hope this helps you get motivated this week.
If you want to see some of my daily work outs head to youtube and search “Shea Fisher Workout”.
Have a great day!
Shea