ARE YOU READY FOR A FIT NEW YOU IN 2017?
WHY not, right? Well . . . . .what does FIT really mean? Do you want a FIT body, FIT life and FIT mind? When I ask my clients what fit means to them, they will each give a different answer, as people have different needs and ideas of what fit means. I look at it this way, there are 3 important aspects of being FIT and that is having a FIT body, FIT life and FIT mind. I mean who doesn’t want to be healthier by eating more nutritious meals, exercising for a strong and toned body, and then living a life with a positive attitude? When we exercise, eat right and keep our outlook on life with a positive attitude, it will impact all areas of our life and the people around us in such a positive way!
” exercising can be done anywhere to burn calories, gain strength and tone “
Step One: FIT Body EXERCISE You have everything to gain and nothing to loose BUT pounds and inches! So why have you quit exercising or if you haven’t started why not start? What’s YOUR Motivation? We all want to live the “healthier life”, BUT where and how we get that motivation is dependent on us! Have you dug down deep inside to find your inner inspiration? There are times in our life where we feel eager , motivated and ready to take on any challenge……..then there are times when we get frustrated, procrastinate and think that ONE DAY more or ONE WEEK more won’t make that much difference! BUT, the longer you wait and the more time that passes, the less chance we will start or continue to reach our fitness goals (or any goals for that matter). So, the more focused YOU are and the more YOU set your goals, the better the chance you will have starting and exceeding these goals.
Ask Yourself These Questions:
1.What is my goal for achieving better fitness: like gaining strength, getting more flexible, getting more toned, loosing weight, etc? Go to these blog posts below for workouts that you can get started on right now at home, in the gym or traveling:
The One Exercise You Must do for Stronger Arms/Core
Guaranteed Method for Tighter more Toned Booty
Yes You Can Walk for a Fat Burning Workout
Tighten Your Core Tone Your Arms
6 Simple Steps to Tone Your Upper Body
5 Simple Steps to a Tight Booty
Best H.I.I.T. for Torching Calories
2.How many days a week will I commit to exercise ? I suggest 3 to 5 days a week, as 3 days is good for maintenance but 5 days will show faster improvement in creating weight loss, loss of inches & stronger more toned body.
3. What time of day will work best for me to keep my commitment to my fitness goals? Most studies have shown that people who do early morning workouts usually stay more committed to their workouts as the schedules throughout the day becomes hectic it won’t interfere with your morning workouts. That is the time of day I do my workout, then I eat breakfast and then head off to my trainings, so I can commit the time to get it done!
4.Who can I share my goals with to help me achieve them? Whenever someone shares their goals, the chance of success increase dramatically, so find that special someone to help motivate you and then hopefully in turn you will also motivate and inspire them too!
” fuel your body with nutritious food and you will loose weight & inches and keep the flavor “
Step 2: FIT Life HEALTHY EATING! You have everything to gain and nothing to loose, but a bad diet! The most nutritious foods for your body will always be fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and lean meat that requires no label to tell you what the ingredients are. YOU will then know exactly what you are putting into your body when you digest it! I also recommend eating as much organic as possible to avoid added chemical and hormones……..but more information on that in a future blog post.
How often should I eat? Most of the time I find with my clients that most of them do not eat enough throughout the day. Instead of eating 3 big meals a day, you should be eating 5 to 6 smaller meals each day, spaced out every 2 -3 hours. This will give you more energy throughout the day while keeping your metabolism regulated. You can adjust the eating schedule to accommodate your day, but here is a sample schedule for eating:
7am Meal#1 breakfast
10am Meal#2 mid-morning snack
12pm Meal#3 lunch
3pm Meal#4 mid-afternoon snack
6pm Meal#5 dinner
9pm Meal#6 evening snack
How much and what should I eat? If you are wanting to loose weight, a pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories, so to loose weight you would need a deficit of 500 calories per day, in order to loose 1 pound a week. (Depending on how much you exercise per week will also determine how many calories.) Now, I do not recommend, nor do I count calories, instead I find that fueling your body with healthy nutritious food always brings greater success and happiness! I have found that if you break down the nutrients into 3 categories when eating, it is a much easier way to determine what to eat.
Here is a breakdown of the nutrients I recommend for each meal. To keep it simple, think of it this way, fill your plate with approximately 1/2 complex carbs, 1/4+ lean proteins, 1/4 – healthy fats:
55% complex carbohydrates: brown rice, oatmeal, wheat germ, whole wheat pasta, apples, berries, citrus fruits, grapes, kiwi, mango, melons, pears, plums, artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, bananas, carrots, chick peas, beans, sweet potatoes, lentils, yams, split peas (this is not an exhaustive list)
27% lean proteins: beans of all kinds, beef tenderloin, bison, canned tuna (water), chicken breast, chickpeas, eggs, low fat greek yogurt, fresh fish, lean ground turkey, lentils, low fat cottage cheese, natural nut butters, non-dairy/dairy milks, pork tenderloin, tofu, nuts (this is not an exhaustive list)
18% healthy fats: almonds, avocados, cashews, cold water fish, flaxseed, nut butters, olive oil, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts (this is not an exhaustive list)
” attitude is everything, keep positive and see the confidence in yourself get stronger “
Step 3: FIT Mind POSITIVE ATTITUDE! You have everything to gain and nothing to loose, but stress! How many times do we compare ourselves to other people by fitness, wealth, looks, age, etc. ? This is never a healthy attitude to have and can create unwanted and unnecessary stress! We are all uniquely made from God, BUT it is our responsibility to take care of our bodies with proper nutrition and exercise. I know we can all get easily complacent and forget to put our health as a top priority, but it is important that we don’t neglect our health. When we focus on eating right and exercising regularly, the positive attitude starts to come naturally. When we take care of our body, we feel better about ourself which will turn into a more positive attitude. We can also handle the stresses of life better when we are living a healthier life and we will have more energy, sleep better and take a positive outlook on life!
NOW . . . .who doesn’t want to feel leaner, stronger, healthier with a positive attitude?
Clothing by: Top left photo, top by Gap Fit, bottoms by Athleta. Top right photo, top by Elisabetta Rogiani, bottoms by Athleta. Bottom right photo, top by Nike, bottoms by Nike.
2017 is going to be a fit fab forever Year for Susu!
Oh YES it is, and I love the positive attitude! 👍😀