I Want a Fast-Start Week!

Tips for a quick start to your health & fitness!

One of the best ways to stay motivated in your personal health and fitness is to give yourself a quick start! This is 5 days of eating delicious clean food, low caloric count, and moving for 30 min a day. By the end of the 5 days you feel refreshed, you lose a bit of weight, and you reset your eating habits.

Easy to follow steps:
1. 5 Meals a day: This consists of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. Eating 5 meals a day is a great way to get your metabolism moving and keep yourself energized.

2. No C.R.A.P. only F.O.O.D.: Your body has an incredibly difficult time digesting artificial flavorings and chemicals. So give it a reset.

NO Carbonation – Refined Sugar – Artificial Flavoring – Processed food.

What you CAN have is real FOOD!

Fruits & veggies – Organic lean proteins – Omega 3 fatty acids – Drink water.

3. 1100-1300 calories a day (depending on your height/activity level): Don’t be afraid, this looks restricting but I promise you will not go hungry. You are eating healthy food 5 times a day.

Again, this is a 5 day “reset” to clean and refresh. Afterwards it is normal to consume 1600-2000 or more a day (depending on height/weight/activity level).

Here is an example of one day:
Breakfast: Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
Snack #1: Apple and Almond Butter
Lunch: Chicken and Hummus Pita
Snack #2: An Orange and some Almonds
Dinner: Steak with Spinach and Baked Potato

4. MOVE: Get up and workout out for 30 min a day. This can be a power walk on the second half of your lunch – a small at home fitness routine. Anything that gets your heart rate up for 30 minutes. If you prefer instruction, my personal favorites are FocusT25 and P90x3.

4 Workout Mistakes that Slow Your Metabolism

1. Mistake 1- Not eating enough: When it comes to getting fit and losing weight… eating less does NOT always equal more weight loss. If your body does not get enough calories to sustain normal activity (heart pumping, thinking, breathing…) your body goes into starvation mode. Meaning your metabolism not only goes incredibly slow – which PREVENTS weight loss – but you will also be more tired, making it harder to maintain a fit lifestyle.

Sign up for a free membership on my site, click the “Eat Smart” tab, and your find a calorie calculator to assist you in determining how many daily calories you should be eating based on your goals.

2. Mistake 2 – The rut or plateau: Doing the same thing every day takes the challenge away from your body and eventually you will stop seeing results. Nothing is more frustrating. If you want your body to change shape then you need to constantly change what you do. (If you need some ideas, feel free to ask me!)

3. Mistake 3 – Only Cardio…always: Bottom line, MUSCLE increases your metabolism and burns fat! Don’t fall into the mental trap of “I will just lose my metabolism as I get older”. There is no reason “paint” your future with that mindset. Your metabolism will slow down as you lose muscle. The best way to combat this is through strength training – a vital part of fitness. (Here is one of my current favorite strength training programs!)

Mistake 4 – Stay in your “fat burning zone”: It is an easy and common mistake to hop on the machine and stay in your “fat burning zone.” I too have fallen victim to that… and then got frustrated that my results were minimal to none. Instead, I found out through professional trainers, you are much better off alternating between sprinting and jogging. Also known as interval training! It keeps your metabolism running longterm and you get the bonus of higher oxygen levels. (This is one of my favorite interval training workouts!)

Recover From a Splurge

I can’t believe I ate that much…

The damage is done… there was a big event and you ate way too much of junk. Now you feel guilty.

First and foremost, don’t beat yourself up. It was one day, you did not destroy your diet, it  does not mean you might as well blow the whole week. Every once and a while there is a time where you might eat yourself silly. If not, that’s awesome, keep up the good work!

The danger with a massive splurge is that you have literally stretched the size of your stomach. Meaning, for your next meal you may continue to eat more than you typically would. Resulting in possible slower metabolism and possible weight gain.

Here are some tips for the next few days…

1. Plan your meals: Planning your meals ahead of time sets the pace for your day. You are able to control what your metabolism is doing by having more smaller meals (I typically go 5-6 meals a day) and it simultaneously shrinks the size of your stomach. Meaning you are satisfied more quickly.

2. Set yourself up for success: If you have “munch” leftovers from a party that are not good for you or you have too much of one item… throw them out or give them away. Getting it out of the house removes temptation and the longevity of unhealthy eating. It also removes the guilt factor of “I have to eat this before it goes bad” which tends to make you eat more than you should.
Ps. the freezer can be your best friend for saving it for later.

3. Mini-Cleanse: Some folks love to go for the cleanses. Make sure to do the research first. I cannot stress the importance of that enough… the risks of a bad cleanse can be slow metabolism, massive weight gain afterwards, an unrealistic look at how to lose weight, and a lot frustration. Suggestion, go for the cleanses that allow you to eat at a level that supports your metabolism and does not deprive you of nutrients. Not eating is not an option. Typically the safer more successful cleanses are focused lower gluten-carbs, small amounts of protein(but still have some), and consistent eating of fruits and veggies. Find out more about my personal favorite, 3 Day Shakeology Cleanse or if you are going for massive results The Ultimate Reset!