A few of my fitness tips and tricks that I’ve learned throughout my journey:
Balance | When I started out on my health and fitness journey finding balance was the hardest concept for me to grasp. I have a very all-or-nothing personality so it was either eat clean with zero cheats or revert to my old ways and eat like crap. I’m slowly learning that having the occasional cheat (treat) meal or glass of wine isn’t going to kill me. It’s all about balance. Remember: One cupcake isn’t going to make you fat, and one salad isn’t going to make you skinny.
Drink Water | Hydration is SO important. I always have a refillable water bottle with me and I drink and refill as often as possible. Hyration helps your body in a variety of ways, including: regulates body temperature, helps deliver oxygen to the body, lubricates joints, flushes body waste, and allows your body’s cells to grow, reproduce and survive.
Pack Your Own Snacks | This is a big one, ya’ll! I pack snacks with me wherever I go. If I will be out of the house for more than two hours at a time (running errands, work meeting, etc) I pack snacks in my purse so that I will have no excuses to stop and pick up something unhealthy (read: fast food). I’m going to sound like a crazy person, but I also bring my own snacks to cookouts and social gatherings so I won’t be tempted to dig into the unhealthy foods that are commonly served at these kinds of get togethers.
Form Over Speed | With a timed workout, many girls place too much emphasis on how many rounds they can fit into the 7 minute circuits and sacrifice form in the process. You will get more out of your workout if you complete steady, deliberate movement than if you rush through and never complete the moves to their full capacity. Focus more on staying in motion the entire 7 minutes while completing each rep of each exercise with proper form.
Stay Active | Early in my fitness journey I was completing every exercise as outlined by Kayla Itsines’ Guides, but still felt like I was missing something. What I realized is that even though I was killing it during my workouts, I was predominately sedentary during the day (desk job, work from home, not a whole lot of built in movement in my routine!) My best advice is to make sure you’re getting up and moving around frequently throughout the day, not just for your workouts, and you’ll start to see even more progression than before!
Eat More | This was a really hard concept for me to grasp. I’ve always been a calorie counter, but never paid much attention to nutrition. Now, I pay attention to nutrition and not calories. Eating three clean, balanced meals plus 2-3 snacks every day has really helped boost my metabolism and lose weight. Don’t be afraid of healthy calories! If you’re eating clean and balanced you should be a-ok!
*Remember, I’m not a certified personal trainer or dietician so these are simply tips that have helped me along in my journey thus far!
stephaniemfitness 