Food versus Exercise

Which will provide the most benefit first: 

Changing how you eat or increasing the number of times you exercise?

HINT: It's NOT exercise!

Think about it... 

The average person eats MORE THAN 3 TIMES A DAY.

That's at least 21 chances you have to change the way your body feels each week.

You can ALSO get AMAZING results by simply strength training 3 TIMES A WEEK.

But 3 vs. 21.

Therefore what you are eating is FAR more important than what you are doing for exercise.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

YOU JUST HAVE TO START.

The problem is you are overanalyzing all the diets that worked for so and so instead of LEARNING TO FEEL what works for YOU. 

I have heard all the excuses in the book. 

I hate to cook. I'm not hungry. I'm single and cooking for one is a pain in the ass.

If you learn "which foods represent which macronutrients" the excuses disappear.

For the most part our  food choices can be broken down into 3 main categories

PROTEIN     |    FAT    |     CARBOHYDRATES

I want to you eating something from each category with each meal you consume. 

Make it a game... think PLUG AND PLAY. 

Whether that means you are doing some food preparation at home or you are eating on the run 

YOU MUST UNDERSTAND which foods represent which macronutrients in different situations. You can either be prepared or you can have faith in your ability to make the right educated decision if you yourself unprepared. 

These are the following sources of PROTEIN currently in my fridge, and ready to go.

Chicken sausage, whole eggs, tuna, grass fed beef, greek yogurt, egg whites, cottage cheese, + sun warrior protein powder.

Moving along to FAT

Avocados, dry roasted unsalted almonds, cashew butter, coconut oil, flax meal, olive oil.

Finally CARBOHYDRATES

broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, kale, healthy 8 mix, plantain chips, grapefruit, bananas, wild frozen fruit, brown rice bread, quest bars, sweet potatoes, + white rice.

As you can see the MAJORITY are real whole foods.  I adhere to the 80/20 rule. I practice eating "real food" 80% of the time and save room for my favorite "cheats" 20% of the time.  

THIS IS SO AMAZINGLY DOABLE PEOPLE!!!

What are examples of meals and snacks YOU love that follow this macronutrient PLUG and PLAY rule?

What are your favorite 20% foods?

It's not WHAT you do, it's HOW you do it

I love the basics... because they work!

With the use of effective cues and techniques the basics can give you more results than you ever thought possible.

Mountain climbers are used in every bootcamp and DVD you have ever seen. This is because they are a great bodyweight conditioning drill that hit the core and upper body with little to no equipment. 

The problem with mountain climbers is the fact that most peoples' asses are bouncing up in the air, hips are swaying and the exercise becomes a shoulder blaster more than anything else.

Here are 2 easy ways Stacey Schaedler Strength has changed up the mountain climber to give you more bang for your buck.  Progression 2 promises to make your core nice and sore tomorrow ;)

Progression 1- All you really need are rags on a smooth surface/ plastic plates on a rug; valsides or a slideboard.  

                                                       (Note: perform one side at a time i.e. 15 left side followed by 15 right side.)

Progression 2- A variety of different bands work well here and can be attached beneath a bench, door frame or squat rack.

                                                    (Note: wrists and shoulders in a line. Contract straight leg glute to extend the hip as you                                                      flex opposite knee into chest. Perform one side for 15 reps and then 15 on the other side.)

Give these a shot and let me know how it goes! 

Less is MORE : Part 1

Memorial Day has passed and we are on our way to another summer!

Today I had clients come in and say how much they indulged this weekend and how bloated and shitty they felt.  This happens every year during the holiday season and the start of the summer months.  

I'm not here to judge. I'm here to encourage and motivate. I'm going to ask how much fun they had with friends and family and simply advise them to drink their water and get back on track with their food. TODAY.

Why? Because there was a time in my not so distant past that I allowed EXERCISE and FOOD to rule my life. Whether it was exercising to make up for my poor food choices, or being so strict with my nutrition that it bordered CRAZYTOWN.

Guess what? It's not fun. And its not the way it has to be.

You don't need to workout every single day of the week to see the results you want.  In fact doing so might just get you no where but tired and fat.

Before we even broach the subject of exercise I am going to tell you something shocking.

I am a "trainer" and I DO NOT believe that exercise or more exercise is the solution. In some cases its part of the problem. I will discuss this later.

LAYING DOWN THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS:

1.

As women we have a complex balance of hormones. It is important that stress (whether it be physical or mental) is balanced. This is of the UTMOST importance. 

-Some sort of meditation or a regular yoga practice can assist you with this.

-Perhaps its even a long walk to clear your head and be with nature.

2.

SLEEP

Make sure that you are getting ADEQUATE, QUALITY sleep.

For some this could mean 6 hours, for others 8. Find out what works for you and get in ya bed!

TRUST ME. It makes all the difference in the world.

3.

JUST EAT REAL FOOD that TASTES GOOD

I'm not saying to go VEGETARIAN or PALEO. 

I'm saying that the less packaged foods you eat, the better! 

You are going to fill up SO MUCH more on 300 calories of eggs veggies and some sweet potato 

versus a freaking Special K 100 calorie bar.

Not to mention that it breaks down to sugar faster than you can shove it down your gullet and causes you to eat 2 more.

BAHAHAHHAHAH can you tell how much I HATE Special K?!?!?!?!!?

Just eat the real food ...it's not gonna make you fat.

BUT THE STRESSING ABOUT what diet to follow and all the chemicals in the processed foods just might! 

THERE I SAID IT! 

There are 3 things that you should have a grasp on BEFORE you start exercising if your goal is weight loss.

Because guess what

Good or Bad...exercise is a stress on your body.

If you are sleeping poorly, stressing about everything and eating shit.... 

Exercise is only fuel for the fire of hormones that are causing your lack of progress!

Don't get me wrong its not EASY or else everyone would be in great shape...but it is EASIER than you are made to believe.

Progress not Perfection my friends!

Stay tuned for my take on LESS IS MORE when it comes to exercise in Part 2.