Here is "Jen's Advice" on what you need to succeed in changing your eating habits and in turn, your life:
1. You must COMMIT. This blog is called “Commit to Self” for that exact reason. You will only see results if you put in the work. This "commitment to you" includes mental preparation, physical fitness and meal planning.
2. Know that being selfish for the sake of being healthy is okay. Especially for you parents out there. It is human nature to feel guilty about leaving your kid’s to go to the gym or once again trucking them with you to the gym daycare, however, you need to remember that you are a role model for your children. Don’t use them as an excuse, include them. My daughter loved the daycare at Goodlife or exercising with me at home. If they see you eating healthy and being active, they will want to do the same.
3. Make sure the people in your household are on board and understand why you want to change your life (and theirs) for the better. You can’t do this if your spouse, kids, or others are unconsciously sabotaging the plan or making you feel guilty about going to the gym or taking time for yourself. Talk to your family and make it a family goal to be more active and eat healthier.
4. PLAN YOUR MEALS! This is going to be the biggest commitment you make. In order to ensure you are eating clean consistently, you MUST plan ahead.
5. You should be eating 5-6 well rounded, healthy meals every day. Each meal should include protein, carbs and veggies (fruit is okay a couple meals a day too). If you would like help with menu planning, please let me know and I can go into more detail.
6. To accomplish the 5-6 meals without relying on quick, processed foods, I suggest pre-cooking and pre-portioning your meals so you can just grab and go. I made my meals on Sundays and Wednesday nights, but I know people that cook and portion an entire week’s worth of meals. For those of you that will be eating meals throughout the day at work, I suggest this meal cooler as it made it so easy for me to stick with my meal plan. http://www.sixpackbagscanada.ca/
7. Allow yourself reward meals (meals, not days-BTW). I was allowed a cheat meal every Saturday and believe me, knowing that Pizza night was coming got me through a lot of repetitive meals. Having a couple of nights a week or lunch on Friday where you know you can eat basically anything will make it easier. You will also find that as you get healthier, you won’t want that Big Mac as your reward, but will opt for a pizza with chicken or other healthier option instead.
8. Ensure you are including your healthy fats. Nuts, nut butters, avocado, Fish oil or flax oil capsules are all great ways to incorporate these healthy fats into your diet.
9. Vitamins-everyone should be taking a multi-vitamin daily at minimum. My daily regimen also includes Vitamin B, C & D, Calcium, magnesium, glucosamine/chondroitin and apple cider vinegar.
10. Watch your salt intake. Too much salt can lead to major health issues and it also makes you retain water and feel bloated.
11. Drink your water. You should be drinking 3-4 litres of water every day to properly hydrate your muscles as well as flush the “junk” out of your system. I find that using a smaller water bottle and just refilling it is easier than a big 2L bottle as I drink it quicker and it is less daunting. Also, adding fresh lemon juice to your water makes it tastier and helps with detoxifying the system.
12. Take measurements; don’t depend on the scale, it will make you go crazy! Please remember that muscle takes up less space than fat. As you lose fat and gain muscle, you will trim down, but your weight may not drop drastically. Keep track of the following measurements every week or two and you will see the difference without the scale.
Chest (at nipple line), Rib, Waist (smallest point), 6” below waist, Hip/butt (largest point), Thigh, Calf, Bicep Relaxed, Bicep Flexed
13. Organize your work-outs. You should have a balance of cardio and weights and should be working out every muscle group at some point every week. If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer through a gym or even online (there are some amazing trainers that do online training programs) just make sure to find the one that fits with you and your goals.
14. Rest! Your body needs a minimum of 7 hours sleep a night and off days for your muscles to heal from the workouts you are putting them through. Over training can be detrimental to your fitness goals and worse, can cause injury.
15. Research different programs, supplements and foods. Everyone’s body is different and it will take time for you to find the correct mix for your body type and what you plan to achieve.
16. Be forgiving of yourself (yes, I see the irony of me offering this advice). You will be your own worst critic and if you slip up- acknowledge it and move on. This whole experience has taught me that self guilt is toxic and can spiral down quickly. Make sure you hold yourself accountable but not to the point that it becomes unhealthy. You are doing this to make yourself feel better, not worse.
Well, that is it for now. My plan going forward is to get my Personal Trainer Certificate and go to school for nutrition in the next couple of years, but in the interim, I plan to keep posting advice, recipes and work-out tips in this blog based on my own personal journey. Thank you so much for reading, hopefully you found something useful and please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or want further information.
C U SOON!
Jen
Commit to Self, Commit to Health!
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