food & fitness.

As some of you have so kindly noticed, I have been putting a lot more attention toward health and fitness since having moved to LA. I was always fairly fitness conscious, but have also always had a bit of a battle with food-- from my insatiable hunger for all things sweet (ok... salty, too!) to the fact that I have very little self control when it comes to food being in front of me, to ignoring my body's signals when it tells me that I am full. All of these issues are things that I have learned that most people (especially women) deal with, but I have began to try to combat them so that I feel in control of my own health and happy about my eating habits. I love food too much to completely cut certain things out of my diet, so I am now attempting to approach food differently, and have learned a lot about how much the food you eat needs to coincide with the amount/type of physical activity you're doing.

Essentially, I'd gotten to a point where I was not eating enough calories to support the way that I was exercising, and was also getting stuck in the same work-out routines (too much cardio, not enough resistance and strength training). This combination brought me to a plateau in my weight and appearance that I couldn't seem to combat. A lot changed for me when I moved to California, in part because the weather and lifestyle encouraged much more outdoor physical activity than I was used to, but also because my roommate became a health coach for an active nutrition company, which has given us both a great deal of knowledge about how nutrition and exercise need to work hand-in-hand in order to spark a change in the body (and for me, the mind!).

Here are the highlights of what I have learned so far:

-Incorporate much more protein into my diet (by way of post-workout protein shakes and protein-based snacks), which is incredibly important to do within 30 minutes of working out so that you replenish your muscle right away (you want your body to eat your fat and not your muscle!)
-Adding new forms of exercise (not necessarily more exercise) into my work-out routine so that it's not repetitive, and alternating cardio and strength (circuit training is great, as are fitness classes/tapes that incorporate both cardio and strength-- Jillian Michaels has lots of good ones). The variety has mad working out much more enjoyable, and I've discovered activities I actually enjoy doing to burn calories-- hiking, swimming laps, climbing outdoor sets of stairs, power yoga, circuit training on the beach, and cycling class are some of my favorites.
-Setting goals (both short-term and long-term) have been essential in terms of keeping myself on track. Be sure to write them down and share them with someone who supports you 100%.
-Slow and steady wins the race. Sure, I have done lots of "crash" diets in the past (Extreme Fat Smash, cutting out carbs/other "bad" foods, intense calorie counting, etc.), but the program I am doing now has allowed me to see continuous results of a small amount of weight loss/muscle gain each week, promoting an ongoing healthy lifestyle as opposed to what feels like a "diet"

Though I have also learned not to make my goals numbers-based (calorie counting and basing my success on what the scale reads), I am proud to say that I am now at the lowest weight and (much more importantly) lowest body fat percentage of my adult life. I still have a little ways to go to reach my goals (both in terms of combating my ongoing struggle with food and taking on new fitness challenges), but I am happy with my progress and hope to serve as an inspiration to any of you who are having some of the same hangups. Perhaps in the next few weeks I will feel confident enough to post a before and after photo for you all!

I'd like to emphasize that in no way do I ever feel as though I was overweight or felt forced to change my appearance for anyone-- for me, this desire for change has been much more about feeling healthy, positive, and confident, in addition to gaining more control over food/my eating habits (rather than the other way around). This is an area that has been a bit hard for me to open up about, so I apologize if it felt long and drawn out-- but thanks for "listening." Feel free to email me or leave a comment if there's anything in particular you'd like to know about my progress, etc. I plan to start featuring more recipes and health/nutrition tips on my blog, so check back for that too!

As an FYI (since many of you have inquired), my roommate Sarah's company works with a product line called Herbalife, which is the brand of meal replacement/protein shakes, vitamins, etc. that has become my go-to. If you're interested in chatting with her about your fitness goals or need some motivation to get started on a nutrition program, feel free to reach out to her! She can be reached at shiggs32@gmail.com, and has clients all over the country... so don't worry if you're not California-based. :)


xxo.