School’s out & summer is right around the corner. If you guys are in college, like me, you know that trying to focus on fitness, while also focusing on finals, is nearly impossible. So, now that the stress is over, its time to start focusing on getting that body ready for summer!
I always tell my followers that I am not an expert in fitness or nutrition by any means. With that being said, I have really been focusing on losing excess belly fat and doing tons of toning. However, as you may have heard, abs are made in the kitchen-its really all about what you eat! So, I believe that by having a consistent workout plan, followed with a nutritious diet, will help you achieve your body goals!
Lastly, I would just like to remind you that everyone has a different body type-no one body is the same. Remember to set realistic expectations for yourself. You should always try to best version of YOURSELF & no one else (no one can do you like you do you boo!). Oh and please don’t ever think that starving yourself will help you achieve your goals. Every fitness journey should be done in a healthy manner! In fact, eating healthy, consistent meals is the absolute best way to go as it allows your body’s metabolism to speed up! So, now that we covered the basics here is my diet & workout for my fitness plan.
Diet
When it comes to my diet I do not count calories, and in all honesty, I don’t even consider myself to be on a real “diet.” Right now I am just choosing to eat healthier meals and holding back on eating those late night ones (which I normally do all the time). When you eat past dinner, or outside your normal sleeping cycle, it actually signals your body to store those calories as fat. Like I mentioned earlier, the best way to go is to eat consistently throughout the day in order to allow your body’s metabolism to form a pattern and burn calories faster.
Breakfast I start my morning with green tea or water w/ lemon. Along with that, I will have avocado toast on whole wheat bread, organic oatmeal, or egg whites w/ some fresh berries. If I am in a major rush, I will usually grab a smoothie from a juice shop with fresh fruits & vegetables. My favorite juice place at the moment is Juice Press.
Lunch Usually I have a healthy, green salad with minimal dressing. I usually make the salads myself with spinach, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, chopped carrots, avocado, & a little balsamic vinaigrette. Although feel free to mix it up any which way you like! Lastly, if you are buying salads, be sure to check the label for nutritional value because not all salads are as healthy as they may seem. If there is no label be sure to ask.
Snack I don’t always have snacks but if I am really hungry I will have an RxBar which you can buy online or at Trader Joe’s (which is where I get them). They are so good! I also recently fell in love with dried mangos. They are seriously amazing (no, like really). Also keep in mind that while fruit is full of healthy sugar it is still sugar! So, I recommend limiting your fruit intake.
Dinner My dinner typically consists of some kind of protein with vegetables. My absolute favorite is salmon. Plus, it’s so easy to make. I also have been ordering from a company called Cook Unity which makes healthy dinners for those lazy nights I don’t feel like cooking. Some of the meals I have had so far are grilled shrimp, lemon chicken, and noodles w/ tofu. If you are looking for an alternative be sure to check out what is available in your area. Or even check out some Instagram accounts for healthy recipes (I recommend @healthywithnedi & @tanyazuckerbrot).
Dessert I’m not going to lie I totally have a sweet tooth. So, for dessert I usually opt for some dark chocolate, a vegan chocolate chip cookie, a slice of banana bread, a vegan chocolate brownie or sometimes a small cup of frozen yogurt! These are all healthy dessert options. Just be sure to limit how much you have (ex. I personally will only have one chocolate chip cookie).
Drinking One thing I have really, really cut back on is drinking. I almost cut drinking out completely (especially sugary cocktails). I know that this is not ideal for everyone, so next time you go out I would recommend a single glass of wine. While red wine might have more heart healthy benefits, white wine actually tends to be lower in calories (I recommend a Riesling or pinot grigio).
Workout
I have to say that when it comes to fitness I stopped doing the whole “gym” thing. Personally, it was hard for me to get excited about working out because I always found myself doing the same boring routine over and over again. Plus, I use to be a competitive gymnast, so till this day I constantly crave that adrenaline rush in my workouts. I currently alternate classes each week on ClassPass(click the link to get $40 off your first month-also ClassPass is available is most cities) & right now I workout about 4 times a week. However I do ab work every single day at home for about 15 minutes. With that said, here are my favorite ways to exercise:
Barre This has become a new favorite of mine. Barre classes truly work out muscles you did not even know you have. It really is a lot of strength training/sculpting as you focus on doing small range-of-motion movements on high reps. A great booty/ab workout too might I add. Some of favorite studios include Barre3 & Physique 57.
Boxing If you guys follow me on Instagram you know I am boxing obsessed. It’s a full body workout that really gets your heart rate up. Plus, you feel like a major bad ass when you leave. My favorite studios are Rumble Boxing & Everybody Fights.
Cycling I am not the best runner and I can admit it. So, my favorite way to get my cardio workout in is by cycling. Plus, it can honestly be so much fun and relieve so much stress. I highly recommend Soul Cycle as they have the most incredible playlists and they cycle in a dark room so it allows you to really get into it without feeling pressure to keep up with the person next to you.
Pilates While I love high intensity workouts, I also really love a workout that has a strong mind & body connection-a class that kind of slows things down a bit. Pilates is great for strengthening & toning your core. It also is great for increasing your flexibility. My current favorite pilates studio is New York Pilates.
Other Group Classes Working out in groups is always a fun time and a great way to hang with friends. There are tons of classes in the city that are group focused and the two that I am loving right now are Barry’s Bootcamp & Switch Playground. Be sure to check them out for more info.
Other Tips
Sleep is Everything Your body really values sleep & when you don’t sleep enough your cortisol levels rise which is the stress hormone associated with fat gain. Cortisol also activates the reward centers in your brain that make you want food (hence the late night cravings). So, be sure to give your body the sleep that it needs so you avoid the stress!
Don’t Oversleep While sleeping is amazing, you also don’t want to oversleep. Remember that you are trying to get your body to adjust to a new pattern so you want to make sure that you are keeping a rhythm. So, try to not oversleep on the weekends so you can get your body’s systems going (morning smoothies really help)! It’s hard in the beginning but I promise it gets easier.
Enjoy The Process Remember to have fun while you are trying to get in shape! Do classes with friends, be creative with healthy meals, take pictures of your progression! You may not see results right away but I promise that if you keep going you will. Also, from personal experience, all of these small changes have significantly improved my overall well being. My skin has been clearer, I feel less stressed and just plain happier! There are real benefits to all of this stuff babe.
