Guest Post: Friday FITspiration Week 1/4

For the next 4 Fridays, Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness will be here to give us some tips & tricks to help us achieve our fitness goals. This chick is fabulous and the more I read her blog, the more motivated I get. She will also be hosting a giveaway here in week 3, so please make sure you check in every Friday to get the details of how to enter! 

Hello! My name is Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness and for the month of February I will be speaking to you EVERY week here on THIS blog about how to jump start your health and fitness goals (if you have made any or if you have ever wanted to start getting healthier!)

One of the most important things about starting off your health and fitness journey is making REALISTIC goals.  You want to set a goal that will be obtainable in a realistic amount of time.  No you cannot lose 20 pounds in two weeks (and if you are/have you should probably go see a doctor! This is not very healthy at all!)  Realistically you will lose 1-4 pounds a week.  That is only if you are eating the right foods AND incorporating a steady consistent workout schedule.  Also, you do not have to sit down and consume 2-3 BIG meals a day.  The goal is to have small meals every 2-3 hours to fuel your body, keep you satisfied, and keep your body working!

No matter what you cannot workout and eat whatever you want if you want to reach your goals!  One of the MOST important things about reaching your goals is the food you use to fuel your body!

My rule that I tell my clients…if the nutritional label has ingredients that you cannot pronounce or you have no idea what they are….you probably should not eat it!  Learn to look at your nutritional labels and see what is in the food that you are feeding yourself! You will be surprised to see so many harmful chemicals and other agents are in foods and snacks that you eat regularly.

Fresh (or frozen) fruits are a good purchase.  You should try to have at least one serving of veggies with each meal! Frozen veggies are a good alternative if you are on a budget.  Local grocery stores sometimes will have a great sale on frozen veggies so you can pick up a few packs, toss them in your freezer, and not worry about them going bad/getting moldy!  BUT make sure to stick with the PLAIN frozen veggies (no added sauces or butter).  Those added sauces will raise the fat, calories, and other potential “Bad” things that can be added to the veggies.  Find your own spices to use to season them to make them taste how you like! (For example…Mrs. Dash has a whole line of spices that are salt free and taste amazing!  McCormick also has a good variety of spice or you can mix your own blend of spice to add to your meals.)

The next important thing to pay attention to is your portion sizes.  That is one number one issue with eating too much (or not enough).  Look at the following image of a good indication of the CORRECT portion sizes of most common foods that you may eat:

Here is a good example of an eating schedule that should help you visualize how often/what you should be eating:

• 8:00 AM BREAKFAST: 2 large eggs (scrambled in olive oil), 1 piece of whole grain toast, 1 large fruit/1 cup or fruit (berries of fruit cut into cubes)
• 10:00 AM: 1 small cup of yogurt, 1 serving of nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts are all a great choice) or 1 small banana with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 12:00 LUNCH: 1 baked chicken breast, 1 cup of green veggies, 1 cup or brown rice or whole wheat pasta
• 2:00 PM: 18 baked tortilla chips with 1/4 cup guacamole
• 5:00 PM DINNER: 4oz grilled salmon, ½-1 cup green veggies, and 1 cup of brown rice or whole wheat pasta
• (If you are still hungry) 8:00 PM: 1 cup HEALTHY cereal with 2% or fat free milk

Now remember, the above menu is just an example!  You should eat every 2-3 hours and you should start your first meal within 2-3 hours after waking up in the morning.  There are so many other healthy options that you can use for your snacks and meals.

Eating the right things and learning to turn down those yummy treats you are accustomed to having is one of the HARDEST parts of getting on track with your health and fitness. Once you are able to learn that self-control everything else will just fall into place! Like I said the diet is SO important if you want to reach your health and fitness goals in you set time frame.

And as with any other extreme activities that you would like to do, please consult with your physician first before you embark on any kind of physical activity, meal plans, or any other activities that may be harmful to you or your health needs. 

I hope the tips I shared with you will help you guys start planning out your NEW and HEALTHIER meal menus for this week!  For other daily health and fitness tips please feel free to check out my blog at infinitelifefitness.com. Please feel free to check back next week to see what other health and fitness tips I share! Have a happy and healthy weekend!