My Past Exercise/Nutrition Regimen That Worked!

While I have gone up and down a few pounds in the past few years (not including this pregnancy), I have found an equilibrium that has worked with my metabolism and my lifestyle and I just came across my notes the other day - so I thought I'd share! While you can form your own regimen with a fitness instructor or personal trainer, you can also experiment, using nutrition and fitness magazines and books as your guide to find what works for you and your body.


Here's the lowdown:

* NUTRITION *

Protein!
I placed great emphasis on protein. My body has always demanded high amounts of protein to stay energized throughout the day. I HAD to pair my meals with protein or else I would become incredibly irritable and sluggish. I also noticed that I would become more lean if I had lots of protein in my diet everyday, so this has always worked for me.
Personal Favorites: Grilled chicken, fish, ground beef, beans, plain non-fat yogurt, part-skim cheese, almonds, 2% milk cottage cheese

Fruit! and Sweet Treats
To satisfy my sweet tooth, I would munch on apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, raspberries... whatever I could find on sale or what was available in the house. On special days when I had the time, I would melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and dip strawberries. Delicious! Another favorite sweet treat I enjoyed was plain non-fat yogurt with a spoonful of fruit jam (homemade or something like Simply Fruit where fruit is the main subject - NOT the sugar!) or SoyNut Butter (substituted peanut butter because of my allergy) with fruit jam on rice cakes.

Veggies!
If I could get them on sale, I would get frozen bags of broccoli, cauliflower, etc. when veggies were out of season and enjoy them with Light Ranch or cook them and add black pepper and a little butter to taste for the veggies similar to what you get at restaurants. Definitely a way for me to eat more veggies!

Fats!
I said "No" to fatty desserts (like cake, cookies, etc.) for the next two weeks of my experiment, but I NEVER said no to chocolate. Just a little piece added joy to my day. No matter how fit I wanted to be, I never said no to my chocolate. As far as other fats, I just watched my portions of it in general. I never bought "fat-free" because it always tasted disgusting, but bought light sour cream, dressings, etc. to cut down on the amount of fat in each serving. Remember: LESS IS MORE! You don't need to completely cover your salad in dressing to make it taste good.

Say NO to white foods!
Avoid white foods like white breads, pasta, sugar, etc. I didn't touch most - if any - of these when I was at my healthiest.

Typical Meal Schedule

- Breakfast choices

Cheerios w/ skim milk or vanilla soymilk
Scrambled egg white with a little mozzarella cheese and milk
Apple
Drinkable yogurt (ex. Light N Fit) w/ a teaspoon of protein powder
SoyNut Butter on rice cake and/or fruit jam

- Lunch choices

Ham, turkey, or roast beef wrapped in lettuce with a bit of cheese or mustard
Grilled chicken breast with a bit of cheese, veggies, and some light ranch
Low-sodium premium lunch meats with soy crisps or rice crisps
Broth-based soups
Can of tuna topped with red onion and a little cheese

- Dinner choices

With so many easy family options like lasagna, tator tot casserole, etc., my main focus was portions. Sometimes, enjoying these can keep you from feeling deprived but focus on small amounts. Start with a serving about the size of your palm, drink lots of water, wait about 5-10 minutes, and see then if you are still hungry for more.

- Dessert choices

Plain non-fat yogurt with fruit jam
Low-fat/non-fat flavored yogurt from Yoplait, Dannon, etc.
Fruit
A small spoonful of something sinful like cherry pie, death by chocolate-something, etc.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY! Always carry a water bottle with you: one in the car, one on the counter, etc., where ever you go to make sure you are constantly taking in enough water during the day. You will be reaching for water more often if you always have it available rather than soda pop or fruit juices.

AVOID SODA POP AND FRUIT JUICES! I cut myself off from diet colas and didn't touch them for 5 years at one point, until I worked in a restaurant where I had unlimited amounts of refills and "couldn't help myself." TAKE IT OFF YOUR GROCERY LIST! Fruit juices are fine in moderation, but all those calories could have been used towards chocolate, a dinner you really crave, etc. rather than just something you sip. I DO recommend a small glass of pure orange juice though for its vitamin C benefits. You can buy some of the lighter versions with less calories and fewer grams of sugar, so there you go!


* EXERCISE *

Favorite Exercise Videos
I had a library nearby, so I always utilized their video rentals. Here's some videos I worked out to that really transformed my body:

- New York City Ballet Workouts (I and II)
- Tae-Bo (Live!, Amped program, Get Ripped videos)
- Denise Austin's Power Zone: The Ultimate Metabolism Boosting Workout
- Denise Austin's Pilates For Every Body
- Denise Austin's Pilates: Mat Based Workout by J H Pilates
- Kathy Smith: Peel Off the Pounds Pilates
- Kathy Smith: The Rules of Fat Burning
- Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (two of the 20 minute workouts)
- Turbo Jam Cardio Party Mix 1, Ab Jam
- Combinations: "NYC Ballet Workout" one day, "Pilates for Every Body" with Tae-Bo 8 Minute Workout, "Power Zone" with cardio, lower body, and abs.

EXTRA TIPS:

Do an abdominal workout (10 minutes in length) everyday. Usually, I would do 10 minutes, 3x a week. The other two days, I would do a 5 minute workout (unless I did Pilates on the other two days).

My regular workout times amounted to one hour, 5x a week with movement throughout the day and something fun like bike rides, rollerblading, etc. on the weekends. This schedule was not easy to keep, but DEFINITELY worth the effort! YOU CAN DO IT!

Switch it up!
Other than the videos, I would go jogging/walking on a few days of the week. The point of everything is to have VARIETY! Don't do the same kinds of workouts everyday (kickboxing, running, etc.) Always challenge your body to try different workouts!

Slow down!
I always noticed that my sweet tooth was satisfied with something simple like plain yogurt with fruit jam, a little piece of chocolate, something sinful. I didn't really crave junk food. Low/non-fat flavored yogurts were great too. Stick to that for desserts - you learn that it IS sweet enough for you if you make it a habit!

Habits take a while to ground - but they're worth it!
It takes a person a few weeks to fall into a habit. It WILL be hard to start making habit changes, but make them slow and diligently to see results. One great habit to bust is watching TV, standing, exploring the Internet, etc. while eating. You learn to enjoy what you're eating and you'll also notice that you'll be satisfied with a lot less. A GREAT habit to get into is walk throughout the day! Go invest in a pedometer and count your steps. It will make you want to get up and move more often, just so you can beat your daily goal of 10,000 steps!

AIM towards healthy foods!
If you just expect yourself to reach for healthy foods, it will become a habit and that is all you will want. If I always thought when I go to a restaurant I need to have french fries, that's what I will order. But if I change my perception and say that I need to order vegetables, I will do that. Think of your body as a car. You wouldn't put junk gas in your car, knowing that it wouldn't run well. You would put good gasoline to charge your car to work its best. Why don't you do that for your own body?

I hope this helps you get on track to earning the body you love and deserve. Being on the fitness and nutrition roads are never easy (sometimes you DO NOT want to workout, you REALLY want a giant order of cheese fries...), but sticking to it will give you the reward of feeling and looking great. NEVER be afraid to enjoy life - it is too short to never have a food you have always loved. But, if you focus on healthy foods, most times you will find you don't crave your regular junk foods anymore.

Until again, stay well!