BOOKS, RESOURCES, PRODUCTS AND HEALTH TIPS FROM THE “VIVE: PERFORMANCE GENESIS” CONFERENCE.

WELL! I’m home from Dallas after a 3 day fitness conference and I’ve never felt shittier! Haha just kidding, but really. I’m sick for my first time in maybe 10 months? So I’m not really sure what to do with myself. I spent the first couple of days just watching RHONY and sleeping and eating Halo Top in bed. The next couple of days I spent eating all my vitamins plus more and started downing my recent blueberry protein shake obsession. Now I’m just saying F it and throwing back some DayQuil followed with some coffee so we’ll see how this blog turns out.

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But seriously, I had the best time in Dallas. This is actually my first year going to fitness conferences and I gotta say, if you’re a personal trainer and you’re really wanting to turn it into a LASTING career, continue educating yourself. The confidence I have in my training and the programs I create for my clients is on a different level after speaking with fitness professionals for 4 days straight. With that said – I wouldn’t have had a damn CLUE what anyone was talking about had I not taken the Show Up Fitness Internship last year. (If you’re in LA or SD and want to become more confident with training and nutrition, this is a must take internship. Classes start every 2 months, check out the next class, here).

Our panel of speakers over the weekend covered topics from healing your gut and improving your online training business via social media to improving your speed and creating longterm periodization for different body compositions.

I personally took away SO much from the weekend so I wanted to put it all in one spot so that you guys could have access to the same information that I thought was valuable. A lot of the tips I got were from one on one conversations with the doctors and coaches at dinners or happy hour AFTER the conference so you know they’re going to be good. Let’s get into it.

First of all,

WHAT IS VIVE?

VIVE is a personal training and small group training gym in Dallas, TX. Seriously if you live in Dallas and have not been to VIVE, please just do me a favor and go for me. Go today. Go NOW. It’s AMAZING. They measure everything you do so that you can track your progress and get the results you’re looking for. The Co Owner, Jon McDowell, is who I spent a majority of my time with as he is also a trainer at VIVE. He got my sprint form looking better in 2 days and showed me the 7 minute warm up that I am now using on all of my clients.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT A FITNESS CONFERENCE?

OK so if you ARE going to go to a conference, my first personal tip is to get a friend to go with you. Even if it’s your coach or another trainer at your gym, just get someone. I went to a conference earlier this year by myself and while I’m all about going to short events by myself, going to a 3 day conference on your own is TOUGH. You’re sitting in 4-5 60-90 minute talks a day in a beige conference room with little to no sunlight and sharp overhead lighting. It’s REAL easy to convince yourself to skip the next talk if you don’t have a buddy with you. Half the time I was itching in my seat and by the end of the weekend I was sitting on the floor in the back so that I could stretch. You gotta do what you gotta do right?

This conference was fun though because we would all meet up at VIVE in the am around 6:30am for a group workout where we had the chance to sweat and learn from the best, one on one. Then we would go to the conferences all day then we would do a group dinner afterwards where we could all let loose and get to know each other more. They were LONNNG days for my introverted social life but overall it was totally worth it!

10 RESOURCES, BOOKS, AND HEALTH TIPS I LEARNED FROM THIS FITNESS CONFERENCE:

1. POSTUROLOGY – This sounds like a TRIP. Have you guys ever heard of this? I was talking to one of the coaches about my scoliosis and this was his first recommendation. He said that a posturology is basically a method for analyzing how the body aligns itself in it’s surrounding environment. He said that one thing that they will look at is the mechanics of your eyes…this is where he started to get my attention. He said that if your eyes basically aren’t strong then one might be lazier than the other, which means that you’re always seeing things a little skewed. MEANING that your posture is always going to be a little skewed to align with where you’re looking! I was shhhhook with that because I’ve noticed that I can’t go cross eyed hahah. Like in pictures, I was only ever to control one eye to move inward and the other one was just lazy hahah. (Shit I do when I’m alone…). Anyway – other than that conversation I don’t know jack about this so if you’ve tried it please tell me about it in the comment box below!

2. HORSE CHESTNUT CREAM – This was brought up when I was sitting in the cocktail lounge minding my own business sipping on my whisky sour when someone asked me if I have varicose veins. Oddly enough I caught on to the idea that crossing my legs was probably causing my varicose veins when I was like 17 because the only places I have them are my left thigh and my right ankle. I always cross my right leg over my left but anyway – he somehow knew that Chestnut Cream is apparently one of the best ways to get rid or lighten varicose veins.

3. THE DUTCH TEST – I heard about this Dutch Test multiple times over the weekend. It sounds like a lot of coaches use it for their professional athletes and it was recommended that I use it if I’m wanting to do an adrenals check. I checked it out when I got home and it seems pretty interesting. It checks your stress levels, adrenals, and other hormones through a urine sample. Feel free to check it out here.

4. HEALTHY GUT, HEALTHY YOU – This was a highly recommended book throughout the weekend. It’s written by Dr. Michael Ruscio who is a Doctor, Clinical Researcher, and influential voice in functional and alternative medicine. I listened to a podcast with him and Dr. Bryan Walsh that was actually really good. It may even debunk the Dutch Test that everyone was so excited about.

5. CREATINE AND L-CARNITINE – These are two supplements that I used to take all the time then ran out and never re stocked buuuut I’m about to!! I was telling one of the coaches that I ALWAYS find that I am super sleepy around 2/3 in the afternoon. I usually have a coffee in the am and then I’d have another one around the afternoon. He suggested that I replace that second coffee with a serving of creatine and L-Carnitine. Creatine basically helps you preform better in the gym but it can also reduce dizziness (which I also always have), tiredness and fatigue. According to this article on HealthLine, L-carnitine’s main role in your body involves mitochondrial function and energy production (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/l-carnitine#what-it-is). I’m currently purchasing this Creatine and this l-Carnitine.

6. CASH FLOW QUADRANT – A book recommendation from 2 different business owners. Probably should pick it up.

7. BENEFIT OF REAAAL H.I.I.T. WORKOUTS – Pretty much no one that claims to be doing HIIT is actually doing HIIT. I was in a workout class the other day where the instructor told us to do an all out sprint for 1 minute. Like – that’s literally not even possible. Sure I can run fast for a minute but it’s not going to be my all out sprint which means I am just working at less than my full capacity for a longer amount of time. What would be MORE ideal and proper HIIT training would be to sprint at my all out capacity for 10 seconds then rest for 3-5 minutes and try to do it again. This kind of HIIT improves your VO2 max and the anaerobic energy systems and be effective in as little as 4 minutes. It also improves your overall work capacity, increases your fast twitch type II muscle fibers (which increases strength training). It’s important to focus on quality and not quantity here.

8. GROWING MUSCLE/IMPROVING OVERALL BODY FAT % – It’s recommended to workout before noon and to get in protein and fat at breakfast. Then have these supplement combos: PRE WORKOUT – 20g BCAA, 10g EAA. DURING WORKOUT – 20g BCAA, 10g EAA. POST WORKOUT – 30-40g of Protein, 20g of Glutamine, 5g of Glycine. Lunch – should have 40-60g of protein and about 50g of carbs.

9. HOW TO GET BETTER AT PULL UPS – If you are a trainer, how often are you having your girl clients do pull ups? I was having them do 3 sets of 4-6 honestly only like 2-4 times a month. That kind of volume isn’t going to get my clients closer to being able to actually do a pull up. A better technique is to have your clients do 1-3 pull ups in between sets on leg day. Also incorporate tempo and focus on the eccentric portion of the pull up. Another tip is to incorporate farmers carry’s on leg day so that the client can start to develop better grip strength. A lot of the time people can’t complete a set of pull ups is because their hands give out before their back does.

10. DESIGNS FOR HEALTH – This was the most highly referred to supplement company the entire weekend. It seemed like 70% of the coaches were happy with the products from this brand so definitely check them out. They also have a chocolate mint fiber bar that is soooo good.

Okkkk…I’ve officially done something while being sick. My eyes feel like they’re about to fall onto the keyboard and my heart feels like it just ran (must be the DayQuil / Coffee situation). I gotta go. I ope you guys enjoyed this blog – please reach out with any questions you might have!

x

{HEALTHY} GUIDE TO NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY

I’m normally not someone who follows the 8 million randomly proclaimed “holidays” like “National Let’s Laugh Day” or “National Find A Rainbow Day” because who has time BUT when national Sandwich day falls on a Sunday – you knooooow I have to dish out some of my faves.

I gotta be honest. I love a sandwich. They don’t appear in my life these days as often as I’d like them to, especially compared to my life growing up.

No joke, I used to make mac-n-cheese sandwiches. Ever had one? No? That’s weird…

It was 2 pieces of wonder bread topped with butter, and held together by a fresh made batch of warm kraft mac-n-cheese hahah. MMMMMM. I did the same thing with spaghetti.

I made tuna sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, you name it. My junior year of high school I had a Pb&J for lunch MONDAY – FRIDAY while I watched Ellen and wondered how I was going to pass calculus.

I thought that was better than having a foot long every day which I accomplished my sophomore year.

You could say I had an unhealthy relationship with sandwiches, or you could say I was living my best life. Who knows. All I know is that these days, a sandwich is a delicacy.

To make sure I don’t go overboard though like the good ol’ days, I make sure that I do a bomb homemade sandwich that actually compare to my 8 year old self invented ones.

Here’s my top 3 healthy sandwiches for National Sandwich Day:

1. Chickpea Salad Sandwich – by Purely Elizabeth

Wow. Just reading that makes me feel like I’ve come a long way haha. This is like a healthy chicken salad recipe, but vegetarian. This is bomb for when you’re craving a cold deli sandwich vibe. It packs a lot of protein and fiber and is actually great for meal prepping. You can eat it on it’s own also if you want to.

RECIPE:

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained.

2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise.

1 tbsp dijon mustard.

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt.

1/2 cup celery, chopped.

1/2 cup dried currants.

1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped.

1 Tomato, sliced.

Butter Lettuce

gluten free bread.

DIRECTIONS:

In a food processor, combine chickpeas, vegan mayo, mustard and seat salt. Pulse 3-4 times so that consistency is somewhat chunky. Pour into a bowl and mix in celery, currants, and walnuts. Serve on gluten free bread with lettuce and tomato.

2. Tuna Sandwich by – Chelsey Rose Health

I’m now going as far as quoting my own blog in my blog because I have issues and still think my sandwiches are effing bomb. This tuna salad though – like you can’t go wrong. I can promise you’ll love it, if you love tuna. I put it on a fiber cracker in this post but slap this in between two pieces of bread and have yourself a sunday sandwich.

Get the 5 ingredients for the recipe and the directions right here.

3. Bánh Mì Sandiwiches – By Chrissy Teigen

Bruhhhhhhhh. I can’t deal with all the flavor in this thing. It’s definitely more of the sandwich you make when you’re having like a dinner party and want to get creative and dare I say fancy…? But it is SO. DAMN. GOOD. Just trust me, especially if you like asian food. We’re talkin toasted baguettes, sliced pork, pickled vegetables, with a spicy sweet glaze.

Find the recipe right here and get to cookin.

Happy NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY BITCHES. Find me on insta and show me how you’re enjoying today.

x

THE KETOGENIC DIET: IS IT HEALTHY? BENEFITS? DOWNSIDES? RESULTS?

Hi ladies!

Okay - it's time. There has been non stop talk about this diet. I've kinda tried it, I've had friends who have tried it, and almost all of my clients have asked me about it at some point so I figured now would be a good time to go over it and give everyone the low down on it's benefits, it's downfalls, it's results and etc. 

WHAT IS THE KETOGENIC DIET?

I mean every celeb from Halle Berry, Adriana Lima, Megan Fox, Gweneth Paltrow and the Kardashians have been fans of the ketogenic diet (AKA THE KETO DIET) yet a lot of us are still like, wtf is it...? And how does it realllly work?

But when we go on a low carb (100 grams of carbs or less) or very low carb diet (50 grams of carbs or less) our brain sort of goes into a brain starvation and needs fuel. The liver gets to work and starts making keytones (chemically known as keytone bodies) as a back up source of fuel for the brain. 

Ketosis is the name of the metabolic state that your body goes into when you drastically reduce carbs which typically looks like anything from 20 - 50 g of carbs a day or less. To put that into perspective, the average American consumes 225 - 325 grams of carbs A DAY. Which obviously isn't recommended for the standard sedentary American considering approximately 71% of the population in the United States is overweight. (ARTICLE) 

To break the keto down a little it further, it's also good to know that there are 3 different kinds of keto diets:

Standard Keto Diet (SKD) - Suggests Low carb (5%), Moderate Protein (20%), High Fat (75%)

Cyclical Keto Diet (CKD) - This one involves periods of higher carb days so it would look like 5 days of keto with 2 high carb days. 

Targeted Keto Diet (TKD) - For this keto diet you just add carbs around workouts. 

Then there's also something called high protein keto where people will do 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

So basically when you're on a keto diet you are dramatically reducing your carb intake and going on a diet that is very high in fat. 

But like...my question is...how are we supposed to know when we're actually IN ketosis? Like if I don't eat carbs all day am I in ketosis by the end of it? I dove in on this info as well and this is what I rounded up. 

Apparently it's possible for someone to enter ketosis after only 2 days but it could take up to a week. It depends on your activity level, lifestyle, body type and carbohydrate intake. After a few days you can see if you're really in ketosis by checking the amount of keytones in your blood. This is done by blood work or you can get what are called "keytone strips" and test through your urine at home.

What Do You Eat On A Keto Diet?

• Low carb veggies - greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions.
• Avocados - whole or as a guac if you'd like. 
• Healthy Oils - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut, Avocado.
• Nuts/Seeds - Chia Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Flax Seeds, Walnuts, Almonds. 
• Cheese - Unprocessed Cheese (goat, mozzarella, cheddar).
• Butter and Cream - Go for grass fed.
• Eggs - Get pasteurized or Omega -3 Whole eggs
• Fatty Fish - Mackerel, tuna, trout, salmon.
• Meat - Red Meat, Steak, Ham, Sausage, Bacon, Chicken, Turkey.

What You Can't Eat On A Keto Diet 

• Sugary Foods - Cake, Candy, Pastries, Soda, Fruit Juice.
• Grains or Starches - Wheat Products, Cereal, Rice, Pasta. 
• Fruit - Small portions of berries are the only fruit allowed. 
• Beans/Legumes - Peas, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Chic Peas.
• Root/Starchy Vegetables - Carrots, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes. 
• Low Fat Products - Often are higher in sugar/carbs to replace the fats. 
• Unhealthy Fats - Processed Vegetable Oils, Mayo.
• Alcohol - Due to it's carb content, most alcohol will throw you out of ketosis. 
• Sugar Free Diet Foods - These tend to be highly processed and are often high in sugar alcohols. 

KETO DIET RESULTS 

So this high fat diet was originally created in the 1920's to help children with epilepsy but at this point there are over 20 studies that show that this type of diet can not only improve your health but it can help people lose weight. 

These studies also shows that following a keto diet may help battle diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's but the more general results include:

• Increased Mental Clarity 
• More Energy 
• Weight Loss - how much and how fast depends on; Sleep and stress. People will generally lose 3-10 pounds in the first week which is typically a lot of water weight. Carbs are made of water so this is what most people see first, not necessarily fat being burned off. After the first couple of weeks we can expect 1-2 pounds a week.
• A reduced carbohydrate diet will help reduce your blood sugars and increase your blood ketone levels. (According to this article). 

IS A KETOGENIC DIET HEALTHY?

There are a ton of articles that go back and forth on whether or not it is healthy but it seems like for the most part - it is. Some of the initial short term side effects include:

• Headache
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Bad Breath

These are some of the initial temporary side effects that usually disappear in a few days or a few weeks. 

• Keto Flu - Having a drastic reduction in carbs can sort of shock the body and bring on withdrawl type symptoms so some people may experience:

1. Stomach Pain
2. Muscle Soreness
3. Poor Concentration
4. Dizziness
5. Muscle Cramps
6. Weakness
7. Irritability
8. Headache
9. Diarrhea
10. Constipation
11. Vomiting
12. Nausea
13. Sugar Cravings
14. Difficulty Sleeping

These things can typically be avoided by drinking more water, avoiding very intense exercise, and replacing electrolytes. When insulin levels decrease, the kidneys release excess sodium so replenish that by having salty, potassium filled, keto friendly foods like leafy green veggies and avocados. Also make sure that you get adequate sleep. 

Other but less common side effects include:

• Keoacidosis - A condition that occurs in uncontrolled diabetes. This has been reported in women who are breast feeding but it is very uncommon. 
• Kidney Stones - Also uncommon but there have been cases of epileptic children who have developed kidney stones on a keto diet. 
• Raised Cholesterol Levels - The "bad" or LDL Cholesterol levels have been known to rise as well as the overall cholesterol on a keto diet due to a higher consumption of saturated fats. This increases your blood pressure and puts you at much greater risk for heart failure. 

Do I Recommend A Keto Diet?

So personally, I wouldn't recommend a keto diet to someone but if they wanted to do it, I don't think I would discourage them. What I like about a Keto diet is that it removes one of the biggest food groups that most Americans over consume which is carbohydrates. Carbs are NOT bad though. How much we need to consume depends on our activity levels and I understand that this is where people get confused. We think we need so much more of a carb intake than we really do when in reality, even people that are lifting weights at the gym 5 times a week can get by on a small amount of carbs. 

We eat way too many carb sources, and are more sedentary than ever. So when we start a new diet or a new gym membership, there's motivation to get fit and healthy already in place so that's step one. Then there's a sense of structure with what foods you can have and what foods you can't have so what starts happening is you find new foods to eat, you find new things to do, and you exercise more because you're feeling good about yourself. 

So if going on the Keto diet HELPS you put those things into place for the long term then I'm all for it. I think where a lot of people go wrong is they hear that because of things like the Keto diet...coconut oil, avocados, chia seeds, flax seeds, butter, bacon, and loads of red meat are now the healthiest things to have. 

I'm not saying they're healthy or unhealthy but what I'm saying is that there still isn't a sense of CONTROL and discipline. This causes many people to eat a multiple avocados in a day, on top of a ton of bacon, on top of a few bullet proof coffees and then they don't have the discipline to go on a low carb diet the way the need to in order to be in ketosis, so they over consume even more calories, and think they're being "healthy" while they're at it because the food choices are primarily healthy. 

Is this making sense?

I think the best choice would be to get a health coach (I'm right here!) and spend some time addressing you're unhealthy patterns and build in a strong foundation of new healthy habits that will allow you to make good choices and be knowledgable on how much food your specific body really needs!

Keto Recipes

With all of that said - I tend to learn towards a diet that is primarily protein, then fats, then I usually get 50-90g total carbs a day so I'm obviously not in Ketosis but I am cautious of my carb intake and have always created recipes to align with that. Here's some ideas on my blog for you to check out!

• MORNING POWER UP SMOOTHIE
• BBQ TURKEY BOWL
• KALE SALAD WITH A HOMEMADE DRESSING
• HOMEMADE CEVICHE WITH FARMERS MARKET INGREDIENTS

What Experts Are Saying About The Keto Diet:

If you want some more info, here is a list of some people I've come across who wither support the keto diet or feel like it's not ideal. I got lost reading about so many different opinions and then I go MEGA lost once I started watching all of the videos on YouTube surrounding the "fad" diet. (Especially on Joe Rogan's page). 

1. ABBEY SHARP - RD - BLOG - "First of all, I can’t deny the fact that people will lose weight on a keto diet. Here’s why. First of all, you’re eliminating a major food group. When you do that, you limit your food options and most likely your food intake, so it’s not rocket science that you’ll likely lose weight. Second, most people on a low carb diet tend to increase their protein intake in the absence of carbs and there is some evidence that consuming higher amounts of protein may have some weight loss benefits. "

2. MCKEL HILL - MS - RDN - LDN - BLOG - "There are many success stories out there and people who swear that ketogenic diets have worked for them and make them feel incredible, which is amazing! On that same note, the opposite story is true for those who it didn’t work for — it’s like this with diets across the board, there are no one-size fits all. I encourage you to think deeply about the motivation whenever you embark or entertain trying out a diet — is it for health, to make you feel your best, is it sustainable, will it allow you to socialize and enjoy the other beautiful moments of life, or will it cause you stress micromanaging your diet?"

3. KELLY LEVEQUE ON LAURENCONRAD.COM - HOLISTIC NUTRITIONIST - WELLNESS EXPERT - CELEBRITY HEALTH COACH - BLOG - "Kelly recommends first trying keto as a 6-week reset. It is perfectly fine to do keto long term, as it provides great brain fuel and it’s anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory. However, you will just want to make sure that if you are making it your lifestyle diet, you’ll never want to skimp on leafy greens and veggies or start replacing your healthy fats like coconut oil and avocado with unhealthy fats like lots of processed cheese and cured meats like pepperoni (which are high in fat, but not the good kind). It’s also a good idea to add a little more sodium into your diet when trying keto. Having a glass of pink salt water when you feel tired or dehydrated on keto can work wonders."

4. TANYA ZUCKERBOT - MS - RD - ON THE POPSUGARFITNESS - BLOG- "Sounds like a diet with benefits, right? Sure, this way of eating can be spot-on for certain individuals, and it may even be easy to sustain, but there's no way to avoid the shaky transition, which can result in some unsettling side effects, often called the "keto flu,""

5. THE BALANCED BLONDE  has a great podcast also that you can listen to here, where she chats with Kelly Leveque and "total keto expert" Wes Okerson about the Keto diet. EPISODE #14!

Have you guys tried the keto diet? If so what are your thoughts?!

X

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INTERMITTENT FASTING + MY PERSONAL RESULTS

Well Hiii there! 

Okay so INTERMITTENT FASTING. Let's talk about it. 

First of all, leave me a comment below if you've ever tried it and let me know how it went for you! I did intermittent fasting (I.F.) for my very first time like 4 or 5 years ago and I LOVED IT. I actually also thought it was super easy. I remember adjusting to it quickly and being able to stick to it for longer than I had initially planned...like MONTHS. 

Haha - not quite the story this time around. 

Okay so first of all:

What is intermittent fasting???

Most people won't call it a diet as much as it is just a new way of eating or an "eating pattern". There's a few different ways that you can do it but the idea is that you allow yourself to only eat for a certain period of time and then you FAST for the rest of the day. 

For example, if I eat dinner at 8pm and then go to sleep, then have breakfast at 10:00am the following day - I technically just fasted for 14 hours. So a lot of us are already basically doing it!!

The reason I wanted to try it again though was because I work late nights at a cocktail lounge and sometimes (okay a lot of the time) that leads me to snacking late at night. I'll nibble on some bread or some little cookies if I'm bored so I just wanted to really try and cut myself off from that in a way that would last. 

I figured if I did I.F., that I would start eating at Noon, stop eating at 8pm, then fast for 16 hours. (This is probably the most popular method). So - this is the method I went with and girrrrl it was rough haha. 

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

YES. YES. YES. Like I mentioned before, a lot of us are already DOING it. Studies have shown that even people who fast every OTHER DAY still lost 2.5% of their initial body weight and 4% of their initial body fat percentage over the course of 22 days. (Study here). 

That's 3 weeks!! 

When we fast, our levels of HGH (human growth hormone) sky rocket - which is a GREAT thing! When our levels of HGH go up, we are more likely to experience weight loss, increased energy, increased mental clarity, improved sleeping patterns and a stronger immune system...just to name a few. 

Also while fasting, our insulin sensitivity improves which is always a plus because when our insulin levels are LOW, access to our fat storages is HIGHER.

Studies also show that fasting reduces inflammation within the body, it may reduce LDL's (unhealthy cholesterol), (study) supports brain health by increasing a brain hormone called BDNF and also may help prevent Alzheimer's (study). 

Moral of the story - YES, INTERMITTENT FASTING is HEALTHY, and SAFE, for the most part.

The only time someone should avoid I.F. is if they are trying to become pregnant and are having problems with fertility, or if they are pregnant or breast feeding. Also if someone has had serious eating disorders in the past then it's probably not a good idea to do I.F.

Also - if you have diabetes or low blood sugar then fasting would not be ideal for you.

Anyway! You can drink coffee or tea, work out and take certain medications WHILE fasting but always talk to your doctor first. Personally, I would drink a small coffee in the am with some almond milk and that would get me through my workout! 

Although - "work out" is a relative term. I know my body so I pushed myself to MY personal limit, and if I felt like I was getting too low on blood sugar to be doing a tough workout, then I would opt for a hike instead. 

Always do feel what feels right for YOU and not what other people say they do or say is "right" or "wrong". You don't want to take the risk of passing out during an exercise, right? RIGHT. 

More of The Benefits

You might be wondering the same thing that I was before I started which was - Does I.F. slow down my metabolism?? I mean, there's so many people out there who are stuck on the idea that WE MUST eat every couple of hours and we can never skip breakfast or we'll go to hell soooo what's the deal??

I learned that studies have actually showed that short-term fasting BOOSTS metabolism (study), but longer fasts (like 3 days or more) can slow it down (study). 

While fasting your cells also undergo repair, you eat less, you lose weight, and have the opportunity to try and help prevent yourself from cancer! WINNING. 

Okay so like, where the fuck do you even start right?

Here. 

How to actually DO Intermittent Fasting. 

Like I said before you can do the 16 hour fast where you just pick 8 hours in the day where you will be eating. It doesn't have to be Noon - 8:00pm, it can be 10:00am - 6:00pm, or whatever, just do something that work best with your sched. (This is where I messed up lol, we'll get into that). 

The other 2 popular ways to practice intermittent fasting are:

1. Mini Fasts - This is what I like to call them. This means that you fast for 24 hours once or twice a week. My only suggestion with this is, don't do it on a busy day when you have like 899 things going on. Do it on a day where you're going to be alone and unbothered so that you can be in control and not go all hangry on someone. 

2. The 5:2 Method - This is where you eat normally for 5 consecutive days, and then for the last 2 days, you consume 500-600 total calories for the day. 

1 FOR SURE WAY iNTERMITTENT FASTING WILL NOT WORK:

At the end of the day, this isn't magic. No one has figured out how you can have your cake and eat it too MEANING, during the hours that you ARE eating, you still need to be reasonable with your caloric intake. 

The big reason that IF works is because you are on a CALORIE RESTRICTION. If you just don't eat for 16 hours and then go and eat even MORE calories during your 8 hour time window than you would on a normal day - then you will not lose weight. You might even gain weight lol. 

So be smart about it. 

Start with the 16 hour method and see how it goes. If you get to a point where that no longer feels challenging to you or your results have plateaued, then try the Mini Fasts, then move on to trying the 5:2 method. 

An even less direct way to begin 'fasting" would be to just skip dinner or breakfast if you aren't hungry! 

My Intermittent Fasting Results:

Hokay - soooooo. I think alternating days of fasting will be something that I try nextt!! Because the 16 hour back to back fasting didn't really do it for me BECAUSE my schedule is so insane. 

For most people the fasting is somewhat easy because they eat dinner around 8 and hit bed around 10 or 11pm like a normal person, and then get up at like 8 or 9 and then only have a few hours of conscious fasting. 

ME ON THE OTHER HAND. I work until 12 or 1am and then have to wake up at 5:30am, train someone at 7, then go to school from 8am-11am, and then workout from 11am - noon AND THEN I would try to break my fast. 

LOL. 

Guuurl.

My Intermittent Fasting Schedule:

Day 1 : I didn't get a coffee and wanted to die during my workout, then went home and had the biggest salad in the universe with 2 pieces of chicken. I was full for literally HOUUUURS, Like did not get hungry again until maybe 6:30pm? At which point I realized I had under 2 hours to eat before I had to start it all over again. 

Day 2: Woke up at 5:30 after closing last night and went straight to starbucks for a small capp. Felt better today but still noticed really low energy throughout the morning. I had the same chicken salad for lunch again and then wanted to take a nap because I just felt SO tired but I managed to pull through. 

Day 3: Same ish, different day...except, I actually wasn't starving at noon so I ended up not even breaking my fast until like 1:30! This was nice because then I let myself eat until later in the evening. I personally enjoyed some wine and included those calories in on MyFitnessPal to make sure I was still in my 1,200-1,400 calorie range for the day. I also noticed by day 3 that my stomach was flatter and my waist felt smaller.

Day 4: Started to realize I hate intermittent fasting this way haha. Also realized that not having anything to eat for 16 hours after 2 glasses of wine was a dumb idea so I caved on this morning and bought a Power Crunch Bar. I almost felt like it didn't even do anything haha. 

Day 5: I waited until noon to eat and then I decided that I didn't want to fast anymore so I don't know when my last meal was on this day. 

Basically what I learned was that:

1. My schedule is too insane right now to be doing the 16 hour fasting. 

2. I would eat such a big meal at lunch that I would end up having a smaller dinner which would screw me over because then I would end up eating MUCH less than what I wanted to which is why the mornings were so difficult. 

3. I wasn't prepared with snacks at school for when my fast broke. Honestly, I didn't bring them because I knew that if I felt like I was super hungry around 10:00am and I knew I had a bar in my backpack, I would have eaten it haha so it was better for me to not even bring it. 

All in all i'm really happy that I gave this another shot and that I was able to learn SO much more about it along the way. I'm still super interested in the benefits of IF which is why you'll see me on Instagram over the next few weeks playing around with Mini Fasts :)

Try intermittent fasting and let me know what you think!

Until next time!!!

XXXX