Monday, July 2, 2012

Healthy Living: My Diet and Exercise Routine

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

I get alot of questions on my social sites asking me about my diet and exercise. Today I thought I would share my routine! Disclaimer: this is what works for me. This may or may not work for you, and before you make and major changes to your routine, you should always talk to a doctor!


My Diet:

Actually, I hate the word "diet". But I use it to describe what I eat, I don't go on "diets". I eat several small meals throughout the day, normally five or six. I never, ever skip breakfast! For breakfast, I eat oatmeal and a piece of fruit most mornings. A few hours later, I might have a yogurt and granola bar. Then lunch. Lunch is whatever my mother in law makes. She usually cooks pretty healthy, but if she happens to make something that isn't the healthiest, I just eat a smaller portion and add some salad. If I get hungry in the afternoon, I will usually eat veggies with a piece of cheese. Germans don't really eat dinner, so if I happen to get hungry again, I will eat fruit, veggies, any healthy snack. I stick with water as my beverage of choice, and occasionally I will have milk. I drink ice tea sometimes, but I try to avoid too much because of the sugar. When I lived in the States, I drank more milk. But in America, my mom purchased lower fat milk. Here, The milk our family buys is 3.8% fat. This tastes a little thick for my liking. I do drink alcohol on occasion, but never more than a glass or 2 of wine. I have alcohol less than once weekly ( don't worry guys, i'm legal!. Here are some more tips and tricks I have found helpful with food :

~Don't deprive yourself. I know you have probably heard this, but it is so true. If you deprive yourself of a certain food or a larger portion, you will end up caving at some point, and you will probably overeat. If you want a piece of cake, eat it. Just make sure not to eat it on a daily basis.

~Drink lots of water! Water keeps you hydrated, and full. If you tend to overeat at meals, drink a glass or more of water before you eat. This will make you feel full, and you probably won't eat as much.

~ Don't skip breakfast, ever. Even if you don't feel hungry, eat something small anyways. Your metabloism is likely to be quicker when you give yourself some fuel to start the day.

~ Eat as soon as you feel hungry. When you feel the first pangs of hunger, eat a small, healthy snack. If you wait til your next meal, etc., you will likely eat alot more, and when you're starving, your body is going to crave a high-fat, high-calorie meal. What's worse? Your body is likely to store the food you eat as fat, in fear of you depriving it again.

My Exercise Routine:

I exercise 4 times a week minimum. Other than the physical appearence of my body, I workout for several reasons: I sleep better, I feel more relaxed, I feel better about my body, I don't feel as much post-injury pain, the list goes on. The benefits of exercise are endless. For cardio, I ride a statinoary bike, and add resistance. As far as time, it varies. If i'm really low on time or energy, I might only ride the bike for 20 minutes. Normally I try to do 30 minutes minimum. I like to vary the time and resistance frequently. It's good to keep your body guessing, so that it has to work! Typically, I will do cardio Monday through Friday, doing strength training some of those days as well. On the weekends, I might do cardio, or just go for a walk with my fiancee, etc. I like to do something fun on the weekends. If I miss a workout during the week, I make it up over the weekend. I try to always go 6 miles minimum when I do cardio. I have been pretty faithful with my workouts, and I feel so much better. Here are some additional tips I have found helpful with exercise:

~ Stop making excuses. The most famous excuse for not working out is "I don't have time". Really? You don't spend any time surfing the web or watching tv? You don't seriously have 10 minutes, even if it isn't consecutive? Contrary to popular belief, your workout doesn't have to last an hour, and it doesn't have to be consecutive. Use absolutely any time you have. Watching tv? Do toning moves and short bursts of cardio on the commercial breaks. Got a break at work? Walk around the building several times. If you prioritize your time, you WILL have time for exercise, even if it's not a lot. Something is better than nothing!

~ Find the RIGHT inspiration. Photos of super fit celebs may inspire you to get started, but you'll end up discouraged. Here's the thing: you will never look like someone else. Your body is different, and you may not ever be able to attain certain assets. Work with what you have. Make YOUR body type look the best it can. Also, don't just focus on appearences. Focus on the other benefits of exercise to help keep you motivated. And don't give up! Alot of people think missing a day (or week!) means you should just throw the towel in. You will have more success if you just keep going. Missed an entire week of exercise? Don't dwell on it, start fresh this week.

~ Push yourself. It's easy to settle into a routine. But if you do the exact same exercise on the exact same days for too long, you'll stop seeing results. When your body knows what to expect, it won't work very hard. Increase time, reps, resistance, weights, vary the type of exercise, workout on a normal "day off", etc. I recommend switiching things up every 2 weeks.

So there you have it, my basic eating and exercise routine. Let me know if you have any other questions. I really hoped this helped some of you! What is your routine? Leave it in the comments, I 'd love to hear!

X's and O's,
Amanda

1 comment:

  1. This is a great tip, Amanda. Proper diet and a good exercise routine is always the best combination in attaining a healthy body. It’s easy and doesn’t have a negative effect on your body.

    Derrick @ PersonalTrainingHudson.com

    ReplyDelete