Your Health and Fitness Questions, Answered

Last week I posted an entry and asked you guys to submit your top concerns and questions in regards to health and fitness. I narrowed down the entries and here is some information that I have obtained through my years of education, experience, and most of all; my journey. These are the most common questions that I have received:

Q: I really want to lose weight and I need to know how many days should I do cardio and how many days should I lift weights?

A: Cardio is okay to do everyday, but when I say this I don't mean run 10 miles everyday. Any type of physical activity is OK to do everyday. I would say spend 5 days a week in the gym doing interval and endurance training type cardio then two days a week, enjoy yourself. Go for a long walk, run on the beach, play sports, go hiking - keep active. Lifting weights which is known and resistance and strength training is VERY important in losing weight and toning your muscles. Women have a huge misconception when it comes to this. A lot of woman think if they lift weights they will become big and bulky. However this is entirely untrue. Women naturally have much lower testosterone levels so therefore engaging in strength training FIRMS the muscle and some growth will be added, but the growth REPLACES fat.  Strength training is the number 1 way to burn calories and tone your body. When you are doing cardio, you of course, are burning calories. Unfortunately when you stop your cardiovascular activity the calorie burning ceases as well. But when you are strength training you continue to burn calories long after your work out is finished. I strength train 5 days a week and cardio is usually 7, but I have been training for years. If you are just starting out, I recommend strength training 3-4 days a week and gradually working up to 5. The most important thing to remember is let your body rest and repair. Know the difference between being lazy and unmotivated and actually being exhausted. Ensure you listen to your body!

Q: How do you eat healthy when the person you live with is extremely picky and is not as motivated to eat healthy as you are?

A: This was extremely difficult for me when I was growing up. Eating healthy and watching proportions were never a priority in my house. Gradually make the change into healthy eating. Do not throw yourself into changing the way you eat 100%. It is extremely attempting at first to fall back and eat what they are eating, especially if that person lives with you. If your partner/roommate has no interest in healthy eating then let them eat what they want and solely worry about yourself. Simply put, you have to be strong enough to say no. However, allow yourself one or two (three max) meals a week to eat what you want. Over time when you start seeing results and your body change your desire to eat that will be less and less. If the temptation gets overbearing at times just take one bite out of whatever it is you want, just to have a taste, and then stop yourself. A lot of times a food craving is just mental - get a taste to satisfy your taste-buds and then keep yourself occupied.

Q: How do you stay so motivated? I have a hard time sticking with my journey after a week or two.

It is hard on everyone and it took me a long time to truly see my journey out and truthfully, I still struggle to do this day, but I never give up. This journey is about strengthening your mind as well as your body. You must continue to push yourself EVERYDAY, you have to be your own boss because you are responsible for the results. I wrote about different ways to keep your motivation here.

Q: What can I do to burn belly fat

A: Unfortunately there is no way to burn fat/tone one specific area of your body. Your body works together as a whole. Lowering your fat percentage is how your stomach will get smaller. This is done through healthy/clean eating and exercise. For your stomach, clean eating is absolutely essential. There is an old fitness saying that is very true; "Abs are made in the kitchen".

Q: How do I cut calories without starving?

A: Eating smaller meals 5-6 times a day. It is important to make these meals filling as well. Lean proteins are the best way to fill your body properly without having a ton of calories. For instance: For 100 calories you could have a 100 calorie pack of chips, which has maybe 1 gram of protein or you could have 4 piece of low sodium turkey bacon for 100 calories which will have 16g of protein. The turkey bacon will keep you fuller and more energized a WHOLE lot longer than the little pack of chips. It is all about making the correct choices when eating meals and snacking. Please check out Nutrition page for meal ideas, healthy recipes, and more information.

Q: I keep hearing of "low and no carb" foods, to lose weight do I need to completely cut carbohydrates from my diet?

Absolutely not. Carbohydrates are essential to your body's health and well-being. The key is feeding your body the proper carbohydrates - complex carbs, not simple. You can read all about the difference and get food ideas here.