Fitness Journey: Preparation is KEY

I can’t tell you how often I get asked what the secret to fitness is. The truth is it’s not rocket science, it’s no secret formula, no fad diet or e-plan you bought on Instagram, no. It is one word: CONSISTENCY! Consistency, consistency, consistency.

Being healthy through and through is 100% a journey. I started my journey around the time I met Tyler over five years ago. His body is pretty damn stupid and in comparison to that of a Greek God or a stripper named El Diablo. It’s safe to say I was motivated by my partner’s physique and he being an athlete, we naturally were active together.

Now I wasn’t fat or chubby. I was an athlete my entire life but I wasn’t where I wanted to by physically or mentally. I  was always the girl that wore her towel around herself when everyone else was in a bikini. I hated that feeling of feeling self conscious! And I especially didn’t want to feel that way around this hot, confident guy. So I made a change. No diets, no starving myself, just the decision with myself to make a CHANGE. A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.

Now none of this will happen overnight. It takes 21 days to make a habit. 21 days of consistency for you to feel different. 2 months for your close friends to notice. And 3 months for everyone else to see the physical and mental positive changes you’ve made. It’s one of those weird things that you will often ask yourself  ‘Do I look different? Am I making progress? Is this all worth it?’ And right when you contemplate giving up and indulging in that In N’ Out, someone compliments you on how incredible you look. And let me tell you, that is an amazing feeling. But an even better feeling is the confidence that comes along with your journey of hard work, consistency and dedication. So don’t give up!

I’ve learned that success is in the small  daily changes. It’s in learning to eat this not. Learning when to say no, learning when you deserve to indulge. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power! The more knowledge you have, the smarter decisions you can make in your day to day life.

Any time I am ready to hit the reset button I always make sure my ducks are in line, meaning that I am fully equipped to kill the day and all the goals I set. After all, victory loves preparation. I’ll be sharing more recipes, workouts and thoughts on my journey to be in the best shape of my life for Sports Illustrated Swim, but as a start I will share my go to supplements and tools for success.

PREPARATION AND CONSISTENCY ARE KEY!!!

Are you ready to begin your journey??

1. PROTEIN

Protein is an ESSENTIAL part of your fat loss and muscle gaining journey. Think of protein (along with whole foods) as gas you would put in your car. After you’ve burned off a ton of energy, calories and fat in your workout, you will need to replenish your body with protein, otherwise you’re running on empty. The key to building muscle aka “gains” while losing fat is absolutely protein.

I’ve tried a ton of different proteins but I always resort back to Gold Standard Whey Protein. I’ve found that it is the best overall in terms of nutrition and cost. Plus there are a TON of delicious flavors- my favorite is the Chocolate Dipped Banana! I have 1 scoop immediately after every workout (sometimes I even start sipping towards the end). All you need is WATER (not milk) and a shaker cup.

2. AB CUTS CLA

Hand down one of my favorite supplements. A glorified fish oil, Ab Cuts CLA helps you lose fat, maintain weight loss, retain lean muscle mass, and control type 2 diabetes — the type of diabetes that is often associated with obesity. When used in conjunction with a regimented plan of diet and exercise, CLA not only reduces body fat but also increases muscle strength and exercise endurance. CLA blocks brown fat (the bad fat none of us want to keep on) and it keeps a little fat cell from getting bigger.

I have found this made a significant change in my mid section primarily. I also like to buy a 2 pack because you go through it kind of quickly if taken correctly (with every meal), but it is absolutely worth it!

3. DAILY MULTI-VITAMIN

This is the easiest thing you can do for YOU. ONCE A DAY PEOPLE! Take two vitamins. They provide both vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in a person’s diet, increase concentration/brain clarity & boost energy. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? I use the Optimum Women’s Daily Multivitamin and have had nothing but success. Think about it this way- if you’re going to drive your car (work out your body), you gotta make sure you put the fuel (vitamins) back in!

4. PRE-BIOTIC 

This vitamin has proven to be a game changer for me. I noticed this drastically helping my midsection, which is the toughest part for me (that whole 2 kids thing really does a number to ya!). Probiotics like the one I use promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits. These include benefits for weight loss, digestive health & immune function. Probiotics include “good” bacteria.

These benefits are thought to result from the ability of probiotics to restore the natural balance of gut bacteria. An imbalance means there are too many bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria. It can happen due to illness, medication such as antibiotics, poor diet and more. Long story short, this will help clean out your gut, regulate going potty, and help with all that fun bloat we women like to hold on to.

5. WATER

So apparrrrently this is the holy grail of fat loss & I am just too lazy to take full advantage of this FREE trick.  Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to turn up your fat-burning capacity.  Drinking 32 to 64 ounces of water each day helps your body do its job of circulating nutrients, flushing out toxins and extra water and burning fat. But in all reality, you should be drinking a gallon a day. You’ll pee 100x, but it’s worth the flat tummy feeling & glowing skin!

6. PRE-WORKOUT

I LOVE pre-workout. It’s not for everyone, and even gives people the tingles sometimes, but I love the focus and extra boost of energy it gives me going into a workout. Made with select banned substance free ingredients, including caffeine from only natural sources (tea and coffee bean) help dial in intense energy, mental alertness, and sharp focus before you hit the gym. Gold Standard Pre-Workout™ is what I use & is also made with only premium ingredients including CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine.  I’ve found that Gold Standard gives you a steady focus versus a ‘cracked out’ feeling. Another favorite is Muscle Pharm’s Assault. They have a ton of great flavors including watermelon. If you’ve never used “pre pre” before though, I would definitely start off with the Gold Standard.

So there you have it- all of the products that supplement my workout & health regimen. I suggest getting these all before you start your grind because after all, preparation is a major key to success! Now that you’ve got all these, it’s time to meal prep & hit the gym baby!! *blog posts on those subjects coming soon*