Get Fit... For Real!

How to get fit fast... Get ripped for summer!  6 moves that will shred your core!  I'm sure you have read things like this or similar and continued into the article in hopes to get the secret weapon to getting your body in shape.  We are all guilty of trying a routine out in hopes that the alluring title will bring us the results it promises.  Well, I see these kinds of postings, articles, and pins on Pinterest everyday; and the same thoughts pop into my head every time I read a headline... "Really, that's what is going to do it for me or anyone else?"  Over the years, I've done almost every move I come across in articles as these, and let me say that when it comes down to it there is only one thing that will get you fit, ripped, or shredded faster then any other moves...... and that is the move you make towards choosing the right foods to fuel your body with, that's it!  That is all you need to know.  Sounds simple right?  Unfortunately the act of clean eating is the largest hurdle for many to conquer.  Our food choices are 75-80% of what differentiates our bodies from being lean and toned, to not!

I know first hand the difficulty there is to stay on track.  I fall off and jump back on the wagon a few times a year.  And when I fall off the wagon, boy does it wreak havoc on my body, not to mention my mental state.  Yet, as the name of my blog, "Cakes and Weights", implies, it is possible to have your cake and eat it too!  The most important thing if you are going to indulge in a sweet treat, whatever it may be, is to stay on track with your workouts.  When we indulge from time-to-time, we can do so and without guilt as long as we don't lose our momentum and motivation in the gym.  That is the tricky combination.

However, I don't recommend indulging in a treat or cheat meal (not a cheat day) unless you have been eating extremely clean for at least 4 weeks, and getting your workouts in 4-6 times/week.  If you're really trying to lose a substantial amount of weight, and have been eating super clean for at least 4 weeks, and want to have a cheat, I suggest a clean version of a cheat.  For example, if ice cream is your desire for a cheat, limit yourself to only 1-2 cups, or clean it up even more and have sorbet with fruit, or greek yogurt with fruit and sprinkled with a tablespoon of granola.  

If your desire for a treat is more on the savory side, such as pizza or a cheeseburger, I suggest ordering a thin crust pizza and load it with veggies and lean meat, and light cheese or no cheese; and substitute a ground beef patty for a turkey burger and keep the bun clean of mayonnaise and the patty free of cheese, bacon, or anything sauteed. 

So how do you clean up the diet?  Click on my page titled, "Super-Marketing"for  some tips on maneuvering your way through the grocery store, and then prepare to cut a lot of junk out of your diet.

To clean it up remove these items from your grocery list & kitchen:

Dairy (almond, coconut, and cashew milk is okay)

Soy

Wheat (sprouted grains are okay)

Corn (of any kind)

Sugar and sugar substitutes

Alcohol

Once you have removed these items, you can then incorporate one ingredient foods such as:

Fruits

Vegetables

Lean meats

Legumes

Grains (brown rice, brown rice noodles or tortillas and quinoa)

Raw nuts (almonds, cashews, seeds)

Nut butters (fresh, raw ground nuts)

Eggs and Egg whites

Broths 

I work hard do post as many dishes I prepare as I can, and you will notice that they are all whole foods, opposed to prepackaged (that is, when I'm clean eating and leaning out).  I do cheat on occasion!  To keep it clean you have to spend a little more time in the kitchen chopping and dicing up veggies.  Prepping 1-2 times a week is a sure way to stay on track and limit the time you spend cooking each meal.  Try to always keep fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, broths, and spices and seasonings on hand.  It takes time to get into a routine, so give yourself a break if you start to feel overwhelmed... the routine will begin to flow smoothly in a week or two.  Also, try to take a new look on food...  we eat to fuel our body, we eat to live, not live to eat!  Our body needs less food when it is fueled with clean, whole foods.  Our organs can better metabolize whole foods, thus boosting our metabolism and increasing our energy level.  Give yourself a 7 day trial of eating one ingredient, whole foods (with the exception of sprouted grain breads, or brown rice tortillas).  Load your plates with fresh vegetables and lean protein.  Take pleasure in nature's sugar found in fresh fruit:).

The gym time is an essential part to expediting any one's weight loss. There are so many different opinions in regards to weight training and cardiovascular exercise to facilitate weight loss and muscular tone and definition.  Keep it simple and just start moving your body from a stagnant state to a physically active state.  Start out slow, limiting your total time in the gym to one hour, including any cardio.  As your body adjusts to exercise, your endurance and strength will increase and so will your desire to perform longer, more intensive workouts.

I recommend training every muscle group each week.  It doesn't matter how you break it down, just make sure all your muscles are weight trained.  An example of a training week could look as so:

Monday: 

Legs-quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Tuesday:

Chest and Triceps (push day)

Wednesday:

Back and Biceps (pull day)

Thursday:

Shoulders and core

Friday:

Cardio 

You can mix up the muscle groups.  I mix it up every week to always keep my muscles guessing:).  I like push/pull days such as Chest and Biceps, or Back and Triceps; or just a push day, or a pull day. I like to isolate my glutes into their own workout and hit my quads, calf muscles, and hamstrings another day.  Shoulders are always a nice pairing with core, however I squeeze in core training 3 times a week.  Whatever it may be you can find endless workouts on the internet and pick and choose to create your own.

And with any workout always allow yourself 5 minutes to stretch the muscle groups you trained. 

Love2LiveFit... Work Hard... Never Quit!