6 HABITS FOR KICKSTARTING YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE

This post was (for the most part) written as a reminder (or a sum-up) for me but then I thought I might share some basics with you as well. Sometimes, it is easy to fall off the wagon and the climb back can be really tough. Those 6 habits can be very helpful to jump back on track and mostly, to finally live a happy, balanced lifestyle. The shredded summer body is just the bonus:)

This year WE CAN AND WE WILL do it together, okay? :)

1. ADD PROTEIN  TO YOUR DIET

I can't stress that enough. Everybody is so obsessed with fats and carbs it is getting ridiculous. On top of that, people are afraid of protein (especially if you mention whey protein! But this is a (very good) topic for another post). Everyone wants to be toned (this word gets me mental) but does not want to lift weights and is afraid of protein. Good protein sources are lean meats, fish, egg(s) whites, protein shakes.

P.S. Tofu, chickpeas and similar things are not mainly PROTEIN sources but also have a lot of carbohydrates. Which is not a bad thing but some people think 100g chickpeas has the same amount of protein as 100g lean meat. Wrong. It has less protein and more carbs. Read the labels.

2. COUNT CALORIES (BEGINNERS)

Keep a journal of your intake. It is simple math: you have to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight and vice versa if you want to build muscle. My favorite app is MyFitnessPal. Easy peasy. You might ask: do I have to count calories for the rest of my life? Of course not. You will learn to "eyeball" properly after a while but for the start, definitely get a food scale and an app. If you think apps are complicated, do it the old school way if you want to. IIFYM is also a wonderful thing if done mindfully (more about that in another post).

3. BASICS OF YOUR DIET

MAINLY UNPROCESSED FOOD that only has 1 ingredient. Vegetables, lean meats, fish. Oat, cottage cheese, greek yogurts. Fruit (in smaller quantities-sugar!), whole grains and nuts. Again, be careful with nuts since 1g of fat has 9 kCal and 1g of carbs or protein has only 4 kCal.  If you need help with a personalized meal plan, with the quantities you should eat and when to eat what, feel free to message me (sindianajonesblog@gmail.com).

4. INCLUDE WEIGHT TRAINING

Seriously. Women, you won't get bulky. Some women go through a lot of hell (and drugs) to reach a certain level or muscularity. It is simply not possible for us physically to look like Arnold. Your muscles will get the desired shape and you will look amazing. After a lot of hard work, of course.

5. INCLUDE CARDIO  TRAINING (BUT BE SMART!)

Cardio is recommended for everyone (for cardiovascular health in general, so don't be so proud of skipping it!). For optimal weight loss don't overdo it. Hours and hours on the treadmill are silly and so 1990's. Beginners, it is okay to do it 3-4x a week, maybe 30 minutes of LISS cardio (elliptical machine,walk, easy jogging, biking...). After a while you can switch to HIIT (high intensity interval training). I will write about both, don't worry.

6. RECOVERY

You have to sleep enough (cortisol!) and take a few days off the gym for optimal recovery. If you are not a professional athlete, you don't have to live in the gym 24/7. 3x/week really is enough. Make sure you choose activities you enjoy. Why kill yourself in the gym when you KNOW, you were born to be dancer?! Maybe you enjoy group activities like pilates or zumba. The gym is not the only way to live fit:)

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AND I WISH YOU A BOMBASTIC 2018! WE GOT THIS!