Archive for weight loss tips

5 Fitness Myths: DeBunked!

As if the fitness industry didn’t have enough misinformation floating around, the internet has brought it to a whollllle new level. Now anyone with a computer can suddenly become an expert and give advice. It’s pretty scary when you think about it. Who are these people you’re taking advice from? Do they ACTUALLY know what they’re talking about? Or do they just have a fit body and an Instagram account?

If I see ONE more post about how a WRAP is going to tighten you up and make you lose weight, I’m going to vomit. What will be next?

Anyways, instead of ranting (which I’m really good at, by the way), I’m just going to de-bunk some of the myths that I STILL see floating around the fitness world. I thought for sure these would be extinct before now, but they’re not. As a fitness advocate, I feel it is my duty to remind everyone of these 5 myths that we MUST get rid of for GOOD.

SO, let’s get right to it:

1. More Exercise is Better.

overtrainThere are still plenty of people that believe that the more you work out, the better off you’ll be. The whole “sweat a little bit each day” has become “if you’re not doing work you’re lazy”. It’s not surprising that so many people are stuck in this mindset. After all, we’ve got fitness role models all over the world proclaiming #nodaysoff and shaming anyone who DOES take days off. Let me speak from experience here: TAKE DAYS OFF.  I, myself, used to be one of those people that didn’t. I worked out 6-7 days per week, lifting AND doing cardio. Sometimes I even did MORE than just lifting and cardio in one day. It was craziness, unnecessary, and it was hindering my progress. Sure, I got in great shape at first, but that isn’t sustainable. After a long period of time doing that, my body started rebelling against me. These days, I lift about 4-5 days per week and do 1-2 short (15-20 minute) conditioning sessions each week. I take at least 2 days off per week and sometimes more, depending on how I feel. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been, and I don’t feel like shit all the time. The facts: Recovery is NECESSARY for the body. Think about it this way: when you are working out, you’re tearing your muscles down. That’s good and normal. They then have to re-build and that’s what makes: muscle growth. BUT, if you continue to tear them down before they’ve had a chance to re-build, you start getting negative returns. Listen to your body, allow your body time to recover, and don’t over-do it.

2. Spot-Reducing.

Woman Tying Measuring Tape Around Her Waist

Woman Tying Measuring Tape Around Her Waist

You can do all the leg lifts, donkey kicks, and squats in the world, but they will never result in the ability to spot-reduce your butt (or any other body part for that matter). You can build muscle in specific areas, but the way your body loses fat is completely pre-disposed. Personally, I lose fat in my arms and stomach first, then my butt and thighs. To keep it simple: Body fat happens when the energy you’re expending is greater than the energy you’re taking in. (There are also hormonal factors involved, but we won’t get into that now.) If you’re keeping a sound diet and working out, you WILL lose fat, but you’re not going to ever be able to tell your body WHERE to lose it from first. Kapeesh?

3. Less is More.

One Green Pea On Plate. Table Setting With Clipping Path.

I cringe when I see people show me their diet plans, only to find out they’re working out 6-7 days per week and eating 1200 calories per day. It is simply just not enough for most people. If you want your body to have the ability to lose fat, you have to feed it. If you put your body in a starvation mode (ketosis), your body works to protect your vital organs by holding on to everything it can for storage. Your literally putting your body in a “fight or flight” state and I can assure you it isn’t going to help you lose weight in the long run. This brings on all new issues including a slow metabolism, wild cravings, lethargy, and possibly even more serious health issues. Obviously activity, height, weight, and age all play into the amount you should be eating, but getting rid of the “less is better” mentality is a must. Eat to FUEL your body. Macronutrient counting is my preferred way to do this to ensure you’re getting enough protein, carbs, and fat each day.

4. Instant Results.

understanding-your-choices-when-it-comes-to-products-to-help-lose-weight-fast So you worked out for a month straight and you’re not seeing #allthegainz yet? Congratulations, you’re normal. Yes, there are some genetic freaks that change extremely fast, but for most people, it takes months and months and years and years. Of course, you can make significant improvements in just a few short months, but if you were expecting to look like someone who has been working out for 10 years in just 6 months, you’re mistaken. There’s a reason they’ve been at it for 10 years!

5. Bulking Up.

hu_yan___female_bodybuilder___6ft_4in_by_theamazonclub-d56mg7r Ladies, for the 100432th time, you’re not going to bulk up and look like a man. Building muscle is HARD….like really, really, freaking hard. It takes a lot of work and a LOT of patience (see above). Unless you’re taking steroids, you’re not going to look like a man. In fact, you’ll probably look more like a sexy beast….and I’m guessing you won’t have any objections to that! 😀

I get it, it’s hard to know what’s right or wrong with all of the different outlets of information we have at our fingertips. You think I don’t fall victim to it at times? Of course I do! I’m human! But at the end of the day, I research the hell out of a topic when I’m not entirely sure about it or I look to my trusted role models for their advice and opinions on the matter. It’s impossible to sift through all of it and be an “expert” on everything, but what you CAN do is stay informed and do your homework. If something seems a little too good to be true, it probably is…and that’s your sign to dig a little deeper before falling for yet another gimmick.

Found this article helpful? Check out my article on “Who Should You Trust?”

Question of the Day:

Do you count calories or macro-nutrients?

Navigating Thanksgiving {Tips, Tricks, & Workouts!}

Good morning friends!

Is it just me, or is anyone else already in holiday mode? For some reason this week has been mentally easier for me than most. I think it’s because I know that next week is a holiday, so therefore I’m in the home stretch. Charlie, Oscar and I are heading to AZ to hang with my family for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait!

Thanksgiving is seriously my FAVORITE holiday. The other holidays are great, but for some reason Thanksgiving has always been my favorite. I think it’s a mixture of the food and the tradition. Every year, my aunt puts out an amazing spread. I love food so much!!

While I do love this holiday, I’ve learned over the years that overdoing it doesn’t make me feel good. It always sounds like fun…..until I get finished eating my last cookie and pretty much need to be rolled away from the table. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but I don’t like feeling that full. It’s uncomfortable.

Because of that, I’ve gathered some great tips and tricks for Thanksgiving that I personally use to help combat the over-eating madness that tends to occur on this day. While I think that Thanksgiving is a perfectly good reason to indulge in all the foods you love, I don’t think it has to be quite the calorie bomb that it can be. With a little planning and thought, it doesn’t have to derail you too much and you can still fully enjoy yourself.

Tips and Tricks to Navigating Thanksgiving:

1. Workout in the morning. This is something I ALWAYS do each year. For some reason, it’s much easier to push yourself really hard and get a great workout in when you know the reward is a huge, delicious meal. Thoughts of pumpkin and pecan pie swirl through my brain as I kick my butt. I try to do something that works my full body and makes me sweat a lot.

Since many gyms are closed on Thanksgiving, here are some suggestions:

Ladder Full Body Tabata Full BodyBurpee Mile_Workout(you can find more workouts like these in my e-book Fit Lizzio Fitness To Go here)

You could also sign up for a local Turkey Trot (find one in your area here) or go for a run or bike ride with a friend/family member.

2. Eat a meal before “the meal”. I used to make the mistake of starving myself all day so that I could scarf down all of the Thanksgiving fixings. The problem with this is that I was SO hungry by the time the food was put out, I’d overeat and not even realize it. (Until I laid on the couch and past out in a food coma). Eat healthy meals leading up to Thanksgiving Dinner. Go with lots of fruits and vegetables (high fiber and filling), lean proteins, and healthy fats. This will help keep your blood sugar levels normal and your appetite in check.

3. Navigate your Plate. Instead of getting a bunch of everything and scarfing it all down, think about the foods you REALLY want and come up with a strategy. For example, I like to fill up my plate with turkey breast meat, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. Those are my go-to Thanksgiving foods. Since stuffing is my least favorite, and grean bean casserole is my most favorite, I only get a little bit of stuffing and I get a bit more green bean casserole. When it comes to eating, I start with the turkey (lean protein!), and eat a few bites of that first. This is usually the healthiest part of Thanksgiving dinner, so I try to fill up on that before I hit the sides and desserts. Many times, we just need a little taste of each, but if we hit those foods when we first sit down and are starving, our hunger and cravings will usually take over. Try to eat the healthiest foods first and then move on from there.

4. Share your dessert. It’s so easy to eat an entire slice of each kind of pie on the table (pumpkin, pecan, apple, etc!), so if you get one slice of each and share them with a family member, significant other, or friend, this usually helps you to eat less. You can still enjoy all of the flavors and not stuff yourself silly!

5. Freaking Enjoy Yourself!  At the end of the day, it’s just one meal. Don’t fret over it and if you want 2nds or 3rds of the most unhealthy side item on the table, JUST GO FOR IT. I truly believe Thanksgiving should be fully enjoyed. These tips are here to help you make Thanksgiving just a bit lighter, but do what makes you happy on this special day. Remember, one meal won’t derail your efforts (just like one meal won’t make you fit).

Questions of the Day:

Do you have any tips to add that help you to navigate your Thanksgiving table?

What is your favorite Thanksgiving fixing?

 

 

 

Healthy Breakfast Options + Workouts for the Week 9/7-9/12

Is it just me or is today going by painfully slow? It’s weird. Usually my days FLY by and before I know it, it’s 9pm and I can’t figure out where the day went. Today, the clock just isn’t moving. Maybe it’s the supermoon…;-)

How’s your Tuesday going? I forgot my breakfast this morning and ended up with a coffee and a Quest Bar for breakfast.

I love my Cookies & Cream Quest Bars and all, but that is the most lame-o breakfast. I missed my eggs for sure!

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day. My stomach is empty (making EVERYTHING taste better), and the day is fresh. I always start the day with a healthy breakfast because it sets the tone for the rest of the day. If I have a sugary or heavy breakfast, I’m less likely to make healthy choices throughout the rest of the day. Here are some of my favorite healthy breakfast options to get my day started:

Fit Lizzio’s Favorite Healthy Breakfast Options

#1

2 Scrambled Eggs (seasoned with cayenne pepper, cracked pepper, and garlic powder)

 1/3 cup oats with stevia and cinnamon

#2

1 cup Liquid Egg Whites

1  Alfresco Chicken Sausage (all flavors are good, but i love the smoked andoulle!)

1 apple

9795_af_andu_smokedandouillechickensausage_12ozdincook

#3

2 eggs over easy

1 slice of Ezekiel bread toasted w/ 1/2 TBSP coconut oil

(I think break the yolks on top of the bread and devour….so good!!!)

ezek

#4

1/3 cup oats

1/2 scoop Dymatize Iso 100 Vanilla protein powder

cinnamon & stevia to taste

Dymatize-ISO-100

I have about a million other favorite breakfast choices, but those are my current ones!

I was able to get in a great Shoulder & Chest workout earlier, and plan on boxing tonight again at Iron Boxing.

I love that class so much. I sweat more than I knew was humanly possible! Anyways, here’s what the rest of the week’s workouts look like:

Workouts Week of 9/7-9/12

Sunday: Full Body Workout DONE

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + Rollerblading! DONE

Tuesday: Shoulder & Chest Workout + Boxing Class

Wednesday: Legs!!

Thursday: Boxing

Friday: OFF (Travelling)

Saturday: Back & Plyos

Sunday: OFF

Questions of the Day:

Do you prefer sweet or savory breakfasts?

What is your favorite splurge breakfast?

What is your favorite breakfast staple?

 

My Daily Food Diary + a Leg Workout!

It’s been quite a week over here! Not going to lie, I’m REALLY excited for the weekend! Not only will I have a chance to chill out, but my brother-in-law is coming to visit, too. This week has definitely tested my patience, but I’m determined to come out on top. Facetime with this little guy on Tuesday definitely helped make it all better….

 

MATTY!

MATTY!

If you’ve never Facetimed with an almost-2 year old, I highly recommend it. Haha! This kid cracks me up! I also had a pretty fun assistant in the office for a bit. Meet….RUFUS. He’s the best.

photo(11)

This week’s workouts have been pretty good! I took a much needed rest day yesterday. I actually almost tried to make myself go to the gym in the evening, but I knew it would benefit me to just relax. I just love working out so much and feel so good when I do, that it’s hard for me to rest sometimes. I’ve got a Shoulder/Chest workout on the agenda for this afternoon, so I’ll post that workout tomorrow.

Leg day on Tuesday turned out to be pretty killer. I was sweating like crazy and was definitely glad when it was over. Leg day is my favorite but MAN can it be brutal! Here’s what I did:

Tuesday Leg Workout

4 Sets of Deadlifts (worked up to 169 pounds x 8 reps)

3 Sets of Barbell Reverse Lunges (75 pounds)

3 Supersets of Glute Donkey Kicks on the Leg ext. + Wide Stance KB Goblet Squats

2 Supersets of DB Step Ups + Step Up Jumps

I thought it would be fun to give you guys an idea of how I eat most of the time. I for sure have treats every now and then and don’t worry about it, but this is my 80%. Meaning that 80% of the time, this is how I eat. This is how I choose to eat….not for any other reason than it makes me feel good, supports my training, and still keeps me satisfied. Yep, I EAT CHEESE and lots of FRUIT and omg, I eat after 6pm too….and still live to tell about it. 😉

Fooooooods

8:30am: Large Americano w/ Nonfat Steamed Milk

9am: 2 Scrambled Eggs + 1/2 cup oatmeal OR a slice of Ezekiel bread + an apple

10:30-11am: an apple + almonds OR Cookies & Cream Quest Bar

12-1pm: chicken or turkey + brown rice or quinoa + veggies + sometimes avocado or cheese (sometimes I do a paleo burger too)

3-3:30pm: Cookies and Cream Quest Bar & a Large Americano w/ nonfat steamed milk

4-4:30pm: Workout

6-6:30pm: Chicken, brown rice, bell peppers, & cheese OR this amazingly incredible taco salad

7:30-8pm: Fruit. Grapes or peaches or strawberries or whatever I can get my hands on!

That’s all I’ve got folks…..hope your Thursday is off to a fantastic start!

What’s on your workout agenda for the day?

Fit Lizzio’s Weight Loss Tips

When you see an article about weightloss tips, they’re all the same. Drink more water, eat this, don’t eat that, try this new super food that will miraculously help you lose weight, blah blah blah BLAH! I put together some weight loss tips that are just….Mo’ bettah!

1. Stop looking in the mirror. Just stop. You start your new plan, you start feeling good, you look in the mirror and all you see are your flaws. This translates to going from being happy and feeling good to getting down in the dumps and feeling yucky. Don’t even give yourself the chance to pick out your flaws! Use a mirror to determine that, yes, you have put eyeliner on both of your eyes. But don’t you dare lift up your shirt to look at your tummy! No staring at your naked butt. Don’t Do It!! Trust what you’re doing, and take progress pictures to help, but don’t be the person to compare them. Let an unbiased person or people decide whether you’re making progress or not. Better yet, grab a measuring tape and track progress that way. Enjoy the process.

2. Stop buying into the gimmicks. Yes, acai berry, maca, and quinoa are all very healthy for you, BUT THEY’RE NOT MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS ACTIVATORS. If you start incorporating acai berry into your diet, you’re not going to lose weight any faster. If you think that putting maca powder on your oats is going to melt the fat off of your belly within 2 weeks, pull your head out of the dirt. You wanna know what makes that fat go away? Consistent healthy eating and exercise. You can supplement all you want, but it isn’t necessary unless you’re lacking in something that your body NEEDS. There will be new products that marketers try to push all the time, but be honest with yourself and use your brain. Stay consistent and “magic” will happen.

3. Stop thinking you have to eat 6 meals a day in order to lose weight. You don’t. You can eat 1 meal a day if you so choose. I don’t recommend that due to unbalanced energy levels, but if it works for you, go for it.

4. Stop thinking that tilapia has magic powers. It. Doesn’t. Find a food you LIKE that fits into that macronutrient makeup (protein,carbs, fat) and eat that if you want. If you can prove to me that eating tilapia is superior to eating chicken, then I will give up the rights to my first child. (I really hope I’m right in this situation….if not, I’m a horrible not-soon-to-be mother)

5. Eat junk food if you want. Yeah, bet you never heard that one before! Just don’t eat too much of it, make it fit into your caloric and macro nutrient goals for the day, and balance it out with healthier food. Now don’t e-mail me saying I told everyone to eat junk food at every meal, because that’s not what I’m saying. But if you’re supposed to eat chicken and brown rice and you want a turkey sandwich? Have the damn sandwich. The processed bread is not going to seep into your fat stores and make them expand. Like I said, make it fit into your daily goals and all will be well in the world.

6. Last, but not least, don’t ask your ex-boyfriend if he thinks you’ve gained weight. Just don’t do it. It isn’t an ideal situation.