Working On It

“No makeup? Short hair? You lift weights? Are you trying to be a man?”

Not all days will be good. It’s just an unfortunate fact of life.

We’ve all day those days in the gym – ones where no matter what you do, your lifts don’t go well and it’s so frustrating.

It’s so tempting to say “Screw it!”and walk out. I’ve done it multiple times. In the end, I still felt crappy. It’s like that workout beat me.

Take 10 lbs off the bar. Try again. Keep taking weight off until you can do it, and do it clean. The weight might be a little lighter that day, but you still put that work in, and that’s something that no one and no bad day can take away from you. You didn’t run toward your goal that day. You walked. Maybe you crawled. But you kept moving forward.

You’ve been a lot to ask me about health and fitness tips so here are mine! 

Of course, I’m not a doctor (yet :P) nor a personal trainer but I’ve been working out for 3 straight years now and I’ve acquired a bit of knowledge about health and fitness. This article will only be about food and I’ll post soon another one about fitness!! 

Hope you enjoy :) 

Mental health first : food is good for your body. If you start being afraid of it, or if eating gives you anxiety or if you do anything that could make you think of an eating disorder, please seek help. I see tons of pro-ana blogs here on Tumblr and THIS IS NOT OK. I know, I’m not you but the only thing I can do is try to help and the only way for me to do so is to tell you that you’re not alone, you are loved, and it’s totally normal to need help. Please don’t stay in your dark thoughts. Feel free to message me if you want to talk. 

Try to stay away from refined sugar, processed and fatty foods. They’ll just make you feel bad and are just empty calories! You’ll end up by eating more and more because of your insulin spikes! 

You don’t really need oil. If you want to include healthy fats in your diet, -and you have to- make sure they come from nuts or avocados instead of liquid oils. You have no idea how quick you can transform your healthy salad into a super caloric one just by adding oil to it!

You don’t have to eat breakfast if you’re not hungry in the morning. But make sure you bring something healthy with you if you’re going to work / school so you don’t fall for the vending machine. 

Try to include protein at each meal, but remember that unless you’re a bodybuilder you don’t have to eat 200 grams of protein per day! 80g is more than sufficient. Also, try to add more vegetal sources of protein to your diet, like beans, whole grains, and nuts. The animals, the planet, and especially your body will thank you for that.

Fiber. Everyone seems super worried about their protein intake when an actual protein deficiency is really rare. What is more common instead is the lack of fiber in our diet. Fibers are so important to keep your gut and body healthy (lack of fiber is actually one of the main causes of colorectal cancer!!). Foods that contain more fiber are fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

If you want to lose weight, a simple trick is to put fewer fats and carbs a bit on your plate and add more veggies instead. Veggies will help you to feel fuller and are also the best source of fiber (you’ll poop more often and eat less so it’s a win-win situation :D ) 

However, don’t forget that carbs are important. Yes, ditching carbs from your diet will make you lose weight (especially because you also eliminate the water that was retained because of the carbs) but they are our main source of energy. Your body will crave carbs when you stop eating them!! Just try to eat more whole carbs like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc.

Drink more water, but not too much. Just make sure that your urine is light yellow and not dark (but if your urine is almost transparent it means you’re drinking too much and losing precious minerals in your urine!!) Also remember that if you’re adding more fiber to your diet, make sure you drink more (hello constipation!!)

Snack on healthy foods like fruits or trail mix or hummus (I’ll post something about healthy snacks to eat whilst studying soon!)  

Simple tip, if you don’t want to eat unhealthy foods at your house, just don’t buy them

Eat slower so you’ll feel satisfied by eating less

Ditch sodas. They are really terrific in terms of hidden sugars. Even sugar-free sodas are evil. They make your teeth weaker, make you more hungry and most of the time the gas retained inside will make you feel bloated. If you don’t like drinking water, try to prepare a bottle of water with lemon, or berries in it and put it in the fridge! Or try drinking more tea (without sugar)!

For your own sanity, allow yourself cheat meals. Keep them for special occasions like when you’re out with your friends or in vacations, just don’t make it an everyday habit! It’s normal to crave ice cream and burgers, and of course, you can have them sometimes!

So just remember that these are my personal tips, and you may not approve them and it’s ok. In the end, the most important thing is to keep a balanced diet and lifestyle no matter what you prefer :) 

I hope these tips will actually help you! 

I see so many posts that start off with “It may not seem like much to you” or “I know this isn’t impressive but…”

The only person you are competing with is you. 

If this is your first time lifting and you lifted 10 lbs, then celebrate! You just set a record! If this is your first time walking and you walked a mile - that is freaking amazing!!! 

Learning this lesson early will make your journey more enjoyable and more successful.