Brook Kerr (Portial, GH) offers her get-fit secrets
Diet
“I’m a grazer, so I have little bits as opposed to big meals. If I go to lunch with friends, I’ll only eat half of my meal, and they’ll be like, ‘Nobody eats half of their meal!’ But I’m like, ‘It’s two meals, lunch today and lunch for tomorrow!’ I think of food as fuel or pleasure, and that’s been good for me along the way. If I’m going to [have]some ribs or some mashed potatoes, I’ll look forward to it and really get into it and enjoy it, but that’s not my day-to-day [style of eating]. I don’t like that feeling of being overstuffed. In the morning, I’ll do some Honey Nut Cheerios, then half a turkey sandwich for lunch or a couple of tacos. I need to eat more fruit, but I like tart things, so I like pears, lemons and limes. I like acid, like vinaigrettes, with my veggies. Dinner is something like chicken breast or fish with Cajun seasonings and garlic. Weight is something I’ve been very fortunate about genetically, but after my dad passed away and during the pandemic and everything, I was drinking wine, like, every night and everyone said, ‘Oh, it’ll catch up with you!’ and I was getting a little bloated. I thought, ‘Oh, this is just me now,’ but I stopped [my nightly wine] this year and I was like, ‘Oh, my body was still underneath there! That was literally just Chardonnay.’ Another thing that I think helps is [that I] put MCT oil in my coffee in the morning. It’s great for energy and balance throughout the day. I also recommend not eating too late at night. If I go out, it’s different, but if I’m home, I don’t eat after 7 or 8 o’clock.”
Fitness
“I really like yoga and hiking and anything that incorporates flexibility. You just feel, on a deeper level, like you’re actually doing something good for your body. I’d done yoga before, but I just got back into it about six months ago and I really do like the stretch and the sweat and it makes me feel more grounded. I live in West Hollywood, and I walk every single day — to the coffee shop, to Whole Foods, to Trader Joe’s. I’m about to go walk to get some frozen yogurt. I try to do a real hike about once a week, and every weekend, I’ll do something to break a sweat. If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy exercise or going to the gym, ear pods are the best because you’ve got to distract yourself from what you’re doing with songs or a podcast. I also think it’s important to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and do something. Make a goal, little goals you can achieve. If it’s [walking] three blocks today, make it four blocks tomorrow. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you quit because the goal is unrealistic.”
