“Don’t diet. Always eat, just eat in small portions. Eat every couple of hours. Don’t starve yourself. I don’t believe in depriving yourself of anything.” • “Given our current environment, do a home gym setup. I was always a gym rat and just recently, I invested in some gym equipment at home. I have a power rack with weights and a bar, and leg extensions on my bench, and battle ropes. I purchased most of this stuff from Amazon. For the cost of a couple of months of a gym membership, you can literally get most of the equipment that you need for a full-body workout. So, invest in yourself at home because it really is convenient.”
“Let’s start with the most important part of getting in shape: our mental health. Sometimes this can be the biggest obstacle in our lives. Focus on the positive, such as what is good and working in your life. Practice gratitude. It’s amazing what gratitude can do to help our headspace. Be kind to yourself. You deserve it.” • “Move your body! Now that things are opening up again, get moving. Walking is a great way to get your heart rate up, it isn’t too hard on your joints and it’s good for your body, mind and spirit. I like walk- ing and being in nature because there is so much beauty all around and it doesn’t cost a thing.” • “Incorporate more plant-based, whole foods into your life. Eat more salads, blend smoothies, make simple veggie soups. Experiment with new recipes. There are many YouTube videos, Pinterest posts and websites devoted to the healthy eating of plant based-cuisine.”
“Strong mind equals a strong body. My approach to health and fitness starts first in the mind. If the goal is to get in the best shape of your life, well, that’s all mental. Write out your fitness goals and look at them every day and do something toward those goals every day.” • “Do the work, even when you don’t want to. You can’t just wish for the perfect body. You have to work for it. I don’t care if it’s for 20 minutes, but those 20 minutes better challenge you! Go for a hike, ride a bike, run around your neighborhood, get the kids involved and work out as a family, just move your body. Start growing your home gym collection. Here are my staples you should have at home: light, medium and heavy dumbbells, resistance bands, jump rope, step bench/box, yoga mat and blocks. You can get all these from Amazon or Target. I promise you, you’ll feel amazing and proud of yourself after. You got this!” • “Fuel your body. That means staying away from sugar, processed and fast foods, and cooking and eating at home as much as possible. Trust me, I have many cheat days but I also will work my butt off in the gym. Fuel up on probiotic- rich food, fruits, leafy and dark greens, lean protein, good fats and carbs. Avocados and sweet potatoes are favorites. I try to eat three balanced meals every day, and if I have to snack, I love eating veggies with Bombay Bitchin’ Sauce or salsa and guacamole. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water every day. If water is not your favorite, try adding fruit, cucumber or mint to make it more fun and refreshing. Listen to your body, feed it the good stuff and it will thank you! Say hello to your summer abs!”
“Consistency is key. Start small. Try to do something one day a week, then two days a week, and just build up. I think I’m in a good place to talk about this now. I have always been in relatively good shape as a young adult and adult, but as a youth, I was chubby and asthmatic and unhealthy in a lot of ways. So I had to learn how to do it once, and then during the pandemic, it was the only time in my adult life where I just stopped. And it has taken me pretty much since we came back in September to get back to where I was. The way I did it was, ‘Let’s do one thing this week and next week, let’s do two things,’ and now I’m exercising every day again and getting back up to what I used to be like. So just be very patient with yourself. Don’t look at what other people are doing. Just try to do a little bit more, and more doesn’t have to be exercise, it can be exercising willpower in your diet or drinking habits. Little victories here and there are how you win big in the end.” • “It’s very hard to lose weight just through exercise. If your goal is to lose weight and specifically to lose body fat, you have to change your eating habits. For me, generally, that tends to be [cutting out] carbohydrates. I can still have a tasty steak or fried chicken, but I’m avoiding a lot of carbohydrates because I can eat them forever. There is no amount of pasta you can put in front of me that I would voluntarily stop eating. So I tend to generally eat whatever I want and when I get close to a ‘shirt off’ day, I’ll start pulling back on the carbs.”
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