Things Everyone Should Know

Healthy Foods Still Contain Calories
Crazy right? I agree, I think healthy food should be low in calorie and not make me gain weight. But the truth of the matter is, all food has some calories. Just because peanut or almond butter are good for you doesn't mean that you should sit and each a bunch of it! 1 tablespoon of almond butter contains around 100 calories. Make sure you pay attention to portion sizes, especially when it comes to whole grains, seeds, protein bars, fruits, and nuts. They can add up quickly! And obviously healthy snacks are better than junk food, but that doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want.

Walking Won't Cut it:
This is the truth. Although walking is extremely good for you, doing only it won't give you the results you are looking for. You're going to have to kick it up a few notches if you want to get toned and lose weight. This means strength training and cardio every week. My weekly workout plan consists of 4 days of weight lifting/strength training and 2 (intense) days of cardio. I highly recommend when you do cardio that it be HIIT. In order to lose inches and get toned you have to burn calories, and walking just doesn't burn enough.

I Worked Out So I Can Eat Whatever I Want Now:
Wrong. Yes, you did just burn calories and you did just do something super good for you, but that doesn't mean it will cancel out the rest of what you eat throughout the day. Set goals and guidelines for yourself, and if you find yourself bingeing and losing self control, track your progress on an app such as My Fitness Pal. Reward yourself for working out hard by treating yourself to a massage, or reading a book, don't do it by eating candy, treats, and other things. 

Tracking Your Progress Is A Big Deal:
Truth! It is really hard to see results and keep going if you are not tracking what you are doing. I recommend setting daily, weekly, and monthly goals you want to accomplish (make them feasible). Take progress pictures. And write down how many reps you were able to do with each exercise and shoot for a higher amount next time. If you don't hold yourself accountable then it will be really hard to stick with it. Remember, this is not about losing weight, it is about being fit and healthy, and the best way to track that is by accomplishing goals.

And as always, learn to LOVE yourself. Confidence and positivity is what will keep you going. I struggle often to love myself, but the more and more I work at it the better I get. And the more I love myself the less my focus becomes about weight and size and more about being healthy and taking care of the beautiful body that God has given me. We can do this!