Better Fit Series

With years of knowledge & experience in fitness, I am happy to say that I have helped numerous men and dozens of women lose weight, drop inches, lower their body fat percentage and ultimately live healthier lifestyles. Being able to be that positive impact on someone’s life through their health and fitness is truly rewarding but YOU being able to gain from something like reading this note and learning from my experience is even bigger.

When my sole career was in fitness I would typically workout up to 6 times a week and generally make healthier intentions in order to lead by example. As that avenue evolved, that commitment became less of a commitment. In some moments I found myself giving my all towards fitness then other times the tread was down a more sedentary path. This was one of those times as six months prior to this series beginning was the start of a glutinous path.

Of course I know better but I am human too. During this six month period I decided it was time to experience life more and after awhile it was apparent that I was eating really good too. Almost every weekend, I was probably in a black owned establishment with a delicious hot plate in front of me with more than enough food for lunch the next day. Although it was delectable, I’m sure you can see how this foodie mentality led me down a heavier path.

Eventually, I noticed that I had gained one pound each month. Now.. if you count, six pounds may not sound like a lot, but to have a pound of fat stick around each month makes a difference over time especially on a curvy petite woman. As my weight began to grow in my thighs, hips and core I started to move closer towards being categorized as “overweight”. Although the scale is not a make or break, I could feel all six pounds weighing on my body along with the cons of being pretty inactive. At this point you can imagine most of my clothes were pretty snug.. thank God for high waist jeans! Ultimately I was unhappy with how far I had let things go.

Visually seeing myself in a reflective window one night is when I realized that it was time to get back on my fitness and get serious about my health. It also dawned on me that being physically active and naturally athletic all of my life has been a true benefit in the upkeep of my body, but that can come with some complacency at times. I have always worked out because it was my job or just enough to continue being active, but not yet have I used my knowledge to truly reach my own body goals. I wanted to challenge myself. It was time to get Better Fit!

Once I decided to get serious, week one started with me weighing in at

142 pounds

 26.8% body fat

 and a body composition of 29.5 in waist, 33 in navel, and 39.75 in hips.

By the end of week three I came back at

137 pounds

 23.7% body fat 

and body composition of 28 in waist, 31.75 in navel and 39.25 in hips.

I am ecstatic.. all in three weeks! That’s 3.25 inches down total, 3.1% decrease in body fat and a five pound loss which is always a plus. These are some amazing healthy results that truly makes a difference in how your overall body looks and how you ultimately feel! Check out this video below and continue reading for my diet and workout plan with advice of recovery methods and some workout gear you should consider having if you would like to achieve similar results.

First things first, a major portion of being fit goes towards your diet so my initial thought was to begin cleaning up this area first. This meant no fast food, limited red meats and alcohol was not an option for a while. The way of life was now clean eating only, low calories and homecooked meal preps. These changes began a week prior to stepping into the gym, but I would meal prep twice a week and combined two full meals each day which helped a lot with saving time and having a variety of food.

When it comes to diet plans I believe that you should be able to eat what you love but with healthier alternatives. This simply change can really make a difference when cutting some calories. If you can control your portions and you know your metabolism or caloric settings, it can give you a calorie counting cutoff or nutritional plans for calorie deficits. This was my route since my main problem was being an overeater or out of boredom snacker. Luckily I was able to keep certain meals I loved, but at a smaller capacity like chicken parmesan, chicken tortilla soup, Asian cuisines and that lemon pepper tilapia with parmesan asparagus and cheesy mashed potatoes plated down below. Sounds like a mouthful but all meals were at least 600 calories less than my diet previously before. Remember to also balance your meals between carbs, protein and fats according to your body needs.

When I was sedentary I always told myself that I was going to start Monday then that turned into next Monday then the next Monday.. no one really likes Mondays, cancel that idea and just start today! When I finally got around to starting my workout routine it turned out to be on a Tuesday. My technique is unique when it comes to lifting weights and I am a big advocate for HIIT as it helps burn calories hours later and boosts endurance tremendously. I would alternate days between lifting weights and cardio for the entire body then give 2 or 3 consecutive rest days.

Strength training is major key to losing inches and body fat. I believe it’s what shapes your natural curves and defines your muscles. Since I wanted to target those specific areas, every day was about going big or going home! Pleasantly this series brought attention to yoga becoming an essential addition to occasionally help with flexibility. You can do it on one of your rest days to help relax as well.

With everything in mind, recovering from all of this activity was definitely a major concern coming from six months of no activity. This can deter some people from working out but with great recovery methods like the hot sauna, stretching everyday or my new found favorite, the red light therapy, you can help reduce soreness, quicken recovery time and continue to tone muscles. There’s so many more ways to bounce back from a rigorous workout but I’ll go more in depth about that in an upcoming note. One fitness trick that helped shrink down my waist at a faster pace was wearing a waist trimmer. Its helped with producing extra heat around my core encouraging more sweat while simultaneously slimming my waist and protecting my back. I highly recommend having one in your workout bag.

All your effort is necessary to make change happen. Using everything I know, I was able to actually reach amazing results within just four days at 3.5 pounds down, 3% body fat decrease and 2 inches in body composition total. Can you imagine.. it was extremely motivating to see such results so quickly! 

Being honest, during my second week I experienced some diversion by having a few cheat snacks or extra rest days. That only hurt me throughout that week forcing me to fluctuate across the board and work harder to get back on track. Remember to stay consistent. There were even moments when I wanted to give up mid workout but applied more pressure instead. I am that much closer to reaching my body goals which will be revealed next note. There will be additional custom workouts and challenges that you can follow along for your own fitness gains or continue to check in throughout the series. Always reach out to your healthcare provider or fitness professional for questions and you can email herlifestyles@gmail.com freely for blog details or any questions. As the fitness journey continues.. check out these before and after pics!

Are you currently going through a fitness journey? What kind of healthy intentions have you practiced lately.. leave a comment down below and lets chat!