Forget the Freshman Fifteen

Hi Preps!

Good Morning to y'all!  Let me fill you in on something that I have not told any of you.  I get up at 5am almost every day.  Why? Heck! Today I couldn't tell you.  I practically sleepwalked out of bed, but here I am, already an hour and a half into my day.

So, here's the something I haven't told you:  I work at a gym.  It's a side job to my internship and school...and I love it.  Sometimes I don't love the mornings, but being in a gym is definitely my atmosphere.

Someone requested that I do a post on fitness and nutrition, and although I am a certified fitness instructor, please feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt...Before I start though, let me tell you about my own personal journey to finding my own balance in the world of fitness and nutrition:

18 years old.  College freshman.  Recruited D1 swimmer.

Easy to stay fit right?  Wrong.

Upon going to college, my mom had always cooked healthy meals for my family.  I ate the same turkey sandwich and veggies for lunch, and there was rarely a time that a chip entered my mouth.  Then, college came, and the Cafeteria was a glorious place for a little girl who had never been allowed to eat french fries and cookies at the same time.

I even specifically remember mentioning to a fellow swimmer, "YOU CAN EVEN GET ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST IF YOU WANT"!  My coach, and second dad soon corrected me, in front of the whole team.  I never pulled that stunt again, but I did drastically change my eating habits.

Pizza, fried food, desserts, and late night snacking led to a 25 lb weight gain from August to January.  Yes. I am not kidding you.  Not to mention I was a D1 athlete who spent hours working out a day.  Why weren't my tiny jeans fitting me anymore?

This past May, I took in a few dresses to get hemmed.  One I bought for a formal that occurred spring of my freshman year...I had dropped four dress sizes since then.

Now I will say that in high school, I was ungodly skinny.  So 25 lb was not a huge gain in terms of looks, but let me tell you, going home in January and people noticing a chubbier Kalyn, made me really take things into my own hands.

So what did I do?

I started off with eating well again.  Spinach salads with vinegar, veggies, fruit, lean proteins.  This morning I am eating an apple, two egg whites, a protein shake, and nuts.  However, this may be too much for someone who doesn't exercise like I do.

What I recommend from a food standpoint in five meals a day.  Breakfast being the largest with whole grains, protein, and fruit.  I love Greek yogurt and oatmeal...and I would recommend eating a hard-boiled egg or two in the morning.  I also am a fan of protein shakes but I won't go into detail about those...just make sure if you are going to use protein that you have professional opinions on what you decide to take.

As for lunch and dinner, I would keep them lighter making sure you have lots of veggies and lean protein in each.

Snacks should consist of 5-10 nuts (like almonds), an apple, or some veggies like snap peas or cellary.

Trust me, there are times where I indulge in ice cream or a waffle...whatever, I don't completely limit myself to these things because if I did, I would binge...but consistently eating healthy will pay off, I promise.

So here comes the big stuff...the exercising...

With so many beliefs on what is best when it comes to exercising, I honestly would have to say that you need to find what works best for you.  It's okay to start off slow, especially if you haven't been working out for a while...
Maybe do 30 minutes on the elliptical with weights?  However, what is key here is getting into a routine.  Force yourself to go.  Experts say that the first 15 minutes are the hardest, and I agree...but man, I feel great when I'm finished.  Read up on weight programs and cardio programs.

Here is what I did today for my workout:
5 mile run (intervals, which means parts were jogged parts were sprinted)
Legs (both machine weights, squatting, and free weights...I do pyramid sets so 5 sets: repping 12, 10, 8, 6, and back up to 15)
Sprint sets of 0.50 between each leg machine/exercise
30 minute stretch (to build lean muscles and allow myself to do it all again tomorrow)


I promise with a little effort, you will see huge results.  Plus, it makes you confident and less worried about your flaws!

Questions?  E-mail me!