Meet Brielle my first guest blogger. She is a wonderful person that I met this past year and she seems to be very passionate about what she believes in and I think you will benefit from her healthy living advice~
Hello everyone!
My name is Brielle Mansfield and I am very excited to be guest blogging on Chelsey’s site! For starters I will let you know a little bit about myself, my name is Brielle Mansfield and I am currently a freshman at Ohio University majoring in dietetics. I am a licensed Zumba Instructor and nutrition and fitness guru! My life revolves around being fit and healthy as well as encouraging others to do the same.
The beginning of my freshman year I started to become unhappy with the way my body looked and decided that a change was necessary. I attempted to eat healthier and completely constrict my workouts to cardio only. I lost 10 pounds after three months but then I hit a plateau. I was completely ignorant about how to eat and exercise to lose weight. After talking to a friend of mine who is a personal trainer, I started a strict diet consisting of protein, veggies, fruit, and whole grain. I completely cut junk food out of my diet, which vamped my weight loss success. I also learned that it is important to do strength training when you are trying to lose weight because the weight you are losing may indeed be muscle which is not good for that “toned “ look everybody dreams about. I finally reached my goal weight but was still looking for something more.
Two weeks ago I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge, I absolutely love the Advocare products and would recommend them to anyone who wants to lose weight, tone up, or increase their energy. Starting with the 10 day cleanse, I was committed to eating clean and riding the toxins out of my body, I could tell a difference just within the first few days. I was less bloated and started feeling more energized and had less of an appetite. I am currently on day 15 of the MNS phase as well as using the catalyst to preserve muscle as weight loss occurs. At this point, I don’t necessarily want to lose weight, but I want to become more fit and healthy instead of just being skinny with no muscle tone.
When it comes to exercise, I use Bob Harper’s Gravity Straps for strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, I use the Nike Training Club App on my phone for a 30 minute cardio+strength circuit. Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach a 45 minute Zumba class. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I take two catalysts and a glass of water before beginning my workout and one or two catalysts after working out (with a glass of water) as well as the Advocare meal replacement shake which acts as my breakfast and a great post workout meal.
My diet consists of the meal replacement shake for breakfast, fruit in between breakfast and lunch, protein and veggies for lunch, some type of fruit, veggie, nut, or seed in between lunch and dinner and then protein and veggies again for dinner. This sounds very bland but there are a million different combinations you can use. I don’t eat the same things every day but I just use this as a guideline for what I need to pack in my lunch since I pack everything I need the night before. I also try to eliminate junk food such as chips, candy, pop, starchy foods like muffins or rolls:( and just sugar in general.
Okay here are some tips on healthy living I would like to share with you from my own personal experience.
1. To reach your goal you must have the proper mindset than you will and can do whatever it takes to reach your goal and nothing is going to get in the way of how you want to feel or look.
2. Make exercising a daily part of your routine (cardio and strength training). Set aside a certain time of the day where you know there will be time for you to workout even if that means waking up before class. (I workout before class, even my 8am’s so you can too, just go to bed a tad earlier and I promise you will make healthier choices and feel better the rest of the day).
3. Focus on what you can have instead of what you can’t. Yes if you are trying to become healthier, more fit, or lose weight, you can’t indulge in whatever you desire, but instead on focusing on the junk that will turn into fat once you have consumed it, think of the meal or snack you can have that will benefit your body, which brings me to my next point.
4. When you are deciding what to eat, try to think about what foods will benefit your body the most instead of just what tastes better. On the days I have two workouts I always eat a little more but when I am packing my lunch I am thinking about what foods I can eat that are full of protein and will give me more energy!
5. Just because something is “healthy” doesn’t mean you can have however much you want of it. For example, my friend loves honey wheat pretzels and because the word wheat is in the title, she considers it healthy and eats however many she wants. This is not a good habit. Portion control is key to successful weight loss and weight management.
6. If you are on the track to start living a healthier lifestyle, make one small change at a time. If you completely rid yourself of all your favorite snacks or meals, you are setting yourself up for failure. Start by changing from white to wheat, then from pop to water, then from granola bars to fruit and so on.
7. Always keep fruit and vegetables around! When my friends are snacking on pop, candy, chips or whatever unhealthy snack they choose, sometimes I just want to be eating for the sake of being bored or because they are eating too. Therefore, I always carry extra veggies and fruit in my lunch box in case that occasion occurs.
8. Drink more water! Water has so many benefits and is so easily accessible; try drinking a glass of water before a meal, with a meal, or right after to feel more full.
9. When you are grocery shopping, try and stay on the outside walls where the produce, dairy and LEAN meats are located. This way you are not tempted by the unhealthy processed foods within the inner isles.
10. Last but not least, don’t forget to take a multi-vitamin daily to fill in the gaps where your diet may not meet certain standards!
I follow these guidelines every single day (with an occasional cheat meal:) and have the proven results that it works if you put the effort and time into your daily routine! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me!
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