Reality of You

Real talk about health, fitness, and weight loss.

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3 Things to Know About Protein and Weight Loss

ProteinandWeightLoss

The fitness community can pretty adequately be summarized by these three things: protein powder, yoga, and fruit water. 

Today I’m here to talk about protein, which always seems to be at the center of every blog post ever (I know, I know, I’m #basic now that I’ve broken down and am blogging about protein and protein powders but I’m only answering your questions ok???)

1. Know how much protein you need per day to reach your goals.

Protein helps with weight loss because it boosts your metabolic rate and decreases your appetite (source.) The common recommendation for those trying to get lean is around 1 gram of protein per pound, although it does really depend on how active your lifestyle is and your goals.

I really hate the nitty-gritty details of protein calculations, so if you need more info on this, I would recommend this website.

2. Protein powder and shakes aren’t necessarily the answer.

The main issue with protein powders, bars, and shakes is that these things can contain high levels of sugar and artificial ingredients. Supplements might make sense if you’re struggling to reach your daily protein goals as-is, but make sure you do your research. Pick protein that is plant-based, and doesn’t have soy as too much soy can increase your estrogen levels too high.

As a rule, I try and stay away from supplements except for daily multivitamins, but I’m giving Vega protein powder a try to see how it affects my workout schedule and the results of my training, and I’ll let you know how it goes!

3. Try and eat protein at every meal.

Whether that’s meat, fish, legumes, tofu, or whatever else floats your boat, try and make protein a center for your meals.

I love bean soup, quinoa and fish, avocado eggs, and things like parfaits for snacks.

Make whole, healthy foods your first stop, and only use protein powders for things like post-workout recovery drinks. Protein powders don’t have all the nutrients that whole foods have, so I would warn against using them as meal replacements too often.

…

There you have it! What’s your favorite source of protein? Let me know in the comments!

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7 Day Clean Up: Eat Clean, Live Clean [Day 1]

7daycleanupnew

This is part of the 7 Day Clean-Up Series. See all posts in the series here.

Introduction

Here’s the thing about leading a healthy life and eating clean: it takes constant work. Sometimes you fall off the wagon and have to reset yourself.

The 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge is a good introduction to eating clean, but this 7 Day Clean-Up is more of a check in that you can do anytime you feel like the siren song of junk food seduces you back to the dark side.

Eating healthy and exercising is tough, so don’t get down on yourself for

Day 1: Plan, Prep, Detox, Re-Focus

If you haven’t prepped for clean eating before, check out this post.

There are three things you should do on day one:

  1. Remind yourself why you’re eating clean. There are so many important reasons to eat clean: you’ll feel more energized, you’ll live a longer life, you can continue to improve your body and mind — pick a reason that matters to you and write it on a post-it note where you can see it.
  2. Pick recipes and go grocery shopping (but not when you’re hungry). Go grocery shopping with a list and a game plan about what recipes you’re going to make this next week. I don’t supply a meal plan because everyone is different as long as you stick with the clean eating basics, any clean recipe will do to help you reach your goals! We’ll be talking more about macro nutrients and other ways to make sure your diet is balanced later this week.
  3. Detox, do yoga, meditate, and reset. The holidays are extremely stressful, so make sure you’re taking time out to relax. I took a meditation class, and saw my stress levels decrease dramatically. I highly recommend trying this body scan meditation and do it every day for at least a week to begin to de-stress. A clean life begins with a clean mind. Not to mention most of the aspects of unhealthy and binge eating stem from cravings and other constructs or emotional needs not being addressed in our minds.

Day 1 Recipes

On day one, I suggest making some foods that carry over throughout your busy week, like the following: [Read more…]

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3 Things You Need to Do After Every Workout

3 things to do after every workout

So there’s a new yoga instructor at my gym. He’s basically pioneering the concept of “cardio yoga” and the workouts are super intense, with nonstop vinyasa flows, jump squats, and screams of pain and anguish. Kidding about the last one (sort of), but the point is when you’re doing hellish workouts you need to make sure you optimize your workout and help your body recover and improve. A post-workout routine is just as important as a pre-workout routine!

1. Eat protein within 15 minutes after your workout.

Your muscles are hungry! Feed them. Eating protein right after your workout ensures that your muscles can recover and grow, and it also reduces muscle soreness.

Some good sources of protein include lentils, nuts, lean meats, and quinoa. Check out my list of 8 post-workout snacks for more suggestions!

2. Stretch to remove toxins.

Vigorous exercise releases free radicals in the body, while stretching and yoga inversions help disperse and remove them. Stretching also helps improve circulation and is just a good idea after a workout. Stretching is key for pre-workout, too, but before your workout make sure you’re doing dynamic stretches instead to reduce injuires.

3. Drink water to rehydrate and energize.

Drinking water also helps flush toxins, but also makes sure you don’t feel fatigued and helps you re-energize post-workout, especially if you’ve been working out in hot weather.

 

Have a great week of fitness, everybody!

-Amy

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Clean Recipe: Cucumber Sandwich

cucumber sandwich

Good evening, everyone! Today I danced for FOUR hours as part as a marathon International style Latin ballroom dancing workshop — and I needed some fuel so this is the sandwich I turned to after I got back! Cucumber sandwiches are delicious and simple, and at home we have fresh, homegrown sprouts. Sprouts are pretty easy to grow, so give it a try!

For this recipe to be 100% clean, use hummus instead.

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices whole grain toast
  • 1/4 cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)
  • 1 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
  • handful of sprouts
  • whipped cream cheese
  • OPTIONAL: provolone cheese, sliced black olives

Directions are pretty self-explanatory (this is why I love sandwiches!)

Enjoy!

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Build Your Own Acai Bowl: How To + Recipe!

 buildyourownacaibowlFind more delicious and photogenic recipes here

Acai bowls are the hottest things in superfoods since Forever 21 discovered Kale. Have you been to Nektar? Sure you have. Acai (pronounced ass-ay-EE or somethin like that) are those bowls sold at Nektar, and they’re essentially thick smoothies with delicious toppings, but with the benefits of the acai berry superfood. [Read more…]

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6 Ways to A Healthier Start to Your Day

healthierstartoyourdayIf you’re like me, mornings can be a challenge. Recently, I’ve found myself getting up earlier and earlier to fit in workouts and better breakfasts, and it’s changed my view on mornings.

Here’s how to get a great, healthy start to your morning!

1. Fruit first thing in the morning, then a clean, healthy breakfast with protein, fiber, and calcium. Break the fast and eat some fruit first thing after you wake up — fruit in the morning boosts energy. Also, make sure you eat a clean, healthy breakfast that will energize you. Find my clean breakfast ideas here! [Read more…]

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Do Juice Cleanses Actually Work?

realityofjuicecleansesThose of you hooligans who have been following me for a long time know that I am a fan of using detox water, juicing, and smoothies as a way to supplement a healthy diet and get the most nutrients in your diet and promote healthy digestion and maximum hydration.

However, I do not believe in restricting your diet to ONLY these things. As I’ve said before, the only way to see results that last is to find a balance of clean foods and exercise. Selecting only one food to eat for periods of time can actually hurt your progress. (Such as that ridiculous fruit-only fad diet that is such a bad idea on SO many levels.)

So what about a temporary juice cleanse? Does that help flush your body of toxins and start fresh? Or could it be the cause of cravings and the start of an unhealthy cycle of calorie restricting? [Read more…]

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54 Healthy Habits for the New Year

54healthyhabitsforthenewyearThe reason most people’s New Years’ resolutions fail is because they try and do everything perfectly right from January 1st. They cut out junk food, exercise seven days a week, and they go on a juice cleanse and start detoxing.

The problem is, for most people this isn’t sustainable. February rolls around, and they’re back to their old habits, except this time they feel ashamed that they weren’t able to keep up with such a hard, sudden change.

This year, do your New Years’ Resolutions right. Want to get fit? Healthy? Take it week by week. Make one small healthy change every week in 2014. January 1st, begin eating one piece of fruit each day. The second week, start eating one vegetable each day. The next week, begin exercising twice a week. Then three. Then four. Gradually build upon each of these healthy habits.

This works because only gradual changes will stick.

Need some ideas for small healthy habits? You’ve come to the right place!

Here are 54 health and fitness habits to build in the new year: [Read more…]

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6 Tips for Picking the Freshest Fruits and Veggies

pickthebestproducePicking the freshest produce can be difficult, so I put together this simple guide to picking the freshest fruits and vegetables at the grocery store! Also, where you shop is a factor in freshness. One grocery store near where I live constantly has rotten berries, so instead I buy all my fruits at a local farmer’s market. You can also grow your own produce. The picture for this article is actually of tomatoes from my parents’ garden, which is grown in a pot. More on gardening in another article!

Here are my 6 tips for picking the freshest produce: [Read more…]

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How to Design Your Weekly Workout Plan

createyourweeklyworkoutplanfitnessweightlossCreating your weekly routine is critical in staying focused and reaching your health and weight loss goals! Workout plans vary depending on if you’re training for events, want to burn fat, or simply just want to stay active.

Here’s my handy-dandy guide on designing your weekly workout plan:

3 Important Elements of a Weekly Workout Plan

[Read more…]