MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

I hope you all will have great time with your loved ones. I hope you will spend your Christmas in peace, with love and doing things that make you happy. I hope the food will be good, the mood will be cheerful, people will be smiling and that you will find something wonderful under your Christmas tree.

With love!

Eva

EMBRACE AND LOVE YOUR BODY.

IT IS THE MOST AMAZING THING YOU WILL EVER OWN.

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Barbell upright row

This move is great for strong and well-shaped shoulders. Works your trapezius, deltoids and biceps. It is not difficult to perform but can get little challenging once you lift heavier weight.

It’s simple. Just stand straight with your feet together. Hold the bar with overhand grip, narrower than your shoulders width. The narrower you hold it the more you exercise your trapezius. If you hold it wider, your workout will work more of your deltoids. The move is very easy. Just lift the bar up close to your collarbone and then slowly bring it back down. Keep your core activated and your back straight at all times. Do 3 sets with 8-12 reps.

MY SATURDAY WORKOUT

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Squat

My absolute favorite move!

Squat is a functional exercise, targeting large muscle groups, that when done properly strengthens not only your legs but your upper body as well. It tones your back, abs and it is probably the best exercise for strong and rounded butt. Apart from just shaping your body, it helps you with your real-life daily activities, not only teaches you how to use a piece of equipment. People were squatting since the ancient times. It helps you to maintain your mobility and balance boost your metabolism and makes you stronger. 

Squat is simply fantastic! 

Stand with your feet just a little wider than is your shoulders width. Your toes need to be pointing out slightly. If you are using a barbell, the bar is not resting directly on your neck/spine but just a bit lower on your trapezius muscle. When you hold the bar you should be squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your back in neutral position; your tummy should be nice and strong. Keep your core activated at all times. Now, lower your body slowly, bending the knees, as if you were trying to sit on a chair. Make sure your thighs are parallel with the floor in the bottom position. Then get back up and squeeze your butt as you do so. Make sure, that your neck is in neutral position at all times (so don’t look up). 

The repetitions really depend on the weight you lift and on your goal. If you are beginner and you squat with body weight you can do as many as 20-25 reps. If you work with weigh and you try to build up your muscles, the weight should be heavy enough so that you can’t do more than 12 reps. 

Think about your tomorrows...

ONE BAD MEAL WON'T MAKE YOU FAT. JUST LIKE ONE GOOD MEAL WON'T MAKE YOU LEAN. BEING FIT, HEALTHY AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY WEIGHT ISN'T ABOUT ONE WEEK CHANGE, IT IS A LIFESTYLE. START LIVING HEALTHY LIFE TODAY AND YOU WILL ENJOY GREAT BODY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. 

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Prone bride

This exercise strengthens your core through engaging your core muscles to stabilize your spine. 

Kneel down and place your elbows on the floor directly below your shoulders. Now lift yourself up on your toes. Draw your stomach in and keep your back straight. Maintain this position at least for 30 seconds. You should feel the burn deep in your stomach. Make sure that once you will start getting tired you won’t be curving your back. The back must be straight all the time. Once you can perform this for 90 seconds you can make it harder by lifting one of your legs up. 

Do 3 sets per 30-90 seconds.

BAKED SALMON WITH MIXED GREENS SALAD

Eating clean is not a punishment. It’s a reward! 

Good food is simple food. And this is the easiest thing ever. 

You need: 

Fresh salmon with the skin 

Mixed green salad 

Cherry tomatoes 

Parmesan cheese 

Balsamic vinegar 

Cherry balsamic glaze (or any other) 

Garden cress (that is the little green thing on the picture) 

Olive oil 

Salt 

Black pepper 

Thyme

Place the salmon in the oil greased baking dish skin down, sprinkle with salt and pepper and thyme. Put it in the preheated oven and bake until nice and golden. 

Mix the greens with halved cherry tomatoes, olive oil and balsamic. Lightly sprinkle the salad with black pepper and balsamic glaze and put few shaves of parmesan on the top. Serve the salmon sprinkled with the garden cress. 

The easiest lunch you can imagine. :)

MY WORKOUT ROUTINE

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Philosopher & Writer 

I work out. A lot. And I love it. And you know that. 

I get tons of emails from you people, mainly girls, asking me what to do. You guys want to know what is my workout regime. So for all of you who are interested, here it is. This is my current drill. This is what my days look like. This is my life. 

THE GOAL 

Firstly, let me explain you what I’m currently working on. The most important for me right now is to lean out without losing muscle mass, possibly even to gain some strength. Not an easy combination, but not an impossible one either. 

THE STRENGTH TRAINING 

I do 3 strength-training sessions a week. In every workout session, I train the whole body with focus on functional moves that target large muscle groups. I don’t really do much of isolated moves like biceps curls. My strength trainings are on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I spend in the gym about an hour and a half. For every exercise with weights I do 3 sets per 8-12 reps. If I am able to do 12 reps in all 3 sets in two weeks in a row I increase the weight. For the body weight moves, like push-ups, I do 3 sets when I go to failure, but every time I must do at least one more. This is how you get your strength. I write my whole training down. Everything. The weights and the repetitions. That’s the only way to track your progress down. Otherwise you could be stuck in a place with no progress without even noticing. I change my routines about every 3-4 months. 

THE PLAN

SUNDAY 

Squats 

Push-ups (to failure) 

Chin-ups (to failure) 

Inverted rows (to failure) 

Single leg deadlifts 

Upright shoulders rows 

Cable pulls for inner thighs 

Cable pulls for outer thighs 

Abs (just a random freestyle of whatever I feel like doing) 

TUESDAY 

Deadlifts 

Triceps dips (to failure) 

Bent over row 

Sumo squats 

Hyperextensions (with weight) 

Overhead press 

Abs 

THURSDAY 

Push-ups 

Chin-ups 

Lunges 

Triceps dips 

Lat pull-downs 

Bent over dumbbell rear delt raise 

Kettlebell swings 

Lateral shoulder raises 

Abs 

CARDIO 

I do fasted cardio 4 times per week. I do 5-6km each time, either slow run, or fast inclined walk. 

NUTRITION 

High protein diet. Very strict. I mean, really really strict. About 80% of my diet consists of protein and vegetables. Lean chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, eggs, cottage, low to medium GI vegetables, nuts. I have maximum of 1 piece of fruit in a week and that is always right after my strength training. After my weights I have also ½ potato or 1-2 spoons of rice. I drink water, unsweetened herbal tea or green tea and coffee with milk. I rarely have a cheat day. Actually, at this point I basically don’t. I don’t crave sugar at all. This is a habit and once you stop eating sweets it disappears. I know my diet sounds maybe little to extreme to some people but this is what works for me (I’m insulin resistant). I don’t feel weak nor sleepy or heavy, I have a lot of energy and I’m not hungry as I eat a lot of protein.

THE MANUAL TO LEAN BODY

And now the last thing I wanted to mention. I NEVER skip workouts. NEVER. 

Does it sound like a lot to you? Maybe to some of you. But trust me, it is not that difficult. We are the creatures of habit. I have an idea in my head, a picture. And I’ll do everything and little more to get to this picture. 

If you want to have something you never had, you must do something you never did. 

xoxo 

Eva 

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Triceps bench dips

Or how to get strong and sexy arms.

Firstly, this can be performed with one bench only with the feet on the floor for easier version. The closer you put your feet to the bench, the easier the workout will be. For those of you who are stronger – use two benches and give your arms good tough drill.

Place your hands on the edge of the bench, shoulder width. Then either put your legs up on the opposite bench or keep them on the floor – your call. Now lift your bum up off the bench and move down as far as you can, preferably at least until your arms form 90 degree angle. Now push yourself back up. Do 3 sets at least 8 reps each, great if you can do 12-15.

Don’t place your hands too far from your body. It could add unnecessary stress to your shoulders.

 

SQUAT BABY, SQUAT!

Here! I'm the best example what squats do to your butt! 

I wasn't born with that ass! 

I worked my ass off and shaped it! And you can too! 

No more excuses! No more "I CAN'T" !!!!!!!

I HAVEN’T “LOST” ANY FAT….. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT WENT!

Become a fat burning expert!

How is fat burned and where it goes when it's burned? No more nonsense about “changing fat into muscles”! Learn how your body works. If you understand it, the weightloss gets much easier. 

We are all born with approximately 5-6 billions of fat cells. As we mature this number increases and in adulthood we have around 25-30 billions fat cells. This is, if we are healthy weight and normal body composition and the number of fat cells also depends of our genetics and gender. A typical overweight adult has around 75 billion fat cells and in case of severe obesity it can be up to 300 billion. 

Fat cells are located beneath our skin, around our organs and on the top of our muscles. The less fat person has the more muscle definition can be seen. That is why some people are “skinny fat” – they are small in size but have quite a lot of fat compare to muscles (but that is a different story). 

Fat cell is our reservoir of energy. Inside of a fat cell, the unused extra energy that we consume is stored in form of triglycerides. When you “lose” body fat, the fat cell itself does not go anywhere, unfortunately, it stays right where it was. The fat from this fat cell is burned, but this does not happen inside of the fat cell. It must be liberated from the fat cell through somewhat complex hormonal and enzymatic pathways. When your body needs energy and you are in caloric deficit, the hormones and enzymes are released to stimulate the fat release from your fat cells. The triglycerides are broken down into glycerol and three fatty acids and released into the bloodstream so they can be transported to the muscles that need them. An enzyme called lipoprotein lipase helps the free fatty acids inside the mitochondria of muscle cell, where they can be burned for energy. Mitochondrion is the “power house” of the muscle cell where the energy production takes place. This explains why it is so important to build up muscles when you want to lose fat – muscles are the place where the fat is burned. So the more muscles you have, the more fat you burn. 

When the fat is released from the fat cell, the fat cell does not disappear but shrinks. Therefore when you want to get leaner, smaller of empty fat cell is what you are after. The weight of a fat cell can be anywhere between 0,2 micrograms to 0,9 micrograms. What happens when the fat cell reaches its maximum fat store capacity? Yep, you guested it! It multiplies. Hence the fat cells can increase in the size and the numbers. The thing is, once new fat cell is born, it stays right there. If you are gaining fat so much that your fat cells are multiplying, you make it harder for yourself to lose fat in the future. You have to stop right now! And don’t forget that once you have lost weight, you fat cells are not gone, they just shrunk so you have to continue living healthy lifestyle if you don’t want to fill them up again. 

Genetics are only minor factor and while it is true that you can’t control the number of fat cells you were born with, you can control how much fat you store in them. Its your choice – you either have excuses or you have results. You cannot have both!

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Seated lat pulldown

Today’s exercise is one I really enjoy training. It targets all the major back muscles (primarily Latissimus Dorsi with Trapezius, Rhomboids, Rotator Cuff and Biceps as stabilizers). To perform this you need gym with pull down machine. 

Sit in the machine with anchoring your legs with the tight pads. Brace your abdominal muscle to stabilize your spine. Reach and grab the bar, holding it on the sides. While your arms are extended overhead, push your shoulder blades together and try to keep this throughout all the movements. Lean back slightly but no more than 30 degrees. Avoid leaning back any further and arching of your lower back during this exercise. You should be pulling the weight with your back muscles not with your bodyweight. Now exhale and slowly pull the bar down by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pull it down all the way to your chest; your elbows should be by your sides. Pause briefly, then slowly straighten your elbows and return to the starting position allowing your shoulder blades to rise slightly. Repeat. Do 3 sets per 8-12 reps.

YOU HAVE ONLY ONE BODY AND ONE LIFE.....

....TREAT IT RIGHT.....

DON'T WAIT! YOU SHAPE YOUR TOMORROWS...

ATTENTION! IT’S SUGAR!

Sneaking in, using different names…. No matter what it call itself, it is still…. well …SUGAR. It causes you to gain weight, it is not good for your teeth, it ages your skin (yes, really), it is addictive and too much of it can trigger insulin resistance or diabetes. Sweet at the beginning,  bitter by the end. Watch out! 

So it called sugar but what else?

SUCROSE 

EVAPORATED CANE JUICE 

AGAVE NECTAR 

FRUIT JUICE CONCENTRATE 

100% FRUIT JUICE 

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS) 

GALACTOSE 

MALTOSE 

DEXTROSE 

LACTOSE 

BLACKSTRAP MOLASES 

BROWN RICE SYRUP 

BARLEY MALT 

DIASTATIC MALT 

DIATASE,…….and so on….. 

Scary right? If you eat processed food you probably eat way more sugar than you think. So how to avoid all this hidden sugar and, protect your waistline and most importantly your health? Just ditch the processed food all together or at least as much as you can. Stay away from everything that doesn’t really exist in nature and be safe. Have you ever seen a tree with chocolate bars? Or those salty chips – do they grow on fields? And take me to the farm where the hot-dogs grow, please! 

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Seated bench U for abs

Ok, I admit, I’m not sure what is this exercise really called. Anyone who knows? Anyway, it is great for your abs! It works your rectus abdominus (your six-pack) as well as your external obliques (the side of your abs). 

Sit on a bench, or anything high enough, place your hands by your side on the edge of the bench to support your balance. Now lift straightened legs with your toes pointed high until you form a V shape. Then move them down to the left, until just above the ground without touching it. Now move them back up to the middle and down to right, again almost to the ground without putting them down. The move you should be making is to copy U but upside down. Do this in 3 sets, each for one minute. Once you get strong enough you can do it fast and count how many reps you can finish within one minute. Make sure you are moving your legs in nice rounded upside-down U shape and that your hands are only to support your balance not to hold your weight.

GREEN SALAD WITH TURKEY AND FETA

As you can probably say by now I love salads. :) I make different version of them so I never get bored. They are easy to prepare, quick, tasty and filling and most importantly healthy and low in calories. Here is my latest creation. Get inspired. 

YOU NEED: 

Turkey breast 

Olive oil 

Salt 

Black pepper 

Sweet red paprika powder 

Mixed green salad 

Cucumber 

Tomato 

¼ red onion 

Low fat feta cheese 

Olive oil 

Balsamic vinegar 

Balsamic cherry reduction (or just plain balsamic reduction) 

Black pepper 

This is very simple. Slice the turkey breast into thin stripes. Prepare marinade just by putting together little bit of olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and sweet paprika and marinade the turkey for couple of hours. 

Meanwhile put the mixed green leaves into a bowl with sliced cucumber, tomato and thinly sliced onion and pour little of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it. Mix well. Top it with small pieces of feta cheese and ground little of black pepper on the top. Sprinkle with little of the balsamic reduction. Now heat the pan and fry the turkey until nice and golden. I don’t add any oil to the pan as the turkey was marinated in oil. When done just add it to the salad. Done J Enjoy!

EAT, WORKOUT AND REST!

I’m sick! I hate being sick! Hate it! 

It has been a week since the whole thing started and it’s giving me a hard time. I’m not able to go to gym and I’m missing it like crazy. Yes, I know how silly I sound. But that’s how I feel. So to keep me sane I have to constantly remind myself that even the bad things are good for something and that I should just think of this forced break as my recovery week. So the whole thing inspired me to write this post, about recovery and why is it so important in your training program. 

Firstly, let me say that your body actually repairs and strengthens itself in the time between your workouts not during your workout. So continuous vigorous training without the proper rest will not make you stronger but eventually can weaken your body and your immune system and can lead to overtraining syndrome. Nasty thing! And that is why including the recovery time in your training program is crucial. This is the time when the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Exercise causes muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores (glycogen stored in muscles) as well as fluid loss. Recovery time allows these to be replenished and the muscle tissue to be repaired. And that’s how you get stronger. 

There are two kinds of recovery you should include in your training program. Short-term recovery, also called active recovery, which is the time immediately after exercise and the following days. It is advised to engage in light activities during this time, like walking and so on. This will benefit your performance. Long-term recovery means that it is beneficial include few days of total rest in your fitness program as well as change the program structure every now and then. Take a week off from workout every 6-8 weeks. You will not only feel rested after such a break but also your motivation will get kick-started again and you will feel hungry for workout. And to help your recovery make sure you get plenty of good quality sleep, drink enough of water and eat enough protein every day. 

So here I am, sitting in the bed sick and resting. :)

And there is nothing better than my homemade spicy chicken broth with a lot of veggies and lean chicken. This will help me to get well for sure! 

Have a lovely day everyone! ♥

MOVE OF THE WEEK: Push-up

Let me start by saying that push-ups are one of the best exercises ever invented. You can do them literally anywhere with zero equipment and they are easily countable so tracking your progress gets easy too. When done with proper form, they work all the right places and strengthen your pectoral muscles (your chest), triceps, and core muscles. There are many variations of push-ups that can place the load on different muscles, or make the push-ups easier or more difficult to do. The basic push-ups are great to start with. Lets see how to do them correctly.

The starting position is plank position on your toes and hands. The hands should be placed slightly wider than your shoulders. Remember, the wider apart you put your hands the heavier load your place on your chest. The rest of your body should be aligned with your legs and abs engaged. Now, lower your body slowly down to the ground, keeping your core nice and strong and then push yourself back up into the starting position. 

When you do the push-ups, always try to do them in the right form, that is keeping your body in straight line in all the reps, going down slowly and then fast pushing up, keeping your elbows steady and your abs and butt strong. Do 3 sets with as many reps as you can 2-3 times per week. Maybe, for the first time, you will only be able to do one push-up in each set. That is totally ok for the beginner. Push-ups are not an easy exercise. They require quite a work and strength. But you will get stronger each time you do them. Set your goal on doing one extra push-up in every session. That is, if you did 3 sets per one push-up, the next time you do push-ups, you will do 2-1-1, the session after do 2-2-1, and so on. This way you will build up your strength easily. Keep in mind that you should only do the push-ups in correct form and only those correct ones count.

This is a variation to make it more interesting once you mastered the regular push-ups. Just lift one leg and keep it lifted all the time. Those push-ups get harder as you will need to balance your body more. Strong!

 

Now get down and push!

MOTIVATION MATTERS

The secret of discipline is motivation. When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.

So true. 

What do you need to stay disciplined is to constantly get motivated. Think of your dream. Think of it every day. Whether is it to get leaner, stronger, faster, fitter or just happier, keep on reminding these goals to yourself every day. You have decided to change some part of your life so stick to your decision. At the end you will be so proud and happy that you did. 

Your motivation should be always positive. So don’t compare yourself to others, if it frustrates you. You are you, you are unique, and there is no one else like you. So only compare your results to your dream. Success doesn’t come over night. You have to deserve success. Not everyone can work hard enough to get what they want. YOU CAN! The only thing you need is to stay disciplined. And that is way easier if you stay motivated. And when it comes to fitness and workout and eating clean, discipline is crucial. Together with the patience. 

So what is my biggest motivation? First comes being healthy, that’s obvious. Other than that, I have two huge motivations. One is when I see progress. Both, in my body and strength. And the second thing is when what I do motivate someone else. That is the sweetest thing! And everyone can do that. Every person can be someone else’s motivation. 

What motivates you? I would love to know! Please let me know in the comments below. :)

TRAIN!

The only thing that stands between who you are and who you wanna be is YOU.

So move out of your way!

 

 

 

MOVE OF THE WEEK: 45-degree twist

Start your 6 pack abs training today!

Grab a medicine ball and sit on the floor. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, put your heels on the floor, and hold the ball with both hands in front of your chest. Without lifting or moving your legs, rotate the ball and your torso to the right. Then reverse direction, rotating all the way to the left. That's 1 repetition. Do 3 sets with 20 reps per set. If you want to make it more difficult keep your legs off the floor at all times. If you are beginner start with light ball and then slowly increase the weight.

EGG

Eggs. I love them! They are not only tasty, low calorie food but they have so many health benefits! Unfortunately, the eggs have been suffering bad reputation for so many years, that even now when many researches proved their actual benefits to our health, people still believe the myth that they should avoid them. This misconception is mainly due to the belief that the cholesterol in egg yolks raises blood cholesterol. NOT TRUE! The truth is that there is no direct connection between the amount of cholesterol you eat and the concentration of cholesterol in your blood. 

According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no significant link between egg consumption and heart disease. In fact, according to one study, regular consumption of eggs may help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks. 

 

So what are the benefits? Since this is a fitness blog, the first thing I have to mention is that one large egg has only about 77 calories and makes you full for long! That makes the eggs great food for weightloss and weight management. Egg also contains high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids. Other than that, eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D, vitamin B12 (that makes your hair and nails strong) and choline for good nervous and cardiovascular systems health. Some studies show that they might even reduce the risk of breast cancer. 

 

 

 

 

So have you had your egg today?

GYM ETIQUETTE

Like anywhere else, manners are important in the gyms too. Show you've got class!

1) Share the equipment
It is for everyone. So don’t sit on the machines while you rest and let others to use it between your sets. It’s not there for your comfy seating while you are on the phone. Let others to do what they came to do too.

2) Keep your sweat to yourself 

Wipe the machines and benches with a towel after use. I know, we all sweat in the gym and that’s fine but it’s quite gross lying in someone else’s pool of sweat.  

3) Unload the weight bar 

Well, maybe not everyone can lift the same weight plate you can, so it would just great if you could leave the bar clean. 

4) Put the weights where they belong 

I hate running around gym looking for something I need and cannot find, don’t you? You don’t make mess at your house so why to make it in the gym?  

5) No blocking of the water fountain please 

Just drink your water and go. Don’t make everyone behind you wait until you catch your breath.

6) Mind your body odour 

I know this sounds obvious but trust me, my experience says otherwise. Please, for Gods’ sake please, wear clean clothes. There is nothing worse than one week old sweat smell.

And just something extra at the end – please be nice to others, don’t stare, don’t laugh, keep in mind that everyone had started once, even you, so don’t discourage people. Gym is a happy place and let’s keep it that way.

Lovely fit day all!

MOVE OF THE WEEK – Single leg bridge

This is very powerful exercise. Hardens and strengthens your gluteus muscles and hamstrings and works your core as you need to contract both your abdominals and lower back muscles. 

Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Then extend one leg until is level with the bent leg. Using your gluts muscles raise your hips up, only your upper back and shoulders remain on the ground. Pause for two seconds and then slowly lower until your hips just lightly touch the ground without resting them and go back up again. Keep your core activated all the time and don’t let your hips sag. Do 3 sets with 15 repetitions on each leg.

THE ONLY ONE WHO MATTERS IS YOU!

"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Roosevelt

IT NEVER GETS EASIER, YOU JUST GET STRONGER

IF YOU DO WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE, YOU'LL ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT. IF WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING, DO SOMETHING ELSE.

 

 

 

YOU DECIDE.....

You are the sculptor and your body is your statue. How it looks depends only on you, on the work you have done on it and on the work you will do. Shape your body to your liking, shape your statue. It is completely in your hands. You are the sculptor.

THE WEIGHTLOSS MISTAKES YOU ARE MAKING.....

......that are slowing your progress down.

  
1) YOU ARE NOT EATING NATURAL FOODS 

It’s not only about calories in – calories out. If you eat processed food you are eating refined flour and sugar that spikes your insulin levels and causes your body to store more fat. And you would be maybe surprised but sugar is in almost every processed food. Always read the labels! 

  
2) YOU STOP TRYING TOO SOON 

Don’t expect to see results overnight, maybe not even in first two weeks. Things need time but eventually they will start to happen. Just be patient and stay on it. Once you start to see the results the whole thing will get much easier. But be patient at first! Don’t quit if you don’t see the results right away. You are not a quitter! I like to tell my clients to think of the weightloss as of a train. Your train was riding full speed in “ the fat gain direction”. Now you want to stop it and change to “the weightloss direction”. To stop the train in full speed is not so easy right? You ARE able to stop it and reverse but not instantly this second. It takes time and effort. But once you are going the right way.....what a feeling! :)

  
3) YOU ARE NOT FOCUSING ON BUILDING MUSCLES 

I don’t wanna hear it ladies! No, lifting weights will not make you bulky. If building huge muscles was so easy gyms would be full of Hulks and Supermen. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Muscles are important in weightloss as the body needs quite a lot of energy to maintain them. That means the more muscles you have the more calories you burn even if you are only sitting on the couch. And trust me, muscles look way better than fat. And a bonus – after a weightlifting session your metabolism stays elevated up to 48 hours. That is 2 days!!!

Girls if you are worried about getting too muscly read:
The bulk up myth 

  
4) YOU EAT TOO LITTLE 

Less is not always more. If you eat too little for too long your body will slow down your metabolism and weightloss will get much harder if not impossible. Yes you have to be in caloric deficit but only slight one so you don’t switch your body to starvation mode.

How to eat to get lean here:
The manual to lean body 

  
5) YOU WORKOUT TOO MUCH 

Too much exercise can be stressful for your body and you can burn out and lose your motivation. Exercise is good but don’t forget everything in life needs to be in balance. Make sure you get enough rest so your body can recover so you don’t lose your strength and don’t over train yourself. Balance is the key. 

  
6) YOU STRESS YOURSELF 

If you stress yourself about your weight and weightloss your body produces too much of hormone cortisol which can not only to make you gain weight but also affects where your body store this extra fat. High cortisol levels make you put on weight around your waist and this is even more dangerous than weight gain on your hips. Visceral fat is strongly linked to the development of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and strokes. Let the weightloss be only music in the background and focus your mind on getting healthy and having fun while working out instead.

More on the danger of abdominal obesity here:
Why is beer belly more deadly than you think 

  
7) YOU DRINK TOO MANY CALORIES 

Fizzy drinks, canned juices, fresh juices, sport drinks, sweetened coffees, teas with sugar ...do I really need to explain? Stay away from sugary drinks and drink water, unsweetened herbal teas, green tea or water with fresh mint leaves and a slice of lemon. You would be surprised how many empty calories you drink. 

And the most important at the end: you must understand that getting lean and staying lean is not about temporary changes but about LIFESTYLE CHANGE. But worth it.

MOVE OF THE WEEK - Bent leg kickbacks

Hi everybody!
From this week I’m starting new series with exercises. Every Monday I’ll post one exercise for different body part so you can try it out. Follow me and you will be able to build up full body routine without getting bored. :) 

The bent leg kickbacks are great for working out your gluteus maximus which is in other words your butt. Who doesn’t like nice rounded and lifted back side? You can do them without weight or you can strap weight to your ankle and basically anywhere you are.

To start get on all fours on the floor. Keep your back straight, your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees right under your hips. Raise one leg and bend it 90 degrees with your feet flexed. Now raise it as high as you can and slowly bring it down but don’t touch the ground. Your feet must be flexed all the time and the leg needs to be in 90 degree angle all the time for the exercise to be effective. To do this exercise in correct way you must be bringing your leg up by squeezing your butt. Do not over push. Go only as high until you can keep the 90 degree angle. Do 3 sets with 20 repetitions on each leg. 

Have fun and dont forget to subscribe to get fit with me!

MOTIVATION

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.


Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.

 

 

JUICY BEEF SALAD WITH PEANUTS

Beef tenderloin is very good source of lean protein. I love this salad! It is one of my preferred me meals on my low calorie days. It does not compromise the taste yet it is low in carbs and not caloric. And very quick to do. You can prepare the beef in advance and just quickly fry it on pan for great dinner in minutes. Try it, you will love it!

You need:
Beef tenderloin 

Fresh chilli 

Garlic 

Soya sauce 

Chinese cooking wine (optional) 

Starch 

Peanut oil 

Mixed green salad 

Peanuts 

Sweet chilli sauce 

Spring onions 

Red onion (¼) 

Cucumber 

Fish sauce 

Lime 

Sesame oil

Start with preparing the marinade. Wash the chilli, clean it from the seeds and chop. I highly recommend you use rubber gloves for this step. Put in a bowl together with finely chopped garlic, just a little bit of soya sauce, a splash of Chinese cooking wine and little of starch (careful with the amount). Slice the beef the thinnest slices you can do. The thinner the better, the more taste it will absorb. Just put it all together and mix it well in a bowl. Leave it for 15 minutes. The beef should not be covered in sauce, you have to make and use just a small amount of marinade otherwise you will make the beef too salty (if you use too much of soya sauce). 

Meanwhile wash the salad and put it in a big salad bowl. Slice the cucumbers, red onion and spring onions and put it all together with the greens. Mix together small amount of sweet chilli sauce, splash of fish sauce, few drops of sesame oil and juice from one small lime for the dressing. Mix well with the salad.

Put some peanut oil in a hot pan and stir-fry the beef in bunches. Place it on the top of the salad and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

And you are done!

Bon appetite!

THE MANUAL .....or How to eat to get lean

The question I have been asked the most for last couple of years is how one should eat when trying to lose weight. As for everything else in life, there are different opinions and beliefs out there. I’m going to give you mine.

I’m not a dietician nor am I a fan of any particular “diet”. What am I about to write here is based on years of my own experience and my experience with other people. It works for me and it worked for everyone else who followed my advice so far. Obviously, I did not come up with this myself, I have learned it from other people who I respect deeply and who are from the industry. It is based only on understanding how the human body works and on common sense. This is not a diet; it is a lifestyle. So when I write or say the word “diet” I don’t mean any actual diet but the food one eats in general. Just to be clear :)

The first thing that needs to be mentioned is that you have to look at the whole nutrition thing from two points of view. The first is obvious – calories in/calories out. This is very simple and everyone knows this well. If you are trying to lose weight you have to be in a caloric deficit - that means you have to consume fewer calories than you actually ‘burn’. But be careful here! More does not always mean better. If the deficit is too big for too long your body will slow down the metabolism in order to survive better, so it will be actually harder to lose fat. Or what can happen is that if you don’t consume enough protein and don’t strength train you will be losing your muscles instead of fat. Muscles are bigger energy consumers so if they are not needed (and if you don’t challenge them enough, they are not needed) your body will reduce them so it will save on the energy expenditure. But you don’t want that. Muscles are what shapes your body, what makes your bones healthy; they are good thing to have. So remember, caloric deficit yes – but not drastic. If you are not trying to lose weight your calories in and calories out need to be in balance. So this is the first thing everyone needs to keep in mind.

Now the second part. What I am going to describe here is only simplified biochemistry. Explained in simple words; it is how our body processes different macronutrients in different ways. So we have proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Let’s start with carbs. They are the fuel for everything we do so they are very important. They are being stored in form of glycogen in our muscles (about 300g) and in our liver (about 100g) for the immediate energy. When you eat carbs and don’t burn them with activity they can be relatively easily converted into fat and stored (the muffin tops, the belly, you name it). Therefore the key here is to keep the carbohydrates intake in check. So how to do that? Be clever about when, how much and in what form you eat them. Let’s get little deeper here. When you exercise the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver is being used. So the food you eat right after your workout should include some carbohydrates because the used up glycogen needs to be replenished. If you don’t do this it is very likely the next time you work out you won’t have enough energy. Hence your post workout meal is the best time to eat your carbs. For the rest of the day try to avoid them. As I said before, if not used up they are easily stored as fat (now we don’t want that, do we?).

Let’s talk about fat. Fat is important for you but you have to watch the amount you consume. Some of the vitamins are only fat-soluble, hormones are being transported with fat, fat is important for the proper function of your nervous system. But too much of fat is bad for your waist. Fat is fat so it does not have to be converted into fat for storage, because it is already fat :). So if not used up, the simplest thing your body can do is store it......and we are back to the muffin tops here :).

Protein on the other hand is very difficult and energy demanding to transform into fat and store. The body will do that only in extreme situations. That almost never happens. So what if you eat more protein than you can use? The unused protein will travel straight through your gut, and go down the toilet. :) Protein is the building block of your body. It is extremely important for your muscles- for build up and repair. You should eat protein every day. The other great thing about protein is that unlike the carbohydrates it provides very good satiety. That means it will keep you full for longer. And you will not get fat from protein.

So these are the basics. Now, let’s put it all together. You need to eat all of the macronutrients, but you have to be smart about the timings and of course the amounts. Your post workout meal should consist of carbs (to replenish the used up glycogen), proteins (to repair the muscles) and fats and of course vegetables. The rest of the day focus on proteins with vegetables. There are plenty of ways how to do that. Eat lean meat, poultry, eggs, cottage cheese and make sure that half of your plate are vegetables. After meal like this you will not be hungry. If you are increase your protein intake. This post workout meal should make about 70% of your daily calorie intake. On your rest days this should be your first meal that day. For the rest of the day eat proteins with vegetables and skip the carbs.

Now let’s talk the treats. I know everyone needs a treat every now and then. It is not so bad if it is occasional and the portions are limited. And by occasional I don’t mean every other day. :) The rule is 80:20. Eat clean 80% of the time. The 20% are your treats (or less if you wish). For the treat have whatever you fancy but watch the portion. Anyway, you are doing this for yourself so you don’t want to cheat yourself. The occasional cheat meal will restart your motivation and reset your will. My best advice is to have your cheat meal after your workout, not on your rest day. This limits the damage. But I cannot stress the word OCCASIONAL enough.

What to do if you have cravings? Nothing. They will subside. If you were used do eat sweets every day, most likely you will crave sweets. It’s a habit. We are creatures of habits. Wait one week, you will see the cravings disappear. Meanwhile, try to occupy your mind with something. Call a friend, go for a walk or to gym. Brush your teeth. Anything. Just get busy. The pleasure of eating let’s say a chocolate bar lasts for minutes, but the body you have you have all year long, all day every day. Is the few minutes’ pleasure worth it?

What if you are hungry between the meals? Have few almonds (10-15 pieces) and drink large glass of water. Wait few minutes and you will see the hunger gone. Or have some cheese or some other protein.

Fruit needs to be discussed too. Yes, it is healthy and full of vitamins but it is also fructose. Fructose is very simple form of sugar that can be digested very fast, makes your blood sugar spike high fast, your insulin go high and that is easily stored as fat if not used up. Not every kind fruit is the same of course but in general be careful with fruits. Eat them after your workout only.

The last thing to talk about is the simple refined sugar. Avoid it all together if you can. (Ok, I remember, the treats, that 20%. :) But other than that don’t eat it at all.) Sugar will make you fat. That’s a fact. You don’t need simple sugar in your diet. You get enough of carbohydrates, way better and more valuable carbohydrates, from potatoes, rice, legumes. Table sugar is highly processed and, other than making you fat, it will make your skin look old too.

So here it is. It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. It is very easy to follow, as I said before, we are creatures of habits. You will not lose 10 kgs in a month but you will lose fat. As I always say – diet is 70% of the success. So combine this with exercise and you will get the body you have always wanted. Because this is how the body works.

I have been diagnosed with insulin resistance few years back. Insulin resistance is a metabolic disorder. Except of other symptoms I have gained a lot of weight in a very short time. My body was not functioning properly and I was not able to lose weight at all. I had terrible cravings too. This way of eating helped me (together with intermittent fasting) to get my body back in order. It is sustainable lifestyle without yoyo effects that leaves you energised. I’m not a dietician, I’m not giving you diet plan. I’m only a girl that has tried it all. On herself. :)

The Myth: You need to work extremely hard to lose weight

Many people believe that if they want to lose weight they need to work out at the highest intensities they can. Run the fastest, workout the hardest. But actually the high intensity workout is more beneficial to your heart health and strength then to your weight loss. Don’t get me wrong – the high intensity workout is great, it will make you one though cookie :), but for the weight loss is actually more effective if you do your exercise somewhere between 60 – 70% of your maximum effort. At this rate your body is using mostly your fat as fuel. So if you are trying to lose weigh the key is to stay within this intensity and rather for longer time. Not bad right?

So the myth? Busted!