Our job as Fitness Professionals is to help clients reach specific health and fitness goals. A majority of those goals include weight loss and gaining overall strength. “I want this,” *points to stomach*, “gone.” The spare tire, beer belly, muffin top, extra pooch – whatever you call it – I’m going be straight with you. Doing 1,353 crunches will not make it disappear. The secret to a flat stomach comes straight from the kitchen. Of course you still need to work out (I recommend weight lifting and High Intensity Interval Training to blast the belly), but the combination of a clean diet and working out with a Fitness Professional two to three times per week will absolutely give you the results you want. If you start now, imagine what you’ll look like and how you’ll feel once summer rolls around!

If your relationship with food has gotten out of hand – you’re constantly low on energy, your joints ache, you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, you want to do what is best for your body – let me introduce you to the Whole 30. The Whole 30 is a nutritional program that can transform your life in 30 days. From the program’s website: “Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. Read more at: http://whole30.com/step-one/.

Here’s the “catch:”
No dairy. No wheat. No sugar. No legumes. No alcohol.

I know what you’re thinking: “So, what exactly can I eat?!:

Yeah, I get that a lot. An additional challenge that many of you can relate to – I’m a “Pescatarian” (vegetarian who chooses to eat fish/seafood). I eat a lot of vegetables, a lot of high fat foods and protein in the form of eggs and fish.

Here’s an example of my normal nutritional daily intake:
Breakfast: Spinach and tomatoes sautéed in olive oil, two fried eggs and ¼ avocado with salt and pepper; one cup of black coffee (no cream or sugar!)
Snack: Raw cashews, raw almonds, coconut flakes and dried gogi berries.
Lunch: Broccoli and cauliflower covered in homemade “cheese” sauce, apple and La Croix water.
Dinner: Either tuna or fish filet over greens and lots of veggies, homemade mayo, mustard and olives.

Obviously, there are a million variations to what you can eat when you decide to eat whole, but sometimes it helps to have samples. Find recipes from the program here:http://whole30.com/whole30book/.

If you’re thinking ‘NO WAY,’ that’s okay too. You may not be ready right at this moment. But I would highly recommend reading the book, “It Starts with Food.” You can read more about the book or purchase it here: http://whole30.com/itstartswithfood/. The book breaks down nutrition and food information into laymen’s terms to help readers understand how this program can make your body feel amazing (inside and out). I personally love this program because there’s no pressure to buy into any supplements, protein powders, pre- or post-workout drinks. You invest in real, whole foods and ditch the gross, processed, chemically-charged, sugar-ridden foods the food industry has claimed, and the FDA has approved, as “healthy.”

“But I don’t have time to prep food and eat whole.”
Yes, prepping food and eating from “scratch” can be overwhelming and definitely takes more time than running through a drive-thru. I hear this excuse a lot. But remember, you are trying to change your lifestyle and your mindset and your body. It’s all about priorities. If you want to change your body, you have to make changes in your lifestyle. Make your health and your health goals priority and set aside some time to prepare. Sure, it’s easy for me to say. I work at a gym and I don’t have kids or parents I need to take care of, but on the other hand, I work three jobs and I’m in school. My days are typically 15 hours without factoring in homework. How do I do it? I make my health a priority. I’m smart with my free time and I’m queen of leftovers. I keep going because my diet gives me so much energy! I’m currently on day 27 of my second round of the Whole 30 and I feel great.

If you have any questions at all, I love to talk about nutrition or strategies to help you start being more aware of what you’re consuming. You can contact me at the training desk or at ihflindsaydolan@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading and best of luck in your journey to health!