I feel like you promote being thin and twig-like more than being healthy and fit

Guess you haven’t read my FAQ :)

First of all… YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE, YOU LOSE OVERALL BODY FAT. YOU CANNOT LOSE IT SPECIFICALLY FROM ONE AREA, OR MORE FROM ONE AREA THAN ANOTHER.

Q. How do I lose weight/get fit?

A. Eat healthy, clean, natural, unprocessed foods mainly, with treats in moderation. Also do cardio — hiit/interval or long distance/endurance (ex. running, biking, brisk walking, elliptical machine, stairmaster jumping rope, swimming, zumba) and strength training or weight lifting (pilates, yoga, or exercises like squats, lunges, pushups, crunches, planks, side lunges, side crunches, side planks, leg lifts, leg raises, deadlifts, etc.) for 30+ mins a day at least 3x a week. Make it a lifestyle, not a 4-week fad diet plan :) Don’t look for a quick fix, it’s a process that takes time, but it’s 100% worth it in the end! Sometimes though, it’s hard to get into it that much right in the beginning so instead of going into it full force, maybe start out by just going on brisk walks every other day and doing a few strength training exercises (squats lunges pushups crunches etc.) here and there to ease yourself into it :) & Make little goals for yourself food-wise each week, like for ex. no pop for the week, next week 2 balanced meals a day, 2 litres of water a day, dessert only twice etc. until you’re eating mainly healthy with treats in moderation :) Goodluck

Q. When should I weigh myself?

A. Only weigh yourself every week or so. Otherwise it’s just silly and you’ll stress yourself out because your weight goes up and down so frequently. The only time you should weigh yourself is in the morning, after you’ve gone to the bathroom, and before you’ve eaten or drank anything. NEVER weigh yourself the day after a binge or when you’re sore.

Q. Should I count calories?

A. It is not necessary. Sometimes it’s good for some people, I like to off and on, but some people get really obsessed and focus so much on calories and become restrictive and that’s NOT GOOD! I think it can be good at the beginner to teach you about what’s in food (also tracking macros) and making sure you’re eating ENOUGH! You should be eating your TDEE (Google search “how to find my TDEE”), then subtract 500 if you’re trying to lose weight :)

Q. How do I get a thigh gap?

A. DON’T MAKE A THIGH GAP YOUR GOAL. not all body types can have a thigh gap! Thigh gaps are based mainly on your bone structure and body type. Recently, I saw a pic of a girl who had a less toned tummy and was bigger than me, but she had a thigh gap and I don’t, because of my pear shape. Don’t make a thigh gap your goal, just try to be the fittest you that you can be!

You can slim your legs by eating healthy, doing long endurance/distance cardio and strength training like pilates, yoga, or moves like squats lunges donkey kicks etc. to lean out your legs and body. :)

Q. I’ve been working out like crazy and eating really healthy, but I haven’t lost any weight. Why is that?

A. Don’t judge your progress by the scale — muscle weighs more than fat! Instead, look in the mirror, take progress pics, and use a tape measurer :) You also may have plateaued! Try changing your routine up and make it different and harder so it challenges your body more x

Q. How do I lose that lower belly pooch/how do I get a toned tummy?

A. Eat really clean, drink lots of water & green tea, and exercise (cardio & strength or weight training) regularly! Make sure you also do lower ab exercises like reverse crunches, leg lifts, leg raises, etc. that really target that area :) You could also check out my Ab Workout video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz_zb04l5Qs ps don’t feel bad you have that pooch, it’s one of the hardest parts to get rid of!

Q. I just binged and I feel bad. What do I do?

A. DON’T LET THIS MAKE YOU GIVE UP! Continue your day on as normal and don’t let it define your day — try to workout as you normally would. It’s just 1 day, it’s not going to mess you up! Next time you’re about to binge, remind yourself of your goals and how binging won’t bring you any closer to them.  Remember how you’re feeling now and next time you go to binge, think of how you’d feel if you did it again. Good luck :) x Drinking lots of water can also really help debloat ♡

Q. How do I make my legs/thighs smaller?

A. Eat healthy, and do long endurance/distance cardio without a super high incline/restistance, and do strength training like Pilates, Yoga, or exercises like squats lunges etc. without super super heavy weights :) You’ll be “skinny” overall, NOT just in your legs, because as previously mentioned, you cannot spot reduce!

Q. I’m however many inches tall and however much weight, what’s a healthy weight for me and/or how much should I lose?

A. I couldn’t tell you that! There are so many different body types, bone structures, and muscle weighs more than fat, so there is no specific weight that you should be to be considered ‘healthy’! Stop listening to the scale and determine your progress by what you see in the mirror, progress pictures, and measurements :) Just be focused on getting fit and healthy. If you eat right and exercise regularly, you are healthy! The weight will come off itself and it’ll go down to what it needs to :) goodluck! x

Q. What’s your story?

A. It took me 4 months to lose 30lbs, but this was 3 years ago and I was calorie restricting and not caring about the actual nutrition in food. I worked out approx 2 hours a day 6x a week which consisted of 50 mins of biking, (can’t remember but i think some elliptical), and 45 mins of pilates. After losing the 30 lbs, I slipped away from exercising and calorie restricting so I was just eating bad and binging and not exercising for over approx. a year. I gained back 10lbs and it brought me to 120. Since the fall this year, I have started eating healthy with treats in moderation and I exercise by doing cardio and I took up weight lifting and I went down to 110lbs, have gained more muscle and I look better than I ever did when I was 110lbs and calorie restricting.

Soooooo the lesson is, just eat healthy with treats in moderation, and exercise regularly (cardio and strength or weight training) for sustainable, awesome, life long results :)

Q. How do you reduce/get rid of cellulite?

A. Clean balanced healthy eating, lots of water, and lots of weight lifting and/or strength training especially targeting that area, and cardio to burn the fat! :) Weight lifting has personally helped me so much. Every day that I lift, I see reduction in my cellulite!

Q. How do I get a bigger/perkier/lifted/rounder bum?

A. A combo of squats, lunges, deadlifts, donkey kicks, stiff legged deadlifts, front squats, sumo squats, jump squats, plyometrics, side lunges, hip thrusts, cable kicks, bridges, etc. — especially with weights! :)

Q. What if I can’t get to a gym, and just want to workout at home?

A. Check out Insanity, 30 Day Shred, Pilates DVDs, Yoga DVDs, workout videos on youtube (for ex. Zuzka Light, Blogilates, Tone it up girls etc.), make your own HIIT cardio workout (jumping jacks, mountain climbers etc.) inside, jump rope inside or outside, run outside, bike outside, do body weight strength training, and DIY weight lifting (for ex. fill backpack w/ sand or books, milk jugs w/ water, etc.). :) things like that! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

Q. Rate my intake?

A. NO. Everyone’s body needs a different amount of food, and I don’t want to judge how much you eat because everyone needs a different amount of food for their body. Just make sure that you have balanced meals and snacks (protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and fruits/veggies), and listen to your body & eat until you’re pleasantly full, not stuffed :) MAKE SURE YOU EAT ENOUGH!

Q. How much weight can I lose in *this* amount of time?

A. The average amount of weight to lose is approx. 1-2lbs a week, but every body takes a different amount of time to lose weight and reacts different to weight loss. Just try to do your personal best :) The number on the scale doesn’t matter anyways, if you’re eating right and exercising properly, then you’re doing amazing!

Q. How do you get rid of bloat/water weight?

A. Eating clean unprocessed foods (small but frequent meals throughout the day), drinking lots of water and green tea, exercising :). I’ve also heard the sauna helps! x

Q. What app do you use to record your daily intake and exercise?

A. “Lose It!” and “Fitocracy”.

Q. Should I do cardio, or weights/strength first?

A. ALWAYS WEIGHTS/STRENGTH. All professional weight lifters weight lift first. Think of it this way: imagine trying to squat 50lbs right after running 4 miles — it’s just not going to happen. You’d wear yourself out with the cardio, and not be able to do your maximum for strength training or weight lifting. & gaining muscle is so important, so that’s not good!! :) It also helps warm up your muscles for cardio i’ve noticed xx

Q. How do I get bigger boobs?

A. Boob job ;P. but no seriously, that’s the only way to increase your breast tissue size, besides genetics! Certain exercises like chest flies, push-ups, bench press etc. however, work the muscles underneath your boobies and can help perk and push them up to make them appear larger! :3 But no, no exercise can actually increase the size of the breast tissue, sorry! (i’m sad about it too lol)

Q. How do I get into weight lifting/how do I make a routine?

A. My father was personally really into weightlifting, so he showed me his routine & I built off of it and went from there. bodybuilding.com however, can really help you create a routine for yourself for different parts of your body :) Definitely check it out!! Google overall can really help lol :) Take the time and you could definitely create an effective routine. Don’t try to lift SUPER heavy on your first time, ease yourself into it, you don’t want to injure yourself. Learn your limits — start out small and build up from there! Make sure you control the weights, don’t let the weights control you. What I mean by this, is lift slowly and controlled with proper form so that you work the muscles properly and get maximum results and don’t pull anything in your body :). Also, talking to a trainer at your gym could definitely help!

Q. How do I start running?

A. First of all I just want to say.. Jogging is not the only form of exercising! If it’s not something you enjoy, that doesn’t mean that you’re a failure and you’ll never be fit. There’s so many different forms of exercise and cardio :)

But anywaysRealize you won’t be a marathoner when you start! Start out slow as ease yourself into it. I’d suggest first doing walking and jogging intervals and each time jog a little bit more :) take long deep breaths not quick short ones! & pace yourself, don’t try to go super fast. Unless you’re wanting to do sprints. Also I’ve found that doing strength training or weight lifting before, warms me up for the cardio :)

Q. How do I get motivation for exercise?

A. Searching for motivation is stupid and wastes time. Get up, and get the work done. JUST DO IT! Finding a form of exercise you actually enjoy might make it easier though :)