My List of Top Tips

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Hey y'all! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Found this tank top on Performance Ready the other day and I am ordering immediately. :) Hee hee. Cute, huh? Hopefully it won't offend anyone if they just see the front! :)

Today I have a few small goals: get in a kick ass leg workout and catch up on all my blogs. I was SLAMMED at work this week and didn't have many opportunities to catch up on my blog peeps so today will be a big one. May also vlog later today or tomorrow got some stuff to say, yo!

Cynthia (Visionquester) posted a list on her subscriber only blog (a definite MUST subscribe if you don't already) with her "best dieting tips" and I was inspired to share my tips with you guys and perhaps ALL of us can share our tips! Hint, hint. :) I do have one caveat, MOST of you know all this stuff so forgive me if it is boring...what I hope is that there will be a nugget or two that each of you find helpful. :)

So...without further ado, here are my top tips for eating right and working out:

1.Be prepared! Always.

Being prepared applies to both eating AND to working out. With eating, you should never leave your house if you plan to be gone for more than an hour without food. It is as simple as bringing a bar or RTD shake or throwing a tupperware with cottage cheese and an apple in your bag. Start your day or end your day getting all your food ready for the following day. Even if you do food prep on the weekends, you obviously will need to do some daily prep.

Make sure you have a food storage system that works for you. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Stax System. It comes with an ice pack, containers for your food and it all fits together is a super smart way. Even comes with a timer so you can remind yourself (if your tummy doesn't) to eat.

Also be prepard for your workouts! Don't walk into the gym without knwoing what you are goign to do. Write out your workouts.

2. Begin With the End in Mind

Set your goals for the year, break them down into monthly and weekly goals and then make sure that EVERY day you are reviewing your goals and incorporating little daily steps towards achieving your goals. This is KEY to success.

3. Turkey Burgers Are Awesome!

On Sundays, I take 2lbs of ground white turkey breast, 1/2 cup oats, 2 egg whites and a packet of powdered ranch dressing and mix it all up. I break out the George Foreman and cook up about 15 or so 3.5 OZ turkey burgers. I throw them in a zip lock and they are consistenly one of my favorite things to eat throughout the week. They are also super portable and not bad cold. So if I am in a rush or pinched on time, I just eat one cold with my fingers. They are great with a slice of pepper jack cheese or with Frank's Red Hot hot sauce.

4. Hardboiled Eggs are Great Snacks

On Sundays while I am working my mojo on turkey breasts, I also boil a huge pot of hard boiled eggs. My friend Amber got me a hard boiled egg maker for my bday and so now I use it but regardless by end of food prep on Sunday, I have 30 hard boiled eggs. I usually put them in a huge tupperware (not peeled - I find they peel better after being refridgerated) and then when I get home from work and am starving - reaching for some type of snacky, I grab 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, spray them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and I am all set! Yummy.

5. Magic Bullets, George Foreman, Egg Makers, Crock Pots and Steamers and More are Your Friends!

All of these tools will make life easier and food taste better. Why torture yourself with nasty chicken breast and all of the hassles of steaming veggies when there all all these tools out there to help make your life easier. I love the Magic Bullet - it is great for making shakes or oatmeal/egg white pancakes.

6. Order Appetizers when Eating Out

There is a restuarant we go to usually twice a month and I am not in love with anything on their menu (except the $37 Fillet) and so I order two appetizers and a side salad. It is probably about 400 calories and I am never overly full. Plus when you get your bill, you will be much happier.

7. Workout in the Mornings

Unless you are 100%, absolutely, dilligently committed to working out at night and have no problem making your workouts, I recommend the early mroning workout. A couple of things happen when you workout in the morning...first you give your metabolism a SUPER awesome jump start. When you wake up, your metabolism is at its lowest from you sleeping all night. Working out kicks it in gear. Secondly, your workout is DONE for the day. Done. Unless you want to do abs or more cardio or whatever later (which is all just a bonus). And your energy level is super high all day long.

This is more for people who have full time jobs or just a lot on their plate during the day but for me it is a lifesaver.

8. Be Good to Yourself

Reward yourself for acheiving a goal. Buy yourself that _______ you have been wanting. But more importantly - TALK TO YOURSELF LIKE YOU WOULD YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND. Be encouraging, give yourself credit for what you DO not what you DON'T do. Call out your assets. Focus on your positives.

9. Track Your Stats and Take Pictures!

I can't stress enough how much I recommend this! It isn't fun in the beginning of the process but it is SO much fun in the end or when you are ready to go back and do it all over again. Trust me, you will want to know what your waist measured 6 weeks into contest prep the next time you go through it. And you will want to see that your biceps have grown 1.25 inches in a year. But don't obsess - weigh or measure yourself once a week - don't become obsessive with daily measurements - losing 3lb in two days can simply be water weight.

10. BE CONSISTENT!

You can't do something for a week and expect results. Commit to something - a new workout plan, a new diet or a new program for AT LEAST a month. If you give up after a week you will never really know if it worked of if you just gave up too soon. Remember how long it takes for a farmer to get his field ready, for corn to grow and crops to be harvested - a long time.

11. Wiegh Your Food/Know Portions

Cynthia also mentioned this one and it is so important. People overeat all the time.

12. Keep a Log Book for Food and Workouts

See #9, when you go to do this again, you will want to know what you ate and how you worked out. Trust me on this one....it's like being a scientist. You can't expect to repeat an experiement if you didn't write down what you did the first time.

13. You CAN Eat at Fast Food Restaurants

Look, there are healthy food choices at almost every fast food restaurant out there. Period. So, if you have left your house without rule #1, don't go five or six hours without eating just because you are freaked out about clean food. Get familiar with fast food restaurant menus so you KNOW the stats of the healthy stuff. Buy the Eat This, Not That book and know what a healthy choice looks like. Order it here.



And if you don't know what to order because you haven't checked out menus or read something, order a grilled chicken breast or a salad with grilled chicken breast. You can make smart choices. You are in control of you.

14. Tell Everyone You Know Your Goals

My hubby kind of made fun of me when I decided to compete because I told so many people. But I did that because I wanted everyone to know so I they would hold me accountable and wouldn't be offended if I didn't go to brunch and stayed home to workout instead. When everyone knows your goals, they give you support and drive you to reach your goals. You also inspire people when they see you working towards a goal.

15. Don't Be a Perfectionist

This is one that I used to struggle with OFTEN. I usually like to have about 75 to 90 minutes for a workout - that is an ideal situation. So often times if I don't have a full 75 or 90 minutes I would just bail on the workout. Now I get in what I can when I can. Maybe I only have 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes over lunch and 20 minutes when I get one. I will do a body part in the morning, cardio over lunch and a body part at night. Make it work. Fit it in. Even little bursts of activity make a difference. Make it a part of what you do. Walking my dog has always felt like a burden to me - wasted time - but know I make it a leg toning exercise. Eat step I take is a hard core isometric move. I squeeze my butt and hamstrings and quads - I make the 20 minute walk work for me (and the doggie!). Trust me on this...once you let go and just make it a part of everything you do, you will notice how easy it becomes.

Allright guys, time for me to go blow up. I do help my list was helpful in some small way for some of you. I know we probably all know all this stuff but sometimes seeing it written out helps. Who will be the next blogger to make their list???? That's a CHALLENGE folks!

I am doing my first true cardio session later today with Amber - doggie run around the lake so wish me luck! :)

Love you guys!
Jess