 |  |
Inspire to do more…
As most of you know I entered the Oxygen Magazine Fitness Challenge back in July 15, 2015. The ultimate prize was to win the cover of Oxygen Magazine. I ended up finishing in the top 20 out of 10,000 participants. As much as being on the cover of Oxygen would be a dream come true, that was the farthest thing from my mind when I decided to sign up for the challenge. I wanted to join the contest for 3 main reasons,
Another goal was to complete this challenge without starving myself. I wanted to feel normal and healthy without mood swings and all the other symptoms that come from depleting our bodies. I wasn’t planning on stepping on stage as a ripped fitness competitor, I just wanted to loose body fat and feel great about myself.
WORKING OUT: So this challenge was roughly 90 days. I worked out consistently 3 times per week. Some weeks I was able to get to the gym 4-5 times. I started with 3 weeks of compound movement workouts for 2 muscle groups per day. The next 3 weeks I switched to isolation movements for the same 2 muscle groups. I repeated this cycle once more to equal a total of 12 weeks. I did 30sec-1min cardio intervals between each set for the first 6 weeks. I also tried to complete cardio on off days or on my “4th and 5th” day at the gym if I was able to get there.
NUTRITION: The first thing I did was book an appointment with the nutritionist. This was the key to my success! I received a nutrition plan from Paul (Inspired by Fitness’s nutritionist). I also took the following supplements from ItWorks daily: Thermofit, Formula FF, VitalCore (multivitamin) and Greens to Go Berry Flavour. See below regarding info and my thoughts on my meal plan.
The 1st two months was focused on myself eating the correct amount on carbs, fats, and proteins my body needed daily as well as keeping within my goal calorie intake. Prior to this I already ate healthy, however, I now realized how many carbs, fats and proteins daily my body needs to function at its optimal level. Each meal should also be macro percentage balanced. For the last month we decided to switch up my meal plan to cycle my carbs and fat. This was definitely the most successful however most difficult and demanding option. In one week I had 4 low carb/low fat days, 1 day of high fat/low carb, and 2 days of high carbs/low fat. Protein always remained high throughout the meal plan. The key was to also eat super clean.
Emotionally I felt great and healthy throughout the whole process AND I accomplished all my goals I set out to do. 6 weeks into my challenge I decided to book myself in for a photoshoot to help keep myself accountable to finishing the challenge strong! The more you are accountable to someone or something, the more you are likely to stick to it! ACCOUNTABILITY is the KEY!
As most of you know I entered the Oxygen Magazine Fitness Challenge back in July 15, 2015. The ultimate prize was to win the cover of Oxygen Magazine. I ended up finishing in the top 20 out of 10,000 participants. As much as being on the cover of Oxygen would be a dream come true, that was the farthest thing from my mind when I decided to sign up for the challenge. I wanted to join the contest for 3 main reasons,
- To get myself back into routine with my own workouts. I felt over the previous year I was conducting a lot of classes but I lost my own routine, I lost my strength, and I just didn’t feel like me…I felt a bit lost. My goal was to get at least 3 workouts in for myself each week.
- I wanted to spend more time with my partner Paul. Our passion is weight training and we both enjoy working out together as a team. I also hadn’t worked out with him consistently for a past year and really missed that.
- I wanted to be a prime example for my clients. As a personal trainer, I ask my clients not only to workout but to eat clean as well. Practice what you preach and set by example. No one is perfect, but you must at least strive for it! How can I ask something of my clients if I can’t ask it of myself?
Another goal was to complete this challenge without starving myself. I wanted to feel normal and healthy without mood swings and all the other symptoms that come from depleting our bodies. I wasn’t planning on stepping on stage as a ripped fitness competitor, I just wanted to loose body fat and feel great about myself.
WORKING OUT: So this challenge was roughly 90 days. I worked out consistently 3 times per week. Some weeks I was able to get to the gym 4-5 times. I started with 3 weeks of compound movement workouts for 2 muscle groups per day. The next 3 weeks I switched to isolation movements for the same 2 muscle groups. I repeated this cycle once more to equal a total of 12 weeks. I did 30sec-1min cardio intervals between each set for the first 6 weeks. I also tried to complete cardio on off days or on my “4th and 5th” day at the gym if I was able to get there.
NUTRITION: The first thing I did was book an appointment with the nutritionist. This was the key to my success! I received a nutrition plan from Paul (Inspired by Fitness’s nutritionist). I also took the following supplements from ItWorks daily: Thermofit, Formula FF, VitalCore (multivitamin) and Greens to Go Berry Flavour. See below regarding info and my thoughts on my meal plan.
The 1st two months was focused on myself eating the correct amount on carbs, fats, and proteins my body needed daily as well as keeping within my goal calorie intake. Prior to this I already ate healthy, however, I now realized how many carbs, fats and proteins daily my body needs to function at its optimal level. Each meal should also be macro percentage balanced. For the last month we decided to switch up my meal plan to cycle my carbs and fat. This was definitely the most successful however most difficult and demanding option. In one week I had 4 low carb/low fat days, 1 day of high fat/low carb, and 2 days of high carbs/low fat. Protein always remained high throughout the meal plan. The key was to also eat super clean.
Emotionally I felt great and healthy throughout the whole process AND I accomplished all my goals I set out to do. 6 weeks into my challenge I decided to book myself in for a photoshoot to help keep myself accountable to finishing the challenge strong! The more you are accountable to someone or something, the more you are likely to stick to it! ACCOUNTABILITY is the KEY!
SEE BELOW FOR MEAL PLAN LOGGING!
RSS Feed