Health And Fitness Tips
1) Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day.
2) Take a multivitamin and a fish oil supplement every day.
3) Give your food time to digest and control your portions. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.
4) Focus on lean meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and little to no sugar.
5) Fad diets do not work. You may initially lose some weight, but in the end, you’ll gain it back and more. No fad diet will ever do what a consistent healthy diet does.
6) Mix it up. Eat a variety of foods. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, taste the rainbow. Green smoothies are a great way to get a good portion of your fruits and vegetables, phytonutrients, and antioxidants for the day. Green and red supplements are also helpful here.
7) Don’t be fooled by late night infomercials and weight loss contestant shows. There is a lot of “extra” that you don’t see upfront. There are no shortcuts, magic pills, or special pieces of equipment that can replace a healthy diet and consistent exercise.
8) If you travel often, bring healthy snacks and meals. Low sugar protein bars, bananas, mixed nuts, and trail mix are all good choices.
9) If you have junk in the house, you will eat junk. Don’t buy it. Problem solved.
10) Do some sort of exercise each day. Get out and move. Even if that means just walking somewhere rather than driving.
11) Prepare healthy meals at the beginning of each week that can be stored in the fridge for easy access later. Quinoa, chicken, and vegetables are all quick and easy to make. This eliminates guesswork or resorting to unhealthy food later because you weren’t prepared and pressed for time.
12) Try to eat from each food group and do not eliminate a macronutrient (carbohydrates, protein, fat) for any reason. A lower-carb diet is what most people need but don’t know it. A no-carb diet is what no one needs….don’t try it. Your body needs carbohydrates for energy. Cutting them out completely can cause mood swings, hunger, disrupted sleep, and low energy among other things.
13) Allow for a few “cheat meals” or a “cheat day” throughout the week. Try to apply the “80/20 rule” to your health. 80% of the time: eat healthy, exercise, and work hard. 20% of the time: live a little. If you’ve put in the work, enjoy something that may not be the healthiest option from time to time, it won’t kill you.
14) Weigh yourself weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, not everyday. Always do this in the morning on an empty stomach with the same scale to avoid inaccuracies. Do not obsess over the scale. Food and water during the course of the day can add up to 5 lbs. The ultimate goal is to create healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle.
15) Don’t think that because you had one bad meal, you might as well have a bad day. It happens. No one has a perfect diet. Not even professional athletes. Brush it off and get back on track.
16) There are no shortcuts. Don’t be unrealistic. It took some time to put that weight on, it will take some time to get it off. Focus on building consistent habits both with exercise and healthy eating. Be patient. In the beginning, you will trade burned body fat for the muscle you are building. Because of this, you won’t see much movement on the scale. You will, however, notice that your clothes may start fitting a little differently as your body composition changes.
17) Avoid soda, both regular and diet. They hold no nutritional value. High fructose corn syrup should be avoided at all costs. There are plenty of studies linking HFCS to obesity, diabetes, and weight gain. In addition, there is nothing healthy about food dyes, chemicals and artificial sweeteners.
18) Keep fruit juice to a minimum. It is very high in sugar, which spikes insulin, raises blood sugar, and triggers fat storage. Eat whole fruits and make green smoothies instead.
19) Avoid processed foods. They contain all kinds of additives and preservatives. This includes frozen dinners, boxed and canned foods. Eat whole natural foods that have not been altered instead. If there is no label on it, it is probably a whole food.
20) Get in the habit of reading nutrition labels. Be conscious of what you are putting in your body.
21) Fitness is 70% diet, 30% exercise. You can spend all the time you want in the gym but it is time wasted if you are not eating right. You can’t out train a bad diet.
Recommended Supplements
- Multivitamin
- Fish Oil
- Green Supplement
- Probiotic
- BCAA
There are plenty of nutritional supplement options on the market but they are not all created equal. Pharmaceutical-grade supplements are of higher quality, contain less contaminants, and go through a more stringent process of regulation. I personally recommend Poliquin Group supplements to all of my clients as I have found them to be the best.
Committed To Your Health,
Brian Donovan is a certified fitness and nutrition coach, and the founder of Online Fitness Coach, LLC – an online fitness program where clients get direct coaching and personally tailored training plans and customized meal plans. Coach Brian was voted Chicago’s “Best Personal Trainer” by Chicago Reader magazine, Best Of Chicago 2014 edition. He has been featured in magazines such as Muscle & Fitness, Chicago Reader, Voyage Chicago, and Ezine Articles as well various health and fitness blogs.
P.S. Do you have a question on training or nutrition? Lucky for you, those just happen to be my favorite subjects. Send an email to [email protected], I promise I’ll respond within 48 hours.
P.P.S. Whenever you feel like you need a hand… here are 3 ways I can help you get leaner, stronger, and start transforming your body.
1. Join our FREE Facebook Group
Connect with others on the same journey as you. Inside of our community we debunk health and fitness myth’s, post free workouts, healthy recipes, and other useful tips for losing weight or increasing muscle.
2. Join our next 42-Day Challenge
Get direct coaching, a personalized training and nutrition plan, weekly check-ins, and access to a private Facebook challenge group. Learn how to burn fat healthily and get lean without going on any restrictive diets or giving up the foods you love.
3. Work with me privately in my VIP Program
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