Building Endurance

Whether you are just beginning to workout, or you have been working out for a while, building endurance is something all physically active people need and want to do. Sometimes workouts may seem long and grueling at first, but little by little you will begin to start building up stamina as well as endurance by following the steps below. Soon, the 1 mile run becomes a 4 mile run, and you start trimming down and toning up little by little. 

(This is my all time favorite quote. Print it off, and hang it up somewhere you'll see it everyday. This is the best motto of life- whether you're religious or not!)

1.) HIIT it up with interval training. Short bursts of intense exercise spikes your heart rate making your body use more energy (burn more calories) to repair itself. The more HIIT style workouts you do, the faster you will build up endurance. Want more facts on how effective HIIT is? Not only is this one of my favorite websites, but this article explains everything you need to know about HIIT training. Find it here!

2.) Eat. Sleep. Relax. Remember to eat healthy meals and sleep at least 7-9 hours a night as well as setting aside time to relax and connect with yourself. Nothing will hurt your road to fitness more than stress, malnutrition, and lack of sleep. Cutting your recovery time and pushing yourself during a workout are great steps toward having more stamina, however, don’t forget that your body still deserves some R&R paired with a balanced lifestyle to function at its fullest potential.

3.) Get out of the gym as much as you can. Take up hiking, yoga, biking, or swimming instead of going all out at the gym 24/7. As you do more outdoor activities, you will be training your muscles to climb natural hills and use different amounts of energy vs. just steadily being on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical. For example: you do not eat the same food each day… you typically change it up. You want to do this with your workout schedule as well, and a great way to do this is to take your workout outside, or trying something new that you have never done before.

4.) Strength train. Strength training helps build up our bones, muscles and ligaments. Not only does this help you in the future to keep up your bone and muscle health, but it will also help you gain stamina and endurance over time. Strength training also increases your calorie and fat burn, making you a lean, mean, fighting machine. So get out there and life some weights! However, make sure you are practicing proper form. If you are unsure about this, talk to your nearest personal trainer or look up some videos of proper form to ensure safety and quality.

Busy Schedule, Healthy Life

Living a healthy lifestyle and becoming more fit are two goals that seem to always be put on the back burner. I get it- you have a busy schedule. I mean it’s 2015, who isn’t busy? Your mind is racing every minute of every day and it’s overwhelming. Life can be so stressful that some days you feel like you could simply break at the drop of a hat. So how do you stay fit (and sane) on top of school, work, home life, social lives, kids, errands, etc.?

Let me show you how I do it.

Right now, I am a full time student, part time employee (sometimes full time), on the side nanny, girlfriend, and Dog Mommy. I still make the time to workout 5 days a week and live a healthy life style. It seems crazy some days, but I know that the healthier I am the more likely I am to succeed in this crazy non-stop life of mine. So, what are you? Are you a mom, dad, student, employee, friend, or sibling? If so, people in your life need you to be the best version of you! So let’s take 5 minutes out of our day and figure out how we can live a healthy lifestyle on top of all this madness that we love to call our lives.

What are your goals?

This question seems so generic- trust me I tried to re-word it a million different ways. But honestly, what do you want out of life? Maybe it’s to run a 5k in a few months, fit into your skinny jeans for the holidays, or maybe your goal is to simply have the energy to play with your kids. Now, write down this goal of yours.

When you make a goal, be sure to have a reasonable time period to achieve it by. For example, my goal is to start seeing more definition in my stomach (ahem... ABS!) by the time I go to Florida in early January. Do I want a 6-pack? Not really. But I would love to see some flattening out of the stomach and a little bit of definition. So with that I have my goal, and my time frame.

How can you reach this goal?

What are you doing right now that is either helping or hindering your success toward this goal? Here is my example again.

Goal: Get more definition in the stomach area by January

How can I reach this? I already go to the gym 5x week and I eat pretty healthy yet my stomach is my main issue.

1-    Stop snacking on bad foods. Yes I know, I have a health and fitness blog therefore I must be so healthy. However, Halloween just passed and the kids I nanny for have SO much candy. It can be hard to turn down sometimes.

2-    Target abs more during my workouts. I hit arms, legs, and cardio perfectly. However, I always seem to skip out on core work. Which is not the greatest idea because working your core can improve your overall performance and form in the gym!

There are my two steps for reaching my goal.

Hold Yourself Accountable.

Get some friends to join this healthy lifestyle with you, or schedule it into your daily calendar in order to make sure you have the time to workout! For example, every Monday and Tuesday I workout at 6:00 am, Thursdays I workout at 3pm, my rest days are Sunday and Wednesday. Make a schedule. Hold yourself accountable! Find some great group classes that you can partake in to really get yourself motivated!

Prep Your Food For The Week!

Take one day, like a Sunday, and bake (or grill out) some chicken, veggies, and prep all of your foods in advanced! For example, on Sundays I like to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breast, wash all my fruits and veggies and put them into easy access containers, cut up all my Hearts of Romaine and wash it and store it in a container, wash off all my caned corn and black beans (I love making a chipotle bowl for lunch!) and then I like to pre package all my snacks into baggies to make packing lunch a lot easier. The more prep work you do, the more likely you are to succeed!

Tip: Keep healthy snacks at your works desk or just on hand. Kind bars, almonds, healthy trail mix, apples, etc. A great tip I found online: “Instead of hitting up the vending machine or office candy bowl for an afternoon snack, I bought five pieces of fresh fruit each week and displayed them on my desk on Monday morning. Whenever I wanted a snack, it was the first thing I saw, so I was able to keep my munchies light and nutritious. I also hated to see fresh food go to waste, so I never let a day go by without eating a piece, which helped keep my hunger steady so I didn't overeat later in the day”.

Lastly, Make it fun.

You’re supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Each time you hit this goal, put a dollar in a jar. Once you hit a certain amount, buy yourself a pair of new pants! You can also food prep or workout with friends as well. Make this whole process fun. Living a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be a chore, make it something you truly love and it’ll become part of your life!

Simple Changes, Big Results!

Okay, so we all want that “quick fix” to get fit, right? There’s no denying in the fact of how nice it would be to have one simple solution to get rid of unwanted body fat and those awful pounds we all want to loose. But if there were such an easy way, then what would be the point of healthy food and fitness centers? We have to work hard to achieve our goals, obviously. But here are some very simple switches for a healthier and leaner lifestyle. You can start today you will already feel more energized and happier with yourself by next week! So lets start of with the first step…

Starting out…

So how exactly should you start? Do you go to the store and buy every single healthy thing you see on the shelf and eat it? Do you spend 2 hours a day at the gym sweating your butt off? No!

1. First set your goal and make it small. Why do you want to start becoming healthier? Do you want to loose weight? Gain muscle? Gain energy? Once you have the reason of why you want to start becoming healthier go from there.
2. How will you obtain it? Remember the saying “calories in does not equal calories out”. If you eat 500 calories worth of junk food do not think that burning 500 calories on the treadmill will compensate for it. All calories are different; try to eat 500 calories of fruits and veggies and whole grains vs. 500 calories of high sugar junk food. Back to obtaining your goals though.. How will you do it? Keep reading for simple switches you can make to help YOU obtain your personal goals.
3. Stay motivated! Get friends together on this. It is a great way to stay on track, have support, and even become closer as friends. This isn’t a race to see who can loose the most weight. This is a fun support group to help plan healthy meals together, people to go on walks with and help you through the time when you truly want to give up. After all, what are friends for?
4. Do not make excuses! Everyone can live a healthy lifestyle in his or her own way. If you are always at work, try to pre-pack your lunch with enough protein and fiber to help keep you full. Get a cute and fun water bottle that you can take with you to drink lots of green tea and water! Stretch every hour; even do a few desk exercises or yoga moves at your desk to get oxygen flowing! Too busy with the family? Take walks together, do family time at the park and stay active. Not only will you start being healthier, but you will introduce your children to a healthier lifestyle that will help better their lives Physical Activity will reduce your depression, help you think and sleep better, and most importantly improve your health.

Before you go on, here is a quick recap.

1.)  Set your goal. Start of small.

2.)  Figure out how you will obtain it; use the tips below to help you get started!

3.)  Stay motivated with family and friends.

4.)  Sneak in small exercises and stretches to prevent fatigue while at work, or even get people from work to do a 30-minute stretch session with you!

Now, here are some very simple switches you can make in your life to help you get started!

–       Greek yogurt for sour cream. Sour cream is always a must have for taco or burrito night. To get that same “must have” taste, add a scoop of plain Greek yogurt to add the protein and reduce the fat! Also, swap out plain yogurt for Greek yogurt! It offers about 2x the protein and half the sugar, with the same amount of calories, or even less in some cases. Not crazy about the taste? Get a flavored version or mix it into a smoothie!

–       Frozen grapes for Popsicles. Weird idea right?  Pre-wash your grapes and put them in individual Baggies. Stick them in the freezer overnight and the next day you will have your own bite-sized snack vs. a sugar filled Popsicle.

–       Oatmeal for sugary cereal. Admit it. No one actually measures out a serving of cereal to eat. Admit it, you have packed that bowl full of your favorite cereal and added all that milk to get the yummy taste that you love. But… are you actually full after that bowl of Frosted Cheerios (even though you thought they were healthy…?). Try to make some oatmeal and add in healthy fruit, some cinnamon, or even raisins to add the flavor you love. Oatmeal provides high levels of fiber, low levels of fat, and high levels of protein to help keep you fuller!

–       Lean meats for fatty ones. For a boost of protein when watching fat intake, go after lean meats like turkey and chicken over pork and beef. Buy fresh meats and try to grill or bake them. Frying chicken will add the calories and fats you don’t want. Instead of bacon in the morning try turkey sausage, or if bacon is a must have in your house you can switch it out for turkey bacon!

–       Food Prep on Sundays for the week instead of eating out. Fire up the grill or the oven, even the crock-pot! Make some chicken or turkey (lean meats) and freeze it for the week. Right there, you are cutting out the preservatives in the already frozen packs of meat and you know it is fresh lean meat. All you have to do is de-thaw the meat and add it to a salad, egg white omelet, or even use it as the main dish! Also, cut up all your veggies and fruit and put them away in organized containers. You are more likely to snack on the food you pre-made vs. having to wash the produce each time you eat. Make sure your fruits and veggies are always fresh vs. being frozen.

–       Add in vegetables whenever possible. Just like above, prep out your food for the week and add in your veggies! They are great in soups, casseroles, pizzas, smoothies, omelets, and sandwiches. If available, juicing veggies is also a great way to get in your veggie servings! Try to stray away from the high sugar “fruit and vegetable” drinks. More than likely you will be getting more sugar than you bargained for.

–       Choose lighter versions of your favorite coffee drinks. Starbucks Vanilla Latte is 250 calories alone, 6g of fat and 35g of sugar. A “Skinny” version (non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no whip crème) is only 180 calories, 0g of fat and 16g of sugar) if you get a Starbucks drink Monday-Friday every week this will cut back 350 calories, 30g of fat, and 95g of sugar per week! Do the math yourself by looking up nutrition facts of your favorite drink from your coffee place you go to.

–       Yoga instead of Facebook. Got a spare 30 minutes? Instead of hoping on Facebook or Twitter, hop onto a yoga website and get some good yoga moves. This is a great way to get some stretching and exercise into your day. This also gets oxygen pumping into your body and makes you feel more alert and awake!

–       Self-love for self-criticism. Last but certainly not least (this may be the most important!) People often focus on their negative features rather than their positive features. Become aware of your thoughts and actions and take small simple steps to change it. Becoming healthier and more active with family and friends is a great place to start!

Intro!

Hey Guys! 

My name is Sammi and thanks for visiting my blog! You can come here to find healthy recipes, fitness advice, and fun easy to do exercises that I personally love! 

This blog is for the Average Joe who is interested in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle! Whether you haven't visited a gym in years, you just finished that 5k, or you are a weight lifting pro; you will find something great inside of Fresh And Fit In Cincy!

A little bit about me... I love anything and everything about health and fitness. I love to life heavy weights and I think it is so fun to spend the day cooking healthy food either for the week or just for dinner. I am not a certified nutritionist or personal trainer, but I am here to give you guys my favorite recipes, workouts, and tips! I have a genuine love for training, eating well and living well but for learning how to and applying the skills I learn into my own life. I have surrounded myself with like-minded people, which have opened so many doors for me. I hope that you enjoy this blog and get as much out of it as I do! 

Another side note- I am not sponsored by any product or company. Anything I post on here about a product is my genuine opinion!

Much Love!

Sammi