Top Fitness Questions
Since I’ve started to share more and more about my fitness/health journey with you guys, I’ve learned that lots of you are also looking to improve your health. Whether than be through working out more, eating healthier, or starting daily supplements to aid what you are already doing. I figured the best way to answer all the top fitness questions was on here! That way you have something to refer back to when you need it.
I feel like this should go with out saying but I’m going to say it anyways. This is what I do. What works for me. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay! We are each entirely different people whose bodies and lifestyles require different things. I have worked long and hard to build up the healthy habits I have today. Something I often hear people saying is that they “tried” and then fell off the wagon. But that’s the difference between a fad and a lifestyle change. These changes happen gradually and over a period of time. I enjoy food, I like pizza, and I drink wine. I really aim to live an 80/20 life. 80% of the time, I’m making healthy choices and getting active. 20% of the time, I order in pizza turn on Netflix and indulge. It’s all about balance!
This brings me into the #1 most asked question I get!
Biggest tip to someone wanting to make a healthy lifestyle change?
Start small. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed with thinking you need to make this grand change to your life. You make a list of everything you want to do differently and then quickly lose fuel. Sound familiar? Me too!
I did that in the beginning and constantly felt like I was “restarting”. My biggest piece of advice is the start small! Pick one thing that you could change and stick to it until it becomes a habit. Once that’s habitual, add in another! For example, instead of deciding you’re going to stop eating all sweets, work out 7 days a week and meal prep. Start by working out 1-2 days a week. Trust me, once you lay the ground work, the rest will follow!
How do you stay motivated?
I feel like this is a tricky one because we all go through different seasons in our life and there is nothing wrong with any of them. There are also many different reasons behind why someone is wanting to make a change! Those are important!
Changes don’t just happen over night so it’s so easy to loose speed and give up. It can sometimes take a couple weeks to really start seeing a physical change and I can relate to many times giving up because of it. So when the motivation isn’t purely physical results, I resort to my why.
My why is because I want to keep feeling good mentally and physically. I find a lot of my motivation through the way I feel. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a couple years ago and although I need to do more discovery to learn the actual cause, it really takes a toll on my body. It can cause me lots of pain, brain fog, irritability, and the list just goes on. But, I’ve noticed when I take care of myself, those symptoms almost completely disappear (go figure). So, I know how I’m going to feel if I stop what I’m doing completely. I also want to live a long and healthy live to the best of my ability and so I’m going to put in the work now, so I can continue to reap the benefits in the future.
Have you always been healthy/lived like this?
Growing up, we lived an active lifestyle. My parents would always take us camping and I was constantly doing an activity. I actually used to be a free climber/rock climber and would LOVE to get back into that.
Once I hit college, I definitely was not good at keeping that up myself. I drank more than I should have, ate WAY more than I should have and rarely worked out. On top of all that, I just was not in a good place mentally. I was in a dark space and didn’t see a way out. I’ll write a whole post about my journey one day.
But, the short answer is no. Once I met my husband, I started making small changes but never really stayed consistent. I started really making the commitment to my health (mental and physical) in November of 2019. It’s been my saving grace that has gotten me through all the crazy shenanigans that was 2020 and into this year as well. I’ve learned to channel my anxiety into my work outs. But again that’s for another day. Short answer: no.
What’s your morning routine
This one is actually pretty interesting to me becasue I used to believe, that in order to be successful you need to have a strict morning routine with lots of steps. I tried that, does NOT work for me. You can see how my routine has changed over the years! I have some non-negotiable for me in the morning that I know I need to accomplish but for the most part, I try to allow myself wiggle room. This changes depending on my season of life! But for right now Kenzie and I are home full time and can have a more relaxed morning. I know this will change once school goes back in person. Either way, here’s what a typical day looks like for me:
- Wake up between 6-7 (my hubby takes over weekend morning and I sometimes sleep until 8:30-9)
- Make hubby’s shake and get supplements ready so he can leave for work
- Take my supplements
- Drink my pre-work out while making the bed and getting work out clothes on
- Work out
- Make my shake
- Shower
- Get myself ready for the day!
Do you use a probiotic? How do you take care of your gut?
Part 1: Yes! It’s been such a HUGE game changer for me and my health journey. Here’s what I love! It’s an all in one!
Part 2: First, I learned what food my body can’t tolerate. I knew dairy was one of the them but it also isn’t the biggest fan of gluten. I cut WAY back on my sugar intake. Bacteria feeds on sugars in the gut so if there is too much, the bacteria will over grow causing lots of gut issues. A trebiotic is incredibly helpful.
Your gut pretty much rules your body. If it’s unhappy, the rest of you will be too. I also learned how to really listen to my body! If you’re listening, your body will tell you what it needs.
How many days a week do you work out?
Typically 5-7 days a week. The program I’m on right now is M-F and then I’ll normally do something light on the 6-7th day. I was really into yoga for a while but now I use it when I need to stretch out.
Are you at your goal weight?
I don’t necessarily have a “goal” weight so this is tricky. I guess if I’m being honest, no, I’m not. BUT for me, It’s all about how I feel. Do I feel less bloated, fatigue, anxiety? Do I feel confident and sexy. Yes, I do. However this is just the beginning of my journey! I most definitely have more room to grow and want to dive deeper into nutrition and fueling my body properly.
What supplements do you take?
This is the biggest one for me! I started taking these supplements in July and saw major changes with in a few weeks. I was working out and eating the same but that just goes to show that our bodies before best when they have all they need. I’m sure I was deficient in lots of these areas.
- Here’s what I’ve been taking for almost a year now and will never go with out! If you really want to get the most bang for your buck, this system is AMAZING! It consists of a cleanse, metabolic booster and a liquid CLA
- If you’re looking to start small and build from there. The liquid CLA is incredible by itself.
- I LOVE this liquid collagen I’ve tried powers for years and never saw results like these! Our body absorbs close to 90% of it vs. 13-30% of powder.
- CBD : I’m including this because a lot of time my lack of motivation came from not feeling great mentally. This is hands down my favorite purchase of 2020 and that says a lot ? (use code REFKENDRAWEBER23 for $40 off! that’s just about 50%!!!!)
I think I covered all the top fitness questions I received! If you have anymore, feel free to reach out. I’m an open book about it all. Hope this helped shed some light on what I’ve been doing. I’ll share more of my journey as I go here and on my instagram page!
