As a trainer I get questions such as “what I should eat?” ALL THE TIME. Don’t get me wrong this is an important question to consider when trying to reach your fitness goals and we will answer it during the challenge. However, it’s only part of the equation. If lasting fitness goals are to be achieved we must first attack the problem at the ROOT. That includes taking a deep and hard look at your current lifestyle habits and figuring out which ones are most holding you back. Then replacing those bad habits with healthy ones!

Here are a few questions to ask yourself…. When am I most prone to eat unhealthy foods? Overeat? Get less than 8 hours of sleep? Not exercise? Make note of these things. Like, on actual paper. Understand your own body! If you are unsure of which other bad habits you might be currently doing don’t worry. The purpose of this guide is to TEACH you the most effective lifestyle habits and help you apply them!

Promise me that you will forget these bad habits right now and commit to writing a new story! Here are the most fundamental lifestyle habits that you should be practicing on a day to day basis. I guarantee that if you master these first, the health part will be so much easier, trust me!

1. Have VISION and write down your fitness goals! 

• Tape goals next to your bedroom wall and look at them every single morning and night. Avoid putting a scale weight. The scale is deceiving and will mess with your motivation when the numbers aren’t showing what you want. The scale isn’t a true representation of what’s happening in your body! For example: If you want to squat a certain amount of weight or if you want to be at a certain body fat percentage put that on there. Do it right now! As soon as you finish reading this put your vision on your wall. For more information regarding goal setting, motivation, and vision please refer to our blog.

2. Get at least 8 hours of sleep. 

• A good 8 hour sleep schedule controls your metabolism and balances your hormones. Want to stay more motivated? Get more sleep. Want to have a better mood? Get more sleep. Want to be efficient in your workouts? GET. MORE. SLEEP.

3. Make note of what you eat. 

• An easy way to do this is to meal prep or take pictures of each of your meals. This will keep you accountable. You can even post them on our Facebook Group page to REALLY keep you accountable, and also sharing recipes will help and inspire others!

4. Discover your 3 favorite healthy go-to foods 

• For when you are hungry you can keep these on hand. (i.e. 5-10 almonds or one of your favorite vegetables or fruit)

5. Eat until 80% full

• This will decrease over-eating.

6. Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Bed

• Eating too late can cause you to be not as hungry the next morning, and consequently, throw off your most important meal of the day, breakfast. After you finish your last meal, brush your teeth! It helps prevent late night snacking. 

7. Avoid keeping junk food/snacks at home

• I know, I have kids too, and they LOVE their treats. If you feel tempted by your kid’s treats, do what I do and write “NOT FOR YOU ANDI. WALK AWAY”  on every side and opening. It really works!