Nothing annoys me more than people who talk about their diets all day long or ruin everyone’s time by being so obsessed with their diets and body that they can’t do anything else.
I refuse to let anything take over my whole life because quite frankly, I have A LOT I want to do on this Earth. It’s common sense to invest in your health because no matter what you do YOU ARE STUCK IN THAT BODY. And nothing knocks people out of the game faster than feeling or being sick. I truly believe if you can manage your energy and your emotions you can accomplish ANYTHING.
I may seem odd to know that I wouldn’t actually consider myself a self-motivated person… I am a determined person that is smart enough to set up systems around me that allow me to succeed at whatever it is I set out to do. Knowing that I am not motivated to do things for myself (I’m sure that’s some weird mindset I need to work though with a therapist at some point in my life but it’s where I’m at) I have to always motivate myself by tying it to somehow being able to help others.
I heard an amazing quote that changed my life. “You can only love and care for others as much as you love and care for yourself. If not it’s like giving from an empty bucket- there’s nothing there.” Soooo, the excellent reasoning that permitted my brain to allow me to take the time to finally figure out what I now know in my health journey was: “Britnie, you need to feel your best so you can create your best so you can live your best life and give your best to the world.” Ok DONE, LET’S GO!
Due to my annoyance with people who are self-obsessed I needed to learn the truth behind fitness and health so I can just do the most important hacks/disciplines and continue doing what I am doing with my work etc. I thrive under high pressure situations so I signed up for a bodybuilding competition- the Nashville Fit Show, knowing this would force me to focus on learning this.
Parameters:
- I can’t drop the ball in my relationship with family, top friends or God
- I can’t drop the ball on running any of my 5 companies
- I can’t drop the ball running my non-profit and traveling the world doing relief work
- I’m going to do it eating only Pescatarian (No other meat but fish)
- I have to become a better person on the inside
- I have to learn best practices so I can keep these habits up the rest of my life and continue to be busy and ripped
I never got less busy. I just got the education I needed to make good choices in my food and what activities I could hack to replace with healthier ones.
Living a really healthy life requires education and access.
Education: Knowing what to do and when so you don’t THINK you are doing something healthy and you’re not. I’m not into fads, I’m not an expert. I am just someone that lives a HIGHLY productive life that understands enough of the tried and true principles to share some basic truths that allow me to live a busy and ripped life.
Access: Keeping yourself in a self-induced environment that allows you to make healthy choices
What you will learn below is not meant to make you a professional bodybuilder. It is simply some truths and some hacks that will help you on the journey. Once you conquer these I hope you decide to dive in and continue to add to your life long education around health and wellness.
I learned that it takes:
- The right Mindset
- Good Eating Habits
- Physical Activity
KEY 1: Adopt the right Mindset:
- START WITH WHY- Understand the mind power and productivity that are stolen from you by being distracted from feeling gross, insecure, having brain fog and being tired all of the time. Instead of operating from a place of pain, make a list of all the reasons you have to do this and how you will feel once you have conquered this in your life. Think of your loved ones and why you need to be a healthy old person for them vs being sickly and having to be taken care of.
- FIX YOUR SELF TALK- Drop the phrase “ this is hard” “I can’t do it” “. Understand you are on a journey and you have time.
- THIS IS A LIFE NOT A ONE TIME PUSH- Have so much fun learning and take joy in the high you get from working out- the more you begrudge it the less you will be successful in the long term.
- YOU ARE ALREADY ENOUGH- Be kind to yourself understanding you are made in the image of God and no one is robe mean to His children. You are loved and you are enough no matter what shape you are in. Getting fit doesn’t make you worth more, it is simply making your machine operate better. This is not to become your identity, just an enhancement of function.
- BE PATIENT AND CONSISTENT – know that if you keep doing the right actions the results will come
- STAY MOTIVATED BY CHANGING YOUR BUBBLE: Surround yourself with people and content that will keep you inspired. I changed my Instagram feed and found the best motivational videos youtube has to offer. Investing in YouTube Premium was one of the best things I ever did. Whenever I am doing cardio (especially in the morning when I feel dead) I listen to motivational youtube videos to get myself in the right mindset for the day and give me the energy to keep going. A list of my favorites below- tag my playlist. I followed people I wanted to look like so I could reset what was normal in my life. It was really crazy how I ended up attracting friends who were living this life too. We share ideas, train together, eat (the right thing) together and meal prep weekly. This was HUGE.
KEY 2: Create Good Eating Habits
General Rules of Thumb:
- The Right Food
- The Right Frequency
Super Quick and Dirty:
- Protein and Veggies are KEY
- Lots of water – Aim for 1 gallon per day
- Try to eat every 2 hours and 5+ meals per day of the right foods
- If you don’t have time to cook for yourself, hire a meal prep company
My Favorite Proteins:
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Eggs
- Egg Whites
- Beans
My Favorite Carbs:
- Quinoa
- Oatmeal
- Brown Rice
- Sweet Potato
My Favorite Fats:
- Nut Butters
- Nuts
- Goat Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
What to stay away from:
- Sugar
- If you can’t read the word on a nutrition label, you probably shouldn’t be eating it
- Artificial sweeteners
- Food Dyes
KEY 3: Physical Activity
General Rules of Thumb for Working out:
- 20 mins of cardio every morning before breakfast
- More cardio to drop weight and tighten up
- LIFT! More weight will help you gain muscle, more reps will help you tighten up
- Try to move every day- keep your step count high
- Even if you only have 30 minutes, you can still get in a great workout
- Hire a trainer if you need extra accountability
General Rules of Thumb for Sleeping: (This is the hardest one for me by far…)
- Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night
- Try to keep a consistent sleep and wake schedule
General Rules of Thumb for Traveling:
- You can get great workouts in on the go, you just need to be prepared
- Invest in a good set of workout bands that you you can use for resistance in a hotel or even at the airport
- Plan in advance!
Tips for Time Exchanges/ List of Britnie’s best hacks:
- Keep bands and weights in the office or where you work – get movement in while on a call
- Keep set of gym clothes in car at all times
- Get a trainer to whoop you 1-2x a week, learn new workouts
- Watch youtube videos to keep learning
- Follow who you want to look like on Instagram
- Have fun figuring out what you can substitute. Every time I want a dessert I challenge myself to find a way to make a protein version of it. So far I’ve got: Protein popsicles, Protein strawberry shortcake, protein cookies, protein pancakes!
How to brainwash yourself – tricks that worked for me
- Thinking that eating bad is for low educated people- they don’t know enough or care about themselves to eat healthy and workout.
- Eat your values – this is why I am Pescetarian. I love animals and refuse to eat them.
- Realize the more you learn about this allows you to add more into your diet.