15 Health & Fitness Tips You Need To Know NOW

After losing 30 pounds, I wanted to put together a little cheat sheet that would help other people reach their health and weight loss goals. I came up with 15 health & fitness tips that really helped me lose the right weight, which is fat, not muscle!

I was determined to get fit and feel good about my body.  I didn’t want a quick fix, or an impossible diet that you can only stick to for a week.

I wanted a lifestyle change.  Something I could continue after I reached my goal weight.

I started my journey at 135 pounds and as of right now, I am at 105 pounds! 30 pounds down!! 

However, I am not finished. I want to continue to make goals for myself, so I can always strive to reach my fullest potential.  I think it is very important to constantly push yourself and challenge yourself, because you can accomplish things you never thought possible.  I think this philosophy applies to life in general.

I am going to take you through the steps that helped me lose the weight and also the products that I recommend to anyone trying to lose weight.  A lot of the products are from a company called, Shaklee, the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the United States.  I became an affiliate for them in 2011, because I just love all their products so much. You can find more information about their products here, or by clicking on each one below.

So, here are my 15 Health & Fitness Tips:

1. Pomegranate Tea with Lemon Performance Drink – Every morning I have this delicious drink with my breakfast that I drink throughout the morning. The Pomegranate Tea contains an exclusive blend of antioxidant-rich green, white and red teas, as well as taurine. It naturally boosts my energy and enhances alertness. I like to mix it with Lemon Lime Performance, because the performance is a great hydration drink.

2. Replace Coffee With Energy Chews   I try to avoid drinking my calories, so I prefer taking Energy Chews when I am tired, rather than coffee. It helps me focus better, whereas coffee seems to make me more ‘jittery’ than focused. If you find that you just need something to sip on, then try my Pomegranate Tea & Lemon Performance drink I mentioned above. It helps with that!

3. Leucine – Leucine is such a powerful protein. You can read more about why you should have it here. To get my share of Leucine everyday, I usually have a Smoothee or a Meal Bar. My favorite meal bar is the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Meal Bar. I have it almost everyday for lunch. I like how it fills me up without making me feel sluggish or tired. I also like to drink a smoothee when I am low on time. Here are some great Smoothee Recipes to try.

4. Exercise 5 Days A Week – I like to do a combination of cardio and lifting at the gym.  I always do some type of cardio each time I am at the gym. I mix it up between the elliptical, treadmill, and bike. I do a leg workout twice a week and an upper body workout three times a week. I like to work out my triceps and chest together, biceps and back together and shoulders by itself. I also do an ab workout 5 days a week.

5. Lift Heavier – I have a rule that if I can lift more than 12 reps, then I am not lifting enough. I have started to slowly increase the weight in my strength training and I have seen great results from it. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. The faster your metabolism is, the more calories you burn! Don’t be afraid to lift more if you are a girl!

6. HIIT Training. At least 2 days a week I incorporate HIIT. Speed interval training is very good for you. I like to do 10-15 minutes of it on the treadmill. I will walk for 1 minute (4 mph) and then sprint for 1 minute (8 mph – 10 mph.) It helps get your heart rate up and metabolism moving!

7. Have A WHY – It is important to know why you want to lose weight. For me, I wanted to feel comfortable in my body, as well as confident and proud of my body. In the words of Jim Rohn, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”  I also became obsessed with Pinterest and started pinning cute outfits I’d love to wear if I had the body for it, and that helped motivate me in losing 30 pounds. 

8. Don’t Deprive Yourself – If you really want some ice cream, then have some.  Just watch your servings (don’t have a full tub of it, or have it every day!) I still eat a lot of the foods I love, but now I just make sure I watch how much I have of it.

9. 1200 Calorie Cap – I didn’t go crazy calculating, I just estimated all my meals. With my height, 1200 calories was a good number for my calorie intake. It may be different for you. Now, I eat about 1400 calories a day. I never feel hungry or deprived with my diet.

10. Watch Your Portions. – Really listen to your body – know when it says you’re full. Half the time, we eat just because we are bored. We are not really hungry, we just eat to eat. I basically cut a lot of my portions in half. Before, I was eating way too much. Try and keep yourself distracted by doing the things you love, working out, etc.

11. Drink Water & Get Sleep – Need I say more?? This is pretty self explanatory! Water does the body good and you need sleep to be able to function during the day. Whenever I don’t get enough sleep, I usually become cranky and crave food. I am always in a better mood when I give my body what it needs, water and sleep!

12. Limit Alcohol — I noticed that when I use to drink more, I would crave fatty and greasy foods. When I started to drink less, then I stopped getting the urge to eat these types of foods. I haven’t completely eliminated alcohol from my diet, but now I just don’t drink it as often. I think it is important to not deprive yourself. If you want to go out and have a few drinks with friends, then go for it. Just don’t go too crazy with the drinks! I love to drink cranberry juice and vodka. It is one of the low calorie alcoholic beverages and it also contains antioxidants!

13. Take Vitamins – It’s important to give your body the nutrients it needs and to always feel healthy! Everyday, I take a Shaklee Vitalizer Strip. They are very easy to take with you on-the-go and contain all the necessary nutrients that your body needs. I haven’t been sick in over a year and a half.. at least!! Here is more information on Vitalizer. 

14. Look for support. Whether it be online, or a friend – a great support system will help motivate you to accomplish and stick to your goals. I like to follow different accounts on Twitter and Pinterest to help keep me motivated in reaching my goal. There are some great social media accounts that will post healthy recipes, new workouts, and cute outfits to help motivate you to reach your goal weight!

15. DON’T STRESS: Losing weight takes time. Don’t check the scale every 2 minutes to see if you lost any weight, because you probably didn’t! If you stick to my 14 steps above, you will see the weight come off – it just takes time.  Relax and enjoy your life during your weight loss journey!

An added bonus of my weight loss journey was I started to receive a lot of compliments from friends and family about how ‘GOOD‘ I looked and that just helped me continue to push myself even more to achieve my goals. What I was doing was PAYING OFF and that is more gratifying than anything else!

I hope this article helps you!  Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment in the section below – I am here to help in anyway I can!


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