My Journey
I used to think I needed to suppress my love for food and sacrifice my enjoyment from it because if I wanted to be slim I would need to give it up. So, for the longest time, I did intense cardio for 1.5 hours a day for 5 days a week, every week.
At the time, I thought It was the only way I could still eat what I wanted and look thin. To an extent, that was true. I burned a lot of calories. I was slim. I was however also obsessed with the amount of calories I consumed, I started to avoid sugar because I thought it would make me fat. I always stressed if I ate something I thought was considered “bad”. That mindset had me trapped for so long and I dreamed of the day I would never feel like that again.
Throughout my journey to the “perfect body” I started to learn about metabolic adaptation. This truly blew my mind. In short, as we increase our activity level and muscle mass, our metabolism increases. This is the rate our body converts food to energy. This means when we move more and/or have more muscle on our bodies, we can eat more food and maintain our weight, reduce fat, and look slim. I then started looking more at natural female athletes and was surprised to see it was possible for a toned woman to consume over 2000 calories and look incredibly fit (not bulky). To learn more about how this works, download my FREE weight loss guide at the bottom of this page.
In my own journey, weight lifting has made me realize I’m much stronger than I ever thought I was capable of and has given me confidence. I feel happier and more in control of my fitness goals. I can eat the foods I want without feeling guilty, still maintaining a healthy lifestyle while feeling confident in my own skin. I no longer kill myself with cardio and avoid so called “bad” foods. I strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle and sometimes that includes binge watching my favorite Netflix show and enjoying some ice cream.
I want to reach as many people as I can because I want people to realize that with balance of cardio + weight lifting you can accomplish amazing strength and aesthetic goals. If you want to get stronger, lose fat, maintain bone density or live a healthier life, weight lifting is scientifically proven to help you accomplish that. With weight lifting, you even have the power to shape your body and I think that’s amazing.
Exercise is something that should be celebrated and not used as a punishment for something you ate. Nutritious food can be seriously delicious while giving your body the vitamins and nutrition to feel good and perform well.