"Diet Word"

Everyone seems to hate the "diet" word. To many, it translates to "doing without", "too restrictive", "deprivation"- To me, it is a positive word, not a negative one and means a way of life and fuel for energy, health and youth :) It is something we can control in an uncontrollable world and it is the most important way to control our personal future... I feel a poor diet too frequently will result in obesity, lethargy, poor health and ultimately, low self esteem and energy.

How do you find a healthy diet balance without feeling ilke you are doing without?

• PLAN- You have to prepare and plan. Don't go to the grocery store hungry but think thru when, how and what you want to eat for the week. Make a list of exactly what you need and make a weekly event (or daily, or bi-weekly, whatever works!) and stick to your list. 
• Have BACK UP PLANS- sometimes meetings go longer then expected, traffic delays stop us, reservations and friends run late... ALWAYS have healthy options stashed in your bag, your car, your desk... Go to snacks on hand are a MUST to help you avoid the office candy stash or quick fast food runs! Examples of healthy things to stash are almonds, protein bars, apples, protein shakes, tuna packets and string cheese. These are GREAT to have on hand. 
• EAT FREQUENTLY! Don't ever let yourself get to "starving" and don't ever let yourself get "uncomfortably stuffed". Eating small meals 5-6 times a day keeps your blood sugar regulated, your hunger at bay and keeps your body working as a fat burning machine!
• EAT balanced meals. Make sure all of your meals contain a balance of healthy carbs, healthy fats and proteins. Take a look at my "what I eat" photo album for examples
• Don't deprive! It is ok to have your favorite foods as long as you don't over-do it! I LOVE chocolate and definitely have some most days. the key word is "some" 1 small piece of dark chocolate satisfies the craving if I have eaten balanced meals the rest of the day
• CHEAT MEALS If you LOVE ice-cream, pizza, whatever... plan a day where you allow yourself to have your favorite meals a few times in that day. But have the REAL thing in a normal portion and do it just that day. If you cheat but have "fake alternatives" you will still crave the real thing and feel deprived!
• Apply the 80/20 rule. If you do what is right 80% of the time, majority rules!

Hope this helps!!! Please comment if you have additional suggestions! 

I get a ton of questions about abs...

I get a TON of questions about Abs SO, I wanted to share a few of my tips/thought on how to get them and also share that it IS possible for ANYONE to achieve abdominal definition. I had a baby 3 1/2 years ago and gained 50 lbs- YEP 50. I had abdominals back within 4 months and this is how I did it and how I maintain them....

• DIET I FULL heartedly believe that 80% of if is your DIET. You are a result of what you eat and a layer of fat over defined muscle is going to HIDE muscle. So, regardless of how many crunches, sit ups, leg ups you do, if you don't watch your caloric intake and keep the fats,carbs and proteins in balance you will NOT see definition
• REPETITION I believe it is a NUMBERS game. At least for females, I find that you need to fatigue and pump the muscle. I believe in a lot of reps and I believe in frequency when it comes to abdominals. I train abs at least 5 days a week and I do a minimum of 200 crunches. 200!? Yep- I meant 200. What I do however is do 25-50 at a time in-between sets of cardio and/or weights
• FORM is critical. When doing abdominals, it is not about the amount of weight you are using or how UNIQUE the excerise is. More importantly, are you engaging and working the area you are concentrating on? Are you USING Your abdominals to drive the exercise or are you using momentum from other areas to drive the crunch (this would NOT be the way to do it!) 
• CARDIO is important. Just like my first statement with diet, if there is a layer of fat on top of your muscle, you will not see the definition. High intensity cardio is another important variable in achieving definition... BONUS for running where you are using your arms and engaging your core and working the abs even more...

Hope this was helpful!