12 Tips on being Healthy and Lean!

1. Eat whole Food as much as possible – Forget the processed, boxed and packed foods. You know what they are! Chips, crackers, cookies, or pre-prepared foods. Even most restaurant foods are laced with butter and oils to make them taste good, along with sodium, and other preservatives. A fresh piece of fish, or a raw sweet potato is fresh whole food. Not fish pre-cooked in batter in a box

2. Don’t skip Meals – Sometimes when your not hungry enough to eat a meal, just have an apple, and a yogurt. It will be enough to keep that metabolism revved up and going keeping your blood sugar levels steady. So eat every 2-3 hours.  Skipping a meal is almost as bad as a cheat!

3. Never skip breakfast. You have been fasting all night and is great time to take some protein and slow burning carbs to keep you going all day.

4. Watch your portions – The best way to start is by using a Food Facts guide to give you weights and measurements. A measuring cup and scale, will help guide you as well. Before long you can do like we can! I can put my hands in a bag of oatmeal and pull out 30 grams worth exactly, every time. Chicken and fish, I can see it by eye, how much it will weight, as having used a scale so many times in the past. The other way is a 3.5 to 4 oz piece of chicken or fish will fit in the palm of an average person, that will give you about 25 grams of protein.

5. Make sure you learn to read labels! We have all been caught so many times, buying things that are deemed healthy, and they turn out to be full of sugar in disguise or contain a ton sodium. If a label has too many things you can pronounce, you know you need to put it back.

6. Screwed up on your meal planning and cheated badly – forgive your self and move on, don’t let it be permission to go on a binge.

7. Have a clear vision – Believe in your self, and your goal. However your vision MUST be 100% clear, and you have to believe it. Know exactly how you want to look! We have the ability as humans to achieve anything possible, see it, believe, take action, and it will happen. (ok if your 5 ft tall and you want to be 5 foot 7 and your 40 years old, thats not going to happen). But you can have the best shape of any other 40 year old around!

8. Carbs – watch your carbs. Eat your protein first, then veggie, then carbs. Keep your carbs early in the day and around workout time or high energy activities

9. Sugar – Removing sugar is likely one of the most important things you can do in life, in particular as you get older. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that is rapidly growing and can be eliminated or controlled by diet in most cases. Sugar not only can cause weight and metabolism issues, but multiple other health symptoms. Get rid of it! That includes soda and diet soda!

10. Alcohol – an average 6 oz glass of wine carries between 140 to 150 calories. A few glasses of wine a week, and your diet can be totally botched. A bottle is about 650 calories, a common 12 oz can of beer you see these days is about 155 calories. Doesn’t take long to add up. We are not saying abstain, just keep the math in mind. The overall picture.

11. Eat more greens, and colored vegetables – they are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and contain very little calories. When in a hurry, try a quality greens supplement drink.

12 Water – the most important for last – Most of us out there are dehydrated and we don’t even know it. It can be a major cause for multiple illnesses and symptoms. Did you know our bodies are made up of over 60% water. So imagine, work all day, sweat, do a hard work out, some cardio, have some tea and coffee during the day. Go home have a glass of wine. You are super dehydrated and don’t even have a clue. Try to cut back on the coffee and tea and soft drinks, and have at least 4 bottles of water a day. Carry one with you when ever you leave the house. Get some flavored BCAA (branch chain amino acids) with electrolytes, find one that taste great, and not only will you be hydrating, but helping your body recover with those amazing building blocks of protein!