I know it’s been a hot topic lately, and many of you have been sending DMs, asking all the specific questions about what I’ve been doing over the past year and a half to get in my best shape ever [and yes, it’s crazy to think at 41 I can say that because it’s been a major work in progess I assure you]. As old school as blog posts may seem, I find it easier to gather all these important questions and recommendations into one place, so you can save and bookmark it for future reference. I’m here to help, and I hope this serves as a great resource for each of you…
Having said that, I do want to caveat up front and say that this is what has worked for me and obviously I am not a licensed health care professional. I have done lots of due diligence and have researched like crazy to get where I am at, but at the end of the day, all of our bodies are made differently so be sure to note that when I am offering my advice + recommendations below.
I also want you to remember: these things take time. It took a good 6 months for me to shed the exces pounds I was carrying around and get into a good routine of incorporating the changes I was making. Rome wasn’t built in a day and yes, the long road of health and wellness can seem daunting at times, but the walk is very much worth it and good things take time = plus once you hit your goals, it feels good to be able to celebrate those wins as well!
Funny enough, 4×4 Mobile Fitness slid into my DMs early in 2023 and the rest is history. Jeff and I were wanting to make a change to our fitness routine after our local YMCA closed and moved farther down from us. The owner of 4×4 reached out to me to potentially schedule a trial session. After working out with Avery once, we signed up for multiple session packages and found a routine that works best for our busy schedules. See? Good things can come from social media when random people reach out via messages!
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Avery—he constantly challenges us and has pushed us to increase both weight and reps over the past 18 months. Our progress speaks volumes, both mentally AND physically! I also feel like I’ve achieved a much healthier balance in my workouts. I’ve nearly eliminated cardio and now focus primarily on strength training, which has made a world of difference.
We typically work out with him twice a week: one session focused on legs and the other dedicated to arms. He keeps us moving for the entire hour, and it’s REALLY hard to say no when the workout comes to you, with everything set up right outside your door.. Their program is fantastic, and I can’t recommend it enough! They also have trainers in 30A and Atlanta, so if you’re local to those areas, definitely check them out.
Y’all… I am SO boring when it comes to what I eat. I am more of a snacker by nature and don’t sit down to eat huge meals each day. No longer do I track my macros in MyFitnessPal and for that, I am thankful. Sure, I am certain my percentages don’t match up perfectly every single day, but I have found that moderation works best for me. I eat really well 80-85% of the time, but still allow myself to indulge in my favorite foods/dessert/alcohol on the weekend or when we are on vacation.
I’m breaking down what an average daily menu looks like for me personally. Remember, every single one of us is different in what fuels our bodies so take this with a grain of salt = I’m just sharing what I like to eat, works well for my body, etc. And no, this gal could never give up dessert, so I usually have something sweet most days of the week!
My biggest advice when it comes to food + drink is this:
Aim for High Protein | I try to eat at least 100G of protein a day. Yes, that’s quite a bit… some days I barely make it, some days I go well over + sometimes it just doesn’t happen and that’s OK. There are ways to work the system too = like incorporating protein pasta in your Italian dishes, adding chicken to your salad when eating out, etc. Small changes make a world of difference when trying to increase protein! I also eat at least 1 protein bar a day = Barebells are great + pack 20+ grams of protein per bar.
Don’t Waste Calories + Fat on Drinks | I’m a water girl by nature and try to avoid sugary/high calorie drinks, too. THey just aren’t good for you. I try to drink about 100 oz of water each day and other than that, I have 2-3 cups of coffee and no other types of drinks, especially alcohol. My relationship with drinking has changed significantly over the past few years when it comes to drinking = sure I enjoy it at the lake on the weekends and love to sip a cocktail when we are out on date night, but I don’t reach for a glass of wine anymore during weeknights anymore and it’s made a HUGE difference in how I feel each day and not feeling groggy in the mornings.
So, below is a sampling of my go-to options for each meal… lots of these are things I make sure to have stocked at the house from my weekly grocery runs which makes it a lot easier on me as well.
No more following strict plans for me. I did FasterWay exclusively for over three years, and while it was great for teaching me the ins and outs of carb cycling, fasting, and tracking macros, I realized my body needed more rest than working out five days a week. I also developed some health issues, so my primary care physician and I decided it was best to slowly transition away from that lifestyle.
From there, I did Madeline Moves which was great and I LOVE her workouts… super easy to execute at home and very attainable to see results. But now, I don’t follow any specific plan = I just eat intuitively, workout 4 days a week and allow my body some much needed R+R, too.
I will say that I’ve lost a good 5-10 pounds in the past 18 months and I attribute that to my personal training schedule, lifting heavier weights and also eliminating alcohol from my daily intake other than maybe one night on the weekends and when we are out with friends or on vacation, too.
Obviously my weight lifting varies… what I’m doing for legs and chest varies significantly than what I do with targeted arms and even core moves so keep that in mind. I have increased heavier weight over time, but that is something we have focused on slowly but surely with Avery. For instance, my arm workouts used to include 10-15 pound dumbbells and now we routinely use 15-25 pound weights. And yes, this is how you build lean muscle, which is how I see such a visible difference in my body now. You don’t need some crazy at-home gym to make your workouts wonderful… a few sets of dummbells, resistance bands, a weighted medicine ball and a few other various essentials and you’re all set!
I’ve shared this graphic before, but I updated with additional moves and options broken down by speciaifc areas to focus on with my go-to exercises and such… keep this handy when you’re trying to find something new to incorporate into your routine:
Like I said before, it’s not rocket science. It’s equipping yourself and planning ahead. I’m not a gourmet chef by any means and yes, I get help from Jeff because he loves to cook [thank the Lord] but a lot of our meals are on rotation so we find what works and stick to that. With the girls’ nightly dance schedules, I look for options I can make ahead of time in a slow cooker or throw on the grill once we are at home and then add a healthy side dish or two to call it complete. Here is an assortment of our go-to meal options… most of these are included in old blog posts from food + drink and you can reference them to get the full recipe to add to your repertoire too.
I like to give myself a range… my ideal number is 4 workouts per week, but let’s be honest, life happens and sometimes my schedule doesn’t allow for that – SO at a minimum I shoot for 3. You know my motto “NEVER MISS A MONDAY” which helps me set myself up for success when it comes to an active and healthy perspective for the week. If I can tackle that early AM Monday morning workout, I find it easier to get 3 additional workouts in throughout the week. Here is what my normal workout days look like:
MONDAY | Leg Day [heavier weights on my legs mixed with resistance band training] = it’s my LEAST favorite workout of the week so I like to get it done and over with!
WEDNESDAY | 12/4/30 on the treadmill… if you’re not familiar with this workout, it’s a 12% incline at a 4.0 pace for 30 minutes = your legs will be doing major work, but this is my only day of the week in which I do actual cardio work and the proof is in the pudding. I contribute this cardio to helping my legs get more toned + overall stronger and definitely shedding some excess in the back region.
THURSDAY | Arm Day [hands down my favorite workout of the week] = partly because my arms tone very easily and I can see the hard work paying off. I LIVE for arm day and I usually go a bit heavier in my weights to continue to build that lean muscle!
SATURDAY | Full Body + Core… a good combo to round out the week! This is when I’ll switch it up and usually do a handful of workout moves for each area just so I know they are getting one day of extra love. I also tend to focus on abs and core work during this workout as well to keep my midsection tight [because yes, that is getting harder as I inch towards perimenopause = yikes]
As I mentioned earlier, my sweet spot is a 40-45 minute workout. This includes my warm-up, all sets of my strength training circuit for the day, and a brief cool down. While I work out for a full hour with my trainer, on the days I’m on my own, I aim to be as efficient as possible—getting in and out quickly. It helps that we have a neighborhood gym right across the street, so I don’t have to drive to a gym or attend a class elsewhere.
Sometimes, I’ll set a timer if I have to get out by a certain point. But the biggest win for me is putting on a great playlist and not touching my phone OR looking at the screen when notifications pop up… staying focused on the issue at hand to keep myself motivated for a good workout!
As easy as this sounds, I MAKE TIME… working out is something I actually enjoy. Now I know this might not be the case for everyone, but it helps me tremendously—mind, body, and soul. It helps me manage daily stress + anxiety, keeps me feeling fit and healthy, and definitely gives me an outlet to work through my frustrations [because oh yes, I battle that too]. My best advice would be for someone just starting to work out and wants to get on a routine = don’t try to over schedule. Find what works for you, make a note of it in your calendar on those days and don’t skip… just show up and I assure you it’ll make a world of difference. Remember, everyone was a beginner at woriking out at some point = whether it’s at 10 years old or 80, it’ll pay off in big ways!
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