You, Yes You, Can Macro Count

Are you curious about macronutrient counting but feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start?  Macronutrient counting is a huge trend and has brought results to a lot of people.  It can be intimidating though. The first time I started, it was without any experience with food tracking at all, it was so overwhelming it did not last long.   Don’t make it so complicated, start small, and take gradual steps. That will allow yourself to build on habits that will stick.

If you don’t have any experience with food tracking, start there.  Begin by simply writing down everything you eat and drink in a day.  Awareness can start to bring about a shift in your relationship with food and lead to developing good habits around nutrition.

Once you are comfortable and in the habit of tracking your food, start tracking calories.  After you are used to tracking calories, try to hit a certain calorie goal each day based on your goals and activity level.

After you are coming close to reaching your total calorie goal each day, break that down into recommended total grams of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.  Once you are tracking the total grams of macronutrients, you are automatically sticking to the total calories since grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats each have a certain amount of calories.  A gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, a gram of protein contains 4 calories, and a gram of fat contains 9 calories.

Here is an example: If you are consuming 140 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbohydrates, and 40 grams of fat, you are consuming 1300 calories.

Once you are tracking the grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat you are eating, you are macronutrient counting!

A lot of people like macronutrient counting and have seen results in reaching their wellness goals by doing it.  It is versatile because it can work for any food type diets someone might be on for any reason.  If someone is vegan, is sensitive or allergic to any foods, or is following a ketogenic diet, macro counting well work since you can eat any types of food, as long as you are meeting the macronutrient goals. 

Full-Body Band Workout

Traveling or can’t get to the gym? It is possible to get a great workout anywhere with little equipment. Today I am sharing a full body workout using resistance bands! Resistance bands are an inexpensive way to get a great workout in anywhere. With different sizes, they can be tailored to any level. The bands I use are Rogue.

Warm-up with 3 rounds of:

  • Inchworm—5 reps
  • Shoulder Tap—10 reps
  • Squat Thrust—15 reps
  • Air Squat—20 reps

15 reps of:

  • Thruster
  • Good Morning
  • Tricep extension
  • Weighted sit-up
  • Reverse lunge
  • Bicep Curl
  • Weighted push-up
  • Lateral pull down
  • Glute Bridge
  • Walking lunge

Cool down with a 5 minute jog!

Use band strength that allows you to move through each set without stopping. It should be challenging while still being able to perform the movements with proper form.



Enjoy the Journey

Wellness is a Journey. There are going to be seasons in life where it is easier to stick to our routines that support wellness and there are going to be seasons in life where it is harder. Nutrition, exercise, and mindset needs change over time based on age, location, and lifestyle.  What worked for you five years ago might not work for you today.

Know that wellness is about making the best choices you can each day in that moment.  Things are always going to change and there are always going to be challenges.  Enjoy the journey.   Even though circumstances might not allow for you to be where you want to be right now, know that you are doing your best. 

Having goals to shoot for is great and provides motivation, but if we are always looking towards the future than we will never be happy in the present.  We can get wrapped up in always wanting to be better, it is important to remember the progress you have already made and enjoy the process.  Celebrate the everyday wins.     

Something is Better Than Nothing

Ever skip workouts because you are sore, don’t have a full hour, or got stuck late at work?  I have been there.

Don’t think that it has to be all or nothing.  Once I realized this, there have been times when I didn’t leave work in time to make it to the gym for the last class so I would just do a quick 15-minute body weight workout when I got home.

Just because today you physically aren’t able to go 110% percent for a full hour, doesn’t mean you can’t do something.  Knees feeling a little achy today and the workout calls for running?  Bike instead to save your knees from impact.  Quads still sore from 150 air squats two days ago so you can’t do the intended squat cleans today without compromising form and hurting yourself?  Do power cleans instead.  Can’t work out for a full hour because you got stuck at work and can’t make class?  Do 50 burpees when you get home. 

Anything can be modified to fit your physical abilities today, and even just five minutes of movement is better than nothing.  Consistency is key.  Do what you can with what you have today, I promise it will be worth it.

Siete Fiesta!

Today I want to share Siete Foods with you! After discovering I was sensitive to dairy, gluten, and eggs in March 2019, I have been searching for options to still be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods. Siete makes grain free tortillas and chips, and even dairy free queso! Thanks to them I can enjoy taco night while giving my body foods it needs and can tolerate. Thank you Siete!

Don’t Deprive, Don’t Derail

I hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl this past Sunday!  What was your favorite commercial?  Top Gun is my all-time favorite movie, so I enjoyed seeing the trailer for the sequel coming out this summer.

Sticking to our nutrition goals can be tough during events like the Super Bowl that are centered around indulgent food.  It can be hard to resist the temptation, or deal with others giving you a hard time for not eating the junk food.  If you did indulge Sunday night, give yourself grace.  Balance is key, and if we never allow ourselves to have the pizza and chicken wings, that could lead to overdoing it at some point because we become resentful of not being able to eat it.  If we are unhappy or resentful our nutrition plans won’t be sustainable.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a life without pizza ever again.

Let yourself have something indulgent every once and a while, just don’t go overboard and say well I am going to eat bad during the Super Bowl, so I might as well eat bad all weekend, or even all week.  Give yourself some leeway to enjoy yourself a little during the game but stay on track to your nutrition plan the rest of the day.

Not One Size Fits All

Wellness is individual.  No single exercise, nutrition, or mindset practice is going to be right for everyone.  We need to find what makes us feel our best physically and mentally.  The best workout and nutrition plans out there are useless if they are not followed consistently.  If you feel good and enjoy it, then you will stick with it.  

Growing up I was active, on swim and tennis teams.  When I got to college, my school had a brand-new state of the art fitness center.  After graduating from college, without the comradery and accountability from a team or the allure of a beautiful space to work out in, it was hard to find a fitness routine.  The commercial gym thing lasted for a while, mostly taking group kick boxing and free weight classes.  While I was working out with a group, it was never the same people in class.  A ran for a while after that, including completing a half marathon race.  I meet with a running group three times a week which was great, but solely running just wasn’t my jam.  That was followed by, as much as I wish it wasn’t true, about 2 years of not really any exercise regime aside from the occasional hike.  Enter CrossFit.  The membership base of a CrossFit gym is much smaller than a commercial gym, so you see the same people in class and get to know them.  Comradery, check!  I also loved the completeness of the workouts and the fact that no class was ever the same.  Enjoying it, check check!  Five and a half years later I am still taking CrossFit classes.

It will take some trial and error, and bumps along the way, but trying out different exercise, nutrition, and mindset practices to find out what works for you will be so worth it.  Whatever makes you feel your best and you enjoy is what you will be consistent with, and therefore will be successful.