what are: rest days

a lot of people have trouble getting started... but there is also a real issue with not taking breaks. personally, i had that issue. i would workout HARD 7 days a week... did that get me gains? did i hit my goals faster? NOPE. i over-trained, hurt myself, and kept going, and kept hurting. REST DAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT. and i say this as someone who loves training and someone who sometimes still likes to train 7 days a week. (it's hard to stop, to be honest). but i've learned that fitness should not be "all or nothing" it should be a balance. 

so here's what i know:

when you train nonstop, you never give your body time to recover. even if you are training different parts of your body, you still need to give your body a break. no rest leads to fatigue... which leads to lower quality training... which can lead to plateaus. (which is SO frustrating, as i'm sure you know). 

when you are doing resistance training you are breaking down your body tissues, you create tiny tears in your muscles. rest days allow the tissues time to heal and repair. if you don't rest, you are significantly more likely to injure yourself, overuse injuries from using your muscles too much and from working out while fatigued. you're more likely to get muscle strains, joint pains, and/or fractures. 

and when you over-train you are messing with your whole body. you'll sleep worse, which leads to a lowered immune system, and that means you are so much more likely to be sick (and that'll really mess with your training schedule). 

and if you are nonstop training you are more than likely going to burnout. if you take consistent rest days you are likely going to stay more on schedule because your body is going to be ready to do the work. 

so what should a rest day look like? 

that's gonna be different for everyone but here are the most important parts: 

- keep on track nutritionally, just because you're taking a day off training, that does not mean you should go off the rails on food. hit your macros, track your calories, or whatever you do on normal workout days. 

- STAY HYDRATED. this is true everyday, but make sure on your rest day that you are on still on your water intake even though you didn't hit the gym.

- don't be entirely stagnant. i mean, this is a rest day... but you don't need to be horizontal the entire day. stretch or foam roll for recovery. take a walk. go for a leisurely swim. you can keep moving without it being a workout day. active recovery is my personal favorite type of rest day. i'm able to keep moving which helps me stay on track. BUT make sure whatever you're doing isn't going to make you sore. 

- get your sleep! sleep is a key part of general health and for recovery from the gym. a fatigued you is not as effective as a well-rested you. that's a fact. so make sure you're taking care of yourself and getting the sleep you need every night (and especially on the rest day). 

and that's it. rest is simple. your rest day will likely look different from someone else's and it may look different from week to week depending on your work and training schedule. and that's okay, just as long as you're listening to your body and letting yourself properly recover. 

need help getting on a good training schedule? click HERE to check out doing one of my programs. 

have questions?  you can leave a comment below or check out any of my social media HERE . 

what are: macronutrients?

if you're looking up things about fitness and/or nutrition you've probably come across the term macronutrients or macros. macros are a hugely important part of strength training and fat loss but can seem pretty intimidating. you'll see it in reference to carb cycling, IIFYM, keto, zone diet, etc. there are a lot of ways to use macros to your benefit, but let's start with the basics! 

so what are macros? 

pretty simply, they are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. 

carbs:

basics: 4 calories per gram. the primary function of carbs are to fuel organ activity (brain, heart, and skeletal muscle). 

what you need to know: carbs give you energy, and are the primary source of energy in the body. they fuel your body functions.

they are NOT the reason you have gained weight or are overweight, that only has to do with the amount of calories you eat in a given day/week/etc. you can eat carbs late at night and still lose weight (promise), as long as you are staying in your given calorie range.

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 45 - 65% of your caloric intake. this does vary upon the activity of the person. the more active, the more carbs recommended. 

where you can find carbs: fruits, vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, breads, beans, rice, granola, sugary sweets (limit these though)

fat:

basics: 9 calories per gram. primary function is fuel,but also helps with insulation, protection, and transportation in the body. very important for brain function. 

what you need to know: fats keep your body going. not the first choice for your body to use as energy, but will be used (especially if you do not consume a lot of carbs)

and fats do NOT make you fat. you NEED fat for your body to function properly. Fat fuels cell function, brain function & development, vitamin absorption, and protects the body's organs. Not to mention, fats keep you fuller longer, so you'll get less hungry. 

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 20-40% of your caloric intake. once again, this varies person to person, depending on their lifestyle. 

where you can find fats: nuts, seeds, coconuts, oils, avocados, olives, cheese, eggs. (avoid trans fats when possible)

protein:

basics: 4 calories per gram. two basic types of proteins - structural and regulatory. structural proteins work in your skin, cell membranes, muscle, and bone tissue, to help build and repair. regulatory proteins are enzymes, transportation, defense, contractile, hormones, and serums, which work to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance. 

what you need to know: protein is the big macro that you'll hear most any fitness person talking about, and for good reason. protein is the key element in muscle building and repair. when you weight lift or run or workout in general you are wearing down or creating tiny tears in your muscles... so you NEED protein to rebuild those muscles to make them stronger for the next time you do that workout. 

also, protein is the best macro to keep you full. so if you are cutting calories or just need help not overeating, protein is the way to go. 

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 10-35% of you caloric intake. however, if you're active or an athlete, you may need more. 

where you can find proteins: chicken, turkey, cheese, eggs, beans, lentils, beef, eggs, quinoa, tofu, soy or whey proteins. 

there you have it! this by no means is a complete overview of all of the ins and outs of macros but it is a pretty good overview, if i do say so myself. i will be doing complete posts on each macro at some point in the future along with a post on micro-nutrients, and on all the diets mentioned in the intro.

But if you have any questions right now...I would love to hear them! 

You can leave thoughts, comments, or questions below or ask me on facebook or instagram! 

HOW TO: count calories

losing weight is simple (not easy) for most people. 

it is just calories in vs. calories out. losing weight is making sure you are eating (and drinking) less calories than you are burning. (yes, there are health things and exceptions to this rule... but for 97% of people this will hold true)

(note: if you've struggled with eating disorders, calorie counting may not be the best option for you! it may trigger you into disordered/restrictive eating again. I will eventually cover other ways to work on weight loss while not counting calories. and if you are struggling with ED *here* is a link to people who can help!) 

counting calories seems like an impossible task when originally brought up... but it can be SO SIMPLE. mostly thanks to phone apps. 

I no longer track calories (i track macros ~ but i'll go into that later) but i still use My Fitness Pal for all my food tracking.
It's great for so many reasons: 

1. GIANT database of food, and a lot of it is verified (meaning you rarely have to manually add food into it) 
2. Fantastic community (i have met some AMAZING people on MFP! Having people in on your health journey who support you, even virtually, is SO helpful.) 
3. easy way to actually see how much you are eating every day so you can make the necessary adjustments

there are some drawbacks though. when calculating your calories it is pretty generalized (as expected) and if you say you want to lose major weight it will calculate your calories to 1200 per day. which is not really the best way to start your calorie counting journey because:

1) that will be a HUGE cut to your current calorie intake and is hard to maintain
2) long term calorie cutting will ruin your metabolism (which I did... It can be fixed, it just takes time). 

SO! here is my recommendation... don't use their calorie calculator! there are a couple different things you can do!

1) 100% track every single thing you eat for several days in a row (including a weekend day) and just cut calories off of that number. for example... if you track and find that you are eating 3000 calories per day... i would recommend cutting 10-20% of the calories off of that number. So if you wanted to cut 15% of your calories for weight loss you would be at 2550 calories per day. BUT you could even go easier than that and just cut 50-100 calories off your typical diet and then once you plateau you can cut a few more calories (at a SUSTAINABLE rate) and so on until you hit your weight goal. 

2) there are about a million calorie calculators on the internet that you can use! *this* calculator will give you your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) & BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Your TDEE is basically an estimate on how many calories you burn on a given day that includes exercise and BMR. Your BMR is how many calories you burn just being alive... eating, breathing, organ function, maintaining body temp, etc. 

For weight loss off of that number you would want to calculate 10-20% off that TDEE number UNLESS it goes below 1200 calories (which you should not do ever!) 

"but what about low carb or keto or low fat or vegan or if it fits your macros or intermittent fasting or whatever other thing i heard about??" 

do it dude. or don't. honestly, do whatever you can maintain. if you can maintain a low carb diet for an extended period of time... do it!! if you can't or it will make you miserable.. don't!! and that goes for any other diet style. do what you can and will be able to maintain! this is not (or at least should not be) a quick fix. (personally, i've gone into macro counting/ carb cycling and it has been really great for me! keeps my calories in check while not focusing on being below a certain threshold of calories which works better for me mentally). 

"i haven't lost weight in like 3 weeks should i cut more calories??" 

first things first... sometimes the scale will stall for weeks on end. it happens. chill out and keep tracking and doing your thing but that being said maybe you do! but before you do... check these things out first! 

1) measurements & progress photos (maybe you haven't lost a pound... but you have lost an inch around your waist! that happens!)
2) are you tracking accurately?? (double check that you are tracking your intake correctly! maybe you aren't using the right calorie info in MFP,  maybe you need to be weighing your food to make sure that you are correctly tracking how many calories are in it)
3) are you tracking consistently?? (if you are tracking really well Sunday - Thurs but aren't Friday & Saturday you could be sabotaging your progress!) 

Some tips: 

1) let yourself have foods you enjoy! do not totally cut out foods you like otherwise you won't stick with it long term. i have a dessert of some sort worked into my daily intake basically every day since i started tracking
2) figure out easy low calorie foods you can easily incorporate (watermelon or strawberries or baby carrots are an easy snack that will fill you up. zoodles or spaghetti squash instead of pasta are an easy sub too! wraps instead of sandwiches. things like that!)
3. if you have a bad day/meal/drink/night/whatever...  remember you are never more than one bite to being right back on track. don't let one meal/treat/etc spiral you out of control. (that's a la Syatt Fitness who is full of great advice/tips/etc)

calorie counting is a really, really great way to hit your weight loss & health goals if you do it right and you do it consistently! this definitely does not cover everything about calorie counting so please let me know if you have any questions!