Fitness: What Works For Me and What Doesn’t
I’ve adopted a healthy lifestyle from the young age of 15, and since then, it’s only been a journey of trial and error. Over the past few years, I have not only dedicated the time to learn all I can about health and fitness, but also how to adapt that information to best suit my lifestyle. It’s important to note that I am still on this journey, learning new things everyday about what works for my body and what doesn’t – and that’s what I’m here to share with you today.
Disclaimer: I am obviously not a professional on the subjects of health and fitness, I have only the knowledge that I have learned from personal experiences and research. Things that work for me may not work for you and vice versa.
What Doesn’t Work: Calorie Tracking
I have gone through many phases of calorie-counting and macro tracking, using apps like MyFitnessPal to record everything I have eaten in a day. Although I do think it’s beneficial to learn about the calorie content of food, as well as the nutrients it provides (or doesn’t), I’ve realized that tracking my calories every single day is not for me. I find it to be both time-consuming and restricting, leading me to overthink about what I’m eating. In the end, I always just ditch the apps to avoid developing a negative mindset about food.
What Works: Conscious Eating
What I do practice, however, is conscious eating. I’ve learned enough about food to know what is generally good, and can be eaten in abundance (such as fruits, veg, and whole-foods); as well as what is generally bad, and should be limited (such as processed, high-fat, or refined-sugar foods). I simply estimate the amount of calories in each of the meals I eat, keeping a mental summary of how much protein, fat, and carbs I’m intaking.
If I realize by the afternoon that I’ve barely eaten any protein in the day, I’ll make sure to cook up something with a high-protein content for dinner. Same thing goes with fat; if I ate a high-fat lunch, I’ll avoid eating that high-fat snack at the end of the night. It’s all about learning how your body responds to food and determining what keeps you both satisfied and healthy.
*The moment I stop consciously eating, I can fall into the habit of mindlessly snacking (usually on not-so-good foods), which can easily put me over my calorie max for the day.
What Works: Cardio
To achieve my ideal look, I’ve found that 20 to 30 minutes of cardio is necessary to include into my workouts. Some people preach that weight-lifting alone is enough to shred fat and get lean; however, I find that whenever I cut out cardio, I tend to get a little bit thicker/bulkier for my liking. Once again, this is just my personal preference, and if you enjoy solely weight-lifting or some other form of exercise, be my guest. For my personal goals, cardio is necessary for me to slim down on that extra layer of squish, and achieve a more toned look. (I still do weight-lifting, but I just include cardio with it.)
What Works: Scheduling in Gym Sessions
I’m a planner by nature. If something is not on my calendar, it most likely won’t happen. By scheduling in time for the gym throughout the week, I find it hard to come up with an excuse not to go. I also like to plan out what I’ll be working on that day, whether it be arms, legs, or abs, so I have a plan of action as soon as I walk into the gym. With whatever time I’ve allotted for working out, my only focus is on working out. I don’t check my social media, I don’t text people or do anything to distract me. This allows me to use my time as efficiently as possible and make sure I’m working to my fullest potential.
What Doesn’t Work: Deadlines
Many people begin working out or changing their diets in order to prepare for a certain event. The amount they want to change by that deadline is typically unrealistic, and can even be dangerous. Focusing on the idea that healthy living is only important for a specific occasion can lead you to put immense pressure on yourself, practice unhealthy habits, and lower your self-confidence.
The way to approach “losing weight” or “eating healthy” is as a lifestyle that you practice, not a two-week trial. Working consistently and correctly will eventually give you the results you want, and can keep. Crash dieting or following a crazy workout program will not only be exhausting, but any results you do get will likely reverse soon after.
What Works: Carrying a Water Bottle
I carry around a water bottle with me everywhere. This way, I can sip throughout the day and fill it back up the moment it empties. Invest in a good, reusable water bottle: one that has a secure lid, keeps your water cold, and can hold at least two cups of water. Just by having a water bottle near me, I’m reminded to drink up everytime my eyes glance over it. (It also helps to save the planet by not using plastic bottles!)
What Doesn’t Work: Expectations
I know what it’s like to have this perfect image of yourself inside your head. You think that if you put in the work for a month or two you’ll reach this manufactured version of yourself. And you just might. But, you may not. When embarking on any journey you have to let go of the destination and focus on what’s right in front of you. Take each day and notice how you feel for that day only. You’ll begin to feel yourself getting stronger in the upcoming weeks. By not focusing on the results you’ll look in the mirror one day and realize all of the changes you’ve made.
If you’re ready to take on your own fitness journey, or you’re already in the middle of one, I wish you the best of luck! It’s not a race; you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. Lots of love, Reese.
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12 Comments
Eléonore
Loved this post, I’ve been on a healthier “journey” for the past 2 years and I can totally relate, the most challenging for me is to not fall into a bad mindset and wrong relationship with food. I have always had a weird relationship with my body but I keep trying everyday to love myself a little more and seeing other people trying to be healthier, to be better just like you keeps me motivated. Thanks for being you <3
admin
Thank you for this message <3
M
Yay! Reese I am so happy to see you back posting on here! So excited to read these!
Kim
Love this!
Summer R Shymanski
Love this so much, Reese!! It was super helpful for me! Thank you for posting!!
admin
I’m glad it was helpful!
penguinelly
I have never considered doing cardio within my weighted workouts! I am now committing to dedicating 15 minutes of cardio to my workouts every time 😀
Thanks for the insight!
Maria Julia
I am not a gym type person but I swin 5x times a week and I´m willing to start going to the gym to help me gain strenght. Your tips are very helpful as always! Thank you Reese
admin
swimming is one of the best exercises! Just do some light strength training and don’t push yourself too hard!
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Mélie
By reading your post and some of the comments I feel better because I am not the only to have a bad relationship with food or with its body… Since I have 16, I run a lot, I do workout and the wrong problem in that is the food. I read a lot of books or blog about what to eat to be healthy etc but it’s a lot of pressure to do the right things and to eat the good things so sometimes I just eat Nutella or some things like that that are really bad for health and body… Right now, I have almost 24 years old and I want to take back the control on myself and read these comments give me the force to do it. Thanks you Reese and thanks to people who comments ❤️
ปั้มไลค์
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.