"Hottie on the Run" must first be "Beginner Hottie Taking Baby Steps" 🙂

Yesterday I had someone ask me about one of my“Hottie on the Run”   posts, and I answered her there, but felt she brought up a good point to shine some light upon. She admitted to being addicted to lots of sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and saturated fats LOL. Well Shannon, you are among many others for sure. She also was clear about understanding my suggestions, however she wanted some more information as to how one begins to form better habits in the beginning. She is afraid if she goes too strict on herself in the beginning, that she will be very put off and therefore discouraged out of doing anything at all.

I know what it is like to be overwhelmed by how much there is to learn about eating healthier for your body. It is very important that I make myself clear when I say, it is about taking baby steps in the beginning and always, because it IS a Lifestyle Change.  Otherwise you will go into overload mode and quit for sure! I recommended to Shannon about 4-5 habit forming things she could start implementing into her days now, that hopefully don’t feel “too strict.”  This way she can master some simple steps first, and then she will have the ability to advance in her workouts and clean up her diet even more.

Here are some things I thought may help Shannon out, or anyone out who would like to start eating healthier, feeling better, and working out:

1) Work on drinking AT LEAST 2 liters of water at least 6 days a week.
2) Do yourself a favor and get no less than 3 days a week of at least 30 minutes of cardio. I really recommend circuit training, and I’ll be posting my exact workout on this coming Workout Wednesday’s blog. However, in my opinion, the baby steps for one not already exercising  and without a personal trainer, call for 3 days/week of 30mins of  cardio to start. Once you master that, you can advance to some more effective workouts.
3) Make sure you eat breakfast soon after you wake up, every day. You can have one 1-2 slackish days like Saturday and Sunday, but at least 5 days/week, start the day with breakfast. This is important to set the tone for a healthy metabolism throughout the day. Even if one is thin, the goal is to have a healthy body composition. I trust you know some healthy breakfast choices that you also like the taste of. If not let me know and I’ll throw some suggestions your way.
4) On those 5 days, also, do your best to eat smaller meals that consist of fruits, veggies, lean meats, grains, and eat every 2-3 hours until your bed time:) I suggest kashi cereals, Ezekiel bread, fat free cottage cheese, high fiber wraps, nuts, almond milk vs regular milk and soy milk, egg whites, turkey, fish, a variety of veggies and fruits, hummus dip, goat cheese vs. cow milk or soy milk cheese, all natural peanut butter and/or almond butter, avocados, whey protein powder, etc. There are lots of ways to eat healthier without feeling deprived and bored…I promise:)
5)Lets not worry about your sodium for now, unless you decide you wanna start paying attention at least so you can make a conscious decision to eat the 3000 mgs of sodium or not LOL.

Hopefully these tips help you as well. I am happy to address any questions you may still have or to offer any help with information you may be seeking. Just leave your questions and comments here for me on the blog!! Here’s To Your Health!!!