Miss Fit Britt: 30 Things I've Learned

Happy Marvelous Monday all!

I have a busy week ahead, but that's typical! I thought I'd share 30 things that I have learned in my journey to discover my true passion for all things health and fitness. So, without further ado...

1. To build muscle, you must emphasize carbs. Eat them up!

2. You do not have to take supplements to be fit.

3. With that being said, if you do take supplements, you must realize that they will only benefit you if you have your diet and training down to a T. They aren't magic.

4. Just because a certain training routine or diet works for someone else, does not mean it will work for you. Just because someone else raves about splitting up your muscle groups or going Paleo, vegan, whatever does NOT mean you have to so the same. Every body is different.

(Source)

5. If you're not having fun, you are not doing it right.

6. Don't compare your strength or diet to others'. Just because someone can bench more than you doesn't mean that you are weak. Be the best that YOU can be.

7. Don't skimp on the sleep. It will help with muscle building, fat loss, and just about everything else.

8. EAT, especially if you are trying to build muscle. Never starve yourself. Your body is like a car engine. If you don't give is gas, don't expect it to go.

9. Make cardio fun. Don't kill yourself on the treadmill because you feel obligated to if what you really want to do is go take a fun Zumba class.

10. Include veggies in your diet. They are full of vitamins and minerals. If you absolutely loathe them, sneak them in. For example, add some spinach into your smoothies. I promise you can't taste it!

The food of champions. (Source)

11. Don't focus on 'broscience' too much. If you really like fruit, have the darn apple. Don't overanalyze the 'sugar' content (unless you are preparing for a competition). If you have fats pre or post-workout, your muscle is not going to disappear.

12. Take rest days. You can't go hardcore 100% of the time. Remember, muscle grows outside of the gym. You tear it apart in the gym so that when you provide your body with nutrition, it goes into the torn muscles so that it grows. Even with cardio, you'll get burnt out quickly if you do it every single day. Take at LEAST one day of rest (but I recommend two or three).

13. Life happens. If something pops up and you can't go to the gym, don't freak out. Get back at it tomorrow.

14. In general, eat a healthy diet. When Oreos and Twinkies make up the majority of your diet, you will feel sluggish and tired all of the time. Seriously, who wants that?

15. Don't go overboard with healthy eating. I honestly don't think it is possible that someone absolutely hates all 'unclean' foods. If you work your booty off and want a slice of pizza at the end of the week, just eat it, enjoy it, move on and jump back into healthy eating the next day.

16. Don't avoid fats. Fats are a necessary component of our diets, in EVERY diet. Any diet telling you to go fat free is not sustainable.

17. With that being said, choose the rights fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are your best fat sources. Include foods such as salmon, nuts, natural nut butters, avocadoes, and others into your diet.

Nut butter. Obviously my favorite fat source. ;) (Source)

18. Also, don't fear the carbs. When you eat the right kind of carbs, you reap the benefits. Eat complex carbs such as oats, whole grain bread, quinoa, veggies and others. Carbs are not 'necessary' but they feed your brain. Without carbs, you will feel a little ditzy and out of it. You will not function normally.

19. Eat protein. Make sure you eat protein at every single meal. It maintains important muscle mass and keeps you fuller longer.

20. Keep all portions in check. Don't go overboard on any of the three macronutrients.

21. Eat at the times that work for you. If eating six meals a day works for you (which it does for me), then do it. If intermittent fasting works for you, then go for it.

22. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. If someone says that long distance running is 'bad' but you have a passion for running, then run. Being active, like running, is ten times better than sitting on the couch all day shoving your face with potato chips. If someone says not to do a certain exercise but you find that it works for you, do the exercise (as long as it is safe).

23. With that being said, try to include some sort of strength training into your routines. Even if you do bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, planks, push-ups and sit-ups, you will benefit. Even better if you add a little bit of resistance!

(Source)

24. Make short term goals. For example, if you need to lose a few pounds and you plan on losing 50 pounds in 6 months, you will get burnt out easily and just quit. It's the way the human mind works. Instead, set smaller goals like "I will lose 2 pounds this week" or "I will bench press 10 pounds more than what I can now by two weeks from now." This is more achieveable and you'll feel empowered to go further until you reach the 'big' goal.

25. Practice releasing stress from your life. Believe it or not, but when you are stressed, it makes it harder to build muscle or lose fat. If something bad happens in your life, which WILL happen, just breathe in and out.

26. Be grateful. Sounds ridiculous in talking about health and fitness, but if you are grateful for what you have in life, you have a better attitude which will in turn help you reach your health and fitness goals.

27. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You simply cannot do everything by yourself. You just can't. If you need a spotter, just ask! If you can't follow a diet, go get some help from a nutritionist. We all need a little help.

28. Don't hate yourself. If you constantly insult yourself, your self-esteem will seriously suffer. Instead of looking in the mirror and saying "Ugh, my stomach looks so bloated and fat today" say something like "I am at a better place than I was before and I am trying, which is really all that matters. Looking good sexy!"

29. Be consistent. When you work out and eat healthy for a week, then the following week jump off the wagon, and then go on again the next week, you will find it hard to see results. Always stay consistent and if you really want it, you have to consistently work for it.