No negativity allowed!

Hey there!

This post goes out to everyone who had problems to establish their new lifestyle.

There might come a point in your life where you realize that you don't want to live like this anymore because you figured out that your body is not a trash-can and doesn't deserve to be treated as one. You feel that you want to change your whole habits to become a healthier version of you. GREAT.

You are highly motivated and start reading about how to improve your eating habits, you learn all about clean eating, about weight lifting, you put together your own work-out program , like those you'll find on www.bodybuilding.com, and you feel ready to kick through this healthier lifestyle.

But then it happens... Your surroundings don't understand this sudden change, especially your parents, because ' You still look okay' and 'you are not fat.' They are worried because they don't want you to lose too much weight, they are afraid that you may enter an eating-disorder because they only want your best.

Try to state expressively that's it's NOT a diet but a lifestyle-change and that you want to live healthier.  To make it easier for them to understand your new way of life you can start by cooking them one of your new meals.
Prepare something delicious to show that you are still eating enough and that the food tastes great as well. Ask them to buy healthier food at the grocery store instead of pizza, burgers & co.
If this doesn't work, because they have no idea what's healthy and what's not, tell them that you would like to do the grocery-shopping by yourself.
This shouldn't mean that you have to pay out of your own pocket,because maybe you will be given extra pocket money just for your food.

Roughly the same goes for your friends. Give them some time to understand your new lifestyle, and,  same here, don't get mad at them when they don't get it at first and still want to convince you to eat   dessert, have a cocktail or spend a pizza-pasta-ben&jerries-night with them. 

But if your friends still don't understand it after weeks or even months and make fun of you every time you hang out with them, you will become very angry. 
If you are not yelling at them, you will be pissed inwardly. And I am not telling you that this is wrong. I can totally relate to those feelings as I went through this so many times. But don't make the mistake and drop everything, just don't! You have already come so far, don't let it be ruined by some lame jokes.

If they don't want to understand...FINE... if they don't want to change their eating habits...FINE... it's their body and they have to live in it.
But if they are constantly making fun of you , then tell them how you feel about it. Sometimes it's better to stop hanging out with such people. You really don't need that kind of negativity in your life. It will only tear you down, which is anything but healthy.

Certainly this sounds a bit mean, but hey...they just made fun of you, they didn't take you serious and they hurt your feelings, they maybe also killed your motivation for some days... That's what I call mean...

Don't let them tell you that you have an eating-disorder

Don't let them tell you that you will look like a man

Don't let them tell you that you have become addicted to the gym

Don't let them tell you that you are relinquishing some food

Good friends will try to understand what you are doing and will try to motivate and empower you, even if they might have no idea what you are doing. That's what I call real friends.

I know exactly what I am talking about, I have 'lost' so many friends because I changed my way of life, because I wanted to be a healthier version of myself. I am not saying that I am not talking to them anymore or that I banished them forever, but I simply don't hang out with them that much. And now that I decided to start competing, I realized even more who I can call a 'real friend'. It's possible that you will only have 5 friends left, but hey... a true friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find but lucky to have.

I know that it's hard when you have to give up in some way on your friends, but if they don't want to accept your decisions, why do you need them in your life anyways if they only make fun of you?!

Don't let anybody tear you down,because if you want it,you can do it!

Enjoy your weekend!

Pre- & post-workout meals

Hey you!

Finally it's friday, and today it's actually Food-friday! Let me explain you why 'food friday'...

Normally when people hear the word 'diet' they think of some kind of eating plan which won't work for long term. But when it comes to weight loss and fat loss, you really have to focus on the importance of nutrition. This doesn't mean what you are allowed to eat but when you should eat it, the same goes with beverages that you include in your daily routine. 

So here some basic rules for pre- and post-workout meals:

1. No post-workout coffee:

If you are a total coffee addict there is no need to worry now, you don't have to give up drinking coffee ( searching for an alternative?Click HERE ).

So, why you shouldn't drink coffee post workout:

To start with, if you are adding sugar, milk, cream, syrup etc. to your coffee, try to cut those out! If you simply can't make sure to drink your coffee pre-workout. 

Now, the reason why you should drink your coffee before you workout, is because post workout you are in a state where your muscles are already starting to repair themselves, and when you are drinking coffee after exercising, you go even deeper in the state of muscle destruction. 

2. No pre-workout meat:

If you have a meat-loaded meal before you workout you are going to slow down your metabolism which means that the food you ate takes actually longer to be digested, meaning the whole process zaps on your energy. So, I would have this type of meal at least 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours after your workout and have it +/- 2 hours before your workout if you simply can't get enough of meat. 

3. No meat but protein instead:

Don't get me wrong now with #2! Just because you shouldn't be eating meat pre workout doesn't mean that you should avoid proteins before hitting the gym. If you have a protein shake before you hit the gym is just the perfect way to increase the effectiveness of your workout. 

Your pre-workout shake should be simple, meaning mixing your powder with water or unsweetened almond milk and if you need a bit more energy you can even add coconut oil or rape oil (along with your almond milk or water!)

4. Saving fat for post-workout:

As you may know, fats are very important for a healthy diet (get more info about that HERE). The trick is to get the right amount of fat at the right time. If you have restricted your fats to only 'good' fats like Omega-3, save those fats for after your gym session to get ultimate results. NEVER BEFORE: they also slow down your metabolism.

5. Big meals are for after your big workout:

If you just finished your gym session, sit down and have a great meal and enjoy larger portions. Try to schedule your routine so that you eat after you hit the gym. 

If you aren't able to do that, sit down and try to reschedule your breakfast, lunches or dinners to prevent any potential workout plateaus you might encounter down the road. 

6. Consider your glycemic index:

If you constantly read my blog you should know now that fruits are a great source of energy, some of them are even so full of energy that they leave us only little room for fat burning. (click HERE for more info about fruits)

The best food for burning fat is the banana. Most people think that they are great workout snacks but their glycemic index is very high, just as carrots'. Plus, they increase their glycemic index the moment they ripen. The riper, the higher the index!

Grapefruits, berries, cherries, apples and pears are much better alternatives for pre- and post workout meals. 

These simple rules should help you to get better and better and get more faster and impressive results in your own personal situation! May the food be with you! 

Have a nice weekend my lovely ones!