Watching my muscles show :)

So, its been a long journey from my second child in August 2011.  During my pregnancy I had plenty of time to decide what route I would take to get my body back the second time around.  After realizing that the roads I've chosen before hadn't revealed the six pack I had always desired, I knew it was time for something different.  Now, trust me.. I've done all types of fad diets- The 48 Hour Hollywood Diet, Veganism (had pretty nice results... but tough to follow), and a few others that I'm going to keep to myself; but, I wanted something I could make into a lifestyle choice so that I could have my six pack for life!  After my graduation in August 2011 with a degree in Biology and Exercise Physiology I began doing some research on my own to determine what exactly these people were doing to have such cut and beautiful bodies.. After tons of scouring the internet, my answer seemed to be the resounding "Eat Clean" solution.  I decided with the motivation I have after babies that it would be a great time to start.

So, here is what "eating clean" entails... Lean proteins are the base of this diet, things such as turkey (ground, baked, etc), chicken, lean pork, etc.  Loads of veggies but light on fruits because even too much fruit sugar can be bad for you; it is normally recommended that fruits are eaten earlier on in the day so that the sugar is burned off.  Complex carbs like quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal  should be consumed as well but as sides and not as dishes (a tough one initially for me because I'm a carb FREAK lol).  No or limited dairy because of the effects of milk on the body (bloat, excess fat etc) it is recommended that you substitute Almond Milk for it instead and if you need a little pick me up some non-fat Greek yogurt is ok, too.  Finally, one of the biggest things in this diet is to watch sugar content!!  You would not BELIEVE the amount of sugar you consume each day... track it one day and find out how far over the recommended daily amount of sugars you exceed (Myfitnesspal is a very easy app to use and tracks this for you).  Watching sugar means reading labels and getting stuff plain and unsweetened and adding a less harmful artificial sweetener such as Stevia or Truvia (if you absolutely need it).  That essentially covers everything about "eating clean" that I have knowledge of, so far.

Although these guidelines may seem strict to you now... trust me its not as hard as taking that first step in the right direction.  Six months ago I was a little scared that it would be too hard for me to follow; now I look at this like, "Yeah, that's not bad at all!"  I've discovered hundreds of thousands of recipes that follow this lifestyle and taste nothing short of AMAZING.. yes desserts included.  Anything change is tough because humans are creatures of habit, but if you can make these your habits you'll enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life because of that change in the right direction.

Feel free to email me with questions.. April <3