Controversial Things I Do In The Health and Fitness Space
Hello!
I haven't posted on my blog in a few weeks—not because I didn't want to, but because I've been busy working with new clients, current clients, teaching one-on-one Pilates sessions, and providing Massage Therapy. Plus, there's everything else—life!
So, unfortunately, something had to give, and it ended up being the blog. But I'm happy to be back writing to you all because, even though I have a podcast where I talk about anything and everything, I really love writing and connecting through this medium too!
Today, I want to share a list of things I currently do (I say "currently" because these could change!) that 'technically' go against the Health and Fitness 'rules' you see online, whether it's on Instagram, TikTok, blogs, YouTube, or maybe you're old school and still read articles from online magazines 😉.
I want to share these things for a few reasons:
To remind you that just because someone says, "you have to stop eating at 8 PM if you want to lose weight," it doesn't mean it applies to you. Plus, 100 calories at 8 AM are still 100 calories at 8 PM 😉
We are inundated with conflicting information all day, every day. That's why it's helpful to: a) Unfollow, mute, and filter the information you're reading or hearing: Does this apply to me? Would this even work for me long-term? What credentials does this person have?
Just because it works for someone else doesn't mean it's going to work for you, and that's totally okay!
Your likes and dislikes are unique to YOU! Just because you see everyone on your IG training for a 10km run, but you hate running, it doesn't mean you need to feel bad for not running, or worse, force yourself to do something you hate (especially when there are so many other options!).
Click the image to see the whole post!
If you don't want to read the post on Instagram, here's the list of things I shared in the post:
1. I haven't done a barbell back squat or front squat in a LOOOONG time, maybe a few years?? Not because they're bad, I mean, I did them every week for at least a decade. However, what feels good on my body these days and aligns with my hypertrophy goals are lifts like:
Hip thrusts, RDLs, leg curls, leg extensions, leg press, Bulgarian split squats, lunges, hip extensions, cable abductions, and cyclist squats. Of course, I could include barbell back and front squats, but I don’t really want to. 🤷♀️
I see great results with what I’m doing now and don’t feel the need to change. Maybe that’ll change down the road, maybe not.
2. I often eat two bananas a day.🍌
3. Eating simple and repetitive meals instead of elaborate “Pinterest worthy” meals is what helped me reach my goals and feel better. 🍽️
4. I eat past 8 PM almost every night.⏰
5. I haven’t done fasted cardio in years.
6. I haven’t ran for longer than 10 minutes and at least four years. I walk everywhere and mainly use the spin bike for longer cardio sessions. 🏃♀️
7. I know that everyone’s trying to get in and out of the gym as fast as possible these days, but I actually really like spending 90 minutes at the gym. Sometimes he went a little bit longer to properly warm up and cool down when my schedule allows for it. No this doesn’t make me obsessive. I just really enjoy it. ⏳
8. Sometimes I track my food and sometimes I don’t. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing black or white. I think you can go between eating intuitively and tracking depending on your goals, relationship with food, and season of life you're in.
9. I only track 4 of my lifts, the rest I go by feel.
10. I don’t take a pre workout or BCAA’s, instead, I drink a cup of coffee, electrolytes (not together), greens powder, and some protein.
11. I love weights, I really enjoy Pilates and spin class—no, you don’thave to pick one or stay in a lane.
12. I eat more of calories in the second half of the day than in the first half.🥘
I'd love to know something that you do that technically goes against the health and fitness grain! HIT REPLY and lemme know 😊.
Click image for the full guide!
🎤 Have you listened to the most recent podcast episodes?! If not, I gotchu.
🎤Episode 155: anxiety about maintaining weight loss, body goals and living a fulfilled life, non scale body changes
🎤Episode 156: lifting safely during pregnancy, forcing yourself to eat enough, when you don't want to keep gaining muscle, & more!
🎤Episode 157: tips for eating out, supplements, starting a public IG, returning to maintenance, and more!
If you're looking for 1-1 Health and Nutrition Coaching, you can apply HERE or reply to this email!
Sending strength, encouragement, and going against the grain,
Alicia