Health coach tips for a diet and fitness routine that works!
Fad diet, shmad diet. Let’s get real: If you want to lose weight and keep it off in the long term, you’ll need a consistent fitness and healthy eating routine. Tramell Smith, certified personal trainer at Pinnacle Fitness in Buckhead, offers the following advice that he says will work for virtually anyone looking to get fit.
EATING RIGHT
A healthy diet is rich in lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy or dairy alternatives. Smith says the simplest way to stay focused on healthy eating is to go for quality, one ingredient food items to build your home-cooked meals. For instance, if you’re making a soup, opt for individual herbs for flavor over a manufactured bouillon cube that packs 17 ingredients in one item. Whether your schedule allows for three healthy meals per day or two meals and a snack, Smith suggests eating the healthiest way possible for your time. Just make sure snacks are planned so you don’t end up eating junk food or overeating. “I’m not a fan of grazing. I like a planned snack like 10 Triscuits in a to-go container. Grazing would be having the box of Triscuits and going hand to mouth. The next thing you know, you ate the whole box.”
CALORIE COUNTING
To maintain or lose weight, keeping track of calories can be helpful. If you’re not consulting with a nutritionist, Smith recommends doing an online search for a “calorie calculator” to determine how many calories your body generally needs based on age, gender, height, weight and perceived activity level. From there, keep track of your daily food and drink intake, and plug it into an app with calorie-counting tools such as Fitlife or MyFitnessPal.
“For weight loss, take away 100-150 calories from your daily allotment four days out of the week and don’t go over the allotment on the other three days. You’ll be on track to lose a half a pound per week, depending on what your goals are,” Smith says.
MOVEMENT MATTERS
Smith suggests working out four days per week, too, at least to start. Aim for a variety of movement. For example, two days per week with a trainer, one day of a cardio fitness class and one day of doing something lighter, such as going for a walk.
“Don’t be afraid to be strong,” Smith says. While low weights and high reps might be the go-to for strength training for many people, mixing it up with some heavier weights a few days out of the month to build muscle is a good thing. “The benefits are stronger bones and joints, balance and overall wellness and quality of life. Muscle doesn’t get sick per se. The more body fat you have, the more sickness and inflammation.”
WORKOUT SIDEKICKS
Start working with a trainer as soon as possible so you don’t develop bad workout habits, such as misalignment and bad posture, rushing and not incorporating recovery time, which all can result in injuries. What’s more, a workout buddy is great for accountability and to make it more fun. “Misery loves company, I like to joke. I prefer to train small groups of two to three people with like-minded goals. People tend to show up more, work harder and complain less,” Smith says. “Having others encouraging you and going through the same thing makes it more enjoyable for all parties involved.”
And don’t forget to celebrate the small victories. “They help you get to the bigger ones!” Smith says.
PINNACLE FITNESS
404.228.3705
pinnaclefitnessgym.com
@pinnaclefitnessatl
