10 tips for staying fit

I think its about time I “finally” wrote this post on the question I get asked the mossst all the time by you guys via emails, DM’s or comments – How do I stay fit?! I am no expert in the area, but definitely am an advocate of living a clean and healthy lifestyle for the most part. I apologize in advance for the rather verbose post ;). Before I jump into my post, I wanted to share a few quick words about my outfit.

As seen in this post, I am a huge fan of the athleisure trend. I love this Blue Life all black everything outfit from Palapa Lounge Beachwear. The set and other Blue life items are 50% off in their store right now so if you live locally in the Bay Area, head on over stat! The rose gold mesh bra looks SO good with the zipper moto leggings for a workout session. How cute are the rose gold zipper details on the leggings?! These pants are super comfy and incredibly versatile – you can wear them from the gym to street by just changing up the top and footwear. Throw on this airy back split tank over the sports bra and you are all set to run errands while looking stylish. I finished the look with these casual sneakers that have rose gold stripes to match the pops of rose gold in my look. Scroll the carousel below to check out my current fave athleisure pieces. With 2017 round the corner and resolutions being made, what better way to motivate yourself than cute gymwear right ;)!

Sports bra – Blue Life fit c/o Palapa Lounge Beachwear

Leggings – Blue Life fit c/o Palapa Lounge Beachwear

Top – Blue Life fit c/o Palapa Lounge Beachwear

Bag – c/o Le sports sac (gym bag, also big enough to be a weekender!)

Sneakers – Kaanas

Bottle – Swell

Now back to real life talk – Over the past couple of years, both Anush and I made a lifestyle change in our diet and workout to make a conscious effort towards becoming more fit and healthy. We both lost about 50 lbs together in total over around 3 years! (Anush lost around 20lbs and I lost around 30 lbs). It definitely took sometime and a whole lot of patience, dedication and discipline. Again, we are no trainers here, but I thought it would be helpful to quickly share a few tips for staying fit based on what worked for us in our journey so far.

1)Exercise (cardio) : I workout 5 – 6 days a week for about an hour each day, and try and put in 3 days cardio + 3 days strength. The bare minimum I try and get is atleast 5 days of 30 min each. I first spoke about my workout routine here , but for cardio both Anush and I love following any High intensity at home workout program like Insanity Asylum or any of the Beachbody programs. We change it up every few months to keep us motivated and challenged. I have tried around 8 or 9 of the programs and have enjoyed most of them! It requires minimal to no equipment and very little space so this worked well for us.   I know many people hate working out at home – so find something to do that you love – a sport, cardio in the gym, a bootcamp, a fun workout class, anything! Just make sure to get that bootay moving and heart rate pumping ;)! And if you ever feel like skipping your workout – just focus on how good you’ll feel after the workout versus how guilty you might feel if you skip it ;)!

2)Exercise (strength) : I put in 3 days of strength training at a gym and workout with a friend who was kind enough to train me, since he had extensive knowledge in the strength department. On all my strength days I usually focus on 1 major compound move which are great for full body (squats or benchpress or deadlift) and then do some other accessory lifts for other body parts ( like back, arms, legs, etc) and finish up with some core work and stretching. If you need some help or direction in reading up about strength I would recommend Starting Strength, online forums like reddit fitness or Stronglifts. For strength at home, I invested in a pull up bar , a couple of weight bands and resistance bands. The pull up bar was the best purchase so far, as I challenged myself to build up the strength over months to be able to do a non assisted pull up. Everytime I walked past the pull up bar I used to try and get one. I initially started with assistance and after months of building up to it  I can now finally do a proper pullup – yay!

3) Clean eating : Of course your diet is 80% of what matters! Its all about what you eat – both the quality and quantity, so eating well and eating right is important. I try to stick to a high protein, low carb diet for the most part. I cut out as much processed food/drink in my diet. I avoid any packaged juices or sugary processed drinks (once in awhile I do reach for a diet soda:) ). I also rarely have any alcohol and am glad to have cut out empty wasteful calories out of my diet.

4) Counting your calories : In the beginning , I would log my calories using My Fitness Pal, so now I have a rough idea of the calories I consume everyday. I would highly recommend using this app or something else to track calories if you haven’t tried it once as it tells you how many calories your body requires based on your goals. You might be surprised by calories of certain foods that we all take complete take advantage of and might even realise that you actually might be over or undereating! It is a bit of work, but the app definitely helps you stick to a calorie limit if you are diligent with logging in. If you are interested in tracking macros in your diet the app lets you do that too. And of course both Anush and I definitely allow ourselves a little slack here and there and one choice of a cheat meal a week – which is definitely a yummy guiltfree Sunday brunch for both of us!

5) Portion control : I try and eat smaller meals for more number of times a day so I don’t end up overeating in any meal. Even when Anush and I eat out we mostly split an appetizer and a main course, and sometimes a dessert. Yes, we share everything haha, and our friends make so much fun of us for sharing dessert! This was such a toughie for me in the beginning since I have a big sweet tooth, but eventually with time I learnt to share my dessert only with Anush ;).

6) Find a workout buddy : Honestly I don’t know how I could have done any of this without having Anush as such an amazing workout partner! Its so much more fun to workout with a friend or partner so you can motivate each other. Even if you dont have someone to physically workout with you, find a buddy who you can discuss fitness with, so you will have someone to hold you accountable incase you slip in your routine.

7) Set small reasonable goals : Just like goal settings for life, try to set a major milestone as well as smaller goals to get you to that milestone. I always find working towards a target very motivating – it could be your next vacation, or a new year, or next summer, or to be able to look the way you want in a killer swimsuit! Whatever you choose, always keep that in mind when you are struggling in the middle of your workout to help motivate and push you through to get that one extra rep ;).

8) Small improvements matter – Things like trying to take the stairs if I’m in a building, walking whenever I can, making healthier choices while eating out or trying to eat mostly at home are all small steps but they all count in the big picture.

9) Consistency and staying disciplined is key : There maybe several workout programs or diet plans that may work for you, but at the end of the day what matters is consistency. Pick something that works for you and stick to it. I must mention though that fitness is a lifestyle, so working out + dieting just 1 month before a big vacation and coming back to not doing anything is pretty pointless. Since we travel often, Anush and I also try and workout during vacation/travel (#nodaysoff haha!).  If not a proper full fledged workout we atleast try and do some body weight workouts or a fun challenge like 100 pushups and 100 squats …just something to keep our heart rate elevated for atleast 15 – 20 min a day. Resistance bands, TRX bands or at home DVD workouts are your best friends to stay fit while on the go. Stay positive and be patient ; a good mental attitude is everything!

10) Lastly and most most importantly learn to love and respect your body no matter what !

If you stuck with me all through the end of this super long post – a HUGE thank you! But thank you nonetheless for stopping by. I hope this helps you in some way or the other! xoxo

Jyo