Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Benefits of Joining an Online Fitness Challenge

There are many times throughout the year where fitness challenges are super popular and the December is one of them. You’ve probably seen them offered on social media or at your local gym. Maybe you have even done one or two! I personally love joining challenges and have done A LOT of them over the years (see evidence here, here and here) because there are soooo many benefits.


Challenges come in all shapes and sizes, which means you can always find one that is a perfect fit for you. 

If you are on the fence about whether or not to join a challenge, let me tell you some of the benefits of joining a challenge.

1. Motivation – because working out can be a struggle, especially in the winter when it’s colder and crazy with work and holidays. A challenge helps you stay focused and avoid the distractions that can get you off track from your fitness goals. Joining a challenge gives you a reason to get off the couch, put on your workout clothes and get moving.

2. Accountability – a challenge group will hold you accountable. There’s lots of evidence to show that when you are part of a group working to reach a common goal, you’re much more likely to succeed. You’ll be inspired by other people’s accomplishments and you will inspire them. You’re much more likely to stay on track and not let obstacles derail you when you are part of an accountability group, like an online challenge group.

3. Learn something new – if you’ve been doing the same old thing, doing a challenge can spice things up. Changing your routine is a great way to start seeing results again when you introduce new exercises. You’ll get tips on eating healthy, new ideas for workouts. You’ll get a variety of new tools for the fitness tool box, so that when the challenge is over, you can keep building, keep the momentum going, instead of stalling out when your routine starts to feels stale and uninspiring.

4. Flexibility – you can complete the challenge work at your convenience, there is no need to attend a class at a certain time or go to the gym during your lunch break (although you can if that is what works for you!), you don’t even have to belong to a gym to participate! Plus you can do the workouts in the morning or the afternoon, whenever it works for you!

I am hosting a FREE online fitness challenge that will give you motivation, accountability, and FAB ABs by Christmas. The 12 Days of Core starts on DEC 10. Each day I will give you an exercise to perform. The fun part is that you will add on each day, just like the song! You will also get fun holiday recipes, intermittent fasting tips and tricks to avoid holiday weight gain. Click here to learn more!


 Before you sign up for an online challenge, here are some things to consider to make sure you have the best experience:

1. Sign up for a challenge that is something you already enjoy or want to get better at. Don’t sign up for a challenge doing something you hate thinking that it will make you love it. I tried that once with a 30-burpees for 30 days…I still am not a fan of burpees and I didn't finish the challenge! Take my advice, you don’t want to spend 30, 12 or even 2 days doing something you dread. Challenges are supposed to be FUN!

2. Keep in mind that you will have good days and bad days. Most people are super excited at the start of a challenge. If you can hold on to that feeling for the entire challenge, that’s great. Realistically there will be days when you’re not feeling well or didn’t get enough sleep and whatever the reason, you will struggle to do your daily challenge work. The point is to not give up. Remember the days that you have already put in and let that keep you going through the bad day.

3. If you are going to sign up for a challenge, make it a priority. Even if it’s a fun challenge, plan when you are going to do it. Make sure to fit it into your schedule like you would an appointment or something work related and don’t skip! 

4. Engage with the other challenge members. This will make it more fun and you will probably come away with some new online fitness friends. Then you can continue to keep each other accountable and motivated after the challenge is over.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. Let me know in the comments if you are doing a challenge in December! If you are interested in joining my 12 Days of Core challenge that starts on DEC 10, don’t forget sign up here!






Sunday, November 25, 2018

Are You A Sugar Burner or Fat Burner?

If someone asked you which you would rather be, a sugar burner or a fat burner, I think most of us would answer, fat burner. Especially if you are trying to lose fat.


Being a sugar burner means exactly that. Your primary source of fuel is glucose, which means your body has absolutely no reason to reach into your fat stores for energy. Your body is perfectly content to run on a steady supply of carbs that you are providing.

How do you know if you are a sugar burner? Ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you hungry shortly after eating?
2. Do you experience large swings in energy levels from high to low?
3. Do you have a craving for carbs and sugar in every meal?
4. Are you struggling to lose belly fat?

When you are a sugar burner consuming a high carb diet, your blood sugar increases forcing your body to produce more insulin. That insulin spike blocks the appetite control hormone leptin which prevents your brain from getting the signal that you are full. This creates an unhealthy cycle that leaves most people feeling continuously hungry, over-weight and in danger for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other inflammatory problems.

The goal is to be a fat burner: to train your body to burn fat for fuel by eating the right amount of carbs, protein and healthy fats. 

When you are a fat burner, your body still burns the food you consume for fuel, but then it turns to fat stores for the rest. Using fat stores for energy means that your body can go for 6-8 hours without feeling hungry, you will lose fat and feel an increase in energy.

Fat burners still consume carbs, but they do it at the right time and for the right reasons. Intermittent fasting helps the process of becoming a fat burner because you aren’t giving your body a steady stream of glucose and your insulin levels remain low. Fat burners who carb cycle don’t experience energy crashes and are able to listen to the body’s hunger signs.

Pro fat burners pair intermittent fasting and carb cycling with the right workouts to increase the body’s fat burning process and build lean muscle. The more muscle you have, they higher your metabolism and the more fat your body burns naturally. 

If you answered yes to any of the questions I asked earlier, you can turn your body into a fat burner by joining my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss®. I will show you how to burn fat and get fit fast through straightforward nutrition and strategic workouts. Details and sign-up information here.




Friday, November 23, 2018

You Overate, What Can You Do Now?

Well, hello everyone!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope you had a wonderful time. Here in Hong Kong, mrC and I had a great strength workout and then had some yummy turkey meatballs for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I have so much to be thankful for this year including people like you reading this blog and many family and friends who have been so supportive of my journey to becoming a coach for  FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and turning my passion for fitness and love of teaching into the most amazing job ever! 

Last week I talked to you about how to enjoy the holiday and stay on track.

Some of you might have set a goal and told yourselves you wouldn’t over over-indulge, you promised you wouldn’t eat too much or drink too much, but despite having the best intentions, maybe you are feeling a little bloated and experiencing eater’s remorse. 

First of all, ditch the remorse. Never, ever feel bad about enjoying your celebration or holiday and the food and drink that goes with it!

Instead of looking at the day with a “what have I done” attitude, let’s think about “what you can do now” and move forward. 

If you celebrated with a little bit too much food and drink, don’t panic. Even if your pants are feeling tighter today, it’s easier than you think to get back on track. 


 So, if you overate, here’s what you can do now:

1. Show yourself grace. Don’t spend the day beating yourself up. This will only make you feel stressed which can lead to cravings and making poor choices. You can’t turn back the clock or erase what happened, but you can accept it and move on.

2. Get back to your normal routine. Definitely resume your regular eating schedule as soon as possible and plan ahead if you are going to be out Black Friday shopping! Make sure you have healthy snacks on hand. Start tracking your food again if you took the day off. Extend your intermittent fasting window by an hour or two to give your body a little more time at digestive rest. Then eat meals with a balance of carbs, fats and protein. You could do a regular macro day and get in a good strength training workout or go low carb and get in a 20-minute high intensity interval training workout. Whatever you do, don’t binge exercise to make up for binge eating. Over-exercising is a stressor on the body that leads to fat gain instead of fat loss.

3. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will help your metabolism and wash things down and out of your body. That heaviness you’re probably feeling is a combination of water retention, extra glycogen (stored from all the carbs you ate) and waste in the digestive track. All of this “weight” will eventually be balanced out by drinking plenty of water and resuming your normal meals.

Most people who head into a holiday already eating healthy and working out the right amount, will not over over-indulge, but if they do they will be able to bounce back easily because of the healthy habits they have formed. 

If you want to learn these healthy habits, you can sign up for my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® that will start on DEC 31 with Prep week. Click here for more information.

I also have a FREE holiday challenge if you are looking for a fun way to stay motivated and have some accountability. The 12 Days of Core Challenge starts DeC 10. You can join here

I hope you found today’s information useful. If you did I’d love for you to share it for others to see. Let me know that you read by leaving a comment. I love comments ;)

Remember, don’t look back at what you could have, should have done. Focus on starting fresh today. You are always one choice/day away from getting back on track.


Tuesday, November 20, 2018

12 Days of Core Challenge

The biggest holiday of the year is just around the corner, so it seemed like it would be a great time to launch a fun challenge to help you stay focused through the craziness and channel some winter energy! Are you ready for the 12 Days of Core Challenge?

Get ready because it is time to build some fab abs with 12 days of exercises that will have you feeing strong and toned. I will be here cheering you along as you reach and CRUSH your goals. You are going to create a strong core that will help you reduce injury, improve your posture and generally make completing daily activities easier!

Here's how the 12 Days of Core Challenge works:

Each day I will give you a daily core exercise (with video). The fun part is that just like the song, you will add on each day. You will complete the exercise for the day and then complete all of the previous days as well. I will be giving you serious ab inspiration throughout the challenge too. You will receive a FREE Macros to Muscles guide, intermittent fasting tips, fun holiday recipes and tips to avoid the Holiday 15!

If you want to have yourself a Merry Little Fit-mas, then I've got you covered. My goal is to help you keep your head in the game and give you the accountability and motivation you need to avoid gaining any extra pounds during the holiday season!

To join the 12 Days of Core Challenge, simply click here to join the private Facebook group and get ready because the fun begins on December 10!


Have a question? Leave it in the comments or send me an email at amycainefitness@icloud.com

Are you joining me for the 

12 Days of Core Challenge? 

Let me know in the comments below!




How and Why You Should Eat Your Carbs!!

Hey everyone! It’s our second low carb day in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® community which means tomorrow we will be cycling carbs back into our meals. And a lot of people will be excited about that, but they will still struggle to hit their carb goals.

Today I want to share some ideas about how to hit your carb goals and why it is so important.


When we start tracking our food using a food log like MyFitnessPal, we learn that we have probably not been eating enough carbs on a regular basis for a long time. When we start trying to consume the right amount of the right kind of carbs, it’s not easy! Some days it feels impossible!

So first, I want to share some ideas that I use that can help you reach your carb goals on regular macro and low macro days:

1. Plan ahead. Plan your meals in advance to make sure they have all the macronutrients included but especially your carbs if you are having trouble reaching your daily goal. 

2. When you plan, include starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, corn, butternut squash, in your meal planning. Starchy veggies have more carb content than non-starchy veggies.

3. Also, think about adding whole grains like oats, rice, quinoa, whole grain breads, wraps and pasta.These are great options to help you hit your carb goals because they are also rich in fiber which is super good for our digestive process.

4. Eat all the fruit – I save my fruit for regular macros days. I have it in my smoothies, I use it for my snacks. 

5. Finally, I keep cold pressed juices that are fruit and veggie based on hand for the days when I need more carbs, but am just not hungry. Or the days where my original meal plan didn’t happen because we got in late or I didn’t have time to get to the grocery. I find that drinking my carbs is a little easier sometimes.


In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® community we do not eliminate carbs because we know how important they are to our bodies. We know it is important to consume the right amount of carbs which is why we carb cycle.

Here’s what happens when we don’t eat enough carbs:

1. We have super low energy. We feel exhausted, we hit the wall. Not because we have been super busy or just ran a marathon, but because we’ve run out of fuel and feel like we need a nap half way through our day.

2. We might experience what it known as carb flu – not an actual flu, but similar symptoms like headaches, foggy brain and dizziness. Carbs are important for our brain power!

3. We could create an unhealthy gut and poor digestion because often times when we are low on carbs, we are also low on fiber. This causes bloating, constipation. Carbs with high fiber content also help the healthy bacteria in our guts absorb and process the micronutrients in our body.

4. Being low on carbs can put you in a bad mood. You know the word, hangry? Carbs help produce serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical.

5.You could even develop bad breath! This is caused when the body enters the state of ketosis, chemicals are released when the body burns proteins and fats which cause bad breath. This happens when you eat a low carb diet on a regular basis.

I hope this information was helpful to you! Let me know by leaving a comment and telling me what your favorite carb is! 

If you are interested in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program, click here for more information and to download a FREE guide. My next round starts DEC 31!




Thursday, November 15, 2018

Recipe for Enjoying Your Thanksgiving and Staying on Track

Hello everyone! It is already Thursday and in just one week, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a special time of year. We enjoy our family and friends, we give thanks and we focus on FOOD! Sometimes that focus is too negative and people start to feel guilty about the thought of indulging in their favorite holiday dishes. 

Today I want to remind you to ENJOY! The world won’t end if you eat too much or drink too much or skip a workout. But I also understand that some of you will still want to find a way to enjoy all the food and stay on track. 

This post is for people who are trying to stay on track during Thanksgiving and are looking for a little guidance. Because there are really two options: go crazy and eat & drink everything and feel GOOD about it (yes good) OR have a plan in place to eat healthy but indulge with moderation and feel GOOD about it!

I never want you to feel guilty about eating!

I already gave you some tips on how to avoid the Holiday 15, so what can you do specifically for Turkey Day? Here’s a recipe for enjoying your Thanksgiving and staying on track:


1. Keep doing Intermittent Fasting - this really helps you control your appetite and prevents over-indulging too much. Prepare for the day by extending your fast by an hour or two on Wednesday. You can also do this as a follow up on Friday. 

2. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you’re drinking alcohol, try to follow each drink with a glass of water. 

3. Make calculated choices: Eat your salad and other non-starchy vegetables first. Fill your plate with all the turkey! Save the starchy vegetables and fruit for last.

4. Plan to workout at some point: early on Turkey Day is popular -> in my hometown, I used to run the Thanksgiving Day Race in the morning and enjoy all the yummy food that night. Or make sure you get in that Leg Day workout on Saturday and skip the treat if you over over-indulged on Thursday. You could even do a low carb day on Friday and get in a quick HIIT workout! Just get right back to it!

5. Thoroughly enjoy the foods you love and skip the ones you don’t! Spend you macros on your absolute favorites. Don't waste them!

If you’re already focused on healthy eating and exercising the right amount, you will not derail yourself on one holiday! You can absolutely enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving dishes and stay on track!

My tips incorporate strategies that we use in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program. Learn more here.

I hope you find these tips helpful. If you do I’d love for you to leave a comment below letting me know!





Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your dream body!

It's low carb day and that means one of my favorite cardio workouts, but first I wanted to talk a little about motivation.

Yesterday I shared a post on social media that said Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they worked on it every single day!

That’s what I want you to remember when you are working toward your dream body. You have to work on it Every. Single. Day.

I don’t mean you have to work out every single day, but you do have to make choices that will help you get to your goal every single day.

In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® we emphasize that you if you follow our plan, a combination of straightforward nutrition and effective workouts, you will burn fat FAST. You will see big changes in your body composition FAST.

But it still takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your dream body after just one day of sticking to healthy choices. You have to start and then you have to be consistent.


You have to eat whole foods every day. You have to move every day. You have to engage with others who have a similar goal every day! In other words, you have to work at it every single day until you reach your goal.

They say it takes about 2 months to develop a new habit. If you are consistent for 2 months, you can train your body to burn fat, you can remove all the junk from your body and you can build up the mental grit to make living a healthy lifestyle, like the FASTer Way to Fat Loss®, your new habit!

I hope I’ve motivated you this morning to make healthy choices! Let me know if I have in the comments!

My waitlist is open for my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss®. Click here for more info, including FREE guides you can download.



Sunday, November 11, 2018

How to Prep for Your Workout

Hey everyone! We are just wrapping up Prep Week around here and my new clients have been testing out the workouts. I’m going to be doing my active recovery day workout soon, but…

I thought I’d talk a little bit about how to prep for your workout to get the best experience.


If you are doing a new workout program (like the FASTer Way to Fat Loss®) for the first time, trying to figure everything out in the beginning can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. There can be a lot of moving parts and keeping track of it all takes some getting used to. Even if you have been working out on a regular basis, learning a new workout program takes some time.

Here are a few things you can do to prep for your workout to make it go smoothly and so you can get the best experience.

Save the workouts. In FASTer Way to Fat Loss® you receive access to a private portal where all of the workouts are loaded for you. You can print the workouts from your computer, screenshot the workout for each day of the week on your phone, or save the webpage for easy access in your browser. (this is what I do). You will need to look at the workout while you’re doing it, so choose the method that will work best for you. Try them all to see what that is if you need to.

Look ahead. No matter which option you choose to save your workouts, once you do that LOOK AHEAD. First look at the whole week AHEAD of time. Read through the entire week of workouts to make sure you understand the directions. Second the day before, look at the workout for the next day. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss®, we link to demo videos, look at those too! Look at everything you can. If you see something that is confusing or you don’t understand -> ask your coach ahead of time. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® this means posting your question in the daily thread.

Make a plan. When will you work out? Where will you work out? What will you need for the workout, like equipment if you are doing at-home option? What will you want during your workout, like water, a sweat towel, a snack for after -> this is especially useful planning if you are working out at the gym on your lunch break or during your child’s soccer practice.

If you do these things, your workouts will go more smoothly and you will have a better experience. But also remember that if life gets in the way, if the workout is NOT perfect, it’s ok! Remember that it is about progress, not perfection!

I hope you found this information helpful. If you did I’d love for you to leave me a "fist bump" in the comments! 

Registration has officially closed for my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® November round, but you can add your name to my waitlist and reserve your spot in my December round.

You can check out more information on my FASTer Way to Fat Loss® page including FREE guides that you can download and my own FASTer Way to Fat Loss® story.




Monday, November 5, 2018

Keys to Success in Your Fitness Journey

It is PREP WEEK for my LAST group of clients for the year. We just had our first training call this morning and I’m so excited to be working with them through the holidays! They are going to be a fun group.

I am closing registration very soon, so if you want to get in and start your health and wellness journey BEFORE the holidays, you need to jump in right now (register here).

Today I want to talk about the keys to making your fitness journey a success.


Starting something new can be intimidating. For a lot of people, it means stepping outside a very comfortable COMFORT ZONE and risking failure! If you are just starting or are wondering what it takes to be successful in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program, this video is for you.

Here are the things you can do to be successful in any fitness journey, and specifically the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program:

First, you must COMMIT. I’m not talking about just hitting the registration button and handing over your money. But since you did do that, let’s make sure you get your money’s worth! I’m talking about making the program a priority, digging into the materials when you get them (not waiting to the last minute to figure it out), maximizing PREP WEEK as a chance to ease into the program and practice the strategies so that when you get to WEEK 1 you are ready to go. When you fully commit, you will make it, you will succeed.

Second, you must PLAN. At the beginning of the program I ask all of my clients to name one main goal they have for themselves. A goal without a plan is just a wish. Our number one focus in the FASTer Way program is nutrition. To be successful, you have to think ahead. Plan your meals, plan your snacks. Don’t just plan whatyou will eat, but also plan whenyou will eat. Plan time to PLAN ;) 

Third, you need to ENGAGE. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® we use accountability groups because the success rate for women goes up when we have a strong support system in place. Staying engaged keeps you focused on your goals, helps you get back to it if you get distracted, validates your feelings as you go through the process because you are not doing it alone! The more you engage in the process and with others in your accountability group, the more success you will have with the program.

Last, STAY POSITIVE.Your journey will be sprinkled with missed workouts, non-functioning equipment, uncooperative time schedules, non-supportive friends and family and even a few “I just don’t feel like it” days. But, if you maintain a positive mindset, you will be so much more successful and so much more likely to pick yourself up and jump back into it the next decision, day, or whatever it is.

When you put these 4 things together, you will have amazing success in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program, you will reach your goals and be prepared to make it a lifestyle.

I hope this was helpful for you. I would love for you to let me know in the comments. You can also leave a question if you have one.

For more information on FASTer Way to Fat Loss® ---> check out my page here.


Saturday, November 3, 2018

Low Carb Meal Planning Made Easy

It’s an exciting day for me. I have clients finishing up their first round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and getting ready to send me their final results. I CANNOT wait to CELEBRATE their success!

I also have a new group starting TOMORROW who are ready to THRIVE through the holidays and CRUSH their health and wellness goals. 

I do still have a few spots remaining -> so if you are thinking about joining I would jump on that registration right away and get your spot!

Today I want to talk a little about carb cycling (one of the strategies that we use in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss®  program) and how to make meal planning easier if you are just getting started.




For those that are unfamiliar with carb cycling, it is simply an intentional variation of carbohydrate intake. Some days you’re eating fewer carbs and some days you’re eating more.

For anyone who is new to carb cycling, it can feel a little overwhelming when you start thinking about meal planning. But it doesn’t have to be.

Here are a couple of tips for making meal planning easier if you are carb cycling:

1.  Always plan your meal around lean protein and healthy veggies and fats. If you focus on these things, you won’t miss the carbs on low carb days and you can easily add them in on regular macro days when your carb intake is higher.

For dinner your main meal plan could be grilled chicken and veggies. This is
all you need on a low carb day. On a regular macro day (when your carb intake is higher)
you could add rice, a baked potato, quinoa.

For breakfast your main meal could be bacon and eggs. Then on regular macro day you can add in the carbs with hash browns, toast, pancakes.

For lunch your main could be turkey rollups and carrots. For higher carb days add the bread and some fruit.

2.  Take your favorite meals and do a low carb swap. This means that you are going to take away the high carb item and replace it with a low carb item.  

Instead of mashed potatoes, make mashed cauliflower – again you can do this yourself or find a pre-made option in the grocery.

Spaghetti – everyone loves spaghetti. Make it low carb by replacing the pasta with zucchini noodles!

Breakfast toast - replace it with a low carb plain rice cake and choose low carb toppings like peanut butter or avocado 

3. Make your family favorites but offer two simple options: high carb and low carb.

On taco night, serve tortillas and hard shells along with lettuce cups.

For sloppy joe sandwiches or burgers off the grill, serve buns and lettuce wraps.

I hope you found this information helpful. I would love for you to let me know or if you have a question leave it in the comments! You can also check out my Pinterest board for low carb recipes ---> here.

Learn more about carb cycling in my next round of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and start your journey to a healthier you!



What is FASTer Way to Fat Loss®? - Online Bootcamp

This is the first post in my series What is FASTer Way to Fat Loss®? with a focus on what to expect from the premier online bootcamp.

FASTer Way to Fat Loss®  Online Bootcamp


  • It's a six week online program where you learn to create a healthy lifestyle and to effectively burn fat through cutting edge strategies (intermittent fasting, carb cycling, tracking macros).
  • The bootcamp classroom is a private Facebook group (or email), a private website portal, LIVE online training calls, videos, podcasts, and My Fitness Pal.
  • Daily instruction and accountability are provided in the private Facebook group.
  • You access program information through a private website portal. In the portal you receive a comprehensive program guide, daily eating schedule and workouts for the six weeks and sample recipes. **There is no meal plan. 
  • You learn the strategies through online readings, LIVE video training sessions and podcasts.
  • You use My Fitness Pal to track your food consumption and learn to eat the right macros, at the right time, for the right reasons.
The goal of an online bootcamp is to allow people from all over the world to meet in an online classroom, learn together and support each other.

Learn more about my next round here.

Coming up next, I will discuss the elements of carb cycling and how it is used in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program.






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