Tips for Successful Low Carb Days

Low carb diets are a strategic way to teach our bodies to burn stored fat. When consuming fewer grams of carbs throughout the day, our bodies deplete of glycogen and reach to stored fat for energy.

Most people starting a low carb diet for the first time will struggle in the beginning and sometimes feel withdrawal like symptoms (headache, puffiness), especially if they are coming from a high carb, high processed food diet. This is caused by the transition our bodies go through while going from a sugar burner to a fat burner and adjusting to a new eating cycle.

Here are some tips for a successful low carb day:

1. Plan your meals - If you have an idea of what you are going to eat throughout the day, go ahead and log it into My Fitness Pal and check your nutrient goals. This is a great way to make sure you don't exceed your carb intake goal and lets you see where you need to make adjustments.

2. Have low carb snacks ready - Snacks are often the culprit when exceeding low carb goals. Plan your low carb snacks and have them on hand so you don't have to think about it. Nuts, raw veggies, jerky, even a protein shake are great low carb snack ideas.

3. Drink plenty of water - Avoid carb loaded drinks and instead drink lots of water. Staying hydrated will prevent cravings and help flush the body as it processes all the protein and healthy fats you are consuming during your eating window.

4. Vary your foods - It's good to have go-to protein choices, but keep it interesting by mixing in different proteins. Instead of always going for the chicken recipes, try fish, sausage, pork. Also, try preparing foods in new ways, like mashed or riced cauliflower!

5. Consume healthy fats - Healthy fats like fish, nuts, avocado, oils, will help you feel full and will help you reach your calorie goal for the day. Healthy fats have more calories per gram than protein and carbs.

Consuming an intentional low carb diet will help turn our bodies into fat burning machines. In the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program we cycle low carb days and regular carb days. Click here to learn more about my bootcamps and I will show you how to pair workouts with low carb days for optimal results!

5 Reasons NOT to Skip Leg Day!

Saturday's are leg day around here and in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program we work them pretty hard!

If you are still wondering why "never miss a leg day" is a big deal, check out these 5 reasons why you shouldn't forget to train your lower body once a week.

Leg Day - 5 reasons it’s important

1. Core and cardio - leg exercises are compound movements which mean you work multiple muscle groups and get your heart rate up

2. Better performance - strong legs mean better balance and stability during all of your activities.

3. Fat loss - training the largest muscle group means using more energy which comes from stored fat

4. Prevent back pain - strong glutes, hip flexors, quads and hamstrings keep you stabilized and will help prevent back injuries

5. Look great - toned and strong legs are sexy!

If you'd like to see some leg day exercises, follow me on IG (here) or join my FASTer Way To FASTer Way to Fat Loss® bootcamp. Get more details and a FREE starter kit here!

3 Intermittent Fasting Tips

Intermittent fasting has become a health and fitness industry buzz word but there's a good reason for that: it works! 

What is it? intermittent fasting is an eating schedule that alternates between a FASTED state and a FED state during a defined time period. The point of using IF is to extend your fasting window to force your body to rely on stored fat for energy.

People are often skeptical when they hear the term intermittent fasting, however I want you to know that it is an effective practice that will help your body burn fat. I've been implementing IF for over two years and feel amazing.

Here are three intermittent fasting tips that you can do to start using this strategy today!

1. Try shortening your eating window. You don't have to jump into a 16 hour fast right away. Just try something that feels doable for you. Start with a 12 hour fast, see how that feels. When you are ready, try bumping up to 14 or even 16 hours of fasting. 

2. Drink plenty of water! Staying hydrated, especially during your fasting window, is very important. Start each day with a large glass of water (or two!) and keep drinking all day. It's also ok to drink black coffee, herbal teas and BCAAs during your fast. 

3. Focus on whole foods. Break your fast with a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates and good fats. Eating whole foods fuels our body properly, prepares our body to function optimally and fills our body with appropriate macronutrients and micronutrients to sustain our fasting period.

I fully believe in the benefits of this lifestyle and encourage you to give it a try!

Let me know if you do in the comments below :)

Cape Cod Summer 2018 - Week 1

I don't know why, but working out at the Cape just feels more fun. It could be the cool temperatures, the outdoor workouts, or maybe because I had extra training partners jumping in.

At the start of our first week at the Cape we had to endure a couple of rainy days, but after that the weather was amazing. I kept up with my FASTer Way To Fat Loss VIP workouts and didn't go too off track with my nutrition (affiliate).

Here's what last week's workouts looked like:

Interval Training:
On Monday we had to wait out some rain before we could dive into a 4 circuit HIIT workout, but it was worth it. Since we were doing at home workouts, we changed up the planned sprints on Tuesday and did a Tabata workout. Cooler morning temperatures definitely make these workouts feel a little easier. If I could bottle up this weather to take back to Hong Kong, I would in a heart beat!

Tuesday afternoon we rode bikes along the Shining Sea Bikeway.

Strength Training:
The VIP of strength training on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday was my collection of resistance bands (Fit Simplify bands on Amazon). It took some ingenuity (mostly from mrC), but I was able to do the workouts without feeling like I was missing effectiveness. All of the workouts included a build-up format ---> take 3 exercises and do 1 rep each, then 2 reps each, then 3 reps each...until reaching the max number which was 7. Whoa! This method really tired out my muscles.

Saturday evening we had all three kids (plus one BF) with us and went for a sunset paddle on the West Falmouth Harbor. It was sooooo beautiful. Amy from Peace Love SUP showed us all the best spots in the harbor and took amazing photos for us. We love booking group paddles with her.

Active Rest:
I did some Feel Good Flow porch yoga from Yoga with Adriene on Friday while everyone slept in. Our neighborhood is so quiet and peaceful. I took a full rest day on Sunday but enjoyed an evening walk to the beach.

Sunday morning we took our first seal watching boat cruise out of Harwich Port to Monomoy Island. It was the perfect day to be on the water and the seals were so cute. We found a large harem sitting on a sand bar and when the captain turned off the engine we could hear them singing.

In the mornings, I spent time studying for my FASTer Way To Fat Loss coach certification. I am super excited to finish and coach my own groups ---> if you would like to join the waitlist for my first group go here)!

I'm so happy that we have another full week of Cape Cod fun coming up.

Until then, I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Weekly Wrap | Heading into Vacay & Big News

Somehow, I managed to stay on track this week even though we traveled from Hong Kong to the east coast on Thursday. Our flight didn't arrive until almost 1am Friday and by the time we got to the hotel, I was wide awake. After getting about 2.5 hours of sleep, we hit the ground running to start our annual Cape Cod family vacay.

Interval Training:
Monday's 20 minute sprint drills workout in the park was a doozy! Even though I replaced the sprints with mountain climbers, the combo of cardio and strength moves literally worked the whole body. Tuesday I did the usual 20 seconds sprint: 40 seconds rest x20 on the elliptical.

Strength Training:
Last week we were doing tempo sets. In case you don't already know, tempo sets are when you alternate between very slow reps and fast reps during the same set. For example 2 reps with a 5 count followed by 2 reps with a 1 count. This was my first time doing strength this way but it came pretty easily since it's the format used in Bodypump classes, although someone else is doing the counting for you.

Active Rest Days:
I skipped the juice day fast because we were traveling and did my normal two low calorie rest days. Friday was a full on recovery day of running errands and letting my body adjust to the 12 hour time change. Sunday I got in a couple of walks around the neighborhood and to the beach.

Obviously I'm really looking forward to our two weeks with the kids, on the Cape, at the beach. I know some people take a break from workouts and training while on vacation, but I look forward to my workouts. They make me feel good and strong. So, while I will show myself grace, I plan to continue with my workout schedule and follow the FASTer Way nutritional guide.

PS - I recently shared the big news on IG that I was accepted into the FASTer Way To Fat Loss® Coaching Certification program. Getting involved in the fitness community is something that I've dreamed about doing since leaving my teaching position and moving to China for my husband's job in 2015. I just didn't know where or how to start. The opportunity to become a FASTer Way coach has answered those questions.

As I make my way through the certification process, I wanted to share where my own journey began. You can read about my first round of the program here. If you have any questions or are interested in being added to the wait list for my first round, please message me at runningescapades@hotmail.com

Do you stick to your workouts during vacation?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!