1. Meal prepping saves money
I have friends who buy breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner every day of the week! Chances are those meals are not the healthiest, and probably not the cheapest either. Why not do your grocery shopping once a week, know the foods you’re eating and save your money! For me, I can get everything I need for 6 meals every day, for $60-$80 per WEEK. Be smart. Eat well. Stay healthy. 2. Carbs are your friend People have strong opinions about carbs, but I’m here to tell you, you need carbs. I repeat – YOU. NEED. CARBS. Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. They’re good for brain function, they help reduce bloating, they help prevent heart disease, they taste good, and they make you happy. Still not buying it? Leave a comment, let’s talk about it :) 3. Setting small goals are more important than setting giant ones On day 1 of my fitness journey, if my goal was to win a bikini competition, I would have never made it through prep. I gave myself small goals, and once those were complete, I crushed new goals. Eventually, I knew I had what it took to get on stage. No matter what the goal may be, you have to take baby steps to get there. Setting small goals gives you more focus, more motivation and more reward. In time, you will reach that long-term goal. 4. To become comfortable being uncomfortable On May 26, 2015 I decided to step out of my comfort zone. On this day, I decided to create my fitness Instagram page. I wasn’t comfortable posting fitness related content on my regular page, so I made a separate page; more for accountability. I didn’t tell anyone about this page. But as much as I tried to hide it, people began to follow and before I knew it, I was at 10K followers, then 20K... now almost at 30K! Since starting this page, I began to educated myself on fitness and nutrition, posting more, which led to people asking me for plans and advice. When I REALLY stepped out of my comfort zone was when I registered for my first NPC competition. You can read more about competing here, but it’s crazy what will come from you deciding to take a chance and do something you’re not really comfortable with. I’ve met so many new people and learned so much about myself just by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. 5. Embrace and learn from failure. You’re not going to get every job that you apply for, you’re not going to win every show that you register for, and you’re not going to have a hit song after only performing one time. You must embrace the failures, and learn from them because with failure, you can only get better. Competing and fitness overall has taught me that consistency is important, and it’s important to not get down on yourself when you’re not seeing immediate results in the gym, or not placing in a show. Instead of sulking and giving up, you MUST get up, stay positive, and keep improving. 6. The number on the scale means NOTHING Why is everyone so obsessed with this stupid number? I’ve learned that this little number means NOTHING. Since I began weight training and dieting properly, my current weight isn’t much different than when I first started. But if I were to compare pictures from then to now, you would think there was at least a 15-pound weight difference. Remember, muscle weighs more, so if you’re looking leaner but the number on the scale is higher than you’d like it to be, that’s when you should be comfortable with ignoring it. With that being said, ALWAYS track your progress with pictures. That’s where you’ll see the real changes. 7. Consistency is key Positive habits are not easy to create, but they’re almost always worthwhile. I’ll admit, I thought that during my first week of competition prep I’d see immediate results. Turns out, it takes at least 3 months of super clean eating, weight training, cardio and constant work to be stage ready. So for anyone not stepping on stage and just trying to live a healthier lifestyle, it’s extremely important to stay consistent. It can be discouraging to not see results fast, (this goes for anything, not just fitness) but you have to trust the process, stay on track, and the results will come! 8. Balance is everything Once I competed in my first show, I quickly realized that the prep lifestyle, diet and body is not meant to last for very long. This concept is hard for some to grasp, but it’s so so so important to know this before you even think about competing. If your diet is extremely strict for a while, it’s only a matter of time before you say “F-this!” and binge on all of the things you’ve been restricting yourself from for however many months. Once you realize that your stage body is for the stage only, you’re able to understand the meaning of balance. Without balance, you’ll never enjoy food or the gym. 9. A quick fix will never last Fad diets, quick fixes, deprivation diets… they don’t work. They might get you to your goal weight for whatever short term goal you set for yourself, but after the event you dieted for has passed, the weight will come back right away; possibly more weight than what you started with. This all circles back to consistency. The best diet is to not diet at all, but instead, make it a way of life with variety and healthy habits. 10. Time management My first attempt at meal prepping was a fail. It took me so long to figure out what I was doing and when I should be eating what. When I first began going to the gym, I never went in with a plan, resulting in lots of wasted time. On top of poor planning, I had a full time job, and the fitlife seemed impossible. Eventually, meal prepping made my life SO much easier and saves me a lot of time. And now being more comfortable in the gym, my workouts are always between 45 min to an hour. Once you have your meals ready and your workouts planned, you’re able to incorporate your work schedule and social events, and significantly improve your time management skills. Click here for the first 10 things the #FitLife has taught me.
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Nicole SettecasiNobody likes long Instagram captions, so I thought what better way to share my thoughts and experiences! I'm beginning my blogging journey and plan on sharing everything fitness and fun with you all. |
ABOUT NICOLE
Hello everyone!! My name is Nicole Settecasi, I'm 26 years old and I have passion for health and fitness. My goal is to help as many people as possible achieve the personal fitness goals and live a happy healthy lifestyle! I am so excited to help make a difference in your life. Choose a plan today and see major changes!
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