I’m thrilled to be writing my first article for Old School Xtreme Fitness and to be a regular contributor to this website.  I am looking forward to writing insightful articles on health and wellness each month. Please feel free to email me with any questions that you might have and I will do my best to answer them for you. www.janeawad@aol.com 

For anyone that is interested in training and nutrition please visit our studio website www.trainwjane.com We offer various online packages to help each and every individual succeed.
For my first article, I wanted to talk about one of the very first things I go over with clients in my personal training studio- nutrition.  Going to the gym each day is only 20% of the equation.  80% of the battle of the bulge can be won by following a balanced nutritional plan.

Here are my 10 Tricks that I give to all of my clients to cheat proof their lives.

Understand your diet– make sure that you’ve read over every meal in your diet, and make sure you understand every item, exact measurements and the timing of each meal. 

Know your options– know what your exchange options are for your proteins and vegetables. Often, chicken can be exchanged with turkey or whitefish, and most regular vegetables are interchangeable as well. Having these exchange options will often break monotony in your diet and kick that urge to cheat.

Stock your shelves– keep everything you need for clean eating stocked in your cabinets.  If there is nothing in your house to cheat on you have already increased your odds of succeeding on your meal plan.

Pre-cook your meals– Cooked chicken or beef can last in the fridge 5 days,
cooked fish will last 3 days. Cooked carbohydrates can last as long as 6 days. Spend an hour cooking once every 4 days and erase any chance that you’ll cheat because you didn’t have time to cook.

Pack and go– Prepare all your meals at night before bed and have them ready to go in the fridge for the next day. Pack everything up the next morning and bring a cooler with you every where you go. No more missed meals or picking something up on the go because you got stuck in traffic or your meeting ran late.

Set a food alarm– use your watch, your cell phone or your computer to remind you to eat. It’s easy to get caught up in what your doing and forget it’s time for you next meal or snack. Having an audible alarm go off reminds you that it’s time to take a minute and eat your next meal.

Surrounds yourself with supportive people– The better the network of people your with, the higher your rate of success. No matter what your circumstances, don’t let anyone get in the way of your success.

Keep up on your supplements– Supplements are crucial. Essential Fatty Acids, Branched Chain Amino Acids and Multi vitamins are all integral parts of your physiological balance.  Keeping your immune system functioning properly will help fight off colds and the flu.

Drink Water– Water is the body’s best replenishment, 80% of the human body is water. Why not give back what you’re sweating out during your training and cardio sessions. I drink as much as 1 gallon of water every day- I couldn’t live without it!

Keep a Food and Exercise Journal– Keep notes on what you’ve eaten every day and how you feel after each meal.  We are all human and can have bad days as well as good days.  Reflecting on the good days can inspire you to have a better day!

Commit to yourself and commit to be fit, use these tricks and commit to your diet and I know you will have success!

Jane Awad