Many people will tell you that the best way to lose weight is with lots of cardio. Cardio is definitely helpful in aiding weight loss, but it is not the best or only way. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym logging time on the treadmill or elliptical machine to lose weight. In fact, it’s really not as effective as you might think.

The key to losing weight is a combination of weight training, cardio, and healthy eating. I’m sure you have heard this all before, but it’s true! While cardio will burn more calories during your workout, adding lean muscle will burn more calories throughout the day. Adding 2-3 days of weight training can increase your metabolism, re-shape your body, and speed up weight loss. You don’t have to lift super heavy weights to achieve this either. Body weight exercises or light to medium dumbbells are effective.

Your body is smart! It adapts very quickly and responds well to changes, so it’s important to add variety to your workouts. Try switching things up every 6-8 weeks, and add a variety of workouts to your schedule. For example, you can lift weights 2-3 days per week with 30-40 minutes of cardio sprinkled in, throw HIIT or Tabata training in, add yoga of Pilates 1-2 days per week, and spend time working on balance, stability, & flexibility 1-2 days per week. A well rounded program will challenge your body and keep you from getting bored.

Another key component is healthy eating. Focus on whole, clean foods and avoid highly processed foods. As your body responds to exercise demands, it needs proper nutrition to fuel it. Processed carbs like white bread, chips, crackers, and cookies will not help your body get stronger or lose weight. Instead, add in whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and veggies, and herbs and spices. Drink plenty of water too, and avoid soda, juices, and fancy coffee drinks. You can’t out exercise a bad diet, so changing your eating habits is important if you want to see a reduction in weight.

If you stay consistent with your workouts and eating, your body will change. Set realistic goals, and be patient with yourself. Change doesn’t happen overnight!

I love fall! I love the colors, the cinnamon smell, and baking! While fall is not technically here yet, I couldn’t resist making pumpkin spice donuts. I modified this recipe from 1Up Nutrition.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pumpkin spice protein powder (I used a powder from 1Up Nutrition)

1 cup almond flour

1 egg

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well. Spoon well mixed mixture into donut molds. I used a silicon donut mold that doesn’t need to be greased, but if you use a metal pan, grease it first. Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350 or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and then add frosting.

Frosting:

1/3 cup vanilla protein powder. ( I used Sun Warrior powder)

3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla milk

1 tbsp vegan butter

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: mix all ingredients well before pouring in cooled donuts.

Have you ever struggled to get started on a fitness and health journey? Does it feel overwhelming at times and leave you wondering where to begin? Many people feel that way. They know they want to change their current habits and take their health more seriously, but getting started can be hard. Changing your behaviors or working towards a goal requires a plan. Having a specific goal is important for staying motivated and maintaining self discipline.

To begin, start by creating a positive and achievable goal. Perhaps your goal is to lose 5 lbs, or to exercise at least 3 days per week. This is doable and gives you a clear objective. Goals that are not specific, like “I want to lose weight” are harder to achieve. We tend to give up quicker if we don’t set a specific goal.

Next, set a time frame. Maybe you want to lose 5lbs in one month or exercise 3 days per week for 6 weeks. This gives you a short term to goal that is manageable. It is also important to set a longer term goal as well. In a six month period of time, what would you like to achieve? Do you want to lose 20lbs or increase your workouts to 4 days per week? Another goal could be to increase the amount of weight you lift during a workout. Having a short and longer term goal gives you a reason to keep going. I also recommend an even longer term goal of up to one year from now. It could be to try new exercise modalities within the year, increase the number of days you lift weights to 3 or 4 days per week, or lose a specific amount of weight. It could be something simple like being able to walk or run a specific distance or hike a certain trail. The options are endless!

The next step is to make a plan. How will you achieve this goal? Write down the things you need to do in order to achieve your goal. If your goal is to lift heavier weights, then plan out how often you will try to increase your weights and how many days per week you will lift. If your goal is weight loss, plan out what healthy foods you will add to your diet and plan out your caloric intake.

Now it’s time to take action! Find an accountability partner who will check in with you and encourage you on your journey. It can be a friend, spouse, coach, or trainer. Tell them your plan and give them permission to keep you accountable. Acquire the things you need to get started, and do it!

As you reach your short term goals, make new goals to keep you working towards your long term goals. Once you lose 5lbs, make a new goal to lose 10lbs. If you stayed committed to exercising three days per week, bump it up to 4-5 days per week. Always keep re-evaluating your goals and making new ones that get you closer to your long term goals.

Having a specific goal or goals will help you stay motivated, because you have something you are working towards. Praise yourself for every little achievement you make along the way, and stay committed until it becomes a habit.

When I am bored, I love to bake. I love trying new recipes, creating my own recipes, and just relaxing as I focus on the creation I’m making. I did not grow up cooking or baking much. I ate mostly T.V. dinners, hot pockets, or the occasional pot roast. We were not the picture of healthy eating😬.

When I got married, I did not know how to make anything! I’m not kidding! I had no idea how to cook chicken in the oven, or even how long to boil noodles for pasta. It was embarrassing! My husband did all the cooking at first until I learned how. I mostly learned by trial and error (a lot of error), and cookbooks that I would find at the thrift store. Googling something wasn’t a thing back then😆.

Now I love cooking and baking, I do it every single day, and I’m much better at it. I still have things that don’t turn out right, but most of the time they do. I modify just about every recipe I find to make a healthier version of it, and I love finding new ways to change up a recipe. I have attended several cooking classes, and went through nutrition school, so cooking/baking has become apart of who I am, besides fitness of course!

I really enjoy crepes. I love the versatility of them, and how easy they are to make. However, I don’t like how unhealthy they can be, so making my own gives me the ability to change that. If you want a healthier crepe to make at home, try out the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 flour ( I used bread flour)

2 3/4 almond milk ( I used Califia Farms milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp sugar ( I used organic raw sugar)

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small pan. Mix ingredients well until the batter is smooth and without lumps. I whisked mine for a few minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan and gently rotate pan to allow batter to spread out. Cook until bubbles start to appear and then flip. Cook another minute or two until done. They should be very lightly browned. Repeat until all of your batter is gone.

Filling:

You can fill a crepe with just about anything! I heated frozen fruit on the stove until it became soft and gooey. Then I filled each crepe. You can make sweet or savory crepes. I chose sweet crepes for today.

Lay your crepe out and fill with whatever sounds good to you! I don’t know the technical way to fold a crepe, so I did 2 different styles. Both taste good, so it doesn’t matter how you fold them in my opinion.

Let me know if you try these!

HIIT workouts are great for getting an intense workout in a short period of time. Many HIIT workouts include plyometric exercises, but low impact HIIT is a great option too!

This workout has 3 rounds, with 5 exercises per round. Perform each exercise for 1 minute, followed by a 30 second rest. Repeat each round twice!

Round 1: 1 minute per exercise, 30 sec. rest

-squat leg lift

-March front, front, back, back with punches

-knee pull right

-knee pull left

-push ups

Round 2: 1 minute per exercise, 30 sec. rest

-squat step touch

-sumo touch down

-airplane arabesque

-low impact jacks

-knee diamond push-ups

Round 3: 1 minute per exercise, 30 sec. rest

-cross punch, jab, knee pull (R)

-step back knee pull (R)

-cross punch, jab, knee pull (L)

-step back, knee pull (L)

-full sit-up

Check out my Instagram page for a video demonstration of this workout👍🏻.

On Instagram @Julie.jonesfitness

Losing weight can be hard! People often look for a diet they can follow, food tracking apps, and the advice of others. None of those things are bad, but often times they only work for a short period of time. The hard part is adopting something you can make into a lifestyle, rather then a quick fix. Losing weight is not a fast process, and it often requires changes in your daily life.

I don’t think it needs to be complicated though. You don’t need to follow a strict diet to lose weight, count every calorie you eat, or weigh yourself daily. You can do those things, but you don’t have to. My advice is to keep it simple. Focus on adding foods to your diet that nourish your body, and reducing foods that harm it. Before you choose a food to consume, ask yourself if it is nourishing your body or harming it. I think we can all agree that an apple is far healthier then a handful of chips, right?

Don’t forget that liquid calories count too! A trip to your favorite coffee shop can add 500+calories to your daily calorie intake. A soda or alcohol can add extra calories in as well. It’s easy to forget about things we drink.

So where should you start? My advice is to focus on what you can add to your meals. Do you have a veggie (no butter or dressing), fruit, whole grains, lean protein, or healthy fats on your plate? If you focus on those things first, it leaves little space for the highly processed, unhealthy options. Before you grab a sugary coffee drink, soda, or alcohol, ask yourself if you have had water today.

The next step is to eliminate foods from your cabinets and fridge. If they are not there, you can’t eat them. Replace your highly processed items with healthier options. Drink water before every meal too! It will take effort, but it’s worth it!

Lastly, add daily exercise into your routine. You can start small by adding a 30 minute walk to your day. Find a buddy to walk with to make it more fun! You can also add light weight lifting into your routine to start toning your muscles or hiking, swimming, sports, or classes. The options are limitless!

My family loves Mexican food! We have tacos, burritos, or enchiladas every week! Most enchilada sauces are too spicy for my youngest daughter, so I make a homemade sauce that she loves! I have no idea where I got the recipe, but I have been using it for years.

Ingredients: 3 tbsp butter or ghee, 3 tbsp flour, 3 cups water or broth, 1 cup non-fat plain green yogurt, and 1 can mild diced chilies.

Directions: melt butter or ghee is sauce pan. Add flour and stir. Add water or broth and bring to a boil over low heat stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a soft boil, add Greek yogurt and chilies. Stir until well combined. Heat for one more minute and then remove from heat. Pour over enchiladas, chicken, or any other dish you like.

I like to store leftover sauce in a mason jar and use for other meals. Let me know if you try making it!

Here is a quick and simple breakfast recipe for delicious Banana Oatmeal Pancakes. There are very few ingredients and it is very filling!

Ingredients: 1 mashed banana, 1/2 tbsp almond butter, 1 tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1/4 cup coconut or almond milk. You can add more milk if you like a thiner consistency. You can also add fruit, chopped nuts, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, or protein powder.

Directions: mash the banana first, then add the rest of your ingredients. Mix until you reach a smooth consistency. Scoop mixture onto a heated griddle and cook until lightly browned.

You can make a few large pancakes or several smaller ones. These store great for later too!

Choosing the foods to fill your plate with can be tricky. What should you include in order to have a healthy meal? Most people would agree that veggies are an important thing to include on their plate, but how much space on your plate should you dedicate to them? Is 10% enough? Um…..no!

The best way to fill your plate is 50% greens, 25% lean protein, and 25% whole grains. For some people that might sound like way too many veggies, but that is what your body needs! A large majority of people put 50% simple carbohydrates, 40% protein, and only 10% veggies. Your body does not need that much protein or simple carbs.

I know this can be a hard transition for some people. Adding in that many greens can seem overwhelming and boring. Start slow! Little by little start giving veggies a bigger part of your plate until it makes up 50% of your meal. I also recommend eating your veggies/salad first. For one thing, it helps get your digestive juices flowing. Second, it will fill you up faster on the foods your body needs. I ALWAYS eat my salad before I touch anything else on my plate. That way I know I got the most important foods in my body. If I get full before I finish, I won’t be neglecting the greens.

Start creating more space on your plate for greens. Fill your plate with healthy, whole greens to nourish your body, and eat them before you touch anything else on your plate. Taking care of your body is important, so commit to fueling it right!

Have you ever looked at how much salt you ingest? It is probably more than you think! The current guidelines for sodium intake is 1,500-2,300 mg of salt per day according to the CDC. Most people consume over 3,300 mg per day! Wow! That is a lot of salt! Where do you think you fall?

Salt can be a tricky thing. It hides in foods that we least expect it too, it is added to practically everything, and it can be hard to avoid if you consume processed foods on a regular basis. People will often look at the amount of calories, carbs, fat, and sugar in a food item, but most forget to look at the sodium levels. Do you ever check?

So let’s talk about the foods that are highest in sodium. Some of the biggest culprits are bread and rolls, pizza, sandwiches, deli meats, cured meats, soups, burritos and tacos, cheese, eggs and omelets, savory snacks, pretzels, popcorn, chips, chicken, and crackers. There are plenty more, but these are some of the more popular ones.

Take out/fast food, pre-packaged meals, and restaurants are also places to find high sodium meals. The sodium levels can be double what your daily amount is for one meal! Salt is often added to increase flavor, and then people will salt their food when it arrives in front of them to further add to their salt intake. Talk about salt overload!

Pay attention to how much sodium is in the foods you consume. Is it a healthy amount? Challenge yourself to stay below 2,000mg each day. Can you do it?