By now we are use to it. Every day we see hundreds of ads, emails, Facebook and Instagram posts about the next biggest diet, or miracle pill to shed pounds, or exercises to target fat loss in certain areas of the body. They keep coming because we keep reading, reaching, fantasizing, and even believing some of these "gimmicks”. STOP the insanity and K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sexy!! When it comes to your health, you really are what you eat. For maximum fat loss simply eat clean, and eat more often....your body will thank you!  

I know, easy for me to say, it’s what I do for a living, and it’s my passion. However, it can be easy for you too. We tend to believe that easy means “ready to serve”, little prep, quick and even easy on the wallet. Well, eating clean can be all of that. Fruits and Veggies are always quick and easy to prepare. Many veggies can be enjoyed raw, fruits require a quick rinse, and hard rind foods can be peeled, cut and stored in the fridge for quick grab and go snacks. To keep it cheap choose produce that is in season, and when out of season choose frozen options. Many frozen produce options are even better than fresh when out of season. The reason for this is that they are usually harvested and frozen quickly to preserve nutrients, unlike produce out of season or not grown locally which spend days to weeks in transit, therefore reducing a great deal of the nutrients.    

Eating clean does NOT have to be boring nor taste bad or limit you from take-out food and eating at restaurants. Flavour things up with herbs, peppers, onions, spices and low sodium seasoning. Change up cooking methods, you can bake, broil, pan fry, stir fry, barbeque, boil, microwave and simply enjoy raw….except meats, don’t eat your meats raw   !!! EWE!!!  

 Changing your bad eating habits will produce greater fat loss than increasing your activity level alone. So imagine if you change your bad eating habits and incorporating some activity, you could ramp up that fat loss even more. The math is simple: you need to burn more calories than you ingest. You can achieve this by consuming less calories, burning more energy, or BOTH!!

Cutting calories doesn’t mean going on a “diet”. It simply means avoiding or limiting foods that are high in calories but low in nutrient density. These are foods like: high fat meats, cheese, snack foods, high in sugar foods like candy and sweetened drinks and alcohol. You can also cut calories by reducing your portion sizes and eating clean. Eat smaller portions of high calorie foods and larger portions of low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, choosing unprocessed and natural foods whenever possible.  

If this still sounds complicated to you, or you would like some guidance to simply get you on the right path to a healthy nutrition lifestyle, then we are here to help. Robin Clay Fitness offers nutritional consultations; we will even accompany you to the grocery store to guide you on your new healthy lifestyle path. 

What makes you want to succeed? What drives you? Pushes you? These questions are sometimes easily answered and sometimes not. But, finding your ‘Why’ is an important part of your fitness and health journey. The more profound and more purpose-driven your "why", the more likely we’re to  stay focused and stay on track to achieve the goals we have set

Personally (Jessie), my why is simple. Be kind and have courage, be and do the best you can and treat people, as you want to be treated. I apply these principals in my life daily, including in my health and fitness lifestyle. My why is an everyday achievement. Other examples of peoples ‘why’ include; for their children, watching loved ones die or become ill from unhealthy lifestyles, competing against oneself, etc.

Robin’s why? Initially, if you’ve read her story here on the website, you will see it was to get back “her self, her control”. She was not happy and surrounded by negativity, she was insecure in who she was, not really how she looked. That was her why. Now her why is to create a healthy lifestyle for anyone who needs & wants its. She is driven by helping others, it’s still the paramedic attitude within her.

So now, what is your why?

Understanding your why should come with ease when you sit and think about what drives you. We all have goals; getting on stage for the first time, fitting into that little bikini or losing the last 10 pounds. But result driven goals are not what gets us to the finish line, our why is what makes us push harder everyday. Giving purpose to the goals that we create allows for a sustainable long-term goal rather than short term. Once you’ve achieved it, your why may change and take on a new meaning.

Take some time to sit down and find your drive, understand it and let it lead your goals to success.

By Jessie Drover RN, BScN