Every Meal Counts

Greetings Mom in Red High Heels’ readers! I’m thrilled to be back writing for Tammy again as we’ve been friends for a LONG time! She is directly responsible for getting me on a bike back in college and that has since changed me into the athlete I am today. I am now a 39 year old mother of two boys training as if I were a collegiate athlete training for the finals! And, I love every minute of it!

What do I do, you might wonder? I cross fit. How many of you have heard of it? Willing to try it? I know a lot of mothers who are intimidated by exercise in general. They know they need to do it, but, have no idea how to start or what to do at the gym or how to eat…I am here to tell you that YOU CAN DO IT. All of our movements – the basics anyway- can be modified to fit even your most sedentary grandmother! A press can be done seated in a chair, a push-up can be done against a wall, dead lifts can be done with a PVC pipe…The list is endless and the bottom line is that we all need to MOVE in order to feel better about ourselves. My weekly schedule right now is 5 days a week at 5:45AM! It’s a sacrifice to get to bed at a reasonable hour, but, I am so much happier when I do. That is MY time for exercise and for me- sometimes, it’s the only hour of the day when I am not with kids.

Now, to my main point: WHY EVERY MEAL COUNTS!

I can honestly say that I used to drink Iced Mocha’s from Starbucks every single day! Wow. 350 calories of nothing but sugar and milk. I am still a coffee addict, but, I just drink iced Americano’s with no sugar. In terms of my diet, 2 grams of sugar (or the equivalent of two packets) is the same 1 apple! This is just one example of how I’ve changed my diet in the last few years. Each and every meal I eat is now balanced with carbohydrates, proteins and fats all of which coming from real sources such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean meats. There are several reasons for this- the main one being that I am trying to maintain or lower my body fat, I want to avoid the highs and lows caused by too much sugar intake, and I want a lean, mean machine! It’s likely that I will eat too many nuts on occasion and I do get 1-2 cheat meals per week, but, for the most part, I try very hard to stay in the “zone”.

My fit mom friends and I train very hard and eat really clean. If you are a mother reading this, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. You can change your shape. It requires lots of sweat, lots of high intensity, short duration style intervals and eating clean.

Editor’s Note:
One thing Rachel is adamant about is that you have to eat right. If you are exercising 5 hours a week and making no changes in your daily diet, you can’t expect to see lasting results! Watch for more posts from Rachel with specific diet recommendations. Until then, read Rachel’s blog, Fit Mom’s Blog for inspiration and how-to keep fit!