don't pig out after your workout...

I used to eat more because I thought, “Well, I work out every day! I need that extra energy!” WRONG. Don’t negative your hard work at the gym for an extra basket of chips and salsa. If you want to transform your body fill it with nutrient dense food post workout but don’t go overboard. It’s just not necessary.

I would go for an 18mile run and come home, eat a HUGE breakfast, eat a big sandwich for lunch and a whole pizza for dinner. I didn’t think anything of it because “I ran 18 miles this morning and I can eat ANYTHING I want!” The joke was on me.

People often ask me, “How did you gain 30lbs while training for a marathon?” Well, now you know! My relationship with food and its connection with working out were ill. I didn’t respect the hard work I put into my workouts or my long runs to honor my body with good foods and only what my body needed of them.

Do workouts make you hungry? Heck yeah they do! How can you break the pig out cycle? Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to alter this pattern:

1.      Get this App: My Fitness Pal. It’s free and lets you track your calories and exercise. Best part is that it creates community and accountability! You can add your friends and hold each other accountable for your fitness goals.  Best way I can describe it to you is that it has made me not want to screw up or let my friends down. Find it in your app store.

2.      DRINK WATER ALL THE TIME. Glue a bottle to your hand. It is so easy to confuse being hungry with being thirsty. Sometimes all our body needs is a little H2O.

3.      Post workout eats- eat a small protein packed snack that leaves you satisfied but not full! (I like peanut butter and banana, or a piece of grilled chicken that I already have stored in my fridge)

From now on I am committed to respecting my body (loving my body!) enough to not negative my workouts.