Use Your Brain To Gain

Re-evaluate mental commitment using tried & tested tactics from our inspirational cover model.

Striving to be just a little bit better than you were yesterday helps you blossom into the person you always wanted to be. It will help you live to your upmost potential but to become your best self, you must dig deep physically, mentally, and spiritually. So, how do you get there? How do you truly bring your best self? You must be intentional in your actions, day in and day out.

Find your mental grit

It’s so easy to get caught up in the motions of your daily routine and to allow yourself to become complacent. This calls for a mentality check; specifically, a re-evaluation of where you truly want to be and if you have the correct mindset and plan to get there. If you think positively by trying to see the good in situations, then you open the door to greater opportunity. There is no better tool to allow you to achieve your goals than a healthy, positive, and strong mind. For example, you are at the gym working out and you start to lose steam. Your first instinct is to quit and say: “there’s always tomorrow to give my workout 100%.” However, if you keep your mind strong, your body will follow. This method can be applied to any situation and over time, you will realize this will greatly improve the way you approach challenges.

Don’t accept setbacks

Once you have the mental side of the spectrum down, you are ready to take on any physical goal you strive to achieve. Have you ever been really excited about finally attacking a challenge, got off to a great start, and then two weeks later for one reason or other, you’re contemplating quitting? Many of us have been there, but with a strong mindset you will be prepared to push through these difficult mental barriers and make it through to the other side. When it starts to get challenging, believing in yourself and affirming you CAN do this is going to help you grow far more than you know. Each time you face and conquer your challenges, the more your self-worth and self-confidence will get a noticeable boost. This, along with a strong faith both spiritually and in yourself, will allow you to become unstoppable and provide you with happiness and fulfillment, no matter where you are in your fitness and health journey. You will become your own super woman.

My journey

Being an IFBB Bikini Pro and having a degree from Purdue in Dietetics, you can see I live and breathe health and fitness. It is extremely important to live a balanced lifestyle because it fosters long-term sustainability. I use flexible dieting and count macros (carbs, proteins, fats) to achieve fitness goals. I believe in this method because I can eat both nutrient-dense foods, and throw in processed foods when I want to. I add a lot of variety, which decreases the chance of boredom! Here is an example of my eating.

Meal one

• 1tbsp vanilla almond milk creamer
• 1 egg • 100g egg whites
• 1 Van’s 8 Whole Grains wa!e
• 16g Nuts ’N More butter

MACROS: 24.6g carbs // 17.3g”fats // 28.7g protein

Meal two

• 100g sweet potatoes
• 6g peanut butter powder
• 130g egg whites
• 4g coconut oil

MACROS: 21.3g carbs // 4g fats // 19.3g protein !INTRA

WORKOUT

• BCAAs: 15g
• Creatine: 5g

MACROS: 2g carbs // 0g fats //”6g”protein

Meal three

• 4oz 99% lean ground turkey
• 70g jasmine rice
• 3g extra virgin olive oil
• 75g asparagus
• 1 caramel rice cake
• 16g Nuts ’N More nut butter

MACROS: 35.9g carbs // 9.3g fats // 26.3g protein

Meal four

• 2 cups mixed greens
• 15g Bolthouse Farms dressing
• 4oz chicken breast
• 140g spaghetti squash
• 50g marinara sauce
• 5g extra virgin olive oil
• 60g asparagus

MACROS 24.1g carbs // 7.7g fats // 32.3g protein

Meal five

• 6g PB2 peanut butter
• 5g coconut oil
• 2pkts of Oat-Fit instant oatmeal
• 2 scoops Bio-Gro from iSatori

MACROS 40.5g carbs // 7.8g fats // 13.5g protein

MACROS FOR THE DAY 165g carbs // 50g fats // 150g protein