My Current Supplement Regime

Quite frequently I am asked by my clients at the gym what I think about supplements. What do I think about them? Well, I think some of them are a waste of money, while I think others definitely have their place in one’s nutrition regime.

I change up my supplementation routine a few times a year as the body adapts and I always want to keep it guessing- that’s what makes physique changes happen!

Here are the supplements I am currently taking:

Pre-workout

I just finished up my Cellucor C4 and  have been trying out new brands. I got a lot of free samples from the LA Fitexpo last weekend, so I have definitely made a dent in those. I was also sent some Craze from Driven Sports to review, so stay tuned for that post!

I have a pretty high tolerance to pre-workouts since I have been using them for a while now, so 2-3 scoops is usually what does it for me. I take pre-workout 5-6x a week.

Post-workout

Glutamine and creatine monohydrate are my post workout staples. I take 5g of glutamine, 2.5g of creatine and crystal lite and shake it all up to chug post workout. Glutamine has done my body wonders in regards to muscle recovery and reducing soreness, so it is by far my favorite supplement at the moment.

Pre-bedtime

Before bed I take 5g of glutamine with crystal lite everyday, even rest days. This allows my muscles to stay in an anabolic state overnight so that my muscles are constantly repairing and rebuilding.

Pre and Post Cheat Meal

I recently started taking Cal Trim 1000 as a cheat meal ally. Two caps before and two caps after my weekly cheat meal does the trick. I wake up without much water retention nor bloating!

I also take omega-3 fish oil pills and a multivitamin everyday

So, that is it! I don’t take any fancy protein powders, fat burners or anything of the sort. I keep it simple and only take what my body really needs!

What to Eat Pre and Post Workout

“What should I eat before and after my workouts?!”

I get asked this question a lot from my clients, so I figured it would be a good idea to write a post on it since I am sure there are more of you out there wondering what to eat before and after your workouts.

Quite simply, this is the protocol I follow regarding pre and post workout nutrition. This is the same protocol that I give to my nutrition clients.

If you are doing anaerobic and/or aerobic exercise…

• Pre workout: consume a complex carb source and protein source
• Examples: (serving of fruit + serving of egg whites), (serving of oats + serving of protein powder) (serving of sweet potato + serving of chicken)
• Post workout: consume a carb source and protein source
• Examples: (serving of fruit + serving of ground turkey), (serving of white rice + serving of lean steak) (serving of rice cakes + serving of protein powder ‘frosting’)

Supplements are a whole different story. I will be writing a post on my current regime in the near future, so look out for that!

I don’t recommend consuming a fat source pre or post workout as fats are the slowest macronutrient to digest and can slow the absorption of the sugars and proteins which need to be used by the body during and after your workout.

I also do not recommend consuming carbohydrate sources (apart from vegetables) at any other time during the day. Your body needs them the most around your workouts, not when you are just sitting at your desk or laying in bed the rest of the day. Instead, consume fat, protein and vegetables for the remainder of your meals. While others may have different ways of putting together their meals, this is how I did it, gained muscle, lost 4% body fat and significantly changed my physique.

If you want more detailed nutrition advice and if you are serious about changing your physique, contact me at info@thisfitchick.net . I offer custom made nutrition packages that are guaranteed to change your body shape forever.

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TFC Tips for a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving

The big day is just around the corner and I am sure many of you are looking forward to some delicious eats. However, it is too too easy to let the ‘holiday’ mindset get the best of you and spin you into a big hole of guilt. I definitely do not want any of you to fall into this feeling, nor do I want any of you to deviate from your fitness plans, so I am going to give you all my top tips for handling Thanksgiving the This Fit Chick way!

1. DO NOT skip meals leading up to the main meal. I know you are probably thinking you can save room for the ‘big feast’, but in reality, this is just going to lead you to overeat at the big meal (if not in quantity then certainly in calories) and you can end up eating more than you would have if you had eaten throughout the day (calorically speaking). Eat breakfast, eat lunch, or eat meals 1-4 if you eat on a mini-meal basis. These meals should be composed of vegetables, protein and fat to help with satiety and cravings. When the main meal comes, you will still be hungry and ready to indulge on some yummy foods, but you won’t be so ravenous that you devour everything in sight.

2. Drink water! You should be doing this all day, everyday anyways, but I just want to emphasize that you should be drinking water all day. This will help with many things, but most importantly it will keep you hydrated, which will help your hunger levels- dehydration often leads to an increased feeling of hunger, so drink up!

3. Get a workout in! It is important to spend the day with family, but try to wake up early to fit in a quick workout. 20 minutes is enough to get you pumped and help you feel on track for the day, which will help you make smarter choices when it comes time for the meal. However, don’t let a workout get you into the ‘I can eat anything because I worked out’ mindset. You can easily eat all the calories you burned in a 20 minute workout in just a a scoop of mashed potatoes. Gym closed? Try this circuit workout, this leg workout, or go for a run/walk outside!

4. Small portions at a time. Don’t go into the meal planning on having X many plates. Fill up your plate once- keep caution on your portions, sit down, visit with your friends/family and enjoy the food. Once you are finished, wait a good 10-20 minutes before getting up again. Talk with each other and enjoy the company- that is the whole point of this holiday anyway! If you are still hungry or want a little more of something then go up and get another portion of what you really want. Do not feel compelled to get seconds on everything. Also, always remember that the food will always be there! Take a reasonable portion as there is no need to take the whole lot- the food will still be sitting on the table/counter if you want more of it!

Hope you all enjoy tomorrow!

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Slim and Sculpt Program- Week 2!

Like, others have been doing, Nathalie is a client of mine who will be writing about her journey on my Slim and Sculpt Program every week. Nathalie does not have a blog of her own, so instead, she will be posting her weekly updates on my blog. Please be sure to check in every week, along with the others to hear more about how these clients are liking their programs!

Nathalie’s Week Two Update on Slim and Sculpt:

Everything is going really good, although I am feeling very very sore (thank you Goblet squat).
Now that I have my form under control, I am aiming on increasing the weight so I can really feel the burn in my muscles.

This week was week 2 of Phase 1 and I had 3 strength training sessions and 1 interval run on the schedule. Four sessions a week is quite a challenge but very doable because I have some weights at home as well. The circuit is still very challenging but I hope my endurance will improve the next few weeks. No changes in body composition yet but that would be way too soon, I will need to have some patience.

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Kicking Butt- WEEK ONE

Like, others have been doing, Nathalie is a client of mine who will be writing about her journey on my Slim and Sculpt Program every week. Nathalie does not have a blog of her own, so instead, she will be posting her weekly updates on my blog. Please be sure to check in every week, along with the others to hear more about how these clients are liking their programs!

Nathalie’s Week One Update on Slim and Sculpt:

Hey hey

Just checking in with a recap of ‘This FitChick’ workout program.

This week I had 4 workouts on the schedule, I completed 3 of them..

The first workout was based on weights.. Carrie introduced me to a new exercise that really kicked my butt! ( Really, it did, I was sore for days whilst  sitting on my bottom) The workout went by really quick and it was real fun!

The second workout was a strength circuit with lot of bodyweight exercises and a high pace. Damn! After the first circuit I had to catch my breath for a few minutes, very intense!

The third workout was a repeat of workout number 1, which I still very much enjoyed. I also added 15min of intervals because I knew I wasn’t able to make it to the gym for my 4^th workout of the week, Interval training.

I like that the workouts are not too long, and they really work the muscles.. Up to week 2!

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Slim and Sculpt Client Introduction

Like, others have been doing, Nathalie is a client of mine who will be writing about her journey on my Slim and Sculpt Program every week. Nathalie does not have a blog of her own, so instead, she will be posting her weekly updates on my blog. Please be sure to check in every week, along with the others to hear more about how these clients are liking their programs!

Here is her introduction post as she embarks on the plan!

Hi guys !

My name is Nathalie and I’m 25 years old. I have been modeling since about 5 years now and part of being a professional model is of course eating right + exercise. I was more than thrilled when I was offered to try Carrie’s new fitness regimen. I have followed Carrie on facebook since forever and I was very inspired when I saw her results.

The program gives some nutritional guidelines. I think they are great but I have my own nutritional plan that I follow which I like a bit better ( just because I don’t always have access to a kitchen or food). My life is very chaotic sometimes and that’s why I like Intermittent fasting. I eat about 1800kcal per day and do one or two 24 hour fasts to create a caloric deficit. This also allows me to have a social life on the weekend because then I get to have a drink or have a sweet treat..

This is an example of a typical eating day:

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Optimum Nutrition – Casein Protein, 1 scoop	115	6g	1g	24g	0mg	250mg	0g	0g
Quaker – Steel Cut Oats, 0.5 Cup	300	54g	5g	10g	0mg	0mg	2g	8g
Lunch
Alpro – Soja Joghurt, 250 gr	115	5g	6g	10g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Apples – Raw, with skin, 1 medium (2-3/4″ dia) (approx 3 per lb)	72	19g	0g	0g	0mg	1mg	14g	3g
Wild Harvest Organic Peanut Butter – Natural Creamy- Low Sodium, 1 tablespoonS	100	2g	8g	5g	0mg	0mg	1g	1g
Chicken Breast – Skinless, Bonless, 2 oz	55	0g	1g	14g	34mg	39mg	0g	0g
Nuts – Cashew nuts, raw, 1 oz	156	9g	12g	5g	0mg	3mg	2g	1g
Dinner
Veggies – Sweet Potato, 1/2, 180 g	162	37g	0g	4g	0mg	65mg	12g	6g
Chicken Breast – Skinless, Bonless, 6 oz	165	0g	2g	41g	102mg	116mg	0g	0g
Vegetables – Green Beans, Fresh, 2 cup (60g)	68	16g	0g	4g	0mg	16mg	4g	8g
Thai Kitchen – Coconut Milk, 1/3 Cup	140	3g	14g	1g	0mg	20mg	1g	0g
Snacks
Raw Cashews – Raw Cashews, 3/8 c	240	12g	18g	8g	0mg	8mg	3g	2g
Danone – Cottage Cheese – Verse Kaas, 100 g	89	2g	4g	11g	0mg	370mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	1,777	165g	71g	137g	136mg	888mg	39g	29g

But as I said before.. Carrie’s guidelines are great as well and in my opinion better if you have a more scheduled life! J All roads lead to Rome

I’m very excited to start my first week with Carrie’s ‘Slim and Sculpt’ program. The program is divided into 3 phases, each phase consists of 4 weeks. This week I’m starting with 3 strength training sessions and 1 HITT session. The exercises are very easy to understand and it looks like it’s going to be a fun challenge! See you later with a recap of week 1

These Ladies are Loving This Fit Chick’s Programs!

Just wanted to pop in and link you to a few ladies who are currently on my workout programs!

Check out what they have to saw about them!

Chelsea is doing my Slim and Sculpt Workout Program: Week One Recap, Week Two Recap, Week Three Recap, Week Four Recap, Week 5 Recap, Week Six Recap, Week Seven Recap, Week Eight Recap, Week Nine Recap, Week Ten Recap

Kathleen is doing my Slim and Sculpt Workout Program: Week One Recap, Week Two Recap, Week Three Recap, Week Four Recap, Week Five Recap, Week Six Recap, Week Seven Recap, Week Eight Recap, Week Nine Recap, Week Ten Recap, Final Recap

Sam is doing my Slim and Sculpt Workout Program:  Week One Recap, Week Two Recap, Week Three Recap, Week Four Recap, Week Five Recap, Week Six Recap, Week Seven Recap, Week Eight Recap, Week Nine Recap, Week Ten Recap, Week Eleven Recap, Week Twelve Recap

Sara is doing my Slim and Sculpt Workout Program: Week One Recap, Week Two Recap, Week Three Recap, Week Four Recap,Week Five Recap, Week Six Recap, Week Seven Recap

Bailey is doing my Slim and Sculpt Workout Program: Week One Recap, Week Two Recap, Week Three Recap, Week Four Recap, Week Five Recap, Week Six Recap, Week Seven Recap, Week Eight Recap, Week Nine Recap, Week Ten Recap, Week Eleven Recap, Week Twelve Recap

….Like what they are saying? Get your program today!

My Five Friday Favs

I haven’t posted in ages! I’ve been extremely busy with Uni work and working on This Fit Chick’s Programs! (By the way, check out how this girl and this girl are loving my Slim and Sculpt Program!

Oh, and of course I have been kicking it HARD in the gym

Today  I wanted to share with you all my current favorite health/fitness ‘things’… They can be articles, supplements, food, motivational quotes, exercises, etc. I’ll try to do a post like these every week, so that you can all be introduced to some new finds.

1. Crystal Light on-the-go packets with Vitamin Shoppe’s BCAA and Glutamine Powder.

I love mixing unflavored BCAAs and Glutamine with Crystal Light to drink post workout- Letting my muscles recover and repair!

source

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2. I cannot STAND seeing 100cal Special K Diet bars, 100cal Snack Packs or anything of the sort. WHOLE FOODS PEOPLE.

3. New Favorite Blog Finds:

The Fit Green Goddess

Body By Liz

Girls Gone Strong - they just launched their new site!

Such motivational LADIES!

4. Compound Sets of Romanian Deadlifts with Stiff-legged Deadlifts

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5. Protein SLUDGE! So easy to make in my dorm room for breakfast!

Simple Ways to Fight the Freshman 15

We have all heard of the famous “freshman 15″, but can the curse be broken? If you are headed off to college this fall, here are some simple ways to beat the freshman 15 and ensure you start the year off in a healthy way.

1. Keep healthy snacks in your dorm room, such as Larabars, oatmeal, protein powder, nuts, greek yogurt, and  nut butters.

Photo courtesy of Freckled Foodie.

2. Eat your greens. Most college dining halls have great salad bars. Be sure to include a big salad with every meal to help fill you up and provide your body with the nutrients it needs.

Photo courtesy of Our Daily Greenlife.

3. Do not skip meals. Skipping meals will just make you hungrier later, which can easily lead to bad food choices and overeating. Keep a bag of almonds, a Larabar or something nutritious with you at all times in case the hunger bug hits you.

4. Do not fall into the “everybody is doing it” trap. Just because ‘everybody’ is eating out every meal or grabbing late-night fast food doesn’t make it any less unhealthy. Indulge on occasion, but not every single time. You can go to the fast food joint with your friends, but that doesn’t mean you are compelled to eat the burger and fries. Make smart choices. Your body will thank you.

5. Carry a water bottle with you, and drink up! Not only will proper hydration keep you hydrated let your body function optimally, but also, it will help tame your hunger and reduce the likelihood of junk food cravings.

Photo courtesy of Sundialsaga

This article is also posted on College Lifestyles

My Favorite Fitness/Health Articles of the Week!

I’m a fitness article fiend. My Google Reader reaches the high hundreds by the end of each week, but only a select few really grab my attention. Here are my favorite reads from this week!

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5 Tips on How to Get a Badass Physique

The Most Underrated Ideas in Fitness

Make a High-Protein Diet Work

Want to Lose Fat? Count your Hormones, Not Your Calories Part 2

How Food Cravings Ruin Weight Loss (Especially like this one for the Paleo love!)

How Do You Find Out What is Right For You?

Why is Fructose Bad if it’s Found in Fruit? (There have been way too many times where I have had to explain why I don’t eat much fruit- HERE is your answer!)

Muscle Gaining Secrets