Q & A

One of my new Beachbody buddies, Nessa, is just starting out on her journey toward better health, and she asked me some questions. These are probably questions many of us have, and I thought I'd address them in a blog this morning.

1. How do I get more energy? Well, initially, you have to look at where you're at. If you are someone with this question, it is most likely that your diet lacks the nutrition your body needs, and your activity level is low. Also, your sleep and rest have much do do with this as does your level of stress. However, integrating a moderate fitness program into your life while focusing on making small, better choices with your eating habits will surely help you to regain some of your lost energy. It's a wonder what a little movement and vitamin-packed foods can do for you. So don't focus on why you don't have energy so much; just know that it will come back to you soon.

2. Do I work out before I eat? Your eating definitely has a lot do do with your recovery, and scheduling both will help a ton. If your goal is to lose weight, then plan to work out 2-3 hours after eating so that your body will go into fat-burning mode. After your workout, consume an appropriate, healthy meal such as a fresh salad with greens, beans, and other vegetables along with a slice of whole-grain bread. That's just one example, but you should get the idea. Check out my recipe blog for a few salad ideas. If you plan to work out before breakfast, it's not necessarily bad, but keep this workout short and eat breakfast right after. Remember, you've been fasting all night, so you don't want to hit a wall in your workout nor do you want to be so hungry you binge. Also, if you have breakfast to start, your body can get burning again and then you will find you will be able to push a bit harder during your workout. My advice is to try different things, and when you find a routine you can stick with, stay on that schedule so your body gets used to doing activity around that time. Not only will you expect to workout at that time, but you will learn to eat at certain times and you will perform better overall. You definitely want to take in some carbs to refuel the energy in your muscles, but you also need some proteins for building and some good old-fashioned nutrients and vitamins straight from the source. If you are already and endurance athlete and are working out hard, I suggest an after-workout drink such as the P90X Results and Recovery formula. I use this, and for lunch I make a protein smoothie with soy milk, premium protein powder, cocoa powder, pumpkin, banana, almonds, and some ice to chill it, and it's around 450 calories.

3.What do I buy at the store? Wow. Well, if you're not used to eating right, this could seem daunting. What you should do is take baby steps. Move forward, but you'll have to learn to crawl before you can walk, know what I mean? For example, if you currently drink 2% milk, maybe go down to 1%, then skim. If you can go all the way first, great. It's a small change, but you will find that small steps lead to big advancements. Here are some other substitutions:

Not-So-Healthy Healthy Alternative
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Butter Brummel & Brown
Vegetable Oil Olive Oil
Chips Baked Chips
Eggs Egg Beaters
Bread 100% Whole Grain Bread
Pasta Whole Grain Pasta


Further, think about how to make some of the unhealthy things you cook healthier. Take pizza, for example. You may order out or buy frozen pizza. Instead, try using whole grain Flatout wraps or whole wheat tortillas for the crust, use a marinara sauce, a little mozzerella, and fresh veggies such as green peppers, jalapenos, chicken sausage, etc. Bake these on a stone in the oven at 500 degrees for 5-8 minutes and you have crisp thin-crust pizza that is delicious.When you control your ingredients in anything you cook, you know that it will be fresher and healthier, and probably taste better, too. If you think you have no time, choose a day in your week and make 3-5 meals that you can refrigerate and/or freeze, and then just microwave these as needed for your family throughout your busy week. essentially, you are making your own tv dinners that are fresher and tastier.

4. How do I read the labels? Great question. Well, knowing what everything means is the hard part, but you should know what your average meal looks like, and when you do, you will know what to look for in calories per serving, fat/saturated fat, carbs, and sodium. Here's a tip here--measure the exact servings when you are consuming the products so you know you're not overdoing it, and also--the fewer the ingredients and more natural they appear to be, the better. Just a good basic rule of thumb for the most part. Here's a site where you can set up a free account and start tracking what you are eating to get a better idea of where you are at and eat toward your goals: www.myfitnesspal.com.

5. How do I get a coach? I'm so glad you asked this question, Nessa! Well, you currently have a free, but limited membership at beachbody. That said, I'll help you as a coach unofficially for now, but you should really consider becoming a club member. It's only 3 bucks a week, billed quarterly, and when you sign up by clicking on the join/upgrade tab, you can put my name or coach #27629 in where it asks you, and it'll say "mikenickles" will be your coach. Then I'll be your coach and you'll be on my team!! We will be hooked up directly, and in addition, you will get 10% off of products and have access to recipes and nutrition tools as well as many other perks and benefits. I am a club member, and I highly suggest that you become one. All you have to lose is pounds and inches!

Hope these help you, Nessa, and I hope that this Q&A session helps more of you out there. Please comment below and/or feel free to contact me by clicking on the title to this blog. Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great day!