I wanted to include a “Day in the Life” article from each of the JillFit Trainers since we all do things a little bit differently, have different goals and are in various stages of contest prep (or not competing at all, like me). We already heard from Emily and Tara, and Jillian’s daily routine will go up within the next week.
As for me, I recently had a flood of photo shoots for various events and promo, so I had cleaned up my diet a little over the last 8 weeks. Now I am in a maintenance phase, and I do not veer too much from this plan, as I try to stay within a few lbs of being able to shoot or go on a go-see for my agency (sometimes I get a call and have to go later that day!).
I eat 90% clean all the time and have a Sunday night cheat every week. It is usually one item that I really love/want like some Reese Pieces or some nut/chocolate trail mix. I tend to crave chocolate and don’t really feel the need to splurge on burgers and fries, pizza or pancake-type stuff.
I don’t drink alcohol very much at all anymore, mostly because my Restless Legs Syndrome can get out of hand pretty quickly if I drink or eat too much sugar. Anyone who has experienced this knows how much it can disrupt your life. I have sucessfully treated it and no longer experience symptoms, as long as I stay away from sugar, alcohol and supplement with magnesium. My biggest diet vice: coffee. I drink at least 2 cups a day (as in 16 oz “cups”!), which at times I will try to scale back, but most of the time not :) Here is a day in my life:
A typical Monday:
Wake-up 5-6am
Meal #1 (Pre-workout): 8-12 oz black coffee, 1 scoop whey protein powder & 5g L-glutamine mixed with 8 oz unsweetened almond milk, 1 tsp L-carnitine
AM Cardio: 30-min Treadmill Incline Sprints
Meal #2: 6 egg white omelet with 2-3 cups chopped spinach, 1/2 cup chopped peppers, 1/4 cup hot salsa, 2 grams fish oil
Meal #3: 2 small turkey burgers made with spinach/onions/garlic, 8-10 asparagus spears, PM coffee
PM Weight Workout: 20-30 minutes (I do legs 2x/week and upper body 2x/week)
Meal #4: 1 Think Thin bar, SoTru Greens & Reds powders mixed with water in a shaker (usually I scarf this down between clients)
Meal #5: Shell-less Taco Salad: 1/3 lb ground bison, 4 cups mixed chopped greens, 2/3 cup chopped peppers and onions, 1/4 cup hot salsa (sometimes I add a sprinkle of almond cheese if I have it in the fridge), 2 grams fish oil
After dinner: Unsweetened cocoa drink: Mix 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa with hot water, add xylitol to sweeten and a splash of unsweetened almond milk
I am very much a “night eater” if I let myself or don’t do things right during the day, so I try to have healthier after-dinner options ready if I need them. Sometimes I will use 2 tbsp natural peanut butter to help quench cravings and satiate, or even 1/2 a Think Thin bar or sometimes I will do 2/3 cup frozen cherries blended into a slushie. I try not to have “continuous meal” so I will drink my Yogi Bedtime Tea, take my evening supplements: Magnesium, Gaba Calm from Metabolic Effect and a B-vitamin complex and brush my teeth!
I eat almost the same way every day, but I do like to change things up with bison chili for dinner, apples and almonds as mid-afternoon snacks, oat bran in the morning and sometimes I will do a big, yummy protein shake after a hard workout. Here is my favorite protein shake:
In a Vitamix or Magic Bullet, blend together:
1 scoop whey protein (my absolute favorite is BSN Lean Dessert in Chocolate Coconut Candy Bar flavor)
8 oz unsweetened chocolate almond milk
5 grams Pure L-glutamine
1 scoop Metabolic Effect Fiber Complex
1/4 cup pecan halves (not usually recommended to add fats to a post-workout shake, but I like the texture these give)
1 tbsp cinnamon
10-20 Liquid Stevia drops in Chocolate flavor
Tons of ice (I like it super-thick, it’s all about volume, baby!)
Blend and enjoy! YUM!
With my shake!! :)
