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Tag Archives: The Basics

My Mom Is Awesome And Lost 27.5 Pounds So Far

May 7, 2014
Hey, Friend
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My mom has always been awesome, but recently she’s taking it to a new level by making fitness and health a real priority. She, like so many moms, is one of those ladies that makes sure everyone else is taken care of before caring for herself, and works harder than anyone I know. But sometimes it’s better to be selfish, especially regarding your health, and Mom finally decided it was time to focus on making a change in her own life for a minute. And, since it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday, I figured it would be a great time to INSPIRE YOU ALL with what a badass she is, and how manageable her journey has been.

Mom and I are similar in that our body types will take just about any type of food we eat and ask CAN I CONVERT THIS TO FAT NOW?! which means losing weight requires a lot of attention to detail. However, it is still totally doable. Here’s how the lovely Mom O’Neill got on the fitness train, starting at the end of January: Read More

Eat Real Food

May 1, 2014
Hey, Friend
4 Comments

Eat Real FoodWe’ve talked a lot about werkin out, and eating good stuff, and having a healthy mindset, and all kinds of things that can make you strong and healthy and awesome.

I’ve been a little slack in my writing the past couple of months, because I’ve been focusing on the “eating good stuff” part in a serious way. I’ve gotten a specialty certification in Fitness Nutrition (FANCY, Y’ALL) and really nailed down the most important part about eating right. Oh and I started a new business you guys. Here’s the main nutrition philosophy that sparked the idea: Read More

Some Healthy Cooking Tricks

February 12, 2014
Advice from Experience, Recipes
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Cooking is tough. You have to remember numbers, make lists, buy stuff, use fire, and hold knives. Then it all has to taste good, AND be cooked enough to not kill you. With all of these challenges, it can be difficult to add the ever-important task of making sure the thing you cooked is healthy. Here are a few easy swaps you can make in your basic (or very advanced, you fancypants) cooking to make your meal lighter, leaner, and more nutrient dense. Read More

Read the Damn Nutrition Labels

January 14, 2014
Advice from Experience
3 Comments

If you’re anything like me, then you know how to read, and that’s great. But reading nutrition labels on packaged foods can come with certain challenges, and that A+ from your advanced literature class 10 years ago isn’t going to be much help.

Food manufacturers know that if you’re reading the labels, then you care about nutrition, and if you care about nutrition, then you don’t want to buy things that are bad for you. However, food manufacturers often include things that are bad for you in their products. So, they try and hide them so that you’ll be tricked into thinking their products are better for you than they actually are, so you’ll buy them. Neat!

Here are a few things to pay attention to when reading labels to make sure you aren’t tricked: Read More

Ease Up on that Animal Protein Y’all

November 15, 2013
Advice from Experience, Hey, Friend
8 Comments

Alright I know I’ve been all about Greek Yogurt and grilled chicken breast, but I’ve had a lot of time to watch a lot of documentaries and read a lot of books, and you guys, there are better ways to get protein.

Before you get hives and go buying up all the 2% cottage cheese, just relax. I’m not saying cut all your animal protein. I’m just saying tone it down a bit. Not every meal has to be a lean white meat with veggies. There are other (effing delicious) ways to get protein and eat healthy. And you should get in on some of that.

So, to be clear, animal protein means any product coming from an animal. The meat itself, the dairy produced, the eggs — the whole deal.

Here we go with reasons to cut back on animal proteins: Read More

Nutritionist #2: Being Full And Stuff

February 26, 2013
Advice from Experience, Hey, Friend
6 Comments

So I’m sure EVERYONE remembers that total force of a post, Nutritionist #1: Eat More Protein, which was published back in November and took the fitness world by storm. Well, lucky for you, I’m super neurotic and saw another nutritionist to find out why I was so hungry and still didn’t look like Jennifer Hudson yet (the “after” version, of course. Also, I still don’t).

At the time I was eating mostly egg whites and spinach, and probably hadn’t had a sandwich in months. Which is why I was FLIPPING OUT with glee from her advice.

Sandwiches are okay. So is jam. You will not get fat if you have a sandwich for lunch, or put jam in your greek yogurt in the mornings. When you eat food, you should feel full afterwards (full meaning satisfied, not meaning unbutton your pants). Read More

Buy Some Effing Groceries

January 24, 2013
Advice from Experience
6 Comments

We’re all adults here, so I think it’s safe to say that we should have more than ketchup and Kraft Singles in our fridges at this point. Eating out and ordering in are really easy ways to add unnecessary calories, so it’s important to keep your fridge stocked with supplies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Because you are a badass who is fitnessing, it’s even more important that those supplies are healthy and nutritious, because we all know that if you stock up on mac n cheese, you’ll be on your way to a shame hangover in no time.

I’ve divided this into 3 categories for your organizational pleasure. Read More

Idiots Do Just Cardio

January 23, 2013
Workouts
12 Comments

Oh, hey. Are you one of those people that are paranoid about bulking up too much, and just stick to cardio for your workout? Or worry that since you don’t have a lot of time at the gym, the amount you’re there is better spent adding to your total mileage on the elliptical? Well, congratulations. You’re an idiot. Only idiots do nothing but cardio.  Do you want to be an idiot? Is this a goal of yours? If so, I can recommend some great bands and movies for your enjoyment. However, if being an idiot was an accident you would like to correct, then let’s talk about some weights. Read More

Don’t Throw Food Away Inside of Your Body.

January 18, 2013
Advice from Experience, Hey, Friend
1 Comment

Did you rip that paper towel and use 1/4 of it to wipe up some protein milkshake spillage, and the other 3/4 to make your sandwich to bring to work? Congratulations. You like efficiency as much as I do.

Did you save those few rogue onion, tomato, and kale slices from turkey burgers at dinner to put in an egg white omelet the next day? Such a great re-use of resources.

Did you save 6 seconds by not putting on a coat to go to the gym, since you’re only going to take it off once you get there anyway? What a time saver.

I think it’s clear that we share the EXACT same love for efficiency, which is why this tip is especially easy / hard.

It stems from a very common, very SERIOUS problem: you are full but your plate is not yet empty. Read More

Make Your Damn Lunch.

January 15, 2013
Advice from Experience
9 Comments

Hey Busy Person.  I know, you’re SO busy. I don’t know how you do it. I can’t even imagine how hard it is to run that business / work those many hours / juggle that many jobs / walk your dog that often / knit that many hats / write all those webisodes / record all those guitar riffs / memorize all those lines / program all that functionality / save all those babies / etc.

Listen, Busy Person, I know you’re SO BUSY and trying to fitness on top of that (and first of all GOOD FOR YOU because that shit is HARD) but, there is one more thing to add to your list of all those things you do.

Make your damn lunch. Just do it. Read More