Get Your Metabolism Back On Track!

Earlier this week, I discussed the symptoms you should look out for if you feel like you have done some damage to your Metabolism. Today, I want to share how to get your metabolism back on track.

1. Reverse Dieting: What is it? Reverse dieting is used as a technique to restore your metabolic rate. It's a progressive way for you to start adding calories back in to your diet. When reverse dieting, you should start by adding in about 5% more calories weekly, which equates to about 50-100 calories more per day. If you feel good after a week of adding in calories, you can add 50-100 more the following week. How long you need to reverse diet totally depends on how little you were eating & how long you were dieting for. The point is to get your body out of depletion and restore your body with nutrients. You gain energy, strength, speed up your metabolism, and see great results! Once you reverse diet for a few weeks and are at a place where you are maintaining your weight, then you can start tweaking your diet again - either continue slowly adding or decreasing calories.

2. Build More Muscle:

Strength train - you will speed up your metabolism. Switch up your routine every 4-6 weeks (change the sets, reps, weight and rest time).  Building lean muscle doesn't mean you will get bulky (men have 10 times the testosterone we do, so it's nearly impossible for us to bulk up unless we are eating crazy amounts). You can speed up your metabolism by 5 times if you build lean muscle. Muscle burns 5 and a half times more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have the more your metabolism allows you to eat. Girls often say, "well I eat less than her, why is she smaller than me?" Truthfully, she has a faster metabolism than you because she eats enough!

3. Recover fully from workouts:

Do I have to explain this? Stop wrecking yourself in the gym without stretching, recovering, or treating your injuries. Hydrate before and after, and fuel yourself properly! Think about your caloric intake both in terms of your resting metabolic rate and expended energy from workouts.  For example: if your resting metabolic rate is 1,500 calories and you burn 500 calories in your workout, then you need to eat 2,000 that day to simply maintain your weight. Make sure you SLEEP, because this will allow your body to recover and repair.  If you don't sleep enough, you won't recover properly.

4. Supplement:

I love Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). They can help speed up muscle recovery and growth.  If you drink BCAAs in the morning and at night, studies have shown less hunger, higher calorie expenditure, and direct the energy being used to fat stores rather than eating up muscle.

5. Get blood work done:

If you have more of the severe symptoms listed in last weeks' newsletter, then definitely go to the doctor and have blood work done. Your doctor can check on your thyroid to see if it's too fast (hyper) or too slow (hypo), your testosterone levels (help build muscle & speed metabolism), and Leptin (satiety hormone). You might need a medication for a little while to regulate hormone function.

If you feel like you have done metabolic damage, you need to take yourself out of the routine you are in. Is it truly balanced and getting you to your goals? If not, let's switch things up!

Your Metabolism: Are you messing it up?

Many of us put in our time at the gym and watch what we eat. Some of us take it to the extremes to see results (eating less & working out more). It's always important to make sure you're eating adequate calories, not overtraining, and recovering from intense workouts properly. One hot topic I have been seeing all over social media is Metabolic Damage. Oftentimes, when people see the scale stall when trying to lose weight, they assume they have metabolic damage. I've done a lot of homework after dealing with some of these symptoms myself, and I can tell you most people are very unlikely to have Metabolic Damage. I do, however, highly recommend that you listen to your body when you're feeling "off" or have symptoms that would make you think your metabolism is "off".  You may actually be dealing with Metabolic Compensation or Metabolic Resistance. Read about the symptoms of Metabolic Compensation, Metabolic Resistance, & Metabolic Damage below.  

 

Metabolic compensation:

You are eating less and burning more, and in turn your body compensates by making you more hungry and slowing down your metabolism (calories you burn at rest).

- Metabolism slows down and weight loss stalls (you hit a plateau). 

-Hunger, energy and cravings (HEC) become moderately out of balance. 

-This is very much like the early signs of athletic over-training. Also called overreaching. (Over-training is EXTREMELY difficult to do (think of your workouts compared to Le Tour de France), but you might simply need a rest day)

Metabolic resistance: 

-Weight loss halts completely, and you can no longer lose weight with an eat less, exercise more approach. -At best you maintain your weight with hunger, energy & cravings (HEC). 

-Mood changes occur. Feelings of anxiety or depression. 

- Trouble sleeping. You may have difficulty going to sleep and/or staying asleep.

Metabolic damage: 

-All of the above 

-You can't lose weight and may even be gaining weight despite no change in diet. 

-Your body is taking on a puffy/bloated look. 

-You may be dealing with hypothyroid symptoms of dry skin, itchy scalp, and slow thinking. 

-You are exhausted & or depressed. 

-Your menstrual cycle is completely gone or irregular. 

-You may be feeling light headed & sensitivity to bright lights. 

-You may have developed multiple food intolerance's. 

 

Eating For Results

Although I had fun making a little joke about this  "not eating" phenomenon we see in our society, I do want to take this opportunity to explain the importance of the ofunit we use that measure how od when it comes to your training. Food is crucial to maximize results. Today, I am simply going to cover the topic of calories.

A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. The amount of calories your body needs to perform its basic functions would be your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Once you know your BMR, you will then be able to manipulate your calories and adjust them according to your goals.

A great site I use to calculate my BMR and my clients BMR is this one. This site will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your weight (without exercise), what you would need to do to maintain your weight with exercise, how to lose weight or gain muscle. It all starts with calories, and later you can break it down to Macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) if that is something you can monitor.

Remember one thing: eating fewer calories doesn't necessarily mean that you're eating better! Calories are essential to fuel your body for the day, to recover from workouts, and also to keep your metabolism healthy. If you aren't fueling your body properly, you can do some major damage that is EXTREMELY hard to reverse. More on metabolic damage in a future post! 

Girls Are SIX Times More Likely To Drop Out Of Sports Than Boys

I read this statistic and was shocked. Then I realized, no, it isn't a shocking statistic. It's an unfortunate statistic.

Why are girls dropping out? Studies show 

1. Lack of access

2. Transportation 

3. Social stigma 

4. Quality experience 

5. Cost 

6. Lack of positive role models 

It's such a bummer for me to read a statistic like this. Sports have help shaped my life. Playing sports has taught be to be confident, work in a team, stick to my commitments, push harder than I thought I could, it taught me communication, sticking to a schedule, how to be social, how to be a leader, along with many other life skills.

I encourage all you women to pick up sports, or some sort exercise. The benefits go far beyond looking good! More women need to experience the empowerment of fitness and sports. 

Athletic Leg Workout

So you want athletic legs? My trick is to add in plyometric and cardio exercises in to my strength circuit. Why?

1. Burns more calories

2. Increases heart rate 

3. Kicks my butt 

4. Keeps the workout feeling athletic rather than standing around in a gym feeling bored waiting to start my next set

5. Makes me faster, stronger, and recover quicker.

Try this one out and tell me how your legs feel the next day. 

The goal is to get 5 rounds done as fast as possible. Right after you go through one time start right back up with your run. 

New Week New Mindset

Prepping for your week doesn't just mean updating your calendar, planning your meals, and having your clothes ready. Being prepared to means to me, getting mentally prepared. Easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.

Here are some tips I use to getting mentally prepared for my week:

1. Sunday alone time: 

I am someone who is extremely social. I often book my calendar morning until night without much time between. What keeps me in check and mentally prepped for my week is taking some time for myself on Sunday. I often wake up a little later (without an alarm if I can help it) then walk to get coffee and head towards the bridge. This allows me to think, relax, calm my mind, and enjoy my beautiful city.

2. Forget what bothered you last week at work:

Did your coworker annoy you? Even worse; your boss? Write it down, and move on. Seriously. We won't always agree with everyone, understand everyone, and you need to realize that your reaction may be debilitating your progress at work. If you can change the way you react then you might be able to diffuse any issues.

3. Didn't catch up on enough sleep?

Is Monday and you didn't get enough R&R over the weekend. Do not allow that to slow down your week! Make it a priority on Monday to get in a power nap. You need to manage your schedule!

4. Goals

What do you want to acheive this week? Besides chores & work you should be making a list of things you want to do and out them in your calendar. Sometimes we forget that is better to work to live than living to work. Make sure you prioritize doing something fun! 

5. Clean space 

I am working on this right now, but I've read a ton about having a happy clean space to come home to. This means decorating, dishes, and laundry. It's important to leave a stressful job space and come home to a relaxing spot. It's sometimes a chore, but will be worth it to kick off your shoes and relax after your place is tidy. 

6. Exercise 

You knew this was coming, didn't you? When I am stressed I usually call my dad. He will listen to me blabber, and if I am a little stressed he usually asks me one thing, "did you workout today?". My answer when I am stressed it usually, "no, not yet". He replies, "go workout, and call me after." Seriously?! That's not the answer I look for, but when I workout I usually figure out my own answers. 

I hope these tips help you find a positive mindset to start your week! Happy Monday. 

Doubting Yourself Is Setting Yourself Up For Failure

We've all heard of a self fulfilling prophecy. You believe something to be true and it sooner or later happens. It recently happened to my friend. She mentioned to me how tired she was, and how badly she didn't want to go to work the next day. She woke up that next morning and told me she was sick.

I believe by putting negative energy out there, she created her own destiny. 

People ask me how I stay motivated, and positive. My answer to them is 1. I am not always motivated and positive & 2. When I feel unmotivated or negative, I do what I need to do to turn my attitude around ASAP.

Some of my tricks are stopping what I'm doing and going for a 10 minute walk with some calming music. Sometimes that doesn't work, so I head home to write down my thoughts. If I'm still bummed out, I take a short nap (20 mins) to turn my attitude around. If that doesn't work, knowing myself, I most likely need to just vent. I'll call a friend and just talk it out. Once I do all those things I stop feeling sorry for myself. I've done all I can do and I move on to things that are more important or topics that are bigger than myself. 

It's ok to be down and feel sorry for yourself, but the trick is to be aware and moving right along. Your mind has the power to create you or wreck you. It's in your power to choose happiness or self deprecation! Start today with a beautiful mindset. 

Turn it Up Tuesday Workout

Need a total body workout? Don't know what to do to be time efficient? Do this one ANYWHERE! 

Try to complete 3-8 rounds! 

Tell me how it goes! 

Who Needs Falsies When You Have 3D Fiberlash Mascara

I just tried out Fiberlash mascara this week, and I am SO excited about it. I love having big long lashes, but whenever I use fake lashes they come unglued. They also just don't look very natural.

Look at how much more full and thick my lashes look with this new mascara(pictured below). If you see the two top pictures I have a lot of volume, but not a lot of length. The bottom pictures are with the Fiberlash mascara and they are SO long. It's super easy to use, and doesn't irritate your eyes. You just swoop it on over your regular mascara. Try it out for yourself:

www.youniqueproducts.com/kyleekozon

MetCon via Thea

What's a MetCon?

The term "MetCon" became popular as CrossFit became popular. MetCon workouts have been around forever, and simply stands for Metabolic Conditiong. MetCons are designed to be fairly short and extremely intense. During these workouts you shouldn't be resting if you can help it, and you should be pushing your limits.

Here's one I designed this week.

Try it out!

Grilled Romaine Tex Mex Salad

I just got back from Yosemite today. In my normal fashion I hit the gym then headed to the grocery store. I wanted to whip up something delicious and healthy. Hope you try it! 

Grilled Romaine Tex Mex Salad

Ingredients:

4 oz Organic boneless skinless chicken breast

1 head Organic Romaine lettuce 

1/3 c Organic corn

1/2 c Organic bell peppers chopped

1/4 Organic red onion chopped

1/2 Organic lime

1/3 c Organic black beans 

Fiesta lime seasoning (Mrs. dash)

1. In a small pan mix corn, black beans, bell pepper, red onion, and lime juice. Let it simmer.

2. In a large pan on medium heat (or on a grill) grill your chicken with Fiesta Lime seasoning.

3. Chop romaine in half (long ways). Place on pan or grill face down on high heat until it's grilled a bit crispy. 

3. Place grilled romaine lettuce face up on a plate.

4. Add grilled chicken and veggie mix on top of the romaine.

Enjoy!! 

314 calories. 32g pro, 37 g carb, 4 g fat

HIIT Workout

Need a high intensity workout for the weekend? I have you covered! Try this one out, and make sure to modify the weights for yourself. 

10 Important Shopping Tips For The Ladies

I could talk about clothes for days. Every season there are many new styles, trends, designers, and amazing sales. The reason I want to talk about clothes today is simple, clothes can make you feel good. A great outfit can make you feel strong, empowered, sexy, cute, or chic. A bad outfit can make you feel lazy, tired, quirky, or fat. When it comes to finding yourself--finding your style is important. More importantly finding your style without breaking the bank. 

I have been a personal stylist for about two years now. I never realized how easy shopping, styling, and putting a look together was for me until I met numerous people who have issues with it. There are some simple key tips I have to getting you on the right track.

1. Get clothes that fit (including your bras):

If you are a size 26, but the jeans you want that make your butt look amazing are a size 27... Get over yourself and buy the 27. Designers sizing doesn't stay consistent across the board, so buy items that fit. Get sized for your bras, buy jeans that don't make you have a muffin top, and blouses that don't pop open in the front. When items fit you have the chance to show your figure.

2. Shop with someone brutally honest:

I shop with girls who will tell me a few things straight up. A. Is it too pricey? B. Does it fit right? C. Will I wear this enough? D. Do I have something like this already? E. Will this go out of style too fast?

If you answer yes to any of these then it's a NO-GO! 

3. You can never go wrong with simple:

Jeans, a tank, cute shoes, and a sweater can be cute and classy. Find your "go to" look that you can get up and go knowing it is stylist approved! My clients favorite is black booties, skinny jeans, a black/white tank, and a chunky sweater. Find what is cute/comfy for you! Getting ready doesn't have to take hours.

4. Spend good money on the essentials:

Don't go cheap on these items: Great fitting jeans, the perfect white tee, black boots, nude sandals, a leather jacket, and a Little Black Dress. You need those everyday items you know you will wear and get your money's worth! 

5. Take 1 risk at a time: 

Have one item in your outfit POP. Don't have red shoes, a purple sweater, and pink pants. Pick one item in your outfit to be the statement piece! Too many statement pieces is a NO-NO! 

6. Learn how to do your hair:

Do you wear your hair in the same ponytail everyday? Even worse, do you go to work with wet hair?  Have your hairstylist teach you a few tricks, or do what I do and YouTube hair tutorial videos. You can learn really quick, easy, and cute ways to do your hair. Show up with some pzazz.

7. & your makeup:

Learn how to do your makeup. Once again YouTube has great tutorials, but also going in to BeneFit is also amazing. This doesn't mean you need to cake your face on everyday, but find some simple day makeup looks & a night look! 

8. Shop for your body 

Mary Kate & Ashley's flat chested petite frames look amazing in boho low cut clothes. My 5'9 athletic/curvy frame looks like a streetwalker in the same outfit. It's time to learn how to style your big bust, small chest, wide hips, or bubble butt. Find what clothes flatter your figure. I recommend googling your body type and moving foward from there. Sorry gals you might need to throw out cute clothes if they don't flatter you! 

9. Buy yourself something nice each month

We all work too hard to not buy ourselves a little treat each month. Keep your eye on your favorite lip color, pair of shoes, or fall sweater. At the end of the month #treatyourself! 

10. Don't be afraid to dress sexy (not hoochie)

Last but not least, learn how to dress sexy. When you aren't comfortable in your skin it's hard to "feel sexy", but when you find the perfect outfit things might take a turn for you. Grab your most stylish friend to help you find a super cute and sexy outfit. Sexy doesn't mean hoochie; find something tight fitting or lacy! 

I hope these tips help you Gals. Now get to shopping! 

My Favorite Summer Hair Products

I am obsessed with hair. This isn't news to anyone. I haven't shared my hair routine for summer, so I thought I would tell you my product obsessions.

I have been using Biolage for my shampoo and conditioner the last few weeks. I really like it! After my hair is towel dried I mix in the palm of my hand Hot Toddy & Sachajuan Intensive Hair Oil. I put both of those starting on the tips of my hair and work them throughout. After that I put some Sachajuan Styling Cream in my hair. From here I either do nothing and let my hair dry naturally, or I blow it dry. After I blow dry I usually curl my hair. I love the Money Maker flexible hair spray to finish my look. If I want a messier look I will spray in some Hair Play for texture. Lastly, if I want my curls to hold for days I will just touch up the front and spray some dry shampoo in my hair (Detox). 

You don't need to use these products, but they are what have been working best for me to keep my summer curls lasting! 

Juggling & Balancing Your Life

The more women I meet, the more I notice how crazy each of our lives are. We're all just trying to run the world ... working long hours, making time for relationships, social events, reading, having "me time."  And all the while, trying to have a nice butt & flat stomach. Being a woman is not easy. My answer, speaking as a "real girl" is that you cannot always balance your life!  You can't control every part of every day. Sometimes, you have to loosen up and go with the flow. Some nights, you might not get enough sleep.  Other days, you might have less time to workout.  It's all OK.

My favorite part about finding balance is understanding that there is no such thing. It's not something you find and keep forever. Parts of your life will feel more balanced than others; life is dynamic and always changing.  My tip: Find and stick with a routine that works for you, but also allow yourself to deviate from time to time (it's inevitable).

Personally, I have gone through so many "extremes" in my life. I'm finally in a place where I feel quite balanced (meaning perfectly imbalanced). I went from obsessing over food, workouts, and trying to be stick thin that I put my social life, friends, and mental health on the back burner. I reached my aesthetic goals, but forgot about all the other things I value in life. Now - I continue to workout like a maniac and eat healthy, but allow myself to deviate from my plan. I value travel now, make time for dates, go to fun events with friends, and make sure to enjoy some delish fro-yo from time to time. 

Find what works for you, ladies. Once you do, your whole life will change. 

Giveaway: Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70 Protein Powder

As you all know, I love making smoothies. I probably have 1-2 a day. Since I make so many, I really care about what I put in them. It's hard to find a protein powder that isn't made with JUNK. This one is really bomb, and you can try it for FREE if you win this give-a-way.

Register below:
Rafflecopter Give-a-way

Peanut Butter Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 c almond milk

1 banana

1 tbsp peanut butter

1. Mash the banana in a bowl. 

2. Stir in chia seeds and peanut butter. 

3. Whisk in the almond milk until combined. 

4. Place in the fridge overnight to thicken and for the seeds to expand.

5. Enjoy! 

Summer Hairspiration

Last week I realized one huge thing.

Hair is everything. Yes, I said it. 
Hear me out. 

Picture yourself leaving the hair salon with a really great cut and style. You know that feeling? Hair bouncing and you have a huge smile on your face. You love the way you feel. 

Now, picture yourself leaving the hair salon in tears. The stylist did not do what you asked, and you leave with a really bad cut. I know this feeling all too well. When I got an accidental bad haircut as a kid, I was often mistaken for a boy for a summer!

My friend got her hair cut last week, and hated it. She wore her hair in a pony tail this whole week. It was definitely something that could be fixed, but we once again realized "hair is everything". It doesn't mean you need long luscious hair. All hair is great short, brown, red, long, purple, medium length; just as long as it's what you want and feel comfortable with! 

Since I know the power a good hair style can have over my confidence, I started playing and styling with my hair. I look up styles on Pinterest, or in magazines and dedicate some time to get good at doing them. Here are my favorites for the summer.

You might look at these and think that they look way too complicated to do on yourself. If you practice, I promise you can get most of them down (if not all of them). Here are some styles I've been playing around with.

Think to yourself this week about trying something new, you might just get a new found confidence! 

You're The Most Important Person In This World

This title might have thrown you off. To be honest the first time I heard this statement was this year. People don't often tell you that you are the most important person in the world other than your parents. My parents didn't even tell me that growing up, because that would suggest I was more important than my siblings.

I recently took a CPR/AED class very different than most CPR classes I've taken, I thoroughly enjoyed this class. Brent, our instructor, has been a firefighter & paramedic for decades. In the middle of the class he asked us who the most important person was in an emergency situation. Most people said the injured person... Wrong!

You see if you don't put your health first and foremost, you could seriously be putting your life in danger. If you put your life in danger what sort of help can you be to someone sick or hurt? A perfect example Brent gave us was a firefighter who was on his honeymoon. He saw an accident on the freeway and decided to help. He jumped out of his car to run across the street, and because he put the accident before his own life he ran across the street without looking. He unfortunately passed away, and later his new wife found out that there wasn't even an accident across the road. There was just a man changing his flat tire.

What I took away from Brent's story is that no matter how small or big an instance is, always put your life first. You can't be a good friend, coach, coworker, teacher, or partner without taking care of yourself. 

I have seen this a lot lately. Put yourself first. Manage your time, sleep, workouts, nutrition, and schedule. Prioritizing your time is more important than getting together with friends everyday for drinks. Contrary to what other people believe, I don't think work should always come first. Work isn't more important than your sleep, workouts, happiness, or time with your wife. Find out the things that make you happy and balanced. Once you have all your "musties" then you can go help others and do amazing things.

Make sure you don't spread yourself too thin. I've learned the hard way.

Summer Greens

Everyone who knows me knows how I like to start my day (sometimes even end my day). I love delicious green smoothies, and for this reason I make tons of them. All different flavors, ingredients, and colors!

Today's recipe:

1 scoop Manitoba harvest hemp protein 

1/2 banana frozen 

2 cups spinach 

1 tbsp almond butter

Ice 

Blend the ingredients and enjoy! 

What's your favorite green smoothie recipe? Share it with me on Instagram and tag @thea_nolan for your chance to win @manitobaharvest protein. 

Why that brand of protein? 

Manitoba harvest has the only water soluble protein on the market(it blends well in a shaker cup). Some benefits of hemp protein is that Hemp70 is easily digestible, a complete plant based protein, offering all essential amino acids - great for vegan or vegetarian diets. It's also just better for you than Whey, so if you aren't vegan or vegetarian it's a great option. I love that It is mild tasting with a creamy texture that is delicious to add to my smoothies, or stirred into yogurt and oatmeal! My favorite flavor is chocolate.