Clean Eat Education: Tips for Getting Back on Track

So you've been eating clean and working out consistently and then for whatever reason you "fall off the wagon".  What do you do now?  Give up?  No!  Think about what you would be giving up on...yourself, your health, your family, your goals, your dreams, your happiness. "Falling off the wagon" is going to happen and it will probably happen more than once!  Pick yourself up and move on by following our tips!

- First, you must stay positive.  This is a very mental journey.  If you don't think you can...you won't.  Talk positively to yourself.  Talk to yourself in the mirror each morning.  Instead of focusing on what you don't like about yourself, focus on what you do like.  It sounds silly but it really makes a difference.  Wake up 2 minutes earlier each morning to do this.

- Drink water. Drink ONLY water.  Drink it like it's your job.

- Just because you slipped up and had a cheeseburger and fries does not mean that you should "punish" yourself with a 2 hour cardio session.  Take the kids or your dog for a walk or maybe try out a new class at your gym.  Clear your mind.  Get in a positive state.  Don't punish yourself.

- Go to the grocery store, prepare your food and eat clean!  Get back on track at your next meal...don't wait until the next day.  Start now!  Also, don't starve yourself just because ate something you shouldn't have.

- You are NOT going to mess up with one slip up.  Think about how far you've come.  Think about how much hard work you have put into yourself.  Think about how much better you feel.  Have people noticed that you are a happier person?  This one (or tenth) slip up is just life - it happens.  You are doing this for your health and there is no turning back. What are you going to go back to?  Being unhealthy and unhappy just because you ate something you shouldn't have?  Say that out loud to yourself...sounds silly doesn't it?

- Don't weigh yourself.  Talk about sabotage.  If you do gain weight you are going to feel even worse and probably make it worse from emotional eating.  Give yourself at least a week after you start eating clean and exercising again before you weigh-in or take measurements.  Like we always say, the scale doesn't mean anything anyway.  What does matter is how you feel and how your clothes fit.  Those are much better ways to measure your success.

Remember this is NOT a diet - this is YOUR LIFE.  Eat Clean & Be Happy!

Let us be your personal trainers with our detailed 4, 6 and 12 week She Sweats Workout plans! We guide your workout each day, telling you exactly what to do and what intensity to work at. We have everything you need! Find out more!

Clean Eating Transformation

Transformation photos helped motivate me to start eating clean and lifting weights - I thought "If they can do it, so can I".  I know that you have all probably seen this transformation photo but the picture below is a more recent "after" photo (taken June 2012).

Find what motivates you.  Getting started is the hardest part!

Do you have a clean eating transformation you would like to share?  Leave a comment below and share your story!  YOU can help to inspire and motivate others!

Are you ready to get started?  Read this post to help make it happen!

- Scott & Whitney

Why it's OK to Fail

Over the past few weeks, I have received several phone calls and emails from readers and friends who have either fallen off the wagon or are doubting themselves. I wish that I could tell them and you that there is some magical formula to reach your goals, whether it's fitness goals, work goals or life goals. But, there is NOT.

Let's talk nutrition right now...

The way our bodies respond to different foods and different exercises is trial and error. It is imperative that you try something and stick with it for more than a week! You may see quick changes in your body within a week from a change in diet, but for real change to occur, it takes a little time. If you begin to plateau 2-3 weeks later, no worries. It's OK to fail! Think of yourself as a science experiment - you don't always get the outcome you are expecting on the first try. It takes constant refining to produce the results that you want. As our bodies age and respond to stimuli within nature, stress and family situations, you will need to adapt by changing your diet to suit your altered lifestyle.

Let's talk workout routine right now...

Ok... so it seems right that what we always do, what our bodies are used to, won't work forever, right? Well then why do so many of us fall in a rut of only doing certain exercises, only certain cardio machines? Perhaps, because it is comfortable... we know what we are doing and it doesn't make us sore afterward. If I can't say it enough, CHANGE IT UP!! You will NOT be a failure if you change up your exercises and feel like a fool doing them because they are awkward or you are unsure of proper form. Ask a trainer to help you with proper form - 9 times out of 10, they will help without charging you or pressuring you to sign a contract with them.  (Just don't ask them for a workout plan and expect them to do this for free.) It takes change in your workout routine to "trick" your body and produce positive results. Update: Try one of our workout plans here.

There's my pep talk for today! Don't be afraid to fail! If something doesn't produce the result you want the first time, you can only refine it and try again! This is not failure! It's simply finding a way NOT to do something.

When you just can't get it together read this.

Good luck!