Health & Fitness in the ’90s

I have been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. My fitness career started off by being smitten and in awe of a premier step aerobics instructor in Tallahassee, Florida in the early 90’s. Mindy was so smart and witty. She was very articulate and fun to be around, and she was crazy about me. Ok, maybe none of those things are true but, at least in my “distorted stalker mind”, she just couldn’t get enough of me.

In reality, I don’t even think she knew I existed. This didn’t change the fact that I attended as many of her classes I could and began to love health and fitness. Looking back, I guess God knew that about a year later I was to meet a tall strawberry blond bomb shell named Bonnie who would make me forget all about Mindy – but, what DID stick, was my love for fitness.

I started off by teaching step aerobics and changing my major at FSU to exercise and nutrition, and later going on to FAMU to earn a degree in Physical Therapy. I truly enjoyed learning and teaching anything that was remotely associated with a healthy lifestyle.

Back then, fitness was simple. To be fit you just workout and have a protein shake. Ironically, some of the most fit people I knew were not that healthy. They could bench a ton and had great abs but couldn’t run a quarter mile. Nowadays, people are training to LOOK fit and BE fit. They aren’t relying just on supplements to give their body what they need but they are actually eating healthier too. The average consumer is much more educated and aware of what they eat. Food has become a bigger role in the fitness industry. It’s not just about what you do in the gym anymore.

Health & Fitness Today

Over the last 21 years Bonnie and I have owned 3 health clubs, competed with the NPC, run races, written diets, hosted fitness reality shows on 3 different networks, and have helped thousands to lose weight and become healthy – inside and out. The “fit world” is truly a network of people full of failures and successes.

No matter where we all are on our fitness journey, this amazing network will never quit encouraging each other to stay consistent and not give up – and more importantly, to continue to keep learning, trying new things and accepting new challenges. That is why when I heard of the #meatlessmondaynight challenge put on by #Silk, I was all in.

What a great way to think about a healthy plant based diet, even if for one night only. I am not a vegan or a vegetarian. I really enjoy all kinds of foods, but I have also been around long enough to know that there are grave dangers in not giving your system a chance to purge and rest, if only for just a day. I may not be ready to totally #sidelinemeat but plant based diets are becoming more and more mainstream because they are healthy – and when you educate yourself about great tasting replacements, the choices are truly limitless. Just let your imagination run.

My MeatlessMondayNight

Since we are talking about running, I wanted to share my #meatlessmondaynight routine for the month of September. I am currently involved in a weight loss journey that will soon be announced nationally. I cant tell you much more than that right now, but I can tell you I have eaten more clean and strict than ever before in my entire life, beyond preparing for TV shows, wrestling tournaments, or even bodybuilding shows.

Part of my diet regime is to fast 1-2 nights per week. I only fast my dinner – but this is brutal, as that is the time of day I am home and seemingly undistracted. It seems all I can think about after 4:30 pm is eating. After my evening carido, #MeatlessMondayNights seems to be a prefect nights to add to my 2 nights of fasting.

I came up with this fantastic chocolate protein shake to have after my evening run. It is rich and creamy and seems to give me everything I need to be satisfied after a long run and before going to bed. Plus, who wants to eat a heavy “meaty” dinner after spending 45 minutes running off a boatload of calories anyway?

My shake started with a base of creamy cold Silk Almondmilk. Today, I mixed it up with Almond Coconut Blend (yumm). I threw in a little ice, and agave, and added my favorite protein powder to the mix. How simple is that? The Almondmilk makes it taste so much richer and creamier. I finished it off with a chocolate gram cracker and a teaspoon of whipped peanut butter (only because I ran an extra 10 minutes). Smoothies don’t have to be complicated. However, if you want to try some new smoothie recipes, click HERE. Check out www.silk.com/sidelinemeat for more creative Meatless Monday Night ideas and a chance to win a giveaway.

Tackle the Munchies

Another way I fight late night munchies is by sipping on hot tea. I love brewing up some Chai tea with the Silk Almond Coconut Blend and Stevia to sip on while watching TV. This way, I get to entertain my tongue without expanding my belly!

PS: If you haven’t tried the Almond Coconut Blend. OMG! You are missing out!! The Cashewmilk is also amazing and is a great replacement for regular milk. One of the things I also love about Silk (because I HATE food going bad and wasting it) is that Silk has a much longer shelf life than regular milk!

5 Tips to Tackle Monday Night Munchies

1. Fill up on real food. Eat a good healthy meal before the game starts to avoid the temptation to pig out on unhealthy stuff.

2. Eat later. Don’t eat too early or you’ll get hungry by halftime – and the hungrier you get, the more likely you are to eat stuff you wouldn’t eat if your stomach was full.

3. Don’t drink your calories. I like drinking hot tea. You may enjoy sparkling water. Whatever you do, have a low-cal or calorie free drink nearby so you don’t get thirsty or bored enough to go for a high-cal beverage.

4. Be realistic and responsible. If you know you are going to snack, then either skip dinner or eat a light dinner so you aren’t doubling up on calories. Eat fewer calories throughout the day so you have the extra room for some snacks come game time. Choose healthy snacks over chips and fried food. Instead of picking off the snack bar, make a plate. This will help you keep track of how much you are really eating.

5. Burn more calories. If you know you eat more calories on Mondays, prepare for them. Run a little longer or do an extra cardio on Sunday. If you want to spend more money, you have to make more money and the same goes with food. If you want to eat more without gaining weight, you need to work more.

More Meatless Monday Night Recipes

If you are hosting a Monday Night Football party, here are some yummy sounding Meatless Monday Night ideas.

Jalapeño Cauliflower Biscuits
Spicy Cashew Hummus
Creamy Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms

CLICK HERE for more.

Follow #MeatlessMondayNight to follow the conversation and get more recipes.

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.