Chronicles of a Rolley Polley

I thought doing a blog related to model fitness would be very timely now since most people focus on nutrition and working out more during the Carnival season.

Check out this video of my fitness instructor Mikhail giving advice on diet and exercise and see some simple cardio moves from my friend Nisa and I. For those who don't have time or money to go to the gym... No excuses! You can do this at home :P

Model Nisa Mohammed on the elliptical machine

Nisa rehydrating after our 'abs and glutes' class

Some models naturally look skinny while eating junk, and I personally have a friend who is really toned and she has never set foot in a gym... Me on the other hand, if I miss consecutive gym days or eat too many carbs, I literally look like a Rolley Polley.

That's why I try to go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week to do light cardio coupled with moderate weight training. I LOVE cardio classes, espicially spin! I'm a member of Xtreme Fitness, Arima (which I believe to be one of the better gyms in Trinidad) and unlike other gyms I've experienced, this one has a wonderful training environment with awesome facilities and it surely helps when the fitness instructors are good looking! ;) 

I try to always watch what I eat but usually put myself on a strict diet two weeks prior to a fashion show. Last year while I was preparing for Tobago Fashion Weekend, I lost 5 lbs without even exercising. Everyday I would eat fruits for breakfast, salad with fish for lunch and sometimes I ate dinner (because the fashion shows would run late into the night and I wouldn't get back to the hotel until 11 or after 12.) However when I had dinner, I had soup. I constantly snacked throughout the day with plantain chips, fruit cocktail, yogurt, granola bars, nuts and raisins, and drank nothing but water. I refrained from flour, oil, sugar and meat... I find it's easier to diet when you eat the same meals repeatedly. However if I were working out, I'd be taking protein powder once or twice a day. I use the protein powder as a meal supplement and it helps tone and build muscle while weight training. 

Some people tend to think this is extreme but you really get used to it after a while. But now (as I'm not preparing for any fashion shows in the immediate future) I just generally watch what I eat:-

• I keep carbs to a minimum. I eliminate all flour-based products: bread, bake, biscuits, roti, pizza, pasta (yes, all that good stuff lol.) If I eat carbs though, like potato, I have early in the day so I can burn it off during the course of the day.  
• I drink water and... water! Lol Water is all I pretty much drink. I may have a cup of green tea here and there and sometimes while I'm having my Sunday lunch I end up drinking juice. I cannot remember the last time I drank soft drink.
• I don't eat carbs after 6pm... or I'll feel a state of RolleyPolley-ness coming on again.
• I eat a lot of oats, greens, eggs, tuna, cereal and salads.
• I don't drink alcohol. Besides not liking the taste of alcohol, it's really unnecessary calories. 
• I don't drink cow's milk (which is very fattening.) I have almond or rice milk with my cereal.
• I always read labels. If the first ingredient is flour, I put the package back down. 

...FLOUR, OIL AND SUGAR ARE THE DEVIL!

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