macronutrients

Exercise vs Physical Activity

Posted on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 by LetlerFit

Did you know that physical activity and exercise are NOT the same things?⠀
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Physical activity is the unstructured movement you do throughout the day. independent of quantity of work, oxygen demand, and its energy expenditure where as exercise is planned structured and repetitive bodily movements that yields physical and physiological changes.⠀
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So the walking you do at work, or cleaning you do around the house, doesn’t count as exercise…sorry guys⠀

Learn more about the best online fitness program which includes comprehensive programs focused on shifting towards healthier eating habits, staying fit, and building a better booty. You’ll also find a variety of fitness apparel to help get you that extra motivation to take your goals to another level. Contact me today to learn more about the best fitness programs available to get your body in gear.

7 Pieces of Common Fitness Advice that are Completely Wrong

Posted on November 28, 2017 by LetlerFit

I did another one of these posts a while back, but today I wanted to bring you a different set of Fitness Myths:

Fasted Cardio is Highly Effective: Numerous studies on this matter are inconclusive on whether or not the benefits to fasted cardio outweigh the risk of glycogen depletion, light headedness, catabolism etc. Eating the correct nutrients before your workout is what give you energy, contributes to fat loss, and makes for a more effective workout. Fasted cardio makes you think you’re working harder but its because your rate of perceived exertion is increased due to your body running on fumes.
Anyone can excel at whatever sport they want: Actually we are all born with specific muscle fibers. Elite sprinters probably won’t be seen winning a marathon…different fiber type composition. Baseball pitchers probably won’t be seen winning gold as an olympic lifter. Get your feet wet in a variety of sports and your body can tell you, which sports it was best meant to play, but not everyone is physically capable of becoming an olympian and don’t beat yourself up over it!
Push through injuries: The common walk it off mentality is AWFUL. Sharp shooting pain is how our body signals us something is not right and unless you’re fighting in a career altering match or running in the finals at the olympics, injuries are not something you should just “walk off.”
Avoid Cardio to Make Gains: While excessive cardio is not good for the gains, we should all be doing some form of cardiovascular as the immunological, improved performance, increased recovery, and sooo many other benefits.
Go 100% Every Single Day: Our body NEEDS rest, for some it’s in the form of active rest, but it is considered rest nonetheless….if we expect our body to perform at 100 everyday there is no time for your muscles to repair and grow. Not allowing for proper recovery also increases stress levels in our body which can lead to gut inflammation and illness.
Squats Are Bad For your Knees: Bad form is bad for your knees. Squats are an incredibly effective compound exercise, I use them often for even my elderly clients.
Ab Exercises are What Give you Abs: Did you know some people with 6 packs don’t do a single crunch, russian twist, or sit up? Shocking I know. While those exercises may contribute to enhancing a reduced waistline brought on by clean diet…they are not necessary. A heavy squat, properly lunge paired with a medicine ball rotation, even a bent over row are highly effective exercises for your abs. Genetics and diet go a longer way in improving the appearance of your abdomen.

LetlerFit Cyber Monday

Posted on November 27, 2017November 27, 2017 by LetlerFit

On this crazy holiday sale day, LetlerFit is giving everyone a 50% discount on ALL of our fitness guides! PLUS everyone who purchases our Total Body Package will receive a FREE CARDI..NO tank on top of the 50%! Get all 7 Guides for Less than $30 AND a bonus $22 tank to wear while you’re getting Christmas fit!

CODE CYBER50 at checkout!

Shop LetlerFit Cyber Monday

Get LetlerFit in 30 days ebook (dragged)

LetlerFit Black Friday is HERE!

Posted on November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 by LetlerFit

Our favorite holiday shopping day is HERE and we are not disappointing! Have you had your eye on any of our leggings, shorts, capris, or tanks? Today only, 50% off on all apparel! Here’s what that looks like:

Leggings: were $64.99, NOW $32.49
Capris: were $54.99, NOW $27.49
Shorts: were $44.99, NOW $22.49
Tanks: were $24.99, NOW $12.49

Have any questions about sizing? feel free to leave a comment or e-mail LetlerFit@gmail.com! Ends TONIGHT 11/24/17 at 11:59PM EST

Code: BLACKFRIDAY

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10 Simple Diet Mistakes that make your Calorie Counting to be far Less Effective

Posted on November 21, 2017 by LetlerFit

Mistake #1: Calories are not created equally. 200 calories in chocolate is not nearly as dense as 200 calories in a colorful salad with protein. We need more good quality calories that bad quality calories in order to lose weight
Mistake #2: You are forgetting about macronutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins make up calories. Carbs and protein yield 4 calories per gram while fats yield 9 calories per gram. The goal is to eat the correct amount of each eating 1400 calories out of your 1800 calorie day in just one macronutrient is not good. Each macronutrient has a purpose and requirement in our body.
Mistake #3: You are forgetting about Micronutrients. While a donut does contain carbs, fat, and protein (usually 1-2g), the calories are empty. When you consume food the goal is to look at food and think “What kind of energy is this going to give me? and what kinds of vitamins and minerals will it give me?” Vitamins and Minerals are equally as important as macronutrients….the good news is they do NOT directly add to the calorie count.
Mistake #4: Consuming too many calories. Trying to lose weight? At the end of the day weight loss is having less calories in versus calories out. Meaning we need to eat less than what our body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #5: Not consuming enough calories. Trying to gain weight? You need to be consuming more than what your body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #6: Most people do not know how many calories they should even be consuming. Advice: My fitness pal does a decent job at giving you calorie needs based on goals and activity.
Mistake #7: Overestimating calories burned while exercising. The calories the machine tells you, is wayyyyyyyy more than reality because it goes off of the machines RPM and not your body’s work.
Mistake #8: Assuming all lasagna at a restaurant is the same. Luckily most restaurants are registered with my fitness pal and give you calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient breakdown. However, when a food from a menu does not pop up, it’s hard to find an exact match as recipe and portion size really make a difference.
Mistake #9: No Plan. Meal prepping is a must!! I know my entire week’s menu before it has even started…helps me stay focused and organized. Plus i control what goes into my food and then it becomes easier to track if need be.
Mistake #10: Drinking calories. Most people have no necessity for juices. Skip the liquid calories and go for water!

5 Foods That Claim To Be All Natural But Aren’t

Posted on October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 by LetlerFit

We have all seen the labels that say 100% all natural, and many buy them thinking that they are because well we trust labels right? At the end of the day the food industry is a business, sometimes they do things that aren’t in our best interest and here are 5 foods they make us believe are healthy and all natural, but aren’t.

Granola Bars: We have all bought those delicious organic, all natural granola bars thinking we were doing it right. The problem is many of these granola bars contain artificial sweeteners and “natural” flavors. Natural flavors is a cop out for flavors that are derived from natural sources…in a lab.
Yogurts: They have the same problem as granola bars. TONS of artificial sweeteners, “natural” flavors, and added sugars or sugar alcohols. (sugar alcohols aren’t so great either)
Bottled Iced Tea: Natural flavors, sugar and/or high fructose corn syrups should not be listed on the back of the label. Green and black teas in there natural form are packed with antioxidants, but the benefits get smashed when they’re paired with sugar.
Salad Dressing: If it’s not home made, read the label. Those long 10+ ingredient labels are proof that those “all natural” salad dressings really aren’t that natural.
Ice Cream: We have seen so many new dairy free, gluten free, yady da, etc. Ice creams pop up on the market advertising high protein, low calories, and no sugar, but they taste sweet. Why? They are packed with sugar alcohols (usually the ingredient that ends in “ol”)…which they are NOT natural.

7 Food Myths That Stop Your Diet From Being Healthy

Posted on October 24, 2017 by LetlerFit

Sometimes I seriously wonder where some of these health coaches get their facts, do they not stay up to date with the latest research? I’ve heard some ridiculously false advice from people that actually keep them from having a healthier diet.

“Egg yolks are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol. So you should only eat the egg white.” Research now shows us that eggs have nothing to do with raising your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Eggs whites are a great source of protein and egg YOLKS are a great source of zinc, iron, vitamin D, and choline. Eat the WHOLE egg, unless you’re allergic, like me, then skip them.
“Everyone should eat gluten free.” Unless your gluten intolerant there is no need because your body is able to digest gluten…it’s just another type of protein that some people just happen to be intolerant to.
“Nuts are bad for you because they are high in fat.” Nuts are a great source of HEALTHY fats packed with nutrients. Like with anything, too many nuts can be bad, however research has shown that eating proper servings of nuts can actually help protect you against heart disease.
“Carbohydrates make you fat.” False. Too much carbphydrates, just like too much protein, and too much fat, make you fat….aka caloric surplus. Carbs give us energy, help our brains think, and feed our muscles.
“The label says low fat, so it has to be good for me.” Eat the whole fat. With whole fat you can simply use the fat grams as part of your daily fat consumption assuming you do not over do it. The problem with low fat is that they need to replace the fat, which is what add the good taste, with something else so that it is not bland. What they end up using as a replacer is sugar! Without knowing, you are consuming extra sugar that you may not have accounted for.
“Organic food is always healthy.” Definitely not! Especially deceiving when the organic label is placed on the packaging. Read the ingredients! Most of the time if it’s on a box you’re better off saving the money on the inorganic version because it’s the same exact thing.
“When eating out, always choose the salad.” False. Sometimes the salad can become the most calorically enriched plate because of the hidden sugars used to preserve the salad or the salad dressings.

6 Habits That Destroy Your Otherwise Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on October 23, 2017 by LetlerFit

Creating a healthy lifestyle is all about habit. Just like good habits, there are also bad habits. Some of them are killing your healthy lifestyle journey, and you may not even realize it.

Lack of Sleep: Sometimes, life requires you to lose sleep, and that’s ok. The problem is not a few nights of lack of sleep, the problem becomes too many nights without adequate sleep. Sleep is so crucial. I know we all know how awful it feels after consistent sleep deprivation. What many people may not know is that lack of sleep triggers an increase of cortisol hormone to be released in our bodies, which may cause us to bloat and have difficulty losing weight. Without Sleep our bodies cannot properly repair the muscles we just worked out.
Restriction: Leading a restrictive diet, leads to binges and constant yo-yoing and that’s not what we want. I’ve said time and time again it’s about establishing a balance of consuming more health foods than junk foods.
No Exercise or No clean foods: Sometimes eating clean is the easiest part of the nutrition and fitness equation. For others exercise is the easy part! But they go hand in hand! Not exercising or not eating clean but doing the other is only half of it and yields not so great results.
Alcohol: Going ham on the drinks during the weekend, EVERY weekend, is KILLER to your healthy lifestyle.
Not reading nutrition labels: Never go by the front of the packaging, read the label and pay attention to the ingredients!
Not Meal Prepping: Buying “healthy” foods from restaurants is no where near as good as prepping and cooking your own foods where YOU control everything. Sometimes the cleaner options are still loaded with hidden salt or sugar.

15 Fitness Quotes To Get You Moving

Posted on October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 by LetlerFit

Today’s post brought to you by some of my favorite pinned fitness quotes!

“Stay so Hungry, you never Stop Eating.” trademarked by yours truly! -Melissa Letellier. How bad do you want to reach and set new goals?
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, but from what you do consistently.” Going to the gym 6 days one week and never stepping foot in it again for another 4 weeks is way less effective then going 2-3x every week.
“In 2 weeks you’ll feel it. In 4 weeks you’ll see it. In 8 weeks you’ll hear it.” Sometimes we need the extrinsic motivation to continually light the fire.
“At first they’ll ask why you’re doing it, later they’ll ask how you did it.”
When I started by journey I got so many negative remarks about why I’m always on a diet. Some of those same people were now forced into a continuous restrictive diet due to medical reasons while the lifestyle I built allows me to continue reaching new goals while enjoying pizza and donuts every now and then.
“I’m working on myself, for myself, by myself.” Sometimes the road is lonely, but you should always be your biggest reason why. Not for revenge, not to make someone jealous, to make YOU happy.
“When you feel like stopping, think about why you started.” It’s normal to lose motivation, it’s normal to get “derailed,” but at the end of the day if your reason why is bigger than your reason why not…you will get there
“Do it for the after selfie.” While my fitness journey was for me, i’m still human. It feels good to prove people wrong and brag about my hard earned accomplishments, don’t feel ashamed for what you’ve worked for!
“Slow progress is better than no progress!” It’s normal for your body to see more progress at the beginning. Don’t feel discouraged when the pound that once took you 3 days to lose now takes you a week. It’s stilling coming off and better than putting the pound of fat back on!
“You are your only limit.” This can be applied to everywhere in life, not just your health and fitness.
“Remember when your body is hungry it wants nutrients, not calories.” This one is HUGE for me! In a world obsessed with counting calories and macros, we often forget that vitamins and minerals also exist and are also equally important.
“Workout because you love your body, not because you hate it.” Yes it’s ok to want to change your body with exercise but remember to never take for granted the ability to exercise! Not everyone can! Exercise should also not be used as a punishment for eating a cookie.
“I don’t diet, I just eat according to my goals.” Seriously, it’s why it’ a lifestyle. Diets are short term and never work.
“Sweat is Pretty.” Sweat is a sign of good hydration, your body regulating heat the way it should be, and working hard! So many women are afraid to sweat i public for fear of looking gross or smelling bad. Be proud of your work and being well hydrated!
“Fall in love with taking care of your body.” As cliche as it sounds, you really do only get one body! What body do you want to take with your through life as you age?
“Create healthy habits, not restrictions.” It’s not about never eating the cookie, the pizza, or the donut. It’s about choose the fruits and the vegetables more than you do the cookie, the pizza, or the donut.

6 Meals That Are Quick To Make And Healthy To Eat

Posted on October 19, 2017 by LetlerFit

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Most of my personal meals I bulk prep them for about 6 meals each and the total prep for meal is about 15-30 minutes and I have lunch for 6 days! Here are 6 Recipes, you can find more on my @SnackLikeLetler Instagram! Also on my Snack Like Letler E-Book!

1. •Ingredients: 2/3c Italian Couscous, 1 Quinoa Burger, 1 Mushroom, 1/4 Orange Bell Pepper, 1/4 Tomato, Parsley, Herbs de Provence, Bay Leaves, Salt, Garlic Seasoning, Cayenne Seasoning, Avocado Oil
  •Directions:
  1. Put Couscous into a pot, add Parsley, Herbs de provence, Bay Leaves, and salt to taste. Add 1.5c water and boil

2. While couscous is boiling turn oven to 350 degrees and bake quinoa burger for 10 min
3. In a separate pan sauté Bell Pepper, Mushroom, and tomato in avocado oil. Season with garlic and cayenne
4. Once couscous is ready mix in sautéed veggies
5. After veggies have been mixed in, break a part the quinoa burger and mix it into the couscous
6. Enjoy!!! This was my pre-workout meal

3. •Ingredients: 1 Salmon Fillet, 1c Quinoa & Brown Rice, 1/2 Tomato, 1/2 onion, Cayenne Seasoning, Garlic Seasoning, Cumin Seasoning, Salt, 1/2 TBSP Sesame Seeds
•Directions:
1. Pour 1/2c of Brown Rice & Quinoa into pot & add salt to taste before adding water and boiling2. Dice onion & tomato.
3. Season vegetables with cayenne & garlic
4. When brown rice & quinoa is ready mix in vegetables and pour in sesame seeds
5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
6. Season salmon with garlic, cayenne, & cumin
7. Cook in over 12 minutes
8. Serve with 1 Haas Avocado

4. •Ingredients: 2oz of Dry Edamame Pasta, 1/4 tomato, 1/4 onion, 1/4 orange bell pepper, 2/3c Broccoli, Cilantro to taste, salt to taste, Italian seasoning to taste, 4 Mushrooms, 1/2 Haas Avocado, lemon juice•Directions:
1. Put Broccoli & Pasta to Boil add salt to taste
2. Dice tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and sauté in avocado or coconut oil
3. Season vegetables with italian seasoning, cilantro and lemon juice
4. Once the Pasta and Broccoli are ready, pour out the water and combine the vegetables
5. Serve with a side of 1/2 Haas Avocado

5.•Ingredients: 1/2 DicedTomato, 1/8 Diced Onion Onion, Cilantro to Taste, 1 Packet Lemon Pepper Tuna, 1/2 Squeezed Lemon, 1 Haas Avocado, 1/2 tbsp olive oil
•Directions:
1. Gut the avocado
2. Place all ingredients into a bowl
3. Mash & Mix
4.Stuff Avocados

6.•Ingredients: 1/2 packet of Trader Joes Portobello Mushroom Ravioli, 2 TBSP Pesto Sauce, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 onion, 1/2c spinach, 1/2 TBSP Avocado Oil, 1/2 Haas Avocado •Directions:
1. Pour 1/2 TBSP avocado oil into pan
2. Add diced onion & tomatoes. Sauté
3. Add Ravioli & Mix
4. Add 2 TBSP Pesto Pasta
5. Mix Together
6. Add Spinach and continue to mix until spinach has mixed in well
7. Serve with 1/2 Haas Avocado