Multiple times a day (sometimes multiple times in an hour), I am asked how I’ve changed my fitness routine and diet to achieve these results, and how they can do the same. I’ll share my entire story, but it’s a simple combination of a good diet and Studio LB. Anyone reading this can achieve similar results, with a little bit of dedication and commitment. Studio LB members have access to our nutrition guide, 7-day meal plan and recipes but I want to share my story with everyone (check out my LA story, Ten Independent Training Tips, and My At-Home Fitness Story).
The Fitness:
Prior to starting Studio LB and taking my workouts digital, I had a very successful brick and mortar fitness concept based in Philadelphia, which closed in 2016. It was an amazing period of my life and I am so proud of the brand that I built when living in Philadelphia. It will always be a feather in my cap. However, my work/life balance was non-existent. I was running multiple fitness studios, managing 50 employees, as well as running two smaller arms of the brand (a food and clothing company) under the umbrella. I was strictly wearing my CEO hat, and my days were packed with instructor training, class development, teaching, marketing, blogging, expansion, etc. The business was incredibly operationally heavy and my stress levels were through the roof. I was also a new mom. Between my more than full time job as a CEO/entrepreneur, and my more than full time job as a mom, there was no time to workout after work. I would often leave my center city condo and go for a quick run at 10PM.
Many of you might be thinking, but you still taught a few classes a week, isn’t that a workout? Absolutely not. Instructors demo the move once or twice, but then move around to work the room and correct. When I teach, it’s your workout, not mine. It doesn’t even come close to the workout you get from a Quick Burn, let alone a full 50-min workout.
Studio LB everything changed. My job now requires me to workout. Being on camera, you have to do almost every rep, of every move. I don’t take breaks or use different cuts. I film straight through so that my workout is the same as yours and so that I can test the content. You see me - the only breaks I take are when I need to catch my breath so that I can continue to talk and teach you.
Everyone is shocked to hear that Studio LB is all that I do, but that’s the truth. I do not attend studio classes so that I’m not creatively influenced as I want to keep my method pure. I film our weekly Program each week (four workouts): two 40-50 min. workouts and two 15-25 min. Quick Burn workouts. If I’m prepping for Activation, I may do some running and hill drills leading up to the retreat….but honestly, I can probably count the number of times on my two hands that I do this each year. Studio LB combined with a healthy diet is all I need, and it’s all you need! The key is to make sure you’re always working at 10. If you’re working at a 3-5 it won’t cut it. You’ve got to push at least at a 7 or 8 if not always at a 10.
The Food:
Food is everything. I’ve always been a healthy, whole foods eater, but in 2015/2016, I had noticed that my stomach would often hurt after a meal. I chalked it up to stress or a possible gluten sensitivity. Or, maybe I was just stuffing my face. I was definitely drinking way too much cold-pressed juice. What I did know for sure was that my health was taking second place to an ever-growing list of professional and personal demands.
Then, in the fall of 2016, I had a severe auto-immune reaction to a Sweetgreen salad (SG, it's not you, it's me!). This particular salad was a triple threat: farro, quinoa, and tofu, along with a soy-based dressing. I remember that I ate it on a Friday. By that night, my stomach was six-months pregnant bloated, and my entire GI tract was painful to the touch. I was in bed with a slight fever, chills and body aches. It took me four full days to feel better, and I haven’t eaten tofu or farro since.
After my company shut down in December 2016, I really went through it and completely fell off my healthy eating routine. Initially, I was barely eating and then when I did eat, I ate unhealthily and drank too much wine at night. In February, my friend and co-worker, Katie (you’ve seen her in some of the Studio LB workouts, or have spoken to her on the hotline) had just come back from two weeks in Panama followed by a wedding in Israel; three straight weeks filled with pasta, late nights out and lots of grilled cheese. I overheard Katie talking to her sister about doing Whole30 for one month. I decided that it wouldn’t hurt for me to check it out and join in but I knew immediately that it WASN’T FOR ME.
There were a lot of rules (and also a lot of bad press). It’s designed to help you identify foods that have an adverse effect on your body. In order to identify these foods, you must first eliminate them for 30 days to get your body to a blank slate. So, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, no grains no legumes, including black beans, garbanzos, kidney or soy, and no additives like MSG. Instead, the focus is: Meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, healthy fats like avocado, or olive oil, and low glycemic fruits like berries and apples (exactly how I eat now, btw).
I don’t love hard restrictions and I knew that I could easily do it my way since I eliminated dairy many years ago. I wasn’t going without:
Wine because I was going through some sh*t, so I allowed myself (and still drink) 6 oz. per day.
Lentils, and garbanzo beans…because they are not processed, and they are healthy, veggie proteins.
Brown rice and quinoa. I’m a big fan of rice (it has fueled 10+ Activations along with killer transformations) and 2 tablespoons of quinoa is my sweet spot.
Personally, I just cannot eat animal protein every day. I knew that I was going into this my way so that it would work for me. What I was doing became the "LB Plan," and Katie and her sister actually did do Whole30.
Week 1: "All Set!" With my fridge stocked to photo-shoot perfection, I started out strong. The first three days were great and I felt more energized.
Days four through seven were more difficult for me. I don’t really ever deny myself what my body wants (within reason) but I really wanted to stick to my plan. I packed tea and plenty of fresh fruit, nuts and crudité on days when the struggle was really real, and I called Katie whenever I was tempted to cheat. On day seven my abs were popping like they hadn't in years and at that moment I was ALL IN.
Week 2: “Who dat!?” On day 10, I felt like this was my new normal and I was never going back. I was excited, and my energy was through the roof. My mood swings and stomachaches were gone for good and I was sleeping SO much better.
Week 3: “French fries? Um, more veggies please!” By week three, I felt like the old me. I was awake and alert, early mornings became easy, and I had absolutely no desire to cheat. And, I was telling everyone. When I believe in something, I spread the gospel something fierce. Like, everyone I knew HAD TO DO THIS.
Week 4: “It’s over? I’m never stopping.” I was happy my 30 days were almost over, because I was really excited to reintroduce some dark chocolate, and a little something in my coffee, but I also felt so freaking fantastic that I didn’t want it to end. My insides felt so perfect and healthy and I knew that I was committed to eating this way forever.
I incorporate these guidelines in my daily life today. I also eat small portions because I am a small person at 5’0”. Since April 2017, I’ve stuck with this plan, adopting a 90/10 rule where I mostly follow the plan unless I am out with friends or have a special event.
My plan has changed my relationship with food for the better. My metabolism is like never before, and I don’t miss sugar at all. I look forward to prepping, planning and cooking for myself and I love knowing what fuel my body really needs for energy and peak athletic performance.
I hope you commit to falling in love with real, whole foods and cooking as much as I have. Find what really works for you, and what is a non-negotiable to go without (don’t say pizza). Also, I highly recommend doing this with a buddy. Now it’s a way of life for me, but I don’t know if I could have completed my second week without being able to lean on Katie.