You have to do the work to benefit from the reward

We all have a habit of wanting things but not wanting to put the work in. When it comes to being healthy inside and out that won't work. If you commit to doing the work, sticking to your diet (etc) you will reach your goal. It's hard work but you will feel amazing. You will have more energy, feel stronger, your mood will improve and most people report sleeping better too.

Maybe you've chosen a new fitness journey for the sake of your children, maybe for yourself. Make a plan you can follow, a schedule you can actually do. Don't set yourself up to fail before you even start! Set your goals and then go for them the same way you would go after the new leather knee high boots you've been stalking on amazon. Don't allow yourself to make excuses, "I'll start tomorrow, or monday." There is no rule that you have to start on a monday. I know so many people, myself included, who let weeks go by because, "oh its wednesday, guess I'll wait till next monday."
Be the force in your life, drive yourself towards your goals and then kick their ass!

You can do this, and I can do this. We can do this together. ;)

The cycle of guilty binge eating: tips to escape the cycle

The cycle of guilty binge eating. You're on a diet, things are going well and then BAM. Some stresser in your life has you reaching for the extra large snickers bar at the checkout lane. Raiding your cupboards or claiming, "today will be my cheat day." It's important while we are on our health and fitness journey's to remember it is different for every person. Some people will get faster crazy results over other people. Your journey is yours alone and you get what you put in to it. Support those who are doing the same thing and don't attack yourself if you aren't getting the results you want in the time you thought you would. Talk to your coach or support system. (I also recommend a calorie counter, and no I don't mean count your calories everyday, that drives me batshit crazy, though some people can do this. What I mean is, use a calorie counter to track your normal eating habits for lets say 3-7 days. Write down your totals. Find out what you should be eating (calorie count) to maintain your weight and to lose weight. 9 times out of 10 you are eating way more calories than you even realized. I had no idea my favorite super latte was almost 600 calories by itself, that's basically an entree! Life get's stressful, that is life. Waiting for when life is less stressful is not the key. Crazy thing though, being healthier actually makes life less stressful. I know, crazy thought.

Some of us can't eat healthy perfectly all of the time, honestly most of us can't. Don't reward bad habits. If you are craving chocolate or your favorite latte how about you earn it? I'm not saying do this everyday. Or doing this, "I did 15 push-ups, time for a twix!" This is not what I mean at all. I mean you've been trying to make healthier choices. Eating more leafy greens, more lean meats, less process food. Maybe eliminating pop/soda or fast food from your diet. On occasion, maybe when you are out for dinner or out to the movies, go ahead and have a pop. (If you order a large and will drink every drop maybe order a small, fill that baby with ice to the top and don't refill it.) You'll get the relief and joy of having it. Get those dove promises. You did your workout today? You ate healthy and drank lots of water! Go ahead and have a piece. This way you can have the chocolate but don't have an entire candy bar to tease you. (Also, if temptation kills you as it does me, try putting the bag on the highest shelf so you need something to climb up to get it and when you do, only grab one piece. Try keeping them in a cupboard where you can't see them. Like the saying goes, out of sight out of mind.) If you can quit sweets and pop/soda's that is awesome! If not, don't beat yourself up over. Your key to success is believing you can do it and putting the effort in to make it happen. I personally prefer to not have any of these items in the house because I am an emotional binge eater, but I have other people who live in my home that are not on the same meal plan as I am. So, you can reward yourself but remember if you just skip that chocolate piece, latte, pop/soda (and don't kid yourself diet is not any better than regular) then the work you put in that day will have a much greater effect on your overall health and you will reach your fitness goals much faster.

So you ate 4 pieces of thanksgiving pumpkin pie or an entire stocking filled with chocolates. Now you feel guilty for screwing up your diet. Feeling guilty makes you sad. Chocolate makes you happy. Repeat. This is a dangerous cycle to get on! Sometimes my family will find me in the kitchen talking to container filled with chocolate, "Liar it's never just one! Just walk away Andrea, just walk the *&*! away!" Well, you get the idea...

Try to prep healthy snacks. This is a huge help for me personally. Cut up veggies, baggies with nuts etc. Sometimes the convenience of those unhealthy snacks is the only reason we reach for the bag of potato chips over something else. Don't set yourself up to fail before you even get out of the gate. And DO NOT eat everything in your house that is on your "do not eat while dieting" list. You'll make your body crave these items even more when deprived. Prepping your actual meals is very helpful though I admit I don't always have time or fridge space to do this.

No cheat days. I don't believe in this, to me it seems as just another way to set yourself up to fail. If you are committing to yourself to be a healthier more fit version of you, the you you've always wanted to be and always have been then you have to commit 100%. You do not have to eat a salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But having a cheat day where you "binge" eat all your missed favorite foods like pizza, tacos, greasy burgers and chinese food is a huge mistake. You will never see the results your hoping to see. Even if you are working out 6X week doing the crazy Shawn T, Insanity workout.

I know this is weird but eating healthy doesn't have to taste like cardboard and grass. Salad's are great for you, it's true. Think about this, if you eat something to "get healthy" and you think it tastes gross or doesn't really taste like anything (like tofu, no offense to tofu) how long do you really think you will keep at that diet? Not long right? I teach cooking lessons also and I provide those recipes for my fitness clients because this was something I had an issue with. I do not want to eat the same thing every meal, every day. I will not eat things that taste like "air" or just flat out don't taste good. Now a days the internet is filled with tasty recipes that are healthy and often easy to make. You just have to look for them.

Last, if not the most important. Do not let the people in your life convince you it is okay to eat a large tub of popcorn with them or whatever it happens to be. Do not let other people dictate what you put in your body. (Unless it's your mom, than tread lightly...) If people in your life are doing this, kindly and politely tell them you are trying to be more healthy and you really need their support. This will work more than not, some people won't even realize they were about to make you drop your diet and go on a binge eating craze. Some people think that everyone has the metabolism of a 16 year athletic youth who can eat 10 pizzas at lunch, run track and never see the weight EVER.



1. So, reward yourself but keep it small and manageable. Some times in the beginning this is a great way to keep yourself motivated when you don't want to do the workout but, "oh my god I want that chocolate, oh fine." Go figure you feel better afterwards and sometimes you will even forget about your reward.
2. If you do binge, don't beat yourself up. Just tell yourself, "I slipped up but I am committed to changing my life. I will not let this moment define me." Maybe go for a 1/2 hour fast paced walk to work the calories off. Take the dog, put your kid in the stroller or wagon.
3. Prep healthy snacks.
4. No cheat days.
5. Eating healthy does not mean lack of flavor people!
5. Do not let other people convince you to cheat yourself.



That's it for today, good luck! I am around if you need me!

Trying to live a healthier lifestyle while living with depression

It is that time of year for seasonal affective disorder. Michiganders and many others know, with a nearly 6 month long winter at times, how real this is. I know first hand how hard it is to keep to a workout regimen and follow a healthy meal plan when suffering from depression. You no longer seem to care or you can't muster the strength. On days you feel better you berate yourself on quoting making yourself only more depressed. You are not alone. You matter, your feelings matter. Maybe it's time to seek professional help. Maybe you already are. Do you have a strong support system? If yes, that is awesome! Hold on to these people, let them help you and most importantly tell them what you need from them to keep you going on days you don't want to get out of bed. If you don't, this is the perfect time to reach out to a trusted friend or family member. As a fitness coach I am a part of that same support system, not just to get you hooked into a workout regimen and diet but to help you actually obtain your health goals. I do care. I suffer from Bipolar Disorder, it does make keeping to routines extremely difficult no matter how badly (when I am well) I want to. Depending on how much accountability and motivation you need/want is solely at your discretion.

I'm going to give you a few tips to help you through, to keep you motivated during times you lack all motivation.

1. Try to for at least 1 hour a day, do something you love to do. (Ex: singing, drawing, dancing, cooking, making memes, going for a walk, take a bath, watch your favorite show, etc. Just be true to you.)

2. When it comes to working out, don't over do it out the gate. Like doing a workout that is extremely to difficult, (ex: Insanity workout when you need a low impact workout like PiYo) If you can only do 2 pushups, 5 squats and a 30 second plank; then only do that, but do it everyday. Even when you don't want to. Pick a time of day to do it when you are more likely to actually do your activity/workout. Set and Alarm or reminder on your phone. Tell your coach, friend or family member when this is so they can ask you later if you completed the task? The accountability will help a lot on the days you just can't bring yourself to do it. Start small. If that is what you need. Some like to jump into a new routine that is 6x week for 60 days. If you can that is awesome go for it! If that isn't for you that doesn't mean there isn't something for you. Pick a simple challenge, such as 30 days of yoga, 30 day push up challenge, etc.

3. DO NOT beat yourself up. We make mistakes because we are only human right? Same concept, you miss a workout, don't attack yourself. It's mentally and emotionally draining. Start every day as a new day, a new day where you can choose to move in the direction you want to go. Live the life you want to live. Choose to be healthy, happy and fit.

4. Food is not the enemy. Starving yourself only brings health risks in your life now or in the future. I'm not saying you have to opt for a salad for every meal but eating taco bell for lunch everyday is going to thwart your efforts and leave you disappointed.

5. Commit. Commit to change, commit to your goals and commit to yourself.

6. Join a fitness group or challenge for support, accountability, to answers questions along the way. It's okay to reach out for the tools to help make this change in your life a success.

7. Be positive. Love yourself. You are the one person who will be in your entire life. Wanting to be better, happier, healthier is perfectly okay and great but you're not becoming a different person. You're taking care of the person you are.
Don't say, "I can't do this."
Say, "this is hard but I'm going to try."

Don't say, "I look ugly (or fat, or gross, etc) in this dress (or shirt or whatever).
Say, "I will look more fit in this, I can do this." and, "I am beautiful."
The fact is, you are even if you don't see it.

8. Just breathe. You got this.

**Important note: exercise does actually improve mood, among many other great things. :)**


Just a few things that have helped me along the way. If you are interested in having me as your coach, I'd be glad to help you on your journey. If not, no worries at all, this blog, me, i'm only here to help.

Did you know?

I have always been drawn to help people. I also try to bring light on the struggles of living with a mental illness. Be sure to check out my other blog for ramblings about such things.

New entry: http://andrea-digiglio.blogspot.com/2015/07/you-are-not-alone-i-am-not-alone.html

I will write up some new blogs soon so check back! Right now my lil man is demanding my attention.

Stay strong y'all #alwayskeepfighting

Welcome to my new blog!

Seems so weird to be starting a new blog! My goal here is to share my struggles and triumphs as I go through this journey of getting healthy and fit. Remember if you are interested in taking your own journey to a healthier more fit version of you, contact me on my website! www.coachdrea.com I will be starting the PiYo challenge soon, why not try it with me?!

 This is exactly how I feel I look! Haha! Especially when I did the Insanity workout.

But in all seriousness. Let's do this. Let's be the change we have always wanted for ourselves. Let's feel good inside and out. You with me?

Because you can't get a body like this,  laying on the coach watching tv thinking about what you'd look and feel like if you just got up and worked out.

What are you waiting for?