INTRODUCTION

Hello readers! My name is Ashley and I’m a college student that has decided to turn over a

new leaf and lead a healthy lifestyle. So far it has been going well but I still have a long

way to go!

I decided to start a blog called Fitness for Fools to help other people like myself, because I

personally think it’s easier to do something like this when you have the support of others.

The blog is a collection of ideas, tips, recipes, and more that will help any beginner kick-

start and maintain a health conscious life.

I decided to use some of those blog posts, plus a little bit more, to create an ebook for

people looking to lead a healthy lifestyle. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy it.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 5 Rules of Healthy Living

2. Exercise

3. Diet

4. Motivation

5. Inspirational People!

6. Conclusion

5 Rules of Healthy Living

In my experience, I have found that there are 5 things that are incredibly important in

leading a health lifestyle. If you all follow these rules, I have no doubt that you will start

to look and feel healthier.

1. Healthy Eating: I know you were probably hoping that I’d give you some magical tip

that would allow you to go on eating the same things you always eat and it would

somehow make you healthy. Believe me, I wish I could do that. The good news is

that although eating healthy seems daunting at first, after a little while it becomes

second nature. You will stop craving bad foods and your body will get used to eating

right. In fact, it willprefer it. Just eat clean, non-processed foods, and boom, you’re

on your way!

2. Exercise: Again, we don’t want to do it, but we have to. You can start out with

simple little things like taking a 30 minute walk 5 days a week! Work your way up to

a more vigorous exercise and as your endurance builds it will get a lot easier.

Exercise is so important to living a healthy lifestyle so try to find a work out that you

enjoy.

3. Yoga: If anything on this list is magical, it’s yoga. I personally don’t categorize yoga

as exercise (although it definitely is) because I think you should exercise (cardio,

HIIT training, running, etc.) and do yoga. Yoga does wondrous things for your body. I

did it every day for two weeks and I felt so incredibly good about myself.

4. Green Tea: A cup in the morning and a cup at night. That’s my mantra. Green tea is

one of the best things you could ever put in your body. It detoxes your system, it

lowers your cholesterol, it hydrates you…it basically does everything. It’s a good

thing to work into your routine because the benefits are undeniably positive .

5. A Positive Outlook: You can do all of the other 4 things on this list, but without a

positive outlook you’ll really struggle. Make sure that you’re doing this for yourself

and remember that this takes time. It’s a process but you’ll get there eventually.

So there you have it! Follow those 5 rules and you’ll be as healthy as a horse.

Exercise

I personally hate the gym. I’ll go to the gym, but I don’t like it. It’s just the fact that I’m

around all of these people while I’m trying to do something for myself that gets to me. I

have noticed that a lot of people feel the same way so I’m going to share a list of the 3

best workouts for those of us that don’t like people.

1. Workout DVD’s: These definitely have their pros and cons, but if you have the

motivation to actually do them they’re great. One of my favorite (and gives me the

most results) DVD’s is Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. It will kick your bum into next

month, but it is so worth it.

A yoga mat, Yoga DVD, Jillian DVD, and little weights are what I use!

2. Go for a run: Even though there will be people around, they won’t bother you. Just

put in your iPod and run to the beat of Kanye (or whatever floats your boat, but

let’s be real, Kanye is flawless). Soon enough everything will float away and you will

have a clear head and a healthy heart.

3. Find a workout buddy: If you find someone (that you like) to workout with it can be

exponentially more enjoyable. You’ll have someone to share your pain and complain

to, how awesome is that? When you have a workout buddy you can do either of the

things listed above or even (gasp) go to the gym that person. It’s different when you

have someone to help force you to go, you know?

I hope this list helps all of you that are like me and try to avoid humans at all costs! The

most important thing is to find something that you feel comfortable with. When you find

that (and you will), working out will become a much easier task to get out of your

heavenly bed to do.

How to love to hate running.

Running. What can I say about running? I can actually say a lot of things about running but

I’m going to refrain because I’m focusing on being positive. The bottom line here is that I

have a love/hate relationship with it.

Running is so very good for you and it’s a simple exercise that anyone can do if they put

their mind to it, but it’s the actually getting yourself to do it part that seems to be the

issue for most of us.

Enter 5k’s.

To motivate yourself to run more, you should sign up for a 5k! I know, you’re probably

thinking that I’m trying to kill you, but hear me out.

• Most 5k’s are for good causes! You can improve your health and help others.

• It gives you an end goal that you can try to work towards aka it makes you train.

• You can meet new people you can share tips/fitness stories with!

• It will inspire you to keep going with your healthy lifestyle.

A less hateful form of exercise.

I’ve dabbled in yoga over the years but lately I’ve gotten pretty into it. I try to do it at

least once a day (it’s a good day when I can do it once in the morning and once at night),

and it truly makes me feel so much better about everything. I end up in a better state of

mind about my body (so important!), school, stress, and work.

One of the reasons yoga is awesome is because it’s excellent for any body type. It tones

you, it relaxes you, and it centers you. Anyone can do it, and I pretty much guarantee

anyone who tries it will end up loving it.

Kiley, my lovely model, showing off her awesome tree pose.

If you’re thinking, “Oh no, I can’t do yoga; I have a bad knee/back/hip/anything,” you’re

wrong! There are yoga routines specially put together that are for people with certain

issues. In fact, yoga can help heal your injury a lot of times.

As you can see, there is no downside to yoga. I usually try to be pretty unbiased but in all

honesty, I can’t think of anything negative about it!

Some of my favorite yoga videos are done by Esther Eckhart and you can find them if you

click here. You’ll find yoga for the morning, nighttime, depression, injuries, etc.

So what are you waiting for!? Go try some yoga!

If you want something a little more…heavy,I have a quick and easy workout that you can

do every day! Believe me, you’re going to fall in love with it.

Lift little weights! When I say little, I mean you can start with 2 lbs if you’re really a

beginner. I currently lift 7 lbs after working my way up from 2 lbs and it’s going really

well. There a few quick little exercises that you can do with these weights every day and

can help you lose lbs and tone up your body!

1. My favorite one is where you have a weight in each arm and lift your arms out to

your side like you’re going to embrace someone in a hug. Then start to move your

arms around in small circles. Within a few moments you’ll start to feel the burn!

2. Another one that I love is when you lay on the ground and have your arms out to

your side again. Then lift your arms up to meet each other above your head. Release

back to the ground again and repeat.

3. Don’t worry, you can work your legs too! Squats while holding weights at your sides

is a great way to give the ordinary exercise a boost.

I know it doesn’t sound like it would be very beneficial to being fit and losing weight

because it’s so simple, but it can really make a huge difference! Do these three things

every day and I can guarantee you’ll be toning up in no time.

Back to the hard stuff.

If any of you have successfully completed Jillian’s 30 Day Shred without dying, I raise my

glass to you. For those of you who haven’t tried it, I think you should. I know you’re

probably thinking I’m crazy because I just referenced death in reference to the workout,

but the bottom line is that Jillian kicks your but and it works.

Credit to owner.

I’ve heard a lot of criticism of this workout DVD because it’s so intense, and I agree, but if

you really want a full body workout you need to look no further. Jillian is your answer.

Yes, it’s brutal. Yes, you’re going to be sore after. Yes, you’re going to want to give up.

But yes, you’re going to see results and feel better about yourself if you stick to it.

Although I haven’t even been able to get past Level 1, I recommend this workout to people

because when I do it I feel like I’m actually pushing myself to be stronger and healthier.

I suggest at least giving it a try.

Summary of exercise.

No matter which form of exercise you choose, make sure you like it. It is so important to

get up and get moving. Exercising your heart is one of the most important things you can

do for yourself and I can honestly say I don’t think you’ll ever regret it. Whether you run,

bike, swim, do yoga, follow along with DVDs, or a mixture of both, never give up.

Diet

What is healthy eating really? There are so many different diets out there and no one

knows which is best. Well here I am to tell you which is the best, most effective, and

healthiest for you. The secret is not to do any diets, just make a lifestyle change. Diets

aren’t effective at all because you might lose the weight, but when you go off the diet

you’ll gain it right back! Just try eating healthy. Add in more fruits and veggies and kick

out some saturated fat and high fructose corn syrup. Just choose the healthier option and

you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Vegetarians, and pescetarians, and vegans…oh my!

About three months ago I made the decision to become a vegetarian. My first thought was,

“But what am I going to eat on Thanksgiving?!” I’m here to tell you that after several

months of being a vegetarian, I never want to go back! No, just kidding. I became a

pescetarian. Being a pescetarian is my version of a happy medium and I have no intentions

of becoming a meat eater again.

I feel healthy and I don’t want to give up this feeling.!

A lot of people think that it would be really difficult to make the switch to

vegetarian/pescetarian, but take it from a girl who ate meat almost every day; it’s really

not that bad!

Switching to vegetarianism is also a good push in the right direction (at least it was for

me). I started eating a lot more fruits and veggies than I used to because I had to get the

nutrients that I was missing and that pushed me into being more serious about healthy

eating.

Also, let’s be real; Who can handle eating meat after learning about factory farming?

(Read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer.)

If you’re curious about vegetarianism at all, I would suggest you give it a try! It’s not as

bad as it seems like it would be and it has quite a few health benefits as well.

(This is not me trying to persuade you to become a vegetarian/pescetarian/vegan, I’m just

trying to give you my experience. Almost every person in my life eats meat and I have

absolutely no problem with it. This is strictly a personal decision.)

Snack time!

One thing a lot of people have problems with when it comes to eating healthy is what to

eat for a snack. It’s a good thing to worry about because snacks are so important to your

daily nutrition intake. I think people tend to struggle with this because it’s so easy to just

grab some chips or candy since it’s so convenient (and delicious), but thankfully, I am here

to save the day.

Here are four of my favorite snacks! These are awesome because they’re super easy to

make, they’re good for you, and there’s chocolate involved.

1. The classic apple with peanut butter: This one never gets old.

2. No bake energy bites: These are SO delicious and easy to make!

3. Strawberries and chocolate: Obviously it wouldn’t be wise to eat these in abundant

amounts all the time, but every once in a while it’s a delicious treat!

4. Fruit Shish Kabob: Pretty self-explanatory. Just cut up different fruits and/or

veggies and put ‘em on a stick! You can make several at one time and then save

them in the refrigerator for when you need to grab one on the go.

The danger of cleanses.

Let’s face it: we’re lazy. We want to lose weight, but we want it to happen relatively

instantly and with very little work. Doesn’t it sound better to spend a weekend drinking a

gross concoction rather than working out every day and easy, gasp, healthy? Well of course

it does, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.

Detox’s and cleanses are very popular amongst celebrities which obviously makes it a

trend amongst us “little people” who want to resemble our favorite actors and artists

(they don’t actually look like that but that’s a topic for another blog post). To be honest,

after research I’ve learned what I already assumed; they are dangerous and extremely

rough on the body. Sometimes they can be helpful, but only when done under the

supervision of a doctor who thinks you would benefit from it.

I personally wouldn’t suggest doing a cleanse because of all of the possible negative side

effects, but here is a list of the three most interesting cleanses I’ve come across.

1. The fruit cleanse: This one is pretty simple and, to me, the healthiest. Basically it’s

exactly what it sounds like. You just eat strictly fruit for a few days.

Credit to owner

2. The Master Cleanse: This one has been used by several celebrities, most popularly by

Beyoncé. It seems a little dangerous/brutal/disgusting to me, but to each their own.

It consists of drinking a mixture of lemon, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and water.

If you try it/have tried it before/know someone who has tried it, please let me

know! I would love to hear about someone’s experience with it.

3. Detox smoothie: A fabulously green smoothie comprised of lemon, spinach,

pineapple juice, and ginger. I prefer the smoothies of the chocolate variation but

this one sounds a little healthier.

Overall, these things scare me. It just doesn’t seem natural to put your body through this,

but I think if it’s done correctly and with caution, good things will come.

Moderation is key!

So let’s imagine everything is going super well in terms of your healthy lifestyle. You’re

feeling great and then suddenly….the holidays roll around.

I find that a lot of times when the holidays are approaching people tend to say to

themselves, “I might as well just give up with being healthy until the new year. There’s no

point in trying to maintain this.” To those people (I used to be one of them) I say: You

couldn’t be more wrong.

Credit to owner.

A very common misconception that people have is that when they eat something unhealthy

they have ruined their whole diet. The truth is that you can eat anything you want and still

maintain a healthy lifestyle! The secret to this is moderation. Go ahead and have a cookie,

a slice of pie, or some ice cream. You can eat that stuff as long as you don’t go overboard.

As I’ve said before, deprivation will lead to binging. It’s best to allow yourself to eat the

things you want but in moderation so that you can keep your diet balanced.

Basically what I’m saying here is don’t give up during the holidays! You can maintain being

healthy while still giving yourself a treat every once in a while. It’s going to take some

self-control, but I can guarantee you’ll feel better about yourself when you’re able to do

it.

I wish you the best of luck!

Motivation Three crucial things you need to remember!

1. Do not give up. I know from experience that sometimes it’s easy to just say, “screw

it, I can’t do this,” but that’s not the right attitude! So you made a mistake and had

a bad day or two…just start fresh and clean the next day.

2. Drink green tea. Like I said in a previous post, green tea does everything and it

always makes me feel better about my body. It will clean out your body and be a

good way to start over! Maybe have a cup at night and then wake up and have

another cup with a healthy breakfast!

3. Remember that it’s okay to “cheat” every once in a while. We can’t always be

perfect and eat foods that are good for our bodies. Chocolate chip cookies exist,

remember? Depriving yourself of the foods you love is never ever the answer; just

eat them in moderation.

Follow these three steps and stay calm! A few days of unhealthiness isn’t going to ruin

everything; just start over and try to stay on track while treating yourself every so often

along the way. The more you deprive yourself, the more you’ll think about that food, and

the more you’ll eat of it when you finally get your hands on it.

Where to find motivation when you need it.

One of the most important parts of healthy living is motivation. Where is it?! It never

seems to be there when we want it, right? Well, if today you’re feeling unmotivated, get

ready because I have a list of three online places you can find motivation!

• The most obvious one: This ebook or fitnessforfools.wordpress.com. This is an

ebook/blog for beginners and it’s proof that many other people are trying to do the

same thing as you. You aren’t the only one struggling! Use that as

inspiration/motivation to get up and get working and/or planning.

• Pinterest: Click on that link, and search anything that you need help with. You can

search healthy recipes, workout ideas, workout clothes, tips, etc., etc. Pinterest is one

of the places I find the most motivation because it’s so positive and helpful.

Credit to owner.

• Twitter: Social networking can do wonders for motivation, especially on Twitter. Since

it’s so instant and sweet and to the point, Twitter is perfect for people with very little

time and need to browse through things quickly. Check out this article by The

Huffington Post that is a guide to the 20 best fitness experts on Twitter.

So there you have it. There’s not excuse for not being motivated today! Just click on those

links and I pretty much guarantee you there will be something there for you that will

inspire you to take action.

Make sure you’re rested!

When people want to lose weight they think up these wonderful plans. They’re going to

eat healthy, they’re going to work out, they’re going to drink a lot of water, etc., etc. The

thing is…it’s easier said than done. Finding motivation is usually the hardest part because

once you get started it’s usually easy to continue your routine. Well, I was

thinking/researching and I happened upon something extremely natural and simple that

can get you started.

Credit to owner.

Yes, sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is absolutely essential to your health and it can be

the perfect way to kick start your health routine. I mean, you have to do it, right? There’s

no procrastinating sleep!

What I suggest is trying different techniques that help you get a good night’s sleep

(something barely any of us tend to master with all of the stress and work in our lives) and

then once that is mastered you will have enough energy and motivation to move on to the

next step which is working out.

Then finally, in the words of Nike, just do it. Work your butt off and look good doing it!

Let’s be honest, working out is so much more bearable when we feel good about how we

look. I mean, after all, we are going to workout to be healthy/look good, so why not go

into the situation already feeling positively about our appearance?

Wearing an extremely oversized t-shirt and shorts that bunch up (and have a little hole on

the side that you wear anyway because you don’t think anyone will notice) definitely

serves it’s purpose, but it doesn’t make you feel like you’re walking into the gym to the

instrumental version of Bad to the Bone or Eye of the Tiger.

A lot of people (myself included) shy away from buying good looking workout clothes for

two major reasons.

1. Why waste the money if you’re just going to lose weight and not fit in it as well

anyway?-Don’t even cheat yourself with this excuse. Sadly, weight loss takes time no

matter what you’re wearing. You might as well feel good about how you look while

you’re doing it.

2. Blah, it doesn’t look good on me because I’m not super skinny.-Choose clothes that

fit you correctly and you’ll look bangin’. This article from Fitness Magazine even

gives tips for the best workout clothes for certain body types.

Credit to Lululemon.

Now that those are out of the way, let me give you some suggestions. Lululemon is such a

fun place to shop and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Their clothes are comfortable,

pretty affordable, and every employee I’ve encountered has been so polite and helpful. My

other two favorite places are Target and Marshalls. They’re both cheap (especially

Marshalls) and have a wide variety of sizes and styles. Basically, you’re guaranteed to find

something there.

Now get out there and find some great workout gear! Does anyone have any suggestions

for us about workout clothes and where to get them? Let me know in the comments!

Inspirational People!

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing a lovely girl named Katy about her incredibly

successful fitness blog! Katy’s blog, Fit-Personality, is actually one of the things that

inspired me to get physically fit and start my own blog.

One of my absolute favorite things about Fit-Personality is the fact that it isn’t just about

physical appearances, it’s about the importance of positive personalities.

“I think people in the Fitblr [Fitness Tumblr] community often forget that it should be

more about who you are as a person, more so than how you look,” Katy said. She went on

to explain, “It should be more about the confidence that you gain and the person you

become.”

That kind of positivity is what I think makes her blog so successful. She actually began

blogging because she followed the Fitblr of someone that was “constantly causing drama

and was a very negative person overall” and she wanted to bring positivity to people trying

to get healthy.

Katy also says that her blog “absolutely” keeps her inspired to continue living her healthy

lifestyle.

“Almost every morning I wake up to several messages telling me that I am an inspiration,

or asking me for advice. It’s not just me I’d be letting down at this point if I failed, I’d be

letting down my followers. And that’s something I have to care about,” Katy said.

It is obvious that she is appreciative of her followers and wants the best for them. In fact,

she told me that her followers are her favorite part of running Fit-Personality.

“I care about my blog, and it has helped me realize what I want to do in my life. And I

have my follower’s support to thank for that,” Katy said.

Her followers seem to really enjoy the photos of Katy’s weight loss progress considering

she says those are the post that get the most hits. In addition to her progress, she blogs

about her life and “fitness related things” that she enjoys. She said that she tries to post

about ten times a week, but on top of those posts she answers questions from her

followers and reblogs pictures as well.

“I stick to what I love, because if you don’t, you get sick of it eventually,” Katy said.

In “real life” Katy is a 19-year-old college student majoring in communications with hopes

of someday working at a health magazine as a social media specialist or a blogger. I think

she is well on her way to achieving her dreams!

Another incredibly inspirational person is Towson University student Shannon Speed is the perfect (or as close as you can get to perfect) role model for healthy lifestyles. Despite her extremely busy schedule in which she goes to school full time and works part time, she

still finds time to work out so that she can maintain her health.

Shannon’s typical work out regimen consists of exercising 5-6 times a week for 1-3

hours. She switches up her exercises by incorporating weight training and doing different

types of cardio. She doesn’t do anything extremely special with her diet, she says “I

maintain a normal diet.” She eats fruits, vegetables, meats, and other sources of protein.

Something extra she does is that she takes a multi-vitamin for breakfast.

What does she do about those dreaded sweet cravings, you ask?

“Just like any person I have craving for sweets and I eat them on occasion. It’s not good to

deny your body the foods it craves because then you will have a tendency to ‘pig out’

when you have access to them. A lot of times I substitue fruits when i need something

sweet or just have some dark chocolate or dried fruit,” she said.

To me, it doesn’t seem like it’s that difficult for Shannon to maintain her good fitness

because, lucky for her, she has been exposed to exercise her whole life. She played sports

throughout middle school and high school, and her mom is a fitness instructor which

inspired her to become one herself! Although she went through an adolescent “chubby”

phase, she has never felt physically unfit. She has, however, notice a difference when she

doesn’t work out for a few days.

“I feel restless and often overcome with stress. I have a harder time focusing on my work,”

she said.

Shannon also believes there’s a connection between physical and mental health. She

explains that stay health keeps her sane. She told me that she abides by the following

tenant: Stay healthy in mind, body, and soul. She firmly believes they’re all related and I

couldn’t agree more.

Her success is the ultimate inspiration and motivation, but if that in itself wasn’t enough,

she gave me (and all of you) some advice.

“First, refer to it as a healthy lifestyle. People trying to change themselves often call it

going on a diet and that is the wrong approach. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle choice is

the way to go. Second, start out slow. I did not begin going to the gym for 2 hours at a

time. I began with an hour; some light weight training, a little cardio, and increased the

amount of time spent from there. Third, take advantage of the resources around you.

Students, in particular, have wonderful resources through campus recreation services. We

offer group exercise classes and personal training. Those uncomfortable in the gym can opt

out to participate in the various classes that are offered. It’s also a great way to learn

what types of exercises to incorporate into your workouts in the gym.”

Well, there you have it! If she can do it, so can we. Let me know in the comments what

you think of Shannon’s story and share your own story and/or tips.

Conclusion

Well that’s it, guys. Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions and/or

comments, feel free to email me at asteph92@gmail.com.

Good luck with your healthy lifestyle!