Fudge It

If you’re a fudge loving perfectionist, this is your opportunity to turn and run. However, if you aren’t too bothered by the undone small things in life then stick around for a minute.

If you’re a regular fan of my FITness work then you’re fully aware that I’m nowhere near perfectionism. My organic studio gym environment and homemade workout videos aren’t exactly fancy. I do what I know to do to crank out valuable information in a logical economical format. While doing so, I frequently make typos, grammatical errors and misspell words on the blog. So sue me! It’s not my fault spell check doesn’t always do it’s job…sheesh!  lol

Basically I FUDGE it! I skip the unimportant nuances and carry out what I deem to be the heart of the matter. I don’t flip out if my hair or make up aren’t perfectly quaffed. When the lighting is unflattering I grin, bear it and add a filter.  I have never been an iron out the wrinkles and sweat the small stuff like the DETAILS kind of girl.

Although I most certainly appreciate those who go the extra mile.

This is where the fudge comes in.

Being in the FITness industry it’s my job to teach people how to get healthy and stay the course. The question is…what most people ponder, “is there any wiggle room?”

Can you FUDGE on FITness?   This is a great question and the answer is SORT OF!

For some people working out and exercising come naturally. Being active is in their blood. Being outside for golf, biking, tennis or jogging is easy peasy.  We all know the gym rats who live for the adrenaline rush of a solid workout.  But even still, FITness fanatics can often struggle to dial back the diet. Saying no to queso and bar snacks is tough. Business dinners and long rich lunches blow all the activity right out of the water.  What to do?  FUDGE IT.

If you’re working out on a regular basis and…by regular I mean 3-4 times a week of dedicated weight lifting and or cardio, you can FUDGE it!   You don’t have to be super hero strict on your diet if your workout regimen is banging. But you will need to keep your eating in the fairway.  You can worry less about calorie content because you’re burning it up. This is certainly NOT a hall pass to gorge and pig out but it is a little wiggle room.  You may need to pass on the chicken alfredo at lunch and opt for a grilled salmon salad.  Go ahead and eat a piece of pizza but don’t eat the whole thing or make it a weekly habit.  You can dig into the guac and eat more than two servings of nuts because you are putting in the time on exercise.    Does this make sense?

If, on the other hand you hate exercise we will have to reverse the rules. FUDGE it!  Learn to love vegetables and healthy high protein foods like chicken, turkey, pork, eggs and beans.  If you abhor the sight of sweat it’s not the end. You can keep a great figure by eating healthy clean food with moderate exercise. You don’t have to slay in the gym day after day if you’re not a FITness fanatic. If you don’t care for the ripped, lean muscular look then you can care less about lifting weights.  But what you might want to look for is one or two days to walk or do something to get your heart rate up.   If you have your metabolism running and churning like Blaze of Glory you are ahead of the game.  Believe it or not, you can actually eat your way to a six pack.  This is where the rubber meets the road. You will have to be eating like a machine which means backing  away from cheese, heavy rich dressings and other high fatty food content.  No more Oreos and Cheeze Its.  Put the processed foods away and hit the produce aisle!

FUDGE IT 

A great alternative to outside cardio is MALL WALKING.  Beat the heat with indoor air-conditioned walking.  Set a timer on your phone and for 30-to an hour walk the mall at a rigorous pace.  Do this al one or with a friend  There is plenty of action at the mall.  You can people watch, get your heart rate up and pound out some shopping while you’re at it.  (after the cardio of course)

Play a round of golf and walk the course! Ok maybe that’s a bit much maybe walk the first nine holes! Speaking of golf…look who I found! This is Mr. Brandel Chamblee, former PGA golfer turned Golf Channel anchor. Mr. Chicken Fry and Brandel have been friends since high school. He’s in town for the Colonial Golf tournament in Fort Worth. Brandel is a prime example of someone who is in pursuit of living a lean healthy lifestyle. He’s fit and active and doing a bang up job.

Water aerobics or water activity is another FITastic fudge.  Again, set a timer, slather on some sunscreen and get after it.  Kick,walk, jump and swim for 30 minutes or more.  You will be refreshed, get a tan and burn some calories in the interim.

JUST DANCE.  Pull or shut the  blinds, turn up the music and dance like nobody is watching.  Do this in the privacy of your own home or back yard.  Dance, jump skip and move your hips and feet.  Keep the rhythm and get your groove on.  Don’t be shy.  You will have fun even if you feel silly.  Play uptempo music from a play list and rock out.  If you have a willing partner, join a dance class or Zumba class.  If you close your eyes and the music is loud enough you will get lost and love it.

Ladies you might not want to hear this but clean your own home! Clean house. Mop, sweep, and scrub with meaning. Put some elbow grease into it and don’t take a break. May sound like too much manual labor but it sure beats being fat!

Don’t be FOOLED!  

Just because a food label has “NON’FAT’ or “Low-Fat” on the package doesn’t make it a healthy food.  These are not accurate descriptions that would identify food as Abercrombie FITness Approved.

What’s more important is to look at sugar content.  A lot of foods are high in sugar.  If you are not a workout warrior then high sugar foods should not be regularly in your meal plan.  Juices are not your friend.  This is one of the biggest calorie sucks in the industry along with soda and monster /sport drinks.  Some fruits like melon and bananas can rock your sugar intake for the whole day.  Don’t blow it.  Even some protein bars are misleading.  What you should be looking for is protein content, sugar and fat.  Check this out – BAR WARS. 

FUDGE IT Abercrombie and FITness  Approved FOODS

Thin crust cheeseless pizza with chicken and vegetables

Corn tortillas (vs) chips

Gluten Free Pretzels

NutThins instead of crackers

Premier Protein Shakes

Quest Protein bars

Vitamin Water Zero

HINT water

Smart WAters

Fruit Infused water

Unssweet Ice Tea

Fresh Green Juice

For more tips and meal prep details, click here.

If you’re wondering how I feel about fudge I’ll tell you! It’s a wonderful once a year treat. Savor this decadent desert for special occasions and leave it at that.

Love, have a bite of fudge and don’t sweat the small stuff!

Angi