I mentioned The Female Body Breakthrough, the Revolutionary Strength Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want by Elizabeth Cosgrove, in an earlier post about the inspiration and direction it provided for my weight work outs.   The book offers more than eight exercises, it also offers some guidelines for healthy eating…that are really helpful.   I don’t follow all the advice — I’m just not a protein shake kind of gal… But I do follow a lot of the guidelines…. And all the exercises. It’s like having a personal trainer…really!

Some of the healthy eating guidelines I follow are:

• Eat something within 15 minutes of getting up to start your metabolism
• Eat something every few hours
• Always include a protein and a fruit or vegetable at every meal – including snacks
• Stay away from gluten
• Keep within the guidelines 90% of the time (85%-90% is fine by me)
• Workout in the morning

This book really has changed me.  And I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to be fit, toned and strong… You do need to have a certain amount of determination and motivation…. But the results you start to see within weeks should do the trick.