I'm not perfect & you don't have to be either!

If you follow me on Instagram (@spandex_and_sportsbras) or Facebook, then you know that I work out & practice clean eating. It's my lifestyle. I generally stick to sharing my highs and tend to shy away from sharing my lows. Or my fears.

Why? It's hard!

Sometimes I feel pressure to be perfect because I know that people look to me as a fitness role model.  But perfect isn't realistic. And I'm essentially lying to you when I keep my shortcomings a secret.

So, I am committing to sharing my highs and my lows. My good days and my bad.

It's become important to me to share my journey with you all because I want to be a legitimate inspiration for my followers. I don't want to discourage anyone because they don't think they can be as "perfect" as I appear to be.

The truth is - I don't always have perfect nutrition days. I don't always want to work out. Every workout isn't great. I'm not always pleased with my results. Some days, I am hard on myself. Some days I am down right discouraged with the whole process.

And all that is normal!

So if you're ever not perfect, and I'm going to assume that is the case from time to time, don't beat yourself up! None of us are!

But, while I am committing to sharing my less glorious moments, I am also committing to giving you strategies and tips to push through these moments. You are not defined by what you do in any given day, but instead you are the sum of your choices and your actions.

Together, we can and we will figure this thing out. Please follow me for my journey & share your journey with me!

As always, I'm willing & available to help you with your fitness journey. 

Send your questions, comments and concerns to jamar.paige@gmail.com. 

3 Weight Loss Myths... BUSTED!

As a health coach I talk to a lot of people about their weight loss/healthy living efforts and I see a lot of the same misconceptions. Some of this misinformation is sabotaging weight loss and some of the misinformation is making people miserable unnecessarily. I don't believe that you have to be unhappy in order to be healthy.

So let's clear some things up right now.

Carbs are not all bad. 
Carbs have gotten a bad reputation. They've been vilified, but all carbs aren't bad! In fact, your body needs them for energy. I know there are some successful diets in which carbs are restricted, but the problem isn't carbs themselves. The problem is the type of carbs that people are eating.

Instead of processed carbs- white breads, most pastas, candy, sugary drinks, desserts etc - choose whole grains, natural fruits and vegetables. Whole wheat or whole grain breads, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, vegetables and fruit are all good choices.

More about carbs and a healthy diet diet...


You don't have to give up meat. 
I don't really know why, but some people think meat is bad and giving up meat is the key to losing weight.

The truth is that meats provide your body with a lot of protein and protein is essential for developing and maintaining muscle. It also helps with fat loss and keeps you full.

So what kinds of meats should you eat? Lean meats that don't have a lot of visible fat.

You have to eat in order to lose weight 
I know. It doesn't make sense. But let me break it down to you.

If you don't eat, your body worries that it won't get enough fuel and it needs fuel to perform every day tasks. So, instead of burning what it has - it holds on to it, just in case.

Think about it like money. If you have a limited amount of money and you don't know when you are going to have more coming in, you don't spend it unnecessarily. Right? Your body is the same way.

So, if you want your body to "spend" more freely - you have to eat so it doesn't feel the need to be stingy.

Hope that cleared some things up for you. If you have questions let me know! As always, I'd love to hear from you all and would love to work with you on your fitness journey.

Send your questions, comments and concerns to jamar.paige@gmail.com.