My Fitness Routine + Eating Habits

This has been by far one of the most requested topics that you all have been wanting me to write about, and I’ve honestly been putting it off because I’m not one of those pro workout gurus, nor do I have a strict fitness routine or healthy eating plan. I know – sue me lol. But honestly, I’ve been just asking myself what I would talk about in the post and what I could share that would even be beneficial to some of you. Because a lot of you are probably reading this hoping to find a new, magic workout or something, but if I’m being real with y’all, my fitness routine and eating plans may not be exactly what you are expecting.

I feel like a lot of people these days are so into the whole fitness, meal planning stuff and I think that is awesome (for some people) but for me, I’m just not at a place in my life where I want to start focusing my time and efforts into all of that just yet. I’ve seen so many different routines work for many different people, and believe it or not, I’m like everyone else in the world. I’ve literally tried everything in order to find the ‘trick’ to toning up fast or losing those extra 5 pounds in a week … let’s face it, we all do it. But me personally, I’ve only found one thing that I can truly stick to and that actually works …

It’s called listening to your body. 

As silly and cliche as that sounds, it’s the only way I can sum up my workout routines and eating habits. However, I’d love to explain this to y’all so that you actually know what I mean by ‘listening to your body’.

For one, I do not workout every day of the week. And yes, I’m human — there are weeks when I go without working all the entire 7 days. (GASP… yes, it’s true.) I also have a huge sweet tooth + I looove any type of carb out there. So my diet everyday usually consists of some type of carbs and a little something sweet. Oh, and I also love Dr. Pepper or a glass of red wine over dinner! So, now all of you are probably like, “Um Peyton, I thought this was a fitness post, not something to make us crave all of these bad-for-you foods…” And yes, you’re right. But I just wanted to lay out up front some of my day to day routines when it comes to my body and my diet.

All that to say, do I eat 10,000 calories of worth brownies and bread and mashed potatoes every day with a glass of wine and a Dr. Pepper, etc etc etc??? Heck no. It’s all about balance. If you’re like me, you’ll go crazy if you have to eat chicken and broccoli or a salad for every single meal with never an ounce of chocolate – while also working out for 2-3 hours every day. Like, NO. Just no. Whenever I tried that method in the past, I’m pretty sure I ended up saying ‘to heck with working out’ and eating everything in sight. That way of life just does not work for me. Having a super strict diet and daily, intense fitness routine is just not realistic for me. But keep in mind, that is for me. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. So, I’m just trying to share what I do on a daily basis and how I try my best to stay healthy and in shape.

“So, you listen to your body? How does that help you stay healthy and in shape?” …

Listening to my body is so helpful when it comes to working out because if I workout for a few days straight and I just begin to get so exhausted that I can’t perform at my best during that next day’s workout, that means it’s time to take a day or two off. Essentially, time to recharge. Same with my diet, I generally try my best to eat healthy. But of course, there are days when I’m craving those sweets and carbs, and I know that if I choose to ignore those cravings, I’ll eat everything else in sight until that craving is satisfied. So, I’ll go for only the small brownie or some bread with my piece of salmon at dinner. I also have been trying to do better about portion control. I’ve always been one of those people who will completely stop eating as soon as I’m full, so I’m thankful for that. But there are certain foods (like brownies – can you tell those are my favorite?) that I could sit and eat an entire pan of by myself. No joke. But again, listen to your body. Most of the time after dinner, I’m already full anyways, so if I reach for that brownie, I might as well only grab a small one because I’m already full — I just need a little bit to satisfy that sweet tooth. Overeating is where a lot of people get in trouble, so just always be sure you’re listening for when it’s saying, “I’m full!!”

“Well, then what does a typical day of meals look like for you?” …

Nothing fancy, to tell ya the truth. On a normal day when I’m not traveling or not out on appointments/meetings, I’ll wake up around 8:30 and instantly make coffee. I drink my coffee black (although I used to load it up with cream and sugar), so that definitely helps me to cut out all the extra calories and fats that come along with the creamers. I taught myself to like black coffee when I was trying to get in better shape for my wedding, and honestly it only took me about a week or so to acquire a taste for it. Now, I honestly LOVE it. Call me crazy, I know haha! But it’s doable.

I hardly ever eat breakfast. I know a lot of people say that’s terrible because you’re supposed to kickstart your metabolism and maybe that’s true — again, I’m not a nutritionist or pro at working out. That’s why I’m a fashion blogger, not fitness! I just never wake up hungry, and like I said earlier, I only eat if I’m hungry and I stop when I’m full. I’ve honestly been like that since I was little. It’s weird I guess, but I really hope that my body never breaks that habit of only eating when it needs food. I usually get super busy after drinking my first cup of coffee and reading my devotion, so then I’ll work until about 11:30-noon, and if I’m hungry, I’ll grab a small bit for lunch then, but most of the time, I’m not hungry yet. So, instead, I’ll just go make another cup of coffee to keep the productivity going. I typically eat lunch around 2:00 on most days, and it’s usually pretty small, because when I’m super busy during the day, I never get that hungry. At 2:00ish, I’ll make a small salad (if I’m feeling healthy that day) or an apple with peanut butter or some chicken salad or if I’m having a carbs craving, I’ll go for a small quesadilla. I just try to eat a small lunch, but it could really be anything. I don’t focus too much on keeping it super healthy unless I’m just craving a salad or a wrap, etc.

Then around 5:00, I always start getting hungry again, so I’ll eat a small snack while I start making dinner. And small as in like, a couple slices of cheese (literally love cheese LOL), a banana, spoonful of peanut butter, etc. Then, Teej and I usually sit down to eat dinner anywhere between 7:00-8:30ish. For dinner, it always varies, but it’s always a good amount of food. Our healthy options range from salmon with broccoli to baked chicken & broccoli to cod with grains, etc. And then we also have the occasional not so healthy options (at least a couple times per week): spaghetti, jambalaya, tacos (although our fave is chicken tacos so at least it’s a little healthier), chili/petros, mashed potatoes, pizza, mac & cheese, etc. Dinner is definitely the biggest meal of the day for me, but I try not to overeat and just listen for when my body is saying it’s full.

If I have a shoot coming up or a special event, I will try to eat healthier prior to that time and drink lots of water (because I can drink one can of Dr. Pepper and my face will look like I put on 10 pounds overnight), so I do try to be cautious of that. I also tend to add in a few extra workouts, depending on the event / shoot / etc.

Now, I do want to point out that I’m not saying that it’s right to skip breakfast or eat an apple and peanut butter for lunch. If your body is hungry and needs food first thing in the morning or if an apple and PB won’t fill you up come lunch time, then DO NOT skip that morning meal or stop eating just because that’s what I said I do. All of our bodies are different, and all of this is just what has always worked for me. Even when I was young, I would never wake up hungry in the mornings, and again, I just try to eat only when I’m hungry. Now, when I was a student athlete, it required my diet to be a little heavier because of all of the activity on a daily basis, so of course, I would be sure to eat something (even if I wasn’t hungry) before practices / games / etc. You just have to listen to your body and take care of it. Being a girl, we all have those moments of insecurity every once in awhile when it comes to our bodies, but the worst thing you can do for you body is to treat it poorly & not give it the proper nutrition that it needs. If you are looking for a healthier eating plan or a new workout routine fit for you, I highly suggest meeting with a nutritionist or a professional in the area you are looking into. I am by no means a professional in these 2 areas. I’m a professional in fashion & style. So, I’m just sharing what works for me. And what works for me doesn’t mean that it’ll necessarily work for you, so it’s always a good idea to get a professional opinion when it comes to lifestyle changes.

“Well, when you do choose to workout, what exercises do you do, do you go to the gym, and how often do you do them?” …

So, I try my best to workout at least 3 days a week. And to a lot of you, you may be like, “You’re not working out every day?! That’s what you’re supposed to do…” And that’s what the world makes it seem like we are supposed to do. Well, that’s just not realistic for me right now. Some weeks, it’s 4 or 5 or 6 days straight and other weeks, I’m lucky to get in even one workout. Just being real with y’all. But again, I try to listen to my body — if I’m feeling sluggish and slow, I’ll make sure to put the time in for a workout that day to kick myself back into gear, but if I have a million things going on that day, and just the THOUGHT of stopping for even a 30 minute workout stresses me out to the max, I’ll allow myself to skip that day. It’s not worth all the anxiety that it gives me by getting stressed out about marking the other million things off of my to do list. Now, that may not be the right way to do it, but this (again) is just what works for me! And I’m a huge believer in not trying to fix what isn’t broken. If it’s been working for me for awhile, I’m might as well keep on doing it.

I actually do not go to the gym. 97% of my workouts happen at home because most of them are bodyweight or cardio that I can do outside. I have some hand weights that I have in the house for anything that may require that type of equipment. However, the other 3% most likely happens inside the Neighborhood Barre studio. If I had to choose between a gym membership and a Barre membership, I’d choose Barre time and time again! If I’m ever really trying to kick it into high gear or get really toned up (like for my wedding for example), I’ll go to Barre for a few months straight and I can always quickly tell a difference in my body. I love that program!!

The workouts that I try to focus on at home involve any type of bodyweight circuits or light, hand weight exercises and of course, cardio. For cardio, I’m one of those weirdos who actually enjoys going on a run. Now, I’m not one of those people who can go out and run 10 miles every day. But, I do love escaping from everything else for a few miles and getting a good workout in. When it comes to toning my muscles, I like to focus on bodyweight or light weight exercises and circuits. Back when I cheered in college, we got to workout with a trainer, and it was great, but I quickly realized how fast I gained muscle when we started heavy lifting and maxing out our squats, bench press, etc. As a woman, I personally don’t like having big, bulky muscles, so I was super excited when I lost a lot of that muscle after I graduated and stopped cheering. I like focusing my workouts around bodyweight or light weight exercises to tone up and create lean, more feminine looking muscles and cuts. (If that makes sense).

Usually, I’ll combine a legs & abs circuit and repeat 1 or 2 times or an arms & abs, etc etc etc. Basically, I like to combine them and mix them all up from time to time. I have made up a few circuits of my own and I’ve also found some that I like on Pinterest and just pinned them to my fitness board for future use. Here’s an example of one of my circuits for a legs only workout: (so, I would of course add some abs or arms to this as well)

• 25 bodyweight squats
• 20 single leg deadlift (10 each side)
• 20 single leg kickback (10 each side)
• 25 plie squats
• 1 min. high knees
• 40 calf raises
• 30 side lunges (15 each side)
• 25 squat jumps
• 30 walking lunges (15 each side)
• 1 min. wall sit

*Repeat 1-2 times.

Of course, this is just one example of the many circuits that I focus on. I also just started the Kayla Itsines BBG workouts. I’m sure you all have heard of them before, but if you haven’t, it’s basically a super intense circuit training fitness routine with cardio included (and all of the workout are super quick so you don’t have to take hours out of your day). Before I go into more detail on this, I want to get a little further into the program, so I can give you guys a better review. But, so far, I’m loving it and it is SO challenging (in a good way)!

Okay, so that was a very condensed version of my overall fitness routine and daily eating habits, but I hope it gives you all some insight about listening to your body when it comes to working out and dieting. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a pretty fast metabolism, so I definitely give it most of the credit — and being an athlete since the time I was 5 years old definitely helps too. But, of course, I know that I can’t just sit around eating Bon Bons with no exercise either. Again, it’s all about balance for me and just doing my best to listen to what my body needs each day. If I try to focus too much on a strict workout schedule or healthy eating 24/7, I know that I’ll quickly get burned out. Balance balance balance!

And again, this is all just the stuff that works for ME. It may or may not work for you, and that is totally okay. The most important thing is to find out what exactly works for you and stick with that!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xo, P