I receive e-mails all the time, but here are answers to the most common questions I am asked!

How often do you workout? How long?

Typically I do 5-6 days per week. This usually consists of 5 days of lifting, and 1 day of power hour cardio. Sessions are anywhere from 1 hour to 90 minutes on most work days. On weekends I will sometimes spend a little bit more time, not necessarily a lot of extra work, I just don’t rush through the workouts as much!

What are your specific workouts?

I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio daily. On work days it’s closer to the 30 minute mark. Each day I break up my workouts into muscle groups. So one day I do arms (triceps/biceps), then back, then chest, then shoulders, then legs. Please checkout my WORKOUTS tab for the specific exercises!

Where did you learn how to do all these workouts? 

I was a fitness instructor in college, so a lot of my strength training exercises are adapted from there. Also taking other classes, I picked up on things and tweaked them to my liking. I’m big on just watching people in the gym while I do my cardio, If I see someone doing an exercise I like, I try it out. I also research A LOT. Bodybuilding.com is a great website that lists all strength training exercises and they have videos showing you how to do them. Check it out 🙂

If I start to lift, won’t I bulk up like a man?

This is probably my FAVORITE question. The female body’s composition is totally different than a male body. We are incapable of putting muscle on like a man because our testosterone levels are very low in comparison. Think about a small child. If a 10 year old boy were to pick up heavy lifting would he bulk up like the Hulk? Well no, because his testosterone levels are low compared to that of an adult male. When women think lifting, they think those horrendous pictures of women with huge muscles, popping veins, and a flat chest. That’s done with the help of steroid supplements. Please do not be afraid of lifting. It helps you to lose weight and lean out your physique. I’ve been lifting heavy for 6-8 months and all I’ve done is lean out and build beautiful muscle!

How do I get flat abs?

Abs are nothing but genetics and eating right. I am not exactly Miss Flat Abs USA. I have to be incredibly strict with my diet in order to get anything remotely flat. Also when I drink a lot of water my abs flatten out some. Diet helps you with abs more than ab exercises do. I do not follow a specific ab workout routine, but I prefer standing ab exercises and planks. I wish I could say oh do these 3 exercises for flat abs, but unfortunately it’s what you’re born with most of the time.

How long did it take you to lose the weight?

When I initially lost the weight, I wasn’t looking to build muscle. I didn’t lift or follow my current routine. I did cardio, pilates, and group exercise classes, with a little bit of lifting here and there. It took me 9 months to a year and I hit a plateau in the middle of it. It was then that I decided to start lifting heavy that my physique changed! I went from skinny to fit in 6 more months.

How much weight did you lose?

I never weighed myself at my highest. I’ve posted on here before my “numbers” only because people like to know these things. I’m an honest person, so really I have nothing to hide. I’m here to give you the truth. Based on doctors appointments and how they’e said wow you’ve dropped this much… I’m guessing at my highest I was around 160 lbs, which is a lot for my small frame. I am 5’3” and weigh around 115 lbs currently. I’m a woman and a lot of muscle so I do fluctuate anywhere from 113-120.

What is your eating plan?

When I first started this blog I was a vegetarian, but 2 months later I decided to introduce meat back into my diet. I needed the extra protein. I still eat a lot of vegetarian meals including tofu because I like the taste. I recently switched to 6 small meals a day and lots of water, but my busy work schedule doesn’t always allow this. For specific meals, check out my RECIPES tab or What I Eat. Think lean meats, lots of veggies, fruits, grains, and protein powders!

I see you eat a lot of fruit, how much is too much? Isn’t it loaded with sugars?

I do not limit my fruit intake. A lot of people say oh sugar! Well it’s natural sugars, your body craves it. It’s good for you, I say eat it! Do watch DRIED fruit intake. Theres always a lot of added sugars in these, making them bump up the calories and lose some of the nutritional value.

Where do you grocery shop? 

My favorite store to shop at is Wegmans. I used to be a Whole Foods girl, but there isn’t one close enough to me and it’s really expensive. I also like MOM’s Organic Market, Trader Joes, and BJs. Local quick shopping is at the Safeway down the street from me. Regular grocery stores now have the health food aisle and you can find a lot of unique health products in these stores now! If I can’t find certain items, I buy from Amazon.com. I buy all my PB2 powder and Optimum Nutrition protein powders in bulk from Amazon.

Where do you buy your workout clothes? They are always so adorable!

I splurge on workout clothes because it’s what I spend the most time in. I hardly ever get dressed up because I am always in scrubs for work, so my clothes cash goes towards workout gear. My favorite boutiques are Lululemon and Lucy. I’m always asked where I get my “motivational tanks” (BeastMode, Today I Will Kill It). You can find them @ Blogilates for a very reasonable price. Plus they are so lightweight, I love them. For sports bras I go to Target. The Champion ones are the best and really absorb the sweat! Plus they come in really fun bright colors.

What’s with your sign off signature?

XOXO With a Cherry On Top. What does that mean? Actually it’s an inside joke with my family referring to something I said as a kid. My mom thought it was pretty adorable when she saw it for the first time.

If you have more questions not found here, please feel free to Email Me

XOXO With a Cherry On Top,

-Minnie