BODY SAMantix
“I believe listening to your body is the most important lesson of all. ”
Ladies, it is that time again. The sun is coming out, and the weather is getting warm. If you're in my situation, this happened way too fast, and I am not prepared to start showing a little more skin. So in the effort to get our bodies moving, I thought it would be a great idea to have a little help and inspiration.
Sam, from BODY SAMantix, is a kick ass personal trainer, yoga and self-defense instructor, as well as a bomb nutritionist. She can pretty much do it all and has the body to prove it. In our quest for a more healthy and balanced lifestyle we sought out her expertise and she more than delivered in her tips for workouts, nutrition, and how to be conscious of your body's needs.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO HELP OTHERS GET IN OR STAY IN SHAPE?
I was always getting asked how I stayed in such good shape and if I would work out with them. This was when I was about 19 and had just finished training for my black belt. I was at 24 Hour Fitness, and some of the trainers there noticed I had a knack for it and encouraged me to become a trainer. I researched some certifications and switched my degree to Kinesiology with a focus on Athletic Training. The rest is history!
SUMMER IS AROUND THE CORNER. WHAT ARE SOME NUTRITION TIPS TO HELP US PREPARE FOR SWIMSUIT SEASON?
With summer just around the corner, our bodies are actually gearing up to eat the "summer foods." No, not BBQ food (that's packed with sodium and sugar). If you pay attention closely to your body, you may start to find more of a craving for fruits and salads. That's because we used to eat with the seasons way back in the day and our bodies still want to. Plus, these natural sugars are WAY better for you than processed. The nutrient dense greens you find in salads help keep you lean and replenish your essential vitamins and minerals after you've been sweating all day in the sun. For those wanting to gain a bit more muscle, pair greens with your protein intake and they start to feed those muscles to grow strong. Most important of all drink 64oz of water or more a day to stay hydrated and push out any unwanted toxins.
WHAT ARE 3 SNACKS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR BAG?
My top 3 snacks that are ALWAYS in my bag are my homemade "Matcha Balls", RX Bars, and Go Macro Bars. I am forever hungry and need my protein fix. The bars are super natural and cleanest on the market today!
WHAT ARE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO FITNESS AND THE BODY YOU WANT?
The common misconceptions of fitness are: cutting carbs, skipping meals/fasting, lifting weights make you bulky.
- Cutting Carbs: A big myth that only holds partial truth. Complex carbs are REALLY good for you, like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice. Empty carbs like cookies, crackers, etc. are bad for you. These complex carbs keep you fuller for longer and aren't filled with processed sugars and contain more nutrients and fibers than "empty" carbs, hence the names.
- Skipping Meals/Fasting: There are new "studies" and "research" out now that claim intermittent fasting or skipping breakfast, or dinner will help you in your weight loss journey. FALSE! Under no circumstances should you ever do this. Your body is hungry, especially after you boost your metabolism after working out. You MUST feed your body or the next time you do eat you may have the tendency to binge, but your body will believe that the next time you skip out on a meal that you are starving it and will actually store any nutrients as fat for safe keeping the next time you don't feed it on time. Imagine your body like a hungry 5 year old; you know when they start to have meltdowns at certain times of the day because they are hungry and once you feed them, they become the perfect little angel you knew they were... well your body is the same way. It will throw a temper tantrum if you do not feed it on time and rebel against you.
- Lifting Weights Makes You Bulky I HATE hearing this from women. PLEASE stop asking this question! Unless you are a genetic freak, you will not gain muscle as a man does. It is impossible for a woman to carry that much testosterone in her body to bulk up and look manly. Lifting weights will actually help you lose weight! Keep in mind muscle weighs more than fat so that scale will trick you. Pay attention to the size of your clothes and how they are fitting. It is proven that muscle burns fat. So the more muscle you put on, the more fat you will lose. So please don't be afraid to get those murves! (Curves made from Muscle = Murves)
WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE CLIENTS?
My most memorable client to date is Anastasia. I love her story or should I say OUR story. We just celebrated our 3rd FIT-versary in February/March. This marks the time where she made the decision to finally get serious about her weight loss. She had only been seeing me a month and her goal was to lose 50lbs. By the end of her first month (February) she dove head first into 2 days a week of training plus yoga once a week. Combined with a new clean, sustainable, healthy meal plan she was able to shed the 50lbs in 6 months! And by the beginning of the next year, she was down 15 more pounds (unplanned)! Anastasia and I joke now because she originally came in January to sign up and start officially in February, she set a date and signed papers. Normally I'm used to people going about this far than I never see them again. So, to my surprise, she confirmed the day before her planned session. From there it took off. I believe in early April she messaged me saying she had dropped a few pounds and was nervous about it. But every 2 weeks when she weighed herself it kept just falling off. About 7-10lbs every month! The most memorable moment of our training was her very first session, she was doing a step up on a very low bench, and her leg gave out, and she fell over. We were both stunned and knelt down to ask if she was ok. She was, got back up, and continued with her workout. To this day we laugh about it and are thankful that it happened the first session when we weren't quite comfortable with each other or else I would've been on the floor with her laughing at each other.
WHAT TYPE OF WORKOUTS SHOULD WE INCLUDE IN OUR OWN ROUTINES?
I advise anyone creating an at home workout plan for yourself to ALWAYS include core work, basic core work, like planks, dead bugs, and bird dogs. The core, much like the name, is the center and base of any movement. Having a strong, stable core, will take you far in life and your fitness journey. It will help prevent any possible injury as well. Be sure to also include single sided movements like single leg deadlifts and side planks. These are important to activate stabilizing muscles and again the core/obliques. Last but not least, back movements like rows and reverse fly's. We spend all day hunched over at our computers that our back muscles get extremely weak and stretched out. So by focusing on our back more, we can reserve this and improve better posture.
WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED ALONG YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY?
I have learned so much along my fitness journey and continue to learn every day! I believe listening to your body is the most important lesson of all. Knowing that your body needs a day of rest (different than being lazy), being ok with just relaxing. If you over do it, your body tends to rebel and you can injure yourself. I've also learned, if you want A cookie, you can have A cookie, you can allow yourself small indulgent treats (not binging). I used to beat myself for taking a day off or for caving into a small sweets craving. I've learned it's okay to be human! I tend to limit these treats when I'm eating out or special occasions, which is rarely because hey why not! You have one life to live, so live it healthily and wisely. Don't limit yourself because when we get to strict in our workout and healthy eating regimes we miss out on the fun times in life. Live a balanced, healthy lifestyle.
Get more of Sam's fitness and nutrition wisdom by visiting BODY SAMantix. For constant motivation and inspiration follow her on Instagram.