One of the Valley’s leading Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches, Kelli Michelle, sat down to answer some questions for fitness enthusiasts of all levels! Whether you’re looking for smart eating tips or an entire lifestyle change, Kelli has the stuff to get you going.
In 2014, Kelli started her own fitness and nutrition company focusing on fat loss, endurance training and sport performance nutrition. With seminars offered in nutrition and the group class “Posterior Chain” taught by Kelli herself, you can glide into a happy and healthy 2017 with fitness plans in pack.
Go on, test her knowledge!
Q: Which is better? Several small meals throughout the day or a few (3) big meals?
A: Typically it’s a lot easier to prep 3 meals and a snack, or 2-3 meals on busy days. Bottom line, meal frequency has very little weight with the goal of fat loss. It’s easier on your body not to be digesting food all day giving the GI tract a chance to rest. Your body will also have an insulin response every time you eat your mini meals, every 2-3 hours like trainers normally prescribe.
It’s all personal preference if the individual wants the prep several small meals, that’s fine. I have my clients eat their meals in a sequence that best fits their lifestyle as long as they hit their macro goals for the day, it really doesn’t matter if you have all your intake earlier in the day tapering off a little later. It’s good to remember you should eat some of your food when you’re the most active during the day and I would say a majority of your food around your training sessions, especially if they’re intense! That’s why I’ve never really understood going to the gym fasted. You are doing absolutely nothing in terms of fat loss or “stoking metabolism” and you could be compromising muscle loss. I have yet to hear that somebody performs better on no food at all before weight training.
Q: What time of the day is the best time to eat? How important is a meal when you first wake in the morning? And is no eating after 7:30 pm myth or fact (Oprah says fact)?
A: Meal timing, except around training, has 100% absolutely no validity if you’re tracking your macros. It doesn’t matter when you consume meals but you want to use your head and try to eat your meals when it best fits your routine and hunger. So, if anyone finds the data to support that eating after 7:30 PM insures fat loss, I would love to see that 🙂 I have the data that says otherwise! The only reason it would be important to eat earlier in the day so that you have energy to be “most active” and train so before bed you wouldn’t want all your food when you’re not going to be most active. You don’t really want to starve all day and eat everything at night, you could be more likely to binge-eat from low to no calories in the AM.
Q: When and what should we eat around workouts? What if we miss eating after a workout? Is my workout ruined?
A: Pre-workout is important to ensure that you’re not running on empty! Everybody’s needs are different but even an hour or two before training it’s suggested that you have a good serving of carbohydrates, a serving of fats and perhaps a small amount of protein. Really you don’t need to over feed protein, after training you will ideally try to have protein and carbs. If you don’t get your post workout meal, your workout is not ruined. Recovery is a process [and] post workout is important for recovery so make sure that you have something to eat before you go to bed or as soon as you can. Again, it’s all about hitting your goals for the day calorically. Some people need more before training and some people need less. It also depends on what you eat before your pre-workout. That all depends on what time of day you train.
Q: Protein source recommendation: Plant or Animal based? What’s the difference?
A: I recommend both! Protein is made of a combination of 20 different amino acids, nine of which (essential amino acids) our bodies can’t make on their own. Animal protein sources naturally contain all nine of these amino acids, and many plant proteins sources do too.
Q: How important are supplements to our diet? Should we be spending loads of money on things like glutamine, creatine, Omega-3s, aminos, etc.? Or if we do spend, which supplements are well worth the money?
A: Data shows if low in protein consumption or to optimize MPS (muscle protein synthesis) you may want to purchase a high quality whey protein powder. Also, creatine monohydrate, Omega -3 oils and multi vitamin to be beneficial and useful. Most important is do you know if you need these? If so, find high quality oils, supplements, and do your Research! The rest of the supplements if you have a deficit can be adhered to but be careful you DO NOT out supplement poor diet and training! It will not work!
Q: How much of our success in the gym depends on diet? (Tips for getting that six-pack?)
A: A LOT! Without the right macros for you and a proper training routine that produces change, you’re chasing your tail! Nutrition tracking is imperative to getting lean, adding muscle and focus on endurance training! You can’t out train a poor diet! Some people have to get leaner than other to see their ABS! 🙂 Don’t chase the unobtainable, it doesn’t come in a can or from Instagram.
Q: Ok! What’s Kelli Michelle’s fav nutrition tip for newbies?
A: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start tracking your workouts your water, sleep and of course your food. Make small, tangible and manageable modifications each week. Remove anything unnecessary and just try to make healthier choices. If you go at an all-out sprint you will crash. Fitness is a lifestyle. One day at a time, 1 better choice as you go.
Q: Are you currently accepting new client inquiries?
A: Yes, I am and I have a team that is ready to help you achieve overall greatness! Www.kellimichelle.com is my web address! We are ready to address your new 2017 holiday resolutions. We will make it so that you might be able to keep these this year!
Stay tuned for Part II of Kelli’s interview with more burning questions answered! Don’t forget to visit www.kellimichelle.com for nutrition and fitness inquiries. Stay health and stay fit!
