Colette Nelson is taking a hike in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post the bodybuilder shows off her amazing body in an exercise set while getting some outdoor exercise with a friend. “London was amazing....but California dreaming at the moment with @izabellarybarczykfitness. Hiking Runyon Canyon is just beautiful. Scroll to the end .... I was attempting to sprint up the mountain. No harsh comments please I will never claim to be a runner. I just like a challenge. I did it once with a medium strength band around my legs,” she captioned the Instagram photo. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. Calculate Your Calories
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Nelson explained to Men’s Journal that you need to calculate your calorie intake based on your height, weight, age, daily activity level, body composition, and weight-loss or -gain goals. “As a quick rule of thumb, you could take your goal weight and add a 0, and then factor your physical activity,” she suggests.
2. Don’t Skip Meals
If you are trying to lose weight, don’t skip meals and “save up” calories. “The body doesn’t work like that. It needs food to burn more calories,” Nelson says. “If you skip meals, it thinks it’s starving, and the liver starts to produce more glucose, and this results in insulin resistance. This is all a recipe for more fat storage when you do eat.”
3. Fiber, Carbs, and Protein
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It’s all about balance when it comes to diet. “Many studies have found that people experience increased satiety, lower insulin levels, and greater weight-loss success on a low-carb/high-fiber dieting approach,” says Nelson. You should increase carbs on hard workout days. “The less impactful carbs that are found in sweet potatoes may be eaten one to two times per week and post-workout,” she explains. You also need to maintain a diet of 40 percent lean protein, 30 percent healthy fat (such as olive oil, nuts, and avocados), and 30 percent fiber-dense carbs.
4. Diet Is 85 Percent
Exercise is important, but diet is much more impactful. “Working out is really only 15 percent of the equation,” says Nelson. “The diet is 85 percent.”
5. Hydrate
Hydration is also key. “Your muscles are 72 percent water,” says Nelson. “A hydrated muscle is a stronger muscle.” This makes drinking water pre-workout more important than eating. “Your body doesn’t have a water reserve for storage, so you need to replace fluids every day.” She recommends 16 ounces one hour prior to a workout and 24 ounces for every pound lost during a training session.
