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Cardio Doesn't Always Cut It

Kristy, a PhD, was overweight as a teen. She told Muscle & Fitness that she struggled and used extreme dieting to lose weight, and developed an eating disorder. She also devoted a lot of time to “work off” the excess weight with cardio and dance.

Take a Walk

Kristy understands the importance of getting her steps in. Luckily her dog, He-Man the Pug, who accompanies her to the gym, motivates her to walk. Going for a daily walk can be a game changer in terms of exercise, especially at a brisk speed. One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that walking at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes a day led to a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, compared with walking a similar number of steps but at a slower pace.

Swim

Kristy also enjoys swimming — and so does He-Man. “Had to repost from @he_man_the_pug because I love him so much and am slightly sorry I traumatized him. But I loved how he kept trying to climb on top of my shoulders,” she joked in a caption about one of their swimming sessions. Swimming is a good way to get regular aerobic physical activity, according to the CDC. Just two and a half hours per week of aerobic physical activity, such as swimming, bicycling, or running, can decrease the risk of chronic illnesses. In addition to the many physical benefits, there are multiple studies supporting the mental health benefits of swimming as well.

Train Your Brain

Aside from being one of the best female powerlifters of all time, Kristy is always training her mind. She is actually a biologist! “Not powerlifting-related but this is how @he_man_the_pug and I spend our days. I’m proud to be a co-founder and CSO of Antheia using synthetic biology to revolutionize the way plant-inspired medicines are manufactured. #dogsofantheia #science,” she captioned a post.

Lift Weights

However, it wasn’t until she started strength training that she was able to heal. “In the same way my brain seemed natural to respond to learning about science and math,” she explains to Muscle & Fitness, “my body responded to exercise and training. I found that developing these two aspects of my life – mind, and body – created a balance that I found extremely rewarding.”

Here's What She Eats in a Day

Kerly shared a sample day of eating, starting with breakfast: 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg

30g of oats or 1/2 potatoes. Next up, a snack, a protein shake and 2 small Colombian potatoes. Then, for lunch she has 140g chicken with 100g rice and a green salad. For a snack she has 90g shrimp and zucchini vegetable pasta. And finally, for dinner she has 110g of fish with 1 egg and green salad.

Intermittent Fasting

In order to “lose weight, burn fat and get super fit” Kerly intermittent fasts, which she calls her eating method. Intermittent fasting works by “prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat,” explains Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Low Carb Diet

Kerly is on a low carb diet, she told El Estimulo, revealing she only eats “light” sandwiches. “I try not to eat a lot of bread because it makes my belly bigger, but when I can, I use whole wheat bread. I try to combine it with protein, which is very important to maintain muscle. I like to put some dressings that give flavor to the sandwich so that the diet is pleasant and I don't get bored,” she says. “Olives, avocado, olive oil, alfalfa, whole wheat toast, a grilled chicken breast and a little mustard, because it's the only dressing that doesn't have calories. No mayonnaise, no tomato sauce.”

She Counts Calories

“My diet only allows me a low-calorie sandwich, between 150 and 180 calories, which could be eaten mid-morning - I eat 6 times a day - because you can't eat carbohydrates at night. I try to find the right flavors, since I live on a diet. I put a little bit of what I have at home, avocado, which even though it has fat, it's the good kind, tomato too, so to speak, you can't overdo it either, and olive oil, which is a good fat for the body, skin, hair and nails,” she added.

No Mayo

One ingredient that she would never put in a sandwich? “Mayonnaise because I think that first of all it's greasy for the skin, it gives you acne and secondly it goes to your belly, your rolls. I don't like mayonnaise at all,” she said.