Autumn Calabrese Shares Her Best Fit Tips
You guys know Autumn Calabrese? The celeb trainer behind the uber popular 21 Day Fix (which we just reviewed over on Mamas) and 21 Day Fix Extreme? Well, girlfriend has a new cookbook out, Fixate (clever title … ), and is working on some new cool projects. We got to pick her brain about that, plus get some of her top fitness tips — and the best piece of advice she can give women. Read on, FBGs, read on!
Q&A With Autumn Calabrese
We’re about to head into the holiday season. Any tips on how to stay healthy and fit in workouts?
Schedule your workouts like you schedule meetings with your boss; once they are on your calendar you don’t skip them. You wouldn’t skip a meeting with your boss would you? Be efficient in your workouts, they don’t have to be long if you are pushing hard. Try 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme, they are my 30-minute workout programs that you can do at home with dumbbells and/or resistance bands. They also come with my portion control system to make sure you are eating your favorite foods in the right potion sizes. As for staying healthy, be sure to eat before you go to a holiday party so you aren’t starving when you get there. Don’t hang out and have conversations around the buffet table; you are more likely to mindlessly nibble while standing there. Limit yourself to one to two drinks at a party.
How did you come up with the idea for the 21 Day Fix?
The short version of the story is that I had a client who was struggling to lose weight no matter how hard I worked her out. It sounded like she was eating healthy by what she told me, then we went out to lunch. We both ordered salads which happened to be huge. I ate a fraction of mine, but she ate all of hers. I realized right there that portion control was the problem. You can overeat even on healthy food. People needed a simple way to know what to eat and how much. I didn’t want to eliminate any foods; I just wanted to show people how to eat the right sizes of their favorite foods.
So many women fall into the all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to healthy eating and workouts. What do you recommend people do once the 21 days is over — and any tips for avoiding that mental trap?
Although my program is 21 days, it is really a lifestyle. That means you can continue to follow the program for as many rounds as you would like. The nutrition portion isn’t a diet; it is a way of life so it’s never meant to end. As for working out, it’s important to continually challenge yourself, so if at the end of 21 days you need a new challenge, try bumping up your weights, or trying my other program 21 Day Fix Extreme.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Do something you love and you will never work a day in your life.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give women?
It’s about progress not perfection. Don’t beat yourself up or give up because you feel you aren’t where you want to be. It is a lifestyle, and it’s just as much about being healthy (if not more) as it is looking good.
What’s your all-time favorite exercise?
Squats!!! But really anything that works the butt.
Thanks for answering our questions, Autumn! We love squats, too. For obvious reasons. —Jenn