Getting Started

2. Guides- links on client portal

3. Workouts- in Trainerize app. You set your own calendar if you choose to use this function, I do not micromanage this.

4. Cardio- in your excel tracker, highlighted all the way to right, updated weekly

5. ME- message me through Trainerize for coaching related things. Note your coach’s office hours and unless something is urgent please respect these hours; for urgent matters outside of these times we are awake we will answer but all other questions will be answered during these times.

Before Day 1 Checklist- BE PREPARED!
1. Supplies needed- food scale, bodyweight scale, measuring tape, tripod with Bluetooth remote, set up Cronometer account from email invite you receive with password Fitwithme123! Trainerize log in
2. Make sure you are in FB client group and Instagram close friends
a. Check out highlights on Instagram for previous client Q&As (only available to our group)
b. I will introduce you day before start on Facebook group
3. Read macro guide and check in checklist
a. Quick links in client portal
4. All questions from plan outline sent to me beforehand
5. Review training in Trainerize
a. Let me know if any questions, limitations, etc
b. Set your workout calendar for the upcoming week either in Trainerize or your personal calendar; don’t forget cardio highlighted in right column of excel tracker!
6. Meals for day 1 minimum entered in Cronometer if you are building your own meny and approved by your coach
a. Can use menu suggested by your coach; please inform me of any swaps, brand changes etc. Remember all whole foods are interchangeable
b. Meal preppers- have whole week ready to roll and approved by your coach

Trainerize App
1. I do not use their measurements! If you choose to do so for your own data that is fine
2. Your programs will be in the app and your check ins and responses will be uploaded here as well.
3. Training in here. I am happy to demonstrate or FT you if you need any help; I encourage you to send me videos and I can assess form, modify if needed, etc.

Cronometer Food Tracker
1. You will track every single thing that goes in your mouth here good, bad or ugly.

Week 1

Day 1 Checklist:
1. First thing- complete all information in check in typeform link (links in client portal for each coach) and upload photos to your dashboard in Trainerize with data right out of bed, after bathroom, before eating or drinking
2. Stay in touch! If anything comes up throughout the day do not hesitate to reach out. Remember I am here to help and I’m not a mind reader
3. Send all pertinent feedback!
a. Did you enjoy meal?
b. Was it satiating?
c. Too much or little quantity?
d. Did it hold you over until next meal?
e. Any digestive upset (gas, bloat, etc)?
f. And literally anything else that you can think of. I want to know it all 😊

Week 1, what to expect
1. Menu for next day should be ready 2 hours before your coach’s office hours end for the day
a. Send your coach a note “menu ready” in trainerize then we will review
b. If you meal prep lets have full week in before day 1 and we can always adjust based on your biofeedback
2. Send me videos of any workouts where you are unsure on form and I will get back to you with cues, tips, etc that are specific to you!
3. All lifts, cardio should be completed in 7 day span
4. If anything does not go according to plan LET ME KNOW. Working on our mind reader skills but not there yet. I will never judge or shame you and cannot help unless I know what’s going on.
5. Practice patience- this is a whole new lifestyle and a lot of new skills to be learned. It will take time to get the hang of this and I am here to help every step of the way!
6. Lay the foundation- week 1 is all about establishing routine and learning the lifestyle

The most important part of this relationship is honesty and open line of communication. If you are struggling I want to know! I will not be chasing you down for daily or weekly check ins as this is your responsibility and commitment in starting this program; we’re all adults here. You are not limited to only communicating weekly and I encourage you to stay in touch as much as possible; I do not know many coaches that offer this but I believe it is helpful when life happens between check ins. Send me restaurant menus if you are planning to eat out, shoot me your grocery list, facetime me from the gym. I am here for you and will make myself as available as possible to coach you every step of the way. I want you to succeed just as much as you do!!!

Now We’re Rolling!

Check Ins– please take note of your coach’s check in days and stick to your day unless discussed otherwise with your coach

Month 1 goals
1. Building your own menu
a. Once you get the hang of macro counting you will earn your macro wings
b. Macro wings are earned when you no longer need daily help with menu planning
i. Know I am always available to help, macro wings or not, and please do not hesitate to reach out as new challenges come your way

Basic Info- Food

 Calories– Purely a unit of energy.  You need to think of calories as fuel and your body the machine that needs that fuel!  If you don’t fill up tank enough you will run out of steam and breakdown but if you overfill it you will be spilling fuel all over the road (or muffin top over your jeans lol). 

 Achieving a lean and muscular (what many call “toned”) physique is all about energy (aka caloric) balance.  Some foods are certainly more nutritious than others and our health will benefit from whole, unprocessed choices but, also a calorie is a calorie and that is it!

 Your focus should be to get 90% of your intake from whole foods.  I am okay with including protein powder in this, especially on days that you are on the go, but that is the only processed food that will be included. I encourage you to try a clean option and then we can call it ”whole food” just look for stevia sweetened, low temp processed, and max six ingredients (or use nuethix with my code nensarahd  ) I know packaged food is easy and sometimes necessary but you will absolutely notice a difference choosing the real shit.

 You’re key to success is being prepared whether that means a mass meal prep weekly, ordering from a meal prep company, or prepping a few days in advance. I have zero issue with setting a meal plan each week for ease then swapping out foods/adjusting quantities for the next week. We will work together to master the art of macro Tetris while maintaining quality of life 

 Macronutrients– defined as protein, carbs, and fats

•     Protein- 1g of protein = 4 calories.  Protein is needed to maintain muscle mass, help with satiety, and is most thermogenic of 3 macros. Thermogenic meaning it takes the most energy for our body to use it, but it is negligible. Weigh proteins in ounces.
•     Carbohydrates- 1g of carbs = 4 calories.  So guess what? Protein and carbs have THE EXACT SAME CALORIES!!!!!  Carbs are great to give us energy for workouts and everyday life.  They can be good sources of fiber and are fucking delicious. To make gains in the gym carbs are essential!  We need carbs to fuel our workouts then replenish glycogen depleted from a lift. Weigh carbs in ounces.
•     Fats- 1g of fat = 9 calories.  The most calorically dense of the three macros and a great balance for satiation and energy.  Fats are essential for our hormonal health and brain function. This is the most important of the three macros to measure completely accurately as the calories can add up quickly! Make sure to weigh these, especially oil, in grams or ml as they can be very sneaky and throw you out of a deficit easily. Nuts/nut butter I can live with ounces.

 We will count all three macros off the bat; you will aim hit all three each day and your conometer dairy will read 100% for each macro at the top. When you plan your menu I encourage you to check in with me the day before with “menu ready” and I can help with edits; if you meal prep we can work through menu weekly as well. Please count everything in grams. 

 Spices and condiments– these will play big role in flavor and variety.  There are some “free” condiments and ones we want to count.  Sea salt is great, I add to every meal; everyone thinks sodium is bad but unless you have high bp you can totally eat it and will benefit! I’m not saying eat poor quality processed foods but adding salt to meals is fine and adding sea salt will provide 26 minerals that help pro and carbs cross cell membrane while also balancing electrolytes . You need it to balance electrolytes and as long as you’re not pouring it on or water intake too low your body will flush it out. Mustard, lemon, lime, liquid coconut aminos, sriracha, hot sauce, salsa, kimchi, sauerkraut, vinegars, pico are all free.  No need to count coffee but lets stay with max 2 cups/day. I may have missed some but let me know if any others you want to incorporate and I’ll let you know if it needs to be tracked. 

Meal timing – First we need to get you on a 4 planned meal schedule; larger and smaller meals are fine but they should all be complete meals with a protein, carb, and fat source for maximum satiation and bioavailability; let’s just kill the word snack now as it implies an incomplete meal and won’t do you any favors. If you don’t want to plan a million meals you can eat leftovers from meal 1 for meal 2; this doesn’t have to be rocket science! Make sure you eat 1-2 hours pre and post workout and have some carbs in both of those meals in addition to protein. Pre workout carbs will give you energy and post workout carbs will restore glycogen depleted in the gym so make sure you’re eating around your workout time. I want you to have food readily available to reduce stress of “wtf do I eat” or finding yourself ravenous, making poor choices, or grazing. When you are out and about I highly recommend keeping an easy meal in your purse as well in case the day gets away from you.  I keep protein powder in a shaker and 100cal nut packs in my car and will just grab some measured berries on my way out the door if I think I’ll need a meal on the go. I like to keep some sort of prepped protein and carb sources in my fridge/freezer at all times to build easy meals as well.  You can mix up different seasonings and rotate vegetables for more variety here. If prepping food is overwhelming I can also recommend meal prep delivery services

 Water intake– 1 gallon/day is the goal, should not be a stretch for you but to start let’s make sure 100oz consistently. Keep water with you always and sip throughout the day.  On workout days, sip in between each set; I easily get 40-60 oz in with this strategy.  

 Alcohol– the last calorie source and one I would recommend you limiting as much as possible as it is not usable fuel.  If you must drink make sure it is max 1-2x/week and measured/accounted for in Cronometer.  Best choice is vodka with calorie free mixer or have a glass of wine. If you drink it will just stall fat loss process as your body will stop fat loss and focus on burning through alcohol first. I want you to enjoy a glass of wine when you like but don’t make it a daily thing. To log search for example “vodka as carbs” or “vodka as fat” and you can rob some carbs/fats; protein must still be hit that day. 

Progress Tracking

Progress Tracking– I like the excel tracker format as it will give us a birds eye view down the line as well of progress and historical data. I will keep this file and return to you each week at check in with new macros and cardio highlighted along with in depth check in response; cardio is all the way to right FYI, easy to miss. **I will be only editor on this one**

Progress will be tracked with photos, measurements, how your jeans fit, and LASTLY the scale. If you have an emotional attachment to the scale and the number will dictate your mood for the rest of the day do not even step on it. The scale is purely a small part of the data we are collecting and honestly who cares what the number says as long as you look better?!?!

Weigh Ins– should be done first thing in the am, before eating or drinking, after going to the bathroom. If on check in day you are not feeling the scale but have weighed during the week enter that number.

GOLDEN SCALE RULE– ask yourself before every weigh in if this number is going to affect you emotionally or if it is just a data point. On weeks you are not weighing for check in but may have weigh in from earlier in the week, please upload to the app; any time you choose to weigh in between log as trends are useful to see. Some prefer daily weighs but I will leave that up to you as everyone has a different relationship with the scale.

I have one client who has a poor relationship with the scale and she does something kind of cool. She bought a Bluetooth scale and covered number with piece of paper/tape then gave me login for the app. I changed password now I am the only one that sees the number. That’s certainly an option or we can just not weigh for a while if it bugs you, I can assess progress without and your mental health far outweighs (pun intended) your gravitational pull.

Progress Photos – Please reference the check in check list

Training & Cardio

Training– Will be in your Trainerize app. Please ask questions as form is very important to being effective and avoiding injury. Your plan will typically be updated every six weeks in app. Feel free to send me videos, photos, or facetime me to make sure your form is on point. I am also happy to send you demo videos with cues to execute properly.

Biggest piece is consistency so if length or amount of training sessions are not doable let’s talk! General rule of thumb for choosing weight is you should be failing in good form within the rep ranges programmed. Training will always be strategic to minimize stress response and get the most “bang for your buck” during training time. Our goal is to work on CNS management, using sympathetic (stress) strategically and optimizing parasympathetic (rest and recover). Muscles need rest to grow! Links below for equipment we need if you choose to work out at home:

Mandatory:
https://amzn.to/3l7eKMb
https://amzn.to/2QcdJEu

Optional: first one below is trx real deal, second is knockoff pick one
https://amzn.to/31d9IWy
https://amzn.to/2QanaEe

Cardio– will be programmed primarily in a HIIT and LISS format further explained below. I will include cardio changes in your weekly tracker as this can fluctuate weekly; cardio will be all the way to right in this excel document and highlighted.

All forms of cardio serve their purpose and I am happy to go into more detail but essentially HIIT will give you the most bang for your buck; it is the least time consuming, spikes heart rate, and won’t compromise muscle while continuing to work for us hours after the work is done. You will do your HIIT cycles with 30 seconds of WORK, then rest for 1 minute. HIIT can be performed on any piece of cardio equipment or can do burpees, mountain climbers, etc or a mixture of them; you should be working as hard as possible during your 30 seconds. I like to use the app interval timer for my HIIT. All HIIT will be done post workout or in a separate session and I recommend keeping cardio to upper body days if possible (I do two sessions if I have to do on leg day and its more than 7 rounds personally) .

MISS is my least favorite form of cardio as it burns the most muscle and does not have any benefits after your workout. Spin classes, running long distances, circuit training, workout videos, etc fall under this category.

LISS (low intensity ie. walking on the treadmill) is great for your overall health and will put the least amount of stress on the body. We want your heart rate under 120 and although the benefit is only during cardio it is a good way to shave off a few extra cals. If you choose to do cardio on a non lift day or separate session we will do LISS followed by HIIT, then cool down. If no LISS programmed, plan to do 5 min warm up and cool down. LISS hr between 110-120 can do outside (should be able to hold a conversation easily).

Strategy– Keep in mind our bodies are incredibly adaptive which is why we want to be strategic with cardio always. So let’s say you do 60 mins of MISS for a period of time. You see some results initially but then nothing and get frustrated. Well your body has adapted to that 60 mins and will no longer be responsive to it so your only option is to add more time. Additionally, since you will not be gaining muscle your whole metabolism will downregulate in the spirit of becoming efficient. I don’t know about you but I have zero desire to keep adding time to my workout to see minimal results; I would be working out half of the day at this point!

With weight lifting we can increase the stimulus once the body adapts without taking time from your day; this could look like heavier weight, more reps, or changing tempo. Weight lifting is the ONLY way to increase your metabolic rate through adding muscle mass and the ONLY way to change your body composition.

Please let me know if you have any questions or things I did not cover here. Excited to get started!

Xoxo
Your FWM Fam