For anyone that’s reached out & asked- “what are you doing? how are you doing it?” –this is for you! The purpose of this post is to share a few tips & tools that have helped keep me committed to my goals while crushing my high-protein diet.
In short terms- I am counting calories, exercising, drinking lots of water & cutting out junk/processed foods. Al natural. No waist trainers.. no diet pills.. & no slim teas.. Just hard mf work. ::Insert cliche motivational quote::
Below are links to all apps I currently use to keep track of my progress, along with every product I’ve purchased to help support my lifestyle. These are effective tools that have kept me consistent & as accurate as possible. And they will 1000% help you too!
APPS
- MyFitnessPal This app inspired me to create “JoJo Counts Macros“. It’s a great tool to keep track of your Macronutrients aka Macros (which are the 3 categories where we get most of our energy from- protein, fats & carbohydrates). If you’re like me & have NO IDEA how much you should intake, no worries! This app will make a suggestion based on your goal weight, current weight & activity level. In addition to tracking calories, it’s also a social platform where you can add/cheer on friends while they’re working towards their health goals. Yay for friends supporting friends!
- MapMyWalk This activity app tracks every aspect of my walks- from distance, to my pace, the duration of my walk, my route, it even tracks how many calories I’ve burned. Itโs a really great tool to monitor your progress & at the end of each walk, the app allows you to take a victory selfie. Because you just killed that workout hunny! You can also add family & friends on here, which is sweeeeet. Everyone needs a good support system!
- Google Sheets This is exactly like Microsoft Excel- except its free 99. Score! I use these sheets to log my body measurements (I usually measure my neck, arms, waist, hips & thighs). I also record my caloric intake, caloric expenditure & duration of my workouts (I walk daily & follow strength training/cardio videos 1-3x per week).
- Life Fasting Tracker This app keeps track of how many hours I’m fasting, when I practice intermittent fasting. Normally I follow the 16hrs fasting/8hr eating period.
- Instasize This is a photo editor app, I use this to visually compare my progress photos side by side (as seen above & below). There’s plenty of apps that do this, this is just what I use. Whatever you use, creating these before/after photos are super helpful to see how much your hard work is paying off.
- Spotify I use Spotify to listen in on podcasts during my walks. Some of my favorites include- The Joe Budden Podcast (this is the funniest pod ever), The Joe Rogan Experience, Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations, The Daily (a New York Times pod), Bohemian Dolls Unsolved Mysteries, & Fuera D Base (I’m working on my Spanish!)
NUTRITION
- Water Bottle Get yourself a good insulated water bottle & carry it around with you everywhere. This bottle is my favorite because it keeps my water cold during long walks (I drink about 5-6 servings daily). Water is such a game changer for our skin. I’ve come across similar transformations to mine & their skin elasticity just isn’t quite as tight as mine. I gotta assume they’re not drinking enough water.
- Digital food scale THIS IS A MUST! It’s impossible to eyeball raw food & assume it’s weight. Get yourself a good food scale, they’re relatively inexpensive & will make your life easier when logging foods/recipes on MyFitnessPal.
- Measuring Cups This goes hand in hand with logging food on MyFitnessPal. Not all ingredients can be measured with a food scale. If a recipe calls for 1 cup or 1 tablespoon- a food scale will not be able to provide that info, measuring cups will help a great deal.
- Protein powder Protein shopping is the new shoe shopping for me. I go crazy when I come across unique flavors. My absolute favorite so far has been Chocolate & Fruity Pebbles. I also like the Oreo flavor, Raspberry Cheesecake & Unflavored powder (for my baked goods).
- Shaker These are necessary when making protein shakes (I mix my protein with fat-free milk or water sometimes). You coooould use a blender, but who wants to clean that mess everyday? Shakers work for me because I’m always on-the-go.
FITNESS
- Fitbit I use this activity tracker to count steps (I aim for at least 10k everyday) & calories burned during my workouts. It’s also a great tool to measure your heart rate & sleep pattern. I wear mine every day as a constant reminder to “get tha steppin’” ::in my Martin Lawerence voice::๐ถ๐ปโโ๏ธ
- Sneakers These are my favorite walking shoes! I love the snug sock fit & they’re SO comfortable. It’s important to get the right shoes, with the right support! Not every shoe is ideal for walking, I’ve learned that the hard way. I can’t tell you how many horrendous blisters I’ve had from bad shoe choices. ๐
- Fanny pack I place my fanny pack by the door as a daily reminder- that itโs time to move. Itโs a convenient little โpurseโ that holds all my belongings when I’m out & about. I NEVER leave the house without it because I’m not about to hold my keys, phone & water bottle for an hour. Thats what we NOT gonna do! ๐
- Dumbbells My Titi gave me these dumbbells when I told her my gym was closed due to Covid. Thank God for Titi! I use these every time I follow a strength training video. This set comes with 3 different weights & although they arenโt super heavy- I’m in awe at how strong my arms have become in just a few months of using them. I flex in the mirror every morning & night to remind myself how badass I am. ๐ช๐ป
- Resistance band I can’t just have strong arms.. So I got these bands to add tension during leg/booty workouts & boy, do I feel the burn! I love it! ๐
I’m sure over time I will come across new apps/products, which I will adapt into my everyday life & eventually share but I think this is a good starting point for anyone struggling on where to begin.
Be patient, stay consistent & remember it takes small steps to make drastic improvements. And if I can do it, so can you! I hope this helps! If there’s anything I wasn’t clear on or if you have questions. Let me know. ๐
XOXO, JOJO
