Jami is a good friend of mine, and one of the most committed people I know. She practically lives in the gym, and is devoted to self improvement on a daily basis. Her journey is inspiring, and I am very grateful she was able to offer some insight for my capstone.
- What are your personal fitness goals?
My current fitness goals are to deadlift 220 pounds, squat 185 pounds, and to do 12 unassisted pull-ups. I also want to continue to lose body fat to get around 17-18%, and to continue to lose weight to get around 120-125 pounds and remain consistent with those numbers while still maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle.
- What methods of training do you use to achieve these goals? Have you tried any other methods? Were they more / less effective?
Currently I am doing HITT training 4 times a week and strength training 3 times a week. In the past I have done a lot more cardio, as well as higher reps/less weight which didn’t give me as good results when it came to increasing strength and burning fat.
- What nutrition plan (if any) do you use to achieve these goals? If you don’t use a nutrition plan, are you mindful of your diet? What do you typically eat in a day?
I am in the process of obtaining a nutrition plan with a fitness coach, but am unable to speak to what that will look like yet. However, for the past 2 months I have been doing a high protein/high fat diet of about 1350-1450 calories a day.
- A typical day of eating looks like
this (using 4/8/19 as an example):
- Breakfast: 1 egg, 3 egg whites scrambled with a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 oz of halloumi cheese, 1 piece of GF toast.
- Snack: Protein bar. (usually a One Bar)
- Lunch: 3.5 ounces of angus beef, 2 ounces of rotini (chickpea pasta), 12 asparagus spears grilled, 3 ounces of roasted carrots.
- Snack: Protein shake with Organix Protein powder and 8 ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- Dinner: Turkey lettuce tacos
- What is your experience in the fitness industry? What (if any) certifications do you hold?
I do not hold any certifications but swam competitively for 14 years, and have been a gym goer since high school. I also have 5 years of experience coaching competitive swimmers.
- What recovery methods do you use to deload?
I make sure to drink BCAAs during my workouts and take magnesium as part of my supplement routine to help with DOMS. I also try and foam roll about 3 times a week.
- Have you tried fasting? What is your experience with that?
I have done intermittent fasting in the past when I have had gut issues. It did help short term to get things back on track, however I have found going to the chiropractor on a regular basis and staying away from gluten and alcohol has been key in keeping my gut health in check.
- What would you recommend to someone interested in going into the field (what do you like to see in a coach)?
I like a coach to be knowledgeable. You can be enthusiastic and a cheerleader all day long, but I want to know the why’s, what’s, and how’s of movements I am doing and how it is benefiting me and my goals.
- What do you feel is most frequently misconstrued or poorly communicated from a health and wellness standpoint?
I am not a professional in the field, but I feel like I see more inaccurate than accurate information out there. The biggest pet peeve of mine is all of these “quick fixes” that are advertised to lose weight. (i.e.: tummy teas, crash diets, spot reducing workouts, etc) None of this is easy and it takes months and months to see results from consistency and hard work.
Croslow, Jami. Interview about Fitness. 04/11/2019
Muscles and Meal Planning 