ALMA: Healthy Lifestyle Guide

90% of women have been in a diet at sometime in their lives, and they spend up to seventeen years of their lives trying to lose weight. This indicates that women are very insecure about their bodies, they are always comparing themselves to the skinny, what seems “perfect” stereotypical women seen in social media. The diets are mostly made with a specific motivation, but it almost  never lasts for more than a year, that is due to lack of willpower and the attachment to food. What is currently being encouraged is that nutrition plans and healthy habits become part of a lifestyle, which means that eating healthy can be delicious, and it brings tons of benefits to the body. At ALMA fitness gym, a twenty day challenge was implemented in October- November to lose fat. Its timing consisted that the holidays are approaching  and people tend to eat in high quantities and bad qualities, it was meant to create consciousness and to discover oneself the food groups that benefit each different body.

Likewise, the challenge was set up with a nutritional plan made by professionals, with  every meal that had to be consumed during the day. “Physiology, nutrition, and basic anatomy create the foundations  to create the challenge and what is to come, what is going to happen before, during or after the challenge in the body, ” Alvaro Vanegas, ALMA fitness hit coach, said. The challenge was meant for every women that is part of the gym to know their body, and achieve their personal goals.

Alvaro Vanegas

The hit coach  is in charge of designing all of the training routines and knows properly all of the exercises that are put in the routine. Also, they know how exercises  complement each other, and work together to stimulate a certain muscular group. Training like, “What I eat before is what allows me to have an adequate development while training, what I eat during maintain  constant energy, what I eat after is going to allow me to recover fast, ” Vanegas, said. In the challenge created training was important, but nutrition was fundamental. As a matter of fact, exercise is directly correlated with nutrition, eating properly allows a major effectiveness while training.  To make a challenge there has to be modifications in fats, carbohydrates, calories, levels of energy and metabolisms. Also, there has to be a healthy distribution of macronutrients which are proteins, fats, carbohydrates.

Furthermore, the nutrition in the challenge consisted of varying the carbohydrate consumption, along with temporary fasting. The healthy fats such as avocado, vegetable oils etc, were enforced by altering the peaks of insulin in the body,  and keeping a protein consumption constant throughout the day. The daily diet plan depended on the training routine for the day, “High carbohydrate consumption, training was for big muscular groups, low carbohydrate and constant protein, more cardiovascular of short and long durations, ” Vanegas, said. The goal was to accelerate metabolism after training, to be able to burn calories during and after training.

Estefania Borge

To emphasize, the author of the book “Atrévete a cocinar”, chef and health coach Estefania Borge has specific thoughts about fat loss and and a good nutrition plan. “Abdominals are done in the kitchen and not in the gym, must consume foods that make your physical and your internal self healthier, ” Estefania Borge, health coach, said. A specific part of the body does not lose fat, the body works as a system. The diet that everyone should implement is an Alkaline diet which consists of: rich in antioxidant food, free of alcohol and sugar, saturated fats are prohibited, specific training routines, regulating quantities and qualities, drinking more water than it is recommended, eating healthy carbohydrates and proteins. In particular, fiber is crucial for having good intestinal health. To conclude, what is important is to listen to the body, balancing resting and training.

To continue, processed foods and dairy should be completely banned since the body does not tolerate it, goat products are better for health. Together with nutrition, the exercise routine should generally be pleasurable for the person, it should be periodized and it should have intensity variations. Since the challenge was specifically focused in the abdomen, it is recommended to train it twice a week accompanied by cardiovascular work. “Central strength, posture, energy and security depends on the abdomen,” Borge, said. Apart from having healthy habits, what is most important is to balance body, mind and spirit and be happy.

ALMA challenge participant

Veronica Mejia, ALMA challenge participant was really satisfied by the obtained results after completing the challenge. She thought that the nutritional guide was hard to follow since she had never followed a diet so thoroughly. She plans on continuing to eat clean and going to keep regular exercise intervals. She thinks that she significantly lost weight, and feels better about herself. “Really hard for me, but a great challenge since now I do not crave sweets,” Veronica Mejia, participant, said. The challenge should be done by everyone, even though when they are not part of the gym, it is a great plan with excellent results.