Hello, dear Jessica Who? readers, I am super excited to present a guest post from one of my best friends who happens to be involved with the fitness industry. Her credentials include being a nationally certified personal trainer and the owner of her own gym. In this series of guest posts, she has put together some of her best fitness advice to share with you all.
These articles will focus on health & fitness as it pertains to achieving your ideal feminine look. Today’s entry will tackle some basic meal suggestions and workout tips for getting fit without all that extra muscle bulk.
Part One – “Getting Started”
You often hear, “lift heavy, take supplements and increase your protein in order to bulk up”, but what about those of you who want to hit the gym just to be fit and healthy. In essence, you’d like to tone but not bulk up.
Well, here are some suggestions that will help you to get started on the path of achieving your goal of sculpting and maintaining a fabulous looking physique without the excessive muscle mass.
Put That Cookie Down! 
First, you must remember to eat clean. Keep in mind that 70 to 75% of your success will come from your nutritional intake. Be sure that you are eating complex carbs such as:
- Brown Rice
- Sweet Potatoes
- Wheat Breads
- Wheat & Multigrain Pastas
In addition, you will want to consume lean proteins like
- Chicken Breast
- Turkey Breast
- White Fish
- Egg Whites
- Protein Shakes (no sugar, low carb)
- Tofu
To round things out, include green veggies, fruit and plenty of H20 throughout the day. I like to consume anywhere from 3/4 to 1 full gallon of water per day. Be sure that your meals consist of both proteins and carbs.
You should break up your food consumption into 5 to 7 meals per day. This will help to increase your metabolism for further assistance in burning fat. The idea here is to decrease your sugar, fat and sodium intake.
Exercise & Workouts
When it comes to hitting the gym, repeat the mantras “Cardio, Cardio, Cardio” and “High Reps, Low Weight.” However, remember to lift enough weight to keep your muscles challenged. You should be struggling somewhat at the end of your sets (final repetitions).
The key here is to perform 3 to 4 sets of each exercise with about 15 repetitions for each set. How much is enough? Well, three or four exercises per body part should be sufficient, but don’t forget to break up your body parts.
For example:
- Monday – Chest & Triceps
- Tuesday – Back & Biceps
- Wednesday – Legs
- Thursday – Shoulders
Cardio should be done at the end of each workout, a minimum of 5 or 6 days per week. Hold your cardiovascular sessions between 45 and 60 minutes, more than that is a waste. Furthermore, always remember to get a good warm up (5-10 minutes) before your workouts and a cool down period immediately following your cardio.
Eye of the Tiger
Diet, consistency and focus will help you achieve that lean physique that’ll make you look hot in anything.
In my next article, I will address quantity. In other words, how much protein, how many carbs and what types of cardio are best for burning fat and getting lean. Until then, good luck girlfriends!!!
Special thanks to our guest poster, we look forward to your future articles!
photo credit: Rance Costa
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Fantastic post, Jess! Now that I’ve lost enough weight to be easily mobile again, I’m really interested in getting started with a good workout program to lose the rest of the weight. This is definitely a good start!
Thanks Kristi and congratulations on your fitness achievement. Good luck with your goals
!!
I can’t wait to get a good look at this because I want to get rid of my pot belly. At best, it makes me look pregnant and at worst, it just makes me look horribly fat.
Yea, I know how you feel. I’ve been striving to shrink my gut for the past couple of years. I’ve made some good progress, but still have some ways to go.
I see you’re not a fan of the drag queen physique :p
lol, what’s that?
Thank You for posting this, and for your older post about losing 25lbs crossdressing.
My wife and I have been trying to get motivated to get in better shape. I have trouble motivating her, because I am one of those horrible people that can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound. I haven’t been motivated to exercise at all. I never made a connection between fitness and crossdressing. The last time I really worked out, I got bulked up in the chest and arms and I was unhappy with how I looked dressed. Taking these tips, I can tone my body so that I look better dressed up and maybe get the confidence to go out dressed (especially for a shopping trip)
And don’t forget, spandex can make a workout even more fun!
I am happy that you have found these posts useful, Jess. Best of luck with all of your fitness goals and if there is any question that you might have feel free to send an email to me.
Spandex can sure make a workout more enjoyable
ah you know, http://crunchiemummy.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/drag.jpg
Thanks Jessica! Another very helpful post. I have lost 40 lbs since I went gluten-free so I haven’t had to work out yet but I’m plateuing and still need to lose some gut so I’ve been wondering the best way to tone up without bulking up. =)
Congratulations on the weight loss, Jerica! I hope that this post is helpful to you in your ongoing fitness quest, best of luck girl !!!
This is something Ive ben working on for over 5 years.People tell me how I look younger and everything fits better for a bonus. I do cardio but no lifting as I get to muscular. I do pilates and Yoga. I even was asked if I was my son once. I rarely get anyone to get within 10 years of my real age. This all started when I wanted to fit into a summer dress and my stomach protruded more than it should. Being TG has definate benefits in the motivation department. If you want to look good get fit.
That’s awesome Leslee! Congratulations, getting fit definitely has an added benefit of looking younger and a bonus of looking fabulous in women’s clothing.
Great post (and a great blog). As a yoga teacher (who is also a crossdresser) I can tell you that practicing yoga is both great exercise and a great way to find greater self acceptance of your transgendered side!
I love being both feminine AND flexible!
Namaste
I went the other way around, I used to try using crossdressing to help me lose weight, like “can’t buy any more girl clothes till I fit into a size 14…” or something but it never stuck. However, I have lost almost 50 pounds since March, mostly due to a calorie counting app on my iphone, and it absolutely contributed to my confidence in finally coming out as a crossdresser, because I liked the way I looked in the clothes so much more than I used to.
This is fantastic Jessica,
I was only just saying on my blog how much I needed a diet and exercise plan that was made for transsexuals.
And now I have it,
Do you know if this will make a difference to the male fat deposits like the beer belly type?
Cheers,
-Vi