How is Aubrey Hall healthy?

It's a lot of trial and error.

In college, I was 5'10" and weighed 125 lbs.  I was always self-conscious about my body.  I wouldn't even let my parents see me without a shirt on.  One day, about five years ago, I decided to stop allowing my embarrassment of my body control me so much and decided to work and change my body for the better.  I started off with  joining a gym and reading up on exercise and diet.  I joined realjock.com, which is a fitness web community catering to the LGBT community.  I even hired a personal trainer to help me with my fitness goals.  In a year, I gained 45 pounds.  I am now working on shedding some extra fat that I gained and toning.

It's a lot of trial and error.  Some things that worked for other people did not work for me.  Everyone's body is made differently.  I learned that you have to find out what works for you and stick with it.  I am now at 155 pounds and am pretty satisfied with I have done thus far.  I continue to set goals -- whether it is to gain 10 pounds of lean muscle in 6 weeks or to gain 2 inches in my chest in 8 weeks.  I find that setting a goal with a completion date helps me to work harder in achieving my goal.

What do I do now?  I exercise and eat healthy regularly.  I do weightlifting five times per week and cardio twice a week.  I like to eat cleanly, eating about 5 or 6 times a day.  I have cut back on the amount of sweets I eat and the amount of alcohol I consume.  I probably eat a small piece of candy once in a blue moon, and I drink lots of water now.  I get my proteins from turkey, chicken (white meat), and fish, grilled or baked.  Nuts and beans are also good sources for protein.  I stay away from fried food.  I also take a multi-vitamin.

Nutrition labels/charts on food packages and at fast food restaurants are a must-read for anyone wanting to eat healthy.  I read the nutrition labels on groceries and read the nutrition facts at restaurants to make better food choices.  Subway is now my favorite fast food restaurant.  I watch my calories and avoid foods that are high in the bad fats (trans fat and saturated fat) to avoid having blood high cholesterol levels.  I watch my sodium intake and eat foods that have fiber and that have whole grains, mostly  whole grain wheat  bread.  I also eat brown  rice, instead of white rice.  I only have one body; so, I want to be healthy on the outside as well as on the inside to keep me moving and humming along for years to come.

-- Aubrey Hall
Chicago

How are you healthy?
Join in the conversation.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here. 
Read past posts.
Learn more about the campaign.