Hannah Lynn Fitness

Hello my friends! The last post was going over some of the basics of calories. Today is focused on fat loss, and how calories figure into that picture. So, we have learned that there is a balanced equation when it comes to calories: calories in vs calories out (Check out the last post if you haven't read it already!). To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn, and to lose weight, you must eat less calories than you burn. But is there all there is to this? Yes and no. When it comes down to it, yes.  You need to be eating less calories than you burn to lose weight. Plain and simple. But, there are so many different factors that can affect how your body burns and uses calories. This is where hormones are a huge part of weight loss. Not only do hormones affect you mentally, but can also physically mess with how your body uses the food you give it (think insulin). Another thing happens along the weight loss journey as well. Your metabolism "slows down,...

Hola, and welcome back to my blog! Happy Monday Everyone!! Today we are gonna talk about calories- some people love them, others hate them. But no matter what your take is on them, there is no getting rid of the fact that they exist (no matter what you call them). So let's understand this "thing" that seems to dictate our eating habits (or not). The definition of a "calorie" is the amount of energy needed to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius. However, since the calorie as we know it is actually a kilocalorie, our definition would be the amount of energy needed to raise one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. The simple math equation we use to understand calories is a balanced equation- calories in vs calories out. If we want to lose weight, we need to have less calories in than calories out. If we want to gain weight (usually muscle), the opposite is true- we need to take more calories in than calories out. "Calories in" comes from ...

Hello friends! Happy Summer!! I'm SO happy the sun is out today!!! 😃 So I have been feeling a little bloated the last couple days, which was the inspiration for this post! Years ago bloating REALLY bothered me and I tried everything to stop it. Now I have just accepted that it's normal, I'm fine when it happens, and just wear a looser shirt to be more comfy 😉 There are hundreds of explanations under the sun as to why you could be bloating. Many common reasons are: Not eating enough fiber Dehydration Food intolerances That time of the month for females "Swallowing" air - more on that later If you are a human, you are going to experience bloating- there's no way around that. Even if you are avoiding all of the common reasons stated above, you are still going to deal with bloating at some point in your life. Even if it's just the end of the day, your stomach will be full of food, and will never be as flat at the end of the day as it is in the morn...

I’m sure we all can relate to this problem of overeating. It’s so prevalent in our culture, it’s almost considered “normal.” However, this is not a good thing! Childhood obesity has skyrocketed in the past few years- it’s even seen in babies as young as 6 months old. How crazy is that???? While there is nothing wrong with enjoying sweets and treats every now and then (in fact, I recommend it!), constantly bingeing and losing control of what you are eating is not good! Not only does bingeing have effects on your physical body, but also your mental state. During a binge, you have given up all self control and have succumbed to the temptation of food. While this can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and a number of health concerns, this harms your mental and emotional state. You feel defeated, overwhelmed, and even disgusted with yourself. This overflows into other areas of your life- you lose motivation to workout, to perform well in activities, to work hard, and to live up to your poten...

Happy Tuesday! Gosh it feels like it has been forever since I have been on here, even though it's only been two weeks (which is still "two" long!!). I have been busy and honestly lacking motivation for just about everything the last couple weeks. I am almost done with school for this year, and am itching to be! Although I am tempted to slack off until then, I know that it's not over yet, and I need to keep doing my best! Since the marathon (these last two weeks), I have not been lifting heavy quite as much, and doing some lighter workouts. I have been running at least once a week (short, baby runs!), as it is something I want to keep doing. And in all honesty, my nutrition has not been on point. Between cravings, running late, and overall laziness, I have not eaten as many veggies, as much whole food, or even as much protein as I aim too. I have been overwhelmed with my to-do list, and you know how I respond? I shut down. I hide and do absolutely nothing. What a ...

Hey there! Welcome to the FIRST DAY of the May Challenge: eat more veggies. I thought I would kick it off with some ways to incorporate vegetables into your first meal! Now, I am the person who would always prefer sweet things in the morning, so eating vegetables in the morning is a stretch for me! But whenever I do, I get to know I made a dent in my veggie-quota for the day; I love crossing things off my to-do list!! Here are some fun and sneaky ways to eat your veggies in the morning :) Omelet Or whatever version of this you can make, if your chef skills aren't on point 😂 Omelets are a super easy way to include vegetables in a meal! Sometimes if I don't feel up to attempting this culinary feat, I will place scrambled or fried eggs on a bed of leafy greens- and add ketchup or salsa :) This is one of my favorite ways to have veggies in the morning, since my taste buds are used to eating eggs in the morning! Smoothie A great way to still have that sweet taste in t...

Hello Everyone!! I have an exciting announcement... I am starting a month long challenge for the month of May! The challenge? Eat more vegetables. Simple as that. You don't need to sign up or pay money, this is simply a challenge I am posing to all of you! Why is eating vegetables so important? Well, there are SO many reasons, but here is a scary one: obesity statistics are rapidly increasing, and do you know what the main cause of that is? Our diet. Processed, sugar-filled food is literally EVERYWHERE, and is so convenient to buy. If we all started to slowly change our diet to whole natural foods, we could prevent so much disease. And the best way to start? Making SMALL changes, such as eating more vegetables ;) The recommended amount of vegetables to eat each day is 3 servings. This usually translates to about a handful of said vegetable, but can vary. My challenge to YOU is to eat more vegetables everyday. And "more" is different for everyone! If you hear the word...