Cracking the Code: What I Learned After 12 Years of Being Obsessed with Fitness and Nutrition
Have you ever struggled, trying to connect the dots in your health and fitness routine? Maybe you’ve wondered, “Why? If I’m eating better and moving my body more often – WHY am I not seeing the change I want to see in my body and my health?” My friend, I hear you. I have tried so many things in the past 12 years, and I feel like I finally cracked the code. I’ve built a career on trying, learning and then showing people what is working for me. And I’m happy to share it with you.
My lessons from 12 years of being obsessed with fitness and nutrition:
- Women aren’t men. Learn to honour your cycle and body as it changes throughout the month. It’s a beautiful thing.
- You don’t need to “go on” a diet, you need to make changes your diet. Where can you slide some better choices into your meals?
- Create an environment that supports your goals.
- Choose real food over processed. Any protein snack/bar from the health aisle will never beat protein and fruit.
- Drinking diet soda and stevia sweetened snacks all day keeps you addicted to sugar with less calories. If you want to get rid of the cravings, get rid of it all. Try it with a friend, and have fun keeping each other accountable.
- You can get in incredible shape doing a LOT of different things. Try switching things up. You don’t have to go to a gym, choose an exercise and do 3 sets of 10 reps. Try Pilates. Try outdoor bodyweight workouts. Try bands. Move in different ways.
- People will try to make you feel bad for making healthy choices or not having an alcoholic drink. Own the f*ck out of it. You do you. Try to surround yourself with more people making healthy choices, and online communities or social media pages that are supportive of it too.
- Something that helped solve my food-obsession was swapping all my sweet protein powder based meals to savoury meat based meals. I share a lot of my healthy protein-first meals on Instagram, if you’re looking for ideas.
- I learned I didn’t have a “bloating problem”. I was just consuming a bunch of artificial sweeteners and my body didn’t like it.
- Most energy drinks have gross ingredients. If you’re looking for an energy boost, stick to coffee.
- Having a low carb, high protein & fat breakfast made me work better, made me feel fuller for longer, made fat loss easier, gave me more sustained energy and completely reduced cravings.
- You can transform your body with 30 minute, really intentional workouts. You can see some of my examples on my Youtube channel.
- Read the ingredients label. If it has stuff you’d never see in your kitchen cupboard, you don’t need it.
- Simply going through the motions of an exercise isn’t enough to change the muscle. For noticeable change, make sure those last few reps are brutal.
- Being in your “dream body” doesn’t solve all of your problems. Address what you’re struggling with in your head.
- Don’t track calories burned in a workout, or in a day. It’s inaccurate. And doesn’t matter.
- The best cardio for fat loss is walking. Add steps into your day where you can.
- You do not need to be dripping in sweat with a high heart rate to have had an incredibly effective workout.
- For the absolute best results – train for muscle and eat for fat loss.
- You shouldn’t feel like you need to eat every 2 hours. If you feel like that,
1. Eat bigger meals
2. Eat more protein
3. Try fasting – learn to discern what’s true hunger. - Just because it saves you calories does not mean its healthy. Examples: Spray butter, diet soda, non stick pans.
- Your body keeps the score. You might not feel the repercussions of either over-exercising/under fuelling now. But at some point, you will. The same goes for not exercising, drinking every weekend and eating garbage.
- Make your life easy by making it simple. Whether you eat healthy or unhealthy foods, you probably eat the same 10 foods. Find healthier choices and repeat them for real success.
- Take 5 minutes at the end of your workout to regulate your nervous system. 5 min calm song, breathe work.
- If you can’t figure out why you can’t lose fat but haven’t tracked calories/portions once, you’ll find all the answers in a single week. You do not need to do this for long.
- More important than the will to win is the will to prepare. Your goals are in your hands. Look at your day/week in advance and do what needs to be done for you to succeed.
I’ve taken everything I’ve learned, both in my own health journey, and now through all the women I train in my digital fitness program, Studio Era. You can find my programs and meal plans on my app at https://www.studioera.co/, and also try this free, juicy booty & legs workout you can do at home 
Click here to get started: https://www.studioera.co/leg-workout-lm1.
Madelaine Rascan is a certified fitness trainer dedicated to empowering women worldwide to achieve their dream bodies in a healthy and sustainable way. With a focus on results-driven workouts and quality nutrition, she helps her clients fall in love with their fitness routines. Madelaine’s expertise and passion for health and wellness have made her a trusted guide for women seeking to transform their lives through fitness.
Find Madelaine’s informative, often comedic, relatable fitness & nutrition content on social:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/madelainerascan/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@madelainerascan
NOTE: This article contains a personal experience and general health and wellness information. It is not intended as a diagnosis or medical advice of any kind. Always consult with your own health professionals before undertaking any new physical or nutritional programs.
