nicole loher @nicoleloher - Tumblr Blog

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Hey there Nicole! I was just wondering, how do you deal with recovery? How are you able to workout most of the week and battle soreness?

Hey there! I just work through it. I am on a push/pull schedule, so I usually have a day of rest for each set of muscles. I take a full rest day on the weekends to do nothing. Hope that helps? x

Have you seen the new 'Ladylike' campaign ad by H&M? I just love it! Empowering women regardless of their size, style, age, body, ethnicity, gender identity or sexuality

No amount of branding can make up for the fact that they're ethically corrupt. The Women Who Make H&M's Clothes Are Fired For Getting Pregnant: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/women-making-hm-clothes-factory-fired-pregnant

How tf did you train yourself to wake up for the gym at 4 am? I need the nicole secret!

This is going to sound weird but growing up my parents always got up at 4:30AM and went to bed at 9PM. I think that may have rubbed off on me. I also did it over a slow amount of time - first I woke up at 6AM, then 5:45AM, then 5:30AM, and so on until I got to 4:30AM. I also go to bed at 9:30PM - sleep is a huge priority for me. I just can't function without it!

hey nicole! I have just started taking a part-time coding class after my full-time job and it leaves me an hour between to grab dinner (but no time to get home). I can’t wait until I get home at 10pm or I get hangry. do you have any ideas on something portable I could bring with me for dinner? I typically pack a lunch and have veggie stir fry, salad, or a sandwich.

Hiiii! How exciting! I’m all about 500g shredded lettuce topped with 5oz lean ground turkey, sliced jalapenos, a few tortilla chips, some greek yogurt + sirracha. xo

Hi Nicole! How do you find you balance your fit life with your social life? I personally have a hard time balancing both and not feeling obsessed with working out/ eating the right things. How can you stop it from taking over?

Hey there! If you follow me on Snapchat, you know I wake up at 4:30AM everyday. I work out in the morning, work during the day, and see friends in the evenings or on the weekends. It’s simple! xo

Thoughts on Larabars?

Not my jam but I know a lot of people who like them.

Hi Nicole, First off, wanted to say seriously you're a MF badass. I've been following you for quite some and whenever I lose motivation, I'll always come back to read your blog+posts and it puts me back on track. Currently i'm trying to incorporate IIFYM into my diet, do you have any tips on how you started? So much information out there on IIFYM, and it can be intimidating. Thanks for being you, xx

Hi there!! You are SO kind! Yeah - there’s a lot of information and to be honest, when I first started to look into it, I was like, “how do I even begin?!” But, over time, I learned that only I know my body so I should be the one that determines what’s right. That AND there’s a bit of trial and error that goes into it.

I kind of stumbled into it through my best friend. I had just come off of training for my triathlon and began lifting, on top of cardio 5-6 days a week. I hopped on the scale one day and was like “Crap. I’m underweight.” I was also super cranky and tired (which I thought was just from waking up so early).

My best friend introduced my to a nutritionist friend of hers who helped guide me back on track with a healthy weight and enough fuel to get me through my training sessions. I figured out my macros (with their help!) using the IIFYM calculator and from there, it was trial and error (figuring out how my body processed carbs vs. fats vs. protein).

A few things to note that I’ve learned over time:

If you plan your meals a week in advance and do all your grocery shopping at once, it makes life SO much easier

I try to scope out any meals I’ll be eating out at restaurants or with friends in advance, look at the restaurant’s menu or ask my friend what they’ll be making, then plan the rest of my day around that

There are also some meals that I just won’t give up. For examples, I LOVE oatmeal and will always find a way to have that + peanut butter for breakfast

Best of luck! xo

Do you have a brand you would recommend for a good quality pair of jeans?

I love Madewell denim!

Do you still drink coffee? Thoughts on stevia vs enjoying sugar infrequently? How do you remedy emotional cravings?

Hi there! I do still drink coffee - about 3 or 4 cups a day actually.

Personally, I don’t like stevia and I’m not a huge “sweets” person (although, I do love my Oreos). I used to emotional eat a lot - Thursday nights to be exact. It was the end of my “week” while I was in college and I used to be so stressed that as soon as I got home, I’d eat my way through half a pizza or half a box of cookies.

A weird thing happened when I began to detox from sugar - I never really went back. I found that saying “no” was easier than saying “sure, I’ll have a bite.” Then I’d eat the whole thing and felt ruined.

Nowadays, if I crave something sweet (ie. always Oreos or a chocolate chip cookie), I find a way to fit it into my macros. And at the end of the day, life is about enjoying what you’re eating and for sake, LIVING. There are no “right” or “wrong” things to eat. If it makes you happy, eat it!! Sometimes the emotional satisfaction of just eating something you’re craving is much better for your soul than worrying about “if it fits your macros” or “how many carbs” it has, you know?

Nicole! I know you get asked this a bajillion times, but what is your diet looking like now that you're upping your calorie intake?

Hey there! It’s not much different - I’m just eating a lot more and every two hours. My total macros right now are 144 grams of protein, 207 grams of carbohydrates, and 58 grams of fat. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know I enjoy eating the same things everyday. My current weekday meal plan looks like this:

Pre-workout (5AM)

1 Quest Bar

Breakfast (8:30AM)

3 scrambled egg whites, 170g riced cauliflower, .5 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 20g quick oats cooked like oatmeal and topped with 1 tablespoon of Glazed Donut Muscle Butter

Snack (10:30AM)

3 white cheddar rice cakes

Lunch (12:30PM)

4 oz lean ground turkey cooked in 1/4 tbsp coconut oil, 266g sweet potato, 85g steamed broccoli

Snack (2:30PM)

1 Fuji apple (154g), 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Snack (4:30PM)

Fage 2% Greek Yogurt, 1 Tablespoon Birthday Cake Muscle Butter, 1 caramel corn rice cake crumbled on top

Dinner (7:00PM)

4oz chicken baked in 1/4 tablespoon coconut oil, 170g steamed asparagus, 4 cups sautéed spinach, topped with 1 tablespoon of all natural salsa

Snack (8:00PM-ish)

1 caramel corn rice cake topped with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Water

1 gallon

When that totals up, it’s roughly 144 grams of protein, 208 grams of carbs, and 55 grams of fat. That’s roughly 1900 calories. My goal is to hit 2600+ calories within the next two-three months. It’s going to take some time to build up to that but it’ll definitely benefit me in the long run. Strong, not skinny!

How much skin care do you do before your workouts? I run outside a lot and I know I should be using spf, but just to slap that on my face in the mornings feels wrong? (as of right now, I postpone my other steps after my workout and reapply spf for the day)

Hi there! I don’t do much first thing in the morning (4:30 wake ups are brutal enough). If I’m running outside, I always wear a SPF, a hat, and sunglasses. Then do my full skincare routine afterwards.

For SPF alone, I like Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ Wetforce For Face/Body, $40.

You and Sarith are just everything! Much love to you both x

Wahhhh this makes me want to cry. He's so amazing.

It's been a minute.

I just saw your exercise post and was wondering how you made you came up with your workout schedule. Did you have a personal trainer at first or use some type of workout video routines? I'm trying to get motivated to workout again but I feel like I don't know where to start. You're such an inspiration! Keep slaying girl!!

Hi! SO, I actually did a triathlon and was apart of a group of about 15 that had three personal trainers for all of us. We spent nearly every day with them - they advised us on proper routine, form, and nutrition. I soaked up as much as I could and a lot of what I do now is just to maintain if I ever want to race again (which I do). I couldn’t always swim for an hour straight and biking on my own for an hour and a half used to sound miserable. It’s been about nine months since I started on this specific path, so its taken awhile of tweaking, but well worth it!

Hey, Nicole! I would just like to say first that I have been following you for quite a few years now and you never cease to amaze and inspire me. You are so beautiful, inside and out. Thank you so much for sharing your world with us. <3 Okay, so this might be a moronic question and I know you've been answering many questions about your food choices lately, but I was wondering what you think would be best before you work out or if you think it's necessary to eat beforehand?

Hiii. This is so sweet! I always eat before I work out - on average I work out for 2-2.5 hours in a row so I need *something*. That being said, it’s usually 4:45-5AM when I have my first “meal”. I like to have half or a full Quest bar. I think it comes down to personal preference and level of activity, though. I used to hate eating before working out, especially if it were just for an hour run. Now that I do back-to-back lifting-cardio-strength and frequently throw in double-days, I’m always eating every chance I get. Hope that helps?

Would you mind sharing what, if any, apps you use to tracking exercise / working out / eating?

Hey, sure thing! I use MyFitnessPal to track my macro intake and workouts, as well as wahoo fitness (with a heart rate monitor) and the Nike+ Training Club for routine workouts.

how long did it take before you started seeing results? I know you said it took you a long time/ trial & error before you found a routine you said worked for you

I’ve been at this since college but I didn’t start to see significant results until I started training for the triathlon in December/January.

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