1. Lifts Weights
The key to a petite’s metabolism is muscle. The more muscle, the faster her metabolism, the more food she can eat without gaining fat. How do you get more muscle? You gotta lift weights but more importantly, you gotta lift HEAVY (relative to your height, of course) . The nice thing is, since we’re so short there’s really only so much weight that we can safely lift. I used the example of biceps curls on the last episode about how I won’t ever need more than 20lbs and I’ve been lifting for years. Whereas my boyfriend needs at least 35lbs to put enough tension on his muscles. It also holds true for squats. You’re considered an advance lifter if you can squat your bodyweight with good form. So for most of us that’s in the low 100s which isn’t really that much for a taller person. That’s like their warmup but for us its highly effective. That doesn’t make it easier for us since its all relative but it does mean that we have our own standards.
2. Counts Macros
Since petites have a smaller calorie requirement than taller people, every calorie matters but more specifically – where our calories come matters most. And our calories come from macros. You might already know that 1g of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of carb is 4 calories and 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. Well By counting macronutrients to meet your calories you’ll be aiming to reach a balance of all 3 nutrients you within your calorie requirement. When your macros are balanced, you’ll feel well-fueled for your workouts, have energy throughout the day and you’ll just feel more satisfied after each meal you eat. Rather than if your calories were made up with mostly carbs, you woudn’t feel so great.
3. Practices Volume Eating
Hunger is the reason most of us can’t stick with a diet. Filling your plate with lots of low-calorie/high-nutrient foods (as opposed to high-calorie foods), will help you feel like you’re eating a ton of food and will keep you fuller for longer. It’s like if you had $100 to spend at the mall. Are you gonna buy 1 hand bag for $100? or are you gonna shop for the deals and get 4-5 items? I’m all about getting more for less. and that’s exactly what Volume eating is. – more food for less calories!
4. Meets Step goals
Since petites expend less calories during exercise and we don’t require as many calories, it’s much harder to be in a calorie deficit. But doing more intense exercise to burn more calories will leave us feeling nothing but BURNT the fuck OUT! But incorporating more low-intensity movement throughout the day like walking will initiate a steady calorie burn. Walking is not hard but it keeps our petite engines running so good. My most successful petite clients move around a lot each day. I’m talking 10-14 thousands steps. If you’re not there yet, it’s okay. Slowly increase your goal by 1000 steps and once you can do that consistently, add another 1000. Wearing a step counter like fitbit or apple watch daily is the easiest and most accurate way to count your steps plus there some other neat things to track like your sleep, resting heart rate and calories burned.
5. Always Keeps learning.
Learning what makes you different as a petite is the first step to making long lasting habit changes that will result in a healthier and happier you. Knowing the WHY behind what you have to do makes it that much easier to follow. If you’re not learning you’re not growing. And there is so much to learn just about ourselves. As you go through a nutrition and fitness journey, you will always keep learning more and more about who you truly are.
6. Has petite community
There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re alone in this process. Just think back to when you first found my instagram or podcast. You were probably like “OMG I didn’t even realize this is a thing! Other ladies have the same struggles I have?!” Yes, girl. Yes, they do! And we absolutely need to stick together to support each other in our unique challenges we face on a day-to-day basis! It makes the process feel a lot better.
All 6 of these are the backbone in my 1:1 funsized program. Throughout the 16 weeks you will be practicing all of them in a way that not only fits your lifestyle and schedule, but fits your height. My program is fully customizable to you. I make weight lifting programs based on the equipment you have access to. So if you only have a pair of 5lbs dumbbells or some resistance bands, you can still build muscle. Each week I provide you with customized macro targets to reach every day. I also view your food journal frequently and I help you add more volume to your meals when needed. I provide you with step goals to reach as well as cardio and supplements if necessary. And everything you need to know about how and why you’re do the things you’re doing is included inside my mini macros course so that you keep learning and understanding the meaning behind it all. The more you understand the WHY the more likely you will be committed to this petite way of life. And last but not least, when you enroll in my program, you’ll instantly become a member of my petite community where you’ll receive added support from others who are going through or have gone through my program too. Overall, I work with you to make it a routine you actually enjoy that actually makes sense for you. By the end of the 16 weeks, you’ll be feeling much more confident to continue your 6 new healthy habits on your own.
