Allie Ruby is the prime example of the saying, where there is a will, there is a way. She changed herself from a fat girl to a super fit girl by making small changes steadily and it worked for her.
But what makes her weight loss journey more exciting is that she didn’t like six pack abs and it didn’t bring her satisfaction so she changed her fitness goals. Is she happier now? Let’s find out by reading about her fitness journey and knowing her exact workout routine and diet plan.
Bad Lifestyle
The lovely lady admits that when she was studying, she was really stressed out which led to unhealthy eating. She had loads of coffee, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper to keep herself awake. Her water intake was low and she ate loads of fast foods. She also participated in alcohol-filled parties and ate dining hall food. Apart from poor diet choices, she also had a sedentary lifestyle wherein she just walked between classes and it was her only exercise.
Motivation for Change
In 2013, the powerlifter saw a picture of her with her dog on social media and she really felt bad. She looked heavy and felt really embarrassed. On that day, she decided to change her lifestyle and started off with writing everything that was frustrating her along with things that made her unhealthy. She then committed to small yet sustainable changes.
Diet Changes
Some of the small diet changes that helped her to feel more energized within a week were swapping
- Ordering out food with a salad
- A burrito with brown rice or cottage cheese
- Double cheeseburgers for chicken and cottage cheese.
She also tracked her diet and took help of her trainer to design her meals. A few weeks after the diet changes, she added at-home workout videos to her routine.
Workout Changes
Like diet, she started with making small changes to her workouts. She started taking her dog for runs for four days a week. She used the Couch to 5K app and her dog also motivated her to run. Soon, she started at-home workouts that made her feel comfortable with herself.
Fear of Hitting the Gym
Like many other people, the beauty was intimidated by the gym initially because she assumed everyone was judging her. But she convinced herself via self-talk to hit the gym and realize that people usually don’t talk negative things about a person who is trying to get better.
Workout Motivation
She motivated herself to stay fit by seeking inspiration from Instagram, making like-minded friends of all ages and backgrounds who had same fitness goals like her and seeing weight loss results she achieved.
Workout Routine
Day 1 – A Paired Set
1 Kettlebell Swing that includes 10 sets of 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps and Kettlebell squat that includes 10 sets of 19, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 rep(s).
3 Rounds of Circuit
Band External Rotation that includes 15 reps on each side, Slow Shoulder Tap that includes 10 reps per side and Stability-Ball Stir-The-Pot including 15 reps per side.
It is advised that a person rests for at least 1 minute in between rounds.
Kettlebell Snatch that includes 5 sets of 10 reps per side, Kettlebell Walking Lunge including 4 sets of 10 reps per side.
One should rest 30 seconds between the sets of Kettlebell Snatch and one minute between the sets of Kettlebell Walking Lunge.
Day 2 – 4 Rounds of Circuit
Kettlebell Overhead Walk in which one needs to achieve 100 feet down and back on each arm, Plank with Reach including 60 reps while alternating arms and 1 set of Lat Pull-Down with 10-15 reps.
It is advised to rest one minute between the rounds.
8 reps per side of Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press, 40 reps per side of side plank and 5 reps per side of Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up.
It is advised that one rests for 1 minute between the rounds.
Day 3 – HIIT Cardio
30 seconds run and 30 seconds walk for 20 rounds.
Day 4 – Paired Set
10 sets of 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps of Kettlebell Swing and 10 sets of 19, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 rep(s) of Kettlebell Squat.
3 Rounds of Circuit
15 reps per side of Band External Rotation, 10 reps per side of Slow Shoulder Tap and 15 reps per side of Stability-Ball Stir-The-Pot.
One should try to rest for 1 minute between the rounds.
5 sets of 10 reps per side of Kettlebell Snatch.
4 sets of 10 reps per side of Kettlebell Walking Lunge.
Rest for 30 seconds between the sets of Kettlebell Snatch and one minute for Kettlebell Walking Lunge.
Day 5: Rest
This is a complete rest day.
Day 6 – 4-5 rounds of Circuit
20 reps of Kettlebell Swing, 20 reps of Kettlebell Squat and 20 reps of Kettlebell Deadlift.
One should rest for a minute between each round.
5 reps per side of Kettlebell Snatch and 15 reps per side of Kettlebell Walking Lunge.
Again, remember to rest for 1 minute between rounds.
Day 7 – Cardio
20 seconds high-intensity and 10 seconds low-intensity for 4-minutes of stair climbing.
20 minutes of biking
Diet Plan
Allie’s diet plan is mentioned right here –
Meal 1
1 granola bar
Meal 2
1 scoop of protein powder and 2 slices of low-calorie bread
Meal 3
1 cup of Greek yogurt
Meal 4
3 oz. turkey, 1 cup broccoli and ¼ cup of brown rice
Meal 5
50 gram of Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Meal 6
4 oz. chicken, 20-gram whole grain pasta and 1 cup of mixed vegetables
Being Unhappy with Six Pack
The information manager from Des Moines, Iowa says that she thought that she would love to have six pack but when she achieved that fitness goal, she didn’t feel as happy as she had expected. She felt happier when she worked out hard and met other people who were on a fitness journey too. When she achieved six pack, she felt trapped as she had to eat a specific way, sleep a certain way and work out a certain way.
Changing Goals
As Ruby doesn’t like the six pack much, she refocused her goals on building muscle and felt better when she had a higher weight as well as more body fat. She now weighs about 163 lbs. rather than 127 lbs. she had achieved earlier.
