Health & Wellness tips for the Pandemic & Beyond with Suzy Mari

Suzy Mari of SuzyMari Fitness stopped by the Charles Matthew show to give us some tips on staying healthy, especially during the pandemic. However, her tips will undoubtedly be useful for maintaining our health post-pandemic as well. Below is some of the knowledge she provided when she joined Charles Matthew and our very own Jodi-Ann Campbell to discuss valuable health and fitness habits.

• 80% of the time when you eat food it should be healthy, the other 20% can be other foods you enjoy. But do not indulge daily.

• Food is about enjoyment. Suzi doesn’t eat for pleasure as most people do. She eats to survive and for energy.

• You have to be able to eat throughout the day without putting your body in a deficit. The body burns the most fat between 7 & 9 am, so breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Food Schedule

1. Breakfast between 7-9 am

• Snack between 10 am – 11:30 am

• Lunch between 12:30- 1:30 pm (no later than 2 pm)

• Snack between 2-3 pm

• Between 2-4 pm is when your body is hungriest and craves the oiliest, greasiest, fattiest, sugary & salty foods.

• Dinner between 4-6 pm (Dinner should be light to medium-sized)

• A snack before 9:00 pm 

• Don’t eat after 9:00 pm (latest 10 pm) 6:00 pm for people who go straight from work to home with less movement.

• Therefore we should be eating at least 5-6 times a day but with portion control.

• Half of your plate (medium-sized plate) for your three solid meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) should be green vegetables. The size of the palm of your hand should be the amount of protein on your plate. Your carbs should be around knuckle size. If you are, in fact, eating enough vegetables, they will turn into carbs by becoming starch.

Suzi Mari on Intermitting Fasting

Suzy Mari states your body should never be at a hunger stage; you should never feel hungry or starving because you’ll be putting your body in deficit mode. Because the next time you eat something, like a salad, your body will store it as fat. This is because your body has been forced to use fat as energy, and fat is dense. Once the fat has been burned off, it’s going to continue to restore, and therefore you will gain weight as soon as you start to eat.

Exercising

Suzy Mari recommends working out first thing in the morning because you are releasing endorphins. With those endorphins, your body is set up with productivity throughout the day. That way, when you eat throughout the day, your body will still be working it off. By the end of the night, you will most likely get a restful sleep. This is why it may not be a good idea to work out at night because you may end up wired, full energy and unable to sleep. Don’t forget to have a meal before the workout and a meal after the workout. This is to fuel your body for energy-burning and to replenish the body after the workout so that your muscles can grow and get strong.

Suzy Mari’s one simple exercise tip: Planks! It strengthens your core back and sides. You can do them standing up, sitting down, on the floor or however you wish because you can modify them for you. Try to do them first thing in the morning as it will give you energy, but start with a shorter time, like 10 seconds. Then work your up to 15 seconds, then 20 and so on.

For more information on Suzy Mari, join one of her virtual fitness classes or have a one-on-one personal training session; you can reach her at (416)-895-5129 or visit her website suzymari.ca or email her at suzimarifitness@gmail.com.

Here is the link for her appearance on the Charles Matthew Show.