Have those Instagram photos of celebrities in the gym given you a boost of motivation? If you resolved to eat better and work out more this year, you might not know where to start. How can you get back on track and begin a fitness plan? How important is nutrition when it comes to sculpting your ideal body?

Corey Calliet, personal trainer to actor Michael B. Jordan and trainer on Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian, chatted with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about how to jump-start your fitness plan so you can feel better and look better. Here’s what he had to say.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What inspired you to make fitness part of your life?

Corey Calliet: My story starts a little differently
than most people. Back when I started, it was around 2004, my interest in
fitness wasn’t for the health and nutritional benefits; it was to get a girl. I
wanted to look good, so I figured if I looked really good, I’d get her attention.
My reasons for being interested in health and fitness shifted when I realized
what it did to my body. I became addicted to looking good and feeling good.

In 2008 I became a body builder and I was so infatuated with
how I changed my body so fast. And I realized for a long time I was working out
really hard, but my nutrition wasn’t perfect. And I realized in order to get
the perfect body or to look as good as you want, nutrition has to be the main key.
Once I changed my nutrition, everything shifted.  

CS: Where should you start if you want to get fit after not exercising for years or months?

CC: First, start with nutrition. You have to make
sure you’re eating correctly and you’re drinking enough water and staying
hydrated. You can work out as much as you want, but if you don’t eat right, you’ll
never get the body that you want. I think people have a tendency of doing
things too drastically when they’re just getting started. Start doing classes
and work out once a day. You don’t have to work out two or three times a day,
trying to meet an unrealistic goal. Take your time so you can make those
changes.

CS: Should you work with a trainer if you’re just starting out or is it better to work out at home?

CC: I think nine times out of 10 most people tend to start off and stop. I think it’s good to hire a trainer so you can have someone hold you accountable. They can tell you the right things to do and give you direction, so you don’t hurt yourself and just quit and not do it at all.

CS: What should be part of a healthy diet?

CC: I definitely like to balance my meals between carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and eating between four and five small meals a day every two to three hours. When it comes to nutrition, we can eat the chicken and rice and the vegetables, but I think the biggest part is when it comes to the snacking.

People tend to over-snack, to where snacking goes from healthy to being unhealthy, because it’s too much. When I snack, I love to have almonds and trail mix. I have a couple of healthy snacks to keep me motivated, where I’m not going to eat crazy stuff and lose what I’ve been trying to achieve.

CS: Are cheat days OK and how often should you have
them?

CC: I think you should earn a cheat day. If you’ve
been eating bad throughout the whole week, there’s no need to have a cheat day
because you’ve had one every day. I think you should do everything in
moderation. For instance, if you work out hard six days, on the seventh day you
should be able to have a cheat meal. You can have your favorite snacks, but
nothing that’s going to be too crazy where you’re bloated and it sets you back,
but something where you’re rewarding yourself.

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