As the New Year creeps up on us, many are thinking of getting healthier in 2016. Many want to lose weight. Some are trying to decide if they can actually handle running a marathon, and a lot of men will be flooding my squat rack in the next two months with the goal of bulking up in the next year. However, what are you really missing to make all of your fitness dreams come true?

Before I start preaching from fitness pulpit, let me just say I am no dietician. I am not scientist. I’m not a trainer. I’m just a woman who used to be obese and hated fitness. I hated running. I hated sweating. I hated not eating all of the sugary food I thought I needed. I didn’t know anything about my own metabolism or caloric intake. I now shudder to think about all of the crap I was putting into my body.

This blog post isn’t about politics, but it is about current events, and let’s face it: tons of us have fitness goals for 2016. Let me give you the information I have learned in my own fitness/weight loss journey. I’m not satisfied with where I am, but 2016 will be the year I get to that 14% body fat that I’ve been chasing.

Before you run off to the grocery store to buy all of the “healthy” foods that are being marketed to you right now, read this article. In in, scientists and researchers have found that these “diet” foods are actually make you fat. They are being shoved at you, and you think they aren’t as filling or calorie dense, so many people are gorging themselves on too much of them. Not to mention “low fat” or “fat free” foods just aren’t good for you.

I’m a powerlifter. I try to feed my body for my sport. Most days I feel like eating is my job, and I actually intend to kick my food game up this year from about 3000 calories a day to almost 4000 calories a day because I want to build a little more muscle to burn more fat. Hear that? Muscle burns fat like crazy because it takes more calories to fuel bigger muscles.

Now, as a woman, I’m not trying to look like Arnold, but those toned women you see in fitness magazines aren’t getting that way from cardio alone. They lift, and they lift heavy. So, ladies, forget all you’ve heard about weight loss. You NEED to lift heavy. Those huge female bodybuilders you see aren’t doing it naturally. They are taking steroids. Women WILL NOT gain muscle like that. We will look toned and sexy – like the fitness models or elite athletes like Holly Holm.

Lifting heavy has absolutely changed my life. It has empowered me more than anything else ever has, and I feel strong and sexy. I love the looks I get from the guys when they see me lift the bar full of weight they didn’t think I had a chance of getting off the ground. It is an amazing feeling.

Nutrition is so very important in fitness. You won’t have the energy to do any activity if you don’t eat right. I won’t lie. I cook pretty much everything I eat. I hardly ever eat out, and I make a lot from scratch just to make sure that I am not getting all of the added crap that tends to get thrown into our food. Here are some useful things you need to know:

Protein is the most important part of your diet.

Carbohydrates will always be necessary. Carb-less diets are not only stupid; they are dangerous.

Fat is not something to be scared of. Healthy fats – both unsaturated and saturated – are integral in not only helping you to stay lean, they help your joints recover.

Dr. Jim Stoppani, a super buff dude with a doctorate in exercise physiology and biochemistry, exercise expert, and Muscle & Fitness USA Senior Science Editor, breaks down what your body needs to be successful, and it will shock most people. You don’t have to go on a veggie cleanse. You don’t have to choke down nothing but salads. To build muscles and fuel your body throughout the day, you need the following:

1.5 grams of protein / pound of body weight
2-3 grams of carbs / pound of body weight
4 grams of carbs / pound of body weight on the day BEFORE your heaviest day (the day you try to max out)
Fats should make up 30% of your diet with at least 10% of that in saturated fats.

Dr. Jim also sums up what else your body needs in any of his multiple articles. This diet, with the supplements, will equal about 20 calories per pound of your current body weight. As you lose or gain weight, you should adjust those. This diet is more catered to those of us who are lifting extremely heavy or trying to bulk. If you are trying to shred, you still need to lift, and Dr. Jim has free lifting and nutrition programs on Bodybuilding.com and in the BodySpace app. I’ve done Shortcut to Shred, and it is fabulous.

If you want to get fit this year, do it. Don’t let anyone stop you. Don’t let anyone intimidate you. Let me tell you a secret, Guys and Gals. Most of those meatheads in the gym have no idea what they are doing. I have men try to give me tips ALL. THE. TIME. I ignore them because their advice is normally bad.

If you have a smartphone, download the BodySpace App. Not only are all of the programs loaded, they have videos to show you how to properly do each move. You can target specific muscle groups, and they have some great cardio exercises.

Ladies, ass-to-grass squats with a loaded bar and deadlifts are two of the best exercises you can do for your backsides. Don’t ever be scared of bench press. It is great for your chest and triceps, and don’t ever let me catch you pulling that lat pulldown bar BEHIND your head.

Gentlemen, never, never, ever skip leg day. My sister-in-law and I call the guys who skip leg day at our gyms Spongebob and laugh. You don’t want women laughing at you. No, you can’t get as low in those squats, but women still like that butt when you squat low.

If the BodySpace tutorials aren’t thorough enough, you can check out the Buff Dudes on YouTube. They are not only incredibly knowledgeable, they aren’t too hard on the eyes. Check out Bodybuilding.com, and if you want a great starter program, Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Trainer is wonderful.

And, for the love of all that is holy, please re-rack your weights.

Go forth and lift, my friends. Don’t look back on 2016 and feel like you didn’t achieve those resolutions. Be one of the few who took the fitness bull by the horns and deadlifted him. You can do it. This Victory Girl believes in you.