1. What can someone do to maintain a healthy lifestyle if they hate going to the gym?

"What I think a lot of people don't realize is that you don't need to be doing anything crazy at the gym in order to get in shape. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle all comes down to your daily choices. Making small modifications in your diet and lifestyle can and will produce tremendous results. Many people might choose the elevator everyday when going to class or have a soda with every meal. Switching to the stairs on a daily basis and cutting out sugary drinks will make a huge impact long-term on your overall health."

2. What are some good things to have for breakfast when you don’t think you have enough time to eat while running out the door?

"Breakfast is the most important meal nobody has time for. It's crucial to get something in your body and working since you have basically just starved your body during a full night's rest of eight-plus hours or four-plus for us as college students. Which brings up the importance of sleep but that's a whole other story.

Fruit is easy and a decent option but could lead to over eating later in the day, and a lot of the time the acidity on an empty stomach can upset it. Complex carbs are the way to go in the morning because they will breakdown slower in the body and provide you with energy spread out further through the day. Oatmeal is your best friend and you can sweeten it up with honey or cinnamon rather than using brown sugar. Another quick and easy powerful breakfast is one or two pieces of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and honey."

3. What would you say to someone who wants to go to the gym but feels like they would embarrass themself since they don’t understand most of the machines?

"Start your workout journey with cardio. 30-45 minutes walking on the treadmill four to five times a week is all you really need to stay pretty healthy. After your trip to the treadmill, walk on over and learn and practice one machine. Understand how to use it and use YouTube videos to guide you on the form. Each day add on another machine or exercise, and before you know it you'll be king/queen of the gym."

4. A lot of people think if they just don’t eat they’ll lose weight. What would you say to them?

"This is a major problem. Not getting enough to eat is very dangerous to your health and can actually put your body into a state of starvation, in turn making it even more difficult to loose weight and change your body composition."

5. If someone wants to start a diet, how would you suggest they go about that?

"Start small. Living a healthy lifestyle is a life-long pursuit and small changes overtime will have the greatest impact. Remember that failure is all a part of the game too, just remember to always make sure you are pointed in the right direction and getting better everyday. It starts today right now, not tomorrow."

6. I personally really love my carbs. What would you say to someone who wants to lose weight but also loves their pasta?

"Focus on when you are eating those starchy carbs. Timing your consumption of these types of foods will help your body better absorb it. For example, instead of having that half a sleeve of Oreos 30 minutes after a big dinner, rearrange those Oreos for 30 minutes after your workout, believe it or not!"

7. How do I know what dietary supplements are right for me and my goals?

"The supplements industry is unfortunately filled with deceit. The best thing for the human body is whole food and basic exercise. If you are consuming a balanced diet you will receive all the vitamins/nutrients you need to stay healthy. There is no quick and easy pill or vitamin that's going to shed all the weight off.

It takes time and it takes long-term dedication to wanting a better life for yourself. None of the supplements that you will find are FDA approved and they make exaggerated claims about the benefits. Stick to whole food and if you want to incorporate a protein shake into your diet, check online forum reviews and find a basic powder that maximizes grams of protein per grams of weight per serving size!"

8. If someone were to choose one thing to change in his or her daily routine, what would make the biggest impact?

"I know this is two things, but more sleep and less processed sugar! And also make sure to drink plenty of water on a daily basis as that is really important. I guess that makes three."

9. What is the importance of a cheat day and what’s the right way to have one?

"If you are doing well with your diet it's so important to have a cheat day at least once a week to reset your metabolism, refuel your body, and boost your motivation. Your body has been hungry all week and it needs a break to replenish and keep on with the diet. It's also comforting to your motivation and ability to pursue the diet if you can reset and splurge out one day during the week!"

10. Is there any further advice you would like to give?

"Losing weight is all a simple calories in vs. calories out game. What I have always told everyone I have worked with is to google "BMR" calculator and discover your BMR! The number will give you the amount of calories your body will burn from basic bodily processes on a daily basis if you did nothing but sit still in bed all day.

Add exercise and your food into the equation and close out the day 250-500 calories under your calories burned to put you in a healthy deficit for loosing weight, and 250-500 calories over your calories burned to put you in a healthy surplus for gaining weight and muscle. This is why you have probably heard that it is very difficult to build muscle and loose weight at the same exact time because it all comes down to whether you are building bricks or knocking them down. Exceeding a 500-1,000 caloric deficit or surplus daily will push your body into an unhealthy process of loosing or gaining weight.

There is no fast way out unfortunately! Look at it this way, you may just be discovering you have put on a little too much weight, but think about how much time has passed that you have been slowly putting that weight on before you noticed and that it might have all been caused by a small change in your diet. It takes time to loose weight, but fortunately, if you do it right, not nearly much time as it took to put it on.

Remember that the food and beverage business is not your friend. Their job is to make things taste good and keep you coming back for more."