Level up your routine

Certified holistic nutritionist Alessia Donato gives us a peek into her fit-abulous lifestyle.

I'm an Italian nutritionist, personal trainer and online coach. I help women lose weight, tone up, get strong and confident while building a healthy relationship with food without fad diets and extreme workouts. I do this through my BodybyLess, eat, lift, transform method.

I love helping women become stronger versions of themselves and finally build the body and health of their dreams with no nonsense nutrition and a sustainable and holistic approach to fitness! I love the ocean, Harry Potter, travelling to faraway places and I'm a bit of a hippie at heart. Free spirit all the way!

Nutrition in today's busy lifestyle

There is nothing more important to your health than what you put into your body. As a nutritionist and personal trainer, it's not always easy to stay on track with my busy lifestyle. I am always on the go training clients, coaching and creating content so meal prepping on weekends is my go to. Without pre-preparing nourishing food each week, I know I won't stay on track so it's a big priority for me. I also like to keep thing super simple. I generally eat the same foods every day with a couple variations but knowing what I will eat before I eat helps so much when I'm busy.

Personal routine to stay fit and fab

I wake up generally between 6am and 7am and drink water. I have my coffee, pray and meditate, catch up on emails and then head to my client sessions. Around 11am, you can find me in the gym. Strength training is my therapy and what keeps me sane and it's a huge part of what I do with my coaching clients and I got to practice what I preach. I train hard. Lift heavy and always push myself to achieve new personal bests. I eat most animal foods with steak, eggs and fish being my staples and lots of veggies and fruits. My guilty pleasure is cheesecake or a Tim Hortons' doughnut, but I don't make this a habit as It makes me feel sluggish. Real, healthy food, for the win!

I don't diet. I eat and train for my goals. That means I don't do any fads or focus on anything restrictive. I'm flexible and it's what I live by. Balance is key.

Tips to get on track

Don't overcomplicate nutrition and fitness. Most people are far too dogmatic with their approach and not flexible. This leads to binges or constantly dieting and "falling off the wagon". Find what works for you and stay consistent. Consistency is what is missing for most people.

Eat good food that doesn't come in a box 80 per cent of the time and enjoy life the other 20 per cent. Move more. Find a workout that inspires you. Get enough sleep and stay the course. Embrace this as a lifestyle and you'll never look back. Your health is your wealth and if you need the support and accountability, getting a coach can do wonders for your progress and results.

Fav spots for healthy meals

I generally don't eat out a lot and when I do, I like to indulge. However, I do love a good Poke bowl and my favourite spot is Cali Poke. I really like Heat Cafe for their macro-friendly meals, but I usually prefer home-cooked foods.