Emily Abbate is going for a run in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post the fitness influencer flaunts her amazing figure in an exercise set after a long run. “A wet 20 miles down this morning (!!), and I couldn’t help but transport back to the 2018 Boston Marathon running in the rain. That race was anything but easy, something like 30mph wind gusts, 30-degree frigid temperatures, and a total downpour for a majority of the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston,” she captioned the Instagram photo. “Gloomy morning, great run. T-minus 36 days until the @nycmarathon, and a lot of fun to be had between now and then.” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here are her top tips.
When she was younger Emily lost 70 pounds in three years and has managed to keep it off ever since. She offered a bunch of tips to Eating Well. “Many popular diets advertise cutting things out—at least in small portions—like complex carbs or sugar. When we eliminate things from our diet, it’s almost guaranteed that we will crave them more. In my experience, I’d binge on the very thing I told myself I couldn’t have—and there is research to back this up, including a 2023 study in Frontiers in Psychology. Instead of eliminating things from your life, the practice of moderation and portion control along with paying attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues are much safer alternatives. It’s a practice that truly helped me along my journey,” she said. “For example, rather than nixing my college’s famous banana chocolate chip ice cream completely, I let myself have a scoop on Fridays. When it came to indulging in Grandma’s Sunday sauce, I made sure to also serve myself a hearty helping of salad in addition to the oh-so-good pasta bowl. By embracing the foods that made me happy in smart amounts, I was able to enjoy the process without feeling like I was missing out.”
She also recommends trying different workouts. “I went through phases over my three-year journey dabbling in a slew of different fitness modalities. I’ve done it all, from barre and Spin class to dance cardio and even CrossFit. Some of these love affairs lasted longer than others, but what I most enjoyed about the process was that I had the opportunity to mix up my routine as often as I liked. There was no reason to stick with something that didn’t bring me joy or light me up. By diversifying my go-to sweat method, I had a lot more fun and even made some great friends along the way. Plus, research published in 2020 in Translational Behavioral Medicine has shown that adding variety to an exercise program can increase your physical activity,” she writes for Eating Well.
“When I started my weight-loss journey, I didn’t set out and say “I want to lose 70 pounds.” Rather, I set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that helped me go in the right direction. For instance, a goal like “I want to drink three bottles of water every day before 6 p.m,” she recommends. “If I made it through two weeks of this goal, I would take some time to celebrate the positive progress, whether that be with a trip to the local mall or simply setting aside some “me” time to take an extra long walk come the weekend. When the journey is long, the small wins are what keep your tank fueled up and help you stay motivated for more.”
Hydration is also key, she says. “I’ve never been ‘good’ at drinking water. I don’t particularly love the taste of it (which sounds weird, perhaps) and making sure to get enough felt like a total struggle. Alas, H20 accounts for 60% of our body—or about 11 gallons or 92 pounds inside a 155-pound person—and is essential to every cell. When I made getting healthier a priority, I started downing at least six glasses each day. With that, I started to notice a real difference. I felt better, my skin looked better, and I performed well when it came to my regular workouts. I also started staving off that ever-annoying headache that likely was a result of previous dehydration,” she writes.
Running is Emily’s main form of fitness. According to the Mayo Clinic, running is great for cardiovascular health, muscle building, and weight loss. “For every mile run, the average person will burn approximately 100 calories,” they say.