Fitness model and influencer Stephanie Sanzo is sharing some inspirational fitness tips with her social media followers. Sanzo posted a picture of herself posing in a gray Nike sports bra and black shorts, her hair pulled into a ponytail. “Here’s 4 simple tips to make sure you stay on track with your goals for 2024…
- Wake up at the same time each day
- Find a hobby that you enjoy and do it weekly
- Hit your daily caloric and water intake goals
- Spend time with others and seek different perspectives
These things might seem small… But they make a HUGE difference to your overall mindset, well-being, energy & productivity 💯What’s something you’re going to do differently in the this year ?? 🤔,” she captioned the post. Here’s what Sanzo’s diet and training routine looks like.
Sanzo is thrilled that more and more women feel comfortable in the weight room. “The interest in strength training for women is increasing every year, which is great to see,” she told ISSUU. “I believe the more we experience women training with weights, the more accepting the public will become. The benefits of weight training are endless, including an increase in strength and muscle mass, improved metabolism, reduced risk of injury, increased bone density and regulated hormones. Weight training has helped me grow emotionally, far beyond how I have grown physically. Self-belief is built every time you try something new – but true confidence is built when you achieve something you never thought possible! I could never have fathomed the possibility of deadlifting 100kg (let alone 160kg) when I first started training.”
Sanzo has developed a tailored workout for strength and muscle. “My training is now a ‘powerbuilding’ hybrid, so I get the best of both worlds,” she told ISSUU. “Most sessions are structured on three main components: a strength component focusing on lower rep ranges of one to eight; a hypertrophy (muscle building) component focusing on moderate rep ranges of five to 12; and an assistance component, which helps strengthen the muscle groups required for the primary movements – I focus on unilateral (lunges), machine (leg press) and isolation movements (leg extension), and higher rep ranges of 10 to 20.”
Sanzo gets her protein through meat, fish, and eggs, rather than supplements. “I struggle with irritable bowel syndrome and find that many supplements tend to cause stomach upset (for me personally),” she told Business Insider. “For those who are incorporating supplements into their diet, my biggest advice is to always prioritize your nutrition as no supplements can ever make up for a bad diet… Above all, it is so important to always listen to your body, prioritize eating a nutritious and balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and get sufficient sleep.”
Sanzo no longer veers into extremes with her diet. “Something I am really passionate about is transitioning from the word ‘diet’ to ‘eating style’,” she told ISSUU. “My eating style has evolved so much over the past 10 years: I went from eating a block of chocolate a day, to living off chicken and broccoli when I was fitness modeling. It’s taken me a long time to find a healthy balance that suits my goals and lifestyle. It’s recently been discovered that gut health is directly tied to our emotions, so I do my best to avoid any foods that cause stomach upset – FODMAPS are a great starting point.”
Sanzo advises weight training newbies to seek professional help to get started. “Don’t try and do it alone,” she told Business Insider. “Find a trainer that you admire or a program that you feel inspired by and get to work. Be a student in the gym and outside of the gym by seeking knowledge around training, technique and nutrition to further your own understanding.”