Journalism student, intern, blogger and runner. Nataly Paschoal has a blog and page on Facebook, “Cozinha e Corrida” (Kitchen and Running, in Portuguese), where she shares her healthy recipes (without the use of industrialized ingredients), and gives tips to people who like running. She told us what was like to start this fitness life, how she started enjoying running and why she decided to blog. Check it out:
Name: Nataly Paschoal
Age: 22
Major: Journalism
Year: 2018
1- Where did the idea of eating healthier come from?
When I was 17, I would eat everything I wanted to and I would still be slim, so I was happy with that. When I turned 18, however, I started working out and thinking about eating healthier, since even though I’d eat healthy foods, I’d still eat lots of fast food over the weekends and gain weight.
So, in 2016, I decided to start a diet, a healthy one, without industrialized ingredients and in a way to control myself on weekends. Nowadays I cook all of my meal at home and I take it to work and to college, so I don’t end up eating somewhere else.
2- What was the hardest thing you did to keep a fitness routine?
Regarding physical activity it wasn’t hard for me, because I always liked playing sports. About food, it was really hard not eating chocolate every day, so I started to balance what I would eat, looking for low carb chocolates, which would have a higher percentage of cocoa.
3- When did you decide to create a blog and share your routine with other people?
I would post pictures of my food and of myself working out in my Instagram account. People started asking me about running, about the recipes I would cook, and I’d answer one by one. I couldn’t answer everybody. So, some people asked me to create a blog, something that would help me to create my portfolio. I already had a blog about makeup, so I reactivated it, and started posting my recipes. I had 100% support, at least of my gym’s friends and of people from college.
4- How do you organize your routine to prepare all of your meals?
I always had a routine, which helps me, as an encouragement, to go to the gym. My mother doesn’t work, so she helps me with the cooking. Also, sometimes I cook the meals over the weekend so I can eat them during the week.
5- Who inspires you?
I follow famous bloggers, but I don’t think about them as an inspiration. I believe that people have different bodies, so everybody needs to work out in their own way. Something that motivates me to keep going is the improvement I see on myself. It isn’t good to try shaping your body like someone else’s, neither your health or habits.
My mother lost 16 kilos, she took pain killers and after doing some physical activities and reeducating her eating habits, she looks like someone else now, even with a higher self-esteem.
6- When did you start enjoying running?
I always thought that runner’s bodies were very pretty and that the exercise itself was nice as well. My father also runs. The first time I ran on a treadmill I couldn’t do it, not even for two minutes. But since I always liked challenging myself, I kept practicing to improve my skills.
7- Do you practice any other physical activity?
I used to practice functional classes, bodybuilding, running, pilates and jumping. Today, since I have a personal trainer, I practice running, bodybuilding and sometimes, functional classes.
8- What tips could you give to someone who wants to do the same?
Don’t give up! There are lots of people who want to be fitness, which is something related to fashion. So if you want to do the same, you need to be healthy and persistent. It isn’t easy though, so don’t try to change your eating habits from one day to another, because this can scare your body and brain. You need to know that the nutritional education is slow. Take me, for example: I quit drinking coke and started drinking juices. Then, I replaced juices for water. Nowadays I don’t drink anything during lunch, which is the recommendation.
9- What has improved in your life since you started having an active and healthy life?
The routine of having physical activities and healthy foods made me more disciplined. It improved my mental and physical health and softened my stress, because the physical activity releases endorphin. Besides that, I always had muscle constriction, which was really painful, but with physical activities it went away.