You might know Kelsey Heenan from her company HIIT max, who she is a co-founder of with her husband, Dennis. Both of them live in Oregon with their little dog, Lilly. She is a former collegiate athlete and apparently, one of the fittest women in the industry. She also boasts of a large online community with her Youtube videos and her Instagram profile. Her account is by the name of @thedailykelsey which she uses for vlogging and interacts with her followers. She inspires people to live a healthy and balanced life. Her focused nutritional plan is based on intuitive eating and how to incorporate fitness into daily life.

She has also overcome an eating disorder that almost took her life. She became open about her journey with restrictive food eating habits and excessive exercising in many interviews.Kelsey Heenan lost about 30 percent of her body fat during her college time when she started playing basketball at a competitive collegiate level in California. She lost it within a matter of 6 months and it was very shocking for others around her. Not only did she played a lot, but she also implemented restrictive food rules and a rigid training session to elevate her disorder. However, it was only with the love and support of her family members and her then-boyfriend (and now husband,) she spent time in treatment and recovered soon.Now, she has not only overcame her obstructions successfully but inspires millions o those around her with her fitness tips.https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4rl4rjN8e/

Kelsey Heenan's Extreme Struggle With Body Image

Looking at Kelsey's Instagram and Youtube channel one might see that she is very passionate about fitness and her overall wellbeing. But it was not always like for her. "I started to struggle with food around 2007-2008 while still in college," she says. "I was a collegiate athlete and under a lot of pressure at the time to perform well while balancing my personal life and school," she said.She was always an active kid and never really shied away from working hard and giving her all when it came to her goals. She was always a disciplined child too. However, with her eating disorder, her rigidness took ver her and she could not even recognize what was wrong.https://www.instagram.com/p/B7R74jcDOv-/"It started with the mindset of wanting to be healthier so that I'd perform better as an athlete, but after some time, those small habits turned into rules and eventually into restrictions," she says. "Before I knew it, things spiraled and my health started to really suffer as a result."

She realized her problem when she sat down to eat a pizza with her fiance one night over dinner. "I opened the box and I saw the thick crust and the gooey cheese, which would normally make people feel excited, but I felt complete terror and fear," she says. "I started freaking out, hyperventilating, and sobbing uncontrollably because I couldn't bring myself to eat that pizza. I just could not eat it."

She thought she was in control of her body and mind and kept denying any eating disorder, but that's when she knew something was really off. "I had always been able to trust myself and was so disciplined, but at that moment, I had no control over my emotions so I knew that something wasn't right."However, she still did not accept the fact until her fiance came to the rescue. He sat down with her and gave her "the talk." The next day her parents too flew down to her to provide their support to her. That is when they decided to seek medical help too.

The Moment She Knew It Was Time to Change

"Once a medical professional really laid out what I had done to my body, I knew something had to change," says Heenan.

Years later, she came out to tell that that's when she knew she had lost 30 percent of her body fat within a couple of months, "which is a lot for someone who didn't have any weight to lose," she wrote. What began as a disciplined way of living took its toll on her and went to extremes. It started impacting her daily life too. “I never ate bread, rice, or pasta,” says Kelsey. “All of that was very terrifying for me.”In addition to her super restrictive eating practices, she was also exercising intensely which was not enough to support the basic body functions. After a few months, it was almost impossible to disguise her weight loss from others.“The doctor told me that I could go into cardiac arrest at any moment with how fragile I was,” says Kelsey. Kelsey was clinically diagnosed with anorexia and compulsive exercising and was restricted from playing basketball.But, within a year, she gained back her health with the support of her family member, her friends, and her fiance. Now, she, through her blogs and videos, inspires everyone around her to develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise and to lead a balanced life. “I know what it feels like now to feel good,” says Kelsey. “I never, ever, ever want to go back,” she said.https://www.instagram.com/p/B2QPfskDcg7/During her disorder time, she was so malnourished and had no weight or energy to support her organs that even a 30-minute brisk walk could have landed her up in a hospital with a cardiac arrest. After leaving her treatment, she wanted to address her eating disorder on her own without any external help. "I basically had to quit basketball," she says. "Medically, I couldn't play an endurance sport, and mentally, I could not handle the stress and pressure of not performing well."But it was soon after that she realized that it was rather hard to do it on her own. She needed strict guidance and she entered into a medical facility. "I went through an intensive week-long Family-Based Therapy (FBT) program with my fiancé and mom," she says.The program that she was enrolled at had just been introduced at that time and Kelsey was one of the first patients to enroll in it. "I was 21 years old in the company of 16-year-olds, 14-year-olds, and 7-year-olds,” she says. "I remember feeling like I should know what I'm doing, given my age, but I didn't. For the first time, I realized that eating disorders don't discriminate against age, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else."

After this one-week program, she went back home to spend another six-months in intensive therapy while she was on her road to recovery. "I worked really hard, and a little over a year after going to FBT, I was declared symptom-free," she says. All of this took time. "I had to re-learn how to eat and exercise with a completely new mindset, which took a lot of time," says Heenan.The first six months of her recovery were particularly hard because she was not allowed to work out at all. During this time, she was also preparing for her wedding and was under double pressure. "I know that a lot of women feel stressed about getting in shape for the big day, and so I was feeling a lot of that pressure, too," she says. "But I had to let go of it and ended up gaining weight by the time I walked down the aisle. In hindsight, it was the happiest start to my new life."

How She Developed a Healthy Relationship with Food and Exercise

After she was not allowed to work out for at least 6 months, she started focusing on nourishing and nurturing her body as soon as she got out of her therapy. It needed a lot for her to stay on track but she was well-determined. "I'd show my workout plans to my husband beforehand to make sure I wasn't overdoing it," she says.

More than that she was focused on healing herself and get her mental peace back. She just wanted to get back to normal. "I wanted to get to a point where I was no longer overthinking about food and what I looked like," she says. "I also wanted to learn how to move my body without obsessing about it." With all this in her mind, she couldn't stop being away from what she loved. In 2014, she decided to become a certified professional fitness trainer so that she could help those facing a similar situation around her. "There is so much shame, guilt, and stress around eating and working out," she says. "I want people to know that you can be healthy, eat well, and move your body without all the pressure, and I want to help people get to that point."Today, Heena has a changed perspective with everything that she does than her days of struggling with anorexia. "I feel so blessed because I know a lot of people who experience eating disorders never really overcome it," she shares. "Of course I have days when I don't feel good because life is not perfect, but as far as eating disorder behaviors go, I truly feel like I'm past it."https://www.instagram.com/p/B2243aZDz-0/She just hopes for everyone out there who is struggling or has struggled with issues like anorexia or bulimia to come forth and stay hopeful for recovery. "I know a lot of people feel hopeless when they're battling this illness, but my advice would be to seek professional treatment as early as possible and find support systems you can really rely on," she says. "This isn't an illness that gets fixed overnight. [It] needs to be worked on to heal. But I promise you that recovery is possible." The only thing that matters to Heenan today is to have a healthy body and a healthy mindset too. Both are equally important for her to lead a balanced lifestyle. "When I switched my focus from trying to be smaller, trying to be skinnier, and trying to be 'perfect,' to being stronger and being healthier overall, everything changed," she says. "I feel so good about my body, but I've learned not to overthink it. I don't weigh myself and I don't focus so much on aesthetics. I love my shape and I love the body that I live in, but it's not a make-it-or-break-it thing for me."https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_keJoDcGl/

Here are some of the tips about general health and diet she wants to give to everyone around her:

1. Be flexible with yourself. Flexibility is the key to everything. Just because one thing does not work out for you well, it does not mean it will not for someone else either. Everyone has a different body and things work out differently for everyone. “There’s no one perfect and right way to eat in order to have a healthy relationship with food,” Kelsey says.Kelsey believes a healthy relationship with food can look slightly different for everyone. “However, creating a balance between making healthy choices often to help the body run well and honoring your preferences is really important,” says Kelsey. “Learning how to honor hunger and respect fullness can help the anxiety of feeling the need to count every morsel of food that enters your mouth.”Although she has made diet plans for her clients who struggle to eat properly, she says her meal plans are more like a guideline to eating healthily rather than stick to it rigorously.

2. Understand what your food can do for you. “Food is not an enemy; it’s a healer,” says Kelsey. Use food to heal yourself than just eating for the fun of is not the right approach. Don't be afraid of eating! It can do wonders for the body! The main thing is how you use food for yourself. If you overeat the wrong kinds of food, chances are it might have a negative impact on you.“Many people struggle with simple basics of how food fuels the body,” says Kelsey. “My experience from my past and my knowledge about health can help bridge the gap so people feel informed about how to fuel their bodies to be healthy, without rigid rules, and actually enjoy life to the fullest.”

3. It’s about how you feel, not the numbers. Kelsey thinks that success is all about how you feel and not about how much you weigh or how many calories you’re consuming daily. “I don’t own a scale because I don’t think it's necessary,” says Kelsey.Instead, Kelsey Heenan focuses on eating intuitively and freedom of choice about food is what she likes the most. She has freedom because is she is aware of what food can and can't do to her body!

4. Don’t tie your morality to food choices. Honestly, we have all struggled with guilt based on our poor choice on food and the next day is all about detox teas and hours of. Kelsey advises to cut yourself some slack and lead a balanced life.“If you eat a cookie, you are not bad,” says Kelsey. “Many people tie their morality to food choice and that can lead to guilt and anxiety. There are lots of tips that can be helpful, but overall, not having rigid rules can help take away the fear and stress around eating.”

5. Being strong and healthy is worth it. Living without food rules and being obsessive about things was not really easy for Kelsey too. She had to go through a lot of mental and physical trauma to make herself feel "ok" again. All this is credited to her self-motivated and drive to get better. She monitored her negative reactions and worked hard on them. Most of all, she was very patient.“Negative thoughts and anxiety around food are very common, even for people without disorders,” says Kelsey “It’s learned behavior and we can unlearn it to have a healthy relationship with food.”Kelsey Heenan Workout Routine

"I want to tell you a quick story that is going to PROVE to you that no matter where you are right now, getting the STRONG and LEAN body you want is 100% possible..."

She often reminiscences about the days when she was snot as strong as she is now. She says that she was scared at first when she went to the gym for the first time and wanted to give up. She recalls, "I remember the day very specifically… I was doing a workout with my husband Dennis and a few friends, and noticed that all the movements in the workout were strength exercises… There were pull-ups, push-ups, overhead presses, and squats. The workout started, and immediately I wanted to give up…I could barely do 3 modified push-ups. I certainly couldn’t get close to doing a pull-up. And I got so defeated when the squats came because I felt so weak, physically, and mentally. I felt like a complete failure during the workout, and to be honest I was embarrassed that I couldn’t even finish the whole thing. I got to the car, and at that moment I decided that enough was enough."https://www.instagram.com/p/B26mnfeD3va/The realization was clear and it was on her husband, Dennis, to take it to the next level. He said a few things which took her realization to a very profound level. She recalls that he asked her to stop focusing on how she wants to look and instead focus on how she can improve her strength and that will make all the difference. Here's what she said, “Kelsey, you’ve got to STOP focusing so much on getting smaller in your workouts and burning as many calories as possible. Instead, focus on getting STRONGER, and your results will increase dramatically. Just trust me on that."

She says that it was a pretty life-changing experience for her and she wants her clients to follow the same approach that she took back when she started. This is exactly the workout tip she needed for a life that she has now. Kelsey Heenan says that it not about getting leaner or losing weight. It is possible to get stronger which has a more positive effect on the brain too than just losing a few pounds.

Kelsey constantly shares her workout routine with her fans, but for her, all her workouts sprung up from her past failures with them. She reminds everyone that it is only by working on your failures that you can achieve something.

In her own words, she explains her own failure record to her fans, saying, "I’d like to share a few personal records with you to show you what’s possible when you follow the workouts I am about to outline for you…I don’t tell you these things to brag, I tell you this because I want you to see what’s possible for YOU! When I first got started, I couldn’t do a single pull-up. Now, I can do 15 in a row and I consistently do weighted pull-ups with 15-20 pounds between my feet."

That's not just it! She couldn't even do a few more things that we see her doing now at all times with a great force and strength.

"For as long as I can remember, I could barely bench press the 45-pound bar... now I can do 8 reps with 135 pounds. My shoulders have always been a weakness of mine, barely being able to do 10 pushups in a row. I’ve now done 50 straight pushups and can overhead press 45-pound dumbbells in each hand," she writes.

She even breaks it down for her fans the nitty-gritty of her workout, for how long she does it and the likes. She does not work out 7 days a week and no, she does not work out for 3 to 4 hours every day either. However, she still has those washboard abs and a strong body that is not just chiseled but exudes power and strength.

"Most people think that I work out 6-7 days a week for a few hours a day. But that’s not even close to the truth. I train 5 days per week, and it’s broken down into two sections: 3 days per week, I do resistance strength training followed by a short HIIT finisher," she tells.

HIIT Workout

What is HIIT?

"HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. HIIT is done by having short periods of intense exercise, followed by a period of rest. For example, you could sprint or do an exercise for 30-seconds, then rest for 30-seconds and repeat."

The best part about HIIT is that it can even be done at home! "What's great about HIIT is that you can use it in a wide variety of ways. You can use it at home with just bodyweight exercises, in the gym with weights, at the park, in a hotel room, and more."

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4tEXBCD3xH/

Kelsey Heenan Full Body HIIT Workout

Here are some fun exercises to mix into your routine to help you get STRONG! ⁣

• Bear Crawl Renegade Row ⁣
• Sumo Squat ⁣
• Curl to Press⁣
• Windmill⁣

Do each exercise for 30 seconds with a 30-second break between each exercise. Make sure to do at least 6 to 8 rounds or as per your fitness level.

The benefits:

• HIIT workouts are supposed to burn more fat as compared to other workouts and increase the metabolic rate. Previously it was believed that the correct method of losing fat was to do steady cardio for long hours. The idea they understood this is because your body utilizes somewhat more fat as fuel throughout the session at a lower energy level. Nevertheless, what remained neglected was the total body fat burn. While cardio exercises do help to lose fat during the workout, HIIT helps to lose fat during and after the workout.
• It gets even better than this. HIIT workouts help to increase the metabolic rate for long hours even after the workout is completed. Therefore, your body burns more fat and calories even while you are doing absolutely nothing and just sitting. This is why it is preferred over cardio.
• The best benefit is that it won't burn up long hours from your schedule. HIIT workouts are supposed to be done for shorter durations. It is an intense form of workout that allows you to sweat more profusely and give effective results. There's no need to spend hours working up on a treadmill or Stairmaster. HIIT allows you to gain strength and burn fat at the same time which is not a priority with most cardio exercises. Combined with some resistance training, you are set for hours after that.
• Once you begin doing HIIT, you will not need the fitness trackers anymore because your body would be burning up a lot of fat already. Intense workouts are known to burn fat and calories even post-workout!
• HIIT does not just let you build more strength and increase your metabolism. It also allows you to feel more confident, powerful, and strong.

She also explains the kind of workouts she does and why does she do it. She says,

"HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and it’s one of the most powerful approaches when it comes to burning away stubborn body fat. Combine it with Resistance Strength Training, and you’ve got a killer 1-2 combo! I love this combo because it allows me to build muscle and strength, but also get my heart pumping and get in a great sweat with the HIIT. I feel empowered when I train. I feel confident. I feel STRONG."

​She also explains her workouts in detail and also gives the reason why everyone should do it too. She gives a few tips and explains her workouts in great detail.

Resistance Training

She explains the benefits of doing such explosive moments in her training program. According to her, everyone must try to include it in their schedule.

• Resistance training is pretty elf-explanatory. It means exercising with pushing movements against some sort of resistance that will make your muscles feel under tension.
• Resistance can be obtained from items like dumbbells, barbells, bands, and anything different that can present your muscles with some sort of tension.
• Resistance exercises aids to develop your muscular power and stamina. Concentrating on strength in your schedule is one of the most influential modifications you can do to increase results instantly.

Kelsey Heenan's Lower Body Resistance Training Workout⁣⁣⁣Here are 4 lower body exercises that just use a band for building some resistance:

• Donkey Kick⁣⁣⁣
• Squat Jump Twist⁣⁣⁣
• Glute Raise + Clam⁣⁣⁣
• Side Lunges⁣⁣⁣
• Split Squat⁣⁣

Do the exercises for 40 seconds with a 20-second break between each one. Complete at least 3 to 5 rounds.The benefits:

• It assists to boost your metabolism to burn more fat.
• Resistance training promotes building lean muscle that secures your strength and also proffers a definition for that sculpted look.
• Lifting weights will not make you look bulky.
• Lifting will instead encourage the fat burning process and grow muscle so that you can get the toned shape you are running behind. Getting leaner and skinny was the past. Stronger is the new trend.
• Working out to increase strength will not only increase it but help you achieve the looks you always wanted.
• It also helps you feel more confident in your own skin. Nothing else would ever make you consider yourself more like a boss than being able to succeed something you never imagined you would be able to do!
• Finally, building strength can benefit you with accomplishing your goals in each and every workout. ​It also will help develop muscle clarity. Both of these things will, in turn, help you attain a sense of self-confidence and the feeling of accomplishment.

The biggest benefit she feels is carrying your own groceries!

"One of my favorite benefits is incredibly practical and absolutely EVERYONE can benefit from this: It helps you do everyday tasks with ease. Think about things like carrying groceries, hoisting your luggage in the overhead space on an airplane, playing with or carrying kids around, and all of the other types of normal activity that now can feel daunting can be done with ease!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_1C-hCA8F8She also talks of the HIIT, or the high-intensity interval training program and why she thinks combining resistance and HIIT is a wonderful way to exercise. For her, it is the most powerful combo! HIIT helps her to take it to the next level with her workouts because the intensity is so great that it will keep your heart pumping for hours!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0TxghGeI8I

She also explains what changes your body goes through when you combine HIIT and resistance training together. She says, "HIIT builds upon Resistance Training to get the heart rate up, work up a sweat, and give you tons of power, strength, and confidence. You can use the strength and athleticism you gain to know that you have the power to take on the day with ease."

Kelsey Heenan Rapid Fire Interview

Q: What’s your favorite exercise?Dennis: PullupsKelsey: Overhead PressQ: What exercise do you hate…but love at the same time?Dennis: BurpeesKelsey: DeadliftQ: What is the best book you’ve ever read?Dennis: 4 Hour Work WeekKelsey: Anything by CS Lewis, Nicholas Sparks and TED Talks (even though it isn’t a book)Q: What is your favorite Pump Up Song?Dennis: Anything Techno or RapKelsey: The Motto – DrakeQ: If you could train with one person (alive or dead) who would it be? Dennis: Gerard Butler training for 300Kelsey: Lolo JonesThat is all about how Kelsey remains at the number one position with her intense workout sessions.Kelsey Heenan's Diet Planhttps://www.instagram.com/p/B8wUbMWjf0F/Kelsey, again on her blog, has taken up this issue of diet and nutrition very seriously. She addresses her reader and follows by saying,

"I remember a few years back, I came across a nutrition challenge that called for eating REAL FOOD for 30-days...What's real food? Basically, anything that has been around for thousands of years...Fruits, vegetables, meats (chicken, beef, fish, eggs, etc), nuts, seeds, avocados, ...You get the point. In this particular challenge, however, they had you avoiding carbs, dairy, and of course things like sweets and sugar for the entire 30-days. No easy task if you ask me...Many of my friends and co-workers were doing the challenge, and it was tempting to join them.At least, at first it was...You see, the first few days of the challenge everyone was super motivated. They stuck to the plan, eating all the real foods that were outlined, and they avoided carbs, dairy, and sweets. But then around day 4 or 5... Something started to happen...Almost everyone started complaining about low energy, headaches, being hungry all the time, and just how hard it was to not eat their favorite foods...This was also the point that people also started to quit. And I understand why..."

https://youtu.be/YTm15xEoQv0

She addresses the number one issue that comes with sticking to any diet plan that restricts you to eat certain foods. As we know by now, Kelsey Heenan is all about maintaining a balance and trying different combinations with food as she does with her workouts. Experimentation with things leads you to be aware of what your body wants! She writes,

"FACT: It's extremely difficult to stick to something that you don't enjoy, that is too restrictive, or that just doesn't make you feel good...When it comes to nutrition, it's all about BALANCE!Yes, we focus on eating REAL FOODS over the 30-days - lots of fruits, vegetables, chicken, eggs, beef, fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, and more! However...We also include LOTS of carbs into our 30-day challenge because carbs are extremely important for helping you reach your goals faster and for staying energized. We include carbs like sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, beans, oats, and even breads. OH, and you can still have sweets during the challenge! That's right, you can still have your sweets AND get amazing results."

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9cS6fHDo2A/

She says that following a specific diet is hard because although you might lose weight while restricting yourself from certain food and food groups, chances are that you will gain it all back. Such diet plans are never sustainable. She addresses her reads saying, "Listen, there are many challenges out there that are very extreme telling you to cut out all these foods (most of the time carbs and sweets), and although they CAN work...The majority of people end up gaining the weight they lost right back when they start eating normally again..."

Her favorite part of the meals are snacks and she loves having snacks at all time! She also likes to make different post-workout snacks for herself which are not bland, but full of flavor and delicious! She keeps on posting her meals on social media for people to know that healthy food can be tasty too.

"I LOVE snacks, and post-workout nutrition is so important, so having delicious and nutrient-dense post-workout snacks is a must for me. I always focus on having a mix of protein and carbs post-workout because it helps with recovery and building muscle. A go-to for me is a protein shake that includes bananas, protein powder (I love Kos protein), a little bit of almond butter, spinach, unsweetened almond milk, and ice. I also love to add in a Moon Juice Dust to my shake because the adaptogenic herbs have so many health benefits — everything from energy and focus to stress relief! If I need a quick grab-and-go snack, I love Bulletproof Collagen bars. My favorite flavors are the Vanilla Shortbread and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWTDnGaYkns

However, it is not always snacks at all times. Sometimes she also makes herself full course meals for her post-workout! She follows what her body asks of her. There are not fixed breakfast, lunch, or dinner recipes that she follows. She eats whatever is on her mind at that point, making sure it will help her feel nourished!

"I often will just have a full meal post-workout! Again, I focus on protein and carbs, so I’ll often do a big bowl type of meal with chicken, veggies, and either sweet potatoes or rice. Fueling post-workout with high-quality foods is so important to replenish the body and build muscle. It’s also important to enjoy the foods that you eat because that is what makes it a sustainable (and delicious) lifestyle!"

This is what makes her diet so sustainable and delicious at the same time! She stays away from anything that is bland or flavorless!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9LLj6hDgZ1/

With this, we come to an end about what Kelsey Heenan does to make herself look super fit and toned. Her number one strategy is to maintain a balance which she keeps focusing on through her entire blogs. With full determination and hard work, one can reach where Kelsey Heenan is now. It must not seem like a difficult task at first but it's not that difficult either. And once you dive deep and make yourself more aware of food and nutrition and different workouts, it would be a breeze. The results that will pour in would be a motivation enough each day to get out and crush your new goals!