I’m super excited for today’s ASHLEY BORDEN interview and I feel super blessed to have her on the blog again. She will be providing us the dish on her fitness and diet tips for these fall and winter months that are heading our way!
If you don’t already know who she is, I’ll start by saying she’s someone who’s so ridiculous looking — I have no idea why she isn’t walking the A-list red carpet herself. She has instead dedicated over 35,000 hours of experience to her beloved devotion of being the rock hard body behind the rock hard bodies and the brilliantly empathetic therapist who’s capable of putting a stop to her clients’ debilitating mindsets and habits. She’s a facilitator in making those she comes into contact with become the ultimate and best version of themselves.
ASHLEY BORDEN is the fitness and lifestyle queen responsible for strengthening, lengthening and toning all of America’s best and giving them a confidence boost to boot! Whether her client is an Academy award winning actor, Grammy award winning musician, UFC titan, cancer patient, doctor, lawyer, or housewife — she gives herself to every single one of her clients and makes you feel like you’re the only person that matters.
She’s a life coach, a health coach and so much more. Oh, and she accepts no negative talk — except for a few bits of her own hilarious self deprecation for humor’s sake.
And those who follow her on Instagram have been witnessing her go from great, strong and lean — to greater, stronger and leaner through the incorporation of her philosophies of weight bearing exercises, her balanced SOS diet (to be discussed below) and her newer found loves of martial arts and Olympic lifting. She’s one we should all be trying to emulate!
Ashley Borden The Body Foundation
ASHLEY BORDEN is all heart — which is why she’s so great at what she does. She walks the walk and talks the talk. She has been given this gift — to help people, to move people, and to allow people to look good, feel good and live the healthy lifestyle they’ve only dreamed about.
Yay for us — she is gifting us with her wisdom and know how. And if anyone knows how, it’s ASHLEY — as she’s always been her own guinea pig. About 15 years ago when I met her, she was stunning and the vision of health and happiness. Who knew that she could surpass the highest echelons of herself and become even stronger, leaner, longer, younger and more efficient at 46 years young.
And last but not least, she’s been working on a new (equipment free!) workout program called The Body Foundation as well as her Ashley Borden Fitness and Lifestyle Portal (Beta) that will allow you to have her as your very own personal trainer in the ease and comfort of your own home! (Perfect for all of us time crunched fitness lovers.) Read on below to find out how to get a free month trial of her incredible program. It includes fabulous streaming videos which are easy and convenient to use, her beautiful 80 page SOS meal plan and her rolling out guide. No gimmicks, no commitments — unless you find that it works for you. It’s a win win all around.
She’s unstoppable and soon you will be too. Now let’s go!
Ashley Borden The Body Foundation
| Welcome, Ash! Thank you for generously dishing on all your tricks. Please tell us your top tips on how to look good, feel less bloated and lose inches for these Fall and Winter months. |
The most important thing is to stop punishing yourself and start healing the body and decreasing inflammation instead. I am obsessed with anti-inflammatory everything! The thing is, if you want to lose inches, a lot of times it’s about inflammation and stress you’re putting on the body. So we need to focus on eliminating that inflammation, nourishing the body and healing from the inside out.
- HEALING FROM THE INSIDE OUT | TURMERIC: I am big on taking turmeric in an organic pill form. You see and feel it immediately. There are so many benefits and it’s an excellent anti-inflammatory supplement.
- ROLLING OUT: Many times when people feel chunky, it’s usually just lactic acid build up or bulk from sitting all the time. You feel like a stuffed sausage which comes from a lack of circulation in your muscles. You have no mobility and no circulation — and you feel terrible and tight. Rolling out will take care of this. It will increase circulation and flexibility, boost your metabolic rate and reduce the appearance of cellulite. [Readers: click here or here to view any of her rolling out videos.]
- GET OFF SODA: Soda gives you zero hydration. If you’re craving the bubbles, then have sparkling water. But it’s still full of gas and will give you a bloated belly. I go for some Kombucha instead. Or drink green tea!
- MINDING YOUR SODIUM: The recommended amount is 1500 mg of sodium. So don’t eat packaged foods. Boxed and canned foods have so much salt you’re going to end up being bloated and feeling tight and huge. Uses spices instead.
- REBOUNDING: This is a fantastic exercise to do indoors during the cold weather. There are innumerable health benefits — from fighting osteoporosis, boosting your immune system, destressing and tackling diabetes. I am a huge fan of the Bellicon. I support investing in a rebounder much more than paying for a gym membership.
- DO QUICK EXERCISES INDOORS THAT WILL GET YOUR HEART PUMPING:
- Plank for 40 seconds.
- Do 40 seconds on the rebounder.
- Plank for 40 seconds.
- Do 40 seconds on the rebounder.
- [Do 5 rounds of this! It’s great for osteoporosis and fat loss.]
- KOREAN MASSAGES: I’m obsessed with the Korean scrub! It’s amazing! I’m huge on scrubbing/dry brushing/massaging upward toward the heart. I scrub for a long, long time like a Korean woman!
- BALANCE / DON’T EAT CRAP: My diet is very clean. I think a large reason I don’t have cellulite is because I’ve been following my food and exercise regimens for a long time. But don’t get me wrong. I’m a strong believer in balance — and I love my occasional treat of jelly bellies and ice cream. They’re the most artificial things I eat. But I only let myself have them once in a while. Balance!
- MOVE! I’m always moving around and I neither stand nor sit for a long time. Your body collects body fat where your body shuts off. If you look at someone with saddlebags or loose triceps — those are areas of their body that aren’t activated. It’s all the biomechanics of your body. Be sure to keep moving.
- DRINK WATER: People stop drinking in the winter for some reason. So make it easy. Get a wide mouth bottle, add ice, drink it warm, sip it with a straw. Make any change that will make it easy for you to drink it. There are so many different bottles these days to choose from. And regardless of what you hear, there is no difference in how you metabolize hot vs. cold water. So just drink it however you prefer.
- GET OFF THE SUGAR: It is so bad for you! Sugar a huge cause of inflammation, belly bloat and diseases. And it’s so physically addictive.
- COACHES EYE APP: This is an amazing app that lets you use a scroll wheel like they did it football. I recommend using apps and video rather than the mirror. Looking at the mirror leads to self criticism. Plus, it’s good to see yourself in video when it’s not in real time. You can really focus on your form.
- AND THIS IS THE MOMENT WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR: ASHLEY BORDEN’S NEW VIDEO PLATFORM: It’s still Beta and we haven’t officially launched (it launches in January), but you can access it now [read below]! We’ll be uploading tons of great content.
| Can you tell us some more about your upcoming BODY FOUNDATION project as well as your new portal? When can we expect to see it on the shelves? |
THE BODY FOUNDATION is a 21 day program which will be available in January through streaming or DVD. The content will be available for pre-purchase on ASHLEY BORDEN.COM — or your readers will also be able to access it through my new portal (BETA).
In THE BODY FOUNDATION, I have an educational portion called 5 Points of Movement. People don’t realize how crucial form is — not just to prevent injury but for efficiency and results. 4 of the most butchered moves are push ups, planks, reverse lunches and squats — so I have a 5 minute segment that takes you through movement, how to correct your form and how to make simplified modifications if you can’t do it in the advanced way. My aim was to set you and everyone up with great success and set everyone up utilizing the front and end of their body. Activating the back and using a pulling pattern, etc. THE BODY FOUNDATION is body weight only (no weights, equipment, etc.) — but we’re approaching the body from a full perspective. You will be more balanced and you will end up with a stronger, leaner and more upright body. The program is short, effective, digestible and doable for any level!
This will also come with the SOS food plan for both omnivores as well as vegan pescetarians. The program approaches you from a 360 degree radius. After this, you will understand food, how it works, why you’re eating, why you have certain habits, how you move, etc.
My 6 WEEKS TO SCULPTED FITNESS program [voted #1 fitness video by FITNESS MAGAZINE] will also be available via streaming on the portal.
| Well, I’ve already taken a dig at the portal and it looks phenomenal. I’m working on 6 WEEKS TO SCULPTED first — and I’ve already been seeing and feeling results.
[Readers: I urge all of you to check out the portal now! Sign up for a free month. If it doesn’t work for you, cancel. If it does, it’s only $7.99 / month after the first free month. Way cheaper than other fitness portals that costs $100 / month!]
|I think my readers would all love to know what you eat. Can you give us a sample of your daily food intake. What’s your go to breakfast, for example? Pre and post workout? What gives you the fuel and stamina to do everything you do?|
Well for breakfast, I first have a cup of coffee. Then a protein shake. And then Ezequiel bread with almond butter. And my workout is followed by another protein shake. I’m a creature of habit!
ASHLEY’S PRE-WORKOUT PROTEIN SHAKE RECIPE
+ SFH PURE protein powder (There are no antibiotics, gluten, etc. It’s very clean.)
+ 2 handfuls of ice
+ 1 banana
+ almond butter
+ cinnamon
+ almond milk, chocolate almond milk or reduced fat Lactaid (I’ll use water sometimes if my fridge is empty.)
+ oatmeal (I’ll blend in about 1/4 cup of oatmeal on days I feel I’ll need more energy.)
Ezequiel bread with almond butter (I bring it with me to work.)
ASHLEY’S POST-WORKOUT PROTEIN SHAKE RECIPE
I do the same shake as above but I add in glutamine and BCAA (Braggs chain amino acid).
(I buy from bulk supplements.com or rawbarrel.com.)
For snacks, I lean toward fruit and fats like blueberries and almonds. I eat a very high, fat lean protein, Mediterranean diet sort of way.
| What is your go-to sweet-treat / dessert? |
Dark chocolate with almond butter! But sometimes I want my jelly bellies. But as we know, sugar messes with your blood sugar so I am sure to add a fat. So I’ll take a teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter before the jelly bellies. It’s not like I feel good after the jelly bellies. But I try to lessen the damage.
| So we know you do your Udo’s oil. How the freak else do you keep your skin looking like a 20 year old? |
- I avoid the sun when I can and I always wear sunscreen. I love Tizo tinted sunscreen.
- I cover my chest with a scarf.
- I get facials every 3 weeks from Verabella.
- I use Verabella skincare since there are no parabens, etc. I love their grapefruit deep pore cleanser!
- I do body work by Jimmy Bluff every 3 weeks. Go to his website and check him out. The before and afters are incredible.
- Clarisonic — I use it all the time, including on my neck and chest!
| What’s your favorite charity? |
Best Friends. I’m an ambassador for them and they’re amazing and do incredible things. I love that they have a beautiful campaign and there are no ugly images. They present animals in a beautiful light.
| Aside from everything you do — from training clients to training yourself, creating videos and writing books, is there anything else on the horizon? |
YES!!! I’m working on a podcast!!! It’s going to be about fitness and lifestyle and I want to have you on as a guest!
| THAT’S AMAZING! DONE! I support everything you do and I cannot wait!
+++ GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE to you Ashley for doing this interview. You have so much fabulous insight and you’re such a generous soul. Keep on doing what you’re doing. You help every human who has the honor of knowing you, your work and your vision.
+++ PHOTO CREDIT FOR ALL ASHLEY BORDEN PHOTOS: Carlos Moscat Photography
Originally published at elainesir.com on October 14, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com