Ina Mechkova - Fitness Model Statistics- Name: Ina Mechkova
- Height: 5'9"
- Weight: 127 pounds
- Date of Birth: 2/1/1983
- Hair Color: Blonde
- Bust: n/a
- Waist: 26"
- Hips: n/a
- Location: London, England
- Website: Coming Soon
Ina Mechkova - Fitness Model Background
How did you get started in the fitness field?
Answer: I believe it was my father’s fault. He used to be a gymnast and he was taking very good care of his body by running in the park and doing various exercises and workouts. So, I decided to join him at the age of 11. I really liked it and haven’t stopped since then.
What is the #1 thing you like best about being into fitness? Answer: The fact that my body looks great and that I love it and have a great amount of energy. It helps me with my self-esteem. I also love the fact that I inspire other people.
What has been your biggest accomplishment in the fitness field? Answer: So far, its been being featured on ShapeFit.com as a fitness model! I'm brand new to fitness modeling, so I'm really looking forward to getting started.
Fitness Question #1 - What is the best way to get started in the fitness modeling industry? Should I just contact the photographers directly or should I use an agency? Answer: I feel they both are good ways to get started.
Fitness Question #2 - Please describe a typical day for you. What is your daily routine like? Answer: Every day is different for me. I try to stay active at least 4-5 days a week either by going to the gym or by attending a dance class or doing some cycling. After a good workout, I love to eat my salad and rest.
Fitness Question #3 - I don’t have that much time during the day to workout, so I really want to burn major calories in a short amount of time. What is the #1 “bang for the buck” cardio exercise I should do to burn serious calories? Answer: The best way to burn serious calories is HIIT (high intensity interval training) which is repeated bouts of high intensity exercise interrupted by rest. Even just 20 minutes of high intensity interval training will do an amazing job for burning calories and fat because you keep burning calories after your workout.
Fitness Question #4 - How much weight (pounds) should I focus on losing every week? What is a safe amount to make sure I keep it off? Answer: Focus on losing 1-2 pounds per week for the best long term results. Remember, its a marathon not a sprint, so lose the weight slowly to make sure its actually body fat you're losing and not hard earned lean muscle tissue.
Fitness Question #5 - What type of food or supplements should I take before and after my workouts to help me see results in gaining lean muscle and losing fat? Answer: Before your weight workouts, eat a 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 1 scoop of whey protein powder (20-25 grams of protein). Mix with water and microwave for 1 minute. After your workout, drink a whey protein shake with 1 banana or some other type of fruit.
Fitness Question #6 - How do you deal with cravings for junk foods, sweets and salty food? I can stay on a diet for maybe a few weeks but I eventually get really bad cravings and binge on snacks and fast foods. Answer: It’s all about the mind. I have learn to control it with my thoughts. If I have a really bad craving for something, I will have just a couple of bites and I will be satisfied.
Fitness Question #7 - I’m trying to create a healthy shopping list to stick with. What are some of the main foods I should include to maintain a lean and muscular physique? Answer: To have and maintain a lean physique, it’s important to get enough protein, so everything that contains protein is good for your shopping list. We are all different and not all of us need the same amount of protein to be lean. I'm a vegetarian and I can maintain my lean figure just by working out and watching my food intake.
Fitness Question #8 - I’m about 35 pounds over weight. I have never started an exercise program and really don’t know where to start. What tips can you give me to get started on the right track? Answer: It’s best to start doing mainly cardio for 1 hour, 5 times a week. Then after you lose most of your extra pounds, you can incorporate resistance training (weight lifting). This way, you will be able to burn even more calories by building up lean muscle mass.
Fitness Question #9 - I tend to eat out most of the time and really don’t know what healthy foods to order from the menu. What tips do you recommend for eating out at restaurants to make sure my diet will not suffer? Answer: It’s all a matter of taste and choice in foods. But let’s accept that you like meat, so you can order either fish or lean meat and fibrous carbs (veggies, salad). If it is earlier in the day, you can eat complex carbs instead (brown rice, oatmeal, yams). As long as you have protein to offset the insulin rise from the complex carbs, it’s all good.
Fitness Question #10 - What exercises do you recommend for getting a bigger, rounder and fuller butt? Answer: Squats are the best for building a big, round butt! Lunges are also great. These are the best two exercises for getting a round and a perky butt.
Fitness Question #11 - What is the most challenging thing you deal with about consistently staying in top shape? Answer: I don’t find it as a challenge because I love training and my training just pays off for all of my efforts and hard work.
Fitness Question #12 - Please describe your normal diet. What do you eat in a typical day to stay in shape? Answer: Breakfast: Porridge.
Mid-Morning Snack: Banana.
Lunch: Nuts and an apple. I eat an apple every single day. I literally can not live without an apple. If for some reason i don't have it, i start to think about it like crazy and crave for it. I don't know what it is about apples but it also helps me stay satisfied and that's probably because of the pectin found in apples! Pectin is a fat soluble fiber. Apples have a really good impact on the human body and more specifically with decreasing the caloric intake if eaten 15 minutes before food which helps to manage hunger.
Recent research has shown that intake of apples in their whole food form can significantly lower many of our blood fats. The fat-lowering effects of apples have traditionally been associated with its soluble fiber content, and in particular, with its fat-soluble fiber (pectin).
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Another fruit if I feel hungry.
Dinner: A big salad.
Fitness Question #13 - What type of exercises do you include in your routine to stay in shape? Answer: Strength Training Exercises: I exercise all of my muscles throughout the week. Every different muscle group is trained on a different day.
Cardio Exercises: Treadmill, stationary bike and rowing machine.
Additional Training: I do dance classes.
Fitness Question #14 - What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for developing toned and defined arms? Answer: 1. Barbell curls.
2. Skull crushers for triceps.
3. Rope pulldowns for triceps.
4. Dumbbell curls.
5. Concentration curls.
Fitness Question #15 - What are your top 5 tips for losing unwanted body fat? Answer: 1. Eat a clean diet.
2. Lots of cardio (45-60 minutes per day).
3. Weight train to build lean muscle mass.
4. Cut out starches after 3pm.
5. Jump rope for a great fat burning cardio workout.
Fitness Question #16 - What are your top 5 tips for gaining lean muscle mass? Answer: 1. Eat lean protein at every meal.
2. Eat enough calories every day.
3. Train with heavy weights to build muscle (6-8 reps per set).
4. Get enough rest to recover and grow from your workouts.
5. Don't overtrain. If you feel tired, take a day off and rest.
Fitness Question #17 - What are the top 5 tips you recommend for staying motivated on a fitness plan and truly making a healthy lifestyle change: Answer: 1. Keep a fitness journal.
2. Track your calories.
3. Stay positive.
4. Hang around positive people who encourage you.
5. Take photos of yourself every week to track your progress.
Fitness Question #18 - What is your training routine like? (Please include a few details - training split, sets/reps, exercises, types of cardio, etc.) Answer: Monday: Running on the treadmill for 50 minutes and abs. I usually don’t have a particular rep range for the abs. I do them until I feel the burn and can’t do anymore.
Tuesday: Normally, I go to my hip hop dance class for 1 hour.
Wednesday: Legs (my favorite part) and I do all the muscles in the legs including my quads, hamstrings and calves. After my leg workout, I finish up with just 15 minutes of cardio on the bike.
Thursday: Dance class for 1 hour.
Friday: It’s my arm workout day! I used to concentrate and train a lot on my back and chest on other days but because of personal reasons, I have stopped doing those muscles groups and concentrating only on arms. Shoulders, biceps, triceps and at the end, either the rowing machine or the bike again for 35 minutes. I do abs after this if I'm not too tired.
Saturday: Rest day.
Sunday: Rest day.
For those of you who want to burn more fat, you have to do cardio after your weight training which is the best way to become a fat burning machine!
In my opinion, people would get the best results by doing what they truly love to do. If you do an exercise that you don’t like and you are just doing it because someone said it's the best exercise for losing weight, it won’t work as much as something that you truly enjoy and love doing! It’s good to try different things and choose the ones that are right for you. This way, you will stick with it the most and you will be happy doing it. Then, you will start seeing the results you’ve been wanting to get!
Fitness Question #19 - What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for losing fat around the stomach and developing a toned and defined midsection? Answer: 1. Diet is critical for losing fat. When in doubt, look at your diet first.
2. Burn calories with cardio every day. Shoot for 45-60 minutes of cardio per workout.
3. Have a small cheat food once a week as a treat.
4. You have abs already, you just need to lose the fat over them first!
5. Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day to repair and build muscle.
Fitness Question #20 - What are the top 5 tips (specific exercises, diet advice, etc) you recommend for toning the thighs, hips and butt? Answer: 1. Squats.
2. Lunges.
3. Step ups.
4. Walking lunges.
5. Sprinting.
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