PureFit PureFood: Simple steps to a healthier life

PureFit PureFood: Simple steps to a healthier life

(Michelle Hanson)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Devrie Pettit and Brecke Ure are more than just neighbors — they are the two women behind the blog and Instagram account PureFit PureFood.

Pettit, a registered dietitian, and Ure, a certified personal trainer, are both health buffs and decided to start their Instagram account after wanting to share their wealth of knowledge with busy moms who struggle with their weight.

“I do fitness and (Pettit) does the food part of it and we thought it would be a good mix,” Ure told KSL.com. “Something that was real and practical because we’re both moms.”

They combined their powers (and their last names to form the name) to start their Instagram account that has grown into a bona-fide business. And the results are impressive. With more than 17,000 Instagram followers, Pettit and Ure have helped their followers make healthier choices with easy tips.

Managing food cravings and eating healthy

Food cravings often are spurred by everyday events like stress — and nobody is stress free, Pettit says. She has four tips to tackling cravings and preventing them before they become unbearable.

  • Plan: You need to plan what you’re going to eat that will make you feel better. Don’t wait until you’re hungry to decide what to eat. Plan your meals at the beginning of the week and make your grocery trip all in one day.
  • Keep the junk food out: “If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food,” Pettit says. She suggests going out to eat ice cream as a family or on a date instead of keeping it in the house. “Make your home a good, healthy environment,” she adds.
  • Eat frequently: People need to focus on real, whole foods and eating frequently, Pettit says. Eating a good combination of fat, protein and carbs will prevent food cravings too. And meal timing is very important, she adds. “Eat smaller meals so you don’t get too hungry and make poor decisions and overeat,” she says.

  • Exercise: Both Pettit and Ure agree that exercising can help people make smarter food choices.

"I do believe that when you have a good consistent workout routine in place, it just helps your nutrition even more," Pettit says. "So often people will say your diet is important when it comes to losing weight, but having that workout routine and schedule helps so much … to make better choices when it comes to your food."

Finding time and motivation to work out

Too tired and busy to work out? Ure agrees this is probably the most common problem people face when it comes to exercise, but it’s easy to overcome.


People have this mentality where if they don't have an hour, they can't work out at all. That's not true. If you can dedicate even 25 minutes on those busy days to sweat, that's something. You can pull up one of our workouts on Instagram or just something to get you moving — that helps you feel better." -Brecke Ure

“People have this mentality where if they don’t have an hour, they can’t work out at all,” Ure says. “That’s not true. If you can dedicate even 25 minutes on those busy days to sweat, that’s something. You can pull up one of our workouts on Instagram or just something to get you moving — that helps you feel better.”

Consistent exercise can make you drink more water, dull junk food cravings and also help you sleep better, she adds. Nutrition and fitness just work in sync with each other, and the more you do well with eating, the easier it is to exercise, and vice versa.

Downside to social media

Navigating social media while trying to get healthy can be a balancing act, Pettit says, because there’s a lot of misinformation promoted by people with big followings.

“A lot of fashion bloggers and people who are really thin and look healthy and dress well promote a food cleanse or a bikini cleanse or a detox,” she said. “It’s not scientifically proven, it’s not scientifically sound.”

When people do cleanses and deprive themselves, there is some weight loss, but your metabolism will slow down, Pettit says. And then when people get back to their regular habits, the weight comes back. People need to look for “research-based material and not look at something just because a celebrity did it.”

“Our bodies are awesome machines that cleanse and detox all on their own,” Pettit says.

If you do feel like you need a “detox,” just fuel your body with whole foods, drink lots of water and continue to exercise.

Before and afters

Using social media for weight loss can also be motivating, they said. Besides workouts and recipes, the PureFit PureFood Instagram account also posts before and after transformations of women who have completed programs available on their site.

[Happy Monday! We have an awesome success story. She used both our #tenweektransformation & #21daypurechallenge - here's what she had to say... "I started the ten week transformation weighing 226 lbs. I ended the transformation at 209 lbs. Then, as the holidays approached I slowly started gaining back some old eating habits. By February I gained 4 lbs back weighing 213 lbs (that's the middle picture). Then I did the 21 day challenge ending at 204 lbs (that's the right picture). My biggest achievement in the 21 day challenge was... QUITTING DIET COKE! Holy cow, I never thought I could quit drinking it, I was addicted! But, I challenged myself to quit it for the 21 days. I haven't had a sip since. All of these programs have showed me that I can do all of these things that I didn't know I could. I'm still eating healthy and continuing to lose weight. I'm 201 lbs today. Thanks for everything!" Amazing job!! Be sure to send your success stories to us!](https://instagram.com/p/1szU4Gpx57/) A photo posted by Brecke (NASM) & Devrie (MS,RD) (@purefitpurefood) on

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[We love hearing your success stories! Meet Alicia who has done our #10weektransformation and our #21daypurechallenge. Alicia says "Hi, I wanted to let you know I did the 10 week challenge immediately followed by another round of the 21 day challenge. My goal was to lose 33 lbs by my 33rd birthday. My birthday is on Thursday and I hit my goal a few days ago. These programs really helped me focus and I loved them. I still have about 20 lbs to go, but I have done so well so far and I am not stopping! Thank you!" ------------------------------------------------------Thank you! Congrats Alicia on reaching your goal and for continuing to keep going. What are your goals?? Let's help you get there. Link in profile to pick which plan is right for you. #mondaymotivation #10weektransformation #21daypurechallenge #power25challenge #realguide](https://instagram.com/p/1ayHt8px6J/) > > A photo posted by Brecke (NASM) & Devrie (MS,RD) (@purefitpurefood) on > >

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[A photo posted by Brecke (NASM) & Devrie (MS,RD) (@purefitpurefood)](https://instagram.com/p/v3hGjppx70/) on > >

‘Every day is a new day’ ========================

Feeling bad about the birthday cake last week? Don’t let it get you down, Ure said.

“I think a lot of times people eat bad one day or miss an exercise day and they let it ruin their whole week,” Ure said. “Every day is a new day. We’re all going to have days where we don’t eat as clean as we want or we go out for ice cream, and that’s life. People need to accept that and move on.”

Pettit says people already have the key to change their life.

“Planning is the No. 1 tool that you have,” Pettit said. “Planning is essential.”

Her schedule varies with all her kids’ activities, so she sits down every Sunday night and plans her workouts and meals for the week.

Changing your life doesn’t have to be overwhelming, they say.

“Both Brecke and I are huge advocates of small and simple steps lead to huge results,” Pettit said.

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