Breakfast Time!

Oatmeal with Cinnamon apple and raisins

Oatmeal, apples and raisins can make a satisfying and nutritious dish for breakfast, but it's best to avoid preflavored oatmeal packets, which are FILLED with sugar. Preparing plain oatmeal and adding your own cooked apples and raisins is a better bet, providing amounts of fiber and vitamins . A serving of oatmeal, apples and raisins is a healthy dietary choice.

WHAT YOU NEED:


Quaker oatmeal oats  (1/2 cup)
Apple (1)
Raisins (1 tbs)
Cinnamon (1 tbs)
Walnuts ( 1 tbs)
Honey
*Sugar

Prepare the oatmeal and apples in the microwave and add the raisins,honey and cinnamon after. Sweeten as you like.* I add Splenda :)

How to stay focused on eating healthy

Eating a healthier diet may sometimes leave you longing for your favorite foods.

When face-to-face with your favorite unhealthy food, the short-term gratification you imagine will come with eating the item may make it hard to resist. You may feel the urge to abandon all of your efforts to eat healthy. You will likely encounter many instances like this when your commitment to maintaining a healthy diet may waver. However, incorporating diet and lifestyle techniques that provide continued motivation is the key to staying focused on your healthy diet.

HOW?

1.   Establish your reason for wanting to eat healthy. Think about how you feel and look when you eat healthy versus unhealthy foods and recall this thought whenever you begin to lose focus.

2. Consider the long-term benefits of eating healthy whenever you begin to lose motivation. Imagine yourself having that body you've always dreamed of.

3. Think about the long-term consequences of unhealthy eating as well such as cholesterol levels, heart disease, diabetes etc..

 

 4. Write down positive affirmations to keep yourself motivated. Also put pictures of  yourself while in this process to keep you motivated to look better each day.

 5. Ask a friend or family member to join you on your mission to eat healthy. Join a social or online group where you can discuss your goals and exchange ideas with like-minded individuals.

 

6. Indulge yourself once in a while. I usually give myself 1 day in the weekend to indulge on anything I desire.

 

7. Replace unhealthy foods with healthy options. Always keep healthy snacks in the house or with you. I usually have nuts with me. It satiates me and is a healthy alternative full of nutrients.

Week 1.. Jillian Michaels 30 day shred

Still the same old me.. But BETTER :)

So I haven't written in a while. Its been a year since Ive jot anything down but its been a great year. I lost a bit more weight. I'm down to 113-114 now and im the healthiest Ive ever been. Still spinning like crazy and running, stair master and of course strength training. When i cant hit the gym, i hit the weights i have in my house. believe it or not i get a major workout at home. I did p90x for 2 weeks and then insanity and wouldn't keep up because i couldn't get motivated at home. But i advise anyone to try it because its a great workout. I am now gonna start swimming 3 times a week and will keep you posted on how that goes.

Top 10 exercises :)

Being the gym freak that I am, I’m obviously going to have my favorite exercises. I can be anywhere and I can still get a great workout. Now there isn’t a specific workout that targets certain areas of your body. You can have different types of workouts for different parts of your body if your goal is to tone up, but obviously if your goal is to lose weight, your best bet is to lose it overall. There’s no such thing as losing a target area (ex: belly fat). Body fat is your whole body, not just one area. People have different “problem areas”, and I know I have mine. But cardio and strength training together, is the best way to accomplish that goal. It all takes time and commitment. Even if you don’t have a gym membership, don’t panic. You can still use your own body weight to have efficient results.




1) Spinning (my ultimate favorite cardio!) – This type of exercise is an aerobic exercise and works out your whole body, while helping you lose weight and toning your thighs, glutes and calves, and strengthening your cardiovascular health, but my advice, don’t do it every day. Try a different cardio workout so you won’t plateau. (BURNS ABOUT 300-800 CALORIES per hour )

2) Running (Hate it!! but it is the # 1 fat blasting exercise) – This exercise works out your WHOLE entire body! It requires a great deal of energy. It also improves your cardiovascular health. (BURNS FROM 100-700 CALORIES depending on the speed and time)

3) Jumping Rope - This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises one can do. In just 15 to 20 minutes, jumping rope will give you a total body workout.

4) Lunges (best butt exercise)- This workout is great for your butt and also your legs.

5) Squats ( also great for the butt) – This workout is excellent for your butt

6) Pushups- (chest exercise) – This workout is a very challenging one because it works out your upper body while giving you excellent strength building skills. It works out mainly your chest, shoulders and triceps.

7) Dips (great for the arms) – This workout is essential and the main one for triceps. It also works out your chest and shoulders. It’s a very hard movement but very effective.

8) Biceps curls- This is a bicep workout that has many variations.

9) Shoulder press- This is a shoulder workout that also has variations.

10) Lateral pulls and back extensions – these two are both back exercises that are great for your back. If you don’t have a gym, “superman” is a great variation to the back extension.

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

Breakfast time!!

I will be giving you my own "special" breakfast, which gives me sufficient energy to make it through the day and survive the gym :) . Now as you’ve heard, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s said and proven to be the peak of your energy level and helps your performance throughout the day. It helps with concentration and leaves you not craving as much as the day progresses. Eating a balanced breakfast is essential to your health. It’s like a car without gas. The car won’t start unless you put some gas in it. Your body functions the same. No food no energy. So start off your day with a full breakfast such as the one I’m going to give you. It has its protein (which is the key to your breakfast.) Protein leaves you fuller longer. Carbs (also very important), fiber and enough sugar. Everything is important so don’t leave out the good stuff. It’s crucial for the body to refuel right when you wake up, because you will have gone at least 8-10 hours without eating. The body uses stored fat as energy when it’s not getting this energy source. So that’s a no no! You need food in the morning! The typical American breakfast consists of foods loaded with fat and artificial preservatives (chemicals). For example: bagel, donut, cereal, cookies, egg, bacon, French toast, ECT. The list is infinite. Everything mentioned on this list is TRASH!! You won’t get any nutritional value from any of these foods. They might fill you up, but not for long, leaving you hungry sooner and with nasty fat in your system. Not to mention that everything we buy packaged is preserved and horrible for your health and will mess up your metabolism. “If it didn’t have a mother or didn’t grow from the ground, don’t eat it!!” I’m probably a health freak but I know that my body will thank me in the future. Now as for what I promised here it is... But remember, BREAKFAST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY! So don’t skip it!



*I start off my morning with..

1) A cup of iced water ( helps speed up metabolism)
2) ½ piece of wheat toast with ½ cup of egg whites
3) 0% fat Fage Greek yogurt ( it has fewer calories, less fat and an excellent choice for yogurts)
4) Flax seeds(very high in omega-3 essential fatty acids and stabilizes blood sugar)
5) Frozen or fresh berries (such as raspberries, and blueberries)
     • In my yogurt I add the berries, flaxseed, and 1 teaspoon of natural peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of almond butter.
6) Expresso coffee with light creamer ( coffee has no calories) or almond milk ( less calories than regular milk)


This is a variation to what you can eat in the morning. But you need these essentials to function properly in the day.

Beating the "BAD" Sunday habits!

Have you ever had one of those Sundays where you just wanna lay down in bed and watch tv while indulging in those delicious chocolate brownies? Well I know I do. Today was one of those Sundays. I woke up at 10:00 A.M which is not so bad for a heavy sleeper, but I usually wake up on weekends prepared to work out. So, after waking up I ate my usual breakfast: ( Will be posting soon, also with special recipes and tips for breakfast!) And got ready for the Gym. My usual Sundays consist of running only. So I ran my 5 miles, feeling refreshed and ready to take on my day, but today wasn't one of those days, I was feeling under the weather, and decided to lay down in bed with a good bowl of homemade caramel popcorn. Now I know what your thinking, " Caramel popcorn is bad for you, full of sugar, and no healthy value. " So, how do you beat this horrible habit of " weekend indulgence? "

Tip 1 : Wake up and plan your day, such as : Meal plans, fitness, etc...
Tip 2 : Eat a balanced, healthy breakfast that doesn't  involve any preservatives, making you crash throughout your workout.
Tip 3 : Get your workout first thing in the morning.
Tip 4 : Never skip any important meals, and remember to always have snacks throughout the day, for example : A post workout snack which could be a fruit smoothie with a protein powder. ( that's optional )
Tip 5 : Enjoy your day with friends or family, like taking a walk through the park. ( This helps avoid any cravings you have while stuck at home )
Tip 7 :  DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!!!  It helps you cleanse your body, of any toxins you have.
Tip 8 : Sleep it all off! ( At least 8 hours of relaxing sleep )



"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone."

If I can do it, so can you!! ( My own personal struggle)

Its only fair to start off this blog by telling you a little bit about my own struggle with weight.It hasn’t been long since I started this craze, but once I did, I fell in love. I’m 19 years old and started last year when I turned 18. I used to be a chubby child, with a careless mindset.I would eat healthy yet unhealthy and never had a great body. I used to be a dancer but my weight always kept me from moving foward with that passion.Im 4'11 so being 125 and that height really was tough. I decided that once I turned 18, I would change myself and become more physically active and fit. I had a gym membership but never used it. Once I started my process of change, I was going everyday . Dreading each and every day for 3 months, made me realize that there had to be something fun yet helpful and motivational at the gym to push myself to exercise.I hated those elipticals and treadmills.It would get overly boring and i would just give up. Inconsequentially I would see people spin their life away at the Spinning (cycling) class and decided to give it a try. As crazy as it looked I signed up for it the next day. Never had ridden such bikes, I climbed on and had the instructor give me a hand with the setting of the bike. Once class was over, I was exhausted and realized I had done a workout that I actually enjoyed. I had fallen in love with the class. Every day I would anticipate the class, usually with different instructors. This was last year summer 2008. Now we are in 2009 and it’s been over a year since I started spinning. I have lost 15 lbs and gained 7 lbs of muscle. Burning off 10% body fat, all thanks to spinning. Since then I still go to spinning, but not every day. Once you hit a plateau it’s impossible to lose any more doing the same workout every day. I spin 4 times a week with the same instructor (she’s like a cheetah on the bike). I do the class to maintain my weight and sweat as much as possible. I’ve reached my plateau, so I interchange it with running on the days I don’t spin. I also do strenght training before the class. But spinning has become my passion. An addiction I would say. A fantastic and healthy addiction. I now cannot miss a day at the gym. I live it, breathe it. Its something that gets me through my day. This goes to show that anything is possible and that motivation and perseverance it all it takes to take one step to your own goals and actually reaching it.

"Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential."