Dumb + Bells = Dumbbells ;)

I felt like I needed a change and was tired of going into the gym without a set plan. I knew the area on which I wanted to focus each day, but I needed a push, a challenge and some more ideas! So, I started a new program this week! Lovin’ it so far. Yesterday involved a shit-ton (that’s a word) of push-ups and arm/chest dumbbell moves. Let’s just say I’m sore & shaky and I may or may not like it. While I’ve done plenty of dumbbell workouts, I focused in and realized how great dumbbell exercises really are.
Here’s why:
1. Stabilization. You must stabilize your entire core as well as zoom in on the muscles being worked, resulting in more muscle fibers being activated.
2. Each limb is independent. You can really feel the struggle on each side, or the weak side. When using solo barbells your arms are working together, but with dumbbells each has to pull their own weight (see what I did there). 🙂 There’s no compensation for the weak side, it’s gotta put in the work, too. This really helps with initiating balance for the rights and lefts.
3. Range of Motion. Or Freedom. When doing barbell bench presses your muscles work in a fixed position. On the other hand, dumbbells allow you to rotate and alter position slightly all while increasing your range of motion.

After feeling so sore from the new moves, I’m looking forward to some more! I’ll keep you posted on those and the new techniques I’m learning. Happy Friday! Now, go be active…

Live Active Cultures?

Yep. They’re not so bad. Relax!

1) Good-for-you bacteria bugs
Yogurt has probiotics, the good ‘bugs’ that live in your digestive tract and help push out harmful microorganisms that can cause intestinal infections. Not all bacteria is bad, it sounds scary but you kinda need it.
2) Full of Vities
Yogurt also has a ton of vitamins…one serving contains a significant amount of potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, iodine, zinc, and vitamin B5. It also provides B12, which helps maintain red blood cells and keep the nervous system functioning properly.
3) Blood Pressure Regulatooooor (Mount-up)
The potassium found in yogurt may help flush the excess sodium out of your precious bod. In fact, adults in a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition who ate the most low-fat dairy were 54% less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate the least.

I love adding the antioxidant filled blueberries and nutty granola! This is one of my favorite work-day (easy-peasy) breakfasts 🙂

Put those good intentions to use

I have to share this with you all! The below is from my employer’s Wellness Program and has some FABULOUS advice for everyone. SO TRUE! It may not be easy or you may not see the results as quickly as you’d like, but do it the RIGHT way. How many times have we heard “diet and exercise”? A LOT. Diet doesn’t mean D I E T it means what you eat. Be aware. Stay away from the crap, the processed foods, the sugars…eat real food, healthy food. Yes, you can cheat some meals (SOME! like twice a week) so you don’t over-do-it and give up on yourself. AND drink water! Start simply and work your way up and up the progress ladder. I promise you will FEEL better with small changes.

Enjoy this read:

“New-Year-New-You Tuesday: Resolving to lose weight!
CREATED BY: SONIC BOOM JAN 6, 2015

“This year, I want to lose weight!”

First things first – we need to change this resolution to “I want to feel healthier this year!” Sure, losing weight might be the means to that end – but, your end goal should not be a number on the scale or the size of your pants. It should be to feel healthier in mind, body, and soul! And of course, the best way to do this is through good ol’ fashioned nutrition-optimizin’ and exercisin’.

No diets!

Don’t let all of the New Year advertisements getcha. There’s no magic pill, powder, or potion that will help you purge the pounds in a healthy way – sorry to burst your bubble! To bust the belly-fat for good, stick to lean meats and healthy fats (no saturated fats!), like those found in almonds and avocados. Skip the sweets, and limit your alcohol intake. By making a few smart substitutions (like fish instead of red meat) and cutting out the bad stuff (processed foods), you’ll soon notice a BIG difference in how you feel (and look!).

Put those good intentions to use!

Let 2014 remain as the “Year of Good Intentions” and make 2015 be the “Year of Actually Doing Something.” Unfortunately, good intentions don’t yield results! You can wake up every day and say, “I’m going to exercise today!” But, unless you actually do it, nothing will change! So, do something about it! You’ll feel healthier – which means you’ll be more energetic, more confident, and altogether happier!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Exercise and make conscious choices to eat well!

If you’re a bit out of practice, simply start walking for at least a half hour each day. If you’ve already started a routine, intensify it! Extend the duration of your workout, increase resistance, or introduce a new type of training to your bag o’ tricks! Think about your diet and decide what you can do without!

The important thing to remember about getting healthy is that it takes time, dedication, and some hard work – but it’s 100% doable, especially with the support of your peers. Start with simple-n-small daily changes that will add up to a lifetime of good habits! Don’t expect instant results – expect lasting results.”

Hard gym session comin’ up!

With my crazy schedule, it’s been awhile since I’ve had a really great session at the gym. Yes, I’ve gone a couple times a week still..but most of the time I’m on a time crunch. School, my kid’s activities and schedule, work, homework, etc. Life, right?

A little break from school let’s me catch-up on some ME time. Does anyone else get really excited about a dirty, sweaty, kick-your-ass gym sesh? I have kept up with the quick at-home exercises but there is something about just going HARD at the gym. I miss it and that’s all I can think about today…is it time to go yet?!?!?! Working out definitely helps me more than just physically (but yes, I LOVE those results). I feel better mentally & emotionally as well…ask my BF and daughter (sowwy). It makes me happy, positive and feel like I could conquer the world! 🙂

I’d like to thank Shaun T for showing me some goodies to work on at home (while I have a few minutes to breathe) and my sweet doggy for going on runs with me through my ‘hood. Work it in when you can! Make it count!

Can you tell I’m stoked for this week??? I’m about to push it hard, people.

^ I want to finish and end up like this guy ^

SUGAR CONTENT OF FRUIT

Found a gem of an article on thepaleodiet.com.  I don’t claim to do ANY type of diet besides eating healthy; that’s it!  …But this has some pretty great info and an AWESOME chart that I will be using on the regular!  This could help you get a better idea of how much sugar you really are consuming…and that shit likes to hang out around the mid section.  Know what I mean?!?!   That stubborn belly fat!  

 

Read on, Readers:

 

In general, fresh fruits are healthy, nutritious foods that are good sources of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. Further, they are instrumental in maintaining a net alkaline-yielding diet. Olives, dates, figs, and grapes were some of the first fruits to be domesticated, and pits from these fruits initially appear in the archeological record about 6,000 years ago in the Near East. However, the common fruits we eat today bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors. Domesticated fruits are almost always larger, sweeter, and contain less fiber than their wild counterparts. Compare a Golden Delicious apple to a crab apple and you begin to get the picture.

Dr. Cordain’s original recommendation to eat fresh fruits as your appetite dictates still holds for most people. However, if you are very much overweight or are insulin resistant, he recommends that you initially limit high sugar fruits (grapes, bananas, mangos, sweet cherries, apples, pineapples, pears and kiwi fruit) from your diet until your weight starts to normalize and your health improves. Try to include more vegetables in lieu of the high-sugar fruit. As per his previous recommendations, dried fruits contain excessive sugar, and from the table below, you can see they more closely resemble commercial candy than their fresh counterparts. Note that some fruits (avocados, lemons, and limes) are very low in total sugar and should not be restricted.

For insulin-resistant subjects, fructose consumption may be particularly problematic. Consequently, he has tabulated the total metabolic fructose for items in the Table below. Metabolic fructose = (fructose + sucrose). In the gut, table sugar (sucrose) is split into its two component parts (fructose and glucose) before it enters the bloodstream. Hence sucrose’s contribution to the total dietary fructose load must be considered.

Sugar Content of Fruit Nutrition Information from Dr. Loren Cordain The Paleo Diet™ 

  So, check your fruit sugar intake! BUT remember…Added Sugars vs Natural Sugars – Big Difference It is very important to make the distinction between added sugars and sugars that occur naturally in foods like fruits and vegetables. These are healthy foods that contain water, fiber and various micronutrients. The naturally occurring sugars are absolutely fine. However, added sugars are those that are added to foods. The most common added sugars are regular table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup. If you want to lose weight and optimize your health, then you should do your best to avoid foods that contain added sugars. -authoritynutrition

I am on day 23 of NO EXCESS SUGAR and I am feeling fabulous and finally seeing some SERIOUS results of my hard work. The body is becoming more defined and tighter. Excess sugar is evil!

***WARNING:   April will be the month without treats or sweets for me***

 

This means NO brownies, ZERO cookies, NADA on the slices of cake, ZILCH amount of ice cream, etc.  For some of you, this may seem like an easy task BUT for me this is not easy at all!!!  I have quite the sweet tooth, my friends.  Mostly for cookies and any thing chocolate!!!  While I eat decently healthy on the regular, I do sneak a few treats throughout the week and maybe a little too many during the weekend.  It’s going to be rough for me (and anyone around me) for the first week-ish or so.  This is fair warning to the fam, coworkers and friends…

I’ve been reading up on this sugar thing and found a lot of interesting facts that I shall share: 

1) The more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes (Uh, oh!)

2) We can reverse this tolerance in just a couple of weeks by cutting out sugar (Oh, good)

3) Recent research has shown that a high intake of sugar releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin (this is why it’s addictive) 

4) Sugar may give you wrinkles via a process called glycation, in which excess blood sugar binds to collagen in the skin, making it less elastic

5) Cutting back on sugar may help your skin retain its flexibility

6) Eating too much sugar can mean that the fuel it helps generate doesn’t get used by the body, and so can lead to this excess energy being stored as fat on the body

7) Refined sugar has no nutritional value, besides empty calories

8) It impairs liver function, which can lead to high blood pressure

9) The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar every day

Whoa! If I can get through the first few days of cravings (I sound like a drug addict), I could do ANYTHING 🙂  LOL.  But really, there are so many benefits to a low-sugar diet!!! I can’t wait to start seeing these and not HAVING to have a piece of chocolate after an amazingly healthy meal.  WTH?!?  Stop it, Sugar!!!  You’re ruining and slowing down my progress!!!  I’m not saying that I will NEVER eat sweets/treats again, I’m saying I need to get it under control.  I don’t want the cravings anymore.  I want to be able to splurge for special occasions and actually really enjoy a small portion randomly. Small portions. This month will have to be a bit extreme in order to eat cookies “comfortably” later…does that even make sense to anyone else?!?  

I already really like fruit, but I will be eating a lot of fruit (and veggies) this month to help!!!!

The AWESOME benefits (after the withdrawals) will be well worth it! 

1) Sugar cravings will be drastically reduced

2) Much less “hunger pains”

3) Headaches and fatigue will DRASTICALLY be reduced

4) Less mood swings and even a clearer, focused, and improved mental state

5) Rapid weight loss followed by steady weight loss

6) Actually be a much healthier person

7) Positive change in complexion 

  I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! Wish me luck 🙂 I’m nervous but sooooo excited.

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel gross?  Well, today is my day to feel that way.  This weekend’s eating kicked my ass! I didn’t necessarily eat horribly (although it wasn’t great) but I ate A LOT. And I drank a few more than usual as well. Plus, I didn’t move a whole lot either.  What the hell was I thinking?!?!  That it wasn’t going to catch up to me?  Yeah, maybe.  😉  
Anyway, today is definitely “Monday” for me.  I feel BLAH, I am almost nauseous, I am extremely tired, I am not motivated whatsoever to do anything aaaand I probably have some girl hormone shit going on.  It’s rough on the body, okay boys!!!  Not an excuse just a fact. And that brings me to my point…  

*No excuses   

*Stay motivated – even (especially) when you do NOT want to 

 

The last thing on my mind today was going to the gym (or doing anything for that matter).  Mostly because it would be such a hassle on my lazy, blah kind of day.  I had to drive to the gym through downtown lights (I swear I hit all of them), change clothes, actually move (and push) my body, shower, get dressed AGAIN, then haul ass back to work to stuff my face before passing out on the drive.   I just didn’t want to.  BUT I did it anyway!  And I’m so glad that I did 🙂   While I’m still exhausted, I am in a much happier mood than I would be if I didn’t go.  If I made excuses!   I set my weekly goals for myself and I have to keep smashing those to feel, see and make progress.  Even on days such as this one, my mind reminds me of the feeling that I get after an intense work-out.  Success! Accomplished! Motivation!  My body will thank me later…but maybe after a good night’s sleep. 

Maybe I have a small crush on peanut butter and bananas…

 

The Energy Booster (Yes, please!)

Potassium-rich bananas deliver energizing carbs, while protein powder and peanut butter give you energy to get through the three o’clock slump. Pantothenic acid, a B vitamin in yogurt and honey, helps convert food into fuel. Iron-rich wheat germ and cinnamon up blood oxygen levels so you won’t get winded during your midday workout. 

 What You’ll Need 2 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped 2 scoops chocolate protein powder 2 Tbsp peanut butter 2 Tbsp wheat germ 1 tsp cinnamon 1 Tbsp honey 3/4 c low-fat Greek yogurt 4 Tbsp skim milk powder  2 c ice 

 Makes 3 servings. Per serving: 294 cal,7 g fat(2 g sat), 38 g carbs, 102 mgsodium,4g fiber, 25 g protein

-Courtesy of WomensHealthMag-

My Sweat Craving

There are times throughout the month when I have the NEED to just drip in sweat!  While I still “glow” during strength training, yoga classes, core/balance, etc., there is something I love about being so sweaty and gross after a straight cardio workout.  I was craving that feeling today, so I went to the gym during my lunch hour to get my fix.  I ran and ran and ran on that damn treadmill.  Okay, it was only 20 minutes on the treadmill due to my time restraint I call work, but it was killer.  I usually start with a brisk walk for 1/4 mile, then I run at a pretty steady pace (around 6.7) for 1 mile.  At that point, I will crank that shit up to a 9 and sprint for 1/4 mile then bring it back down to my walking pace for another 1/4 mile.  I then run a steady pace again for 1/2 mile, then book it for another 1/4.  I try not to pay too much attention to the time, but instead, the distance.  I don’t really have a specific pattern that I stick to so I listen to my body. Some days I really feel it and sprint more than walk/run, while other days I walk/run more than sprint.  But I love it!  It makes me sweaty and I feel like I am literally melting off my damn thighs  🙂     After my 20 minute sprints, I jumped on the Stair Master where I lost some of this booty.  I did the “fat burner” for 20 minutes and finished off with abs.

Don’t worry, I showered at the gym before going back to work.  Ahhhhhhhh, I feel much better!!!  Full of energy and happy…and now to re-hydrate 🙂