Throwback Thursday

 Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. Unfortunately that also includes all the fatty foods as well. Every year we take a trip to an apple orchard as a family. I have very fond memories of these trips. I look forward to going every year. It is one of my favorite things we do as a family. This apple orchard is so much fun. We walk the orchard, let the kids play, and of course eat. They have the most amazing apple donuts there, they have pumpkin now as well. I mean you can smell them before you even get out of the car. My mouth is watering for them while I am typing this actually :) Well the problem is we would get a dozen at least, and I always eat at least half of them. I did not have any self control. After the orchard we always go to this big park. We eat lunch there, throw the football, look at the waterfalls, walk along the water. Well this year I am looking forward to going on this trip again in October, we always go in October. I plan to eat a donut again this year, I mean how could I not right? I will have one apple donut while at the orchard, and one pumpkin donut after lunch. I still get my treats in, but in moderation. I am so ready for October to be here, and go on our fun family trip. This year also I will not get winded walking the orchard, and I can actually enjoy it. I am looking forward to our pictures this year. I know I will be much happier with them than I have in the past. Obviously I love and cherish these pictures because it is fun family memories that I would never change, but I know I will be much happier this year with them.

Workout Wednesday

Just the name of this sends shivers down some people's spines, I know I am one of them.

BURPEES!!

 

 

Doesn't it sound just awful. Well trust me it is. Your whole body will be sore after a few of these, but when you are done you will feel fantastic! This exercise is great to workout the whole body. So what exactly is a burpee? Do you remember in high school when we did squat thrust? That is a burpee. Typically for each burpee you do you burn about 1-1.5 calories depending on how much you weigh.

 

 

Looks easy right? Go try a few you won't think that anymore. You do not have to add the push up in. I sometimes do, and sometimes don't. Obviously if you want to make it more challenging you should add the push up, but trust me even without it you will still get your heart racing and break a sweat. There are a lot of different variations you can do. Of course with or without the push up is a variation. Here is a website with lots of different variations on them. Some are easier, and some are harder. I'm sure you will find one that you like. http://www.fitbodyhq.com/strength-training/17-awesome-burpee-variations/

 

 

 

So now that we know how awesome they are we are all ready to work them in our routine right? Try out this burpee challenge for the month.

 

 





Get MOTIVATED!!

I know we have all been there it is late at night, and we think tomorrow I am going to start, I am going to get up and workout. Then we wake up and the motivation is completely gone. What happened in those 8 or so hours that we slept? Why is it gone now? How do you get yourself remotivated and stop saying tomorrow I will do it? Obviously just get up and do it is the first thing that comes to mind. Stop saying tomorrow and do it now. I know from experience, and I still have days where I do not feel motivated, that it is not that simple.

 

 

I think the first thing to get yourself motivated, or remotivated is to look at your goals. Yes look at your big goals and what you want to achieve in the big picture, but I think it is more important to look at the smaller goals. If you look at too many goals at one time you may get yourself overwhelmed and just get up, I know it has happened to me a lot. I like to list my goals out, and pick a small one and focus on that one until I achieve it. Run a 10 min mile, fit in a certain size, get xx oz of water in everyday, get xx min of activity in everyday, etc...Focusing on that one goal. Write that goal down, and look at it everyday. Write it where you will see it, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in your car etc...Once you reach that goal check it off, and move onto the next goal. Focus on just htat goal do not worry about the other ones on your list. You will get very excited and motivated about being able to check goals off your list.

 

 

Find inspiration. Look for what inspires you, reading peoples blogs, starting your own blog, read books, find a goal outfit, research your goals, talk to others about it whatever inspires you. When you feel inspired you are more likely to want to achieve your goal. If you let other people know what your goals are you also will feel more motivated to want to achieve it because you want to be able to say yes I achieved it!

 

Talk about your goals daily. Trust me I know that people will get sick of hearing about them, but it helps keep you motivated to always have them on your mind. I am not saying you should be obsessed with them, but make them important in your life.

 

Find the time of the day that you have the most energy. Start working out at that time. I actually like to do it the opposite way. I know the times that I am the least energetic I try to workout then. Those are the times that I want to just sit there, and do nothing. I find that is the time that I need to get up the most. Find what works for you. Try to always work out at the same time everyday in the beginning. That way you know, "oh it is 12 o'clock time to workout". Schedule it. That way you will be more likely to follow it.

 

I think the one of the most important things is to find something you like. If you do not like strength training you are not going to be motivated to go do it, same thing if you do not like running you will not be motivated to go do it. Find what kinds of activities you like, and stick to those. You can slowly add other activities in when your motivation goes up. Trust me when you start reaching your goals you will want to start doing more and more.

 

Find a buddy. You guys can help keep yourself accountable. It is so much easier to get up and go if you know that someone else is going to be depending on you as well. It also feels great to achieve your goals together. You can talk about your goals with one another to keep yourselves inspired and motivated.

 

Stop making excuses. This is probably one of the hardest things to overcome. We always have excuses for not doing something. I'm too old, I don't have the time, I don't have the equipment, I don't have the money etc...Absolutely none of these excuses are valid reasons to not get in some physical exercise. I have seen men and women in their 80's lifting weights at the gym, get in a quick workout on your lunch break, before work, after work, as soon as you wake up, in the evening instead of watching tv, turn on some music and dance around the house, you do not have to have money or equipment to workout. Running is free, use some cans as weights, look on you tube for different exercise routines. So stop making the excuses. Take responsibility and get up and do it. If it is important to you then you will find a way to do it.

 

Some other things that can help keep motivation up are changing up your routine. If you do the same thing all the time then you probably will not be too excited to go do it again. Change it up. Also music is very motivational for me. Find a playlist that works for you. I do not get that motivated by the music they play at the gym so I listen to my own music.

 

So as soon as you finish reading this get up and do something active. If you feel unmotivated again come back and read this again and get up and move.  

 

 

 

What are some tips that you have to keep yourself motivated?

 

 



Tasty Tuesday

I think that snacks are the biggest area I struggle in with my eating. I have always been a big snacker. Before deciding to be healthy I would raid the fridge and cabinets. I would sit and eat a whole bag of chips along with a whole sleeve of cookies without even batting an eye. I would buy my kids the most unhealthy, sugar, crap filled snacks and I would sit right beside them and eat them with them. I am so happy we do not eat those snacks anymore. I still sometimes struggle in this area though. A snack should be something quick and easy. Unfortunately when I think quick and easy it is usually one of those unhealthy snacks. So I just do not buy those things and keep them in the house. If it is not here I cannot eat it right. So one quick and easy go to snack for me is a smoothie. They are healthy, yummy and very quick. My kids love them too. They will usually try to steal them from me when I make them. Of course when I do ones with protein powder I do not let them have those. I make them a version minus the protein. So here is a protein smoothie that I love.


Protein Smoothie

1 scoop vanilla whey isolate protein powder (you can also do soy, hemp, rice, pea, whey whichever you have on hand)
2 handfuls spinach/kale mixture
1/2 avocado (you will not taste it at all, it just makes it very creamy and yummy)
1/4c blueberries
5 whole strawberries (do not cut off the greens they have tons of good nutrients in them)
1tbsp chia seeds
1/2c unsweetened coconut milk (you can also do almond milk, fat free milk)
4 ice cubes


I put my ingredients in the order they are listed here. If you notice it is not mixing well you can add a little water, and it should mix much better after that. This is a very basic recipe. You can add lots of other things in here as well. I like a spoonful of natural peanut butter. I have also added a lot of other fruits, mango, pineapple, banana, oranges, etc...I have also added a few spoonfuls of plain nonfat greek yogurt. Very yummy and very easy.

Strength Sunday

Want to get a good workout for your triceps? Try some skull crushers. Trust me you will feel it the next day. They will help you achieve that coveted horseshoe muscle.                  
"There's never been an exercise with a cooler name than the skull crusher. This movement is also known as the "lying triceps extension," but why call it that when you can bellow like a Viking and proclaim that it's your right to crush skulls? You should probably perform them just for that reason alone, but by coincidence they are one of the best exercises for building massive triceps" (bodybuilding.com)

A skull crusher, tricep extension, is a very easy strength training workout. Basically lie flat on a bench and use either a barbell or dumbbells. Bring your feet up on the bench with your knees bent. Hold the weight above your head and bring it down towards the tip of your head keeping your elbows bent the whole time. Easy right? Go do some, and the word easy probably won't come to mind.


Go crush some skulls and build those horseshoes.


http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/crush-it-heavy-skull-crushers-for-titanic-triceps.html

Motivational Monday

I think today's motivation should be about proper nutrition. Exercise is important, but if you are not getting proper nutrition then you will not be healthy. You are basically wasting your time working out if you are fueling your body with crap. So fuel it properly. You cannot out exercise a bad diet. So go eat something good for your body right now!!

Another shout out!

Margaret and I are in a mommy group together. Her daughter and my daughter are the same age. She has been one of my inspirations to my healthier lifestyle. We have a fitness group on facebook and she is always so inspiring. She started her weight loss journey in October of last year. She has lost 56 lbs during her journey. She loves Jillian Michaels and has done a lot of her different workouts. She also enjoys running, hooping, and kickboxing. She and I do some monthly challenges in our group. She also eats a very healthy diet. She has been a big inspiration to a lot of the ladies in our fitness group. She is at her goal and is now just trying to maintain where she is at, but I can say she has not really stopped working hard. She knows this is a lifestyle and not just a temporary change.

Another Shout out!!

This shout out is to my favorite person in the whole world, other than my babies of course :) He is the most amazing person I have ever met. He is my biggest supporter and inspiration. He works very, very hard for our family. He has stood by my side through everything. He is the love of my life and my soulmate. Obviously I am talking about my husband. After we got married we "enjoyed" married life a little too much, and we had both become very unhealthy. He is probably the pickiest person on the face of the planet. His mother told me good luck because he won't eat anything. He is a southern boy. Which means sweet tea and fried foods. I am so proud of him. With all the changes I have made he has never complained once. He is willing to try so many new things. I actually made him a salad last week with spinach and kale, and he ate it all. I could not believe it. He is my partner in training. I am so proud of everything he has done. He is the most fantastic person on the planet.

Shout out

My SIL had two children within her first 3 years of marriage, and like life happens she gained weight. She was focused on her family, like most of us moms are, and not herself. At her heaviest she was about 225 lbs. She finally decided she was done so she started walking and trying to watch what she ate. She lost about 30lbs in about 4 months. The she hit a plateau and did not lose anymore. So in February of 2012 she started doing Sensa. She would walk about 2-3 miles about 4-5 days a week, and did the walk away the pounds videos. She lost another 30 lbs in about 6 months. She is now at 162. She no longer does Sensa, but still walks and watches what she eats to maintain where she is at.

 

She said she feels better than she has in a long time. Hasn't she done a great job!

 

 

 

If you would like a shout out for your fabulous work please feel free to email me @sadie822@hotmail.com

Whatever works...

I am an advocate for strength training and clean eating. In all my years of trying to get healthy this is the only thing that has ever worked for me, and actually stuck. I think it is important for me to continue this lifestyle for the rest of my life. I look forward to helping my children live healthy lives, and anyone that I may inspire in the process....but...the same thing may not work for you. I am a firm believer that part of living a healthy life is also living a happy life. Yes you can eat clean and strength train, but if you are not happy while doing it then this is not the program for you. I think what is important is that you get yourself happy and healthy. Whichever route you take is completely up to you. I read things all the time knocking this and that, but if someone is trying why would you knock them. I do not like cardio, but I am not going to knock it. It works for a lot of people. I do not count calories, I wrote a post about that the other day, because eating clean wholesome foods I really do not need to, but if that is what works for you then by all means do it. We should all be supporting each other in our efforts to get healthy, and not knock someone down because they are not doing the same way we are (off topic, but that is how I view everything in life by the way). Everyone is different, our circumstances are different, budget is different, values are different, goals are different, availability to foods equipment is different, knowledge is different, health is different, and motivation is different. So if you come across someone trying to get healthy, even if it is not how you "think" they should do it, applaud them for their efforts and offer support and encouragement. If they ask for your advice then by all means give it to them, but never say this is what you need to do because that is not your place to decide that for them. I have been telling about my journey on this blog through what has worked for me. I hope I will inspire some people, that is my whole point in creating this blog. If you follow the plan I am doing, which I am by no means a personal trainer or nutritionist, I am more than happy to encourage you and offer support and motivation for whenever you need it. Also if you decide to follow your own path to getting healthy I am more than happy to encourage you and offer support and motivation for whenever you need it. I think that is one thing that has made me successful is by surrounding myself with people that love, encourage and support me through everything. So if you do not have a person in your life doing that for you you need one. If you cannot find one then message me and I am always here to lend a hand. The point is find something that works for you and makes you happy and make that a success in your life.

Scrumptious Saturday

I love trying new recipes, my family is so-so on this. I think they would happy having the same things they like over and over again especially my 6 year old. Food is what we fuel our bodies with so we should use premium right. We should enjoy this fuel too. I do not believe we should eat boiled chicken and steamed broccoli every night in order for us to be "healthy" and lose weight. No thank you that sounds so boring to me. There are so many yummy foods out there if you are just willing to try them. I like to go on pinterest and find new "clean eating" recipes to try. I also enjoy making up my own recipes. I am currently putting some recipes together to write an ecookbook actually. I'm not sure how long it will take me, but I am very excited about working on it. Sometimes the recipes I try are failures, and sometimes we have major successes, but you never know till you try right. Today I made up a new recipe, new for me I'm sure a lot of other people have done it before I just have not seen a recipe for it. I did peach chicken. We are having it for dinner, and I will update on how it tastes later. I can say that it does smell good; which is always a plus right?



Peach Chicken

2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or cutlets
2 peaches
1/2c honey (you can also use agave. I would just use a little less because it is much sweeter)
1/4tsp sea-salt
1tsp black pepper
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp onion powder

Cut your peaches in slices and put in the bottom of the crock pot. Then top with chicken, honey and spices. Cook on high 2 hours then low 3 hours. I will probably serve this with either quinoa pasta or wild rice and steamed carrots. I will let you all know how it turns out.



*UPDATE~ This turned out very good, but it I think next time I will add some no salt added vegetable broth. I think that will keep where it won't get too dry. My daughter had thirds on it so I guess she enjoyed it.

Fabulous Friday

My son started school this week. I was not happy about him going back to school. I miss him while he is gone. :( Of course his first day of school we walked him in. It was a dreary, rainy day his first day, but we still walked him in. He was so sweet and held my hand down the hallway. He even let me kiss him goodbye in front of his classroom. I think it will break my heart when he will no longer let me do that. I felt much more confident this year walking him in than I did last year. I just feel so much better about myself.

Do something today that makes you feel fabulous about yourself!

Stop Counting!!

Everyone knows if you want to lose weight you should count calories right. WRONG!!!! Stop counting those calories. They really do not matter. Obviously yes we have all heard you should burn 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. So we all focus so much on the calories we are taken in. Well stop doing that. Do not worry so much about the amount of calories you are taking in.

Healthy eating is complicated, no doubt about it. First you hear butter is bad, then it prevents cancer. First carbs kill you, then they make you lose weight. Even spinach is confusing… should one eat it raw or is that dangerous?  Nutrition labels, however, deceptively simplify healthy eating. Few calories = good, high calories = bad. Simple. Yet dangerous. This mindset just leads us to eating processed foods that are within our calorie range. I look at the nutrition label when I buy things, although I try to buy a lot of foods that do not have labels, but honestly a lot of times I do not even notice the calories or it is the last thing I look at. I pay attention to the ingredients list, serving size, and all the other nutrition facts available.

If you are nourishing your body with fresh, whole foods you do not need to worry so much. You are just stressing yourself out with counting calories. You do not love your food it is a chore. You should enjoy fueling your body. You should eat foods you love and enjoy, not just the ones that are "low-calorie" and are supposed to help you lose weight. Trust me if you put down the low-calorie processed foods and pick up fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates you will get healthy and lose weight. So stop counting your calories!! Go enjoy your food.

Throwback Thursday

I find that I am torn with looking at my old photos. I like looking at them for two reasons. One to see the memories I have made with my amazing family. I am so happy that so much has been captured in my children's lives for me to cherish forever. Two to see where I was and how far I have come. I do not like looking at them because it is hard for me to see where I was. I cannot believe I ever let myself get like that. I do know looking back on these though that I will never be there ever again so they do help keep me motivated.

These two pictures were taken on a trip my hubby and I took with my brother and his wife. We had a fantastic time. I honestly can tell you that I did not feel as big as I look. I knew I was big, but not that big. These are hard to look at for that reason. These were actually taken just a few weeks before I started my journey. I said the whole trip when we go next year I am going to be healthy and fit. Well I can happily say that I am well on my way there. I am excited to see our pictures next year from our trip.

Clean eating staples

The decision to eat clean was one of the best ones I have ever made. The thing is before I started eating clean I was a very big couponer. I could get $300 of food for under $100 it was so exciting. I loved going to the store with my big binder of coupons, and seeing the dollars come off my total. The problem was I was buying processed, fat, sugar filled crap. I was basically killing myself and my family. So the choice was kill my family with unhealthy crap to save some money, or pay a little extra and have a healthy family. The answer was obvious. I can sometimes find some coupons for clean eating foods, but for the most part they are for processed foods.

One part of living a healthy lifestyle is to have it in every area of our lives. It is essential that we live on a budget. So yes I want my family to eat healthy, clean foods, but I also have to be realistic about it. We have to stick to our budget to keep a healthy lifestyle for our bank account. The question was where do I begin. I had never really eaten like this before. Obviously I had eaten fresh foods, but cutting out processed foods? That was a challenge for me. I thought I would be spending $600 or more every two weeks, that is how often I go shopping other than odds and ends, but I have been very surprised that I do not spend anywhere near that. Yes eating clean can be done on a budget!! You just have to be willing to put a little work into it.


The best place to begin is to first figure out exactly what clean eating is. It is exactly what it says. You want your foods to be clean. They should be the way they were intended to be found in nature. Your meats and dairy should be antibiotic and hormone free. Preferably grassfed or even grain fed. With my fruits and vegetables I try to buy fresh organic produce mostly. Obviously everyone's budget is different. I cannot afford to buy everything organic. So I try to stick to the clean 15, dirty 12 as much as possible. Now if I find something off the clean list that is organic at a great price. I will go ahead and get that as well. I do buy some frozen vegetables or fruits, but I look at the label and if anything other than that fruit or vegetable is in there I do not get it. I never buy canned. For my carbs I only get complex carbohydrates, no white pasta, bread or rice. You want to try to get those unprocessed if possible. I look for the non-gmo label on my products as well. The best tip I can say is try to buy as many foods as possible without a label. That way you know they are fresh. If there is a label you want a very small list of ingredients, and make sure you can pronounce everything. You don't want a bunch of crap in your foods. Try to stick as much as possible to this. Now obviously like I said everyone's budget is different. Try to make as many healthy choices as possible while still sticking to your budget.

So now that we know what clean eating is where do we get started. I found that the best thing is to gradually wean yourself off of the unhealthy stuff. You may very well be able to cut it all out cold turkey and not have any problems at all. That was not the case for me. I had to start slow. I am still working on "cleaning" up some areas for our family. Snacks are the biggest area we struggle with. A good idea is to start building a stock pile of basics that can go for a lot of different recipes. Yes spending $10-15 on a grassfed roast, but if you can split that into 2-3 meals. It is actually not that much in the end. Obviously shopping at whole foods and earth fare are great options for clean eating. The problem for us is 1) we do not have those stores in our town, they are about 45 minutes away. I do try to go to them to get things, but it is not the main place I go. 2) I do not have the budget to buy everything at those places. I find that a lot of the grocery stores around us have great prices on the foods we are now eating. I go to the farmer's market, Aldi, Sam's club, Publix, BI-LO, Target, and yes even Wal-Mart for our clean eating. Sometimes I will go to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or Earth Fare, but like I said that is a bit of a drive for me, and dragging 3 kids 45 minutes for groceries does not sound fun to me. You just have to look in the right places at these stores. My big advice stick to the outside aisles. Do not go up and down the processed food aisles. There are things that I buy down these aisles, but the main things are from the outer aisles. I try to buy staples monthly and then fill in the other things throughout the month. I do have a big chest freezer. So I can make some things ahead of time and freeze them for later which will definitely save you money in the long run. I used to think making things from scratch was so time consuming and expensive. That is totally false. It is actually cheaper to make things from scratch as long as you have your staples. For your staples think of the things that you can use in multiple recipes.



Clean Eating Staples

quinoa
flour (whole grain, coconut, oat etc. I like the King Arthur brand)
Oil (coconut, olive, sesame, grapeseed etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sesame etc.)
nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, sun butter. I try to get the organic versions of these)
Pasta (quinoa pasta, whole grain pasta, brown rice pasta)
Rice (brown or wild)
Oats (oatmeal, oat bran, steel cut oats)
couscous
millet
frozen veggies (the biggest one I get frozen is broccoli or cauliflower, but look for no sodium for your frozen veggies and no other ingredients, just do not buy canned)
frozen fruits (look for the organic frozen fruits if possible. Trader Joe's has a lot of good options)
Milk (coconut, almond, if you are doing cow's milk try to get the milk without antibiotics or hormones. I know milk can be a big expense)
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I like Fage the best, I use this in a lot of things so I buy the big container and it goes very far)
Breads (Ezekiel brand or Rudi brands are good ones. They are in the freezer section. Although my hubby loves my homemade breads. Which you are using some of the staples you already have on hand :) )
Salt (sea-salt, I like no-salt it helps me watch my sodium intake)
Sweeteners (agave (this goes very far as you don't need a lot), raw honey, organic sugar)
Beans (black, pinto, chickpea etc. You can buy the organic low sodium beans in the can, but they are of course a little more expensive. The bagged ones are going to be very budget friendly. They just take a little more work to use.)
Meats (look for lean meats, chicken, turkey, fish, certain cuts of beef and pork. As I said look for meats that are grassfed or grain fed, no hormones or antibiotics, and very little fat on them). This area is probably where I spend the majority of my budget. We try to get proteins in a lot because that is what has helped us with our weight loss. Protein is essential to this process. Obviously there are other areas that we can get protein than just meats, and we do eat those things. For our meats though I have planned in our budget for this area to be 1/3 of it by itself. That way I am not worried about feeding my family hormone ridden meat. I also will find when there is a good sale on these meats and buy a lot of it and freeze it. I know that some of the nutrients are lost when we freeze them, but like I said budget is a factor as well. I have to buy what is best for our budget. I also will prepare some meals before hand with some of the meats and freeze those to pull out for easy meals later.
I don't buy any condiments other than ketchup (my kids love ketchup. I want to find a recipe to make my own). We do not eat salad dressing, mayo, mustard etc. If you do look for one's that are organic maybe with low sugars and low sodium and low fat.
Raw nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans etc. I get the ones that are unsalted)
Fresh fruits and vegetables (try as much as possible to look at the dirty/clean list)


I know there are a lot more foods that I did not address in this list. This is a basic list to get you started. I suggest meal planning and meal prep. Those are essential. That way you are not buying a bunch of stuff that you will never use. Feel free to comment with any questions about clean eating or send me an email sadie822@hotmail.com

Dinner yummies

We rarely eat red meat anymore. For the few times that we do I always try to get grassfed beef that is low in fat content. Well tonight we had some. I got some organic grassfed steak that was very low in fat. I made stir fry with it, and it was delicious!

Steak Stir fry

1lb grassfed steak
2 tbsp. organic coconut oil
1 yellow squash
8 asparagus spears
1/2c chopped red cabbage
1/4c kale
1/4c spinach
1/2c organic baby carrots
1/4c sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/4c chopped green bell pepper
1/4c chopped red bell pepper
1/2c all natural, gluten free Thai noodles
1/8c chopped onion
1/8c agave
1/8c liquid aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
pepper
no-salt


Cut the steak into either strips or cubes. In a baggie add the agave, liquid aminos, steak, pepper and no-salt. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Cook the steak in 1 tbsp. coconut oil. In 1 tbsp. coconut oil cook all the chopped up vegetables and add flax seed. Cook the Thai noodles in a separate pot. Then add them to the vegetables after they are cooked. You can add different vegetables if you would like, broccoli, pea pods, baby corn, zucchini etc. would all be good. I think next time I may add some fresh squeezed orange juice to the marinade on the steak. It was a very yummy and easy dinner. Like I said we don't eat red meat often, but this meal I did not feel guilty about at all.

Workout Wednesday

I think it is important to have a variety in what you eat. That will help keep you interested in the healthy foods you are eating, and you will want to keep eating them. I think it is just important to have a variety in your workout routine for the same reasons. If you are doing the same exercises all the time you will get bored with them, and want to stop doing them. Now we all know that I prefer strength training. That is what has gotten me to my goals, but the other evil (for me it is evil :) ) end of the spectrum is cardio. One great and fairly simply form of cardio is running. You do not have to have a lot of money to do it, belong to a gym, have equipment, or a training partner. You just grab some shoes and go outside and run.

Even though I do not like cardio I will never deny there are benefits from it. That is why I do incorporate it into my routine as well. I try to run when I can even if it is just for 15-20 minutes at least I got some in. I know a lot of people say that running is a great stress reliever for them. You can just get out there by yourself, and be alone with your thoughts. It is great for your cardiovascular health as well.

We cannot deny those are all great benefits. The best thing to do in running is try to incorporate interval training in. Run sprints you will definitely get that heart rate going. You will improve your mood, burn calories, and increase your cardiovascular health.

 

 

 

I try to do 45-60s of running then 75-90s walking. Repeat this for at least 15-20 minutes. You will get in a great workout for sure. If you can breathe at the end of it go for more :) Obviously you are not going to get off the couch today and run a 5k for your first time running. So just like with everything else take your time and do it at your pace. Start with a program like couch to 5k or something similar. Here is an easy routine to follow to get you started as a runner.

 

 

 



So go grab your shoes and raise that heart rate!!

Treat yo self!

I decided to treat myself yesterday because I felt very happy about myself, which I haven't in a long time. Looking at my progress I realized how far I've come. I still have a long way that I want to go, but I can see some progress and it made me feel good.

I know I shared both of these pictures here, but looking at them side by side made me feel good about my journey so far :) So with that good feeling we have to treat ourselves right. Well instead of going and celebrating in an unhealthy way I decided to do so in a healthy way. Last time I got some new running shorts, this time I went for something fun too. New shoes, a girls favorite thing right :)

I'm excited to wear my new treat to myself!!

So make sure you treat yo self too!

The most important meal

I know we have all heard it, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Well it is true. I never used to eat breakfast. I would go until almost 1 or 2 in the afternoon most days without eating or drinking anything. Then I would binge on everything around me, and eat and drink crappy, unhealthy foods until bedtime. Then I did not have any energy, and not want to do anything the rest of the day. That is probably why I got up to almost 270 pounds.

I have never, ever been a breakfast eater. My mom said even as I child I did not really like breakfast. I just could not eat when I first woke up. I never really correlated it to my weight gain and unhealthy lifestyle. I never really though it was that important. I had always heard I should eat it, but just ignored it. Until I sat down with Torey, my trainer, he asked me if I ate breakfast I said no never. He explained it to me like this. He asked would you drive your car for 3 hours with your kids in it with your gas light on? Obviously I said no of course not. He said well that is what you are doing to your body everyday. You are "driving" it with no gas in it, and expecting it to work. I had never really had it explained to me like that before. Something clicked after that, and I have not missed a breakfast since that talk in March. I have felt so much better, and had more success ever since I have started eating breakfast. Now I know that all the things combined are what has led to my success, but each day I am able to do what I need to because I eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast.

You should eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. Breakfast is exactly what it sounds like you are breaking your fast. You have slept all night, and now you need to refuel your body. So start it off the right way early. You will feel better the rest of the day if you do.

Breakfast provides you with the energy and nutrients that lead to increased concentration.

Studies show that breakfast can be important in maintaining a healthy body weight.

Hunger sets in long before it's time for lunch, but because it's not convenient to eat properly, many people who have not eaten breakfast snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar.

People who skip breakfast are unlikely to make up their daily requirement for some vitamins and minerals that a simple breakfast would have provided.

Breakfast provides energy for the activities during the morning and helps to prevent that mid-morning slump.

I always try to get a protein and a complex carb in with my breakfast. I with either get a vegetable or fruit in with breakfast, sometimes both. Then I typically try to eat about 3-3 1/2 hours after that again. Also drink at least 1 glass of water before consuming your breakfast, and at least 1 glass of water afterwards. I find that actually helps me feel full longer.

 

 

I know in the mornings when I first wake up most of the time the last thing I want to do is cook a big breakfast. So I try to go for things that are easy to make most mornings. Some of my favorites are kashi cereals, they have protein and carbs in them and are a good clean eating cereal, with either coconut or almond milk and some fruit, egg whites with veggies, and avocado on a whole grain tortilla or toast, oatmeal with fruits and greek yogurt (a good source of protein), quinoa (a good source of protein and complex carb) with fruits. I eat other things for breakfasts as well, but these are my four easy go to breakfasts. Protein pancakes, protein smoothies, oatmeal smoothies, and protein muffins are also good easy breakfasts. Comment with some of your favorite healthy breakfasts.

 

 

 

 

 

Some good places for recipes are:

 

http://housewife2hostess.blogspot.com/

 



http://savegreenbeinggreen.blogspot.com/2012/09/7-ideas-for-clean-eating-breakfast.html?m=1

Tasty Tuesday

I don't know about you, but breakfast has always been the meal I have struggled with. I am not a morning person, and as much as I like to cook I really do not want to do it when I wake up first thing in the morning. So some easy healthy breakfasts sounds like music to my ears. One really easy nutritious breakfast is overnight refrigerator oats.


Overnight Refrigerator Oats

1/4c oats (old fashioned or steel cut)
1/2c milk (your choice I usually use coconut or almond, but you can use fat free milk)
1/3c plain nonfat Greek yogurt (I usually use Fage)
1/2 tbsp. chia seeds

Mix all ingredients together in a mason jar and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. You can add a little more milk and warm up some if you like warm oatmeal better. I usually just eat it straight out of the refrigerator. Add whatever toppings you like. I have done almond butter and banana, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, honey, agave, etc...The possibilities are endless. I like the almond butter or organic peanut butter because it gives me a little more protein in the morning. That's it. Simple yummy breakfast.

Shout out!!

My SIL and best friend, Megan has been working very hard on her fitness. She has found her love of running. She has done several 5k's and is going to sign up for some more in the next few months. She typically tries to run 6-8 miles a week. She also does water aerobics twice a week, and a strength training circuit 2-3 times a week. She has lost 20lbs and 2 pants sizes so far. She is looking forward to reaching so many more goals. She uses myfitnesspal to log all of her meals so she knows she is meeting the right requirements for her eating. She is also trying to get more water in each day. She has gained a lot more confidence from this. She started out a few months ago doing a health challenge at work, and has continued on her own journey. Her co-workers have been very supportive to her through her whole journey. She also has a great group of family and friends that surround her to help support her. She is a great inspiration to everyone that knows her.

 

Doesn't she look wonderful!!

 

 

 

 

If you would like a shout out for your fitness journey please e-mail me @sadie822@hotmail.com. I would love to give everyone a shout out for all their hard work.

Strength Sunday

Leg days are my favorite days at the gym, but we cannot just work on the lower body and ignore the upper body. So one exercise that I enjoy doing for the chest is the incline bench press.

Now I know a lot of people say that they find the incline much harder than decline and regular bench press. I actually find that I like the incline the best. I feel like I do not struggle with it quite as much. Maybe I'm just weird :) Now of course it is definitely a good idea to have someone spot you when you are bench pressing. I try to spot my husband, but he says I seem scared when I do because he is lifting much more weight than I do.


Now this exercise is not complicated at all. First set your weight up. Typically the bar used weighs 45 lbs. If you want more weight than that add the same amount to each side of the bar to keep it level. Lie on the bench and take the bar off the rack and lower the barbell to your chest then press it up. Repeat this for 10-15 reps and replace on the rack. I typically try to do 3 sets of 15. Of course that last set I am struggling with more than the first set. The person spotting you should be standing behind the rack ready to grab the barbell if you need help. You also want to make sure that your grip is not too wide on the bar so you don't compromise your range of motion.


There is a lot of good information about the incline press on bodybuilding.com
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz51.htm

Small victories

The hubby and I went out to dinner last night. Well in the past when we would go out I would get a soda with some sort of fattening, greasy dinner and eat dessert right afterwards. I said you know I think I want to have a "cheat" meal tonight. I was thinking a steak or hamburger sounded good or even some fried chicken. I looked over the menu several times, and those things just did not sound good to me. I decided to go with grilled chicken with grilled pineapple, grilled veggie skewers, salad and water. It was very yummy. I was happy to not have all the grease and fat of some of the other choices I could have made. I guess I have changed my mind on the cheat meals that I want. It is the small victories that we should be looking for in our journey's.

Scrumptious Saturday!!

Have you tried spaghetti squash yet? If not you should it is very yummy, and very good for you. When you cook this squash the strands fall away to look like spaghetti.

There are a million ways you can prepare this delicious vegetable. I have one easy, healthy, delicious way. I don't know about you, but those three words always sound good to me in a recipe.


Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp. oil (Olive, coconut, or grapeseed)
1 tomato
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 c finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or nutritional yeast)



Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds and the center strings. Drizzle the squash with the oil, garlic powder and black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes open side down. Then take it out of the oven and scrape the squash with a fork to make strands in the squash. Turn the oven to broil and add the tomatoes and basil and top with mozzarella. Broil it for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

There it is a super simple, yummy recipe. You can eat this by itself or with some sort of protein (fish, chicken, turkey). This is a good side to use in place of pasta.

Fabulous Friday

We went to my sons orientation for school today. I felt much better about myself this year than I did last year. I still have a lot of goals for myself that I want to achieve, but I have come a long way.

Seeing our picture from last year to this year has definitely helped my confidence and motivation.

Workout Wednesday

So this is another one of my love hate exercises. TRICEP DIPS!!

 

 

 

It seems so simple, but once you start doing a few you realize why I love to hate them, especially the next day :)  The triceps are the large muscles on the back of your arm. It is sometimes called a three-headed muscle because there are three bundles of muscles, each of different origins, joining together at the elbow.

So how can you achieve the horseshoe look for your triceps? There are lots of different exercises you can do to help build this muscle. One that was very scary for me was tricep dips. I did not want to do them for a long time, but now I try to do them along with my other tricep workouts if I can. To do this exercise you can do it in a gym or the comfort of your own home or while running at a track you can do them on a bench in between intervals. When I first did these I used my legs to lift myself up and down and thought wow this is not bad on my arms, but my legs are really sore. WRONG!! You want to push your body up and down using your arms not your legs. That way you are working the muscle you want. You will definitely feel them the next day in your arms if you do them right. Watch the video that is linked to see the right way to perform these.


http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/bench-dips



There are lots of variations you can do with this exercise. Like I said you can really do it from anywhere. You can also use two benches put your arms on one and your legs on the other and add weights to your mid section to add a little more difficulty. Have fun and go do your dips.


If you are interested here is a challenge for you to try with your dips. Just break them into sets.

 

Scrumptious Saturday

I made this dish the other day. It is very yummy. I had always heard about quinoa for a long time, but was always scared to try it. Now I eat it a lot. It is good with breakfast, on salads, just as a plain side, in casseroles etc...This recipe is very filling you really do not need to eat anything else with it. I did have some extra protein with it, however. Quinoa does have 8g of protein in it. Which makes it very good for vegetarians or vegans. I froze some of this in 1 cup bags so I can just pull out a serving when I want something quick for lunch.


Quinoa veggie bake


1c quinoa
2c water
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1c sliced portabella mushrooms
1/2 c purple onion
1c organic cherry tomatoes
1 eggplant
2c asparagus
1/2 c spinach
1/2 c kale
2 tbsp. organic coconut oil
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
salt and pepper to taste




Preheat the oven to 375. Cook the quinoa in the 2 cups of water. While that is cooking chop up all the vegetables. Put the 2 tbsp. coconut oil in the baking dish. Put all the vegetables in there and mix in flax seed and quinoa. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Bake 45 minutes.


That is it. Super easy and super yummy. It would be good with some avocado, hummus or fresh salsa mixed in. I have eaten it by itself and also with chicken. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.