I Will Survive!

Well I survived my first week of P90! It felt so good starting back at it and doing P90 this week! I am feeling pretty great too, like why did I not want to work out and eat healthy? It's Funny how workouts make you feel more energized and SORE! I am totally enjoying my Rest day today! I made a few small changes this week that will lead to success in the long run. One I started keeping track of my food and calories again by using MyFitnessPal. Two, with that I'm also making better food choices that are healthy and filling plus thinking of treats as a do you really need that? Three I scheduled my workouts into my calendar so that it's a priority to get them done. Four I am thinking of what would make good Blog posts :) Comment below if there is anything you would like to see me to cover! So In my last blog post (See here) I had mentioned my trip to Vegas in June! Oh my gosh it was action packed and so so much fun! 

I'm here!

The reason I went to Vegas was to attend Beachbody's Coach Summit! So your probably like what the heck does that mean? well it's there annual conference for all their coaches, it was amazing! We got in and went grocery shopping at Whole Foods (boy do I wish we had those in Canada) and then the fun began the next day! First up we went to our Team meeting and almost all the celebrity trainers stopped even our CEO Carl Daikeler came by to welcome us to the event. Then later that day we attended the opening ceremonies and man was that ever amazing! Almost 10,000 coaches gathered in on place with one similar goals on mind.... Help people be the best that they can be through health and fitness! Beachbody had 2 keynote speakers during the event, one was Dean Hardy and the other was Diana Nyad. I enjoyed both but found Diana's story incredible and very emotional (yes I cried like a baby, glad it was dark lol). My biggest take away from the event was this year's theme NEVER GIVE UP! When you stumble and fall you have to get back up and keep on going. It`s more then just an attitude, you have to focus on having actions towards your goals! No one can take your ability to choose, together we can do this! It was so uplifting to sit there and hear this from our CEO.  I am so happy that this is a job that I had the ability to choose because I want to make a difference in peoples lives. After that motivational opening it was off with My Coach as her special guest to attend the Studs & Sequins party. Boy does my company know how to throw a party! Complete with fireworks! Well at the party I met one of the makers of Shakeology, Darin Olien it was very cool. The next day was filled with workshops where I learned so much to help me with my goals and passion to help other people achieve there goals!

at the awesome After Party with my team members

Beachbody also launched a few new products at the event! They released the PiYo program which I bought, it is awesome not jumping and easy on the joints but delivers amazing results. Also they released the 3 Day Refresh which I purchased and did a about a month after Vegas. It's such a great way to get back into healthy eating habits and help ditch the cravings and unwanted bloating. I just bought another one to keep on hand to do after the Holidays!. I am hopeful that is will be available in Canada sometime next year. That was another announcement that Beachbody made, they went International and officially launched here in Canada this summer! And lastly they announced the brand new program that I am currently doing, P90! It is the on switch for fitness, they are already getting outstanding results in the test groups. One girl has done the program twice, so two 90 Day rounds and has lost 81 pounds! I'm so excited to be able to offer another great program to people to help them reach their goals! We Finished off with awards and recognition as well as the ultimate Beachbody challenge winners both who lost over 100 lbs each combined with magic show and after party it was a pretty magnificent time. The only downfall was coming home with a sprained ankle. But you know what they say.... What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! ;)

Eeeeee!  It's 21 Day Fix trainer Autumn Calaberse!

I really feel I could go on and on about Vegas but I will stop there. I will tell you my biggest highlight of the event was meeting 21 Day Fix trainer Autumn Calaberse! She is so tiny! As I have done the 21 Day fixed and feel like I`ve worked out with Autumn it was so cool to be able to give her a hug and say thanks! Oh and I'm already signed up to go to next year's Coach Summit and it's moving locations!  Hello Nashville!  I am so excited about this event already we have more members of our Team Fitspire that ware going to be coming.  Plus I have already been to Nashville and loved it, so I know we will have a blast, I mean who can say that about there job! I went to Vegas for work!

We`re heading to Nashville!

Happy Anniversary!

Well considering today is a special day for me I decided it would also be a good day to start Blogging again. Today marks my 4 year anniversary to when I decided to (in honest words) get off my lazy ass and stop being fat. I have definitely learned ALOT in the past 4 years and it has never been easy. This past year has been a struggle for me which has been why you haven't been reading that many blog posts.  I seem to have lost my Mojo. This anniversary has really helped me look back and see where I came from and the progress I did accomplish as well as the many defeats I have had.  I am really happy to say I realized something very important. I have my WHOLE life to be healthy and fit!!!! I know amazing right?

You have to start from somewhere

With this realization it occurred to me that it's OK that I haven't been perfect.  I read an article the other day online (To Read it click HERE) from a girl who had lost almost 100 pounds and I swear I could have wrote parts of it myself! It was about how she was dealing with having depression from her weight loss.  Although I am not suffering from any kind of depression alot of what she said I could completely relate too. Up to last summer I had been working so incredible hard and my main mission in life was to lose weight and reach my goal of losing 50 pounds.  I did reach that goal (hooray!) but shortly after is kind of where it started to fall apart. I didn't know what to do with myself after I reached my goal, I mean I had just spent that last few years trying to hit it. So I started to celebrate! A glass of wine here, some chocolate and chips there.  Before I knew it my pants were starting to get snug and I'd gained weight back!  I have spent most of the rest of this year trying and failing to lose that extra bit and reclaim my goal. I told myself I would never go back to being the unhappy, unhealthy person I was when I started out and by golly I'm NOT! I hate the way my pants fit and I am  determined to see that goal weight again, so I am ready to recommit to the lifestyle I switched to 4 years ago! Only this time all that failing I did taught me something.  When I get to my goal, I will set another new one.  I already know what it is, I'm going to make my goal to maintain my new weight this time! Smart, I know :)

So lets look at the highlights to this year because it wasn't really all bad. One of the best decisions I made was to become a Beachbody Coach. This lets me have an amazing group of support who are rooting for me and my success well being able to pay it forward and help other people along the same journey I am on.  In fact that is how I am going to be getting back to my goal weight.  On Monday I am super excited to be starting a new program P90, I chose it because it is perfect to where I am right now, I am going to use it as my on switch for fitness again. I can not wait to see my Day 90 results but I'm going to break it down and just do 30 days at a time.  I am also really excited that for the first 30 Days I will be running a Biggest Loser style competition to help some other gorgeous ladies get their fitness journey going again as well.  Who needs a new year's resolution, when I can stat now!  Also a big highlight for me was getting to go with a few fellow Beachbody coaches to our Summit event in Vegas this summer. It was truly inspiring to be with some many others who want the same things you do! I have a blog post coming with more on that so stay tuned! I honestly can't believe it's been 4 years since I made the best choice in my life and I can't wait to celebrate, 5, 10 even 25 years from now! I'm in it for LIFE!

In the Beginning

I was thinking of just how far I have come since starting out on my journey of living a lighter (healthy) life.  So I thought I would tell you about when I first started out. I remember it was November and I had a friend getting married that coming August and I was going to be a bridesmaid. I knew I needed to do something because I hated having my picture taken at that point, I just hated how I looked (because the truth was I looked fat). In hindsight I really wished I had of taken an actual before picture. I do look back on the above picture and just feel like I was drowning in my own body.  I didn't really know what to do or where to start. I liked watching transformation shows on TV and had been watching Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition and the Biggest Loser. I was crying my eyes out at how amazing people looked and I thought, man if these people who are so much heavier then me can do this surely I can manage to lose some weight. 

So I was ready to start out but afraid that like so many other things I would fail at this too. A friend of mine was selling a weight loss shake at the time so I decided to try it out.  If it helped me get going and start seeing results why not? When it came in it had a chart (BMI) to figure out where you are and where you should be by checking your current weight and height. I was stunned to see that I was considered Obese! Yes I was plus size but I didn't think I was that far gone. I guess it doesn't help that I'm also only 4'11" but good things come in small packages! To bring myself to what was considered a healthy weight I would have to lose a minimum of 50 pounds. That seemed to huge of an undertaking so I decided that since I was turning 30 that year that I would set out to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday which also was good for the wedding I was in as it was around the same time. 

Me at my Friends Wedding.
I didn't hit my goal but lost 25 lbs.

I knew I would have to workout but I was uncomfortable going to a gym, I didn't want people to see me jiggle all over the place! I had a Wii and I thought they should have a fitness program for it and sure enough I found one! It was EA Sports Active I started doing it and drinking my shakes and I did start seeing results! 5 pounds in the first week! I was thrilled and motivated. When I got tired of the one program I bought a few more Wii fitness programs. They even had one from The Biggest Loser! I really enjoyed that one there is nothing like having avatars of Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper guiding you through a fitness challenge. You literally are a Biggest Loser contestant which made its fun and competitive! I wanted to be the Biggest Loser! Which by the way I was!  I soon got addicted to doing these "games" thus working out longer, it was an average sat to spend most of my morning working out. I am actually happy that I did start out this way because it was me pushing myself to do. It gave me confidence and added motivation to workout.

During this time I started eating better and logging my food in the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. Boy was that an eye opener! I thought I was eating "healthy" but man was I way off lol. Being accountable for what I ate and seeing the calories in what I was eating was huge for me! For the first week I just recorded what I was eating. I could not believe how many calories I consumed in a day. You can eat a little but it can add up to A LOT! So I started making more healthy choices and giving myself a calorie budget for the day. The App had recommended 1200 and i tried that for a couple days and was starving! I realized that it was to much of a change to fast so I modified so one week I went with 1800, then the next i did 1500 and then i went with 1200.  It's funny now because since I used that App for so long and was a custom to eating only 1200 calories a day that it just kind of stuck with me.  Before I got a new phone I was unable to use the App anymore and was surprised when I was able to that I ate 1200 or less in a day. I do highly recommend the app and just keeping a food journal in general it will help you tremendously, I  I have learned sooo much since starting out and plan to keep learning too! I may even take a course or 2 on Nutrition. There is one thing that I did learn along the way and it it so true...

MIA

Well I definitely have been Missing In Action lately, I will do better.  So what's been new and exciting you ask? Not a whole lot new but exciting yes! I am heading to Vegas next month for the first! I am going to Beachbody's Coach Summit and it's going to be fantastic! They always announce new products, one of them is PiYo! It is a low impact fusion of Pilate's and Yoga which I am totally going to do! At Easter I had the flu then threw out my back for the first time (boy did I feel like I was getting old then) so not only have I been MIA from blogging but I have been MIA from my workouts :( But all that is changing as I realize with only 30 Days until I leave it's time for another round of the 21 Day Fix! I'm probably going to have to follow the modified version but I am still excited to see the results!

So what else is new... Well I've fallen in love. With a Super duper food lol. Of course I'm talking about Quinoa! Pronounced "keen-wah" it's super tiny and seriously good for you! Although referred to as a grain, quinoa is actually a seed from a vegetable related to swiss chard, spinach and beets. It is packed with protein in fact its protein is similar to milk and has more protein compared to rice, millet or wheat. Which if you don't know it by know by eating protein it helps you stay fuller longer! One of the best benefits to eating quinoa is that It's only has 172 calories per ¼ cup dry quinoa! Since it is not related to wheat or grain, it's gluten-free! Tons of people are discovering that by reducing eating gluten grains or at least wheat products how they feel better and lose weight. I honestly have been thinking of trying to go gluten free for a couple weeks to see if I notice a difference. Quinoa is also a complex carbohydrate with low glycemic index. This is again good for weight management. Really I fail to find a reason to break up with this Superstar!

Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl

It is so versatile you can make for for breakfast instead of oatmeal!  I think my fave way to use it is putting it in salad. I recently went out to lunch and they served up the most amazing kale and quinoa salad, I can't wait to try and make it myself! It was Kale, quinoa, yellow & orange peppers, slivered almonds, crasins, feta cheese and dressed with balsamic Mmm mm! I also used it as a base to make a Mexican Bowl.  I cooked up ground turkey with some onions season with Tex Mex spice threw is black beans and corn topped with shredded cheddar cheese, volia! I have even tried making quinoa patties!

Kinda Qunioa Patty 

They didn't really turn out but they were still tasty :-) Seriously there is nothing you can't make with Quinoa including cookies! Here's a recipe to try:

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup raw honey or agave
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa)
1/4 to 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, applesauce, honey, vanilla and salt. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Spoon rounded tablespoons of cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Place in the freezer to set, about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Breaking Up with Bad Habits

I find that through my journey of living a healthy lifestyle it is all about breaking bad habits and starting to develop good ones. No matter who you are you have at least one bad habit.  I know I have or have had several. One bad habit that's not really weight loss related is I bite my nails. I try and try not to and do well for awhile but then I look down and have no nails and it starts all over. Maybe that's more of a stress thing related issue I'm not to sure. Probably one of my worst and biggest bad habits is actually something that is a bit hard to admit. But I have to come clean and tell to you what it is... I used to smoke. I am so very happy that I quit too! It has been 3 years today since I quit, yay me! Quitting was actually easier then I thought mainly because I was dealing with being really sick at the time. I had a chest infection (probably due to smoking)  and I had realized I hadn't smoked in a week I was ok with that so why not see how long I could go for.  I now do not even understand how I smoked, it smells so gross.

 

Some of my other bad habits include, skipping breakfast, not drinking enough water, not exercising, eating junk food, and snacking late at night.  So once I became aware of these bad habits I could work on figuring out how I was going to fix them.  Sometimes to do this you need to take baby steps. I've said it before because it's so true, one small change can make a big difference in the end! So here are a few steps I took to break these bad habits. 

 

I was never a real big breakfast fan I decided I would start by having smoothies for breakfast. The main reason was because they are quick and easy to make and I don't have to sit down to consume it. My favorite lately had been Chocolate Shakeology with half a frozen banana, a spoonful of almond butter, cold water and blend!  Now for drinking water that is still something I do struggle with, I just hate plain water.  I never really realized before how little I did actually drink throughout the day.  Coffee, juice boxes and iced tea is what I lived on.  Don't kid yourself I still live on coffee in the morning but I do try to drink at least 1-2 litres of water everyday.  One way I make it easier for me to drink water is by brewing up green tea with lemon and drinking that cold through out the day. Its' refreshing and green tea has wonderful benefits check them out. 

 

 



Not exercising seems to be an easy bad habit to break. One thing I did when I first started working out was to keep track of my workouts on my calendar. It was rewarding to see all those little checkmarks.  Whether it's going for a walk, doing a Zumba class or pushing play on a DVD getting at least 3-5 workouts a week definitely makes me feel better and gives me more energy.  I wish it was that simple to give up junk food.  I have broken up with greasy, fatty fast food (Which being a former McDonalds Manager I certainly consumed enough of) but the things I have the most trouble with are Chips and Chocolate.  Chips also seem to go hand in hand with late night eating.  One thing I turned to instead of chips are roasted unsalted almonds and instead of devouring a candy bar I make my Shakeology balls and munch on them instead.  Once in awhile though I do cave in and treat myself to chips but instead of getting regular chips I turn to baked ones,  my fave are Kettle Brand Bakes in Hickory Honey Barbeque  Also to curb the late night eating and get a chocolate fix I have a Hot Chocolate.  I think Everyone deserves a treat, you have to live 80/20.  No one is perfect but anyone can change.

 

Eat More, Weigh Less

So in my last post I had been saying how I was super excited to start a new program called the 21 Day Fix.... I started on Monday and am Loving it!!!!  Not only does the program include 7 different workouts plus 2 bonus ab workouts not to mention a free bonus workout DVD. It also comes ready to rock your nutrition! You get 7 coloured containers, to portion control your eating and let me tell you, you can get a lot of those suckers!  To make sure I am eating the right container I have planned my meals out for a week.  This is the first time I ever have stuck closely to an meal plan that I have actually planned out myself.  It's actually the first time I've ever sat down and pre planned my meals!  The only other meal plan I have used was a reference guide magnet I got for eating Low Glycemic foods.  I just stuck to what was on the list but never really used portion control.

So for this meal plan it is recommended to eat 5-6 times a day.  Why is this you may ask? Eating frequent meals throughout the day helps to control your appetite, prevent overeating at meal times and has been said to keep your metabolism firing throughout the day. So you are eating roughly every three hours. An ideal day of eating should include breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner. I myself skip the mid morning snack and usually go for a small after dinner snack. I know they also say not to eat after 7pm (which when I work late is impossible) but I also usually workout out after 7 and you need to fuel your body after a workout.

It came with a booklet to figure out your approximate calorie intake. I was in the first category so I checked the break down to see how many coloured containers I get to use through out the day. Then I sat down and planned out all my meals for the week.  Keeping in mind that each container represents a different food group listed on the photo below. So I got to pick what I was going to eat, when I was going to eat it and as long as it fits in my container (with the lid on) I am set!




Here is a Breakdown of my Meals for the first week:

Monday:
Meal #1 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen mango and water
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free ham slices, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3  Grapes, Shakeology Ball (Find recipe here)
Meal #4 Pork Tenderloin, roasted new potatoes, steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Roasted Almonds

Tuesday
Meal #1 Chocolate Shakeology made with 1 tsp. almond butter and water
Meal #2 Hummus (roasted garlic) with carrots, red peppers, cucumbers
and Pita crackers to dip, Tangerine
Meal #3 Grapes, Greek Yogurt
Meal#4 Seasoned grilled chicken breast, brown rice, steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Two fat free ham slices

Wednesday
Meal #1 Vanilla Shakeology made with 1 tsp. almond butter and vanilla almond milk
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free ham slices, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3  Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 Zucchini Noodles* with Turkey meatballs and Pesto
Meal #5 Almonds
(*Here are Two Ideas for Zucchini Noodles: Recipe & Method)


Zucchini Noodles

Thursday
Meal #1 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen banana and waterMeal #2 One slice wholegrain bread, 2 slices fat free ham, (made half a sandwich)
carrots, red peppers, Greek vanilla yogurt with blueberries and raspberries
Meal #3 Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 Salad topped with peppers, cucumbers, feta cheese, pecans with Balsamic dressing, 3 fat free Chicken slices
Meal #5 no snack

My 21 Day Fix Salad

Friday
Meal #1 Chocolate Shakeology made with 1/2 frozen banana, almond butter and water
Meal #2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free chicken slices, Greek vanilla yogurt, Tangerine
Meal #3 Grapes, Shakeology Ball
Meal#4 New Potato & Turkey Skillet Supper
Meal #5 no snack

Saturday
Meal #1 Vanilla Shakeology made with frozen mixed berries
Meal#2 Salad topped with peppers and cucumbers with Balsamic dressing,
3 fat free chicken slices,  One slice wholegrain bread with Almond butter
Meal #3 Tangerine and Almonds
Meal #4 Turkey Meatballs, with brown rice, and steamed mixed veggies
Meal #5 Vanilla Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon

Sunday
Meal #1 Steel cut Oatmeal topped with raspberries and blueberries, Turkey Bacon
Meal #2 Hummus (roasted garlic) with carrots, red peppers, cucumbers
Meal #3 Strawberry Shakeology made with frozen mango and water
Meal #4 Steak and Veggie Stir fry with brown rice
Meal #5 Vanilla Greek yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon


Sunday Breakfast

The first couple of days I was kinda hungry, ok Monday I didn't know how I was going to make it lol.  It has gotten better, I think I was going threw Carb withdrawl. I never quite realized how many carbs I ate or how much processed food I consumed. Don't get me wrong I still eat some, I try to make those choices organic if possible.  However I mean I loved granola bars and crackers! By making my Shakeology balls and eating almonds I realize that it is far better and way more tasty! Now having said that my Shakeology balls are super tasty and I love them but they are counted as a treat. So for my second week I won't be including them as often, everything in moderation.

I also have surprisingly totally liked knowing ahead what I'm eating. It makes packing lunches way easier! Plus I am enjoying finding and trying out new food alternatives like the zucchini noodles. I am about to sit down and plan out my second week of meals, I already know that I will be cooking up a batch of quinoa this week. I have a ton of fresh veggies and fruit plus I will be making up a big batch of the steak and veggie stir fry from Sunday night and portioning it out to freeze for left overs.  I already did that with mashed sweet potatoes! I can't wait to see the results I get with this program so stay tuned! My Favorite words of trainer Autumn Calabrese...

 

In Sickness & In Health

 

Tired, achy, stuffed up... Not my ideal weekend but I guess getting a cold was inevitable this winter. I used to not listen to my body and just keep going making myself even more run down and sick. So this time I took the opportunity to relax and rest.
 

Sleeping in, watching tv and napping are things I don't generally have much time to do so it was nice to indulge. I also now it's important to stay hydrated so I drank lots of water and tea and may have let my Dad make me a Hot Toddy or two hehe (I did sleep lovely). Though I wasn't overly hungry and didn't always feel like eating I knew it was important to fuel up. There is nothing better then hot chicken noodle soup when you are sick. The stuff is like magic. I remembered how tasty my Spinach, Chicken & Tortellini soup (click here for recipe) was and happen to have the ingredients to make it, so I did! Its like the grown-up version of the classic soup.

 

Not working out is killing me! I had planned to start a new program the 21 Day Fix and am super excited about it. I don't want to make myself even worse by pushing to hard so I am not working out. Trust me getting up and going to work is workout enough! How do you take care of yourself when your sick? 

 

 

I know injuries have side lined me in the past. In fact I had mentioned in my Secret Weapon post that I have had knee surgery. I do think that this did play a part in my weight gain, as I thought I couldn't do anything.  Strangely enough going through my physio the physiotherapist told me she wanted to bottle up my enthusiasm and sell as I recovered very quickly (I was in grade 9 and being in a wheelchair in high school not so fun).  This past fall I suffered a foot injury, I probably should have seen a doctor as I'm pretty sure I actually broke part of my foot. I didn't but I rested it lots and exercised only occasionally.

 

Taking a mutli-vitamin, eating right and exercising are a good start. Stretching before and after I have learned is sooo important in muscle healing. One workout without stretching had me so sore for a week!  Speaking of stretching I should/could try to incorporate yoga or pilates into my routine (I will get a chance with the 21 Day Fix!). Also I know a few people who use foam rollers to loosen muscles and stretch out, I looked into this but for me it was a bit pricey but I guess no pain is worth the price! I do know every once in awhile it's nice to treat myself to a massage! What do you use to prevent injuries & sickness?

Life's Soundtrack

So lately I haven't been much in a writing kind of mood. So I took the chance and went back and read some of my previous posts. I realized from my The Right Stuff that I forgot to mention one very important essential.... Music! Whether you hear it in a workout class, on an iPod, or through your cell phone it plays an important part in fitness. Personally when I started out I used my cell phone, I didn't have a lot of songs and I hated my headphones so I'm pretty sure when I went for a walk down the road all the neighbors heard lol.

Luckily for them I received an iPod shuffle for Christmas a few years back and have absolutely loved it since!  It's great because it's tiny and has a clip to attach it to your clothes. I can navigate it without look at it and has enough storage to suit me fine.  I LOVE making different playlists for different activities.  I have one for walking, one for running, on for working out, I even have one for sleeping! I find you need to have different play list for different activities too, I mean I don't think I can run to a song that would put you to sleep. For running I tend to go for dancey high energy songs... Pitbull is a favorite lol. A good fast song can add extra motivation to go a little faster or continue on until it's over. My walking playlist is a whole variety of different music Rock, Country, Pop, even some of my favorite Zumba songs. I go for music that is upbeat and makes me smile :) and yes I do have a playlist for sleeping. Sometimes when you can't turn your brain off I find listening to music helps.

 

 I try not to go for really popular songs that get a whole lot of radio time unless I truly do love it. Trust me after awhile you just get sick of the same song over and over and over.  I explore my iTunes and listen to songs whose names attract me to them.  Sometime they end up being popular too... the Sara Bareilles song Brave for instants I had it way before it grew in popularity. My newest favorite none popular song has been Famous by Kelleigh Bannen. A few others I enjoy are Fix You by Vita Chambers, Alive by Krewella and Live Your Life by Mika. I find however the biggest challenge to listening to music is to not sing along to it or at least not to loudly ;)

The Right Stuff

No I am not talking about the 80's New Kids On the Block Song :P but instead work out essentials.  There was at one point in my weight loss journey so far where I actually had more workout clothes that fit me better then everyday stuff. Mainly because dress pants are just to darn expensive to constantly replace.  There are however I have come to realize a few must haves on your journey to working out, losing weight and staying fit.

 

Honestly the first major purchase I bought aside from one pair of workout capris was a sports bra and that was after months of working out.  I was convinced I didn't need one or that they would not have one that would support my girls. I was wrong. It makes a big difference.  My absolute favorite, mainly because I just stuck with what works and haven't tried any other is the Under Armour, Armour Bra. I think I like it because it does up like a normal bra and you shop for it the same way.  Strangely I think one of my first purchase was an actually water bottle.  I got sick and tired of taking a plastic one with me and drinking all of it and not having enough, so then having to carry around two bottles just became annoying.

 

One of my other major purchases were new running shoes. I soon discovered it was nice to have 2 pair of shoes, one strictly for working out and ones for everyday. Never would I have thought to own 2 pair of running shoes at once for dual purposes. Next came work out clothes and boy do I have a lot. Once I started leaving my house and going to Zumba on a regular basis I knew I needed more then one pair of pants and shirt. I got some capris, more tops, then it was summer and I got shorter capris and tank tops. I now have an entire drawer devoted just to workout clothes. And headbands boy do I love my headbands.  There is nothing more annoying then sweaty bangs on your face well working out.  I have a variety mostly Under Armour and a few lulu lemon. I can't come to buy a lot of high end brand name sports wear, I am mostly Walmart and Joe Fresh.

 

Lastly are the few things I never really think much of but do use. A sweat towel for one can be very essential item. Though I have seen you have to sweat like a pig to look like a fox! Speaking of sweating like a pig, that doesn't mean you have to smell like one either.  A good deodorant is definitely essential! I also like to use a dry shampoo for days I don't want to wash my hair twice but feel it needs a little sprucing up. One thing I never really thought to much about until a friend gave me one as a gift was a workout bag.  I was using a reusable shopping bag but I must say having a multi compartment, zippered bag is really nice when I go from work straight to the gym.  I still use small reusable bags (lulu lemon are wonderful) to transport my shoes and water bottle.

 

Now I read in Self magazine (remember my guilty pleasure) that Kelly Osbourne's secret to staying motivated is to dress up for the gym. That way, she says when you see your reflection in the mirror, you're like, "Oh, I look cute!" not "Get me out of here!".  Although I believe they say....

 

 

On My Plate

I would like to thank everyone for the kind words after my previous post (The Beauty and the Beast) I honestly feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I am so glad that I could share what I am going through with you all.  I already feel 10 times stronger and more confident then I did before that post.  So much so that I have decided to take a huge step in my life so that I can continue to help myself as well as others. I have become an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.  This will allow me to offer awesome workout programs, one of the healthiest meal replacement shakes plus my support and guidance along the way!  Together with this blog I want to reach out and help people, because to me getting healthy and fit is one of the most important things you can do in your life!  I have a new page over on Facebook to offer tips, recipes, motivation plus I will share ever blog post so you won't miss one!  So go over and Like Me! I know you want too :) I just ordered the newest program, the 21 Day Fix. I am super excited for this as it incorporates nutrition with working out to get maximum results in 21 day!

So with nutrition on my mind, I recently went out to celebrate a friends birthday.  She choose a nice Italian restaurant.  Now I like pasta but I know the servings can be huge sometimes and I wasn't really feeling like a salad either.  Which by the way you do need to watch out for because although seemingly healthy you can actually over eat on salad too. So I decided on Grilled chicken, with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies.  I asked the waitress if I came with one breast of chicken or two and she said two, so I then asked if she could just have the kitchen box up half my meal and bring me the other half.

I did feel like a pain in the butt but I was glad I did ask for this.  It was super tasty and just as good the next day.  I did splurge and have a glass of wine and cake later on... but compared to everyone's massive pasta dishes I think it was ok lol.

What are some others ways you save on calories well eating out?  I know if I do get salad I ask for dressing on the side. Sometimes restaurants have a healthy choice menu or a low sodium one, if so I try to choose from something off that.  Now having said this I do realize I don't eat out every night and when I do it is special and its ok to treat myself once in awhile. 

Eating healthy is a huge part of Living Lighter.  I know from experience as I recently fell off the wagon and pigged out for a few months.  I slowly became more lazy and lost motivation and almost stopped working out all together. (Read about what got me going again here). As soon as I started eating better I noticed a big change, I felt better, I became more motivated, I wanted to start working out again which in turn helped give me more energy and just started the ball rolling again. I will reach my goal again One plate at a time, One pound at time.

The Beauty and the Beast

Fat. Ugly. Failure.

 

These are all things I have thought about myself throughout my life at one point or another. More often then I realized before preparing this blog. I have caught myself looking in the mirror and telling myself I look fat and disgusting. Then I realized what I said and told myself to stop it. I think I have always dealt with low self esteem and not a lot of confidence. Don't get me wrong I can come off very confident but that's just laying on the surface like make up it eventually washes off.  I used to be a lot more confident and I'm not to sure what happened to that girl but I'd like to find her again and keep her around. I do know that I have wanted to lose weight for a very long time. I do honestly have a diary from High school and in it I have wrote that I was going to lose 10 pounds. And then a few months later I said the same thing again.

 

Why do we put such an emphasis on what we look like? I doubt I will ever look like a model on the cover of a magazine or wear bikini or have six pack abs. I'm ok with that. I think the reason why I had so many failed attempts at weight loss is because I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. Like in high school I wanted to be skinny to be cool and popular. I wanted to be skinny because I thought I would be liked more. Or later in my life I wanted to be thinner because I wanted to be able to go shopping with my friends and actually shop. It's hard going into stores knowing they have absolutely nothing you will fit in. When I finally decided to lose weight I wanted to lose it for me, for my future, for my health.

 

I envy women who love their bodies and are not afraid to show it. I tend to hide my body in baggy clothes even though I know I can look amazing in clothes that flatter myself. I have the pictures to prove it. I did reward myself last summer for all my hard efforts in my weight loss journey so far. I did a Lady Luck Pin Up photo shoot, it felt amazing to get dolled up. For that one day I actually was a model. I can say I will wear red lips with confidence. I have to remember that I am the Beauty and I need to slay the Beast, my low self esteem.

 

 

Why am I talking about this you ask because I want anyone who reads this to know they are not alone. And I think we can get stronger and be more confident. Now is the perfect time too, did you know that February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month? Here are 10 tips I found on how we can boost our own self esteem:

 

1. Stop comparing yourself to others

2. Compliment yourself regularly

3. Exercise consistently

4. Simply smile

5. Focus on your accomplishments

6. Get the support you need to succeed

7. Make a list of your positive qualities

8. Find something special in each day

9. Eat better

10. Explore a passion

 

To read more on each tip check out the article I found this from. (Boost Your Self-Esteem)

I know this is something I am going to be working on. It's all a part of my Journey :)

Inspiration

I am a people person, I like helping people, making them laugh, being a shoulder to lean on whatever a person needs I am usually there to give it. With my weight loss I want to help and inspire other people to change there lives like I have done with mine. So after my Superstar post last week, a close friend told me how myself and another friend had inspired her to make this year her year. I am so proud of her for taking the first step, you can read about her goals on her blog here. I was so honored to be some ones source of inspiration that I have grown up with.  Then I started to feel like I've already let her down and that was a sham. I have become I huge slacker lately and just can't seem to shake that.

 

 

Well this was my wake up call, I want to be able to help other people and have others look up to me and give them advice. I am going to have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I have actually been slowly making my own small changes and starting to eat the right food again and using MyFitnessPal to log what I eat. I made the most amazing soup the other night and am so excited to have leftovers in the Freezer.  It was Chicken, Spinach & Tortellini Soup, here is the recipe:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp oil
1 box Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
1 large, coarsely chopped tomato
1 stalk celery, sliced
¼ red pepper diced
Diced Onion to flavor
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ¼ cups  frozen or refrigerated whole wheat cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups  packed, chopped fresh spinach


1. Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed saucepot at medium - high heat. Add chicken and cook and stir until browned - about 5 minutes.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery and red pepper and cook until softened
3. Add broth and tomatoes, then heat to a boil
3. Stir in tortellini, oregano and pepper and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer soup until tortellini is cooked through - about 5 minutes.
Note: You can use precooked chicken strips (8 oz /1 cup) to save on time if so just put steps 1 & 2 together. Also you can use frozen spinach which I did , add it on step 3 instead of 4.

I have also been trying to work out more but seem to have little motivation. I needed to change that so I decided to break out my Focus T25 dvd's and have been doing workouts.  I feel amazing!  I forgot how good it feels to get all sweaty and feel sore muscles the next day.  I already feel better and have more energy throughout the day. I am now on the right track again and I can tell you my pants are yelling at me to get my lazy butt in gear too lol. I am thankfully for my friend who I inspired because she ended up inspiring me too :)

 

Tea Time

I recently posted this picture on my Facebook, saying how I was enjoying a nice cup of Tea and to thank a new friend for getting me hooked. Now I am used to getting likes on pictures but this time I got comments and lots of them! That's when I realized tea and coffee are the like a universal language.  It's used as a social gathering, who hasn't said "hey let's go for a coffee" or just curled up on a afternoon with a cup of something warm to relax. I'm just starting to explore teas I am usually a coffee drinker.  The only tea I ever really knew was Orange Pekoe and I just can not drink it black I have to have milk and sugar.

However recently I was introduced to Green tea and used it as an aide in my weight loss. I brew up a cup every night, add lemon and then pour it into a one litre jug and fill with water and chill. The next day instead of just water I drink it all day.  This really helped me up my water intake because honestly I really hate drinking water. I realize now I was probably very dehydrated because before this I really only drank at meals and I sure wasn't drinking water. There are some really great benefits to drinking teas and water like having great looking skin, seriously that girl with the radiant glowing face over there probably drank her 8-10 glasses of water a day.  Also both tea and water are good at suppressing your appetite, drink what before your meal to feel fuller faster and drink tea in the evening to stop those late night cravings.  And believe it or not water can also help you feel not as bloated, weird I know but more water will actually help you not retain water.  It helps to flush out salt and other stuff that makes you feel that way. 

So if I wasn't drinking water what was I drinking? Well coffee in the mornings for sure, which I just can't change.  However I did convert my double, double to a 2 milk and 1 sugar, also fruit juice, iced tea and the occasional pop. I am so so happy I was not a heavy pop drinker there is so much sugar in there it's crazy! Did you know a 20 ounce soda has 16 teaspoons of sugar! You can literally drink up your daily calories and because your thirst isn't quenched by sugary drinks you tend to be more hungry thus eating more.  Now I admit Starbucks is my one weakness and I love coffee, but I try to make my choices the "skinny" version (non fat milk, sugar free syrup and no whip cream) whenever I can. I think the next time I'm there I may be adventurous and try a Chia Latte.

Now although Tim Horton's has donuts, cookies and timbits waiting for you to munch on that doesn't mean you can't have a nice treat when you do have your tea and coffee. Why not try out these awesome little bites:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey (raw honey preferred)
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened preferred)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1 tsp natural vanilla

Mix all together & form into balls. Wrap with wax paper and store in the freezer.

Note: You can use 2 scoops of shakeology to up the nutrition level and of course make them more chocolatey! Oh and you can throw in 1/2 cup of mixed nuts for some crunch. If you do this, put in a full cup of peanut butter and you may need a splash of water or (just a splash though!). For the ones in the picture I used almond butter, vanilla Shakeology and added dried cranberries, they have been a great afternoon snack!

Superstar

There has been a lot of different sources for motivation whether it be pictures, people or TV that have inspired me throughout my healthy journey so far. The very first thing that started to motivate me were TV shows. I love watching weight loss transformation TV shows, they encourage and inspired me to start to get healthy. If it wasn't for these few shows I don't know where I would be now. Maybe still drowning in fat.

 

I only watch the Biggest Loser every once in awhile but I like trainers Bob Harper (we share the same birthday) and Jillian Michaels. Shortly after Jillian Michaels left the show a few years back she had her own show Losing It that aired over the summer. I watched it faithfully and cried at the end of almost every episode. Yup I'm a sap hahaha. They just get me, every single time. It just tugs at my heart, watching people making such sacrifice and changing there lives so dramatically.  So after watching that show I decided to make a change. I could do it, I could lose it!

 

 

Fast forward to the fall and still hadn't really gotten started but knew I wanted to. I started watching Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition hosted by Chris Powell. I really love this show and watch it every season.  After a few more teary episodes I did start my journey because I figured if these people who are all much heavier then I was can lose over 100 lbs in 1 year surely I could lose 50! I even emailed Chris when I hit my goal to thank him for inspiring me! I did get a response back but not from Chris directly. I even follow Chris's wife Heidi on facebook as she posts some awesome recipes. For instants I never would have thought to substitute a rice cake for bread in these Turkeywiches.

 

 

When I started out I thought that 50 pounds sounded like way to much of a goal to accomplish.  So I set a short term goal to loose 30 lbs by my 30th Birthday that year. I found that breaking down my goal helped out alot, it didn't seem so daunting. I might not have reached that mini goal but got close at 25 lbs but most importantly I was starting to learn to eat more healthy and work out. Just one small change is all it takes :) 
 

The Spice of Life

Plain, simple, boring..... No, I'm not talking about my life.  Although sometimes it is that way but I'm talking about food. Salad, veggies and chicken can be tasty but also can be pretty plain, simple and boring without a little spice or seasoning to them. There are so many different ways to add a some spice to your food life.  I have a  few favorites, including a new, old one.

 

Do you remember the commercial for Frank's red hot sauce.... For me that's Pesto. I would put the S#!+ on everything! You name it tossed with pasta, used as salad dressing, put in wraps, on sandwiches, sauce for mini pizzas, you get the idea. I took it on a chicken wrap (wholegrain wrap, mixed lettuce, chicken, cucumber & pesto) to work for lunch and literally felt like I was transformed to a fancy bistro instead of my lunch room! It's so versatile, you can make your own or I like myself, I opted to buy it already done.

 

I find different seasons also play on the spices I use.  My favorite season is Summer and I spice up my summer by using a Mediterranean spice mix. I use it on bbq chicken, I make a Greek chopped salad (chopped up cucumber, red onion, red peppers, celery, tomatoes & feta, toss with evoo and greek seasoning mix) and toss my pasta in it. It's also nice to have this on occasion in the winter on my baked chicken, makes me think of warm weather.

 

 

Lately my new, old favorite spice mix has been Tex Mex. If fact I cooked up a little chicken with it to top off my salad for dinner tonight! This new old combo came about last month when I made turkey tacos for the first time. (See my Snowy Day post for more about that.)  I can't wait to make them again and ground turkey was on sale this week! Plus since I bought a whole bottle of Tex Mex spice I can't wait to experiment and try other ways to use it... Maybe turkey burgers or tex mex meatloaf will be in my future. Either way sometimes plain and boring isn't so bad, but even a simple spice mix like salt and pepper can jazz up a meal.  What's your Spice of Life?

Do I have to make a Resolution?

So with the Holidays over and a New Year ahead of us I realized that a post was overdue. Hopeful everyone out there had a great time over the holidays, I know I did! Visiting with family & friends and of course over indulging with lots of food, chocolates and drinks. I know I am ready to get back into a routine and put my focus back into living lighter again.  I don't really believe in making the traditional New Year's Resolutions anymore as I find they don't really last longer then the month of January.  So instead I am embracing the New Year as fresh start and clean slate.
 

 

There really is a ton of possibilities that the next 365 days will bring. Sometimes it seem daunting to start something new or get back into something you have already been doing. Just take it one day at a time. Sure it's fast and easy to grab a frozen dinner or other prepared meal or skip working out but with a little pre planning and prep having fresh fruit and veggies at the ready will ensure a positive food habit.  Prep had been my hardest task lately, I buy the food and end up wasting it because I get to lazy the night before to pack my lunch.  Weekends are usually my prep days so I start thinking what groceries I need to pick up but occasionally its nice to have a little help with it. Enter my Guilty Pleasure... 

 

 

Yup, that's right magazines... They call to me at the checkout like the chocolate bars should, which I guess is a good thing lol.  I used to be a Cosmo girl but since starting my healthy quest I realized there's magazine's for that too! Depending who is on the cover and what other articles are in them depends on the magazine I choose. My fave is Women's Health as I find it has just about everything, different articles, motivation and recipes.  Recipes or meal plans are what help with my grocery shopping and prep work. The meal plans are a great source to give me different ideas for lunch and dinner and sometimes even snacks!  I admit I picked up the most recent Self magazine because Jillian Michaels was on the cover.  I have only given it a quick flip but I'm excited to read more about the meal plan they have it. Maybe I will have a few new recipes for upcoming posts.  

 

Let's face it I don't have room to keep a stack of magazines for one or 2 articles or recipes I like in it, so what I do is photocopy what I want and keep it in a folder. It's great to go back and look through them for new inspiration. It's also good to look back and go over your past year, what worked well and what didn't?  What can you do different in the new year? What did you learn in the past year you can bring forward in the new year? By making a fresh start, it offers new hope and renewed motivation, I'm excited to wipe the slate clean and build a Great Year!