Ok, so Im a huge fan weight training, so I have decided to commit to one of Beachbody's home fitness programs called BODY BEAST! It is a program that most people look at and think its a "man's workout", but since I am in love with weight training and love having definition and muscles, I am taking on the challenge!! I want to show people that you do NOT have to only go to the gym and spend money on memberships and gas money going back and forth to reach your goals and train for a figure competition! So Day 1 consisted of chest and tris!
What I love about this program is you are working out and toning your entire body... You hit every muscle group and you have a specific schedule to follow depending on if you are going for toning and losing fat or bulking and building muscle! I am going for the toning and losing fat of course! :)
My nutrition includes drinking SHAKEOLOGY daily in place of a meal, along with lots of lean proteins, complex carbs (green veggies), healthy carbs and healthy fats.
One of the meals I had were CHOCOLATE PB PROTEIN PANCAKES, which is a recipe I got from one of my success partners! I am NOT a fan of cottage cheese, and although that is included in this recipe, it actually taste amazing!!! Its crazy what you can mix together and come up with!! :)
I am now on week 2 and will keep you all posted on my Body Beast journey!!
If you are looking for accountability, more tips and recipes to help you with your fitness goals, please fill out the application for a spot in my next fitness challenge!
Sunday started out great... I had my photo shoot for my fitness pictures and mommy fitness pictures and I was so darn excited to see how my body has progressed for my show! I got my early workout in the morning and I had all my meals prepped and ready to go, and did awesome the entire day!!
As I had my own food, I of course made my mom my amazing Pumpkin Protein Pancakes!! That was such a tease to myself lol!!
I was able to spend some quality time with my friends/fellow coaches which was awesome!!
Just before our hair and makeup for the shoot! Sarah of course had hers done! :)
Sexy black dress time!!
A little sneak peak with my phone! Stay tuned for the REAL DEAL!! EEEEK!! Ok, I MUST POST AT LEAST THESE PICS!! They are finally me in my posing suit for my show 2 weeks out.. This means I have 2 weeks to kick my own butt!!! Thank you Allison Siniski for taking these pics!! She is definitely an AMAZING photographer and is also a competitor, so she had great ideas for fitness shoot!! To check out her site CLICK HERE! P.S. these are not even edited yet lol but I had to post!!
Ok Im pretty proud of this one!! Definitely my FAV shot!!
So after an amazing day with the photo shoot, I started out the week trying to be positive... I got my morning cardio in with BODY BEAST, one of my favorite Beachbody workouts!! This is the program I will be following after I take a week off after my show!! You will notice, I do Body Beast workouts at least 2 times a week!
Meals are prepped and ready to go! I had a recording for my documentary and was able to show how I prep my food weekly!! This was so awesome that I am actually turning this part into another video to help people with prepping since its such an important part of your results!
Wednesday:
AHHH can I seriously scream right now?!?! LOL... Ok talk about your mind playing games with you!!! Im ready to lose it!! I want food and I want it NOW!! Im tired of not eating my healthy normal food! I keep thinking am I even meant for this?! I know I was told you are going to have more emotions than ever the last 4 weeks, but Im ready for the show... I had a photo shoot Sunday and ever since then, I feel like Ive totally screwed myself! Yes, Ive cheated... Ive had WAY too many rice cakes, too many almonds (haven't had in 2 days because Im not even suppose to have them anymore), and today just really went over board.. Mind you, this is show prep so when I say I had 1 1/2 whole wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter, your probably thinking "oh wow, thats nothing"... but I will add an entire bag of rice cakes AGAIN all in one sitting! WAY too many calories and carbs for this girl! Ive done 1 workout this morning of the 21 DAY FIX plyo and I just finished Shaun T's soon to be new release Insanity Max 30 intervals. Thats a lot of cardio and plyos!! I am committing to another workout tonight so make up for some of what I messed up. I also decided I can no longer stay up late because I know that is what has been screwing me up! Bed at 9 pm on Wed!! Slept for 7 hours and felt so much better!!
Thursday:
I woke up positive and ready to go! Although I screwed up yesterday, I have 1.5 weeks left and I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!!
Today, I did my last full back workout before my show and we recorded it for my documentary. It was crazy how full I felt after all those rice cakes the day before! My veins were poking out everywhere!! So after I confessed what I did to my trainer helping me out, he put in my place and told me what I need to do.. I need a sauna, but unfortunately I don't have one to go to, so I had some garbage bags and did a little wrapping for my cardio!! HAHA oh my!!! This is how it turned out!!!
Im pretty sure I had a little more sweat than usual with this workout!!
YEAAA BUDDY!! Thats what its about!!! HAHA Ok I did some posing and need to increase the time I spend doing that to really get tight! I also just bought a dietician tea to help with the cleansing part and excess water loss! I hate trial and error, but I guess this is only prepping me for knowing what to do and not to do for my next show!! yep, you heard me correct.... I hate and love this at the same time that I WILL be moving forward with this, but possible FITNESS COMPETITION!!
As a health and fitness coach, it is my job to help others live a healthy and more fulfilling life. I help both people wanting to start their journey, whether its losing 10, 25, 50, or 100 lbs, but I also help people in shape that want to improve themselves and tone or build muscle!
If you are ready to start your journey, fill out my application for a spot in my next 60 day Beachbody fitness challenge! You pick the workout, you get a nutrition guide to follow, and get 1:1 support, motivation, accountability, tips, and recipes from me!
Feel free to add me on Facebook to see more of my journey!
There are tons of Wufoo features to help make your forms awesome.
So if
you know me, I am completely obsessed with bruschetta and feta cheese!! So I
felt since I was constantly purchasing it, I need to learn to make it!! I have
an awesome garden started, so this is the perfect time for me to make my own
bruschetta!! So here is what you need…
INGREDIENTS:
4
medium tomatoes dices into small pieces (I cut out the centers )
½ medium
onion diced into small pieces
¼ cup
reduced fat feta cheese crumbled
1
tablespoon extra –virgin olive oil
1
tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette
1
tablespoon fresh basil
1
clove garlic chopped
Pinch of
Himalayan salt to taste
Pinch of
pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Mix
all ingredients together, except feta cheese…. I wait until I am ready to serve
the bruschetta to mix the cheese in. I also mix all ingredients and place it
into the fridge for about 2 hrs prior to serving so the taste settles.
You
can use wheat bread or whatever you prefer, but I will say my preference is
using Lentil cracked pepper chips!! You get so many for only 120 calories!!!
WHY DRINK WATER WARM &
FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?!?!?
I know some people do not like to change up their rituals
often in their daily life, BUT I recommend adding this ritual to your life!!
You will realize why when you start doing it!!
Start the day out with a mug of warm water and the juice of
half a lemon.
Medicinal
Values:
It helps prevent the growth of pathogenic
bacteria and the decomposition of tissue
It assists in “cleansing the system of
impurities” and will help prevent disease
It is effective at dissolving uric acid (often
the cause of pain and inflammation in joints) and other poisons in the body
It can help reduce symptoms of malaria,
rheumatism, gout, rickets and tuberculosis.
Liver:
Provide a natural strengthening agent to liver
enzymes when they are too dilute
Help fix oxygen and calcium levels in the
liver, which ultimately affects blood oxygen levels
Digestive
Aid
One of the most important benefits of drinking lemon water
regularly is its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Lemon water assists in
the process of digestion and elimination.
Lemon juice is similar in atomic structure to
saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and the stomach’s other digestive juices.
The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to
relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating.
Since lemons are high in minerals and vitamins,
they will also help to eliminate waste through the bowels more efficiently,
thus preventing or alleviating constipation, diarrhea and other
gastrointestinal disorders.
Drinking
lemon water has an alkalizing effect on the body.
Although lemons are acidic, when they enter the
inside of your body, they are actually alkaline. (the citric acid does not
create acidity in the body once metabolized). An alkaline body is really the
key to good health.
Increasing body alkalinity is one of the key
benefits of drinking lemon water. In addition, because of its antibacterial
properties, lemon water will help control unhealthy bacteria.
Boosts
your Immune system
Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium.
Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain and nerve
function and helps control blood pressure.
Acts
as a gentle, natural diuretic
Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials
because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are,
therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract
healthy.
Clears
skin
The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and
blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear
as well.
Hydrates the lymph system
This cup of goodness helps start the day on a
hydrated note, which helps prevent dehydration (obviously) and adrenal fatigue.
When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can't
perform all of it's proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, stress,
constipation, and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be two small glands
that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy.
They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a
hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the
concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay
hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress
response. So, the bottom line is that you really don't want to mess with a deep
state of dehydration!
Fight
cravings
For all of
you who want to drink warm lemon water for weight loss, here it is!! Lemons are
high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown
that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.
Helps
Kick Bad Habits
Drinking
lemon water in the morning can help kick your coffee or tea habit by hydrating,
invigorating, and stimulating the body. I find that if I drink lemon water
first thing in the morning, I hardly ever feel the need to drink my morning tea
because the lemon water wakes me up and curbs the craving for caffeine.
Additional
benefits for drinking lemon water:
Helps purify
the blood and will also control a tendency to bleed
Assists in
lowering high blood pressure
Reduces the
amount of phlegm in the body
Relieves
symptoms of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems
Nourishes
brain and nerve cells due to its potassium content
Helps
dissolves gallstones, calcium deposits, kidney stones, and pancreatic stones
In
pregnancy, it will help build strong bones in the child.
Putting
this simple activity into your daily routine can completely change how you
feel, look, and think!! If you have not given it a try, THIS IS YOUR TIME!!!
Like I
said, the recipe is really simple—a cup of warm (not hot) water and the juice
from half a lemon.
Make
sure you comment below, so I can see your progress and your results from such
an easy change in your daily routine that completely changes your lifestyle!!
Put
all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.Refrigerate dressing if not using
immediately.If dressing solidifies when
cold, hold at room temp for 30 min. Stir before using!!
