Step it up!;)

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've posted on here!
Sorry about that!  After E.R. visits, a broken arm, an extraction from my son's nose, school starting, evaluations, and a volleyball league I've put this on the back burner!!

Hope everyone is happy and healthy.  I have Tough Mudder this weekend and am very excited/anxious !!  After I'm done with that this Sunday, I start another 90 day challenge on October 12th for myself, which I will be blogging about my progress and other's progress that decide to do it with me!

My 90 day challenge goal will be to lose 4% body fat, lose 5lbs of fat, and gain 1-2 lbs of muscle.  It will be challenging, that's for sure!!

I feel as if I OWE some of you an amazing workout to try out, so here it goes:).  (This will be similar to one I've posted before but the exercises and weights will be different).

Grab a stepmill.
Grab 2 25lb plates, 2 10lb plates, and a 40lb dumbbell.

Do body weight walking lunges and squats to warm-up 30-40 of each.

Hop on stepmill and get it going to about 80 steps per min.  Go at this pace for 5 min.
Pause the stepmill and hop off and grab your 25lb plates.  Do walking lunges for 1 minute.

Get back on stepmill for another 5 min.  This 5 min. will be interval training, 1 minute super fast at speed 95 and up, then bring it down for a minute to about 70.  Repeat for 5-6 minutes.
Hop off stepmill and grab 2 10lb plates.  Kick one leg up on a bench behind you and do bulgarian split squats 30 seconds each leg.

Get back on the stepmill WITH your 10lb plates.  Go at a speed about 65, trying to hold your weights for the whole 5 minutes.  (If you have to drop them for a minute, just set them on the stepmill, catch your breath, and then continue with the weights).
Drop the 10lb plates and hop off.  Grab your 40lb dumbbell and do plie squats for about a minute (these will burn quickly).

Hop back on stepmill and do another interval set for 5 minutes
Get off and grab a 25lb plate and do 20-25 reps of squat to press with the plate.

Stepmill again for 5min at speed 75 or 80
Off and grab a 10lb plate.  While doing walking lunges, pass the weight between your legs switching hands as you walk.

REPEAT THIS WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN FOR A TOTAL OF 50-55 MINUTES.

My legs were Tapped after this, but felt accomplished!!

Enjoy!

Bulgarian split squat

WARNING, YOU WILL BE SORE

 I was recently in the mood for a newer lower body and booty workout, and was introduced to a SINGLE LEG WORKOUT.  Pretty much every exercise you do is sectioned off by leg....
Before I type up this workout I must give you warning; You WILL be sore, especially if you do challenging weight.

Here it goes....(BTW, SL stands for Single Leg)

Rotation 1:
SL Bear squats 3x12 each leg
Weighted SL burpees 3x10 each leg

After rotation 1 is done, sprint a quarter of a mile as fast as you can (try to keep it under 2 min)

Rotation 2:
SL side leg press 3x10 each leg (go pretty heavy)
SL around the world weighted lunges (Forward lunge, side lunge, angled lunge, reverse lunge...repeat this for 20 reps, then switch legs.  You will end up doing 4 sets total, 2 around the worlds each leg)

After rotation 2, Bear crawl on treadmill, 15% incline at about 3.2 speed for 1 minute.

Rotation 3:
SL weighted donkey kicks 2x15 each leg
HEAVY barbell walking lunges 3x20 paces (Good to have a partner so they can help you get the bar on and off of your back)

After rotation 3, mountain climb on treadmill, make sure it's NOT on.  Put hands on the ground, feet on treadmill in mountain climbing position.  Your weight and push with your legs will move the treadmill.  Go for one minute. 

Rotation 4:
SL dumbbell RDL's 3x12 each leg
Body weight SL squats on a box or bench (Good core balance work also) 3x15 each leg

After rotation 4, sprint a quarter of a mile again, keeping under 2 minutes

Stretch and cool down

Point of this workout is to really section off the glutes and make them work even harder, hence the single legs.  If you use a good amount of weight and push yourselves, you will be sore, but a GOOD sore!!!:)

TOTAL BODY PHENOM

Good to be back blogging!!  This summer took me by surprise with vacation, kids' camps, swim lessons, doctor appts (more than I would like), and my youngest getting over hand, foot, mouth disease (wouldn't wish that on ANYONE).

But I'm back and looking forward to blogging some workouts I've been doing lately!!

I was going back and forth about which to post first:  A single leg booty workout or a total body workout.  I think we'll hit total body today and leave the single leg booty for tomorrow's post (You WILL be sore, in such a good way:)).

TOTAL BODY:

Start with a 5 minute warm up.

Rotation 1:
Plank bicep curls 3x20
ladder crawls 3 times (down and back is 1)
Box jumps 10-12 reps, 3 times

Plank bicep curls:
Start in a plank position on your hands with a dumbbell in each hand (grab a challenging weight).  Curl one side at a time, keeping your core tight.  Do 10 reps EACH arm

Ladder crawls:
lay out an agility ladder.  Start in plank position walking hands in and out of each square all the way down the ladder and back.

Box Jumps:
I LOVE box jumps.  You can do a lower box with more reps, or a higher box with less reps.  You will get more out of a higher box, much more challenging.

Rotation 2:
Over head squat swings 3x15
lateral shoulder raise with resistance 3x15 each arm
Weighted jumping jacks 3x30 reps  (do these as fast as you can)

Overhead squat swings:
Grab either a kettle bell or a free motion machine (I like free motion).  Put the setting to the very bottom on the free motion with a handle attached.  Pick up handle, start in squat position and as you stand up in a fast motion swing the handle right above your head.  Set at a moderate weight and go quickly to get heart rate up.

Lateral shoulder raises:
Use either free motion resistance machine or free weight.  Just stand with handle or weight at your side and raise slowly to shoulder height or a little above, lower and repeat.  Switch sides

Weighted jumping jacks:
Grab some dumbbells (I normally use 7.5 or 8), and do jumping jacks with weights in your hands pressing them above your head.  Go hard and fast for 30 reps.

Rotation 3:
Killer 21 bicep curls 3x21
Shoulder press burpees 3x10 (Heavy weight)
Weighted mountain climbers 3x20 each leg

Killer 21 bicep curls:
Grab a barbell.  Make sure to grab a challenging weight.  Do 7 reps half extension upper curls, 7 reps, half extension lower curls, and 7 full extension curls.

Shoulder press burpees:
Grab HEAVY weight.  Do a regular burpee (jumping in/out).  When you stand up, don't jump but do a shoulder press with the weights instead.  Weights stay with you the whole time.

Weighted mountain climbers:
Grab 2 purple discs and 2 10lb plates.  If you don't have discs you can do 2 small towels on a smooth surface. Place a 10lb weight on each disc or towel.  Put toes in each hole of the plate.  Do mountain climbers sliding each leg back and forth.  Do 20-25 each leg.  Your quads will feel this pretty quickly.

Rotation 4:
Calf raises 3x30
Renegade rows 3x10 each arm

Calf raises:
Grab 25 lb plate.  Hold and do calf raises.

Renegade rows:
Get in plank position.  Grab dumbbells (moderate weight).  In plank position row one weight back at a time, doing 10-12 each side.

End with 30 min. moderate cardio.

Hope you all enjoy this workout as much as I did (or at least AFTER the fact;)).

Will be posting some booty moves tomorrow!!

SNACK OF THE DAY:  1 TBSP Peanut butter, handful almonds, 1 lowfat string cheese:).

Vote for me to be North America's Next Vi Model!

Vote for me to be North America's Next Vi Model!


Please take 2 seconds and vote!  That's literally all it takes!  Thank you so much in advance!  This is a super fun contest!

Blessings!

MY FIT FRIEND PROJECT

I have an AMAZING friend named Haley.  I have asked her for a HUGE favor....
I came to her about a week ago and asked if I could do an 8 week challenge for her.  Basically she would take Body By Vi shakes, I would type her up a meal plan, take her through a few workouts a week, take measurements, and before and after pictures. 
She was more than willing and just after the first week, she has lost 3 lbs!!!  She said she stood on the scale for a couple minutes in disbelief.... I was SO EXCITED for her!!  Not only that, but she said she didn't feel hungry at all!!
I cannot wait to post her before and after pics in 7 more weeks!!  She's been a rock star with the diet, shakes, and has been a REALLY good sport letting me take her through workouts:)
THANK YOU HALEY!!

Now here's a few workout suggestions for the week if you're pressed for a little time:

Option one:
Grab a few sets of free weights and take them with you next to a rowing machine.
Row for one Minute on the highest resistance.
Hop off and do 10 reps of shoulder presses and 10 reps of bicep curls (Or you can do lower body exercises, which ever you prefer).
Hop back on rowing machine and row for another minute.
Get off and do 9 reps of each exercise
Repeat until you've gone down to 1 rep

Option 2:
Grab free weights (pretty heavy), or a 25 lb plate
Hop on a stepmill
Step at a good pace for about 5 min
Hop off and grab a heavy dumbbell and do plie squats for a 1 minute
Hop back on step mill and go another 5 min
Step off and grab lighter dumbbells and do walking lunges for about a minute (give or take)
Repeat process until you've done 3-4 sets of EACH exercise  (About 30-40 min)

Hope you all have a happy and healthy week!!  Stay focused!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

The winner of the Body By Vi protein is Dusty Perez, who is a mama of 2 little boys!  Congratulations Dusty!  Looking forward to your feedback and how the product is working for you!!

Tomorrow I will be posting some info on certain supplements (have had quite a few questions lately about supps), and will also post another 'challenge' workout!  Did anybody try the 300 yet?!

Not seeing Results?-Myth Busters

I read a great article in Experience magazine the other day called 'Classic Weight-Room Mistakes'.  It was such a great article I'd love to share some of the points with you!

Myth #1: Using the same amount of weight and number of repititions each workout.
-Try mixing up your weight.  Throw in heavier weight training with lower reps or have less rest periods between each set.

Myth #2: Not tracking your workouts.
-Keep progress of your workouts and the amount of weight you're doing with your exercises.  This will help you vary your workouts.

Myth #3: You can focus on certain trouble spots such as abs or thighs:
-There is no such thing as 'spot reduction'.  Lunges, squats, presses, pull-ups, etc will help build a balanced physique. 

Myth #4:  Doing the same workouts you did in high school. 
-It's important to vary your workouts and put new exercises into your routine.  Varying workouts will help get you to your goals quicker.

Myth #5: Sticking with High Reps and Low weight to Tone:
-I hear this one all the time:  "I do 20 reps with low weight".  Grab some heavier weights and incorporate them into your routine.  You'll look leaner over time...

Myth #6: Focusing on Intensity before Form:
-Proper form is imperative before adding intensity to the exercise.  Proper form will help prevent injury and also target the proper muscle and engage that muscle more than rushing through an exercise. 

Also remember to up your protein intake to help develop that lean muscle!!!!

Getting to the 'CORE'...

Let me start off by saying no matter how much core work you do, that lean sexy stomach first and foremost comes from DIET, then Cardio, and then not only core exercises, but total body exercises.  With that being said, I would be lying if I said I didn't love feeling that burn in my stomach when doing core, and I always love to try new things.  I have sooooo many core exercises in my brain, that it was hard for me to organize it all.  So I've narrowed it down to what I've been doing lately, and also some of my all time favorite moves...

1. While on a free motion resistance machine, put the arms on the lowest setting, wtih an ankle strap as the attachment.  Doing a side plank, strap your top foot in, and pull your elbow to your knee simultaneously.  The weight should be somewhat light, since you're shooting for 20 reps. Switch sides.

(This is a free motion machine)










2.  I was shown this one a couple weeks ago, and I've loved it ever since.  It looks odd and you will look funny doing it, but it's effective!
On this particular machine of precor cardio equipment, start by putting your HANDS on the foot pedals.  Start pedaling up and down (it's a bit hard to get it going at first, but once you do it gets easier).
Keep moving the pedals with your hands for 30 seconds-1minute.  You will absolutely feel this in your obliques (and also your shoulders).

3.  Hanging Leg Raises!  These are extremely effective and also challenging:

Note: The less your body swings when you raise your legs, the more activated your core will be










4.  Weighted Alligator crawls:
With a 25 lb Plate on a towel, put your toes in the holes of the plate, and start walking with your hands, dragging the weight behind you....Go til burnout....(You will LOVE these;)).

5. ABC's! 
On a stability ball, start in a plank position on your elbows, hands together.  Start tracing your ABC's, all the way to Z.  You will hit alot of different angles 'writing' all the letters.

6. Bicycle v-ups:
These are your typical bicycle crunches, but instead of bending the legs, keep them straight the entire time, lifting them up and down (kind of like scissor kicks with a bicycle crunch)

7. Fetal crunches:
These are pretty self explanatory from the picture, and I use pretty heavy weight!
Try to touch your elbows to your knees each rep.  Reps of 20-25

8. Medicine ball mountain climbers:
Hands on a weighted medicine ball, and then proceed to do mountain climbers for 30 seconds-1 minute.  This will hit your core and also raise your heartrate. 

Here's a good start to some of my favorite core exercises!!  But trust me there will be more to come over the months!!!  Have fun trying some new things, and if there are any questions or suggestions please let me know!!

BODY BY VI GIVEAWAY!!!

Body by Vi:  Heard of it?  You can read all about this phenomenon that is spreading like wild fire!
Just check out the link below:
www.mattcade.bodybyvi.com OR
www.stephaniegaeta.bodybyvi.com

I'm feeling super generous, so I'm going to be giving away ONE HUGE bag of Body By Vi shake mix!!!  Yay! I will also send a few new smoothie recipes along with the package:).  (I LOVE giving things away that help people and their health!)

So how do you enter?  Same as last time!  (It's hard to get creative over the internet:/)....
Just share my page, and make sure you let me know you shared it!!!  I would love to meet new people and expand my blog to others who may have questions about nutrition or working out!

The entries will run until Sunday night, with a winner announced next Tuesday. 

So who wants to start taking the 90 day challenge with me?? 
Here are just a few people who have tried Body By Vi and found success in 90 days:

  This is Blake who added 20 lbs of lean muscle in 90 days...

This is Amanda, a mommy who lost 40.5lbs in 90 days!!!  (What an inspiration!)

 This is another mom who took the 90 day challenge:

A mom of four!!

Good luck to everyone!
P.S. Core workout blog to be posted tomorrow night!!!

THE SKINNY ON BODY FAT

Let me again re-iterate that I am by no means an expert, just sharing the little knowledge that I have on this topic....

There are MANY forms of body fat testing these days.  I'll touch on 3 or 4, and give my opinions on which ones I think are good and which ones are OK.

1.)  Underwater weighing (this form tends to be pretty accurate!).  This is where you are totally immersed in water...densities of bone and muscles are higher than water, and fat is less dense than water. So a person with more bone and muscle will weight more in water than a person with less bone and muscle, meaning they have a higher body density and lower percentage of body fat. (www.new-fitness.com)

2.)  Calipers (pinchers).  Not a huge fan of this one.  This will give you a 'round about guesstimate, but there are more accurate forms out there.  But at least it gives you an idea of where you're at.
Normally you are pinched in 3-7 areas, then there is a certain formulation used to calculate your bf.
"Generally speaking, skinfold measurements are easy to do, inexpensive and the method is portable. Overall, results, can be very subjective as precision ultimately depends on the skill of the technician and the site measured. The quality of the calipers is also a factor; they should be accurately calibrated and have a constant specified pressure. Inexpensive models sold for home use are usually less accurate than those used by an accredited caliper technician. The more obese the subject, the more difficult to "pinch" the skinfold correctly, requiring even more skill to obtain an accurate measurement."  (www.new-fitness.com)

3.) BOD POD (Air Displacement) - Based on the same principle as underwater weighing, the BOD POD uses computerized sensors to measure how much air is displaced while a person sits for 20 seconds in a capsule. It uses a calculation to determine body density, then estimated body fat.

4.)  New machines called the "inbody" are now becoming more available at doctor's offices and gyms now to test body fat.  It's basically a scale you stand on, type in all your info, and it calculates lean body mass, water weight, and body fat.  You need to be about 3 hours fasted and have little to no water for this test....





A question I get asked alot...."What's your body fat percentage?"....
My answer:  "I'm not built like you, you're not built like me...."

EVERYONE holds body fat differently.  Some hold in their arms, some in their booty, some in their thighs, etc...Some even hold more fat on their internal organs than they do under the skin!!  (I recently found this out).  And let's face it, women naturally are more prone to carry more body fat than men.

What's a healthy body fat percentage for women?
In GENERAL (from research I've done on the internet and talking to MANY trainers over the years),
a healthy body fat in women can range from 18-25%

I'm going to break it down a little further on statistics I found:

Classification	Women (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-12%
Athletes	14-20%
Fitness	21-24%
Acceptable	25-30%

Again, these are general numbers, but it's always good to get your body fat tested to know where you are at and if you want to improve that number.

Hope this helps a little!  I've been getting asked this question alot so thought I'd touch on the subject!!

M.I.A.......

So these next few weeks I will be pretty much MIA.....
The next few days I'll be finishing up some nutrition stuff for a few people, and then it'll be pretty limited how often I will be on the computer.
These last weeks are pretty tough, and need to just get through them:/....

(this picture is exactly what I feel like!)

In the mean time, here is a WORKOUT CHALLENGE:
Here's a nice little workout for  you, called the 300. 

Ready?
1 mile warm up at 2% incline (at least jogging)
300 push-ups (you OBVIOUSLY WILL NEED TO HIT YOUR KNEES FOR THIS)
300 sit-ups
300 squats

Yes it is tough, but it is doable.  Take rests when you need to.

I also was taken through a PHENOMENAL glute workout last week that buried me into the ground that I'll be posting in the next few weeks...

The winner of the challenge Nikki Savage received her package yesterday!  She won a gym bag, a pair of yoga pants, workout gloves, and a sample of protein:).  Enjoy Nikki!

In the next few weeks, I'd love to hear from everyone what their "stubborn" area is...back of arms? Legs? Stomach? Booty? Maybe even your back?  Let me know and I'll try to post some tips and tricks that may help!

Blessings! 

TRX suspension training

Especially for people who don't have access to a gym, this is a great little piece of equipment that has the possibility of hundreds of exercises!!
TRX is all body weight training, with exercises from beginner, intermediate to advanced.
I personally love the TRX for core work.
Instead of posting exercises and naming them (they wouldn't make much sense), I'm going to put some youtube links below (cut and paste them in the URL) and some pics so you can see some demos of what you can do on it!
You can hang this up pretty much anywhere, and the straps are very easy to adjust.
(I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to give one as a prize in another contest some time!)

Have any of you used TRX?  What do you think??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKSYFlpoTM (these are more advanced moves)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mjkrTIsOq4 (Intermediate...the pendulum swings are Great!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Qu438f__0 (Basic exercises)

FEAR OF FAILURE

I have a fear of failure.  I always have.  It's not something I'm proud of...actually I'm very embarrassed about it.  But I think one of the ways to get over my fear and move forward is to talk about it.

Last week I was doing my usual practicing standing on the ball, and for the first time in a very long time, I fell...I fell HARD.  However, I got right back up and tried again.  That didn't scare me.
Here's what does scare me...not being in good enough shape for my next show.  This time around with the diet has been VERY difficult for me, and every time I veer off track, instead of getting right back up and getting on the "ball" per-say, I beat myself up.  And I'm not doing any good doing that.  I need to learn to if I "fall", get right back up and keep on kicking.  No one can do it for me.  It's just me.  And realize I'm not perfect (trust me, far from it), and I need to stop striving for "perfection".....NO SUCH THING.  I need to continue to pray and hand it over to God.  Whenever I hand it over, things just seem to fall into place:).  My personal goal this week: if I fall, just get right back up....No one said it was an easy road.

Think I'm going to incorporate some more tire work this week!  Tire flips, drags, jumps, hammer swings....so much you can do with a tire:0).

CONGRATULATIONS....

Congrats to Nikki 'Kinnerup' Savage on winning the first fitmama contest!!  
I will be sending your goodies out this Wednesday!

Thank you again to everyone for sharing my blog on your fb page.  I've made alot of new contacts, and have gotten some great ideas for topics!

Definitely getting nervous for the weeks coming up as I prep for May 26th:/.  Tightening up nutrition a bit more, and getting some new workouts thrown in (some workouts absolutely bury me!). 
Also started taking Body By Vi on Wednesday, and curious to see how this helps prep me in weeks to come:).  Will be posting before and after pics for Body by Vi in weeks to come.

I had quite a few comments on 'core' work and how to get rid of that baby tummy that alot of moms struggle with.  Let me be the first to say that core work and trying new exercises is always one of my favorite things to do.  BUT I noticed the most difference in my mid-section when I changed my nutrition.  If I could give one piece of advice, I would say focus on the nutrition and then ad in the advanced core work.  I did it backwards, I did sooooo much core work but didn't focus on my nutrition all that much and noticed only very little change.  Once I got serious about nutrition, that's when I noticed change!!  And DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST.  Here's a typical breakfast for me:
1/4 cup plain oats with 1 scoop body by vi sweet cream protein, and 1/4 tsp brown sugar splenda (normally add blueberries on top)
4 egg whites with 2 tbsp green chili enchilada sauce
Coffee with sugar free creamer (this is on occasion)....Packed with protein and under 300 calories!!

Also, Start by maybe making a 'staple' of things to have in the house for yourself to eat and snack on, and food prep:
Some grocery items:
Egg whites
Lean protein sources (salmon, chicken breast, ground turkey, tuna, tilapia)
Nuts (unsalted)
Peanut butter
Almond Butter
Balsamic vinagarette
Variety of green veggies
apples
bananas
Brown rice
quinoa
rice cakes
low fat cottage cheese
greek yogurt
Dark chocolate (72% or higher)

These are a few suggestions of good things to have on hand!  I'm still working on getting creative with recipes:/, but will post new ones as I find them...

Happy shopping!!

Gut and Glutes!

First, I want to give a BIG thank you to everyone who has been sharing my blog!  I've gotten into contact with new people, and all thanks to you!!


Today was a glute day for me....I feel a little jello-ee but in a good way:).

First I did 20 min on the stepmill to get the blood flow going

Lift portion:
Plie squats with 50lb dumbbell-3x25
Pop squats-3x20
"Reverse" in-outs-3x20


Squat to press with 25lb plate-4x15
Donkey kicks on Smith machine w/ 10lbs on each side- 4x15 each leg

(Donkey kick on smith machine)

Frog legs- 3x20  (I suggest youtubing this exercise.  There's a couple different ways you can do it)
RDL with reverse lunge-3x10 each leg

Power plate squat hold 2x45 sec
Power plate squats 2x45 sec
Power plate obliques 2x45 sec

 HIIT interval training
15 minutes of 1:2 ratio (Sprinted 30 sec at 9.0, 2% incline, then jog/walk 1 minute...repeat for 15-20minutes)
5 minute cool down


Core work:
Used purple gliders (LOVE these things!), and put 5lb plate on each glider.  I then got in a plank position with feet on the 5lb plates that were on top of glider and "alligator crawled 50 paces, 3 times.  Then did in-outs with the gliders 3x15 reps.

Purple gliding discs

These are a few of my favorite things...

 I've been thinking a while now about how to get ideas of what to blog, what people would like to see, who is reading the blogs (what type of people or audience), and how I can help others.
Well I THINK I've come up with something pretty great!

I will be having the first 'fitmama' giveaway package drawing this weekend!  This will include some of my favorite things that I myself am using at the moment.  It Could be anything from supplements, protein, protein bars, "small" exercise equipment, maybe even clothes!!  Who knows;).  It will be a surprise, but I promise it'll be a good one!!

Here are the details of how to be in the "drawing" for the package:
1.)  SHARE my fitmama blog on YOUR facebook page and make sure I know you did it!
2.) Either message me or post on my fb page a health/nutrition/fitness topic that you would like to see addressed
3.) After doing BOTH these things, your name will go in a drawing for this SATURDAY, APRIL 28th. 


I'll take a picture of my husband or daughter drawing the name out of a hat, and I'll post that picture and officially name who won and WHAT they won on Monday Morning!  

I'm excited for this because I'll be able to see what people have questions about, issues they have questions on, or just topics that people would like more info about!

Plus someone will get some great stuff to assist them in their fitness journey:)

Good luck!!!

WE ALWAYS WANT WHAT WE CAN'T HAVE...

Why is it that we always want what we don't have? Women with straight hair want wavy hair. Women with curly hair want straight hair. Women who are short want to be tall, and women who are tall want to be shorter. And the list goes on....
We as women (not only in the fitness field, but every day life), seem to compare ourselves to other women and then sometimes wanting what others have.
I must say I am probably the biggest culprit of this. Everyday I find myself wanting to change this, tweak that, 'fix' this, etc. I've always done this in some shape or form.
Then something seemed to hit me the other day. WHY am I doing this? Why do I want to change so much of me, instead of being grateful for what I have, and what I have already accomplished?? I would never want my daughter to think some of the things I have thought about myself. I want her to be confident in who she is first as a child of God, second her character, and who she will become as a woman.
God made every single person different for a REASON. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working and going to work extremely hard towards my personal goals, but I'm going to do it with a different mindset; a more 'freeing' mindset if you will...
EVERYDAY I see the same gentleman in a wheelchair comes to Lifetime and workouts, and he does everything to his capabilities at 100%. And here I am comparing a body part of mine to someone else's...How dare I do such a thing?! God made me in HIS likeness, and no one else's.

For every woman out there: Work, and work HARD towards your goals. But remember who gave you those talents and remember He made you a certain way for a purpose. Also, do your work for yourself and YOUR goals, and not anyone else. This is still a learning process for me. I'm not going to have a complete 360 mindset overnight. But I am going to pray about it and hand it over to God...
Blessings to you all and have an awesome and healthy weekend coming up!!

There will be some fun posts next week!! Can't wait!

I'M SORRY, 100 WHAT?????

This will be a short little post today, but a powerful one if you try the workout:).

I've been doing bootcamps for a while now, but a little while back I started taking one from a crazy guy named Elliott. When I call him crazy, he takes it as a compliment. BUT he's a very creative and entertaining trainer who knows how to push.

I wanted to share what he did with us last week, and challenge you to try it some time in the next week and let me know what you think!!

Start by running a mile at about 7.5 or 8 speed at a 2% incline.
After you've finished the mile, go directly into the following:
100 push-ups (ladies if you have to drop to the knees please feel free to do so....I did:))
200 walking lunges
100 situps
100 prisoner squats (hands on back of head, LOW squats. Use the back of a treadmill as a touch point)
100 roll outs (these work with an ab dolley or little scooter) THESE WILL BURN
End with a 1600 meter row (should take about 8 min or so at a 10 resistance)




I was shaking at the end but definitely felt accomplished! Thanks again Elliott!!

Try it out and let me know what you think!!








Here's a pic of the roll out (try to go as low as you can)

FOOD, FOOD, AND MORE FOOD

I have a SECRET....

I eat. I eat ALOT. I have people that can witness to that:).
However, this was not always the case. I used to have the mindset of the less I ate, the less I would gain. I was so incredibly wrong, and that thinking came back to bite me in the butt, especially after having kids.
I can thankfully say I've never been 'overweight'. But that doesn't mean I've always been HEALTHY. After having my 3rd child, I started noticing I wasn't losing the baby weight as quickly as I wanted to and was losing my 'tone' look, but I was still killing myself at the gym! What the heck!!!
I used to 'eat' coffee or a 'skinny' frapp for breakfast (that was it), have a little of whatever for lunch, another coffee, and then a pretty big dinner. SOOOO healthy, right??

I had to do some SERIOUS revamping in my diet and working out. I'll get to the workouts in the next few days, but right now I'm going to touch on diet.

People always ask "How many calories do you take in?" "What is your diet?". I will tell you what I tell them: What works for me doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for YOU!!!! I'm still learning and tweaking things in my diet. What I will share with you though are some key notes that will point you in the right direction.

#1. EAT. I eat every 2-3 hours. My body has gotten used to it now. If I don't, my tummy gets cranky.

#2. Eat BREAKFAST. You know the old saying "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? I'm here to tell you that it's true. Try some oatmeal and a PROTEIN source

#3. Cut out the sugar. There's no way of going around it. It's not good for you, period.

#4. Stick to whole, clean foods. Fish, chicken, lean meats, legumes, veggies, fruit, good for you carbs....This will minimize bloat also!

#5. PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN. Everyone's ratios are different. I don't expect people who aren't dieting for a speciifc purpose to be taking in as much protein as fitness competitors, but don't skimp on it!!

#6. Prep your food for the week, or even for the next 4 or 5 days. That way it's at your finger tips, and you'll be less likely to grab something that may be easy but not necessarily a good choice.

#7. Replenish with protein after a workout. ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHAKES IS A POST WORKOUT PROTEIN SHAKE WITH NO SUGAR ADDED ALMOND MILK (VANILLA), A GOOD PURE PROTEIN POWDER, 1 TBSP PB (OPTIONAL), 1 EGG WHITE (OPTIONAL), AND 1 SCOOP GLUTAMINE (OPTIONAL).

#8. Don't be afraid to play around to see what works for you. Maybe even meet with a nutritionist and get some sort of plan written out, OR do some of your own research online

#9. HAVE A CHEAT MEAL EVERY NOW AND THEN. God does not expect perfection from us (THANKFULLY), so don't put that kind of pressure on yourself. At the end of the week allow yourself a cheat meal or two on the weekend, or a cheat day when you're not counting calories. Enjoy a piece of pizza with your kiddos:).

#10. Whatever you feed off of for motivation, use it. For example, pictures, verses, quotes, etc...stick them up in your mirror, on the fridge, etc.

And last but definitely not least: Ready??.....It's a biggie.....WATER!!! No soda, no juice, just water:). If you want, throw a half packet of crystal light in, but take in as much water as you can:).

Any questions, comments, ideas, etc, please feel free to post on the blog!!

Have fun trying new things!:) Here are a few sites to help get you started if you're needing new ideas:

www.thegraciouspantry.com

www.skinnymom.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/get-lean-eat-clean-with-jamie-eason-main-page.htm
(I have made her protein lemon squares on more than one occasion...our family is a fan!)

Where to begin....

I guess let me begin by saying I've always been into fitness, but just in the last few months has my diet and nutrition changed drastically. I finished my first competition in March, and am planning another end of May. And I DRASTICALLY had to change my mind frame and the way I was eating.
I've trained in many different ways, from lots of cardio and no weights, to weight training with interval cardio segments, to sports specific training (sports specific was what I was most used to due to my volleyball background).

The point of this blog is to share ideas, HEAR ideas from others, maybe share one of my favorite workouts, favorite supplements, things that worked for me AND also didn't work for me, and so on....Again, I'm no expert but I've been around training for quite some time! (Don't have much choice due to my husband's profession;)).


ONCE I HIT 500 PEOPLE WHO ARE FOLLOWING THE BLOG, I WILL BE DOING A CONTEST AND WILL BE GIVING AWAY ONE OF MY FAVORITE WORKOUT TOOLS THAT I USE AT THE GYM ALMOST EVERY TIME I'M THERE!! HOPEFULLY ONE DAY WHEN I HIT 1,000 FOLLOWERS THERE WILL BE A BIGGER PRIZE!!

Looking forward to connecting with so many people and learning more!
Blessings!

The picture on the left was taken about 9 weeks before my competition. the one on the right is obviously me at my competition. Again, this was due to some DRASTIC nutrition changes!