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!