A new Year, a new chance

So we are two days away from 2013. What kind of life are you going to live? What changes are you going to make? This is the time of year where everyone is making their resolutions. Have you made yours? Do it!!! Grab a pad of paper and do write them NOW!!! After you write them down, post that paper where you will see it all the time. Do not make impossible goals. Instead of saying, "lose 20lbs this month", look at the reasons why you are overweight. Maybe you workout a lot but you eat really crappy. Set specific goals that will help you lose the weight. For example, less carbs and more protein. Or eat a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner, or eat more vegetables. Those will be easier to follow then the typical, "just to lose weight". Find something that will keep you motivated. My thing was pinterest and facebook, yes you read that right. I pinned everything under the sun that was related to health and fitness. Same thing with facebook, I like all the fitness pages I could find. Facebook especially kept me motivated. The pages were always posting positive and motivating comments. I got tons of ideas on healthy food and habits. I absorbed every piece of information I could. The pictures of girls with rock hard bodies also kept me going, kept me motivated, but that is what worked for me. Find what works for you. Post that invitation to your school reunion, or hang that bikini you want to wear this summer. Whatever keeps YOU working hard!!! The biggest thing is do not give up. We are human and we will slip up. But do not stop working toward your goal because you ate the entire cake. Brush it off and start fresh the next day, but DO NOT give up!!! So write out your goals and make 2013 the best year yet. Here are my goals...

1. Drink more water (I do well at work bc I have a system of when I drink water, but at home I slack a bit)
2. Pick a goal (such as a triathlon, crossfit comp...) to work towards after the wedding. I need to sign up and pay for one by the end of next year
4. Stick to starbucks to only once a week (I am a starbucks addict- this is for financially and health)
5. Eat more vegetables!!!
6. Stick to only one cheat meal a week (again I am human and I slip up)
7. Save money!!!
8. Get mostly As at ASU
9. Have more patience and calm when plans change
10. BE A GOOD WIFEY (after June 28 ;) haha )

your turn....

A year later...

About a year ago, I decided to change my life. I chose to change my eating habits and live a different lifestyle. Throughout the journey I have gotten a lot of different responses from the journey. In the beginning, everyone was very supportive. I threw out all the junk food, decided to start eating clean/organic and stuck my butt in the gym religiously at least two hours a day to drip from cardio, two hours AT LEAST. I loss the weight slowly but surely. I eventually saw a nutritionist and found out several things, including my metabolism. This helped tremendously and I lost even more weight. I still heard all positive reactions. It was not until I started eating more, working out less but lifting more weights and really saw my body transform into something I never dreamed it would ever be, that the negativity began. I have always been able to put on muscle fast. I was always a swimmer and was known for my shoulders. I liked it though. I was always more envious of the muscular girls then the skinny ones. I personally think it is more attractive, yet I know many don't. But changing my workout routine, into weights and then more crossfit style workouts, helped me put on amazing muscle and put it on fast. I saw muscles I have never seen before on me, including abs. At this point I had a new look on life. This change, gave me more energy, made me happy and allowed me to love my body. But in the beginning, and still at times, it is hard hearing people be negative about what makes me happy. I have never been unhealthy about what I do. I never starve myself and I do not over train. I work out about 2 hours a day, three times a week. I try to get at least 2 other days in the week in the gym just lifting weights, which usually only takes me 45 mins and I am lucky if I do that. I eat clean and when I am in the gym, I work my butt off. That is how I do it. No drugs, and no starving myself. It is weird that when I was being unhealthy, no one said anything, but now that I am, people all of a sudden pipe up. strange. I have gotten that I am too masculine, that I work out too much, I have been asked if my fiancé likes me having this much muscle and much more slamming my body. Overall, it has been an amazing journey. It has. I have and so have many others, noticed a huge change in my attitude. I have more of a drive in life. I believe it had even helped me do well in school. It has changed many aspects in my life, not just weight. Part of being healthy is loving yourself, and I have learned how to do that again. Yes, I still look at parts of my body that I do not like, but I don't think that will ever go away. That just motivates me to work hard, to change it. But I have also realized that I wont be perfect and I am ok with that. I am really excited where I will be next year. I really hope I have trained for something. I don't know what yet. Whether it is a crossfit competition, a triathlon, or even a fitness competition, I hope I have achieved it. This journey has changed my life. I hope others will experience something that brings them such joy this coming year as I have. Set your goals and do not stop until you smash them. The journey will be hard but it will be worth it. People will not agree with what you do, but if you are being smart about it and it is making you happy, use it as motivation, Start working towards your goal today, do not wait. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!



JAN 12/ MAY 12/ DEC 12

If you want to lose weight, then you have to eat

One of the biggest mistakes I see people do (I am even guilty), when trying to lose weight, is start working out and make a huge cut in calories. This is where everyone goes wrong. I went snowboarding this past weekend and I weighed myself before and after the weekend.

I never weigh myself anymore because I am trying to put on muscle now and not lose weight, so I will gain weight. We are so programmed to care what our numbers are. What we weigh, what our BMI is or what our fat percentage is. So when we see that number go up, it freaks us out, even though we are looking better. So i just stopped getting on the scale and judge what I see in the mirror. Obviously, I am still learning how to not look for my imperfections and look for my progress.

Anyways, I weighed myself for this blog, knowing I wanted to write on this topic. I gained 3 lbs over the weekend. Automatically you would assume that I over indulged on food. When I didn't, I did not eat enough. I did not have any cheat meals and did not drink any alcohol this trip. I packed protein bars, almonds, protein powders, fruits, veggies, baggies of chicken and a container of oatmeal. But how much can I pack in my gear for while snowboarding? Usually we stop at subway on our way up to have them later for lunch but this time we were so eager to get up we didn't. I thought they would have something on the slopes, but of course all they had was pizza!! I was not about to ruin my weekend with that. So after talking to a couple people there, they finally gave my meatballs, THREE of them!!! With the amount of calories I was burning, I needed like 7 haha. Thats where it all went wrong.

I tried to make up for it at dinner, getting an egg white omelette packed with meat, and then I ate everyone else's meat they were not eating (ya people were looking at me like I was crazy). It still was not enough. Not eating enough plus not enough water, helped me put on those 3 lbs.

When you do not eat enough for your body to function, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to all the fat. You need to eat enough for your body to now think this. When working out, you need to up your calories, so you are able to still function. You will notice a difference in weight loss, exercise  performance and energy. EAT THE FOOD!!! Eat clean and train hard.

So many opinions...

Everyone seems to have their own thoughts on health and nutrition. Everyone thinks their idea on what you should eat, is the best way to eat. Carbs, no carbs, paleo, vegan, Adkins... And the list goes on and on and on. Everyone including myself is confused about what is healthy or will help you lose weight. Even last week, I asked a couple fitness models, what they change in their eating habits when they are "bulking" (or trying to add muscle) and of course I got several different answers. So what is the best "diet" follow? NONE OF THEM. They are all dumb. Yupppp. Any diet that restricts you from eating something, is not good. Unless you go to a nutritionist and get blood work or take an allergy test and find out what is not good for YOUR body. Other then that you should not restrict anything. Everything has nutrients that your body need. You will hear people say, "don't eat fruit because of the sugar" or another one that i love, "don't eat carbs". These are two very common restrictions in diets and it is unfortunate because they are both needed. Obviously, don't eat just fruits, or don't eat just carbs. Everything needs to be done in moderation.  Fiddle around with the amounts. I try to avoid carbs and sugars before bed, but I do not avoid them all together. I love my fruits so good luck on getting me to cut those out. With carbs, if I do not eat enough, I get very sluggish and tired. Carbs give you energy, so you need them. I choose to cut out dairy for my skin. When I eat dairy, I break out, so I switched to almond milk. I also stay away from wheat and gluten because it makes me sick. When I eat wheat or gluten, my stomach get bloated, I physically look like I am pregnant. It gets super hard and it hurts.  If you think something is making you sick, cut it out for a couple weeks, and see how you feel. If you feel better, then you know that was not right for your body. Learn to listen to your body. Everyone is different, so I don't believe everyone should follow the same eating habits. Those diets are there to make money, not to make you healthy. Research things and come to your own conclusion. I have taken class after class and have read studies after studies to come up with my thoughts of nurtrion. I regulate my eating by listening to my body. The only thing I do limit is when I eat certain things. But everyone is different. I see some fitness people eat simple carbs before bed, but I avoid it. You will hardly find someone that doesn't have a different opinion about nutrition then the other person. Research and form your own, based on your body. Anyways, its raining and is cold, so I made myself a healthier version of hot chocolate. Mmmmm

1. Almond milk heated up
2. Tablespoon of non sweetened cocoa
3. Half a scoop of my chocolate protein powder
3. Packet of stevia

I am back :)

Wow, It has been so long since I have been on here. Life got super crazy with work, school ending and grandpa being in the hospital, but my life seems to be back on track :0 yay. I think I am going to get all A's and one B. That B will be like an 88% which upsets me even more that I could not get all A's. But considering the fact that I work close to full time and trying to plan a wedding and train, it is not too shabby. I CAN do it all haha. Now it is time to organize my house and spend time with my hubby-to-be. Our relationship was tested big time this semester due to the amount of time we did not spend together. Sure we saw each other but due to school and work we hardly spent time together, and by the end I was really feeling it, so I am glad we will be us again :) I updated a lot of the pages, including Products I love, workouts and dessert recipes. Check it out :) I know it is the holiday season, but keep eating clean and make time for your workouts. If you slip up, just get back on track. We are human and wont be perfect. Glad to be back :)

The why

I got asked today WHY I work out so much? I thought for a second. In the beginning it was about getting healthy and losing some weight. As the journey progressed I wanted more out of it. I saw my body change and thought why not just give this thing a go. I have always done cardio because that is what my sports required but never really lifted weights. The first time I really had a workout with weights, I was hooked. I have always like swimming and the competitive side of it but the weights brought something out in me that was amazing. Then I got a taste of a CrossFit style workout and that was the end of it, I am addicted. So my why now is because I love it. Yes I loved the body that comes with it but the feeling I get while doing it gives me the biggest high. I always promised myself that I would do it healthy. I have also been told that I'm too muscular. But personally I like it. I have always put on muscle very easily and I am ok with it. I have always like being strong. I want to be in the best shape i have ever been in. People have to remember that they don't have to impress everyone. If your healthy and happy then that is all that matters. Find what figure makes you happy and get it. Find that exercise that you are wanting to go to every day. That is how you will achieve your goal, when it is for you and no one else.

November- make it a good month

So it is November now which means all the holidays are coming out. It's not a time to freak about the food or the weight gain because it is about being thankful for everything and everyone in your life.

Start November off right. Set a goal for yourself for November. I set two goals this month. The first one was the get out of Starbucks habit. I started to fall into my guilty pleasure again. It is really hard when I work down the street from it and people always go on Starbucks runs during their break. It's breaking my wallet and my hard work due to the sugar in those drinks. My second was to finish my homework a day for the due date. It is coming up on holiday season and I have a big load this session at school and I need to make sure I have wiggle room in case I fall behind. So what is your goal or goals for November?

If you are worried about that holiday food going straight to your waste then schedule the holiday, such as thanksgiving, as your chest day then eat clean the rest of the week and you will be fine. Indulge on that cheat day. Don't hold back then after throw those desserts away, hold on to the turkey and you are good :)

Happy November everyone. Remember to be thankful!!

Alcohol and its effects...

So I have been cutting out alcohol for a long time, not that I have ever been a big drinker, but now I am really cutting it. Yes I will have a drink, but it will be few and far between and for special occasions. If you are trying to lose weight or trying to get in the best shape of your life and still drinking alcohol, then you might be really killing your chances of getting the results you want. Why?

First of all, alcohol has a lot of carbs and calories. So what about those skinny drinks everyone gets? The ones people think are so much better? Well they aren't. No matter what alcoholic drink you get, skinny or not, it's killing you.

Alcohol is poison to your body. It's a fact. When you drink alcohol all your body wants to do is get it out. So in a nut shell, your body stops metabolizing all the food in your body and stores it as fat. Evennnn that salad you ate, it is now storing as fat. The reason it stores the food is because it is now metabolizing the alcohol. The more alcohol you drink the longer it takes. It literally takes you fat burning to a grinding halt.

So that if your going to drink, don't expect weight loss. The less you drink the better your weight loss will be. Don't think the skinny drinks, vodka and club soda or just plain shots is that much better because it isn't. Your still doomed.

Yes I am sure ill have a drink here an there but to me alcohol isn't worth setting back my hard work. It's up to you where alcohol and weight loss stands for you.

Paleo banana pancakes

So these took a little bit to tweak the recipe just right but I think I got it

2 medium bananas
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Dash vanilla abstract
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Blend all ingredients for at least 2 mins until completely smooth

Fire up the pan and heat up coconut oil in it

Cook away on medium heat (you will want your pancakes a little darker then normal so they will hold together)

10 steps for a better future

People are always asking, "how did you do it?" Well here are some of the steps I took to cutting my body fat percentage in half. "Was it hard?" Yes at times it is, especially when I'm surrounded by things I can't eat. I'm seriously a fat kid at heart. I have the worst self control and the biggest sweet tooth. If chocolate is involved, well then, the eating healthy flies straight out the window. I'm a sucker for chocolate. Here are a couple things that will help you, whether you are just trying to be healthier or lose weight
1) throw out the junk food or simple carbs!!!! You will NEVER succeed with temptations surrounding you. JUST DO IT!!! It's the hardest step but one of the best to succeed
2) don't drink your calories, carbs and sugars!!! Which means only drink WATER (shoot for a gallon a day)!!! I drink coffee too but I try to avoid the Starbucks fufu drinks, as my dad calls them. I mix coffee with my protein shake
3) DON'T STARVE YOURSELF!!! I made this mistake starting off. Not that I was purposely starving myself but for my metabolism I cut my calories a little too low. If you are able to, find out your metabolism so you know exactly how much your body needs. If you can't then stop eating when you are SATISFIED and eat when your HUNGRY.
4) eat 5-6 meals a day. Meal 1- eat like a king, meal 6- eat like the poor. Your first meal should be filled with protein, fats and veggies. This will keep you full throughout the day, keep the cravings off and give you your energy.
5) avoid sugars and carbs your last one or two meals before you go to bed because your body likes to store those more then proteins at night
6) give yourself cheat meals. Obviously not every day. No more then once a week. But if you never treat yourself, one day your going to freak out and eat everything greasy and fatty in sight. I promise you won't gain 10lbs because of it and DON'T PUNISH yourself the next day for doing it. Simply go back to clean eating
7) DRINK WATER- oh did I already say that? Well it's important
8) don't completely cut your carbs!!! Yes you can cut out simple carbs but keep the quinoa and all the other good carbs in there. Unless you are planning on doing fitness competitions, you need to keep them. This doesn't mean go crazy, you still want to keep them because carbohydrates is what will give you energy. I always know if I didn't eat enough carbs because I get sluggish and by the end of the day I am out for the count, which doesn't happen as bad if I eat enough of them.
9) get sleep!!! Your body needs it. I am religious about it. I calculate every night to make sure I get AT LEAST 7, but always strive for 8.
10) lift weights!!! DO NOT do just cardio. You might get skinny but will also be flabby. Weight training will help you lose, tone and firm. You also burn calories AFTER you are done lifting. I promise you won't be bulky and I PROMISE you, you will see the best results. So go out there and lift some iron and don't forget to help your muscles by eating protein after!!!

Good luck everyone. Summer is 8 months away!!!

Cold, rainy day

Today was amazing. I finally got a cold rainy day at home. I woke up at 6:30am (even though my alarm was set for 8am) made my coffee with protein powder in it, turned on the fire and country music and sat down and looked through pinterest. I love these mornings. They are quiet and perfect. I love having that time in the morning to just relax. I go, go, go all day but I make sure I get these kind of mornings once in a while. I will even wake up 30 minutes earlier just to get them. This is my time.

Then it was time for church. We were even having a church picnic in the rain :) It actually only rained for a little bit then it was not too bad for the rest of the time. Mitchell of course came and this was the first time people (outside of our church friends) came up and talked to him. I did not know who they were and he told me with a big smile that they were his RCIA friends. This, along with him knowing an answer that the priest asked in church made me so proud. I have always worried that he was doing it only for me, but this showed me that he really was into it himself.
I also had my nephew today. I adore him to no end but man does it make me realize I am not ready for kids yet. I was exhausted. I am still at that point where after 3 hours I am ready to give them back haha. But he sure is cute

After I came home, put the baby down for a nap and got some homework done. After the baby left I got my food ready for the day tomorrow. I am super excited for tomorrow to eat it. I love when that happens. Here are two of my meals tomorrow

Asian Stir Fry

Paleo Coconut Shrimp

Now its time for a little more homework then snuggle in bed and possibly put on a movie, even though I know I will fall asleep 15 minutes into it. Im ready for my week. I have my days all planned out and its going to be a great workout week. I do hope it goes by fast because I have a great weekend in store for me. :) I hope everyone has had an amazing weekend!!!!

Want to succeed??? Food prep

If you are trying to lose weight or just flat out be healthy then have a food prep day once a week!!! Having food you can quickly grab on your way out the door is huge. It will prevent you from having to stop at one of those fast food chains... You know the ones with the fake meat? Take two hours out of your weekend to plan and make your food for the upcoming week. Cook, WEIGH and separate your chicken, turkey or whatever other protein you want. Separate your veggies into little bags. Boil your eggs and fill Tupperware with greens for salads. This way you can grab the things you need and be out the door. I suggest 4-5oz of protein every meal and unlimited veggies. Make sure you are getting your fats in there also. I even separate almonds into little baggies. I also suggest buying a cute cooler to always have snacks with you. Here is a look at a prep day for me. I freeze a lot of it. It is much easier to have the final product just defrost then to cook every day

My chicken cooked (I flavored them differently)

Paleo blueberry muffins (I had blueberries about to go bad)

Beginning of the process

For the love, passion, and obsession

Do you have that one thing in your life that you feel you can't live without? For some people it's their cell phones or coffee or for high schoolers, it's their boyfriend or girlfriend that they have been dating for three days, others its running, well mine is surfing. I just went surfing with my dad today and it was awesome, well it always is. Surfing brings this calm over me, almost puts me in a zen type state. Surfing keeps me happy. When I am out there I think a lot, about everything, sometimes (when no one is around) I even talk to myself. I forget about everything that stresses me out or anything bad that is happening. It is me and the ocean, as one. It's really hard to put in words. When someone says, "well you don't have to go surfing" or something along those lines when I state I don't have time for something else, I always reply with "yes I do." Because in fact I do. My first year in college I had depression. A lot happened that year, I moved out for the first time, with roommates that I didn't care for, my surf coach died, my grandfather dies right before my birthday, basically my whole world flipped upside down. I think surfing and the depression went hand in hand. I was depressed so I stopped surfing, and I got deeper into the depression because I wasn't surfing so I was unable to clear my mind and just sit and be one with the ocean. I didn't realize at the time how much surfing keeps me healthy. Now I do. If I don't surf I get restless, cranky, upset and my stresses stay bundled. I have to surf. The more I surf, the happier I am. Yes most people don't get it when I put other things aside to surf. They don't get that I need the salt water in my brain, the sun on my skin and that perfect wave to remember that night in my dreams. It's an addiction. We go out there in search of that perfect wave. The ocean is our home, our safe haven. We belong out there. I am so lucky that I share this passion with my father and now fiancé and hope my kids will also find the same stoke that has plagued me. I feel that the ocean is the reason for the strong bond between me and my dad. I also feel that it has helped us survive some of the worst times in our lives. I truly think it has saved me in more ways then one. I wish everyone can have this kind of passion.

Monday funday

Ok so because I was a bad girl yesterday my plan was to do weights, spin, swim and eat extremely clean. I normally don't do that much cardio because I don't feel like I need to loose any weight but if I eat really bad then I will cardio hard to sweat the toxins out of my poor body. Sooo I got up early before work to hit the gym hard and was ready to go only to find my keys locked in the car... I blame it on my fiancé ;) long story short I got it all figured out but not in time to hit my beloved weights. So I go to this spin class once in a while where I work. This is the spin class that I have to get a pass at least 30 mins before the it starts and claim a bike fifteen before. Why you ask? Because Omarrrr teaches it. Oh la la Omar. Uh ya. Like Ill admit he isn't bad to look at but still. This class is filled with hot middle aged women drooling over this sweaty man in front. Anyways, so I'm getting my bike ready and this 5 foot nothing, size 0, double D boobs lady starts to get her bike ready. Right before she climbs on her bike she puts on her lipstick. Whatttt??? The whole time I'm thinking whyyyy??? You know those kinds? The women that are all done up and usually already stick thin (probably because they can afford plastic surgery and is there just to pick up a big strapping man). If I wore makeup to the gym my face would look like I have chicken pox (as a little neighbor once referred my acne to). Here I am in a baggy shirt, mismatching shorts, rainbow socks, no makeup and non hair brush and the lady next to me looks like she stepped out of a fitness magazine. I wonder which guys really like?

Wedding wedding wedding andddd cake :/

So I got engaged May 25, 2012, and now it's the fun part, planning the wedding, which is fun... Sure. No, it is if you take away the planning, haha. No it has been fun. Today my mom and I went to a wedding expo at the Hyatt in Mission Bay, and of course it had cake and desserts and more cake and of course I tried it all. I just keep grabbing, and I just tell myself, "I'll only be a bride once" and it works... Kinda. Now laying in bed, the guilt sets in, but tomorrow is a new day and I have a lot of salads packed. One thing I have learned through this journey, is one day isn't going to make me gain 10 pounds. I let that one day go and keep on going with my clean eating and working out regemine. No time to dwell, I have a wedding to plannnnn.