Day 32: "Being HEALTHY is a LIFESTYLE"

Hey hey hey yall!

Feeling good feeling great this way, hope you are the same!  I am SORE but it makes me feel good and is a reminder of me working hard each day to change my body and be healthier!!!

It really is fun man like really!  I enjoy looking up new recipes, I like to workout (most of the time), I enjoy inspiring others to start or get back on track with their journey towards a healthier lifestyle and I really like to talk about it!  Hence, the blog!  It is a great way for me to share EVERYTHING with you all along the way.

Please use the FB like button and other share buttons to spread the word out their to others!  I would really appreciate it!

I also put my meals on the weekly meal plan tab above at the top of the page so I don't have to write each day what I eat.  If I don't eat what I wrote, I do change it to reflect my TRUE meals.

Okay, today has been a good day and I literally was excited to come home to workout.  I know one reason is because I really love the Cardio Core and Resistance dvd from INSANITY. Working out and getting results is a process that takes time but I know it will result in the results I want.  I went and bought a few items today.  I got a new yoga mat in my favorite color (find the fun and motivation in the little things), resistance bands and a jump rope!  I went to ROSS and they were a great price.

• Yoga mat - $7.99
• Jump rope - $2.99
• Resistance Bands - $3.99

I want these things in case I want to do a little extra in my home workouts or when I get off of INSANITY and want to do a little around the house.  The resistance bands would be great while I watch TV! SEE....it isn't hard to find the time.  Also, buy fun workout clothes because it can truly make a difference in your attitude towards working out!  Old Navy has these really cute loose razor back shirts you can layer for about $7.50 right now!  I bought three!!!!!  I am going to a Pilates class at a yoga studio nearby and the owner was a lady who was on Buns of Steel so I bet the classes will be great.  I am going to also try the "hot yoga" class too.  I am learning to not let my hair determine what type of workouts I do and I am making my hair work for the workouts not the other way around!!

Take a look at my goodies...

I also want to share a few more things with you all before I hit the bed!

YUM!!!

I highly recommend Spicy Black Bean Hummus.  Whole Foods had this for about $3.29 and it tastes way better than all the commercial brands.  This brand is made fresh from scratch in Austin, TX and I can read all the ingredients so that is a plus!  You want to make sure ingredients are easy to read otherwise if not that means there is something in there you may not want to put in your body!!! HONESTLY, this is amazing! They have roasted red pepper and original!  If you try this be careful to not eat out of the container because you would want to eat the whole thing!!! Just take a tablespoon or two and eat it with organic blue chips (just a few) or some veggies (carrot sticks, broccoli, etc).  I don't know if it is in other Whole Foods that are not in Texas but I would look and check if it is or find another version of black bean hummus.

If you want to try a different version of water try LIME sparkling mineral water.  It is great to have with meals because it can give you a slight full filling which can help you not over eat.  It also taste some what like Sprite without all the calories.  The best thing about this water...NO CALORIES!!!!  You feel as if you are cheating a little bit with its taste.  Add a squeeze of lemon or lime if you want.

The picture above also features Bolthouse Farms 50/50 Berry Juice which contains a serving of veggies and fruit.  I don't drink a full glass of this juice since the sugar can be high in fruit but I do have it with breakfast sometimes or just for a different taste besides water.  I haven't had coffee or pop the whole month of January and if I did I don't remember it lol! I have had some wine and a couple of light beers though on the weekend.  Yet I don't overindulge.  Anyway, back to the picture.  If you want a little spritzer or mocktail (lol), poor some of this juice and sparkling water until it has a taste you like.  I did more water than the juice and added a couple drops of agave nectar for a little extra sweetness.  It almost reminded me of a red wine spritzer.

EXTRA YUM!! I could of cropped it out but I wanted to be honest.  I had to take half of that sausage it smelled so good!  I guess that may be a small downfall to cooking at night for my morning meal to save time.  I wanted to eat it some so I just took a piece lol! Don't judge me lol, you would have done the same!! HAHA

Here is the chicken sausage with sage I wrote about the other day!  They are absolutely amazing and very lean.  They make me feel like I am cheating but I'm not!  They don't have a calorie count at Whole Foods for this purchase but I checked out applegate chicken sausage just to get  a guess on how many calories they may be and two links is 100 calories.  These may be 120 or so since they are a little bigger than the commercial brand.  I am not sure but I do know chicken is a lean protein and it has little salt and flavored with an herb so it can't be too bad, right!!! I would try them if I were you, so good!  I ate two with a boiled egg and half a whole wheat English muffin.

Well that is about all I have to say today so I will be writing you all soon.  Try a new recipe this weekend since you should have time if you don't work weekends, buy a new food item and see if you can incorporate it into your healthy meals!!!!

Please let me know what you think of this post and feel free to share with others with the share buttons I have on the page!!!

Thanks for reading and enjoy your night!!!!

Day 22 and 23!!! JUST DO IT

Hey yall!

Busy day yesterday so here we go with a two in one blog!!!!!

Yesterday was pretty good but felt discouraged some what.  I know results take time so I need to get that in my head.  I want more gains quicker.  I stopped being patient yesterday and it almost messed up my whole workout routine because I almost didn't do it!  But then I thought to myself, "Don't I want results and to be healthier".  Yes I do, so I went through it and pushed through!!! It was beating me down too lol but I am glad that I did it.  So if you start to feel like that, JUST DO IT!!!!

I can only imagine what I will be writing about in a couple of months as I continue my clean eating and regular exercise.  I never in my life have exercised 6 straight days out the week like I have done so far this year!!! Here are a few inspirational things that I have read that have got me through.  They are pinned on my pinterest board.

These are actually on my fridge so I can see it each day!!!!! Find some motivation and print it out or write some goals for yourself.

Now fast forwarding to today.................it has been a good day and I am glad that I am off work (or atleast my main job, I have a private lesson to teach after work and tutoring today).  My coworker gave me some chia seeds and they are a great source of omega 3s and fiber.  They are very good for you and are known to be better than flax seeds.  Don't take my word on it, haven't look it up but I have read in Tosca Reno' s book that it is a super food and it was in Oxygen magazine too.  It is like a little seeds with barely any flavor that you can add to salads, smoothies, oatmeal or whatever meal you would like.  I used my calorie counter (my net diary is what it is called..i would download it if I were you it's great and you can scan food items and enter them...i love the scanning part) today and put an analysis in on my food so far and it said I should have more fiber in my breakfast but that was before I entered in CHIA SEEDS.  When I put in that I had added a tablespoon of Chia Seeds to my oatmeal it didn't show my meal as lacking fiber!!! Woo hoo! So if I were you I would pick up a bag today.

TODAY'S MENU

BREAKFAST - oatmeal and a grapefruit and green goodness drink by bolthouse farms (1/2 serving)
SNACK - V8 and half an english muffin with chia seed jelly and natural peanut butter
LUNCH - Green salad with avocados, mushrooms and tomatoes and balsamic vinigerette
SNACK - egg and an orange, v8
DINNER - spaghetti squash with sauteed veggies and black beans and 1/2 an english muffin.

I plan to go to the store and get a few more protein based snacks but today I decided to not do meat and get protein in other ways.

Oh yeah!  During my lunch I explained to you that I have been doing strength training and zumba!  It has been great and I have been consistent with that as well.  I only take about 15 minutes but I do work up a light sweat!!! I encourage you to find some time and put in a little extra workout somewhere.  Take the stairs or something like that! You can do it!

Until next time folks, write a fitness and food goal for yourself this week and please share your results when you accomplish your goal!!!