…Friday FITspitation…

 

FridayFITspiration_1

 

DO YOU KNOW exactly what you are eating?

Do you know the nutrients (or lack of nutrients) that are in some of your “favorite” foods?

It would be wise to take a look at your local fast food nutritional values list.

Dont know where to find them?

Here are just a few:

Arby’s  (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Braums Ice Cream

Burger King (Click on the meal and then click the “Nutrition” tab under the food)

Carl’s Jr. (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Chick-fil-A (Create your own meal to see how much you are eating)

Chipotle

Dairy Queen

Domino’s Pizza  (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Dunkin Donuts  (This will pop up as a PDF file)

In-N-Out Burger

Jack in the Box (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Kentucky Fried Chicken {KFC} (Add the food you eat into the bucket and the info will pop up)

Krispy Kreme (This will pop up as a PDF file)

McDonald’s  (hover your mouse over the item to see what is in it)

Noodles & Company

Panda Express (Build your own meal to get information)

Panera Bread Company  (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Papa John’s (Click on the thumbnail of the image of the food you eat)

Pizza Hut

Quizno’s (This will pop up as a PDF file)

Smoothie King

Sonic Drive In

Starbucks

Subway

Taco Bell

Wendy’s (Pick the meal in the pull down menu and select the portion size)

Whataburger

White Castle

If your “favorite” place it not listed above just go to google.com and type in the name of the place you want to eat.  After you type in the name of the place type in “Nutritional Information”.

This should HOPEFULLY bring you to the page/site that stated what that place offers.  Sometimes you have to hunt through the website to figure out where it is.

Some companies want to make it hard for you to find :-/

BEFORE you go out to eat know what your BEST options are so you can order the healthiest option they offer.  And do not forget: Most places plates are two or three (and sometimes even four) serving sizes!!! Usually it is two, so when you get your plate you can just cut it in half and take the other half home to eat for another meal.

…2013: Year of Fitness…

2013-04-13 09.45.25

What are YOUR health and fitness goals for 2013?

This year, a few good friends of mine and I have decided to participate in AS MANY 5k obstacle races and mud runs as we can!

2013-04-13 10.12.02

We are not just joining every random race that we see.
We check out what the race is about and if they donate to a charity.

So far we have 13 races planned for this year and we have already completed 3.

This was a great idea for all of us to plan time to get to see each other.

We all are growing up and creating our lives in cities that are far away from each other.

We love the fact that we can plan things to do with each other.  It allows us something to look forward to.  AND it also keeps us training in the gym so that we are in shape and able to complete our races.  So far our last race of the year will be the hardest!

We will participate in the Tough Mudder which is the BIGGEST mud runs of all mud runs.

If you do not know what  Tough Mudder is go to YouTube and see some videos about it!

Setting these kind of activities for you and your friends (or even your family) are fantastic ideas.  You all can meet during the week to workout and train for these races.  And completing the race is your ultimate goal (and each race you can try to complete it at a better/faster time!)

So what fitness goals do you have set for this year?

If you do not have any you should consider setting at least one!

2013-04-13 10.05.22-1

…Merchandise Evaluation: freestylextreme.com…

FreestyleXtreme.com is one of the biggest online extreme sports SUPER store for clothing, accessories  and any other stylish articles you need to complete any outfit. They have expanded into areas beyond FMX to include BMX, MTB, Motocross, Snowboarding and more. I was recently contacted and lucky enough to get some amazing articles to try on my own and share with you guys!
FreestyleXtreme.com offers items for ALL members of your family.  You can pick up a few shirts and a hat for dad, a few items for mom, and of course a few more things for the kids!  FreestyleXtreme is a new company that was created on 2003.  They take pride in creating merchandise specializing in motocross lifestyle clothing.   FreestyleXtreme remains an independent, family run business, selling more than 100 brands in 17 different languages, retailing to almost every country on the planet. They take PRIDE in putting the customers first by providing 5 STAR customer service to anyone who wants/needs their products.

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

Overall Comments:

The items that I got were the Oakley Tank Top and the Grey leather Jacket!

As you can see I was trying to create an outfit that you can go out to work (for those casual days), to the store, or just out and about on those days you have a BIG “To Do” list.  These tops can be paired with a nice pair of jeans, black pants or tights, or even some running tights (like the pair I have on in the picture).

The key was to be able to have something that is versatile and that you can wear for more than one occasion.

My goal was to have an outfit you can wear during the day and then head straight to the gym and have a cute outfit to workout it.  So you do not have to carry several bags of clothes.  It allows you to go from one place to another and cut down on the time that you need to find clothes to change into!

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERAGEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

I am ALL about multitasking and if I can multitask an outfit to help me during the day it quickly becomes one of my FAVORITE and frequently worn 🙂

Price: Looking on FreestyleXtreme.com they have AMAZING prices for all of their items.  They even have a clearance section (one of my favorite section in ANY store!).  NOTE:  Their prices are in British pounds (i.e. £17.99) so keep that in mind when you are looking at their prices.  1.00 GBP = 1.54 USD

They have TONS of items to choose from and they are all at very reasonable prices.  The prices can be easily compared to those in other similar stores (like pacsun or quicksilver).  So you can for sure know that they are not trying to over charge for their products.  They accept all major credit cards and they also accept PayPal!  So it makes it easier to target more buyers by having more purchasing options.

Quality: The quality of the items that I got are VERY nice.  The jacket is well made and fits great ( I am wearing a size Medium in the jacket and a Small in the top.  The top is very stretchy but the jacket actually is a perfect fit for my body type).  The tank to is a very good fit and is made of a stretchy material.  It makes the perfect workout shirt or a shirt to wear anytime!

GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

Texture/Feel: These items feel great!  The jacket is somewhat leathery and VERY soft.  The Oakley top is soft and stretchy.  They both feel and look great!  These items are honestly great to wear any time of the year!  I would probably NOT wear it when it is snowing outside, but I would consider wearing it if it is cold/chilly outside.  The jacket is pretty heavy duty and thick.  It should keep you warm on the chilly days or on a cool windy day.  I wore it all day at work and took it off when I hit the gym.  It was very comfortable to wear for a long period of time.  I even spilled some mustard on my jacket at lunch time and it wiped right off without staining.

Overall the items that I received are great items.  If these items are any indication of the overall quality of the other products they have on their site I would give this company two thumbs up!  I would HIGHLY recommend at least checking out their site and see what they have to offer!  I am a HUGE bargain shopper, and like I stated before they have a great selection of items in their clearance section.   So take a few minutes to go check out what they have!  You may find something you like!

STAY TUNED!  I will be having a giveaway of a FREE item that FreestyleXtreme.com has given me to give to YOU my followers! I will also give away a few other great HEALTH products with this item!

**NOTE: Please make sure to note my product review disclaimer that can be found HERE***

…Two Week Kick Start Plan…

underconst

Want to get back on track but you just don’t know how to start?

Starting is the HARDEST part!
First you have to pick a day.  Pick a day that you want to start living and eating healthier.

On this day start first thing in the morning when you wake up.

The best thing to do is to start fresh at the beginning of the week (like Sunday or Monday).

Here are some day-by-day things you can do to help you get on track:

Day One:

Today try to drink at least 1.5 liters or water.  Try to substitute your favorite afternoon sugar drink with a glass of water.  Or have your favorite drink BUT also have the extra glass of water.  The key is to start incorporating more water into your diet

Day Two:

Make a healthy snack choice.  Instead of having chips with your sandwich at lunch try some veggies or a piece of fruit.  You want to start making healthier food choices for your meals and snacks

Day Three:

Go for a brisk walk.  You want to walk at a pace that is faster than a casual walk and you want to keep up that faster pace for about 30 minutes.  You want to get your heart rate up but you also do not want to push yourself too hard starting out.

Day Four:

Regulate your meal choices.  You want to try to eat several small meals throughout the day.  You want your first meal to be within two hours of you first waking up.  Once you have breakfast try to have more small meals (around 400 calories each) every 2-3 hours.  This will help kick-start your metabolism and allow you to fuel your body as you are going through the day.

Day Five:

Create your own stretching routine.  This routine should be done before AND after you workout.  It does not have to be a long drawn out routine, just something that will stretch your major muscle groups and allow you to stretch your muscles.

Day Six:

Try to drink 2 liters of water!  If it helps try to get a large water bottle or container that you can monitor how much you are consuming to help you keep track.

Day Seven:

Go through your cabinet and collect all of your unhealthy foods.  If you still have some food that is unopened donate it to a local food pantry or other type of food service.  You will not be as tempted to eat bad foods if you do not buy them or have them at home.

Day Eight:

Go for another brisk walk.  This time make sure to stretch BEFORE and AFTER your walk.  Do not forget to keep up the fast brisk pace for at least 30 minutes.  You want to keep your heart rate up to help you start to burn those extra calories.

Day Nine:

Go one full day without eating anything “unhealthy”.  This means cutting out carbonated beverages, candy bars, greasy foods, chips, or anything else that you know is unhealthy.  If you even have a doubt if it is unhealthy or not, do not eat it! Stick to simple things like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, veggies, fruit, whole wheat pasta or bread, etc.  This will allow you to dedicate one full day to fueling your body with healthy low processed foods.

Day Ten:

Today try to do more physical activities.  These following exercises do them for a minute and record how many you can do.  A month from now do them all again and see how many more you were able to do in that minute.  That should help show you how much you are progressing!  Try these exercises: jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, lunges, air squats, and mountain climbers (if you do not know what these exercises are you can type them into Google or YouTube and see how to do them!)

Day Eleven:

Today try to combine several of the things listed above.  Try drinking the 2 liters or water and eating healthy for a full day.  Or try the brisk walk and drinking 2 liters of water.  Whatever you choose, try to do at least two of the items listed above.

Day Twelve:

Start a health and fitness journal!  Write down what you have been doing and how you feel.  You can write down how much you weigh now and also keep track of the exercises you have been doing.  There are some great online fitness journals (like myfitnesspal.com) or you can buy a regular journal to write in.  Writing down what you do will help you to keep track of what you are doing and will hopefully hold you accountable for the healthy choices that you should/want to make each day.

Day Thirteen:

Today you should drink 2 liters of water, walk briskly for thirty minutes (and do not forget to stretch!!), and lastly you should also have a regulated day of eating every few hours.

Day Fourteen:  

By this day you should have already started some healthy habits!  Today will be the toughest day!  Today you should make sure to drink 2 liters of water, eat healthy ALL day, have regulated eating (every 2-3 hours), go for a brisk walk (with your stretching), and keep track of all of this in your fitness journal.

This is just a sample of some things that you can do to get you stated on living healthier.  Most people ask me “where do I start” or “what are some good things to start doing”.  These are all some great things that allow you to make your own wise choices.  The key is to not completely jump into things head first.  You want to gradually start to make positive habits so the will become a good habit and you will stick with them.  Try this for fourteen days and then see how ready you are to start living healthier!

 

…MY fitness Journey: Being “Skinny Fat”…

When meeting new people and clients, people always ask me “What is your fitness Story?”

For me…there is no exciting story. 🙁 But I do indeed have some somewhat of fitness story.

before_After

Growing up I was always “thin” and athletic.  I have always been active in sports and I always had a pretty regular workout routine. I always had a “flat stomach” and thick thighs.  I played varsity sports in high school, I played club basketball in college, and now I am a Fitness Junkie who trains to compete in NPC/IFBB Bikini Competitions.  Before I started to dedicate myself to training and eating clean I considered myself to be “Skinny Fat”.  I heard another girl use this term as someone who is skinny but is not actually skinny.  They may have some extra belly fat or small love handles.  And that is exactly what I had.  A pudgy belly and love handles that I learned to mask with the right kind of clothing.

My REAL journey started almost 2 years ago!  Right around the time I started this blog and when I was getting ready to start modeling.

I use to have the WORST habit of consistently being in the gym for several months, and as soon as winter time came around I got lazy and just slacked off for a month or so.  I was always around 155-160 pounds.  2010 is the year that I started to get stressed from school/graduating, working several jobs, and everything else life decided to throw at me.  At this time I think I weighed around 165-167  pounds.  I am 5’10 so this is not “obese” by any means BUT my body fat percent was VERY high compared to what I was use too.  It was getting higher, more than it ever has been.  I had began to develop a small “pudgy” belly, my thighs rubbed together, and my jeans were fitting WAY too tight.  I just did not like what I saw when I looked at myself in the mirror.  I could see the belly I had grown sticking out in my shirt, I could see the small love handles I had also grown,  cellulite that was developing on my thighs was becoming more and more noticeable, and I was just noticing all of the other things that had developed on my body that I was NOT happy with.

That is when I decided to make a LONG LASTING change.  I wanted to be healthier…I wanted to be more fit…I wanted to work hard CONSISTENTLY to achieve the body I always wanted.

I have a degree in exercise science and a minor in health science.  So I had/have a good idea of the kind of workouts that I need to do to get into shape.  The problem was, when I wanted to start my hardcore fitness routine it was January 2012 and I had not worked out since October 2011! So yes,  I was OUT of shape!

In January 2012, the first thing I started with was Insanity.  I had several friends who had tried it and gotten good results so I decided to give it a try.   It was a GREAT workout plan for me to get started on.  I actually have Insanity to thank for the start of my clean eating!  I did Insanity TWICE (yes two whole cycles).  I was VERY consistent and stayed with the scheduled program and suggested diet.  After completing Insanity for the second time I was FINALLY in shape to start the kind of cardio I wanted and needed to do!  So it was at that point I started to create my own fitness plans and I started to work out again at the gym.  By this time is was July of 2012.

I wanted to train to stay in shape, but to be honest I am a competitor.  I wanted AND needed to train towards a goal.  I was already slimming down and starting to look more lean and muscular.  But I wanted to kick it up a notch   It was at that time I was lucky enough to meet a few gals who were into competing for NPC/IFBB bikini and figure contest.  After speaking with them and doing more research I found that it was a PERFECT match for me.  I can pick and choose when I compete and there are always competitions that I can train to compete in.  Competing would allow me the opportunity to work towards my own goal AND if I got good at it I could possibly travel and compete in other states!

I started officially training for my first Bikini competition mid July of 2012.  I had my first competition planned for October of 2012 Halloween weekend.  I did great and placed in the top  5 (I got 4th place) in both classes that I competed in.  It was an amazing experience and I knew that I wanted to compete again sometime in 2013.  I had my second bikini competition mid March of 2013.  I only entered into one class because it was a bigger competition (and slightly more expensive).  I did not place in the top 5 at that competition BUT that was OK!  I knew that I still needed to do some more work in the gym and that is why I am currently training to compete in another competition  in June 2013.

Here is a visual timeline of  how I looked:

Freshman year Spring Break: March 2005 (weight around 155 pounds)

me_beach_FreshmanYear

March 2008

march 2008

2010 – 2011 was the year of me getting the heaviest I have ever been. 

This was noticeable when my jeans (and summer shorts) were tight, my belly sticking out, and weighed the most I had ever weighed at 167 pounds (this was in late 2011)

March 2010

spring break 2010

August 2011

october 2011

January of 2012 is when I started committed to be fit.  (weighed around 160)

April 2012 Miami Vacation

578479_810875711772_95745929_n

My 1st NPC Bikini Competition October 2012 (weighed around 150)

f4ffc38a223911e2a30c22000a1f9683_7

189103_880818800262_618514671_n

So there you have it!  I was never “obese” but I was NOT happy with the way I looked.  I set a date and I set a goal and I stuck to it.  I created this blog to provide health and fitness knowledge and advice to people.  I was a recent college graduate and I wanted to be able to use the degree I had worked so hard to earn to help other people .  Needless to say, creating this blog helped me more than I ever imagined.  It allowed me the opportunity to practice what I was sharing with those who read my blog.  This blog (and the followers) helped to keep me accountable for my health and fitness actions.  The motivation, health tips, recipes, and other information I shared on this blog I used in my own health and fitness journey.

And the best past is that my training has only just begun!

I have been consistent with my training and healthy eating for over a year now.  I have become a personal training, being a fitness and health coach, and recently started my own health/fitness business.   I hope to continue to learn and grow.  I hope to help and coach those who seek to start their own health and fitness journeys.

I want to help motivate and educate people on ways to improve their lifestyle.  So many people want to live healthier but they just need the help from someone (possibly me) sometimes to help hold them accountable and to help motivate them on those days that they need it!  I would love to just be able to help educate them on the importance of staying away from unhealthy habits.  I want to guide and lead them as well as teach them proper health and fitness habits so one day they will be able to hopefully inspire and motivate someone else to start making positive lifestyles changes.

My overall goal is to inspire people so they will want to be better.  I want to inspire someone to stop making excuses as to why they can not workout or why they need that candy bar everyday at lunch.  I want to teach them how to listen to their body and how to appreciate all aspects of their body.  I want them to grow not just on the outside but on the inside as well.  Starting a health and fitness journey is more than just getting physically healthy.  You have to also learn to love the person you are and to love the body you are given.