Goodbye 2014...Hello 2015!

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It is so hard to believe that 2014 is coming to and end and we are about to ring in 2015!  This year really has seemed to fly by for me.  It has been a great year, spent with great friends and family.  It had it's up and downs like every year.  However I feel blessed to have had more ups than downs.  I have made some new friends, strengthened a few friendships and have had a few kind of fade.  My sweet nephew was born this year too!  I just love him so much, and I can't wait for him and Ariana to grow up together.

On the "business" side of things, I didn't blog quite as much as I would have liked.  I re-branded from On Fire Fitness Healthy Living to Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy, Balanced.  I feel like I wanted to be able to open up my blog to more of my life and branch out from just fitness.  I am really happy that I made the switch and thank all the lovely followers who stayed with me through the re-branding!  That is one of my goals for the new year is to focus on my blog again and create a schedule that I can stick to so I can share more with you all.  Myself and a few of my fellow Sweat Pink Ambassador have set up a weekly link up that will be launching on January 7th, a week from today!  I am so thrilled to co-host this fun link up, we hope you will join us!

In terms of my health and fitness life this year, I have had my ups and downs.  I gained some weight, then lost some weight, then gained it back and it has stuck with me.  Through it all the one constant is my workouts!  My love for fitness will never leave, it is a part of who I am.  In April, I tried paleo for 6 weeks and did great until I added some non-paleo foods back in.  Before I knew it I gained all I had lost.  Since then I have been struggling to find a true balance with my eating habits.  I have been an all or nothing girl, meaning that I am not eating anything "bad", working out and am all in or I am eating whatever I want and not really caring.  I realized just recently that I have a problem when I restrict any kind of food I do okay for a little bit, then I binge after going too long with restricting.  This is a problem because it creates a yo-yo effect with my body, and really my mind.  Since I have come to this realization I have been working to find the balance between the two.  I want to be happily in the middle.  Working out regularly, eating whole real food most of the time, allowing for treat meals and snacks, and no restricting.  It is going to take time to truly reach the balance between the two, but I know I will get there!  My goal is to lose about 25-30 pounds to reach my goal weight, then maintain within a few pounds of that weight.  I am not really too concerned with the number on the scale it is just a benchmark for me.  Using something that is like IIFYM, or flexible dieting I can eat whatever I want within my macros.  So I can eat the treats I want and still reach my goals.  I love the sound of that.  This will take away the need to restrict and then binge.  So like I said it is a work in progress.  I know 2015 will be the year I overcome this cycle and find freedom and balance!

I am so ready for a New Year and a New start!  I have written down my goals in my journal and will share them with you guys.  I would love to hear what some of your goals are.  Please share in the comments!

My 2015 Goals 

Health & Fitness Goals: 

• Work daily on overcoming my restrict/binge pattern
• Form new habits and create a new relationship with food
• Track my food/macros daily 
• Work with flexible dieting/IIFYM/balanced eating to find the balance that is right for me
• Change my mindset with losing weight...it's not a short term diet it is a long term lifestyle change
• Work to reach my "goal" weight this year and maintain, no more yo-yo's 
• Challenge myself with my fitness, add new workouts

Personal Goals: 

• Set a blogging schedule to help grow my blog
• Work on personal development
• Compete my CEU's for my NASM certification 
• Write more for my partnership with Womensforum.com
• Grow my social media following by connecting with more people
• Work on being a better mom and wife
• Have a wonderful and productive year!

I want to thank all of you who have stopped by my blog, shared or commented on a post, and have been a part of my journey.  I am humbled to know people come by my little piece of the internet to read my little blog.  I am excited for what 2015 has to offer!  Wishing you all a safe and happy new year!  Signing off for the last time in 2014!  

Week in Review 12/15-12/21

Happy Sunday!  I have decided to get back to my week in review posts.  It is such a great accountability tool for me.  I posted on my Facebook last week about the struggle I am facing right now with trying to work through my relationship with food.  For a large part of my life I have been on the restrict/binge pattern.  I also have a tendency to get really close to my goal then sabotage my progress.  I am working with Anna Lavonne Richardson to help me overcome these obstacles that are holding me back from getting to where I want to be with my health and fitness. It is a whole other post in itself, but I just wanted to share a bit of what I am going through right now.  I know I am not alone in the struggle.  Once I get farther along in my journey I will post an update.  I hope that one day I can post about how I was able to overcome this struggle and get to a good balanced place.  I have been there before and I know I can get there again and this time stay there for the rest of my life.  If this is something you are going through too, send me a message, we can do it together.  Having a support system is important, and knowing that you are not the only one and not alone helps so much too!  You are worth the time it takes to work on the person you want to become.  That is my goal for 2015, to over come this hard point in my life and move forward.  It comes down to the mental aspect of it all and having positive self talk.  It is all a work in progress.

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 Week In Review 12.15.14-12.21.14:
Monday- lifting: chest & arms, cardio: HIIT intervals on the treadmill 20 minutes
Tuesday- rest day
Wednesday- lifting: back & shoulders, cardio: tabata 20 minutes
Thursday- lifting: arms, cardio: HIIT treadmill intervals 30 minutes
Friday- lifting: legs, cardio: plyo intervals during my leg workout.
Saturday- rest day (I had planned on getting a workout in, however my little one cut her toe pretty deep and I had to take her to get it glued to stop the bleeding...stressful afternoon!  She is okay though, she didn't even cry once, she is a tough little girl.)
Sunday- rest day
Total calories burned according to my Polar Heart Rate Monitor- 2082

My plan for this week is to get all my workouts in!  Life can definitely get in the way sometimes and Christmas is this week.  We don't have anything going on until the evening so I plan on getting all my workouts in.  I love to workout....if I had someone making all my meals for me life would be so much easier.  I do enjoy cooking, it's the cleanup I don't love!
Here is my plan for the week:
Monday: lifting: chest & arms, cardio: 20 minutes HIIT treadmill intervals
Tuesday: lifting: legs, cardio: 20 minutes tabata
Wednesday (Christmas Eve): lifting: back & shoulders, cardio: 20 minutes HIIT treadmill intervals
Thursday (Christmas): cardio- Jillian Michaels Kickboxing- arms & abs 40 total minutes, 30 Minutes of Jillian Michaels Yoga inferno
Friday: lifting: legs (no cardio)
Saturday: rest or steady state cardio in the morning
Sunday: cardio and yoga

I am hoping that having a plan will help me to stay on track.  Usually is does help to know what I am doing each week.  Do you plan your workouts in advance?

The other thing that helps is thinking about what I am going to make each day to have in my fridge.  My eating is so much better when I am prepared with healthy choices and I am not eating out so much.
Here is a quick peek of what my weekly dinners looks like:
Tonight: turkey burgers with zucchini pasta and a little tomato sauce
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: pork chops and Brussels sprouts
Wednesday: Christmas Eve dinner with my in-laws
Thursday: Christmas dinner with my family
Friday: most likely Christmas dinner leftovers
Saturday: a dinner out at a restaurant
Sunday: back to Turkey burgers, this time I will do a salad with hummus on the side.
My breakfasts are always similar, eggs, either bacon or chicken sausage (Applegate Farms), and fruit.  Sometimes I make Kodiak Cakes protein pancakes, or a piece of Rudi's gluten free toast or hash browns. Lunch is always a post-workout protein shake.  Then I have an afternoon snack usually an apple and almond butter.  Having some structure helps during the week.  Sometimes I will have lunch out with my little one or friends during the week too.
What does your week look like?  Do you plan your meals in advance?

I also have some fun news! I am working with a few of my Sweat Pink Sisters, Amber of Bold Fit Mom and Upala from Pretty In Pink Fitness to create a weekly linkup!  I have been trying to get involved in more linkups.  It is a great way to meet new bloggers and find new blogs to read and be inspired from.  We are hoping to get launched after the first of the year.  Which will be great since this is when people start to pay more attention to their health and fitness!  Stay tuned for more details and the launch date! If you are a blogger we hope you join us!

Have a wonderful Holiday week with your families! Make some time for your fitness and remember that at most it is 2 meals that you have to indulge, its not a whole week!  You can stay on track to reaching your goals with a little planning.

Today I am linking up with Mommy Runs Fast and Jill Conyers for the Weekly Meal Planning Link up.  Check it out and find some other super cool blogs to follow!!

Holiday Gift Guide for the Fit Girl in Your Life

It's so hard to believe that Christmas is only 10 days away!  I still have a list to make and shopping to do!  As I was thinking about the things that I would like to have for Christmas today I decided to come up with a list of things that the fit girl in your life might like, weather she is your wife, girlfriend, best friend, or family member.  I hope to make your Christmas or Holiday shopping a little easier this year.  Let's get started with this super fun and fit Holiday gift guide!

1) Gym Boss Interval Timer

I love my Gym Boss!  I use it when I want to get a timed circuit or tabata workout in.  It is also perfect if you travel and need to get a quick workout in.  There are a ton of fun colors to choose from!



2) Jump Rope
This is a simple gift that you can use as a stocking stuffer.  What fit girl doesn't like to jump rope?  You can pair it with the Gym Boss for a quick cardio workout!




3) Heart Rate Monitor
There are tons of different heart rate monitors on the market these days.  My favorite brand is Polar.  They have tons of models, so be sure to research what each one offers and choose the one that will do what your fit girl will need. If you know your fit girl is a runner Garmin offers a great line of watches to choose from. 



4) Workout DVD's
These are total time savers when you need to get a quick workout in at home.  I use them all the time to change up my workout and keep things fun in my workouts.  My favorite line of DVD's is Jillian Michael's.  I have tried a ton of hers and they are all great workouts!  Here are a few of my faves: Kickboxing, Yoga Inferno, 30 Day Shred, Yoga Meltdown, and Killer abs.




5) Ankle Weights
These are another great fitness add on gift.  I started using them in my leg/glute workouts and they really do make a difference.  You can get her a 2.5 lb pair and a 5 lb pair to switch it up.  They aren't just fashionable they are functional too!



6) New Gym Shoes 
What girl doesn't like to open up a brand new pair of shoes for the Holidays?  I know I get excited for a new pair every year.  My fave brand is Nike.  I choose the Free Run's every year because they are light weight but provide enough support for my lifting, HIIT and even my DVD workouts.  They are so versatile!  If you aren't sure what brand the fit girl in your life needs try to check out the ones she currently uses and get her the updated version (although make sure to include a gift receipt in case they don't fit right!)


  
7) Workout Gear
The one thing that always gets me excited for a workout is a cute new tank or pants!  I am always excited to try them out.  My favorite tanks right now are my ones with cute sayings from Pretty Fit Athletics.  They are comfy and soft and I love the motivational sayings to get me pumped up for my workout.  I am an ambassador for these tanks...use the code Angelena10 for 10% off your order!  Pair the tank up with a pair of Under Armor Capris and the fit girl getting this new outfit will be thrilled!  


8) Training Sessions with a Personal Trainer 
If your fit girl is looking to take her training to the next level she might like a few sessions with a personal trainer at her gym.  As a personal trainer I loved working with the clients who received training sessions as a gift, they were always so excited to workout.  If you don't want to choose a specific trainer you can purchase a gift certificate for her gym so she can use it on whatever she would like there.


9) Boxing or Yoga Classes 
You can search online for a studio near her home, check reviews from others who have visited so you can pick one she will be sure to use!  Most of the time these studios offer gift packages, so you can choose as many classes as you think she will use.  It is a fun way for your fit girl to change up her workouts!


10) A Subscription for a Fitness Box 
Set up a subscription for a fitness box that will come to her house every month or every other month!  It is the gift that keeps on giving!  I have received boxes from Bulu Box and I love the assortment of products they have to try.  You can get 50% off your subscription with code: BULUGAN016.  She will be thrilled to get her product box each month!  The other product box I received is from Fab Fit Fun, it was a gift from my husband.  I loved the new things that came each month to try.  If you want to check it out click here to sign your fit girl up!

As a fit girl I know that these are some great gifts your fit girl would love to receive for the holidays!
Are there any other things that you would add to the list?
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!