Feature Friday: Robin Einhorn

 Hello and Happy Friday!  I hope that you have been having a great week so far.  I have been staying on track with all my workouts and have been feeling quite sore, and loving it!  Do you love feeling sore from your workouts?  I have been keeping consistent with my weight training schedule and I'm seeing results, whoop!  I will post a recap on Sunday about my week.  On with today's Feature Friday...I am really excited to share Robin's story with you.  She has totally transformed her life with exercise and clean eating and has a truly inspiring message to share!  She blogs about her journey at Hammi: Bacon-Fueled Fitness, so be sure to head over and check it out.  

Robin's Story

I have loved food for as long as I can remember.  Family meals, eating at restaurants with friends, holiday specials are all treasured memories in my mind.  Unfortunately, my love of food put me in a position that I never imagined.  At 26 years old and 270 pounds (5"3") I stood in a hospital by my dad's bed and said goodbye.  He had just turned 51 and he was just as unhealthy as me.  Leading up to that day I wasn't totally unaware that what I was giving my body for fuel wasn't working.  I knew that something was up and had to change, I just didn't have the follow through and knowledge needed to really do anything about it.  I became a yo-yo'er and I used diet as a verb.  Pills, hours of cardio, fads- I would try just about anything and have some small wins, but I would always so back to the way things were, and I would always get sicker than the time before.

In 2012 I discovered Paleo and the idea of clean eating.  To say this rocked my world would be an understatement.  I started to use the word "diet" the way it was intended- as a noun.  My diet started to consist of whole real foods that nourished me.  They were foods with ingredients that I could actually pronounce!  Each month I made great strides in health- I was starting to look awesome and feel awesome.  I had gone from being someone who couldn't walk around the block to a runner.  In 2013 I ran a marathon.  My great food choices propelled me to places I never would've imagined I could go.

My food choices now keep me healthy, alert, and focused.  I can sleep at night and in the morning I wake up refreshed (provided my dogs let me sleep, haha!)  It is not always easy and I'm not going to pretend that it is.  Through all of this I discovered I have an intolerance (not an allergy) to gluten and that dairy and sugar really mess me up.  I use my body as its own experiment- I try things constantly to see what it needs and what keeps it performing its best.  

I'm training now for a Spartan Military Sprint, a slew of 14ers, and a GORUCK- I am a machine.  A properly fueled machine!  The biggest thing I have learned in my journey so far is not to be so hard on myself and to remember that I need to own my choices.  No one else is living in your body.  YOU get to decide.  

I love sharing my story now with others- not because I like to talk about myself (it's actually kind of embarrassing that I got as unhealthy as I was), but because I want to give back to a community that gave me so much.  I want to give hope to other women who are struggling and don't think its possible to find joy and happiness.  It's been almost 2 years since I've started my clean eating and the proof of my progress stares back at me every morning.  I haven't fully arrived to where I am headed- I have some goals that I still want to accomplish, but I have never been as hopeful as I am now.  My dad would be proud.

About Robin:  Robin is a 31 year old newlywed from Denver, CO.  She enjoys hiking, spending time outdoors, and walking with her husband and dogs.

Connect with Robin:

Blog

Twitter

Thanks so much to Robin for sharing her story and for being so inspirational!  You truly live the message of how taking care of your body with exercise and clean eating can change your life.  I really enjoyed reading and sharing your story as I know you will inspire someone to get up and get moving!

Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls Recipe

If you love chocolate as much as I do, you are going to love these Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls!  This recipe was shared with me by my client Amy, and she even gave me the low-down on the "secret ingredient".  She added Spectrum Chocolate Decadent Chia & Flax Seed Coconut Chocolate mix which adds healthy fats and makes these balls the ultimate chocolate lovers dream!  My 2 year old loves chocolate too, wonder where she gets that from, and she loves these and since they are filled with only whole real ingredients I feel good giving them to her!  I have fallen in love with this mix and have added it to my post workout protein shakes and even my oatmeal!

The Secret Ingredient 

 A huge thanks to Amy for sharing this with me, it's amazing!  The original recipe was adapted from the one she found here.

Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls
1 cup old fashioned oats (dry)
2/3 cup decadent blend mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet 60%)
1/3 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together and place in fridge for 1/2 hour to set.  Then roll into 1 inch balls (I got 12 total).
Store in air-tight container in the fridge.  Enjoy!
 *Nutritional information (used my fitness pal to calculate): Calories: 192, Fat 11.4, Carbs: 21.3, Fiber 3.5, Sugar 12, Protein 4.6

 

Another great find this week was this Vega Sport Chocolate Vegan Protein powder.  I have my friend Joe to thank for this find!  I have been trying to find a great tasting, non-chalky, vegan protein powder...and I finally have!  This protein is so great tasting that I had no problem chugging it right after my killer leg workout yesterday.  It was developed by a vegan athlete and has all the essential amino acids needed for muscle recovery.  I had been adding some whey protein in, but it started to hurt my stomach again, so back to vegan it is!  I highly recommended this one if you love chocolate protein, which I do, and add in 2 tbsp of the Chocolate Decadent Blend to this with half a banana and it is the perfect post-workout shake.  It has 25g of protein which is great to start repairing your muscles after your weight training session.  Did you know that you need to get protein and carbs within 45 minutes of your workout to start the repair process of the muscles you worked?  You do!  Protein powder is a great way to optimize this because it is quick and will digest quickly and start getting to your muscles.  It is also easy to take with you in your gym bag.  Do you have a favorite post workout shake? 

If you love yoga and want a cute bag to tote your mat around in...make sure to enter to win this cute Yoga Mat Bag that Goodmarvin has generously offered for this giveaway!  I own one and I love it!  I take it to class with me and its cute and functional!

Also, today I am being featured on Sorey Fitness, remember Kalee Sorey from Feature Fridays?  She is on a cruise, lucky girl, and had me guest post.  Head over and check out my post about The Benefits of Strength Training.  Thanks Kalee for having me!

And last, but not least I am linking up with the Any Thing Goes Linky Party, head over and check out some great blogs!

 

Circuit Training: Beat Your Workout Boredom

Happy Monday!  How was your weekend?  Were you able to stay on track with your workouts and eating clean?  I was able to get my workout in on Saturday and took a rest day on Sunday.  One of my best friends got married on Saturday night, and we had a blast at the wedding and we ended up being out really late.  So, Sunday was my rest day.  I love Mondays, because it is the perfect day to refocus on your goals.  I am ready to hit this week hard and I have all my workouts planned and have my fridge stocked with healthy foods.  I will do a weekly round-up of my week on Sunday, and would love you to share too!  If you have good food on hand, it makes it that much easier to stay on track and eat clean whole foods.  As, you know from my previous posts, that nutrition is the most important part of fat loss and muscle building, but you also have to challenge your self with your workouts.  

I love lifting weights and the way I look and feel after being consistent in my workouts.  I have been doing circuit training for as long as I can remember!  So what is circuit training you ask?  Circuit training is taking 3-5 exercises and doing them consecutively with no rest between them, they can be weighted exercises like bicep curls, body weight exercises like push-ups and also plyometric moves like jumping rope.  This keeps you moving for more of your workout which burns more calories.  I feel like it makes my workouts fly by and I am sweaty and out of breath for much of my workout!  Now, I will say that it is important to change up your workouts and still do some straight set heavy weight days, and even add in drop-sets and pyramid sets as well.  This will keep you challenged and help get the results you are looking for.  Just make sure to stay consistent for about 4 weeks with your workouts and then change up some variables (days of muscle group worked, amount of weight used for exercises, order of exercises and the actual exercises).  This will help keep you from getting bored in your workouts, and also keep your body guessing.  Ready for a circuit workout you can add to your routine?  Okay here it is:

If you try this workout, let me know what you think.  Have you done circuit workouts before?  Feel free to share your favorite ones with me!

Well I am off to get my chest/arms and treadmill sprints workout in?  What is your workout today?

Feature Fridays: Rebecca Pytell

Happy Friday!  I hope that you are having a wonderful week, and making the time for health and fitness in your day.  Today's Feature Friday is from Rebecca Pytell, who is the blogger behind Strength and Sunshine, and like myself she found her love of strength training at a young age.  She shares with us how fitness and yoga helped to get her out of a dark time in her life.  Read on to hear more about Rebecca, then make sure to head over and check out her awesome blog.

Rebecca's story
I had been a competitive dancer for 13 years of my life.  The only thing I knew was dance, eat, sleep.  But once I got to high school I finally made the most difficult decision that was facing me and decided to finally stop and end my career.  After years of emotional abuse and treatment plus the extreme financial strain on my family, I knew I could not go on any longer with dance.  I needed to focus on my studies and ease the strain I had put on my parents for all those years.  But ending what was my life as I knew it did not make me feel happy or free.  I fell into a deep depression the summer before high school and rarely left the house, cried all the time and needed control.  I was also plagued by with the question of what I would do to get my fitness in.  I had never done any other sport or exercise besides dance, twirling and Pilates.

I needed something to escape in and allow me to enjoy moving my body like I always had.  I decided to join a gym and start strength training.  I had always wanted to and now this was my chance.  To my surprise, I quickly fell in love.  Lifting weights made me feel so powerful and I started to gain my confidence back and see the light out of the tunnel.  Losing myself with the barbells and dumbbells was perfect for me and I couldn't get enough.  As my love for fitness grew I also became an avid healthy living blog reader.  I loved connecting and reading with all the wonderful, strong, and inspiring bloggers out there.  So eventually, last summer, I decided to finally take the leap and start my own healthy living blog.  I now get to share my passion for fitness, food and healthy living with the community I fell in love with.

But during that time I also discovered the beauty of yoga.  Yoga is the number one thing that has changed my life the most.  After two years of self-practice, I have discovered such a love and confidence in myself.  I use yoga as a way to combat my anxiety and depression that still creeps into my life.  But I also use it as my new favorite form of fitness.  A strong powerful Vinyasa flow gets the heart pumping and the muscles working.  I have never felt bad after a yoga practice.  I only ever felt energized, alive, and at peace once I step off the mat.  Fitness is so important for everyone.  It really is a magical activity.  No matter what you do, make sure you love it and move your body everyday.  You will increase your confidence and self-love ten fold!

 

About Rebecca

Rebecca is a healthy living/fitness/food blogger at Strength and Sunshine.  She is currently a high school senior who will be going off to college in the fall.  She is looking into getting her 200 hour yoga teacher certification this summer as well so she can share her love of yoga with everyone.  Rebecca is also the social media manager as well as being an ambassador for Plant Fusion.  Through her blog she is also a new FitFluential Ambassdor, IDEA inspired blogger, Sweat Pink, Girls Gone Sporty, and MyYogaPro Ambassador.  She also writes for Pop Sugar Fitness and is a member of Recipe Redux.  Rebecca has Celiac disease and shares her recipes with her readers to show them that having a special diet does not mean restriction or lack of taste! 

Connect with Rebecca

Blog

Facebook

Twitter 

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin

Thanks to Rebecca for sharing her story of how fitness and yoga truly changed her life.  I look forward to reading more from her in the future!  She is a bright young girl with a great future ahead of her!  Wishing you all the best in college Rebecca!

Why I am Choosing Integrative Health Care

When I worked at Life Time Fitness I went through their nutrition coaching program to become the coach for our club.  I am so grateful that I did, because I learned so much and really found my passion for nutrition.  Actually, I am going to be getting another nutrition certification in the fall so I will be able to offer more in terms of nutrition programs to my clients and potential new clients.  But, back to my point about nutrition.  If you remember last month I posted about being at a plateau that I couldn't figure out.  Well, I am still dealing with it and I also have been gaining belly fat for no reason.  My eating has been clean and my workouts consistent.  In my nutrition coach training I learned that weight loss is more than just calories in and calories out. Our bodies are very complex and we have hormones and other functions that can be disrupted by the foods that we eat and the toxins that we are exposed to.  I also learned about blood testing and how through blood work a medical professional is able to get a better picture of a persons whole health.  So, I decided to seek out holistic care.  I was given a referral to an integrative health care practice (turned out they are covered by my insurance) and I had my appointment yesterday.

It was an awesome experience and I am so glad that I went.  I was informed about the type of care they offer and as the PA was talking I was nodding my head knowing that I had found the right place.  She said that they offer traditional medicine when needed, but mostly practice holistic medicine and seek to find the cause of the symptoms and treat them naturally with supplement and nutrition...ding, ding, ding!  She listened to me and explained what the next steps would be.  She even told me a few things she thought it could be, but wanted to have my blood work before making any decisions.  So there at the clinic I had my blood drawn and made my appointment for 2 weeks to go over the results and make a plan of action.  I am so excited to go back for my results.  Until then, I am still going to keep eating clean and working out.  I will let you know when I find out the results.

I am sharing this with you in hopes that you will seek this kind of care when you know that there is something off with you.  Don't just go to a doctor that will throw a scrip at you and send you on your way.  Unfortunately this is the way "health care" is done here most of the time.  It is more like "sick care".  No one ever really addresses the real issues that are causing the problems and instead of looking at diet or possible food allergies/aversions or looking at your full panel blood work, they treat the symptoms.

I am reading a book right now that talks about how food affects your brain chemistry, your gut function and even how you feel on a daily basis.  If you are eating foods that make you feel less than your best daily, you may not even know how "your best self" feels.  Take a look at what you are eating and decide if it can be the cause of some of your health issues.  I will write more on this topic later when I am done with the book and have done the 10 day elimination/whole body reset diet.

I truly urge you to rethink traditional medicine and how the food you eats affects your whole body.  If you feel that you are having health issues search the Internet for integrative health care practices and call until you find one that your insurance covers.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, I would be happy to help in any way.

Have a healthy and fit day, 

Angelena

  

Feature Fridays: Kalee Sorey

Happy Friday!  The sun is shining here and it is finally warming up a tad...dare I say Spring is on the way?!?  Today's feature Fridays is some Kalee Sorey, who found her strength and self confidence through healthy living.  She loves sharing her passion for health and fitness through her blog and her Facebook community.  Make sure to stop by and check out her blog and Facebook page, you are sure to be inspired! Healthy living can truly change your life and Kalee is a true example of this!

Her Story: 

Standing outside of the classroom, waiting in line, another girl's mother told me I was heavy. I don't remember why or what context she said it; I just remember it hurt. At 10 years old, I knew nothing about food, exercise, or weight really, and I had no idea why I didn't look like the other little girls.   

My mom was always so supportive and kind. She consistently set a healthy example in our house. We ate pretty healthy, especially for growing up in the South, and she always made sure we were playing and staying active. She also did workout tapes and was just a really great role model. She always made sure that I knew I was valued, pretty, and special even on the tough days when I didn't feel any of that at school. 

By high school, I had naturally slimmed down, but I wanted to learn more about my food. My mom and I started sharing a passion for our health and nutrition. We started eating clean 90% of the time, and we never counted calories. The other 10% of our diet was reserved for anything special (aka junky) we wanted. It could be a birthday party, date night, or even a Snickers bar on grocery day. Having that freedom and knowing I was fueling my body correctly most of the time gave me a whole new sense of confidence. I finally felt strong and cared more about nutrition than the outcomes of a "diet" which a lot of my friends were doing.

After adjusting to college for a semester, I was able to get back on track and eating just a balanced diet again. I also added in exercise. That's when I found ChaLEAN Extreme. A friend had recommended it to me, and I bought it and the brand new heavy weights. I fell in love with the power and strength that lifting gave me. Plus the workouts were short, challenging, but doable which empowered me.

Four months later, I added in HIIT workouts from TurboFire, and I got to my happy weight. There is nothing like getting into a healthy routine, feeling confident in your skin, and inspiring others, and that is why I continue to live a healthy lifestyle above any other reasons.

Tips for Living a Healthy Lifestyle

• It's really important for me to remember I'm living a healthy life; therefore, if I totally blow it one day - it's okay. For me, it's not about one really great day, week , or month of eating perfectly clean or exercising like a madwoman. As long as I am consistent with my healthy habits most of the time and staying true to my goals, I know that is enough. Living healthy should be something that empowers you - not brings you down or makes you critique yourself.
• Meal Planning helps me stay focused and organized through the week. I love knowing what to pick up at the grocery, what I will be eating at each meal, and how much prep-time is required every day. Plus, having a meal plan keeps me from getting hungry in between meals or skipping a meal.
• Allowing for a little wiggle room every week helps me stay focused the rest of the week. On a date night or special occasion, I don't track my calories or worry about what I am eating. Having the freedom to just enjoy the meal and company is something I stay focused on and excited about all week.
• Last, but not least - I surround myself with positive, goal-oriented people. If you are around enablers or negative people, it is going to bring you down and make reaching your goals that much harder. By surrounding myself with positive people, I am more confident and happy. If you don't have a local group of healthy friends, follow blogs, reach out to people on social media, or join a  healthy accountability group online. Seeing people's progress and inspirational posts in the morning gets my day started right.

About Kalee
After graduating college with a Marketing & Finance degree and teaching high school for a year, I decided to follow my passion of health and fitness. I'm now 25, a full-time Beachbody coach and full-time blogger. I'm engaged and am so excited to get married this June. I follow a mindset of "building a healthy body and balanced life" that way I know I'm living healthy, but I also allow for a little indulgence here and there. I love strength and HIIT workouts, easy healthy recipes, Quest bars and an occasional cupcake.  My blog is www.soreyfitness.com, and I'd love to get to know you better on Facebook too!

Connect with Kalee:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram

Thanks so much to Kalee for sharing her story of creating the life she wanted and sharing her love of health and fitness!  You are an inspiration to many!

Have a healthy and fit day, 

Angelena 

P.S. Stay tuned for a giveaway starting soon!

Is Your Nutrition Keeping You From Getting the Results You Want?

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month?  I only recently discovered this, and since I have been talking with my clients a lot about nutrition I decided to write about one of my favorite topics...Nutrition.  I know I have said this a million times before, you can workout all you want, but until your nutrition is correct you will not see the results you are working so hard for in the gym.  This is something that I had to learn the hard way, and honestly sometimes I still struggle with (I am human).  Last summer I got certified through NASM as a Fitness Nutrition Specialist which helped me to learn more about how what we eat affects our bodies and our performance.  Have you ever had an amazing workout, only to blow it with a night out eating and drinking?  This may be fine when you are young and your metabolism is running high, but over time your habits will catch up with you and your metabolism will slow down.  I am at that point where I am trying to find balance everyday between eating the right nutrition to fuel my body and my workouts.  I notice when I eat something that is not a clean food, I don't feel as well the next day.  Take yesterday for example, I had an awesome workout, I did chest and arms followed by Jillian Michaels Kickboxing.  Then...dun, dun, dun...I ate pizza!  After I felt so sluggish and tired it reminded me why I choose not to eat that stuff.  To top it all off I had a stomach ache this morning, because I have a gluten intolerance, and was grumpy when I woke up.  So, this only re-enforces why I choose to eat clean foods on a daily basis.  It is okay to have a cheat treat or meal once a week to keep you sane, but choose something that will not derail your whole day or week.  

Here are 5 ways that your nutrition may be keeping you from getting the results you want!

1. You are eating too much!  You may be eating the right things, but even too much of a good thing can add up.  Make sure you are weighing and measuring your portions.  Over time you will be able to eyeball what a serving of quinoa looks like or how much 4 ounces of chicken is, but when you are starting out grab that scale and measuring cup.
2. You are eating too many processed foods/carbohydrates.  Processed food is not recognized by your body and do not contain the nutrients that whole foods do.  You may think that eating whole grain crackers daily is healthy, however they are still highly processed.  You would be better off eating a serving of quinoa or whole grain brown rice (not instant).  Your body knows what to do with those whole foods.  The whole grains that are in most "whole grain" foods are very processed.  Look for whole grain products with one or two ingredients.
3. You are not eating enough!  Okay, you may think I am crazy...didn't I just say you may be eating too much?1?  Yes, but on the flip side if you don't give your body enough of the right kinds of whole clean food, your metabolism is going to slow down to preserve energy.  Once or twice of being under your calorie goal won't harm you, but doing so on a daily basis will!  Your body's main goal is to keep you alive, so if it thinks it is starving it will hold on to fat and any time you do eat it stores more fat to prepare for more "starving".  Focus on eating whole real nutrient dense food and you will be on your way to fueling properly with enough of the right clean calories.  Also, be sure to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks daily to ensure you are keeping your metabolism running all day.
4. You are not drinking enough water.  Do you know how much water you should be drinking daily?  Half your body weight in ounces, at least!  So a 150 pound person needs at least 75 ounces daily.  If you are exercising you need to add at least 8 more ounces per hour of exercise.  Keep your water plain and cold!  If you need a little flavor try adding fresh squeezed lemon juice to it.  Water helps to move toxins from your body.  Stay well hydrated!
5. You eat out too often.  Unless you know exactly how the food is prepared, eating out can have lots of hidden extra calories that can add up if you are eating out daily.  It is best to cook your own food and have a fridge full of healthy meals that you prepped for yourself.  However, when you do eat out, because hey, we all do, there are a few things you can do to save on extra calories.  Order your dressing on the side of your salad or better yet ask for oil and vinegar.  Ask for your chicken/fish/steak to be grilled plain, and your veggies to be steamed with no added butter.  

I hope that this has been helpful for you.  It is a work in progress to live a healthy life and each day we make choices that will get us closer to or further from our goals.  Don't beat yourself up over a bad day, do better the next day.  Choose one small goal per week and before you know it, you will be consistent with your healthy habits!

I am excited to announce that I am now a Pretty Fit Athletics Ambassador!  I will be sharing some of their awesome motivational workout gear in upcoming posts.  Head over to the website and check out the cute stuff, because if we have to workout at least we can look cute doing it!

Have a healthy and fit day, 

Angelena 

 *Today I am linking up with Fit, Foodie Runs Linky Party, head over and find some new great blogs to follow!  Tell them On Fire Fitness Healthy Living sent you!*

Feature Fridays: Michelle Tucker

Happy Friday!  Today's Feature Fridays comes from Michelle Tucker from Baby Blues to Running shoes, which a great name and suits her journey perfectly.  She was able to overcome her postpartum depression and regain her health with running.  Now she is a healthy mama and marathoner!  Read on for more about her journey!

Michelle's story
I wasn't always overweight.  I had a pretty average childhood and was pretty active with softball so when I started gaining weight my senior year of high school I had no clue what to do.  The weight gain continued through college and my 20s.  By the time I got married and pregnant several months later I was 219 pounds and 29 years old.  I took "eating for two" literally.  My son was born in December of 2008 and that is really where my story begins.  I struggled with postpartum depression from about the time Colton was 2 months old.  I didn't care about anything unless it involved my son.  The last thing I cared about was myself or my health.  I probably weighed around 250 pounds.  My husband was desperate to help.  He had been a runner and suggest I try running.

The first time we went out together to run I couldn't make it from one mailbox to the next.  But, the next day I tried again and made it to the next mailbox.  I'll never forget the first time I ran a mile in our neighborhood.  I felt unstoppable!  I signed up for a 5k and loved every second of it. but most importantly every day I was feeling more and more like myself.  I felt like I was literally running away from my depression.

Along the way I noticed that I was starting to lose weight .  As I noticed the changes I began to make other small changes in my daily habits.  I would drink more water, or cut out fast food and slowly the weight came off.  I have now lost 70 pounds and have about 10 left to my goal weight.  I've ran many half marathons and ran my first marathon this past November.  That was by far my proudest moment in this whole journey!

Running keeps me motivated to maintain my weight loss.  I know if i fill my body with junk I will feel absolutely horrible when I go out to run!  If I eat healthy and stay on track then I feel amazing when I run.  Exercise has been a huge part of staying motivated for me.  Running helped me with my postpartum depression and it still helps me live a healthy lifestyle.

Michelle's Tips:
My biggest tip would be to start out small.  If you are looking to start a weight loss journey decide that this week you will drink more water or eat a healthy breakfast.  It becomes so overwhelming when we try to do everything all at once.  Weight loss is a lot like running.  You can't start running and run a marathon the next day.  They both take training.  If you break a healthy lifestyle into small manageable steps then it is much easier to succeed.

About Michelle:
I am a 35 year old stay at home mom.  I've been married to my amazing husband for 6 years and we have a 5 year old son.  I spend most of my free time training for my next race and I love being outdoors with my family!

Connect with Michelle:
Blog 
Facebook 
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

I want to thank Michelle for sharing her personal story with us today.  It is so inspiring to see a mom over come postpartum depression with exercise.  Please make sure to stop by her pages and like and follow!  Also, hop on over to her blog and stay motivated while she shares her training journey!  She is a awesome example of how eating healthy and exercise can change your life.

Have a healthy and fit day friends, 

Angelena

Consistency + Balance = A Healthy Lifestyle (From the Archives)

Hello!  I hope that you are having a wonderful week!  I am getting excited because my brother and sister in law are having their baby soon and my mom, younger brother, Ariana and I are road tripping to be there for the birth!  I am packing a cooler with healthy food to have on hand and will bring my P90X3 workouts and my DVD player to stay on track. 

Today's post is from the archives, but is one that I feel strongly about, creating a healthy lifestyle.  Enjoy!

Since I my mission is to inspire you to live a healthy lifestyle, I want to share some tips on what it means and how you can start making changes to move toward a healthy lifestyle.  Over the next few weeks I will post some of the things I do in my life and also share with my clients.  I would love to hear any things that you do to live a healthy lifestyle.

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off there is no quick fix, one size fits all, magic pill that will get you to your goals. There are however things that you can do that will help you to be successful in not only losing the weight but being able to keep it off for good. You have to set goals that are realistic and achievable, and set short term and long term goals. This will help to ensure that you are working toward a goal with a purpose. This is important because it helps to keep you motivated when you need it. Weight loss and living a healthy life is a journey, you have to embark on it mentally ready to stick with it even when things are not always going your way. This is where consistency comes into play.

Consistency is important when you are making healthy lifestyle changes. When I say consistency, I mean having a plan and sticking to it. You will be making a commitment to working out and eating healthy, not just until you reach your goal, but for the rest of your life. In this consistency you also need to plan in some cheat meals, one a week should help you stay on track and give you a meal to look forward to. When you start to have consistency in your day, eventually it just becomes habit. Working out is now a part of your day, it is no longer will I work out today, but when am I going to make the time to exercise today? When you start to have the mentality that this is how I live my life, it no longer feels like you are “on a diet”, it is just how you live. You become a strong person who is goal driven and makes time to take care of yourself. You deserve every second that you spend making yourself a better person, mentally and physically.

Balance comes in to play when you are making lifestyle changes, because it is important to keep everything in balance if you want to keep on track to reaching your goals. When you start out on your journey, it is quite easy to be excited and go all in, but if you are not taking rest days and are not eating the right foods to keep your body fueled you will burn out. Make sure that you plan out your week and take your rest days, you need it to feel refreshed and for your body to rest and for your muscles to repair. I also want you to have balance with your meals, in a few aspects. The first is not depriving yourself of all your favorite foods, you can either work in these in one cheat meal a week, or by making a healthy version of your favorite foods. If you can eat a little of something that you love, ie. chocolate, and stop after one or two pieces then it is okay to have a little a few times a week. However, if one or two pieces are going to make you go into a landslide, then take it out completely. You have to know yourself when it comes to these types of food choices. On your journey you will start to learn about your eating habits and why you are doing some of the things that you are doing. Make sure to keep notes in your food journal, these will come in handy. The second is to eat balanced meals throughout the day. Make sure you are eating enough protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, fruits and veggies. This will help to keep you full and satisfied.

Consistency + balance= Healthy lifestyle

This post originally posted on October 25, 2013.

Have a wonderful and fit day friends! 

Angelena

What's Been Cooking in My Kitchen!

Happy Monday!  I am feeling under the weather today, so I am taking the time to write some meal plans for clients, updating my blog and getting some rest.  I am super bummed that I can't get my workout in, but I know my body needs the rest so I can get back to kicking P90X3's butt!  I have been in an awesome groove with my nutrition and I am feeling amazing.  My metabolism is revving back up because I am getting hungry every 2-3 hours and fueling my body with whole foods.  After vacation, and eating gluten, I have cut it back out and really focused on getting my 3 liters of water in every day. I even bought a glass pitcher that is 1.75 liters and keep it in my fridge, I drink 2 a day and hit my goal with ease, one of the benefits of being at home all day!  I have been doing all my own cooking and I love coming up with new things to try.  I will share what has been going on in my kitchen with some pics and recipes.  Share your favorite recipes with us too!  I love to find new things to try.

Proper nutrition is vital to reaching your goals.  You can workout as much as you want, but until your nutrition matches you are not going to get the results you want.  I have learned this the hard way.  I have dedicated March to no cheats.  Now, this is short term, I am pushing myself to do something I haven't done before.  If you know me, or read any previous posts, you know how much I talk about balance and eating "treats" in moderation.  I love my pizza, red wine and chocolate, but right now for my first month of P90X3 I am going cold turkey on these vices.  I will add them back in eventually, in moderation, but I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone and challenging myself to eat real whole food.  Mind over matter...I know I can do it!

I created this meal out of my love for hummus!  I bought some ground turkey, and thought the two would be great together.  I cut up carrots, celery and cucumbers to dip in the hummus and then cooked up some feta turkey burgers, and asparagus drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.  I made enough for 4 meals, but next time I think I'll do more so I can have more meals, they were delicious.  Here is the recipe:

Clean Eating Turkey Burgers:
1 package Organic Ground Turkey
1 egg
2 ounces feta cheese
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well with hands, form into patties.  Cook in a little olive oil on medium heat until cooked through.

Last night I made this because I had a craving for Cashew Chicken, but I didn't want to eat at a Chinese restaurant so I whipped this baby up.  It was so good.  If you like cashew chicken give this one a try.  I used Bragg's Aminos instead of soy sauce, since I am not eating gluten and soy sauce has wheat).  It was great!  You can always make quinoa to eat as well, I was eating a little late in the evening so I skipped the carbs.  The cashews gave it a great crunch and the different veggies were yummy as well, feel free to add your own veggies in your creation!  This made 4 meals as well.

Clean Eating Cashew Chicken
1.5 lbs of Organic chicken breast cut into chunks
2 heads of broccoli
5 celery stalks
3 large carrots
1 tbsp garlic powder
 2 tsp powdered ginger
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cashews (unsalted)
2-3 Tbsp Bragg's Aminos (You can add this to your taste preference)
Organic Canola oil for cooking

Cook chicken in a wok (or large pan) with organic canola oil, add seasonings to chicken while it is cooking.  Stir and cook all the way though, put on a plate.
Add veggies and a little organic canola oil in the wok, add a little seasoning to these as well.  Cook to preferred doneness ( I like mine a little crunchy).  Put chicken in with veggies and toss together with Bragg's Aminos, taste and add more if you like) and cashews.  Serve and enjoy!  Save extras for lunch the next day!

I hope that you like the recipes, and give them a try.  Each of these meals took less than an hour to prepare and cook, so clean eating can truly be easy.  I was also able to get 4 meals out of each recipe, which means a healthy lunch the next day too!  I will share a few more I made later this week.  If you have any great ones share with us or send me an e-mail, if you have a blog, I will give you a shout out!

Have a healthy and fit day,
Angelena