Workout of the Week: Beach Bootcamp

I spent this past weekend at the beach in Sea Isle City, NJ and turned the beach into my gym! I forced my brother to participate in what I call my "beach bootcamp". If you're going to the beach try this, or do it at home. I encourage you all to get outside and create your own outdoor workout :)


Warm-up by running one mile!

Take a 10 sec break between each exercise:

• 80 jumping jacks 
• 1 minute plank 
• 15 burpees
• 1 minute mountain climbers
• 30 second side planks (both sides, 30 sec each) 
• 30 regular crunches 
• 25 jump squats 
• 30 starfish crunches (lay like a starfish and lift one leg, reaching the opposite arm to touch it)
• 30 leg lifts 

Take a one minute break and then repeat this circuit twice. 

Food of the Week: Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies

I thought it was about time to include a healthy dessert! These are my favorite treats, but they are absolutely addicting so I only make them every once in while, however, each cookie is about 90 calories and fruit filled :)

This should make anywhere between 10-15 cookies, depending on the size:

Ingredients: 

1 Cup Instant Oats

3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour 

1 and a 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 and a 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or unsalted butter), melted 

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup of agave 

1 cup of finely diced red apple (or about one medium sized red apple)

Directions: 

1. Whisk oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl (medium size) and in a separate bowl, whisk coconut oil (or butter), egg, and vanilla. Add the agave into the oil, egg and vanilla mix after whisked and then add the flour mix to the bowl, stirring just until the flour mix is incorporated. Fold in the apple and refrigerate for 30 minutes (no less!). 

2. Preheat the oven to 325 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops (if possible), and slightly flatten them. Bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! 

For reheating them I just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds, and they are just as delicious the second time around! 

I miss my butt... but do I really?

If you read my background post you know I am the former owner of a "big back porch" or "booty". I used to pride myself on it, everyone that knows me probably knows that. It was my best asset. When I started to lose weight I really wanted to lose weight in my stomach mainly. I of course wanted to lose weight everywhere, but I was ready to say goodbye to the fat in my midsection first.

Just so you know, whatever you want from a diet you'll get eventually, if you work hard, but nothing is going to happen as fast as you want it to, and the way you want it to happen.

 So my wish, to lose the stomach fat first, of course didn't come true. I started to notice my butt and legs were getting smaller when I started to have extra room in those sections of my jeans. This made me sad. I was hoping to lose weight in my legs but I somehow wanted to keep my butt (because it's totally possible to pick and choose what you want to keep and what you want to lose).

As sad as I was, I cheered up a little when I looked back at old pictures and realized that my butt, legs, and hips had made me look REALLY big. I was happy to see that losing weight from these sections really slimmed my appearance. I also realized that my legs, butt, and hips were almost completely fat and if I really wanted a big butt I could just work really hard to build muscle.

At the end of the day, I really don't miss the back porch because it held me back from being happy (no pun intended). My butt was my excuse for weighing as much as I did. Whatever it is that's holding you back, don't be scared to get rid of it, if it means improving your life! Also don't get discouraged if you are not noticing change in the section of your body you want to notice change in, it will happen, keep pushing through!

Have a great Sunday and make healthy choices :)

Motivation

Losing weight it all about motivation. Not even just losing weight, LIFE is about motivation. Every morning I have to motivate myself to not hit the snooze button on my phone and actually get out of bed so I can run or walk before work. This type of motivation is a lot easier to accomplish, but trying to motivate yourself to lose weight or to not eat that delicious looking donut is a lot harder to do.

One thing I've learned on my journey is that motivation is all about learning how to talk to yourself. Not talking to yourself in the crazy type of way, but talking to yourself in a positive way. If you stop putting yourself down and learn how to boost yourself up, then motivation will spark.

For example....

Instead of telling yourself that you are five pounds behind where you want to be, you need to remind yourself how great you are doing and that you just need to push a little harder this week.


And tell yourself you can do it. EVERYDAY.

If you're going through the journey of weight loss, good for you! If you are following a diet and exercise program or strategy, that's awesome, but something that is often forgotten in the process is encouragement. What's going to keep you going? How are you going to push away from the piece of pie?  Well, the answer to those questions, is your mind. Your mind is powerful in the process and it can make or break you! When I'm lacking a positive mindset towards losing weight and  I need a little motivation, I look up fitness quotes and they really brighten my mood!

Here's some of my favorite quotes:

"Focus on how far you've come not how far you have to go."

"Let exercise be your stress reliever, not food."

"This is the beginning of anything you want."

"You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face."

"One of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago, your body couldn't do what it just did."

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying."

Workout of the week: A Treadmill Workout

One thing that I've always hated about treadmills is how bored I get on them. Like you're going nowhere, at the same pace for 30 minutes.... That's boring. I found this treadmill workout that really burns your legs and keeps things interesting.... I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

I found it on Pinterest, but here is the direct link:


http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/20-Minute-Treadmill-Workout-29833808 crlt.pid=camp.8QOLCPFq34XX

Please make an opportunity to try it this week!

Recipe of the Week: Reilly's Protein Waffles

In order to gain muscle you need to have a good amount of protein in your diet everyday! When my friend Reilly shared this recipe with me I was skeptical, how can waffles be healthy?? These waffles are 100 calories each and taste delicious, not to mention they are packed with protein!

Recipe makes about 4 waffles!

Ingredients:

1 cup of egg whites
1 cup low fat or non fat cottage cheese
1 cup oats
Optional: Some blueberries, a little cinnamon, and a drop of vanilla extract

Directions:

Place egg whites, cottage cheese, and oats in a blender and blend until creamy. If you choose to add cinnamon and vanilla add that into the blended mix as well. Pour mixture into the waffle maker and cook until golden (add blueberries before cooking). If you like a crispier waffle place directly in the toaster when done. I like to top mine with strawberries and some cinnamon!

Thanks for the recipe Reilly!

My First Big Dinner Out

When I started my journey I was only eating food from the dining hall or my own food. I had set routine and knew exactly what I was going to eat everyday and night. So.... it really threw me off guard when my friends decided that they wanted to go out to eat for one last meal before summer. I was hesitant at first, but of course I wanted to get dressed up and go out to eat with my best friends, who I wouldn't be seeing for months (I miss you Taylor, Morgan, and Hannah), but I was nervous about what I was going to order.

We were going to eat at Outback Steakhouse, which was already difficult considering I gave up red meat, but I made do. Luckily my friends and I are extreme planners and we had our meal planned weeks ahead of time. I allowed myself one week before the meal to study the menu (I basically have it memorized now if you ever need any advice). I looked at the nutrition facts everyday trying to figure out what to order. I planned, which is key to weight loss success. So after hours of drooling over the menu, I decided, the night before, that I would order a salad with no cheese or croutons, but I would allow myself a reward of ice cream for dessert. In preperation, for what I considered to be a feast, I ate light the day of and worked out twice.

This adventure clearly caused me lots of anxiety, something I don't want you all to feel. What I want you to take from this is plan, but in moderation. If you know you are going out to dinner eat light the day of and get a good workout in. For the meal order something moderately healthy and you'll be fine. Also, limit your restaurant trips to twice a week at most, but if you absolutely have to go out, follow my tips below.

Tips for Restaurants:

• ask the server to not bring bread or chips
• squeeze a lemon in your water to suppress your appetite, and drink the whole glass before you eat your meal
• browse through the nutrition menu ahead of time, but don't stress out over it
• have leftovers, meals at restaurants are usually enough food for two people 
• enjoy every moment and bite because this is a splurge