Mind Over Body

This perfectly describes my first couple of days back in the gym after the Holidays. My runs have been slow and so difficult. I feel like my legs are going to give out from under me. Then I remember it isn’t my legs, it’s my head. Each step, each squat, each lunge I have to remind myself why I am doing this. I am doing this for me because I deserve to be the healthiest version of myself.

Whenever you are tired, your body hurts, and you feel like giving up – don’t. Remind yourself who you are doing this for and why. Our bodies are capable of so much more than we give credit for. Finish that mile or that last set and walk away proud.

Don’t let your mind give up. Be proud of yourself and remember to be your own cheerleader.

Happy Thursday Everyone 🙂

 

New Year . . . Same You

So it is the beginning of the year and all over social media I see “New Year, New Me.” Everyone says this is the year they change, this year is different. We all see in influx of people at the gym, more healthy food posts on Instagram and more blurbs about change on Facebook.

For those people who woke up on Friday morning with a sparkle in their eye and filled with hope for a healthier life, congratulations on your new commitment! Just remember it is a commitment to yourself and your health. Not a trend and a fad that is going around this time of year. I really hope all those people stay at the gym and stay being healthy! I just hate that in a few months the gym will empty and I will see less motivation on social media.

If you are tired of starting over every year, this time stop giving up. You will find when new years comes next year it won’t be a new you, it will be the same you. The same hard working dedicated person who commits to their well being and health everyday.

You can do this!

Happy 2016 everyone!

 

Easy Caribbean Jerk Chicken

So I have been making BBQ chicken with Trader Joe’s Sriracha and Roasted BBQ Sauce almost every night. I think if I pulled out that jar for dinner again tonight, my husband was going to sneak out the back door and run to the closest Papa Johns. So, tonight I dug deep in my pantry to see what I could come up with.

I found this caribbean jerk marinade I had bought at Target a few weeks ago and had completely forgotten about. The macros are pretty good on it – only having 7g of carbs per serving. I find that most marinades and sauces are loaded with carbohydrates because of their sugar content, but this one was relatively low and made with wholesome ingredients.

So I cooked up some chicken along with a colorful avocado salad on the side for some healthy fats. Dinner was served and oh my, it was delicious.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

One Pouch of Hak’s Paks One Pot Cooking Sauce

One Pound of Chicken Tenders

Salad:

2 Medium Size Tomatoes

1/2 a red onion

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

Dressing of Choice ( I used TJ’s Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette)

2 Small Avocados

Preparation:

-Make your salad: Slice your veggies, put in a bowl, and enjoy.

• I cut my onions slightly thin but did not chop them. In a salad like this I find getting the onions into each bite is too difficult if they are cut small.
• Slice your tomatoes first then cut in half again.
• Add in the two tablespoons of lemon with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Slice avocados as you desire and mix into salad lightly so the avocado stays whole (we want salad, not guacamole).
  • Note: I used 99g of Avocado for this which accounted for 15g of fat. If you are trying to cut back on your fat you can lower the amount used in the salad.
• Put in refrigerator until chicken is finished.

– Make your Protein

• Begin by cutting your chicken into smaller chunks so they cook faster in the pan. Mine ended up being around 2″-3″ chunks.
• Spray pan with non stick spray and turn to medium heat.
• Once pan is hot, add pieces of your chicken so they still have room. They will take a lot longer to cook if you try to cook all the chicken at once.
• Put the lid on your pan and wait until you see the chicken pieces turning white. Flip over and cover them back up.
• The second side should only take about 2 minutes to cook. Your chicken should be brown on both sides.
• Once you have finished browning all of your chicken, add all of it back in the pan.
• I used two servings of the sauce and poured it right into the pan.
• When I first poured it in, it was all liquid. I let the chicken simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes and it got very thick. I stirred it twice and on the second time the liquid was gone and the chicken had a nice glaze on it.
• Chicken is done!

Put your salad on your plate with your dressing and you can put your chicken on top, or on the side. I really enjoyed this, I hope you do too!

The macros for this meal are:

404 Calories

18f/27c/38p

 

 

Finding Balance

I find that living a healthy lifestyle is about finding balance in life. It sounds easy but it really isn’t. Finding the balance between work, family, food, fitness, friends, hobbies etc is extremely difficult. Recently I have been so busy with friends visiting, Holidays, and vacations that my life is anything but balanced. It is a journey to find where everything in your life is supposed to fit and how much of each is exactly what you need to be happy.

Each morning is a new adventure to figure out this life and take each day as a blessing. Fuel your body the right way, get your choice of fitness in, work a job that gives you purpose, and spend time with those that support you and love you. If you are living a purposeful life, balance will find its way.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you aren’t happy where you are, find somewhere new. Be strong. Love yourself. The balance will come.

I’m Back!

After moving and being sick for two weeks I am finally resurfacing!  I will continue my previous consistency in my posts and I have some great recipes all lined up!

Breakfast!

So I am back! I went to Miami with a friend for Wanderlust. We spent several days traveling through Florida between Miami, Daytona, St. Augustine, and home here in Orlando. Yesterday was my first day back to my normal lifestyle as I ate WAY too much last week. I am not going to be hard on myself though because if I am on vacation and there is authentic Puerto Rican food available . . . I am not turning that down! There was also this amazing Colombian restaurant in St. Augustine and a gourmet popcorn store . . . I will stop now before I make myself hungry.

So Thursday, middle of the week, and I am back on the grind. Yesterday I made this amazing egg white breakfast. It is super simple but I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. This morning I tried one of those “shakeology” shakes that had been given to me over the weekend and it just isn’t for me. I would rather have my eggies. 🙂

Protein Fluffy Egg Whites

200g Egg Liquid Egg Whites

113g Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Whip these two together in a bowl so they are thoroughly mixed. Add to heated pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Scramble them up. There will be extra liquid in the pan from the cottage cheese cooking. I usually drain some of that water out. When I take my eggs out of the pan I just gently press them against the side before I put them on my plate.

I add salt, pepper, and Cholula Hot Sauce to mine and they are so good! They are extremely fluffy and not runny. They are filled with so much protein too because of the added cottage cheese. It may sound funny but I promise you it is good!

Perfect for those mornings when its early and you need to make something fast.

Enjoy!

Fitness Friday

Work hard today and be satisfied tomorrow! I am headed to Miami for Wanderlust, will blog when I return!

Stay Strong

Transformation Tuesday Workout

Transformation Tuesday – Back Edition

One of my favorite transformations on my body, since I began to work out, is my back. In the beginning, I had no muscle mass in my back and it was just soft with zero definition. The first picture is actually several months into my weight loss. I wish I had taken more pictures in the beginning to remind myself how far I have come.

I still have a very long way to go before I will be where I want to be but I can say I am proud of what I have accomplished. Back and shoulder day is my favorite because it is where I can see the biggest change. Like I said before, I never had shoulder muscles and now when I flex . . . hey girl hey! There’s something there!

Here is my shoulder and back workout I do once a week:

30 Minutes of Arc Trainer to warm up

*I start with Free weights and work my way around the gym*

Start with the 20 lb Barbell:

2 sets of 10 Overhead Presses

3 sets of 15 High Pulls

30lb Barbell:

3 sets of 10 Overhead Presses

3 sets of 15 Bent Over Rows

10lb Free Weights

3 sets of 15 Overhead Press per Arm

3 sets of 12 Bent Over Lateral Raises

3 sets of 12 Front Lateral Raises

I move to Cables

50lbs

3 sets of 15 Narrow Grip Seated Cable Rows

3 sets of 15 Lat Pull Downs

3 sets of 10 Behind Head Lat Pull Downs

20lbs

3 sets of 12 Cable Lateral Raises

Seated Back Fly Machine

30 Lbs

3 sets of 15

My Favorite Machine:

Lat Pull Down Machine

50lbs x 15

60lbs x 12

70lbs x 10

80lb x 8

90lbs x 5

Plate Raises 3 Sets:

10lb plate x 15 plate raises

Super set with 10 high pulls

Finish with 25 minutes of HIIT on the stairmaster.

Here is my first real Transformation Tuesday photo – and I just love that meme! That little boys face cracks me up! 🙂

Like I said I still have such a long way to go and I still have a lot of built up body fat to lose but its progress not perfection. You also have to love that fun bun in every photo 😉

Failure’s Not an Option

Failure’s not an option. It’s a step. Do not judge your progress by your failures. Each time you get up judges how strong you really are.

Keep Going.