Inspiration comes from everywhere.

This song is very inspiring for me right now....today....best line is the below:

"You don't have to feel like a waste of space
  You're original, cannot be replaced
  If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow."

----Katy Perry (lyrics from Firework).

Going through a rough time right now, but I know to pray, mediate, and things will be just fine in the end.  Have to be thankful for what I do have and stop focusing on what I "should" have.  Have to remember that I shall not want.  I am alive, healthy (for the most part), and can get out of bed each day and be thankful for a new day with a clean slate and a chance for a different decision or opportunity.  I have to remember that if I want to do something and change my life, I have to just do it and forget about what others think whether that be family or friends.
Just needed a place to vent....I had to put my thoughts down and get them off my chest and out of my head. 
I am blessed and I have to remember that daily!!!

Motivation, yes!

So today I realize it's been WAY too long since I have blogged.  I also need to share this blog with my FB Fitness page.  Today I made a video because I want to start putting those in here too.

I need to motivate myself (no one else is responsible for doing this).  LOL

Creative Foods I made this weekend

This past Friday I went to the Farmers Market to stock up on my fruit and veggies for the week.  I definitely like to do this more in the Spring/Summer as the weather gets warmer.  I also like to look for ways to incorporate the ingredients I buy into items that I have stocked in my pantry.

This morning I was feeling really creative with my oatmeal.  I stumbled across a bag of whole ground flax seeds as well this past weekend at a wholesale store that I just couldn't pass up and I also added that to my oatmeal along with the fruts from the market.

So here it is!! 

Now, what's in here you ask?  Well for me, typically, I have associated Oatmeal with winter time and I was looking for a way to "Spring" it up so to speak.  I added half a apple diced (Red Delicious brand), 1/4 cup fresh blueberries, 1/4 teaspoon of flax seeds and ground cinnamon ( I use a spice container for the cinnamon and I used about 6 shakes- you can add more/less to your taste).

I generally heat up the oatmeal by itself first with the water (or milk if you desire) for 1min.  Then, I add the fruits/cinnamon, put it back in the microwave for another 50 sec, this way the apples, blueberries, and cinnamon blend together, then when it's all done, I mix in the flax seeds last.

This was my first time making this today.  It was VERY YUM and I will be making it again!!!

I also made some blueberry muffins today to eat as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack (you can also have these for breakfast on the go) I made them from the Betty Crocker snack pack size and only 120 calories per muffin.  I then added some Caramel/Cinnamon sprinkles from Tastefully Simple on top of the batter before baking them.  Here they are, fresh out of the oven...can't wait to try them!

Next blog I will show you how simple it is to make a healthy on the go egg sandwich in 5 mins or less, if you can spare 5 mins in the morning, you will avoid the drive thru's/takeout and your waistline will thank you!

Fitness update:  Marathon Running Training is going well.  I signed up for my first 5k which will be on 5/26/12 at 9am.  I am very excited.
 My strength on bench presses has gone up 10 pds, I know bench 40 pds in weights plus the bar of 45 pds for a total of 85pds! Yikes!  When I started really weight training with my boyfriend Marty, I could only bench the bar itself...I have come a long way.
My timed distance for running is getting better and I am using the app on my phone called Runkeeper to keep a log of it all.  They have a website also (www.runkeeper.com).  They track cycling, running, walking, etc.  Great app to just keep a distance/time log of all those kind of activities.  I really like it.
  Weight wise, I was maintaining for a while however, with my thyroid I can't eat like I used to be able to and I gained almost 10pds back in 3 weeks. The weight loss site I use had maintaince up around the 2k calorie range and for me, that isn't possible with the thyroid.  I ended up gaining some back.  I now know that won't work for my body. No worries though, my jeans (size 12) still fit and I am back to my normal calories of @1300-1500 a day and working on getting those 10pds back off.

Motivational Tip of the day: 

And did you know? :

Till next time, love yourself and be kind to your body! 

Motivational Saying

Belly Fat tips

An interesting excerpt today from my Women's Health Magazine:

Easy Ways to Burn More Belly Fat

Changing your body doesn't always mean getting more mileage on your gym membership. Travis Stork, M.D., host of The Doctorson TV, wrote The Lean Belly Prescription as his 911 response: to blast belly fat—stat! His method? Non-exercise aerobic thermogenesis, or "N.E.A.T." Here are the basics: Get Outside People who spent at least 20 minutes a day outdoors felt they had up to 20 percent more physical and mental energy than those who stayed inside thought they did, according to scientists at the University of Rochester. Clock in Some Cardio It can be as beneficial as a formal workout, according to a new study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. Just 20 minutes of playing soccer or dodgeball raised adults' heartbeats to 88 percent of their maximum and burned 160 calories, researchers found. Ball It Up "Use a Swiss ball for 20 minutes every hour you sit at your desk," says sports-performance coach Charles Staley, C.S.C.S., author of The Unnatural Athlete. The ball will not only keep you in perpetual motion, but also strengthen your core muscles, alleviating another side effect of too much sitting: back pain. Get On Your Feet When you talk on the phone, stand up. You won't think of it as exercise, but it can help you burn as much as 54 calories for every 20-minute conversation. An alteration of as little as 100 calories a day can start you on the road to serious weight loss.

Breakfast Foods to switch up, workouts, and update

To my friends, family, and any others reading this blog.  I promised you I would give you some more tips on healthy eating and living, so here it goes!

Last summer I discovered Oatmeal.  I honestly never used to eat the stuff, I am a texture girl when it comes to food so when I found out you could add your own level of water to make it mushy or chunky (which I prefer) I finally gave it a try! I had been reading how healthy it was to get your day going and I was working very hard to avoid the fast food drive thru's in the morning. So we started getting the lower sugar apple and cinnamon oatmeal (Quaker Oats brand).  I don't know if you all know this but cinnamon is great for your body and  also kick starts your metabolism.  We got a bulk size of 40 packets (cost $7.79 a box which lasts us a month plus) still in the Lower Sugar variety from our local wholesale store and it comes with 20 of the Apples & Cinnamon packets and 20 of the Maple Syrup & Brown sugar packets.  When I do have the Maple & Brown Sugar brand in the morning I put a half of fresh diced apple slices in with it and also add some Cinnamon from my spice bottle.  I keep a spice bottle at my work desk to sprinkle additional Cinnamon on my oatmeal as well as we keep another spice jar of Cinnamon in our pantry at home.  You can find the spice cheap at your local grocery store especially if you go with the store brand.   Now some knowledge time on Cinnamon!!


Here are some other health benefits of cinnamon:
 - 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol
- cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections
- In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation ofleukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
- It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
- In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
 -When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
- One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
- Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
- It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
-  the combination of calcium and fibre in cinnamon can help to remove bile, which prevents damage to colon, which helps prevent colon cancer.
**(Credit to: Eat this website.  There is also a small list of interactions/side effects if you are taking certain medications- so take the time to view this since I don't want anyone to hurt their bodies.
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/side-effects-of-cinnamon.html )

Now onto the other thing I traded/discovered for breakfast last summer.  I tried out Turkey Bacon.  It was difficult to change from regular bacon at first, but I am used to it now.  We also get this at the local wholesale   food store after I noticed it was a few dollars more to get 4 packages in one which lasts us alot longer. We freeze the other 3 till we need them and when ready/out, we put the next package in the fridge.  The local grocery store wanted @$4.00 for one package when it wasn't on sale and at the wholesale club we get it for about $7 for 4 packs in one which is a better deal and it lasts longer for us.  I put up a picture of the one we buy.  It's simple to cook when you're in a hurry too.  For me in the morning I put two slices on a paper towl and heat it in the microwave for about a minute and a half (they come out crispy- that's my preference).  If you want them more mushy then do less time.  Figure out what works for you. 2 slices of Turkey bacon are 70 calories with this brand.  I also use it on salads and egg sandwiches.  I will save my egg sandwiches in under 5 minutes for breakfast for my next blog :) So I munch on these in the morning before I get to work and then eat my oatmeal when I get to work.

Okay, that's all for the food section this time.  I will discuss a new lunch item and my breakfast sandwiches in the next blog post

So I want to stop for a minute and put down my stats for myself as to where I am today.  I am down 36.8 pds.   My sub-goal is 5 pds away ( which is 41.8 pds) .  After that I will figure out if I want another 10 pds but I think I will to get to my final goal weight.

I have gotten back to my running training.  I had a great time at the park near my home this week.  I am trying to work up to running 3 miles so I can do a 5k.  It felt great to be outdoors and it is a lot different then running on the treadmill.  So I am doing both treadmill and outdoor training now that the weather is getting warmer.  I did 2.6 miles in 45 minutes running and walking this week.

Beginning marker and end marker at the park (which the trail is 2.6 miles in total)  I was by myself this day, so I wasn't in the picture, but I will have an updated one soon with that when I end a 5k.  That's my goal to run one of those and accomplish that challenge!!! I WILL DO IT!!!! 

Tonight at the gym I did the 2nd week of the C25K app.  If any of you reading this are interested in starting to run I highly recommend it.  It is a 9 week program to get you from the couch to running a 5k.  You can download it on your Android phone, Ipod, or Iphone.

Leaving you last with some workouts . You might have to google some of these to find out what they mean, but that's okay, I had to as well.  These don't take a lot of time and its something you don't need the gym to do, you can do them anywhere! Enjoy and let me know how you liked them, I would love to see comments.  Try at least to do 20 mins a day of exercise and if you can do more, do it!

Ending with Motivational Quote:

Inspired and food switches

I have truly become inspired.  It's amazing how you can go through your 20s and 30s not truly knowing what you want to do with your life.  I always feel the need to help others.  I am doing so much reading on health, nutrition, and workouts in general.  Everytime we get to the gym, I try something different, push my body, and the results feel great.  Now I am going to take the time to give back to my friends who have been reaching out to me and asking me in this past year what I have learned and done to get healthy.
I made a promise to some of my friends that are just starting their journey to a better way of life that I would provide some insight and encouragement.  First thing I want to say is make changes in baby steps, don't shock the body all at once, and in return it will make the transition easier.
First thing I did back in March 2011, I started with the 100 calorie packs, almonds/nuts, and yogurt for my snacks. For lunches, I bought the healthy choice and lean cuisine meals.  I started packing my lunch for work pretty much every day.  I did allow one day a week to go out and get what I wanted to for lunch.  Again, not shocking my body. This worked for me for about 2-4 months.  Next I will tell you what I changed for my breakfast last summer that made a difference and fueled my body even more!
My first step last March 2011 in getting healthy workout wise was I started going to Zumba class twice a week.  I know it wasn't alot, but for someone who was sedentary at a 8 hour desk job and then coming home and being sedentary it was good for me.  It wasn't a complete shock on my body and it was fun at the same time.  We had 4 girls from work that were going together so it made it something to look forward to.  That would be my suggestion, if you go to a class, find some friends to come along with you!   I stayed in the Zumba class mode till about the summer, then I will tell you more in the next blog what I added to my workout routines to kick it up a notch.
Did you know fact of the day? Laughter is the best medicine-- according to many doctors. In fact, a single laugh may boost your immune systems defenses for up to 3 days.








There are several exercises you can do to get started that don't take a lot of time or need a gym.  I found a lot of them on Pinterest and wanted to share it with you today. This is for someone who is starting to workout again and just beginning.  Try it in the morning if you have the time, it gets your metabolism going for one and two, you don't need a gym to do this so NO Excuses!  If you do the workout I put below, let me know if liked it, comment, let me know if it was too hard, easy, or not challenging enough.  It's a 20 day workout.  

Another thing I wanted to add today is French fries, especially fast food french fries has been something I have avoided for quite a while since I changed my eating habits.  I wanted to share with you what we have replaced ours with.


Not this:  (greasy french fries) 

Try this instead: (sweet potato fries).  We love this brand and get it our local BJ's store.  

Here is a photo of them not baked (left) and what they look like after they are baked (right).  They are soooo good.  Give them a try and let me know what you think.


Motivational Quote of the day:

Just a small personal update for me as of Feb 2012:  I started running as a goal to up my distance and train.  As of last night I am now up to 1.80 miles, that is my farthest distance to date.  The scale has moved 2 more pds this week adding for my total loss since last March (2011) of 34.6pds.  It has not been easy and it's a daily battle. I am also focusing on how hard I work out at the gym number wise, how much weight I can lift, reps I can, and how far I can push my body.  The scale is just a bonus.  I enjoy this life, all who are supportive and encourging,  and I want to help others who want to learn/get ideas from someone who has been there. 


Thank you for reading and if there is anything you want me to add in my next blog, let me know!