Archive for 2014

How dairy is ruining your weight loss

Tuesday, December 2, 2014



I should start off by saying that I LOVE dairy. Love love love it. I would eat handfuls of cheese. Heck even a stack of American yellow cheese was good enough for me! After losing weight I thought i was invincible! IN-FREAKING-VINCIBLE. I could eat whatever i wanted and not gain a pound.
Gummy bears? Hell yeah! I’d eat a bag before bed and still wake up feeling like a million bucks. And cheese. Ohhhhhhhhh the cheese. Then something started to happen. I started gaining weight.


Uh oh….
So naturally i went back to eating healthy. And i cut out all of the bad (my favorite) stuff. Woo! But i never questioned or doubted my dairy intake. Why would i? Dairy is good for you! Everyone says so. Turns out the love of my life had a skeleton hidden in its closet.
I remember sitting in my biochem class when my professor broached the topic of the best way to help weight/fat loss. Lo and behold the first thing he mentioned was dairy. APPARENTLY, dairy PUMPS your body full of fat AND sugar (omg why!?!) which stunts metabolism. And anything that spikes your blood sugar is bad news bears, man. Everything you eat after that is counter productive to your health and fitness goals.
But there is a silver lining! You can technically have dairy. Here are some suggestions:
  1. Cheese and yogurts (non-fat plain) should be FAT FREE. Low Fat is also okay. Not preferred but okay.
  2. Milk should be low fat or skim; BUT Almond milk, Rice milk, and Soy milk are much better alternatives since they naturally have the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs.
  3. Limit the amount of dairy in your daily diet. No more than 2-3 ounces or a single shot glass of shredded cheese.
  4. NO DAIRY BEFORE BED. For the love of God, do not undo all of your hard work by eating copious amounts of dairy for dinner or before bed.
While i might not see dairy as often as i’d like, we still meet up every once in awhile on a cheat meal. I hope i have shed some light on something you may or may not have known.



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Cutting Calories: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Saturday, August 16, 2014



Recently I’ve been hearing alot about “cutting calories.” The idea of cutting calories has mutated into this wildfire of an epidemic. Most people believe that cutting calories will solve their weight loss problems, and while it does help momentarily, it’s only a quick fix and a long term disaster waiting to happen. So lets get into the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly about cutting calories.
The Good
Cutting down on calories can be a good thing! Especially, if you’ve been extremely overweight. Cutting calories is necessary. But for the rest of us. We need the calories. And most of us are either consuming too many of the wrong kind of calories or not enough of the right calories at all. In fact, you can eat food without having to count calories or cut back on them. Instead, focus more on eating whole grains, fruits, and especially more veggies! I can’t say that enough. EAT MORE VEGGIES. This doesn’t mean that you can make a super healthy salad and dump about ¼ a cup of ranch or thousand island dressings on it and call it healthy. Stay away from things that are heavy in cream, high in sugar, full of preservatives, and words you can’t even pronounce on a label. The secret behind losing weight successfully and keeping it off is, eating more of the right foods instead of eating more of the bad foods and cutting back on calories.

Pfft. I don’t know about you but i LOVE to eat. And the idea of having to “cut back,” anything makes me cringe. Why have a small cheeseburger from a fast food joint when i can have a coconut parmesan crusted chicken with a full plate of seasoned/ grilled asparagus. Ummmm HELLO!!! I’ll take the the chicken dinner that has about half the calories than a drive thru cheeseburger any day.
So remember, it’s not cutting back on calories that you should be worrying about. Instead i want to encourage you to EAT MORE healthy whole foods. Foods that will fuel your body instead of tearing it down like a slow form of poison. Eat more healthy foods and you will LOSE WEIGHT.

The Bad & The Ugly
Remember that time you were going on a diet? You had a granola bar or coffee for breakfast. Then opted for a small salad with dressing. And dinner? Well it was pizza night! Who can say no to pizza night!? Besides, you did really well for your first day of dieting! You had pudding for a snack! You’re totally going to lose weight and keep it off this time.
Well let me breakdown what’s going on inside your body while you’re dieting by cutting calories. So! After being asleep for 6-8 hours, you wake up and have a coffee or your granola bar. Your body needs a specific amount of calories per day to run well. Just waking up requires a certain amount of calories. When you deprive your body of calories ( let say by opting for a granola bar), it goes into survival mode. So everything you’re eating after that granola bar turns into sugar, which turns into fat. Your body starts to store whatever it gets into fat. “Well i’ve lost 5 pounds by dieting and cutting calories.” That’s great for you! But did you know that the 5 pounds you’ve just lost was muscle?
Your body starts to eat the muscle in your body and replaces the muscle with fat. And now, lets say you’ve given up on your diet because you’ve lost those pesky 5 pounds. Woo hoo! Forget dieting, back to eating out every day for lunch. Now you’ve gained those 5 pounds back. Whatever, you can go on a diet again. Well now you have 5 pounds of fat that replaced muscle PLUS the 5 pounds you’ve just gained back. Coming out to 10 pounds of fat on our body from starving yourself and cutting calories.
What sucks is now you have to work twice as hard to burn off those 10 pounds of fat that you’ve just gained. Pretty ugly in my opinion.

My advice? Stop yo-yo dieting. Seriously, cut the crap. Cut the drive thru food out. Stop buying white bread. Limit your sweets! Eat more veggies! There are literally  THOUSANDS of recipes out there to help you make delicious meals? Picky children? No problem! There are moms out there that have perfected clean eating recipes for their kids? Picky meat eating husbands? Yippee!!! So many meals built AROUND men and their meat eating ways! If you can cut out one thing that you know you don’t need, then do it! Find a way to make it yourself, and then make it better! Clean eating doesn’t have to be boring! Start out small and you will SEE and FEEL the difference within 2 weeks!

The only thing you have to lose is weight. And there’s nothing wrong with doing it the healthy way.


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The 21 Day Fix!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

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Okay so let’s talk about The 21 day Fix! This program is UHMAZING. If you have EVER had problems trying to figure out how to portion control, The 21 Day Fix takes care of alllll of that for you! Included in the program are these little colored containers. Each container representing a different food group. BUT here’s the cool part. They ALSO serve as the recommended serving size!
MIND. BLOWN....

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New Beginnings

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

After a LONG debate about investing (emotionally) in another animal, I have finally decided it was time to move on from the pet loss i suffered earlier this year and adopted a beautiful, fluffy, little man kitten!
Eeeee!!!!! I hope you all welcome my adorable little Teemu (shut up it’s a finnish name).  
AND HE’S A GINGER.
Have I mentioned he’s also a little firecracker? Jeez. Runs after trash bags, climbs things, announces when he poops, LOVES to cuddle, swims on his back, somersaults, and is just an overall hyper ass kitten. Not to mention he has made my pup Lady so happy! Sometimes we forget that our other animals suffer when there is a pet death in the family.
For  7 years she only knew our cat Paws and when he died, she went into a depression that lasted well into the summer. To be honest, the main reason i adopted Teemu was for Lady. She missed having a companion and she gets along better with cats than with dogs.
Go figure.

I’ll have to upload a video of him playing with my puppy. CUTE OVERLOAD. In the meantime….



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Full Body workout in 25 minutes!? Say whaaat!?

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

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What is T-25.jpg

Shaun T has done something incredible. T-25 is a 25 minute FULL body workout.

FULL. BODY. WORKOUT.
This man will WORK your body. Holy cow. A great workout if you’re ready to challenge yourself. Especially if you’re short on time! Who has 5 minutes to change, 15-20 minutes to drive to the gym, workout for 30-45 minutes, and THEN drive back?

No thanks. Sometimes i just need to get in and get out. My brother is a testament to how great this program works. In just FIVE (5) weeks, he lost FIFTY (50) pounds. Fifty pounds! By watching his nutrition, and staying on top of his workouts everyday (gamma phase). So what can you accomplish in 25 minutes a day? ...

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What is PiYO

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PIYO is this magical combination of both Yoga and Pilates. I’ve never really been a big fan of yoga (pose for too long and not enough action, bleh). But Pilates was my everything. I loved it because it was low impact with a ton of movement AND it burned calories like a muther. In theory I liked the idea of Yoga but was too impatient and easily distracted to do it for more than 5 minutes. Eep!

PIYO is everything i’ve ever wanted WITHOUT  a ton of cardio. YAY!!! I have been living in an apartment since college and having to deal with downstairs neighbors can be a NIGHTMARE. Talk about cranky pants. Sheesh! So as much as i LOVE getting in a hardcore cardio workout (like T-25, P90X, etc…), jumping was always a problem…

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What is YOUR calling?

I love my family. ESPECIALLY when they get excited and pumped as i do about working out. While my brother and I do PIYO in my bedroom, my parents are doing T-25 in the living room.




Cray cray yo.
When I was little, my parents would always tell me to surround myself with people who IMPROVE my life. People who will ELEVATE me to their level. Whatever it may be.  And I have them and Beachbody to thank for that. Becoming a Beachbody coach has completed me in a way that can only be described as fulfillment. You meet SO many people with inspiring stories that make you SO grateful for the life that you live. I get to HELP people live healthier lives. I get to see them CHANGE mentally and emotionally.


That transformation alone is AMAZING! Giving people the opportunity to GAIN financial freedom by working out and INSPIRING others is one of the BEST feelings out there. Knowing that you have helped someone pay their cell phone bill or a utility bill or groceries! Words can’t even express how humbling and gratifying this experience is.


I was lucky enough to stumble across my mentors page and from there it took me TWO years to bite the bullet and become a coach.  Here I am now writing to YOU. Yes you. On the brink of trying to decide if coaching is right for you. I can tell you right now that the journey is not an easy one. And it isn’t for everyone. To make money in this business you have to be willing to WORK and CHANGE. And rejection is apart of it. And that’s OKAY. Just know that you are NOT ALONE. 

Seriously. We’ve ALL been there. Still there, really. But let me ask you this one last question:
If you could work your butt off for TWO years and be financially free for the rest of your life, would you? Or would you prefer to work at a job that offers little to no advancement or pay raises for the rest of your life?
I choose to be my own boss, set my own hours, and work with people that I care about. And if you’re ready to join me and INVEST in yourself, then send me a message already! What are you waiting for?


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Bad hair day?

Ever have those days where you wake up in the morning and your hair is looking like 10 different styles of crazy?
Yeah me too.
Woke up late. Not enough time to wash my hair.  What do I do?
Spray on some dry shampoo, Rockaholic, and brush it out.

And THEN take a selfie.

Seriously though, if you're ever in a pickle, Rockaholic is my go to dry shampoo. And it doesn't smell horrible!
Beware! It will turn your hair white! So make sure to brush it out. Or else people will confuse you for Cruella Deville.


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Love is...

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Love is:
《♡》When he rubs my calf in the middle of the night because I get a cramp
《♡》Sitting by his side when he wants company to talk about how amazing Diablo III is....for 5 hours.
《♡》 Letting me choose where to eat on date night.
《♡》Coming with me to the dog park.
《♡》 Supporting his dreams & cheering him on.
《♡》 Dropping whatever activity he was doing to fix the ankle strap on my sandal.
《♡》Buying my plane ticket to come visit him when he lived in Florida.
《♡》Sleeping on his side to let me elevate my legs after a rough workout.  Even if he is uncomfortable.
《♡》 Accepting the fact that he snores. 
《♡》 Following him to every store within a 20 mile radius, in search of the perfect *insert item here*.
《♡》His stubbornness.
《♡》Being patient with each others thought process.
《♡》Having a made up conversation with sounds. And understanding it.
《♡》Letting me cry about silly things.  Like how delicious a piece of cheesecake is. ..
《♡》Calling me beautiful everyday since the day we've started dating.

It's funny how one person can make you feel like you can conquer the world. To the man who will continue to be my better half and partner in crime.

And to all of those that are in a Long Distance Relationship,  don't give up! I have been where you have been and let me tell you, it was the easiest and HARDEST time of my life. If you feel it in your gut and in your bones, stick with it! I can promise you that if you are BOTH working at the relationship you can do it. Just remember that you BOTH need to grow as individuals while growing together.


I can't emphasis how important that is. Cheers and good luck to all of you!



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Puppy PIYO

Thursday, July 31, 2014

I was watching this video the other day about what it's like for a pet owner trying to do Yoga or general workouts with a cat or a dog. It is one of the funniest and most truthful videos out there. Trying to get my workout in with my cute little dog Lady is almost impossible. I have to trick the poor girl out of my room or the living room to get a decent workout in.

It's funny how this furry little thing becomes such a big part of your daily life. When my cat was alive, he would wrap himself around my weights or stretch in the middle of my yoga mat or better yet SLEEP while i was jumping around him trying to finish a T-25 workout. They're so silly. And yet all they want to do is join you in your activity.

Even if it's licking the sweat off your face.

My brother and I were victims of this unconditional love.





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Long day, longer nights!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

After a long day of work (gross), all I want to do is put on my yoga pants (my black ones because they're slimming and flattering, of course), eat some ice cream and watch a couple of Friends reruns.

But no matter how crummy things may get, a girls gotta keep her figure! So I werk werk werk it out, drink a chocolate shakeology and take a bath!

Ocassionally, my boyfriend will join me in the hair wrapping ritual.

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Kale Chips & Diablo III

Sunday, July 27, 2014
It isn’t a secret. I love food. And chips. ESPECIALLY chips.  So i did what any girl would do on a Sunday afternoon when craving something salty and crunchy. I rummaged through all of my boyfriends cabinets looking for chips, pretzels, candy, SOMETHING. He’s a bachelor for crying out loud. Doesn’t their diet consist of ramen soup and cheese puffs?
Nada.
This is what i get for getting my boyfriend on the clean eating bandwagon. All I could find was an expired bottle of crunchy peanut butter (too bad i’m allergic) and half empty bottles of booze (mimosa’s anyone?) . I turned on my laptop and decided to look up chip recipes on Pinterest because….pinterest can can do no wrong!
First thing that popped up: Kale Chips. That was easy. Recipe looked simple enough. And we had some fresh Kale! Win. I asked my boyfriend if he had ever tried kale chips. I should mention that his laptop is connected to a speaker system so i hollered over this booming voice of “The Skeleton King,” and how he can “NEVER BE DEFEATED!”
If you have a brother, boyfriend, guy friend, or cousin that plays DIABLO III, you know what im talking about when i say i got a half interested  “I-- uh no…” response.  Boys.
Anyway, here is the SUPER simple recipe i came across and made successfully. And boyfriend approved! Wee!


INGREDIENTS:
1) A bale of kale  or you could get one of those pre packaged kale boxes (especially for your first time).
2) Parmesan Cheese (I highly recommend freshly grated. But regular ol’ parm cheese is good too)
3) A teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half of Olive Oil. Depending on your bale of kale.
4) A little bit of salt. Seriously. Do not overdo it with the salt. ( Garlic Salt is awesome!)
5) Garlic powder (if there is no garlic salt)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 415° F
2) Line a cookie sheet with foil paper (or don’t, totally up to you).
3) Clean kale by removing stems, leaving only the leafy parts.
4) Dry kale with a paper towel
5) Either spritz kale with a squirt bottle, put olive oil on each kale leaf OR you can pour the 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil into a plastic grocery bag, shake up the olive oil and toss in the dry kale and shake it some more.
sidenote: remember to only LIGHTLY coat your Kale with olive oil.
No one likes soggy oily kale. Bleh.
6) Place kale onto cookie sheet. Toss on your Parmesan Cheese, sprinkle the salt or garlic salt on lightly.
7) Bake kale for 8 minutes
8) Stir the kale. Bake for 2 more minutes. and PULL out the kale if it starts to get too brown. Burnt Kale is no bueno.
9) Let sit for a little bit and ENJOY!
Kale Chips.jpg.jpg

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The First of Many

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Finished my first workout of the season today and man does it feel good! I ended my workout by collapsing on the floor in pure bliss (exhaustion).

Can't seem to get back up now...

Here's to getting back into the groove of things! =]

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