Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Awesome Giveaway!!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/10/the-best-giveaway-ever/

Go check out Chocolate Covered Katie's awesome gift basket give-away!! She is going to send FABULOUS homemade desserts even! YUM!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

New Diet and my Awesome Posing Coach!

I hired a posing and nutrition coach!!! YEAH!! She is awesome :-) I encourage anyone and everyone near the Kansas City area to friend Jamie Keen at Laser Sharp Fitness on their facebook and check out their website at http://dev.lasersharpfitness.com/  So posing is going well but it definitely shows how much I need to work on my flexibility...who would have thought arching my back could make me so sore...hmmm...Right now my focus is getting the flow of my routine down; I have confidence I will.  I have been practicing every day!!

It has been a while since I last posted or even read blogs; I must admit, though, it is hard to see and read about all the yummy recipes when I can't eat any of those things :( I was nice to catch up this morning though; got some inspiration from a few of my favorite blogs like Bikini or Bust  :-)

If anyone has recipes that only include chicken, fish, turkey, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and veggies....let me know!! :) I'm about 10 weeks out, they keep saying I will be where I need to be by then; it is scary when you don't feel like you will be.....eek!!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Bad Blogger

Well I have not been a good blogger lately.  Every time I login I get obsessed with reading all the other awesome blogs that I forget to write my own!! :-)  Not to mention I don't have followers yet so I'm basically talking to myself hehe!

Lately I have been struggling with my progress only because I don't know what my progress should be.  I have 21/2 months left until my competition which seems like a lot, but then I think about how quick June has flown by. Oh my!!

To all the fitness competitors out there....how much does your body REALLY change in those last three days? I have the fear of mine not changing enough and then in my head will be the woulda, shoulda, coulda thought and I really don't want that.  I need more guidance.  Suggestions?

I found an awesome veggie burger that I like.  I can get them frozen at my local health food store or go to the burger joint in town; but I found out that they are deep fried.  Of course the oil is a healthy oil, but why fry it when you could grill it?? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a local all-natural place?  The calories would be lower if they were grilled, but they are still healthy so overall the numbers work. 

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.  Keep being awesome bloggers, I love reading your thoughts!!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

From High Heels to Yoga and everything inbetween

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week! My body has been feeling much better since my massage, still trying to work out the ear/throat pain going on though.  This week has been very busy for me, I picked up another Credentialing client and I started summer school.  I am pretty excited about my class this summer, it is more "my thing"; Exercise Science for Health Promotions.

Aerobics
I taught my second aerobic class at the gym last night.  I thought it was a good workout, but I was a little discouraged because the students are not taking change well.  They don't understand that plyos are (can be) strength training; they think they need weights in their hands but I've been having them work on the explosive strength movements.  I'm trying to stay positive since I am confident in the workouts I am giving them.  Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

My HEELS came in!!!
My competition heels came in the mail the other day and they fit almost perfect, close enough.  They are so PRETTY! I've been wearing them in my apartment to get use to them and I will start posing practice once a week over the summer and then increase as I get closer to show time.  How often do you practice? Check them out....


Yoga...my body was craving you!
The place I had my massage at, Elevate, offers a yoga class on Wednesday nights at 9pm and it was fantastic.  I got some good one on one attention from the teacher.  My body is very thankful that I finally listened to it and took a yoga class.  Check out Aly's blog: http://thehungryherbivore.blogspot.com/2010/10/raw-organic-homemade-chocolates.html

Enjoy your day, the weekend is almost here!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

I love Weekends!

Happy Sunday!
I was supposed to meet my friend at a half-way point from house to house and I was looking forward to seeing her and her new baby bump but unfortunately we both ended up sick this weekend.  Thankfully I am feeling better but still not 100%, I need to kick this crap!

Yesterday I took my regular spin class at the gym, as always, it was a butt kicker! After that, I spent the day cleaning and organizing since I have a new job and school both starting on Monday.  AHHH!!  I budgeted a monthly massage in my training budget so I decided it would be a great day to get that!! The local massage school was closed so I had to spend more than I had planned on, but I LOVE the place I went to.  Check them out http://elevatemindbodypeace.com/ The atmosphere was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the massage was outstanding! On top of all of that, they gave me flowers before I left, it made my day!


After the wonderful experience, I felt much better when I got home so I made some cabbage and chicken soup for the week and I made Ahi Tuna on Spinach with Eggplant and Strawberries for the side dish.  YUM!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Weights and Sprint Work Out

Today was much better than Tuesday in the gym! I had a killer leg workout and got some extra training time in with my trainer and his fiance.  After the gym I went to a local track and did a sprint workout that I saw in the current Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine. 

Sprint Work Out
  • Warm-Up- Jog 1 lap
  • Suicides- Sprint 10y, jog back. Sprint 20y, jog back. Sprint 30y, jog back.  Spring 40y, jog back.  Sprint 50y, jog back.
  • Sprint four 50's with 30 second rest in between
  • Sprint two 100y dash with 30 second rest in between
I enjoy doing my cardio outside much more than in the gym and I also prefer high intensity cardio over long runs...more calories burned in less time! I think next time I will expand on the work out with some plyos, especially if it is following an arm work out.

My BIG purse is coming in handy....
When I was reading a post on Bikini or Bust, an awesome blog that all should read, I was laughing when she had a picture of her big purse filled with food so today when my coworkers were laughing at my huge purse with normal purse things, my work, lunch bag, coffee mug, and protein shake I knew I had to post a picture.  Funny thing is, I usually have my gym shoes in it also....


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Magic happens in these shoes...or it will :)

Check out my new kicks...I've been wearing these bad ass shoes for about a week or so and so far I LOVE THEM! It only took me 3 months to find a pair that fit me, curse the long skinny foot.  I was told that these shoes did decent in a review in Runner's World, I haven't looked for myself, but I'm not a fan of running and they work for my needs. 

Post-Workout Meal

Post workout food consumption is very important in building muscle and if we're going to bust our butts at the gym we want to get as much out of it as we can, right?!  My research on the best protein powder led me to Dr. Mercola, he by far has the best products and has the research to back them up.  Visit him at mercola.com.  For the particular article about the Pure Power Protein which I use go to http://proteinpowder.mercola.com/pure-protein.html this product is a whey protein that also has probiotics and chia seeds...can't beat it!

Like Dr. Mercola will explain, it is vital to drink up a delicious protein shake about 45 minutes after your workout.  I like to get home and mix mine up with a frozen banana, strawberries, spinach, and almond milk.  Of course, just water will do the trick also because this powder taste delicious!  I just look for ways to get in my fruits and veggies too.

Low Carb Whole Grain Bread...Oh how I Love you....

I found some delicious low carb bread at Great Harvest Bread Company!! Check out their website to find a location near you! http://www.greatharvest.com/

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size 1 Slice, 1.8oz (50g) Servings Per Container: About 16. 
Calories 90
Calories from Fat 25
Total Fat 3g
     Saturated Fat 0g
     Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 200mg
Total Carbohydrate 12g
     Dietary Fiber 3g
     Sugars 3g
Protein 6g

Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2%
Iron 8%

INGREDIENTS: Water, Freshly Ground 100% Whole Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Honey, Tofu (Soybean, Filtered Water, Nigari(Magnesium Chloride).), Flax Seeds, Wheat Bran, Olive Oil, Eggs, Oat Bran, Rolled Oats, Yeast, and Salt.

I wanted to share this with all of you, hope you love it as much as I do!!

Turkey Burger w/ Avocado & Tomato, Cauliflower w/ Kidney Bean Dip

Turkey Burger
  • Ground turkey meat
  • Onion (chopped up)
  • Garlic
  • 1 Egg
  • Cumin
  • Paprika
  • Mustard (dried)
  • Pepper
Mash it all up and cook on stop top or grill.  Garnish with avocado and tomato slices

Kidney Bean Dip
  • 1 can Kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
  • Cumin
  • Garlic
Cook all ingredients on stove top, mash up and serve as a veggie dip.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Another attempt to Blog

Well I decided to train for my first fitness competition, I have been obsessed with reading blogs, fitness articles, recipes, you name it! Not only have the lady bloggers I have found motivated me to compete and train hard but also to blog about my experience so here it goes..... :)

I started training on April 26, 2011.  Last week for my 1 month my trainer did a re-assessment to see how I was doing, I am very happy to report that I lost 5 pounds, 4% body fat, an inch in my waist AND I gained in my arms, thighs, and butt!!  It is nice to see my hard work pay off.  I have never seen a body transformation so I am not exactly sure how the progress should be four months out, but I guess good is good....right?!

I was sick over the weekend and though I felt much better today my training session was a struggle.  I felt weak and whiny today and I HATE that feeling :( My trainer kept pushing me but also understood that we all have bad days.

I felt much better after a yummy dinner though.  I have never been much of a cook, but now that I live and breathe training/dieting I have started really getting into cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, I love it!! Tonight I had a Turkey burger with avocado and tomato on top, cauliflower, and kidney bean dip. YUM! I will send a picture and recipes soon.

Train hard and live healthy,

Andrea