Beginning Workout!

I know that a lot of people are curious as to what EXACTLY what I'm doing. So I figured that I would write here for everyone to see. The more people getting in fit the happier the world will be right?!?


DAY ONE: Legs

Leg extensions 4x10
Hamstring curls machine 4x10
Squats (1 warm up set, 3 regular) 4x10 * I did assisted at first.*
Lunges (standing in place, one leg at a time) 4x10
Good mornings 3x15 (holding plate)
Calf raises 4x10

DAY TWO: Abs & Shoulders

30-45 second rest in between sets

Planks 3x60 seconds
Standing oblique crunches 25lb plate
Bicycle kicks 5x30
V-ups on bench 5x20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upright Rows Pulley Machine 4x10
Side Lateral Raises 5x10
Front Lateral Raises 5x10


DAY THREE: Back

Lat Pulldown 4x10
Back Flies 5x15
Bentover Rows 4x10

DAY FOUR: Chest

Incline dumbbell press 4x10
Chest flies 5x15
Bench Press 4x10
Push Ups 3x10

DAY FIVE:  Bi's, Tri's, Calves

Dumbbell curls 4x10

Skull crushers 4x10

Standing calf raises 5x20

Hammer curls 4x10

Tricep extensions 4x10

Donkey calf raises 4x10

* Every day I did 30-45 minutes of cardio as well as 200 jumping jacks at the end of my workouts.  When I didn't have much to do on a workout day I did more cardio. Along with this excercise regime I drank 1 gallon of water per day. Trust me you get dehydrated easy!  I also ate five times a day every three hours.

This is what I just started with. I've added more workouts that I started to do experiment more. If you do happen to give these a shot please let me know. Give me some feedback on what you did or didn't like in these. Thank you for your support. I will always support those who want to lead a better life.

:) J9

Clean peanut butter chocolate cups !

This chocolate treat is simply amazing and guiltless!
I got this recipe from a fitness guru that I follow on Instagram @loving_trd but to set mine apart from hers I added agave instead of stevia and added some flax seeds.


4 TB melted coconut oil
4 TB cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 TB creamy peanut butter ( I made 2 TB of PB2 )
3 TB (give or take) of agave
1 TB flax seed (ground)

Mix all the ingredients together and scoop into muffin liners.
Place in refrigerator from approx 30 minutes or until hard .
Last but not least enjoy this AMAZING treat :)


Happy Sunday :)



:) J9

Clean French Toast!

I know what you're thinking.. how can there be such a thing? This recipe is simple and DELICIOUS!!! 
I've cut out the "bad" sweets in my life because it was so bad for me. However, I've really enjoyed things like peanut butter, dark chocolate and nutella instead of craving red velvet cheesecake.

• 6 pieces of whole wheat bread 
• 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg 
• 1/2 cup almond milk 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• coconut oil for the pan

* FILLING & TOPPING

1 TB nutella
1 TB peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp flax seeds

~~~~~~~~~
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon


Directions:

1. Beat egg whites and egg together. 
2. Add in almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla. 
3. Dip bread into mixture . 
4. Spread coconut (lightly) over the heated pan. 
5. Cook bread approximately 1 min per side- this step depends on how toasted you would like your bread to be-. 
6. Set aside. 

Filling 

Mix peanut butter and nutella together until smooth and well incorporated.
Add in flax seeds.

Topping

Mix cinnamon and yogurt together and whip with a fork until creamy. (This replaced my need for whipped cream or syrup)


Now that you've made all of your components...

1. Take 2 pieces of your french toast and spread the filling mixture on one side of each of the slices of bread. 
2. Place the filling side on top of one another (as if you're making a sandwich) . 
3. On top of your french toast place a dollop of the yogurt topping. 

Enjoy!! 


:) J9

Dieting...

The thought of that word intimidates me. "Dieting" = Devil in my mind, but I know that it's essential with me trying to get in better shape and lean out . I don't know how some people diet their lives away, to me they are confining themselves as well as punishing themselves.  As for me I've been thinking of quite a few ways to go about eating better: becoming a vegan/vegetarian, counting calories or simply just eating clean.

Coming from Filipino background eating meat is a must, however I've never really cared to HAVE meat. Meat is good, but not great for me. Weird I know... but I don't care to gnaw on a piece of meat for an hour. However, if I went through with the vegan/vegetarian route it would really take a toll on my normal eating because I'm well aware of the fact that becoming either of those things isn't something that can be done overnight. Both of those options are out of the question.  * Especially because I would have to spend DOUBLE the money on food because my husband is bulking at this point and hates most veggies.

Next option: counting calories!! (Insert fake cheering here) I was doing really well at this for a couple of weeks. I was under my calories and taking the extra time to read each nutrition label I came across. On the other hand, thanks to my obsessive "A" personality I was competing with myself. I was no longer worried about the nutritional aspect of the food because now all I could see was the numbers. I was obsessed with attaining a certain number even if I wasn't getting the right proteins/carbs/fats I needed during the day. As soon as I recognized my problem, I dropped this option as well. I knew that it wasn't a healthy solution for me.



FINAL OPTION: Clean eating. I've done quite a bit of research on this subject over the course of the month. It's intrigued me immensely to say the least. The entire concept of "clean eating" is getting what you need from healthy unprocessed foods.... drum roll please..... meaning that you actually have to COOK ALL of your food and not go to the boxed dinner for a simple solution.  This concept of eating is simply wonderful and it has shown that it really does work-even for my husband that is bulking up. This "diet" isn't about counting anything it's about eating better to feel and look better. It's done wonders for my mood, appearance as well as my energy level all day. It's also a plus to spend time with my husband in the kitchen to teach him how to cook. This way of looking at food changed everything for me because I can recreate my favorite "junk" foods without the "junk" .

Progress pictures

It is unbelievably difficult for me to post these pictures however I know that I can't hide the ugly side of getting in shape. I promised myself that I would be honest to myself and honest to my supporters. I want to say that I know that by no means am I obese or fat, but I want to be comfortable in my skin and I haven't been. Im completely healthy for my size (4' 11" and 113.6 lbs) .I've always compared myself to other people whether it's celebrities or people I know in my life. I was never happy doing that : I just felt horrible about myself because I was envious of what I knew I could never have. Never again will I compare myself to someone. I want to compete with myself instead of competing with others. This journey is allowing me to confront my greatest fears and I'm proud. I'm taking this one day at a time.

My regimen so far has to eat healthy meals every three hours . Meal prep is essential so that I'm prepared even when busy days hit me out of nowhere. I've been drinking a gallon of water each day as well as working out five days a week (cardio and weight lifting) . In four weeks I've lost 3 lbs and an inch off my waste. I've gained self confidence in my clothing as well as a much more positive attitude towards life. My attitude has gone from "I can't " to "I WILL!" . This won't be the first set of progress pictures , I promise .




:) J9

Veggie chips

I've been craving chips lately, but I've found out that the "healthy" veggie chips that I use to love oh so much are caked in salt and oils. I didn't want that because it defeats the purpose of me tying to eat better. So I took carrots and sweet potatoes to experiment making my own veggie chips. They were delicious and satisfying and better than store bought ones. If you try them let me know what worked for you and what didn't !


CARROT CHIPS

Carrots ( I used 3 large ones )
Spray canola oil
Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning ( you could also use salt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel carrots and slice them thin
Place on baking sheet and spray with canola oil
Sprinkle with seasonings (do this on both sides)
Bake for 25 minutes
Let cool



SWEET POTATOES

1 sweet potato (medium sized )
Spray canola oil
Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle (you could also use salt)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel sweet and slice them thin ( I sliced them into circles)
Place on baking sheet and spray with canola oil
Sprinkle with seasonings (do this on both sides)
Bake for 30 minutes
Let cool

Smoothie Fever!

I love love love sweets so when I had to cut them out of my diet it was bittersweet for me. However, with lots of pintersting ( I know that's not a word) I found some smoothies/shakes that satisfied my sweet tooth cravings.

Apple Pie Smoothie

 5 almonds

 1 small red apple

 1  banana

 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

 3/4 cup almond milk

 1 tsp  sprinkle of cinnamon

 3/4 scoop of protein choice ( I enjoy Gold Standard Whey Protein in French Vanilla Creme)

 *ice if wanted

 * magic bullet.

Carrot Cake Smoothie

4 carrots juiced
3/4 cup almont milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 frozen banana
1/2 tbl flax seeds
3/4 scoop of protein choice
*magic bullet

I know that I don't have any pictures of mine on here but I promise to post more pictures each week. If you do make either (or both) of the smoothies let me know how you like them!


:) J9

Motivated by life

I'm sore today, but I honestly think this is the best feeling in the world. I've taken progress pictures lately.  I'm seeing tremendous changes . I love being able to see change. I'm not ready to post picture on the World Wide Web just yet but I'm excited to do so soon. The lifestyle changes of working out, becoming more positive and eating healthier has been amazing. I can't wait to see the future holds now.

Rediculed and confused

All I can think about today is the fact that with this new change in my life (with every change I decide to make) some people would rather judge me rather than encourage  me. I've acquired a thick skin towards these things however now more than ever it bothers me. It bothers me because it's as if I don't "fit in" with the type of people that work out. On the outside, people see a 4' 11" "skinny" girl however if you knew me you would know that though I may not be the biggest person in the world I am conscious about my weight and my height. I want to be strong and fit so that I can set an example. I feel like there is a lot of judging going on around me before they actually get to know me. I want to encourage people with their dreams whether it is to be fit or getting your dream job. It seems easy but let's see how it all goes. I'm looking for positivity all around.

Getting it Together

I failed miserably when I tried to create this blog a year ago. I wanted to write every day for 2012 but I didn’t do that at all. I went strong about a week in and gave up. I found that in 2012 I started so much that I never got to finish anything I started. I want this year to be different. I know how cliché that must sound but I NEED it to change because I’m sick of always starting over. So with that being said, I will make it my mission to stick with this blog this year. A majority of what I want to track on here is my journey through getting fit and life in general. I’m hoping that it will give me the motivation I need to stick with something.