Hello Vacation!

So, I have been working extremely hard the past two weeks to feel like I'm ready to splurge in Vegas. I am going all natural these days (no pre or post workout supplements except protein) and I have noticed how much harder I have to push to get the same amount of weight up. Buuuuuut I'm feeling good and working hard toward my goals and soon I will have my workout partner back to kick my butt.

I am leaving at 4am to head to the airport and fly to Sin City. I have already found an anytime fitness location ten minutes from where I am staying and plan on hitting the gym at least 3 out of the 5 days I am there. I am also taking my workout band to at least get in some arm workouts on the mornings I don't go to the gym. When you're on vacation, I'm sure we all can agree, the last thing you want to do is work out. However, think about how much better you'll feel when you get that huge ice cream cone on the boardwalk or eat that gourmet dinner and stuff yourself full of unhealthy goodness. It's ok to splurge. We can't live and constantly walk a tightrope on what we are allowed to eat or drink however we must be able to find a balance. My balance will be eating delicious meals but still keeping some of them healthy, indulging in some sweet treats but not going completely overboard, and going to the gym 3/5 days during my vacation so mentally I don't fall off the fitness wagon.

When I talked to my friend Brandon today we discussed finding a lifting competition this summer that I can enter. When I am back from my vacations I look forward to starting to train for that and kick it into high gear... another incentive to not go completely crazy on my trip and have to make up more ground when I return!

I don't know who, if anyone, is actually reading these but whatever you do or wherever you are in your fitness goals... keep working!

"Don't give 1/2 the effort unless you are satisfied with 1/2 the results!"

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit" -Aristotle


P.S. Good article on why women should lift heavy weights!
http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/8-reasons-why-you-should-lift-heavier-weights?page=3

Bloat Be Gone

So I woke up today and realized I will be flying to Vegas in a week! Then I looked at my belly and I was like "ooooOOOoooo". The weather has sucked lately and I have been feeling an extreme lack of motivation however, even though my cardio has been limited, I have still been hitting the weights. My problem is that when my cardio decreases, my bad eating habits creep in. What I need to focus on is eating healthy and clean when I'm not stressing cardio. So... for the next week I will be as strict as I can to eat natural diuretics, low sugar and sodium, and NO alcohol. A few good things to eat before getting into the bikini (and quite frankly good items to keep in your regular diet) include asparagus, cucumbers, lemons, cranberry juice, watermelon, and berries. I am also hoping to increase my cardio for the next week just to make me feel a little lighter before my trip.

Hot Lemon Diuretic 

* Makes two cups of hot tea.

2 organic lemons

Hot water

 Put water in to teapot. Boil water, squeeze 2 lemons in to teapot. After you’ve squeezed all juice in, throw all four pieces into to teapot. Lower temperature on the stove. Let this sit for about 2 minutes. Pour in to teacup. Drink up!

Always remember, starving yourself is never a good weight loss solution, in fact this throws our body into panic mode and it wants to start storing fat because your body in fact thinks it's starving! It is not always about the quantity of the food we eat but rather the types of food we are eating. Do some research and create a weekly meal plan for yourself and try to stick to it as close as possible. As I always say "knowledge is power". Know what you should be eating and what purpose each type of food serves for your body. And as my grandma Joanne always said, "if you are desperately craving something, your body is probably trying to tell you that you need something in it".

"There is no diet that will do what eating healthy does"

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not" -Mark Twain

"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear" -Buddha

"Life is not merely being alive, but being well" -Marcus Valerius Martialis

"Cheat Weeks"

So... I'm sitting with my best friend the other night who is trying to get himself back into shape and while joking after eating fast food two days in a row, he says "I'm allowed to have cheat weeks". It was funny at the time but soon after I thought of how much that resonated with me that I find myself falling into bad trends that last a week or so until I get myself back on track. Be it getting too busy, lazy, or other reasons... we struggle to stay consistent.

So how do we combat these trends? Cheat weeks? Ok...lets be realistic. Cheat days are normal.... and realistic but it is probably not going to be helpful to your long term goals to let it become more than a day here and there. When here and there days start running together and become cheat days or weeks... its time to reevaluate. How do you keep yourself on track and away from falling into back habits?

We all get to that point where we begin to question ourselves. This usually happens when one faces major obstacles in one’s life. Usually when someone reaches this point it is time to bring about change.

People who hit the wall begin to lose confidence in their abilities and question the direction their life is moving. When reaching this stage, it is imperative that you persevere and keep moving forward. No matter how difficult times may seem, it can always be worse.

"You have no idea what you are capable of until you try."

Just Keep Swimming

It has been 4 days since I've been to the gym. Unfortunately I have been struggling with a back strain and even though my mind is saying go, my body is saying NO... hell no. It's difficult when we have set backs and break up our routines. These types of things can often throw a wrench into our goals and make it hard to recover. However these are the times when pushing through and fighting to get back into routine really makes us stronger and boosts our confidence.

My favorite feel good movie is Finding Nemo and I always remember to JUST KEEP SWIMMING! Persistence is key to accomplishing any goals and slow progress is better than no progress. Remember, when you take even 15 minutes out of your day to exercise, it's something. Always be proud of putting in something because there are a lot of people doing nothing. And the more somethings that you do add up! Be proud of the small accomplishments but never satisfied... continue to push yourself and you will forever improve!

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."  -Norman Vincent Peale

"Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want."  -Jim Rohn

It's been TOO LONG

Alright, alright... as the title admits, it's been too long since I've posted anything but isn't this also usually pretty typical of our fitness goals? We put off working out, put off eating right, and let our busy lives often get the best of us. Maybe I'm only talking about myself but I'm sure a lot of people can relate. 

So first I wanted to comment on my last post when I was talking about supplements. I recently watched a special on nbc about workout supplements which contain the ingredient dmaa. Not good. Google it up if you would like to know the ins and outs of why it is potentially harmful but bottom line is that a lot of pre workout supplements contain it and the FDA does NOT regulate products that are considered dietary supplements. 

SO... I am doing my best to go 100% natural right now by taking no pre workout but continuing to drink a protein shake immediately following workout. Also, I will try to incorporate more natural products that help with fitness goals and weight loss including fish oil and ZMAs.

I have been maintaining my weight and muscle but have been making very little progress toward my goals. I would like to register for the tough mudder in Pittsburgh in August as one of my fitness competitions and since summer is right around the corner, challenge myself to start pushing a little more in the gym and increase cardio. For now, maintaining is better than slipping into bad habits.

I will try a little harder to write more often but I will leave you with this...

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ― Calvin Coolidge