BBG week four Q&A

1. Have I given this first month my best effort?

Tough question- the answer is yes though. Over the past month I've evaluated my efforts after every workout. I've analyzed where I could have pushed harder and where I was listening to my mind more than my body in terms of scaling back and using modifications. Did I push myself to my breaking point with each round? No. But I didn't skip one workout or one minute of the guides and pushed myself mentally and physically everyday. Most importantly I've grown more in the past month than I have in the past with 2 years of crossfit programming.

2. The #1 improvement I have noticed this month?

My ability to step back and really analyze my performs in a workout and honestly assess if I had given 100% or not. I would say that I've always been more of a "cardio bunny" with my workouts until about 4 years ago when I started focusing more on body weight and strength training exercises. Through the past four years I never really questioned my workouts or if I'd given "my all".  I've never had a community like the BBG community to reflect and share my experience with. Some days the #deathbykayla hashtag seemed all too literal while some days I felt like I could have pushed harder. Which had me step back and start being a little more analytical of my performance than I had in the past. I have to say in the past if I left a crossfit class not feeling like I got the best workout I would think to myself "wow the WOD (workout of the day) was weak today" not that I hadn't given my all (which was probably more of the case looking back).

3. The #1 thing I can work on moving forward?

Pushing myself physically and not listening to my mental limitations. My motto moving forward is that if I attempt a push-up for example from plank form and can't do it that ok I'll scale down to my knees but I have to at least try it from the full form before I use any modifications. I'm not trying to push my body elite athlete style but I want to know that I'm giving my all while being patient with my body and trusting the process takes time. 

4. My toughest hurdle this month?

I don't really think I had any "tough" hurdles- however in the past it was always by goal to train 6 days a week but if my son was having a bad day and I was exhausted I'd skip a workout here and there and be ok with 5 workouts a week. With the BBG guides that wasn't an option for me. I was going to do exactly what Kayla recommends in the exact way she recommends to do it. So a few days in the beginning I had to get extra creative with fitting my workouts into my busy mom life but I feel like that "hurdle" has passed now and at this point it's not even a question of how I'll get it done just of when.

5. What I want to remember about this month?

The amazing progress I've been able to make in just 30 days. I've upped my weight for all weighted exercises by 10 pounds. Gone from doing commandoes modified on my knees after five sets in plank to being able t do the whole round of 12 sets two times around in planks! One of my favorite fitness quotes has always been "one of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago your body couldn't do what it just did". I've always been inspired by that quote and progressed in my workouts but never been able to relate to the two week time period in the quote. If you would have told at the start of the program the progressions I would make in just a short month with my abilities I would not have believed you. 

My daily positive affirmations for my son

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become" -Buddha 

The definition of an affirmation is that we are declaring it to be true. An affirmation is a positive sentence you say to yourself and out loud to the world for your intentions for yourself. These intentions overtime become engrained in our mind as reality therefor becoming reality. Some people would compare it to a "fake it till you make it" mentality. 

The words we say to ourselves internally and out loud are so powerful and go a long way in manifesting our destiny. Your thoughts are so powerful and affirmations (if you truly believe them) can program your mind to believe what you're saying is true.

As children if we're told were creative, smart, etc. it stays with us in our conscious and unconscious mind for the rest of our lives. The same is true for any negative statement children hear - that can go a long way in disrupting healthy self esteem and creating negative mind patterns they'll have to deal with for the rest of their lives. 

Ever since I've had my son my desire to be the best role model for him has been a number one priority. I know as his mom I am the most important person in his life for the time being and my actions from his birth will go a long way in shaping his priorities for life. On a day to day basis I eat healthy and exercise to show him the importance of taking care of our bodies. Now that he's almost 9 months old (don't know how that happened!) I'm working on ways to make sure he has a positive self image and mindset. It seems everyone has an opinion on how he looks- of course we hear how adorable he is from everyone but we also hear a lot of comments on how "big he is" or how "big his head is". I know no one means any harm by their observations but I want to make sure as his mom I'm doing everything in my power to make sure he doesn't label himself as a "big kid" etc. Everyday before we go to bed we look in the mirror and say "I love myself and I love my body". Even tough right now he doesn't understand my words I know one day he will and that for now he feels the energy and love from the message. 

The 5 Ingredient "rule"

When it comes to what kinds of food you buy at the grocery store there are a lot of opinions. Some people feel you shouldn't buy food with ingredients on the label you can't pronounce. Some people are anti processed food at all (a lovely idea but not always realistic). Or my personal favorite - the 5 ingredient "rule". This is as simple as its sounds- don't buy food with more than 5 ingredients on the food label. This simple to follow rule eliminates most junk food from your diet. This particular rule is a nice way to still be able to indulge in treats like chips and ice cream but make sure you're eating the healthiest versions you can. 

I totally get it that in alot of people's busy day to day lives grocery shopping is more of a hassle than anything else and the thought of taking the extra time to read through each ingredient on the food label of what you're buying just isn't realistic. Until one day you make the time and realize the "go-to" chip you've been getting for years now has over 15 ingredients on the nutrition label! If you take the extra time on one grocery trip and analyze a few other options you'll easily find a new "go-to" chip with under 5 ingredients. You'll even find some chips with as little as 2 ingredients- potatoes and oil! 

If you're interested in digging a little deeper there's a few ingredients you'll find in 5 ingredient or less foods that you want to avoid regardless-

-hydrogenated anything

-mono sodium glutamate 

-high fructose corn syrup

I personally don't stress about the protein, fiber and fat contents on ingredient labels because I know my diet contains an abundance of fresh produce and healthy fats and proteins to supply my body what it needsnutrient wise. Overall the 5 ingredient rule is designed to make it easier to make healthy food choices while not taking up too much time researching everything on the food label. 

BBG week three Q&A

1. One thing that surprised me about myself this week-

 I was surprised that I was able to up my weights from 20lbs to 30lbs for my squat presses and my weighted step ups. The first week I struggled with 10 lb Dumbbells in each hand and I didn't really think I was going to progress to 15lbs in each hand in under three weeks. After my second resistance session on Wednesday I evaluated my workout and realized that although I was exhausted at the end of the round with the squat presses I wasn't exhausted with that particular exercise. So on Friday I started out with the 15lb dumbbells in each hand for the squat presses and got exactly what I was looking for - struggling to get through the last 3 of the 15 reps while still in good form.

2. The #1 thing that made me happy this week was-

I didn't plan to backtrack on the progress I made last week in my push ups. (Last week I started to push myself and do 5 push ups in plank form drop to my knees for one then pop back up to plank for a few etc instead of doing the first couple in plank and dropping to my knees for the remainder of the set). 2 of my 3 resistance sessions I totally phoned in my push-ups on my knees and didn't even attempt them in plank position. I was super frustrated with myself after the Monday and Wednesday workouts because I know I could have pushed harder. But the #1 thing that made me happy was that come Friday's resistance session I pushed myself and did the whole set of 15 in plank form for the first time ever! Now to just make it a habit. I think a little pep talk before each session might be in order - mind over matter!

3. Something that didn't go as planned this week was-

It's been a goal of mine for a few years now - that I've been very inconsistent with - to be able to do a full set of 15 push ups in proper plank form. Last week I thought I'd made a big stride closer to my goal but this week like I mentioned above on 2 of my 3 resistance workouts I was so fatigued I didn't even attempt a push up in plank form and just started right from my knees! It didn't go as planned for me to backtrack like that. At the time I thought I was listening to my body but as soon as the workout was done I realized it was my mind I was listening to and there was no reason I couldn't have attempted those push ups from a plank.

4. My toughest hurdle this week was-

Hands down keeping my eating in line was my toughest hurdle. I live by that saying "you can eat your way through any workout" and normally have an easy time staying regimented with a clean diet where I count calories and monitor macro portions. This week I was coming off of #oneperfectweek where I was extra strict for a week straight and I just felt like I was more hungry and craving sugar and carbs so way more than normal. It was a huge lesson for me to just maintain my normal 90% good 10% "cheat" routine daily instead of trying any restricting diet like that. A few days this week my diet wasn't nearly as on point as it normally is and I really feel it affected my progress for the week. Live and learn!

5. What I want to remember about this week was-

I want to remember how strong your mind is in what your body can do. It really is so mental in terms of pushing yourself. I really had to evaluate my workouts after my first two resistance sessions and realize I was hardly pushing myself as much as I had in the previous week- crazy easy it is to start to rest on our laurels. Moving forward my game plan is to give myself a mental pep talk with goals before each workout. If I try and my body is exhausted and can't go where I'm trying to push it that's ok- but I at least need to know I'm trying.

6 health benefits of Apple Cidar Vinegar

Recently I've been obsessed with using Apple Cidar Vinegar (ACV) as a dressing straight up on my salads. My love for it mainly started from only having 400 calories or so left for dinner and not wanting to waste half of them on salad dressing. At first I found it to be a bit of an acquired taste but once I got used to it I find I quiet like the taste on a wide range of salads! It's become very refreshing. I started doing a bit more research on ACV as its very well known in the holistic health world as the most beneficial of all the vinegars. Apple Cidar Vinegar has been used for many centuries for everything from a cleaning solution to an aid in weight control. While some of the benefits of ACV are more "old wives tales" many other benefits have been scientifically proven! 

Here are some of the top health benefits of drink ACV:

-calm an upset tummy

The antimicrobrial properties and pectin can calm an upset stomach and help fight bacteria including diahrea when mixed with water and drank.

-cure a sore throat

When garbled the bacteria fighting properties in ACV can fight any bacteria in your throat that might be causing you discomfort.

-clears a stuffy nose

The potassium in ACV when swallowed can thin out the mucus build up in your nose and help clear up a runny nose!

-help with weight loss

The acidic taste of ACV helps to suppress your appetite - while increasing your metabolism and reducing bloat from water retention! Also the anti glycemic effect in ACV helps to control blood sugar leaving you feeling fuller for longer. 

-give you more energy

The amino acids, potassium and enzymes of ACV help relieve feelings of exhaustion in part by getting your lactic acid flowing.

-curing bad breath

-since ACV fights bacteria- gargling it helps fight bacteria in your mouth that would otherwise result in bad breath!

-stopping hiccups

By over stimulating the nerves in your throat with its sour taste swallowing ACV straight up when hiccuping can stop your hiccups in their tracks!

With many other benefits from teeth whitening to clearing up bad skin there are so many reasons to incorporate ACV into your daily healthy regimen!

My #oneperfectweek setback

I recently participated in a food and fitnes challenge called #oneperfectweek. The overall rules of #oneperfectweek are as follows :

-6 days of working out

-1 rest day

-8 hours of sleep a night

-drink plenty of water

-no alcohol 

-no cheat meals

Overall on a day to day basis I find myself following the above guide with adding in a treat here or there if I'm craving one- I would say the 90% good 10% bad rule of thumb. I decided to partake in this challenge for fun just to say I did it if you will. For my challenge I committed to :

-6 days working out

-1day rest

-only drinking tea and water

-no flour or sugar

-2,000 calories a day of 35% fat - 25% protein and 40% carbs

I went into the challenge pretty confident since like I said my normal eating routine isn't far off. From day one I found myself craving sweets more - I took it as the whole theory you want what you can't have. So I went into day 2 saving some of the fruit I eat as carbs for a treat at night so I'd have something to satiate that craving. The rest of the week went as planned and towards Friday I even thought of keeping it going and joining the #iquitsugar challenge I'd stumbled upon! As I started planning out days ahead I realized that we were having company and it wouldn't be fair to serve food with no flour and sugar to fit my needs- also that I didn't want to make my guests feel uncomfortable by not eating the food I served but a "special" meal so I decided to go back to my normal routine of one cheat meal a week and the 90/10 rule. 

Boy am I glad I stopped when I did! I lost maybe 2 pounds the whole week - and when I came off and had my well deserved cheat meal it's like I couldn't get enough sugar and carbs!! I had the worst sugar high - didn't even feel good but my body was craving more! Since I know the more simple carbs you have the more your body craves them I tried to ignore my cravings but found myself for 3 days straight after just wanting sugar and sweets! So much more than normal - and I ended up gaining the 2 pounds I lost back and then another 2 on top of that! 

It became clear to me that importance of giving your body in moderation what it's craving at the moment. If you are craving chocolate and add into your daily calories a piece of chocolate or on a cheat meal splurge then you're going to help maintain your cravings and keep them at bay. It's simply unrealistic and unsustainable to never splurge on a treat or a craving. A lot of people have the experience I did after a crash diet or juicing diet - really any kind of restrictive diet to binge when it's done and just crave all the sweets they avoided so much more than they normally would have if they didn't try the diet. 

Eating slower

As a new mom I've developed that terrible habit most new parents do of eating my meals way too fast. It's so much easier to throw a salad down in under 5 minutes rather than to take 30 minutes standing up holding your baby on your hip with one hand and eating with your opposite hand. Even when people are over and offer to hold my son or he's asleep I find myself eating way too fast so I can be ready in case he starts crying for me. It's really taken away some of the pleasure that I was had of eating a nice meal. A lot of new parents go through this as well as a lot of busy people all over that are going 1,000 miles an hour through their days. 

It's very important that we slow down our eating and keep conscious of the fact that it takes our stomachs 20 minutes to communicate to our brains that were full. Eating slower is also important to be able to get the maximum amount of enjoyment and pleasure out of our meal. 

Other than being conscious to eat slower and take more breaks between bites - here are a few easy ways you can set a more mindful environment for yourself -

-Don't let 4 hours pass in between meals 

-Drink a large glass of water before every meal 

-Always sit down at a table to eat

-Don't eat in front of the tv

-Turn on some music 

-don't bring your phones or tablets to the table 

BBG week two Q&A

Had a pretty good week this past week! Checked a few things off my bucket list in the health and fitness department- 

-First and foremost officially done week 2 of the Bikini Body Guide *yayy*!

-Also done my #oneperfectweek personal challenge where I committed to a diet of 2,000 cals a day consisting of 35g fat, 25g protein, and 40g carbs - only drinking tea and water - not eating flour or sugar - and training 6 days a week (most of which is pretty normal 80% of the time for me just tightening up that extra 20%). 

-AND to boot I did a week at home long teeth whitened program! Lol

Here's my BBG week 2 Q&A:

1. One thing that surprised me about myself this week was-

I was able to get my abs sore for days! Even week one I didn't get the lovely hurts your abs to walk up stairs - hurts your abs to turn the steering wheel when your driving feel. In the past I've had the hardest time exhausting my core and getting sore for days from a workout like I could easily do for my upper body or legs. This week I was pleasantly surprised to wake up Thursday after arm and ab day with a hard time lifting myself out of bed due to my sore abs. Yay for non scale victories!!

2. The one thing that made me happy this week was-

There was so much that made me happy this week throughout my BBG journey but if I had to pick one thing it would be I really pushed myself a lot harder than I normally have for years of working out.  Example: for a push up I'm not able to do more than 5 in perfect form all the way chest touching the floor in proper plank position so I'll drop to my knees and finish the set with 10 on my knees. This week I did 5 push ups in plank - then 2 on my knees then forced myself up for 4 more in plank than 1 on my knees etc. I really dug deep and pushed myself harder than I thought I could go. 

3. Something that didn't go as planned this week-

I skinned My elbows from all the comandos! (For any non - BBGer a comando is a high plank lowered down to a forearm plank right side first then left side brought back up to high plank right side first than left side and repeat the opposite side. BBG will have you do about 15 on each side for 3x total a few times a week!) at first when I took a shower after my Wednesday resistance session I felt a burn when the water hit the raw part of my elbow and immediately thought score! I worked out so hard I have a battle wound!! Then when my elbows hurt just bending them in a long sleeved sweatshirt it wasn't as fun. But it's ok I know it'll heal and its part of the process of pushing myself to my max.

4. My toughest hurdle this week was-

Pushing myself harder than I've ever pushed myself more mentally than psychically. Like I mentioned I pushed with more high plank push us then dropping to my knees more than I ever thought I could. For months I probably psychically could have done what I did this week but mentally I've been holding myself back. I think it was Wednesday during my 2nd set of comandos my mind totally went blank and I literally was so exhausted mentally and pyshically that I lost total count of my reps and what side I was on. That's never happened to me in a workout before and really took me by surprise. But I just powered through then for the next set of comandos made sure I was tracking it extra carefully so I wouldn't blank out like before.

5. What I want to remember about this week is-

In just two short weeks I can already feel major improvements I'm both my strength and cardio. I feel better all around - taking control of your health and fitnes and really pushing yourself in both aspects is just the best feeling!

Enough excuses!

Most people that workout on the regular have at least a few people in their life that don't and communicate a lot to them why they can't workout. Sure there are medical reasons why some people should not work out - but most of the time the excuses are not valid reasons why they can't workout. It's all about your personal priorities. Here are some of the top excuses people make to justify not working out and why they are NOT valid:

-TIME

Even if you just get your blood flowing and body moving for 30 minutes a day that's literally 2% of your day! The average person spends way more than 30 minutes a day watching tv, cruising the Internet, on social media, etc. So if this is really you're excuse than try saying "It's not a priority" instead of "I don't have time" and see if that changes your mindset at all. 

-KIDS

Using your children as an excuse to not workout is just that a big excuse. I've worked out with my son in the carrier since he was 6 weeks old (carefully of course)! How can I raise my child telling him to workout and eat healthy if I don't myself? We are our children's biggest role models. Although there's no denying things can get a little more complicated working out with little ones in tow it all goes back to the old adage "where there's a will there's a way"! There are tons of videos on YouTube of parents working out incorporating kids of all ages to help motivate and give some ideas. I always say my son is my reason not my excuse. 

-TOO TIRED

It's totally understandable to want to hit the snooze button before your day starts or sit on the couch and watch tv instead of working out at night. But you just need to commit! It's proven if you skip one day you're more likely to skip consecutive days and not stay on a regimen. Screw the whole "starting on Monday" idea! Why let another day pass before you take the steps to be the healthiest person you can be for your family your friends and most importantly yourself. Start controlling your mind and commit - even 3 days a week is going to get you more progress than nothing!

-COST

Gym memberships can range from $10 a month to $100 a month depending on the facility. If you're not in a financial position to spare anything that's totally ok. There are hundreds of body weight exercises you can do from the comfort of your own home for free! Again YouTube is a great tool when you're just starting out with a routine to get you going.

There are countless more excuses out there but with each one comes countless reasons why you should workout anyway (unless you have a medical reason of course). Take control of your body and your mind and start moving today for a healthier tomorrow. 

The skinny on "meatless Monday"

Meatless Monday is such a simple easy way to take benefit your overall health through your nutrition. There's been a lot of research done on  the health benefits of going a vegetarian or even partly vegetarian lifestyle. Vegetarians over time have much lowered risks of cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure! It's totally understandable that most people aren't ready to give up meat and commit to all out vegetarianism. Which is what's so great about meatless Monday. It's as simple as simple as it sounds - dedicating one day a week to not eating any meat. The day of the week Monday comes into play in part for the catchy name but also with the thought that it'll kick start your week with healthier habits. Going meatless in your meals just one day a week can imporove your health, your finances, as well as the environment! Here are the main reasons you should give it a try :

-meatless meals generally produce lower calorie meals which over time will hel lean you out

-meatless meals have less saturated fat and cholesterol!

-meatless meals overall provide your body with more fiber, vitamins and minerals

-meat in general costs much more per pound than tofu, beans or vegetables. So meatless meals {most of the time} cost less to make.

-with healthcare premiums being what they are and such a burden to so many people out there - adopting a meatless day of the week and improving your overall health will lower your risks of the top preventable diseases in turn lower future and overall health care costs.

-eating less meat and more produce just once a week helps with lowering water consumption. It takes almost 50 times the water to raise livestock as it does fresh produce! Pretty crazy! 

Consciously adopting Meatless Monday's (or whatever day of the week you can go meatless) is a great step to controlling your health and nutrition. Not to mention a nice way to challenge yourself with some new recipes and bring some new additions to your household meals. The zucchini "meatballs" pictured above were a huge hit with my husband. He even asked me to make them again and told me he couldn't even tell they didn't have meat in them!  

Let's talk "fast food"

When most people think of fast food they think pizza or places like McDonald's. Some people even get excited to be able to get food for $1 at places like that. Seriously think about it - food should NOT cost $1! Over the past few decades the amount of money we spend on health care and food has flipped- I don't have the exact numbers but something like 30 years ago people spent 80% of a percentage of their money on food and 20% on health care and medical bills. Now it's the opposite the average person spends something like 5 times more on health care costs than food BECAUSE they're eating bad food. 

Being a stay at home mom to an 8 month old that will let me put him down for 10 minutes at a time maybe once or twice an hour if I'm lucky doesn't give me a lot of time to prepare fancy meals (totally not complaining my son is the best thing ever and I'm gonna have killer arms in the end ;). It would be so easy for me to get processed food and microwaveable dinners. But even the "Healthy Choice" prepared meals contain up to 100 times the level of sodium in them than fresh food. Think about it fresh veggies only last a week or so when they're store bought so really how much processing etc is going into so many of the foods out there that don't expire for months yet have fresh foods in them. ALOT!

In an ideal world meal prepping for a few days is a great way to stay ahead of the game and make sure that in your everyday busy life you have healthy options to eat on the run. But we all know too well we hardly live in an ideal world - sometimes life just gets ahead of me and I can't meal prep. I can just as easily throw a salad together or throw a microwaveable meal in the microwave - the salad obviously is the much healthier option. The salad above is my "go-to" on meal when I'm starving with no meals prepped or when my son is giving me one of my 10 minute "breaks" to prep a meal and gobble it down!

-pre washed veggies

-microwaveable organic chicken strips (ideally I oven grill a box of organic chicken breasts and have them in the fridge at all times but if I'm out - easy!)

-microwaveable quinoa (again- ideally I meal prep a few cups of quinoa and have them in the fridge at all times but this works in a pinch)

-chopped up red onion (to add a nice crunch and make me not miss croutons)

There's really no excuses here- this and so many other meals can take just about the same exact time as a microwaveable meal but tastes so much fresher and is so much healthier! Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.

The importance of the food scale

My food scale is by far the most used tool I have in my kitchen. I came across a YouTube video a while back while researching macro counting that really opened my eyes to the absolute need to weigh my food over measuring it if I want to properly track my nutrients and calories. 

Experiment a little - measure out a scoop of protein powder which should be easy right? They give you the one serving scoop in the container when you buy it! Now weigh the scoop you measured out that is supposed to be exactly the serving amount. Now see how many grams you've measured out under or over the serving size. It's so easy to pack too much protein powder (or anything really) when measuring vs weighing! I did this little experiment when I first started weighing my food and 9 out of 10 times I was measuring out at least 5 grams too much protein powder! No big deal right? Ehh not so much - if there's 37 grams of protein powder in a serving and 150 calories a serving and you have 2 scoops of protein powder a day rounding up 10 grams that's an extra 40 calories right there! And that's just for something as little as protein powder. The average person that doesn't use a food scale underestimates their daily food intake as much as 500 calories a day! Which can obviously be a huge detriment when trying to stay on track and reach goals. Also underestimating food canes silt wash away an hour of hard work and calories burned working out!

Even something as simple as an apple can differ as much as 30 calories depending on the size of it! Go into My Fitness Pal and track an apple - you'll see there's pre-set options in there anywhere from 242 grams to 100 grams with an 80 calorie difference between them!

Over time you'll begin to eye out what the correct measurements are of the foods you normally eat so some people only use a scale to kick start their awareness. Then there are some people who find the need to go so far and carry around a travel food scale to measure food out at restaurants! Personally when I can't weigh my food I try and eyeball it - or plan my week in advance and save the meal I can't weigh out as my cheat meal for the week so I don't have to worry about it. All in all knowledge and awareness is key to setting yourself up to crush your goals - whatever they are!

BBG week one Q&A

I'm 8 months post partum and lost the 60 plus pounds I gained through my pregnancy by the time my son was 5 months old through careful diet and exercise. I couldn't work out my whole pregnancy because of placenta previa so I was understandably a little lost when I started back into the swing of things. I got back into cross fit for a few weeks and thought I had my mojo back so I started working out at my home gym to save on the commute and restrictions of having to workout during their classes offered. As a stay at home mom my son is my number one priority and I'd much rather workout around his schedule than a gyms schedule. I've been thinking about starting BBG (the Bikini Body Guide) for some time but kept telling myself I workout with my son in the carrier most days so how could I do this with him in the carrier? Maybe if my son would nap for an hour in his crib daily I could get more of an independent routine going but that's another story. A girlfriend of mine does this so I asked her about it and she forwarded me info on the first 12 weeks. I tried it that day and was immediately hooked! Anyone who follows me on Instagram right now is painfully aware of my new obsession with BBG! Ha sorry guys but it's all about the accountability!

Here's a quick Q&A of my first week on the BBG 

1. One thing that surprised me about myself this week -

How out of shape I am! Ha I was doing HIIT workouts and a little cross fit before starting BBG and I really thought BBG was going to be easier than it was! You have 7 minutes to get as many rounds of a routine with 4 exercises in as you can. It's on you to focus on proper form while at the same time pushing yourself as hard as you can go in 7 minutes with a one minute break before the next 7 minute interval starts for a 28 minute period.

2. The one thing that made me happy this week -

Knowing with every workout I'm making myself a stronger mom to be the best example I can be for my son. It's so important to me that my son grows up with an emphasis on fitness and eating healthy- I know that I am and will be the best example of that for him. 

3. Something that didn't go as planned this week -

My procrastination for working out was more than normal! I wake up everyday and throw on my workout clothes with the intention to have my workout in by noon at the latest and twice this week I didn't finish until 9pm. As much as I wanted to do the workouts and am pumped to have this routine I knew it wasn't going to be pretty to get through so I found myself avoiding starting way more than normal. I'll have to see how next week goes with that- I know it's more mental than anything else.

4. My toughest hurdle this week -

Wednesday's upper body and abs lol literally THE hardest workout I've ever done! How did I become that girl that grunts to get through a set?! Ha I've been a member at many gyms and always laughed inside at the people grunting and groaning through their workouts but I somehow found myself being one of them! 

5. What I want to remember about this week -

How awesome I feel and how motivating the #bbgcommunity is! Anyone on Instagram has seen the amazing community Kayla itnesis has created! It's a bunch of women who are just there to support each other and motivate each other- no competition no hate no negativity. It's sad but it's hard to find that kind of support in women these days - a lot of gyms and crossfire boxes can be very clicky and what not but Kayla has developed something really special that every woman fits into!

The importance of cheat meals

Diet is arguably a more important factor than fitness when loosing weight and getting fit. Like Jillian Michaels always says "you can eat your way through any workout!" So true if you bust your butt working out for an hour and burn let's say 500 calories than go eat a pizza and have a calorie surplus for the day of even 300 calories over time you're going to gain weight. Like most all things health and fitness related there are so many differing opinions on how to maintain a diet for optimal health. From the die hard clean eaters of the world to the macro counters who believe you can eat anything as long as it fits your macros. There's even the Twinkie diet the professor from Kansas State University went on to prove you can loose weight while on a sole diet of twinkles (so gross)!! In the end it's all really about moderation including some well planned cheat meals! 

Switching up your calorie intake and giving your body a surplus once a week or so will actually trick your metabolism and kick it into high gear! When our bodies are used to a lower calorie intake our metabolisms automatically slow down to store the food we eat for energy longer. So when you change it up every so often and give ourselves a calorie surplus our metabolism gets all kinds of happy steps itself up a notch. This is important in preventing and overcoming the dreaded weight loose plateaus that are so easy to get lost in.

It's also important to keep in mind were only human! As disciplined as we can make our lives its not realistic to have only healthy food all the time. This becomes especially true when surrounded by people indulging in burgers and fries! While some people can live with that kind of temptation a lot of people go way overboard and binge after too long of eating healthy and backtrack on much of the progress they made. A good rule of thumb is to look at your week ahead and pick a meal you know will be your cheat meal so you can indulge and not feel guilty but have a game plan to jump right back on track. 

One of my favorite cheat meals is pancakes! I usually plan to indulge in them either on a Saturday or a Sunday at the end of the week as a reward of a good week on track. I also make a healthy Greek yogurt version of pancakes. Although they do have lots of sugar and flour I'm controlling the controllables if you will and giving myself an option with easily 1/2 the guilt of regular pancakes!

Should I eat back exercise calories?

So you've just ran a 5k or completed a HIIT workout- you've got your blood flowing your endorphins going and to boot you've burned 500 calories! Do you add those calories back into your diet for the day? Or do you stick to your bodies baseline of calories burned without any extras? This is a debatable topic depending on who you're talking to and what your goals are. Although there are some people - usually men or women who do Olympic lifting or cross fit that are trying to gain muscle mass that will eat back their calories to get their desired results. The average person working out is doing so to maintain and or loose weight. Here are a few points on why the average person should not add back in exercise calories-

BMR-

Weight loss is math calories in minus calories out .. easy to figure out. The first thing you need to be aware of is what your basil metabolic rate is (BMR- calories you burn everyday just by existing- on Average in the 1,800-2,200 depending on gender - weight - height and muscle mass). You can loose weight without working out just by creating a deficit in the number you're taking in as opposed to expending by just living. So if you're working out and burning 500 calories a day and eating you BMR calculation let's say 2,000 - you're putting your body at a 500 calorie a day deficit which is a perfect rang for long term attainable weight loss. 

Starvation Mode-

Now you want to be sure you're either cutting your daily calories and adding back in your exercise calories or eating your calculated BMR calories and not cutting exercise calories. If you cut both and put your body at a calorie deficit over 500 calories a day your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto your extra weight rather than loosing it. Which can really mess up your metabolism over time not to mention make you really crabby if your starving yourself to that level. 

Like I said weight loose is math - for every pound of fat you want to loose you have to burn 3,500 calories! So depending on how much weight you have to loose you have 3,500 extra calories to burn as backup energy for a reasonable calorie deficit! 

Fitness tracking- the good and the bad

It seems like everyday I get an email about the new activity tracker and why I need it! I wear my polar loop everyday and my polar FT60. I'm dating myself with the FT60 but hey- it still works so I'm sticking with it until it kicks and I can step up my game to the M400! I find knowing my heart rate during my training really makes me much more aware of my actual exertion vs my perceived exertion. Like that morning when you're super tired and you're dragging through a HIIT session thinking you're giving 100% - till you look down at your watch and see you're barely holding steady at 60% of your max heart rate! Really gives you a reality check to shift your training into beast mode. 

There are people on the opposite end of the spectrum who have been incredibly frustrated with their experience using fitness trackers. I read an article the other day some people are even suing manufacturers because their heart rate read was off! 

Here are some basic pro's and con's to fitness trackers-

Awareness a definite plus

For a lot of people - my husband included - their fitness tracker gives more motivation to move. My husband works a 9-5 and sits at a desk all day like so many people out there. He always assumed he was hitting a healthy goal with his activity till he started tracking it - reality check big time! 

Motivation a major plus

Since wearing his Fitbit my husband now takes the stairs up the 4 floors to his office everyday to help attain his daily goal. Also weather permitting he'll go on a 20 minute brisk walk around his office complex after lunch to break up his day and get his blood flowing. Just the awareness has made a huge impact for him and making little everyday changes that will make a big effect overall on his health over time. 

Healthy competition another plus

My husband and I like to compare our activity and see who does more which adds a little fun to the motivation mix. He texted me earlier today I need to "watch out" because he just got a new standing desk at work! So we'll see if this shakes things up a bit for our household - I'm very competitive so our dog might be getting a few more walks through the day! Ha

Inaccurate results for some 

Like I mentioned above the accuracy is a huge sticking point for some people. All of the results produced by fitness trackers are based off of general fitness math. If we're off with the weight we have entered into our devices they're going to be off with getting the results EXACT. So it's important for us to update our stats as we gain or hopefully loose weight. Other factors like genetics and hormones can make your metabolism and calorie burn faster or slower than the average - therefor skewing the results.

Elliptical use not tracked

This one is a huge frustration for me when it comes to my activity tracker (although some do track it I think Garnin makes one that does?). My heart rate monitor obviously always gets this but basic fit bits and my polar loop don't track elliptical use! I'll bust my butt for 45 minutes on the elliptical and it'll come off drenched in sweat and have barely any progress towards my daily goal. Lol I heard some trackers track fist pumping while driving as activity towards your daily goal - so this falls back to the accuracy component above being a con.

Overall when used as a tool to for a general assessment of your daily fitness and not taken so literally fitness trackers can be a great motivation! If you're a person that doesn't mind taking the results you get from these devices with a grain of salt to give or take a little then your experience with fitness trackers should be a good one!

Easiest microwaved baked sweet potatoes

I love sweet potatoes - I literally eat them everyday! Chopped into cubes baked and thrown on a salad, baked whole with a dalop of plain Greek yogurt, cut length into "rench fries" with a little maple syrup the possibilities are endless! Sweet potatoes along with quinoa and steel cut oats are my main sources of carbs. I eat a small amount of the three generally daily to make up my carbohydrate macros. Sweet potatoes are loaded with micronutrients making them not only an exceltlent source of carbs but also good for our immune system, our nervous and even our blood pressure! I could go on and on with the benefits here. 

The one draw back to sweet potatoes is how long it takes to prepare them. Baking them takes close to 45 minutes on average and although they do meal prep well we all have those days that sneak away from you and before you know it it's 6pm and you have nothing prepped for dinner. Would you believe me if I told you your sweet potatoes could be baked in the microwave in under 5 minutes while you throw a salad together!! 

Easiest baked sweet potatoes ever-

-scrub the skin of your sweet potato 

-wet a paper towel with water and squeeze dry in your hand so the towel is retaining water but not dripping wet

-wrap the sweet potato entirely with the wet paper towel - tucking the towel under the sides of the potato 

-microwave for 2-3 minutes (depending on the size of the sweet potato) 

-flip over and microwave for another 2-3 minutes 

VIOLA!

Side note -

I personally eat the whole sweet potato- the skin is where a lot of the vitamins are! 

And honestly it doesn't taste bad when cooked (I think it's more mental that some people think it's gross- try it!)

4 health risks of too much sodium

Sodium is a necessary component for our body to function. It helps us maintain nerve capacity, muscle function, blood pressure and blood volume. However a diet too high in sodium can be very harmful to our bodies. Particularly to our cardiovascular system, kidney functioning, digestive track and skeletal system. Scary right! 

Here are 4 negative affects of too much sodium:

- too much sodium can make your cardiovascular system work overtime

Excess dietary sodium bloats our cells making our blood pump harder to get through our bodies. This raises our blood pressure and makes our hearts work harder than they're meant to. This results can be as serious as strokes for some people that ignore the signs their bodies are trying to give them!

-too much sodium can increases your risk of cancer

Excess sodium increases your risk of stomach cancer. This risk mainly comes from ingesting too much salt which can wreck havoc on your stomach lining.

- too much sodium can cause reduced bone mass

Excess sodium makes our bodies loose calcium through our urine. That's right were literally peeing out our calcium  which is needed for healthy bones and to prevent osteoporosis! This increases our risks of broken bones in a completely avoidable way!

- too much sodium can lead to kidney failure

Since our bodies pee out extra amounts of sodium this creates a domino affect and can greatly damage our kidneys. This can lead to kidney failure in worse case scenarios.

Like I mentioned above a certain level of dietary sodium is necessary for our bodies to function - in the average of 2,300 mg a day give or take. Today's diet of processed food can easily throw your daily sodium levels up to double what your recommended daily intake is. Which can put you at risks for the above issues if you're not careful. Two things we can do to stay ahead of these risks are track our daily calories in an app like My Fitness Pal so we can see exactly the amounts per our weight we need vs the amounts were getting. Also - super easy - we can limit our intake of processed food!

4 reasons to eat peanut butter everyday

Peanut butter - in moderation - is super good for you and can have great health benefits! Here are four reasons you should eat peanut butter everyday-

-it's an excellent source of protein! Containing 4g of protein a tablespoon! This makes peanut butter a great source to building and repair muscles after training. Also peanut butter is packed with fiber which combined with the protein will help control your blood sugar and help you feel fuller longer.

-peanut butter helps improve your health! The unsaturated fat In peanut butter over time aids in heart health. Peanut butter also packs in the potassium! To be exact peanut butter has 105mg of potassium in every tablespoon which serve to help reduce stroke and blood pressure!

-the healthy fats and protein in peanut butter make it the perfect calorie dense food to start your day with and ensure you have the max amount of energy coming your way. I have eggs and peanut butter most mornings - DELISH! And a great way to jump start my metabolism for the day with some of the healthiest fats and proteins I can provide my body.

-peanut butter - again in moderation - actually has been proven to help aid in weight loss! With all the protein , healthy fats and fiber it packs it is the perfect calorie dense food to help sustain your blood sugar longer. Therefor it helps you stay fuller longer and helps fight off cravings!

Keep in mind quality of the food you eat makes a huge difference in how it affects your body and how it'll make you feel. The numbers above are a representation of organic natural peanut butter. Commercial brands lot of pb can have sodium levels up to double most natural brands -yikes!

Meal prep - Healthy Chocolate moose

Meal prepping is crucial for me to stay healthy with my food choices. I'm a huge proponent of planning out your meals in advance so you can make sure you not going over calories as well as getting a proper mix of healthy fats - proteins and carbs. I meal prep everything in my household in individual serve containers so I don't have to measure out my calories day to day when I'm running around. I take a few extra minutes while making the food to measure out servings. For me I find makes life a lot easier with servings pre measured. Also staying on track becomes much more realistic! I don't always get the luxury of the extra minute it takes to measure out my food when I'm going to eat it with a squirmy almost crawling 8 month old.

Here is a recipe for healthy chocolate mouse!

5 bananas 

2 1/2 avocados 

2/3 cup cocoa powder 

1 tbs vanilla extract

2 tbs maple syrup 

I mix the bananas in my food processor - add the avocados make sure everything is well mixed - then add the rest of the ingredients and mix for 5 more seconds and voila!

This will make six 4oz servings (the above picture is a double batch)

Each serving is 158 calories - 25g carbs / 9g fat / 3g protein

I like to make a double batch while I'm at it (mostly because I hate cleaning my food processor hahaa) but it freezes well! So I freeze 2/3 and keep a few in the fridge at a time for when my sweet tooth comes out to play!