Victorious Attitude

You cannot win the race, unless you follow through. You cannot blame the others, for it all depends on you. You cannot win the battle, if you do not raise your sword. You cannot claim a victory, if there is no reward. You cannot shape the future, if you wait until it’s here. The future has no purpose, if you live today in fear. Your future lies within your hand, to do with what you may. For tomorrow brings results, of what you’ve done today. The choices that you make today, reflect the life you seek. But first of all, the seeds are sown, before the gardener reaps. The future’s like a lump of clay, you hold within your hand. As time goes by, the clay gets hard, so mould it while you can. Failure is an attitude, that haunts the mind of man. But, results will be successful, for the one who knows HE CAN!

by James Kisner

Hola!

One of the largest equations in aiding fat loss is breakfast.  Many people skip breakfast and I don’t know how and I don’t know why.  I go to bed sometimes thinking what concoction I want to whip up in the morning.  I wake up starving and clunk down the steps right into the kitchen.  Many people tell me they don’t have time in the morning.  Do you want to see changes?  Then um, wake up 5 minutes earlier… then you will have time. If you don’t want something bad enough, you will find an excuse.  Here are some fast breakfasts I have been making each morning that can possibly help you.

Protein pancakes.  Man these are so simple and quick to make.  I have given this recipe out many times, but here it is again.  One egg, one banana, one scoop protein powder and one tbsp flax meal.  Whip it up in a food processor and then cook like you would a normal pancake (in a non stick pan with spray).  Top with whatever your big heart desires.

Sometimes I will just make the ‘ol eggs and bacon…. with a side of fruit or veg.

Egg muffins and egg quiches are the best.  Here is a great recipe for egg muffins.  I suggest making these on the weekend and then you will have one for every morning.

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/03/24/egg-cupcakes/

In the summertime I definitely crave cold fruit more than anything.  If I am in a total rush, I will simply cut an apple in half, core it and plop on some almond butter and coconut shavings.  If I have one more minute, I will mix a little milk and protein powder in with the nut butter, then add it on the apple.  Carbs, protein and fat baby!

This morning I had this because I wanted to make a green monster, but we were out of spinach.  Maybe because I had a green monster everyday this week and I jam as much spinach as I can into it?  Call me Popeye.  This is one frozen banana, scoop of protein powder and a splash of coconut milk mixed into a soft serve.  I blended it all in a food processor and then topped it with coco nibs and sunflower seed butter.

I really wanted to stay away from this one, but I can not be ignorant to the fact that people are still munching on the grains.  If you are and love oatmeal, you haaaaaave to make this!  The recipe is on the bottom of the linked page.

http://ohsheglows.com/2010/06/13/cherry-chocolate-bomb-vegan-overnight-oats/

New reader?  What’s my deal with grains?  I follow a paleo lifestyle (80%).  I do not eat grains (well maybe once a month). Check out this article as to why…  Robb Wolf has an uncanny way of describing the Paleo lifestyle without flubbing and looking for the right words to illustrate the amazing benefits of it.  I say you have to feel it to believe it.  Actions speak louder than words, right?

http://life.dailyburn.com/diet-and-nutrition/paleo-sounds-great-but-why-no-grains/

So, the point of this post is to drill into your head that you NEED to eat breakfast.  It quick starts your metabolism for the day.  Many people think that they can skip breakfast and save their calories for later on.  NOOO!  Don’t do that.  Once the time comes for you to want to eat, you will be starving and jam anything and everything in to your mouth.  You will wind up with 1,000 more cals in your belly at the end of the day than if you would have eaten a healthy breakfast and kept your hunger levels stable.  Eat good and nutritious fat, protein and carbs at every meal!

Tootles :)

Alright alright… Since we are going to enjoy some nicer weather today, your workout is based around the outdoors!

Workout Wednesday!

Warm up:1x

Jog around your block or jog a 1/4 mile

Jogging butt kicks down your drive way and back

Sides squats 20

push ups 10

Work It! 2x

20 jump squats

20 side lunges

Run around your block

Plank with knee tuck 20

Body weight tricep dips 20

Sprint down your driveway and back

Stretch!

Last night we had one of the most fun Spartan workouts to date.  10 people came last night.  I split the group up in to 2 teams of 5.  Each team was given a piece of paper with their workout on it.  It looked like this:

1.  Collectively perform 400 burpees

2.  Build a human pyramid, get Julie’s attention and have her time you for 30 seconds in place

3.  Run 200 m up hill with your partner on your back (each person runs and each person gets carried)

4.  Collectively perform 500 kettlebell exercises (you can chose from swings, SDHP or snatches)

5.  Perform leap frog.  Each person on your teams need to go 2x

6.  Hold a plank for 2 minutes as a team.  If one of your team mates goes down, you have another 30 seconds tacked on to the plank time.

7.  Each person on your team knocks out 10 pull ups.  While you are waiting for your turn, perform stationary lunges.

*While Julie walks around, if an exercise is not completed correctly, she will call no rep and the whole team does another rep.

* In between each task, each individual performs jumping jacks while spelling their name.  For example, I would perform 5 jacks .  J-U-L-I-E

I can not tell you how much fun I had watching them, cheering them on and supporting them.  It was HARD no doubt, but I know they had a blast.  They all worked great as two teams and believe it or not, both teams finished within 15 seconds of each other!  Close call!

I am all about some link love today.  Have fun:

Home made simple and healthy-ish chocolate covered strawberries!

http://ohsheglows.com/2012/05/15/chocolate-covered-strawberries-from-scratch/

15 low carb snack ideas

http://www.fitsugar.com/Healthy-Low-Carb-Snacks-17890265?slide=0

Crazy motivation to keep training!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Swa8sVoDr7E

Have a strong day y’all!

Happy rainy Tuesday.  I don’t mind.  Sometimes a little rain will do me good.  However, I reeeaaalllly like it when I don’t have much going on… it makes me want to slow down.  Today is not the day for that.  I’m am scrambling from point A to B to… Z.

This morning I had a two parter for breakfast.  When I woke up I wasn’t that hungry so I ate a banana, a couple nuts and some coconut milk around 6am.  Right now I am eating a lighter smoothie that has spinach, frozen berries, protein powder and almond milk.  Since I am a little in over my head, I am going to get right into Talk Back Tuesday.

I just found out that I am allergic to nuts.  Are there any seeds that I can eat to take the place of nuts?  I love them so much.

So weird I was asked this question because just yesterday I was complaining to my mom that my stomach is so darn sensitive and it’s driving me nuts (pun intended!).  I eat nuts a lot too, but I think they are the culprit of my upset belly.  Good thing I have a couple of good seeds to lead you to.

Flaxseeds- Helps heart disease, cancer, hormonal imbalances and reduce belly fat.  Two tbsps a day will do ya good!  They have a great nutty flavor to them, but make sure you ground them up.  The nutrients from the seeds digests way more than if you ate them whole.

Hemp seeds- Provides magnesium which helps insulin levels stay even, prevents diabetes and are an excellent source of amino acids.  Actually, they have all 9 which means it is a complete source of protein just like chicken or fish.  They taste like sunflower seeds and pine nuts.

Pumpkin seeds-  These help with inflammation, they strengthen bones, lower cholesterol and are rich in protein.  They have a slightly sweet nutty flavor.

*All of these seeds can be enjoyed in a trail mix, on yogurt, in stir frys, sprinkled on top of your smoothies, etc.

Is your schedule going to change in the summer for classes?

Ya know, as crazy as this sounds, I have not figured out the perfect class schedule yet.  Some classes are really popular one minute, then they are flat.  I change things around often because I want to find what you guys like and want and what works with BAWS’s schedule.  I do believe I will have a morning class available for teachers, college kids, etc during the summer.  I know in the fall I will be putting up new programs.  So yes, most likely I will add in a class, but I don’t foresee me taking any away.  Check out the programs that I often offer.  They are great and it is fun to have a small challenge!!

Hey you guuuuuuys!  Goonies anyone?

I had a tremendous weekend.  I hope you did as well!  The Spartan Program went camping and it was a blast!  I have to be honest, we weren’t very Spartan like at all (except living in the wild for the night!).  We were suppose to wake up extra early Sunday morning and go for a serious hike, but tequila, rum and whiskey had other plans for us.  Oh yeah, we were tanked by about 10pm… completely smashed.  I guess that shows how much we needed to let loose!  I am waiting for some of our friends to post pictures so I can show you because I did not take a single one!  My apologies.  Let’s just say people walked away with some bloody elbows, sore abs from laughing so hard, calloused fingers from guitar playing, a new love for acai berries, maybe a new hate for liquor and ridiculously great memories!

I took my Mom out to get her hanging baskets and they are gorgeous!  I also purchased some raw/vegan macaroons from Whole Foods for her… and a card.  I felt bad because my whole family went to the Cricket Club for Mother’s day and I was lying in a tent hung over.  Ah… well, I will make it up to her ;)  She understands, right Mom????

This morning I had a chocolate berry bomb, but I added something new to the mix.  I have no idea why I haven’t gotten this earlier because I always eye it up in the store…  MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Butter.  It tastes like chocolate fudge!!  Be careful if you get it.  It may be gone in a couple days and you can’t say I didn’t warn you.  I put a tsp of that in and I tasted it in the smoothie more than I thought I would!  I also sprinkled some nuts on top of the smoothie for crunch.

This afternoon I dashed home.  I was starving and I put together a very random plate.  I had an organic hot dog, olives and a sweet carrot/raisin salad.  The “dressing” for the salad was 1 tsp nut butter, 1.5 tbsp almond milk, cinnamon and sea salt.  While I was preparing everything, I managed to eat a couple sweet potato chips.  I really don’t like when I get so hungry, I feel the need to snack on something little before my meal.  I try really hard not to let that happen, but today slipped by me.

I am going to pack a bunch of veggies and beef jerky to munch on this afternoon.  It looks like a chicken stir fry is on the menu tonight.

********************

Hey hey hey… Summer is peeking it’s sunny face around the corner letting us know it’s arriving… like real soon.  How ya feeling?  Want a little help to get your arms looking nice in a tank?  Here you go  ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMm5HhH0oU&feature=youtu.be

Pssst.  (It’s really Thursday night…)

Yep, it’s not Friday yet, but I have an oober busy day tomorrow so I thought I could get this out of the way tonight to lessen my load.  I feel like telling you some random things about me, my life, what I’m loving right now, etc… feel free to skip out right now though because this post may not benefit you at all.  But juuuuust maybe, it will help you discover something new.

1.  I pulled my back yesterday and it sucks.  I feel completely immobile.  When something is taken away from you, you then realize how much of an impact it made in your life.  I mean, without the support, strength and flexibility of my back… my core is shot.  Without your core… your doomed!  I have been icing it, stretching it, walking and resting.  I have found though that when I do not move around, it stiffens up and hurts.. a lot.  Like in the morning.  Oh boy, what a process that was.  Getting out of bed contained whimpering, rolling, releasing grunts of frustration, some cursing and finally me “cuh-plunking” to the ground.  Humpf.

2.  When I sit down on the couch at night to relax… or when I lay in bed, I take 10 minutes to find my sweet spot.  It is very annoying to myself but even more annoying to the person sitting next to me.  Thank goodness I don’t have a water bed because I would be making tsunamis with the amount of force I plop around once the 5 minutes of my minimal shuffling doesn’t cut it.  I don’t like how much my clothes bunch up when I sit or I can’t figure out how to make the pillow fit just right behind my back or… um, there is always something.  Uh, tonight it took 15 minutes… throw my back ache into the mix and then you’ll get it.

3.  I am admitting I watch American Idol.  I use to hate it and make fun of people for watching it, but the cast of judges lured me in.  I love them!  You know who I love more?  Phillip Phillips.  But I love the song Volcano he sang last night even more than I love him.  Check it out… It is trully amazing.  This guy has a gift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IRvCpYXrrs

4.  I can’t get enough of the blog PaleOMG.  It is written by a CrossFit chick who eats paleo.  Yes she has awesome recipes, but she is just so darn funny.  And she writes about things that EVERYONE thinks in their head, but would be too embarrassed to write or talk about.  It’s great.

http://paleomg.com/

5.  This is a fantastic article written by John Gilson, the owner of Again Faster.  It is called, You Are Beautiful.  If you have 5 minutes and want to be moved, it’s worth the read.  Today at the Pulsations Program, we ended the session with something we call a “mat chat”.  Chrissy and I pick a topic to discuss with the ladies and today was all about the scale.  This piece ties in nicely to our convo.

https://www.againfaster.com/blog/2012/01/13/you-are-beautiful/

6. I am loving these shoes.  http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca-eng/women/sandals/platforms/90214829-jillanne/28

7.  It is Mother’s Day in a couple of days.  I love my Mom.  I am planning on telling her and buying her hanging baskets of flowers.  That is her annual Mother’s Day present…. hey, that’s what she wants!  Hey Mom… if you’re reading this, you’re the best.  Thank you for believing in me, sticking by me, tolerating me, teaching me and being you.  I know multiple people that do not know their Mother or will not be with them for one reason or another this year.  My love goes out to you and know that your Mother loves or loved you :)  Either way, here is a yumalicous recipe to make for your mom or make your kids make them for you ;)

http://beta.primal-palate.com/blog/the-reeses-cupcake-chocolate-chocolate-chip-cupcakes-with-sunbutter-frosting/

Time to turn the lights out.  Good night moon (please tell me you know of that book?…)

Need some motivation today?  Remember, there is no success without struggle.  Nothing truly good comes easy.  Work hard and you shall reap the benefits….

This morning I made the basic green monster.  Spinach, banana, almond milk and protein powder.  I put about 1 tsp of nut butter in the bowl, poured the shake on top and then sprinkled some crushed almonds/cashews/pumpkin seeds on top.. it added some crunch.

This didn’t hold me over like it usually does!  What the heck… thank goodness I brought half an avocado with me to work because I needed that around 10:30am.  I got home around 12:30ish and made myself tuna salad with cranberries and leeks (I usually use onion).  If you have not tried this combo yet, please do!  It’s delish.  I had some sweet potato chips to scoop it all up!  Yum yum.

Tonight is grilled chicken over a big fresh salad.

Have a spectacular Thursday ;)  oh and smile because the weekend is almost here!

What’s shakin’?!

Well, yesterday I did it.  I signed up at a CrossFit gym.  You may think that sounds backwards because I have BAWS, but let me explain it to you a little.  Whenever I worked at a personal training studio, I would always leave after my shift and go work out somewhere else.  If I chose to stay at the end of my shift to exercise, I always wound up regretting it.  The phone would ring when I was on the treadmill and I’d have to get off to answer it… someone would come in off the street for a tour and I would have to give one all sweaty because the other trainers are busy training their clients, etc.  I guess what I am trying to say is that I could never zone out and relieve stress like I can when I am not at the place I work.  The same thing was happening at Baws.  The phone would ring, I would here my email ding go off, someone would stop in, etc.  Ahhhhhhh!  Excersise is all about stress relief for me and it was making me more stressed!  So, I sought out a CrossFit box.  I did not join a gym because I want to be pushed… hard.  Just like you come to BAWS to be pushed, I want the same thing.

I went this morning.  Puh huh huh… I’m gonna be sore tomorrow…

Warm up was:

400 meter row and then 5 rounds of:  5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats… stretch

Uh, that was just the warm up.  I was already drenched.  Then we worked out.

30 kettle bell swings, 30 pull ups, 30 weighted sit ups… 400 m row

20 kettlebell swings, 20 pull ups , 20 weighted sit ups… 400 m row

10 kb swings, 10 pull ups, 10 weighted sit ups… 400 m row

*Then work on strength*

Afterwards I sat down to stretch and when I got up, there as a massive puddle.  I should have told the trainer to pay me because I just washed his floor for him :)

Oh but wait!  Last night we had Spartan!  Here we go…

Tabata:  mountain climbers

Partners: 50 push ups, 100 squat thrusts, 100 squat tosses, 100 tricep dips, 1,000 jump ropes

Then

Individual: 50 one arm snatches or 100 kb swings and 100 poppers.

Since I have done waaaay too much working out for 12 hours, it’s your guy’s turn!!

Warm up:

30 ice skaters

30 side squats

30 full sit ups

30 supermans

Work It! 2x

100 poppers

75 bicycles

50 chatarunga push ups

25 walking lunges

Stretch!

Go kill it!!

Good morning :)

The pulsations class is going on right now and it looks like Chrissy is not disappointing them!  I am not partaking because I started to feel a little under the weather yesterday and unfortunately, I woke up today feeling the same way.  I have other classes to teach tonight so hopefully the rest this morning will help.  Fingers crossed!

Yesterday I told you that I would share a delicious recipe with you and here it is:

I had it for dinner last naught and it knocked my socks off!  My mom specifically told me to tell you to make it with a cauliflower puree (low carb, paleo and nutritious!) so you can drizzle the juices from the chicken dish on top  Fantastic!  Oh … and that it takes 5 minutes to prepare.

This morning I made another batch of protein pancakes.

I added some strawberries and walnuts last minute.  It looked too naked.

Talk Back Tuesdays!

How do you feel about self love and acceptance?  I have a hard time accepting myself as I am and I battle with this daily.

Well, I feel that learning to accept yourself is a journey and it gets better/easier the older you become. From what I have observed, we love ourselves as we are when we are real young (3-4yrs old).  We don’t know any different.  We are always told by parents, teachers, even strangers how pretty, cute, talented, etc we are… because that is how you treat kids.  Build them up.  We slowly become broken down from societal influence as we become young adolescents, teenagers and well into our mid twenties.  It is a sad thing because we compare ourselves to airbrushed celebrities, a neighbor who graduated from Harvard, your sister who is captain of the  field hockey team and has all the boyfriends, etc.  There is always someone who will be better than you (you think!), smarter, prettier, faster, whatever.  As I have been reaching my late twenties (wow!  so weird to think!), I am learning that I should flip my middle finger to the kingdom of insecurities and jealous feelings I created and built for years.  They don’t do me any good.  If anything, they stop me from life!  Alsmost every person in the world struggles with themselves and we have to take a long look at ourselves.  If there is something you feel is missing that you would like to posses, work on it.  Slowly.  Also, if you hold on to a negative habit, get rid of it.  Slowly.  It takes time to change.  BUT don’t change to become that model on the cover of People Magazine.  Change to become the best you!!  I am trying and I will keep at it until I’m in the grave :)  Self love is taking care of yourself because you are your own best friend, you have no where else to live and you have no one else to live every last day with … but yourself.

Watch this amazing video!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qX9FSZJu448

Hiya!

Oh boy oh boy.  I had an adventurous and exciting weekend!  It all started Friday around 10am with the trip to the CrossFit Regionals.  I showed you the snacks I was bringing with me, but I really did not know I was in for some rough eating patterns and skimpy meals/restaurant options.  Supposedly there is not much to do or see in Landover Maryland!  I am not kidding when I tell you this is what I ate for 2 full days… 1 apple, 1 banana, raspberries, small bag trail mix, beef jerky and one meal with shrimp/veggies.  I don’t want to look at another nut or jerky for a looong time!  Anyway, the competition was phenomenal and I am beyond happy I could see it.  Here are some photos if you are interested… it was out of control!  The energy was electrifyingly contagious.

There are a bunch more pictures and tons of small videos, but I will spare ya!  ;)

The rest of the weekend involved sleeping in an awful hotel, driving longish distances and one cool Spartan workout.  The Spartan workout consisted of a 1.5 mile trail run.  We were faced with two beastly hills and we conquered them…. with a lot of heavy breathing, sweat and almost quitting…  but we didn’t!  Then we threw anywhere from 20-60lbs in our backpacks, strapped them to us and took off on an hour long hike up windy trails with roots, large stones and twisted trees.  It was different and I liked it.  I felt decent until the last 15 minutes.  Que the sore shoulders and calves, but all in all… great workout with great people and a great time.  I came home and my mom was snipping her roses.  It was nice to see pops of color after starring at dirt and trees for almost 2 hours.

* My advice for you this week:  Stop to smell the roses.  It makes your life better :) *

This morning I had a knack for paleo cereal.  Something I haven’t had in a while.  There is nothing to it really.  Just throw some berries, dried fruits, nuts if you want (I didn’t!), chia seeds, coconut, etc.  Then you add your protein powder and almond milk!

I went to BAWS for a while.  I had some work to do, train clients and get a workout in myself.  You better believe I went after it today!  All those athletes made me want to push myself harder.  I completed 40db snatches, 20 air squats, 16 pull ups and a 4 mile run.  I really enjoyed it today.  I am now munching on my lunch while typing.  Women are the best at multi-tasking (just saying).

1/2 avocado, tuna and a tomato that I am going eat like an apple… with sea salt sprinkled on every other bite :)

Of course I blended up a smoothie for a snack and then dinner will be Italian Chicken and veggies.  I’ll beg my mom for the recipe and share it tomorrow with you guys.  It’s a hit!

Seeya later alligator :)