Carbs are our friends!

Hello!

I've been away awhile; been rather busy with "life" but, I've still been sticking to all my work out plans and my meals plans! Just because life may get a little overwhelming at times, doesn't mean we have to give up our own positive attitudes and good health!

I've had a lot of people saying to me lately- Lauren, you eat a carb for pretty much every meal you have!
My day looks like this:
Breakfast (carb), Snack, Lunch (carb), Snack, Dinner (carb)


Reasoning: This keeps your metabolism up and running! If we are up, it needs to be up :)

Anyways, back to eating carbs...
What people don't realize is there ARE good carbs that your body needs. Most people hear the "C" word and they freaking out! Automatically assuming they are throwing away there plan if they eat any carbs. I should know, I use to be a person like this.

Straight up- You have to have something in your system to burn, and carbs are the best foods to burn!

Listed Below is a truly amazing website to help someone understand what exactly a carb is along with a few other little informational guides :)

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/carbs.html


Now, there is a huge difference between a good carb and a bad carb. The main one: 
Good carb: produces energy and digestive system
Bad carb: slows down energy and slows down digestive system

Listed below are a few helpful charts that show what you should and shouldn't be putting into your mouth! These are great charts to save or print out! Not only for yourself but, also for your children when you are thinking of healthy snacks to pass along :)

Busy Bee!

So, I haven't posted in awhile due to being extremely busy with school BUT i'm still finding time for working out. Reason, its part of my daily life now. Just like breathing, its something I have to do :)

Last week I worked out hard! Hit the cardio and weights

This weekend:
I was super busy! So much homework, tired from the work week, along with making all my meals for the week. I wasn't able to work out Saturday but, I did fit in my cardio on Sunday!

Today (Monday):
Studying for a test, dinner, 2 homework assignments... Where does the gym fit in?

My mom found this website:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Its called the 7 min workout and let me tell you, it does make you sweat! If your to lazy to read the article :); its basically saying that doing all of these 12 exercises are working all parts of your body in a short amount of time while burning some calories. Its 30 seconds on and 15 seconds off.

This is really all the time i've had this evening so I made this workout count!!

On a side note- I've had a few people throw out some random thoughts or feelings about health and fitness they didn't know about or would like to learn more about!! I'm so excited that people are coming to me for this knowledge. So, here it goes!!

High Sugared fruits (grams)

Don't:

*Eat fruit after 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Fruits are usually very high in sugars which is harder for your body to break down the later in the day it gets!

* Over do your cardio! People forget that lifting actually helps you to lose and burn more calories faster! Just because the scale may go up doesn't mean your gaining fat, its muscle :)

* Be scared of mixing Whey Protein in place of flour; its actually really good! (adding Whey with eggs as a holding element for protein pancakes or "tortillas" is great!)

Super Veggies---

http://alternativehealthatlanta.com/10-super-vegetables-for-better-health/

Do's:

* Consume as many green veggies as you can; the greener the better! Look for veggies with bright colors!

*If your going to cheat or meal portions or what your actually eating try and make it in the morning, its easier to burn off through out the day!

*Take your omega supplements and a daily vitamin. You don't realize what your body is missing out on until you finally have it :)

Failing myself just to succeed...

What exactly does that mean?  "I'm failing myself just to succeed"

I've been attending my moms workout class this week. I personally love going there and plan to join very soon. Not only do you learn what to do you also learn how your body works. You learn what you can and cannot do.

But, I notice that so many people will fail themselves just to succeed. What does this mean...

1. You cheat yourself on your reps
2. You only push yourself when your trainer turns and looks at you
3. You simply give up

I understand pain, I understand hurt, and I understand injuries. I probably understand all of that more than most. Me being only 25 i've had over a handful of knee surgeries that have put me out for at least 5-12 months. I've played softball at a college level and still play fast pitch to this day. I have also beaten myself up so hard to actually succeed that I fail!

Pushing yourself until you fail is an amazing feeling. Know that you've done all you can do in that work out.
Failing yourself to look like you have succeed is a waste of your hour!

If your tired be tired but when you put on a show, your only hurting yourself in your lifestyle change :)

On that note: 
How has everyone been eating and working out?!

This month I have a goal:
1. Focus on taking in more calories
2. cut back on alcoholic drinks
3. focus more on strengthen workouts rather than cardio

I personally make a chart both weekly and monthly. The reason for a chart and actually writing it down. You aren't going to follow anything that you just verbally say your going to do. When its written down and it has to be completed, you are now being held accountable for what you truly want.

 (this is my goal chart that I complete)

A little inside on working out:
*Strength training with burn more calories than your cardio workouts!
*Eating to little and working out hard will cause your body to go into starvation mode; which in turn
    your body will hold on to the calories you are eating (moving backwards!)
*There is no magic pill! Stop trying to google it! :)

I hope that everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!

Remember: change something in your day this week. You can't maintain a lifestyle change unless it truly becomes part of your life style :)

I'm starving!

Today marks my FINAL day of my "plateau breaker"! Not only did I stay on track but I didn't scare my boyfriend off to bad with my angry hunger spells either :)

Plateau Breaker- when a persons body has adapted to what they are currently doing (working out more or better eating), which isn't a bad thing. When a person feels as though they have hit this "plateau" something needs to be switched up! Either harder cardio or less of a calorie intake. Basically, an act that will shock the body and switch it up.

My plateau breaker was for two days (cut out carbs/protein based)--
For the people who follow my Facebook, I lost 10 pounds last month as of March 25th (Tuesday). I started my breaker on March 26th-March 27th, I weighed again today and i've lost 3 pounds since I started :).  No, this isn't water weight that I post people... I switched it up and I got results! plateau breakers truly do work!

What I ate: Both days!

Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs

Mid-Morning Snack:
1/2 grapefruit

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
Green Vegetable

Lunch:
2 cups Lettuce
1/2 chicken breast

Dinner:
2 cups lettuce
1/2 grapefruit
6 oz hamburger
(zucchini)

Not a lot to eat... at all! I have been freaking starving but, I stuck to this plan for only two days and i've lost 3 pounds! This stuff works people!

Speaking of eating-- I was at work today and I was going though some of my co-workers pre-made "healthy choice" or "active & fit" frozen meals. I took a little peek at the back and HOLY COW, they are not as good for you as you may think! Some are decent but it could be way better! Yes, better than fast food but not better than a home cooked healthy meal! 

Try something next week- cook all of your meals! Like a fresh home cooked meal with fresh foods from the store or the farmers market! The amount of Carbs and Sodium you will be saving yourself will be amazing! If your wanting to be healthier, take the time to cook your meals.

If your reasoning for purchasing pre-made meals is because you don't have time, check out this website for great and healthy crock pot ideas! Not only is it healthy, it saves time, AND it will make enough for the whole week! Whats your excuse now? :)

http://www.slenderkitchen.com/healthy-crock-pot-recipes/

I

Eaters Remore/Binge eating

Finally the weekend is over!!!

Weird to hear someone say that right? Reasoning-- I usually eat like crap on the weekends. I get so excited when Sunday evening comes; I've cooked all my meals for the week and I do a cleanse which usually makes me feel slightly better... just slightly though.

There are two different "issues" that people tend to have when it comes to eating.

Eaters Remorse and Binge Eating

Me personally, I have eaters remorse. After eating extremely healthy for over a year now, when something I KNOW is bad for me enters my mouth and the thought of it sits in i'm literally pissed! Weekends are the worst because i'm always out and about. I'm at the ball fields or somewhere else watching some type of sports game or out for an event.
I've been doing awesome though- Softball is in full swing and i've mastered the system. Just because my work week is over, doesn't mean I need to stop prepping!

This weekend in my bag:
1 serving of small carrots
1 serving of mixed veggies
1/2 bag sunflower seeds
1 protein bar
2 apples

This beats eating at the concession stand AND going to the gas station for a bag of chips or other crap (also saves money$$). You just have to do it, for it to work!

Now, onto the next! A lot of my friends have said they have Binge Eating Disorder-- this is when you uncontrollably eat depending on issues in your life and what not. Most people will eat because they are stressed, they are then upset that they have eaten horribly which then causes then to continue eating.

In my eyes (which i'm not a doctor) all of this can be controlled (binge and remorse). It's all mental people! I don't have to put crap in my mouth, there is always an alternative; if I do decide to put something bad for me in my mouth, I shouldn't beat myself up over it. Other's don't have to continue to push food in there mouths when they know they shouldn't because of an issue; it is part of life that we all have to deal with. It's honestly all mental! (geez I just sounded like my father!)

Alternatives:
*Eating something healthier than you normally would
*Chewing gum is proven to help people who are binge eaters
*Always have healthy snacks with you to keep that tummy full
* Plan ahead! You make dinner plans and events ahead of time right? Its easy :)

Check out this website if you wanting to know some of the good foods that you should have entering your mouth and body!

http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/eat-healthy-america-52-superfoods-25519

As you can see, just because its healthy doesn't mean it has to be boring! My dinner this evening had under 200 calories and I put my plate away with a full tummy!

Calories break down of the serving sizes
(my sauce (low sodium) was only 2 tbps; which is way under the 140 calories; red onions were only 2 calories)

(Picture is not of low sodium sauce)

I personally love pizza and this is a great alternative to still get the flavors, crust feeling, and the sauce! On top of that, its still healthy and GOOD!
















I hope everyone had an awesome weekend and your prepped and ready for the week to come!
**Remember, try to make a positive change in your diet this week! Happy weather is just around the corner :)

We all have issues

I've always been a listener, for as long as I can remember I would just sit there and listen to someone talk. Listen to what they have to say and take it all in before I speak. With all the listening i've been doing, i've started to realize how unhappy some of my close friends and family members are...

Your unhappy because you aren't the size that you "think" you should be. Your unhappy because something doesn't look the way you "think" it should look.

We all want a an imagine that we honestly can't always have and we all deal with this issue!

Me for instance, I want blonde hair, I want to be taller, I want my boobs to me smaller, I want smaller thighs, and I want lighter eyes.... I want I want I want... At 25 i've FINALLY realized I can't always have it.

The one "want" I could control was my size.
I've never openly talked about my waist size before to be completely honest, I didn't even talk about it with family because I personally was embarrassed and disgusted with the way I let myself get.

I use to be a size 28 in jeans, today I can proudly say I am a healthy and comfortable 15/16.
Did it take longer than I wanted? Yes! Did I have to struggle through a hand full of knee surgeries to finally be active? Yes!

The fact of the matter is- I did what I WANTED!

(larger is a size 24 top is a size 15/16)

I can say that i'm proud of myself, and if you personally are making positive changes you should be proud of yourself as well!

Stop comparing yourself to the skinny girl next to you. Stop thinking you'll never be loved, and most importantly stop thinking someone always looks better than you!

We all have issues, we all struggle with appearance which for some people, then leads to excessive eating. Once you can control your mind, I promise you can control your body.

People have to learn to stop looking back at what they were and start looking at who they are today.

Start out small:

*Become more active

*Eat smaller portions

*Eat meals earlier in the day

*Remember to plan

Even trying eating some of these Super Foods (there are way more than listed). These can not only help you internally but they will make you feel so much better about yourself!

These small changes can help any person reach the goals they may have been "wanting" to meet.

Just remember, we are all beautiful in our own ways. You don't have to be a certain type of person to truly be beautiful :)

Prep yourself and support yourself!

Preparation is the key!

When you prepare your meals for the week before the actual week gets started, its amazing how many excuses get cut out. Every Sunday, I prepare for the week that I have ahead of me.

• Breakfast
• Snack
• Snack
• Lunch
• Snack
• Dinner

I set aside an hour to an hour and a half each Sunday evening or mid day to prepare my meals. When the task is complete, this is usually what my counter looks like :)

This picture doesn't include my dinners, because I still have hamburgers left from last week!

*When making your meals ahead of time, you can't have an excuse of not wanting to cook!

Now, I understand that people have children, families, school work, church, or maybe they are caregivers. I completely get that... Me personally- I have a full time job, I have a part time job, I'm a girlfriend, a full time student, and a coach. If I am able to do this you are as well.

I have a ton of things that I could use as an excuse but, I decide not to be full of excuse! 

Thats what brings me onto my next top. In order to be able to do this you have to have a----

*support system*

I would like for you all to meet my family :)

The best support system a person could have, is there family. My dad has always encouraged me to drive to be and do what I want. My sister, she has always been such a strong role model while growing up. Lastly, my amazing mother without her this family would not tick the way that it does. She has shown me how to be strong, independent, and do anything that I want.

When you have a support system thats what they do--- they support your decisions and they stand by your side. Without a support system, you truly have nothing. The battle is to hard to fight!

I would now like for you to meet my boyfriend! 

Not only do you need a support system in your life but, you also need a rock to continue pushing you through. David is as hard headed, stubborn, and as competitive as I am. He has always pushed me to continue being who I want to be along with supporting my healthy life style! 

David and I have been together for a little over a year now, when we first starting dating both of our eating was poor. I decided last summer, prior to my knee surgery I was ready for a change and to get back on track with my eating. David wasn't ready for the change but, he supported me 110%. Not to long ago, before David has his own surgery in Dec of 2013 he decided he was ready for the change as well. We have now fought this battle together and we have now both changed our lives for the best..

The moral to all of this-- you have to have someone there supporting you. Someone there to lift you when your feeling down, you have to have drive from your family who have been by your side longer than anyone else. And most of all, you have to have someone who makes you feel beautiful even when you cant see it yourself.

In the long run, only you can push yourself to the max. Only you can have the full determination to succeed; and only you can be fully happy at the end of the day with your choice!

Set reasonable goals, nothing crazy or completely out there!

What was my goal? Show my true strength and do a one handed push up.... Did I fail or succeed? 

You bet your butt I succeed :)