The week is almost over!!

This week has been so busy for me!!! Coaching a middle school cheerleading team is a lot of work!! But I love the girls...lately they've been having events and practice almost everyday of the week so I've had to get my workouts done early in the day.

Today I woke up at about 8:30 this morning because I took my mother to work today. And I stopped by the sports store after dropping her off and bought some weight lifting gloves. I highly recommend them if you do a lot of weight lifting. I lift everyday and after somebody stole my other gloves at the gym, I tried lifting without them and my hands were in so much pain. 

I then got home around 10 and made breakfast. Today for breakfast I had another omelette, toast and some grapes on the side. 

I had a doctors appointment at 1 so I packed a snack because I went straight to the gym after my appointment. When I left my appointment, For a snack I had a banana and some peanuts. 

Got to the gym around 2:40 and left at about 5:00. Today was shoulder day...I hate shoulder day lol. Ran 2miles, lifted weights, did the stairs for 20mins then did some ab work. 

I then bought a protein shake at the gas station on my way to pick up my mom from work to replenish my muscles. Then she insisted on buying Popeyes chicken. Omg! It smelled so good in the car!! No I didn't have one even though I'm pretty sure I can afford to eat one since I haven't had a cheat day in so long but I actually didn't want it. I did but I didn't....

When we got home I quickly packed a dinner to take with me to cheer practice so I packed some chicken I made, left over broccoli from last night and some eggs with a cup of grapes. Got to practice at about 6:15 and finally ate dinner. 

When I got home it was about 8:30 and I wanted a snack/light meal so I ate a spinach salad with tomatoes and made a spinach smoothie.

So today after I showered I decided to take a progress picture...I've been taking them in a bathing suit I have so I can truly see the consistency of my hard work...

The dates on the pictures are:

Left- 11/19/13

Middle- 01/09/13

Right- 2/13/14 TODAY!! ;) 

I eat clean EVERY DAY and I workout EVERY DAY except for Saturday...which is my rest day for my body. But this shows you that hard work pays off!!! It doesn't take long to see results if you're consistent with what you're doing! Please be patient and build your Will power!!! Summer bodies are made in the winter!!! Don't stop!!!

Addicted to results...

  It's been awhile since I've posted but I've actually gotten really busy lately...it's currently 2:30am and I'm wired because I had a late workout tonight and didn't get home until about 12 midnight. 

  

  So today was pretty busy...I woke up around 10am and I've finally made it a habit to literally drink a big glass of cold water & eat breakfast. I drink a glass like literally when I wake up before breakfast to wake up my body, get everything flowing and to feel more full after I eat my breakfast. Today's breakfast was a slice of whole wheat toast and an omelette which consisted of 2 eggs, diced red onions, diced red tomatoes, a minced garlic clove, and some spinach. It was soooo good too. I haven't had an omelette for breakfast in a long time. 

  I usually go to the gym from 12-2 on my busy days to knock it out the way but today I played with my niece until it was time for me to go to cheer practice at 3. For a snack today I had a half of a banana my niece didn't finish a small clementine, and a couple of blackberries. That was at about 1:30. At about 2, I finally got hungry and had a mixed spring salad with chicken from Pita Cafe with the vinegarette dressing. I haven't had one of those in a LONG time either!! I remember at one point I ate one of those salads EVERY DAY. lol. 

  I then ran to Kroger before practice because I wanted to try out a dessert recipe I found...I LOVE LOVE sweets and I've been craving them because one, it's "that" time of the month & because I haven't had anything sweet in such a long time because I've been trying to cut back sugar to lose weight. 

  So the ingredients for this dessert are:

•banana

•strawberries

•vanilla Greek yogurt - I used some light strawberry yogurt also 

•mini baking cups

•dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1)Make sure you have a flat surface to start...I used a cutting board

2)Lay out the baking cups on the flat surface so you can transfer them easily...I did 12.

3)Cut the strawberries into small slices along with 1/2 of the banana and purée them...I puréed mine in a blender

4)Put a dollop of yogurt in the cups for the bottom layer...I did half Greek yogurt and the other the regular yogurt. (I wanted to see which one would taste better)

5)Put a spoonful of the banana & strawberry purée on top of the bottom layer in the cups...make sure you cover the bottom later completely. 

6)Put another dollop of yogurt on top of the purée for the top layer

7)Place 3 chocolate chips on top of the top layer

8)Place in freezer for about 2hrs...or until frozen (I don't kno how long it takes to freeze. Mine were in there for about 4hrs because I made them in advance.)

9)Thaw for 10mins when ready to eat

 

  These little cupcakes of heaven tasted so much better than what I expected!!! I expected them to taste good but they exceeded my expectations. I've also been craving ice cream & this knocked my craving away! Each little frozen cupcake is only about 30calories too!!! I highly recommend trying them out!! 

  I ate them as soon as I got home from running around all day which was around 8pm. I also had a piece of toast and a boiled egg with them because I actually decided to go to the gym. So I ate them for some energy. They aren't even bad to eat at all & 100% healthy & good to eat! Even before a workout! My mom even enjoyed them. She said they tasted refreshing and light. 

  So I went to the gym around 9:30pm and left at about 11:30. Today I finally ran 2miles in about 20mins!!! Well almost...20mins & 2seconds!! -_- so tomorrow morning I'm gonna try and hit it under 20mins...

  Before I left I bought a protein shake to drink for protein because that's the best time to drink it, right after a workout. Since I do a lot of weight lifting, basically everyday I need the protein. It's good to lift weights when trying to lose weight so you build muscle and tone your body at the same time. When people say "Omg, you're gonna look like a man.." they have no idea what they're talking about. So lift weights!! Women don't have enough testosterone in their body to create muscles like men. 

  When I got home I had no idea what to eat because it was so late & I didn't want to eat something heavy before bed. So I made some broccoli sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and the white of a boiled egg with 1/2 of a grapefruit. 

  I drank a big glass of water before eating so I would feel full enough with what I ate. And I definitely felt full. 

  Earlier in the day I decided I was just gonna skip the gym today since I would be so busy and since my body is so sore. But when I got home I couldn't get it in me to skip out on the gym. The results of my hardwork have made me a bit over obsessive over working out but I love it. The fact that I can motivate myself now is beyond amazing. If you're just starting your healthy lifestyle or changes in your diet, keep going!!! Hard work pays off!!

  You didn't gain all that weight after eating junk in one day and you won't lose weight by eating correctly and exercising in one day either. It's all a process and you have to embrace the process. You also get a lot of respect when people see you change your body the right way...it shows that that you have discipline. 

I promise you it gets easier and you start to love yourself more. It teaches you will power, motivation, determination and it makes you proud of what you're doing. 

  People may look at you crazy and question why you do it...that's when you get to explain why you're doing it and voice yourself to them. And maybe you'll motivate them to change their lifestyle as well. And when they don't understand you or look at you crazy, deep down they're jealous they don't have the determination and will power you have. So keep going!! And if you ever need motivation go look at my before & after pictures. It only takes about 6months to change your body! It's already February...if you started in January you're already in your 2nd month of your transformation. Remember the summer is coming!! Summer bodies are made in the winter!!

  I know this post is kinda long but I haven't wrote a post in so long & I had a lot on my mind. I continue to preach the healthy lifestyle because more & more people continue to tell me that I've motivated them to make changes and they try to live a healthier lifestyle and it makes me so happy to know that I can be someone's motivation.! So thanks guys!! You guys continue to motivate me as well!! 

And PS..when you think about going to a fast food place remember this picture...

Goodnight :)

Thursday=shoulder day

Hey guys, 

Today was a laid back day. Got up early around 9ish and had breakfast...today I had fruit and 1 hard boiled egg. 

Today when I dropped my niece off at home I stopped by & bought her some donuts and it's the ONE thing I've been craving sooooo much!!! But with my strong will power, I didn't have any! 

Omg I swear it was like death laughing at me in my face, I wanted one so bad! 

For a snack around 1ish I had a small green apple & some asparagus. 

Then I made it to the gym at about 3:50ish. Today for cardio I did 20mins on the stair master. It's my second favorite cardio machine after the treadmill because I burn so many calories and I sweat so much! After the stairs I did my shoulder workout for the day, 6 exercises, 20reps, 4 sets. Then I finished my workout with a 30min bike ride. Which in the end was about 6+miles. Left at about 6. 

After my workout I stopped by GNC and bought 2 quest protein bars...I can't wait to try them! 

You can even make cookies out of these protein bars by baking them in the oven!! 

Then I came home and had dinner. For dinner I had a turkey burger with stirfry veggies and one scrambled egg with onions & tomatoes for extra protein. I also had some cabbage & green bean soup on the side. 

Today was also my bestfriend's 25th birthday & she had a small get together with cake and ice cream!!!! Wahhh. I wanted a slice but instead I brought over an apple and some blackberries to eat. Lol. I always come prepared with healthy snacks wherever I go. 

Then I came home and was still hungry so I had a banana and some peanuts. I typically don't like to eat bananas at night because I feel like they're too heavy but they looked so good I couldn't resist lol. Then I went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water shortly after and saw half of an avacado so I made some guacamole!! Lmao!!! So I had a late night snack of some guacamole on 3 small slices of cheese & it filled me up!! Now I'm satisfied after a big glass of water. I don't even feel bad after eating it because I've been doing so well with my diet and going to the gym everyday. And it's still clean eating! :)

It was so good!! First time ever making it too!!! Now I'm in bed watching the food channel it's literally the only channel I watch. Lol I get a lot of food ideas from here also. But this week is ALMOST over with!! And I'll finally have a rest day from the gym! Lol. My body needs some rest!!! My lower back just started getting in pain for some reason. So I'm gonna try and find a sauna to get into over the weekend. Hopefully I find one. But goodnight guys!!! Hope everyone made a small change in their lifestyle today. Sometimes you just gotta do it!!! Like #nike lol. 

Wednesday=arm day

It's about 1:05am I know it's late but I just got done eating my dinner...it's so late because I just got home from the gym at around 12 midnight. I'm exhausted...well today was a longgg dayyyyy. My gosh!!! 

Woke up at about 10:30am and ate breakfast. Today's breakfast was a fruit platter...strawberries, blueberries, bananas and kiwi. 

Today I realized my avacados were finally ripe so I tried a chicken sandwhich with them and it came out delicious!!! I toasted 2 slices of multigrain bread and in my sandwhich I put 2 pieces of chicken breast cut up into pieces, half of an avacado, 4 slices of tomatoes, spinach and 2 small slices of mozarella. On the side I had baked sweet potato wedges. It was AMAZING! And I got so full!! I usually only eat half of a sandwich for lunch. Here's the outcome :) 

I then had to go to my cheerleaders game from 330-6. And of course I brought along my favorite snack...an apple and some peanuts and ate that at about 5ish. After the game we had to go straight to another cheer practice from 6-8 and I was STARVING!!! Oh my goodness!! And I was extremely exhausted!! 

I wanted to skip out on the gym today and just take a rest day but I wouldn't of felt right. Lol. So I texted my friend Shawn and of course he gave me the courage and motivation to go. When I got home from cheer practice I had a light snack of 1/2cup of light yogurt with berries. 

I ate that quick snack at about 9 and left for the gym around 9:45ish so I got to the gym at about 10...I ran 3miles today, did my arm routine for the day, did some abs and was in and out in about 2 hours. 

Even though it's late I had to eat something to replenish my body, especially my muscles. So I made a turkey burger in a bed of sautéed spinach, onions, garlic and mushrooms. It was amazing!! I think it's my new favorite meal! 

I wanna eat half of a grapefruit...I think I might eat a couple slices because I always want something sweet after dinner or before bed. Fruit is the closest thing to something sweet I eat. But anyways....that's my day in a nutshell. 

Just a couple words of advice or motivation I should say...

-in order to see change you have to make changes

-it won't be hard, but anything worth working for will always be hard work! 

-"I regret working out" is what NO ONE said..."I regret not working out" is what SHE/HE said...the days you don't feel like going are the days you go hard in the gym. Those are the days you don't give up because every day counts!! 

Night night. :)

Tuesday=back day

Hey guys!!

Today was a good day!! I woke up at about 10:30ish to have breakfast...

For breakfast today I had scrambled eggs with tomato, multigrain toast, plantains and yogurt with fresh strawberries...It was delicious!! Lol. 

I then played with my niece and at about 1:30pm I had my snack...strawberries, blackberries and roasted peanuts. 

Then I went to the gym...I always push myself at the gym and literally go into beast mode lol. Today I wanted to see how long I could run nonstop before getting tired...

 

Today I ran 4 miles!!! In 48mins!! I couldn't believe it!!! First time I've ever ran that distance nonstop!! So proud of myself...I then did my back routine workouts... Was in the gym for about 2 hours and had a protein drink after.

When I got home I ate dinner approximately one hour after I had my shake which was at about 7pm. Tonight, I had sautéed chicken breast with stir-fry veggies. 

I just got home from a meeting...I want a snack so I'm gonna eat a med sized grapefruit. I usually eat one every night before bed. Sometimes with vinegar, but tonight I don't think I will. Today was a good day! Just wanted to let you guys know how it went! Now I'm thinking of tomorrow's breakfast! Lol. Goodnight! 

Monday = Leg Day

Hey guys,

  Every Monday is leg day...I've recently started a workout routine for throughout the week...

Monday-Legs

Tuesday-back

Wednesday-arms

Thursday-shoulder/core

Friday-chest

Saturday-cardio

Sunday-REST DAY :)

 My workout typically starts off with 30mins of running...[varies from 2.30-3 miles] then I start my lifting routine for that day. I do about 5-6 exercises with 4sets of 20reps...basically circuit training. Every Monday I workout with my friend Shawn...and honestly since I've been working out with him my body has been changing a lot!! 

  Well I just wanted to let you guys know how my typical Monday goes...

  So today I woke up around 10am...when I wake up I literally force myself to get up, drink a glass of water and eat breakfast. Today's breakfast was a nice plate of fruit. 

  For lunch, which was around 1:45ish I had a roast beef sandwhich [one slice of multigrain bead toasted, cut in half, mustard, spinach, cheese], carrot slices and kale chips [which I made for the first time & they were AMAZING!] 

  Then I went to cheer practice where I coach a middle school team with my bestfriend from 3:30-530. At about 5:00 I ate my snack that I brought along so I could have fuel for the gym...

  This has became one of my FAV snacks..an apple & 28 peanuts (I figured out a normal serving size). 

  I then went to the gym and met Shawn there and we went in from 6-8pm. For cardio today I did the stair master instead of my normal 30min run. 

  Then I came home and had dinner, I had stir-fry veggies and ground turkey with one egg scrambled for protein. I didn't take a picture of my dinner because I forgot. But here's a picture of my veggies I made. 

  I then had a banana for dessert. And at about 10:30 I got hungry again so I ate a small green apple with vinegar. [it sounds weird but I've been eating vinegar & apples since I was a child because that's how my mom ate hers. Lol] 

  But now I'm in bed. Tired, sore and resting. Tomorrow is another day of progress. Hopefully I can motivate you guys enough to make a small change in your daily routine to be a healthier person! 

Goodnight!

Lol. This is me & my niece before I left for my workout. :)

3am post...

It's 3 am and I can't sleep so I decided to write a post...

You're Beautiful - James Blunt [currently playing] 

So yesterday was the Super Bowl & I went over a friends house to watch it. For dinner and snacks they had fried wings, fried shrimp, fried mac&cheese, chips & dip, pop and cookies and ice cream for dessert....the old me would have indulged & ate everything in sight. ALL of my favorite foods were in front of me! 

But before I left I packed my lunch and dinner...

I made a smoothie to go, bottled water, fruits for snacking and veggies and turkey to eat. It may seem over obsessive to others when you come over with a lunch bag full of food but if you can plan out what you're going to eat, you have control. 

I did eat about 4 tortilla scoop chips with salsa but that was it. The old me would have ate more than one serving size. I'm actually pretty proud of myself for not eating any of the food on the table. 

Just wanted to make a post to show you guys that if you have self control it all pays off in the end. 

"Fail to plan, plan to fail."