Buy some new work out gear to get motivated

Sometimes it's the stress of getting ready for the gym that makes you hate going. My normal routine is school or work, and then I tear apart my closet to find my work out attire. I search high and low for my sports bra, running shorts and a tank top or tee shirt. It takes me thirty painful minutes to find everything and get dressed. Normally it will take another 15 minutes to find those old scuffed up running sneaker that are either under my bed, in the trunk of my car, or buried in the laundry room basket of shoes. I don't feel good before I go to the gym, what makes me think I'll feel good after? Well thats why they having stores labeled "sporting goods," such as Dicks, Modells, and Sports Authority. So I had some money that was burning a hole in my pocket. I decided to buy some new sneakers, and some cute gym clothes. I bought everything matching, pink and black Under Amour attire, I eve bought some new socks. Today after getting in my new gym clothes I felt more motivated and I was actually excited to show off my new stuff at the gym. I felt good before the gym, but most importantly I felt good after. Sometimes you need to boost your self esteem just to motivate yourself to work out. Whether it's buying your self a new out fit or changing up your old routine, it could help your work out intensity and your attitude before and after the gym. Get some new sneaks and get to the gym!

No food alone could ever cause us to lose weight, there is no such thing as the best single weight loss food. We all understand that weight loss is the result of the energy consumed from all various foods within the diet, and that a diet's total energy must be lower than the energy used by the body.
Some sites peddle the idea that certain foods are the best for weight loss because when these "special foods" are eaten they result in negative calories however, there is no hard scientific proof to support this theory. In fact the only reason some foods are considered the best for weight loss is because they help reduce the total energy consumption in some way. For example, some fruits are listed in the negative calories foods list and considered one of the best foods for losing weight but this is probably due to the fact that fruits are often very low in energy. If any low calorie food is replacing another food high in calories then it can be considered good for losing weight.
More about fat Burning Foods.
Some other foods that are considered helpful when losing weight are those high in fiber. The fiber helps fill up the stomach quicker causing the individual to eat less, thus less calories are consumed.
Foods that are low in fat are also believed to be the best for losing weight. Fat contains more than twice the amount of energy than carbohydrates or protein, so eating less fat naturally lowers calorie intake.
Lower the Fat in Different Dishes
Foods that are nutritionally dense, especially from some of the B vitamins may help increase energy levels and give an individual more desire to exercise.


Many foods with a high water content are among some of the best foods to help lose weight. They are often low in calories plus increasing water intake has been shown to benefit weight loss. Water benefits weight loss
Fresh, natural produce are among the best foods for weight loss, they are often low in energy and low in sodium. A high sodium intake has been shown to cause slight water retention, thus gaining an extra few pounds of water weight. A low sodium diet can help rid the body of water retention.
Learn best ways to weigh food portions
Processed and convenient products loaded with refined sugar are NOT the best foods for losing weight. The sugar contributes to "empty calories" void of all nutrients.
All the best foods for weight loss should generally be....
Fresh natural food
Nutritionally dense food
High in fiber
Low in calories
Low in fat
Low in refined sugars
Low in sodium
Many good weight loss foods may also contain...
Complex carbs
High quality protein
Fiber
High water content
Examples of some of the best foods for losing weight...
Fruit
Vegetables
Legumes
Wholegrain foods (muesli, oatmeal, wholemeal pasta, etc)
Baked potato
Boiled brown rice
Fresh fish

Summer BBQs

Now the summer is approaching, I find myself at the daily BBQ whenever we have 70+ degree days. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and macaroni salads can be fattening but there is a way around that. After I get the hamburger craving out of the way, I have found a simple and tasty way to still enjoy Barbecuing with friends. Whether you bring a package of chicken with you, or it is already at the outdoor event, it is easy to grill chicken. Get some pineapple and onion and some sticks, and make some bbq or teriyaki chicken shish-kabobs. I have researched a recipe for a delicious bbq meal, your friends will be eating their hamburgers in shame.

INGREDIENTS		COST
4 boneless, skinless	chicken breasts	$5.75
2 large	bell peppers	$1.28
1 medium	red onion	$0.60
1 inch	fresh ginger	$0.30
1/4 cup	soy sauce	$0.37
1 clove	fresh garlic	$0.06
1/2 tsp	sesame oil	$0.02
1 medium	fresh pineapple	$3.55
TOTAL		$12.00

Now this may seem like a long time to marinate the chicken, but if you already know you are going to a BBQ before hand marinate it at home and then bring it in a container. Get fat free sauce and grill away. You can substitute chicken for shrimp tuna.

Break out the grill and make these delicious chicken kabobs that are so good, you won't even realize they're good for you!

Spring is here, and summer is approaching

Lets face it, summer is coming, fit or flabby. You have to get your quick 2 month work out in now or never. My Vegas trip is booked and I know i'm not bikini ready! I have been slacking with girl scout cookie season here and all. I have been making excuse after excuse, but now its time to get serious. I started working out again this monday. I actually had my boyfriends cousin sign up for the gym so she will be coming with us and she pushes me to go with her to the gym. I wasn't able to get to the gym yesterday and today due to work, but tomorrow I will be at the gym for 10 hours! Im going to do cardio tomorrow and going back to grilled chicken. It's hard being 21 and not being able to drink, but that is the worst thing to do when your on a diet. This weekend I chose to do other things so I stay clear of bars. I don't have alot of money saved up for Vegas, so that is also another reason to keep me from drinking those sugary pina colodas, ha. Anyway I need to focus on my goal weight, fifteen more pounds by may! I will let you know how tomorrows work out goes!

Food Shopping

My entire house is full of healthy eaters, which means whole wheat everything, fat free sugar free, low fat for every food. My mom sent me food shopping so I had to be careful with what I needed to buy. Walking up and down the isles you have to routes, the good tasting sugary and salty foods, or fruits, veggies and whole grain options. When you go food shopping it is important to replace your gushers for grapes, oreos for oranges, and chips for cantaloupe. You can still buy things you love but do it the right way. For example, when choosing milk, trade your whole milk for fat free or reduced fat milk. If you still want to incorporate pasta in your meals, get whole wheat pasta instead of normal pasta. If you need chips, they offer reduced fat. Also make sure to stop by the produce section and go nuts. Get every type of fruit or vegetable imagined, this way when you feel hungry grab an apple or substitute that side of french fries for broccoli and low-fat cheese. Even orange juice is high in sugar, but they do offer low sugar orange juice. Take some time when you shop to really look at your calories and sugar intake. It is crucial not to just throw whatever looks good in the shopping cart. Tonight for dinner I will be cooking grilled chicken with whole wheat pasta with a little tomato sauce. To drink I chose diet coke instead of regular coke. You can drink diet sodas but only drink alot of diet sodas because they will leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable. Just remember when shopping, shop smart!

Motivation post

So I have lost all motivation. School, work, midterms. I can't seem to have any strength to get to the gym. I have 3 days left until spring break. This break will help me get more motivated because the stress level will be down. I haven't been eating right either. I feel once I get put into high levels of stress I tend to eat worse and not care. PF Chang did taste good on Monday though. Anyway so my boyfriend and I promised each other we would start up our diets today. So today, I NEED a large cup of coffee, and then will eat fruits in class, and then when I get home I will eat a healthy whole wheat wrap, and then chicken and salad for dinner. I am going to try to get my gym session in, and possibly a cardio class to get the ball rolling. I have a two week membership at LA Fitness where they offer a olympic size pool, a huge room for classes such as cardio kick boxing class, or spin class. I took a class last week and loved it. My muscles were killing me, but that is a sign that you are working your muscles hard. After my life starts to get a little situated I need to start focusing on going back to the gym. I switched up what gym I go to becasue I was getting a little burnt out of good Ol' Planet Fitness. Its a good gym but it just has your basic machine. Well I will let you know how today turns out and if I stick to my diet plans. Adios!

Work and eat right

I know, it is hard when you go to school full time and work full time to eat a healthy meal. Lately I have been focusing on what to eat outside of the house. As we all know Stockton isn't the healthiest place to eat, but have you ever left campus to check out what type of food is available. I left campus in-between my big breaks last semester and ventured to the mall not even five minutes away. They have a pretty decent salad joint in the food court. If you don't have time to go check out your surroundings in-between your classes than just make something and bring it from home. Make some chicken on the good old George Formann and toss it in a salad and bring some salad dressing, and voila! Your not only saving money, but your eating good too. I normally like to chop up some fruit and bring it to class because it can last a few hours. Now for those who work in the food and restaurant business, I know it's so hard to eat right. I always bring out food to customers, you know that juicy hamburger or that hot dripping cheese quesadilla, but I learned a small trick to help these cravings from attacking. One way my friends and I have learned to deal with this problem is too never let your self get to that point of starvation. Always fill up on healthy food, and drink lots of fluids so your full. Once your full you won't even want to think about food. I normally eat a hug salad before work or at work this way I won't want to eat the bad foods that I deliver to people. If you work in a place where you have to order your food, make sure to order something healthy from that pizza place next door. Hey, a chicken caesar salad isn't bad compared to 3 greasy slices of pizza. Either that, or make something and bring it to work, such as a whole wheat tuna sandwich. Don't make excuses, it IS possible to eat healthy during your hectic school/work week.

Change up your workouts

It is important to switch up your workouts. If you continue to do the same thing over and over again it gets repetitive and your body starts to get use to that specific workout. For instance I ran for two months straight every day at the same speed. I started to plateau with my workouts, therefore I switched to starting my workouts off with the elliptical and doing more time on the elliptical. I cut back on weights for a little so I can focus on fat burn. Yesterday at the gym I did 50 minutes between the elliptical and some other weird stepping machine, both low resistance machines.. good for fat burning and muscle growth. Lately I have been trying to incorporate healthy yet normal meals back into my diet. I feel that my leg muscles have been most improved, I feel they are stronger than they used to be. I wish I could spend more time at the gym but due to my schedule it is impossible. Tomorrow I will focus more on weights and strengthening machines. I have been stuck at my weight for two weeks now, which is why I needed to start using different machines. I need to focus on better foods now because everyday I have been slacking and cheating a little more and more. I still have my daily morning yogurt and fruit cup, and living off grilled chicken still, but I don't think a chicken burrito really counts as a diet meal, woops. Tomorrow will be a better day for my meal choices.

Chocolate overload

I figured since my diet and work out sessions were going very well, I figured a little chocolate couldn't hurt for good old Valentines Day. Well, I was clearly wrong. After a long day of non stop chocolate eating I'm paying the price for it this week. I haven't lost a pound, in fact I gained 3 even though I have been going to the gym. It just goes to show you that if you stuff your face one whole day of sugar and fat it could ruin your week. My plan is to continue to eat healthy and have a few good consecutive workouts and start back up on my diet plans. It's ok if you screw up a little for a holiday or something of that sort, just keep your eyes on the prize. My prize is feeling confident and showing off my bikini bod in Las Vegas when I go in June. 

So besides my chocolate binge on Sunday, this week has been nothing but the gym and healthy foods. I started to break away from cardio and keep my heart rate at the fat burn level. By doing this, I am working out longer and burning calories slowly, but also building muscle so my metabolism can speed up. After about 45 minutes to an hour of doing machines, I will move to weights. I want to tone my muscles and start slowly building muscle. I normally do everything in one day because i' doing light weight. I will start off with doing my biceps, and triceps, 3 sets of 15 reps. Than after arms, I do legs. I start off with thighs, quads, than calves. After that I move to the floor where I do abs. I lay down on my back, and someone will stand with my head in-between there feet. Keeping my feet together and legs straight, I lift them up. Than the person helping me, will push my feet back towards the ground. Without letting your feet hit the floor you use your abdominal muscle to control your legs. This leaves you nice and sore, but it targets the lower abs, right where all that chocolate is sitting.

Gym in a snowstorm

No school yesterday thank god, but I still made it to the gym. It wasn't that bad yesterday until around 4pm. I made it to the gym to get my hour and a half workout. I started off with a yogurt as usual and then head to the gym with the family. Working out is so much easier when you have a friend or family member go with you. In my case my boyfriend is on this healthy eating and work out diet with me. It motivates me alot more to continue to eat healthy and work out on a daily basis. It has been a month and a half since I've been on my diet and I have lost a total of 22 pounds, I even ate a bowl of ice cream last night. It's hard to not eat bad when your locked in your house all day forced to watch movies. For lunch I had a chicken salad sandwich, which wasn't too healthy but its protein so thats good. The night before I ate sushi and edamame which is a great vegetable and tastes good too. Today I had work. It only took my two hours to get to work, but I made it there alive. I drank the normal 10 cups of green iced tea (unsweetened) and had a tuna steak roll, which is grilled tuna steak (very healthy and a source of omega) and the roll which is clear rice paper worth 40 calories, and mixed greens. Tonight I will eat steak with mixed vegetables. I had a good work out yesterday and today at the gym. Yesterday I spent 40 minutes between the treadmill and the elliptical, than did weights and worked on my abs of steal. Today I strictly did cardio, which is good for your heart and lungs, while burning calories. Unfortunately tomorrow will be a day off from the gym because I have class then doctors appointment, than going bowling, which hey maybe that will burn some calories.

Campus food

Since January I have been trying my best to eat healthy food and stay away from fatty foods. Well, I have come to realize Stockton College has the worst food available. Honestly, my community college had better food than Stockton. It is pretty sad that students are forced to eat this junk especially the students who live on campus. I go to school Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. I am a commuter student thank god, there for I am able to eat food other than the nasty food Stockton has to offer. My day will start off with a healthy breakfast such as low fat yogurt, fruit or low calorie cereal. My day starts at 9:55 am, and I go to class straight through until 3:25. Therefore, I can barely eat a normal meal for 5 and a half hours. I normally bring a fiber bar to eat in class. Sometimes I stop to get a fruit cup to eat the 10 minutes in between my classes, only located in B wing, and sometimes they don't always have them. The problem is, when a teacher lets us out early or a class is canceled I will spend my time visiting the cafeteria. Normally I will walk in, browse around and then leave, because the food they offer is disgusting. From greasy fried foods, to sodium filled chinese food. There happens to be a salad bar that I tried the other day and I spend 8 dollars on a little salad which I was furious about because it was the most disgusting salad I ate in my life. They don't have fresh vegetables, they kind of look brown and dyed out. The salad dressings are extremely fattening, and only offer one low fat dressing, the chopped chicken is so nasty and fatty and not taken care of. Everything is sloppy and always dirty looking. So the next time I went to the cafeteria, I went to the sub shop hoping to have some better luck, well I found out they don't offer whole wheat. Of course not, why would they want to serve healthy food at a college where everyone is known to gain the freshman 15, 20 or even 30 pounds. I am completely grossed out by this campus food. 

Little bit of effort goes a long way

So as you read in my last blog, there are certain ways to burn fat in work outs. I do not read off the internet on ways to burn fat, or use diet pills to burn fat. I simply use personal experience and a little training help from employees at my gym. I work out everyday, normally 6 to 7 days a week. I used to run, run, and run, but I realized i've hit my peak of loosing weight so I had to switch it up a little. While I was running a trainer came up to me and asked why I was running so fast, and I replied because I want to burn calories and loose weight. Then he let me in on a little secret, if I was at a brisk pace I will burn the same amount of calories and my heart rate needs to slow down. There machines can tell you your heart rate, and you should keep your heart rate in a fat burn level, not cardio. Cardio is good if your trying to improve your lungs and heart, fat burn is for building muscle and loosing weight. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism becomes. Running will make you loose the muscle and then you will find yourself "hitting your peak." So your daily work out could be a brisk walk at a low impact. Keep your heart rate between a 120 and 140. The longer you keep your heart rate at that level you will burn more fat and loose more calories. Other low impact machines you can do is the Elliptical. I normally switch it up, a quick 10 minute run to get my heart rate up and do a little bit of cardio, take it down to a walk for 20 minutes, and then possibly a 15 minute run on the elliptical. Green tea will speed up your metabolism also, so I like to have a few cups of green iced tea before I work out. Working out in the morning is best for you because you will burn calories for the rest of the day, but if you cant get to the gym in the morning, it is ok just get there for a quick walk, or when the weather gets nice, take the dogs for a walk around the block. Get that heart rate up and start burning those calories.

how to eat healthy out of the house

Well my diet has been going well. My cravings haven't taken over my mind just yet. As you have read in my other blogs my daily routine is kind of boring.. yogurt, fruit, school, salad, gym, grilled chicken. Since the weekend it now approaching us it is difficult to stay home and cook every day, therefore you go to eat out with your friends, family, significant other. It is alot easier to eat out and eat healthy than you think. The hardest part is telling your self not to order those greasy french fries or that fried fattening chicken dinner. It is all about self control. When Im out and I want to eat bad, i think of my vacation to Las Vegas in June, and my goal of getting off those holiday pounds. First step is mind over matter. Second step to remember is do not starve yourself, A. you will gain more weight that way, and B. you will break down and eat everything and anything around you when you get to that point of starving. It is important to eat alot of little things through out your whole day. Train your stomach to not over eat, it's all about portions. Take Applebees for example, that place is crawling with trans fat and calories up the Wa-zoo! Check out the weight watchers menu they offer or the new under 500 calorie meals. They are actually satisfying enough and will fill you. The days I don't go to school (tuesdays and thursdays) I work at a Cafe. This Cafe happens to be a health food restaurant. While I am at work I normally eat summer rolls, they have rice paper, mixed greens, and option of grilled chicken, shrimp, tuna, or eggplant. They are filling and tasty. There is healthy food on every menu, you just have to be a pain in the butt customer and ask for meal alterations. Another example, I went out to a nice italian restaurant with my friends last weekend. I ordered grilled salmon, no sauce (the sauce is where all the calories are at.. BEWARE!) and steamed veggies, with water and lemon. That may sound boring but salmon is full of good carbs and omega. It is important to get some fish incorporated into your diet such as grilled tuna or salmon. If you don't like fish health food stores have omega vitamins. I continue to replace my normal diet soda with water or natural green tea. Any soda will leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable. Increase green tea consumption for it helps with digestion, your metabolism and has a little caffeine to replace coffee. Continue to work out when you can, it makes you feel better about your self and you will actually feel improvement. Next blog I will talk about how to work out properly to burn fat and tone. I am currently down 4 pounds since I started my blog!

Beginning of week plan

Starting from this blog on, I will be posting to inform people who either want to loose wight, eat right, or just live a healthy life style. Since this weekend was my first "cheat" on my diet plan, Monday was the beginning of a new weight loss plan. Monday I had class so therefore eating right became a little bit difficult. To me, loosing weight is 70% eating right and 30% working out so it is always important to read labels. I discovered Stockton has absolutely no appetizing healthy food! Before getting to class I woke up in the morning and ate a low-cal yogurt mixed with flax seed. Flax seed is good for your digestive system, hair, skin and all around good health. After my first class I ate a fruit cup and a hot green tea from Stockton. In between my last two classes I brought a fiber bar to eat, because it is very important to eat a little every two hours so your metabolism speeds up. When I got home, I ate a late lunch which was a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, grilled chicken, and avocado. Then worked out at the gym for 60 minutes, which consisted walking and running on the treadmill and followed by light weights for toning. For dinner more grilled chicken, brown rice, and steamed vegetables. I continued this on tuesday and today. This may sound like a boring day but it is my life monday through friday. It is really worth it in the end because results will come over time and you will feel so rewarded about your self. Like I said in my last blog, my goal is to loose 15 to 20 pounds, according to my average BMI (body mass index). My next blog I will give more the secrets of dining out and eating healthy.

Figuring out my topic

After thinking things through i realized what my blog should be about. Even though my life is circled around interesting events I have to come up with something good to write about. Since this country is infested with fattening foods, obese children, and is now known as the "fast food nation," i've decided to blog about healthy eating, healthy "fast food" and good work out plans. I'm not one to always eat right, don't get me wrong, but my since New Years hit I have decided to make a serious change in my life. I have gained 20 pounds since last September, between the stress from school, a boyfriend who always looks at me like I'm perfect even if that means eating 3 juicy hamburgers a day, and just down right loving food. But now that is all going to change, I need the change for my self, to feel and look better. I am going to consistently write and inform you all of healthy foods, and good work out plans. So far since New Years even I have lost 18 pounds by just working out and eating right. Its very hard and you need to treat yourself sometimes... like tonight :) Just look out for my next blog because I will be back to my daily healthy life style tomorrow!

January 20, 2010

Today was my first day of my second semester at Stockton. I like my schedule alot better than last semester. The only problem that I have with Stockton is the fact that there are limited classes to chose from, especially for commuters like myself. Its hard to fit exactly what classes I need into my Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. I could probably argue with anyone who disagreed with me for hours. Now that the semester has kicked off everything should feel alot more into place, and less stressful. I only had to change around one class that I knew wasn't for me. On a lighter note all my books were cheap this semester. I could get used to this blogging thing, seeing as the only network I was on was addicting Crackbook, I mean Facebook. I'm going to wrap up this blog, good first day overall!