Alot of people have been asking......

Hey guys!

So lately I have been receiving several messages from different people, asking me what I am doing to get into the shape I am in, and if I have any tips or pointers......

I am new to this "fitness game"..... I'm learning as I go. and I am NOWHERE NEAR fit enough, But I CAN tell you this....

I first started out by using 2 lb weights, doing PopSugar fitness videos in my living room from youtube. (tightest arms in town, several/many other of their videos and gradually worked my way up to the bodyweight workout.) I also ran every day and did squats, pushups, situps and updowns all to the song "bring sally up"...... Its quite challenging.

I get easily bored, and I am strongly motivated by music, so I tried  workout dances, and by surfing youtube I stumbled upon Wilitary workouts. Let me start by saying that these workouts are AMAZING! They keep you motivated, make you sweat like crazy and are incredibly enjoyable. (and i am in NOWAY being sarcastic.) I can thank him solely for building a base on my arms and working me up to 10 lb weights!

When I first started I cut out ALL processed food. I took the challenge and turned my family to
"clean eating". Basically fresh produce, fresh meat, and dairy. No freezer section, and very limited supply of canned products. It makes grocery shopping and menus quite slim, but let me just say, it is by far the best choice I have ever made. It made me see food in a whole different light.

As I have expressed in earlier blogs, I used to eat out of pleasure/emotions. I have learned I eat for fuel and that is it.

As my training is progressing I eat on a very strict diet and time frame. I eat 5 small meals a day and every 3 hours I consume a meal from waking up until bedtime. My food is limited in choices, but thank gosh for spices (thats basically the only "free"choice I have when it comes to eating! ).

So to eat clean, what i cooked was basically fresh meat with vegetable sides and instead of potatoes/noodles I did couscous, quinuoa or mass variety of cauliflower (mashed cauliflower, creamed cauliflower, roasted cauliflower, cauliflower mac-and-cheese, cauliflower rice, cauuliflower pizza crust......basically anything and all things cauliflower.)  Cutting processed food was REALLY easy for me because i hardly ever bought frozen nuggets, frozen pizzas, boxed mac and cheese, rarely did i cook anything NOT homemade, BUT not all homemade food is healthy, well mostly none of my cooking was healthy.

Its amazing how fast your body adapts and rejects old favorites....  in 18 weeks i have consumed pasta ONE time and PASTA was my main source of food and i honestly do not miss it! Another thing i havent eaten in 18 weeks is regular potatoes, again, Not missing anything!

My body HATES me when i ingest something out of the ordinary and surprisingly it isnt even satisfying to my taste buds! Healthy food as so much flavor and zest!

Now i know most of you are always hung up on your WHOLE family switching its diet. Believe me, its not always easy BUT if they see you do it, and you make them atleast TRY it, you will make a huge impact! Also, portion control!! Eat on salad plates, it makes a world of difference, and dont go for seconds!

I currently am what is considered a "gym rat" and guess what... I LIVE FOR IT! I absolutely love the feeling of the sweat exiting my body. The huffs and puffs when lifting, the sounds of the machines, and the determined look on the face of the person staring back at me in the mirror. Its a liberating experience. However what i could do without as a gym rat is walking into the locker room after a hard workout seeing all the shameless naked old ladies walking to and fro the shower....... Honestly, if there was a single bathroom where i could change my street shoes and pee before my workout, i would only use that. Dont get me wrong, its natural what they are doing but i am painfully modest so this is all SO NEW to me. I NEVER showered in high school gym, communal spaces is far from "my thing". haha.

I spend 20 minutes on the stair climber, then i do 15 mintues on either the eliptical or the gazell machine, then i try to run on the treadmill every other day..... after all my cardio I lift. I isolate different ddays for different body parts. Right now i am working on my pull-ups and i am DETERMINED to pull my ass up on that damn bar!

I think that covers a little of your questions, if you have more just ask. Im happy to respond... and quite honestly it makes me smile that people are coming to ME for advice.

Love ya!

This is my life.

Hey everyone!

So i know MOST of you, if not ALL of you (with an exception of a few) are really sick of my workout posts, but guess what? They aren't going to stop, and I am not sorry for over posting... and if I am going to be totally honest, its probably only going to get worse from here on out.

so deal with it...... haha

I have been chunky, my whole life... and always had a skinny mom and sister (which my sister could eat a chocolate cow and probably lose weight, she got blessed with awesome metabo genes) I on the other hand got blessed or mostly cursed with the ever so lovely EDMONDS genes! Thick mid-section, or as my grandma always loved to say " were just big boned Al." - Thanks gram, Thanks.

Was I really born with abnormally large bones? or was it those dishes of candy spread about her house that i munched on? or my ever so favorite hard salami that was ALWAYS in her fridge because it was my favorite!? Or better yet, all those sleep overs with late night chips & dip or the ever so faithful pepperoni and mountain dew!? or how about midnight instant potatoes?! Nah, it wasn't the snacking, i was  DEFINITELY born with big bones. Yeah that's it.

I always settled for being on the chunky side. But why? Because i loved the taste of food, way more than i liked myself and my body? Why was that okay?

  I NEVER have worked out (aside from occasional running stints). I played sports in high school but i wouldn't have been caught dead actually WORKING OUT/ Lifting weights! Girls dont do that, and If they do, they get to manly looking...right?! (we will jump back to that answer.)

 I never grew up with anyone actually working out or lifting weights, so it was the normal just not to do anything. Is that an excuse or make it okay? no. But we tend to grow up doing what we see, and since i didnt see people working out, i never thought to bat an eyelash at it. Infact, working out always sounded painful and time consuming.... who wants that? just give me the quick fix!

Food has ALWAYS been my comfort. I ate to make my heart happy. I ate when i was sad. I ate when i was stressed. I ate when I was bored. I ate when I had a bad day, Shit... I ate ALL. THE. TIME!!! I ate to have a good time with friends. Shall I go on? Now please don't get me wrong.... There is NOTHING wrong with loving the taste of food, and small indulgences but there is a line and when it is crossed it is dangerous to your health/body. Eating to fill needs is a disorder. Its called B.E.D. (binge eating dissorder). And I believe i fit that bill.

Until recently.

I have struggled with many things in my life, and anxiety is one of them..... with anxiety you create rituals, and if those rituals are not done each and every time a task is performed, the unthinkable WILL happen (or thats what your mind says). So when i watch tv at night, I associate that with sitting down with a bag of doritos or a box of cheezeits, and if I didnt, that was against my ritual. Did it feel wrong? yes. Did I know it was getting out of hand? yes. But its not an easy thing to stop! Or on road trips you always need to stop for snacks and drinks, if you dont you are going to get into a car accident. Now my list could keep going on, and on, and on.

That is so unhealthy on SO many levels. Stopping it is impossible, but filling its shoes with a new ritual is a better option. Fill your void with something productive.

When I was in highschool ( only a handfull of people know this, and my mom isnt one of them, so mom, im sorry) I was bulimic. Not really at home, but ALWAYS at school. Again, it was a ritual thing. I wasnt skinny enough, i wasnt like my friends, i was so fat compared to my sister, and i was sick of remarks so when i would inhale my lunch at school,  it would come up just as fast.  It didnt reach an extremely alarming level because thank the lord I was smart enough to END it. but then my fat struggle started ALL over again.

So you see, no one is perfect, and EVERYONE struggles with things NOBODY knows about. Everyones journey is different. We come from all walks of life, so never judge people just by looking at them.

Now you are probably wondering why I indulged you all in that bit of information? its because until these last 3 months, i have never truly cared about myself like I should. I was living everyone eles' life and I wanted my own. I wanted to be confident. I wanted to be happy when i looked in the mirror. I wanted to feel strong,, but most of all, I wanted to FIND MYSELF!

And i do not believe I am the only person who feels that way!

Since I was a junior in Highschool, all i wanted was to graduate, go to dental hygiene school, get married and have babies. Simple right?! well life didnt go according to plan and i was more obsessed with making others happy than actually finding my niche. I ended up quitting school, having babies and never looking back to find myself...... well im realizing that it is MY TIME now.  It is my time to find myself!

I have found complete and utter enjoyment in working out. It is my passion. I am fully emersed and overcome with it. Dedicated COMPLETELY! I have NEVER EVER EVER felt this way about ANYTHING other than being a mother..... I believe this is my true calling!

There is 2 things I want to go away with on this journey. 1) is loving who I am. and the second is helping people along the way.

Baby steps people, baby steps! Rome wasnt built in a day.

I am driven on my journey by my "end" goal. I am fueled by muscle gains, but mostly, that twinkle in my eye when i look at myself in the mirror. I am not ready to shout my end goal out to the world yet,but when i do, you will know.

I always had this distorted view of women with muscles.  You've all seend them, the roided out she man, but working out doesnt do that to you, unless you want it to.

Also, sweat is not sparkle, its sweat and why should we glamorize it? Its fat leaving your body, isnt that motivation enough?

I have learned a lot of things in this short amount of time. I have taught my kids more than i could have ever thought. Now im not saying going to the gym 6 days a week, and a strict diet is for everyone, and i am not tellin you all that you need to work out, what i am trying to get at is, we all need to find ourselves..... and I just hope I am atleast helping a few people along the way.

You always here that saying "confidence is key". you bet your ass it is! I  get looked at in a whole new light from my husband. He has loved me through thick and thin, but when i flex in the mirror and screach with excitement, he gets this smirk on his face and i know he is into me ...... thats a good feeling.

Love yourself and the rest will all come together!

Its amazing what we are capable of.....

So as of my last post, I told you all that I have been striving for the healthier lifestyle for my family and I. We have been cooking low carb/ carb free, and totally  clean. No processed foods, no added sugars, healthy snacks, things of that sort.

Some things are loved. Some things are "liked" and others are hated (by the other 3, i have LOVED everything i have made/tasted).

I find healthier food to be incredibly flavorful and so much more enjoyable! (but i will get to the food later)

 I do want to start with explaining my exercise regimen.

Running is one of my favorite things to do. I had lost sight of that for a while, but its like riding a bike... i just had to force myself to lace up those shoes.

So each day I run. I run until im tired, or my time is up (work,school,kids home).
When I started this 12 days ago, i started at running in intervals for a mile; but i couldnt even run a solid .3 without stopping and switching to walking..... embarrassing i know, but its fact, the cold hard truth. I slowly climbed up, little by little, and today I ran 1.71 miles (nonstop)! If I can do that, anyone can! It takes determination, and heart..... and I have alot of both of those!

So after my run, I drink my bottle of water, cool down a bit, then I start the other pieces of my daily routine.

My first workout is ALWAYS this.........

At first it was excruciating on my thighs haha. And yes, you feel silly at first, but bring out that confidence. Now its just my warm-up.

Next is SQUATS and I always use this..........

And a CHALLENGE it is!! the first time I did it, I lasted until the first squat hold.... Yesterday and today I did the whole song........ Just pace yourself, but I have already noticed a BIG difference in my lower body, especially my booty ;)

Last is always PLANKS!! (I dont use this video, but this is how I do my planks, and To this song as well)...... I still cant finish the whole song, but soon.

The last couple of days I have added in a few more things. I have been noticing big big changes in my body, but i still have massive love handles so i started this one today.... 

Cooking gis always a passion of mine..... and I love to cook NEW things. But when you are busy, and you have a full time job, kids, busy husband, multiple jobs, multiple kids to take care of all day, whatever your daily is, it is easier to just make simple, but ultimately unhealthy meals. I always used "well my kids wont eat that," "i dont have time to cook like that" or "my cooking isnt processed so its not so bad for us" excuses. Since I started this clean eating and no carb routine it is amazingly easy, and my kids are enjoying what they eat! Of course it is still a learning curve, as everything always is, but i am so happy with the results.

So here are a few photos of meals i have prepared that are very healthy, and tasty but the best part is they are Pretty fast to prepare!! 

couliflower pizza crust

egg whites, sauteed spinach, and fresh fruit

cauiliflower pizza

broc & egg muffins, and ham poached egg & feta muffins

philly suffed green peppers

greek yogurt, raw granola, and a portebella mushroom cooked with an egg inside

fajita veggie steak wrap, red quinua and watermelon

baby kale, spinach, arugala, grilled chicken salad with watermelon

ham/egg cups, cottage  cheese topped with banana peppers

cabbage rolls, and mashed cauliflower 

Thats all for today becausee I need to head out! 

Long Time, No see.

Hey!

Wow, its been a while eh' ? What can I say, I've had a very busy life lately! Working full time with 2 active kids and a working/schooling husband leaves little time to sit on the computer anymore, so tragic. Well anyways, life has been great lately, and lots of things have changed since I blogged last! I'm not going to spend a great deal of time chronicalizing everything that has changed, but just know, everything is going well. Stressful, but well. BUSY, but well.

But I am going to take a while to blog about what has changed for the BEST for us recently!

I have had enough of SQUEEZING myself into my jeans. As some of you know, I am an emotional eater. Stressed? I eat. Mad? I eat. Bored? I eat. And as it once was just a comforting tool (not a good tool,but its truth) it had turned into a terrible habit, and my mood & body had suffered from it. No longer was I comforting myself, I was just feeding my horrible habit.

So in recent days (7 to be exact) I have set our family on a life changing journey. I have found a new way of cooking.

In previous years, when i "diet" I just eat my healthy food, and my family continued to eat home cooking. Now as it wasnt frozen/processed and home cooked, doesnt necessarily mean it was healthy! so this time around, we are changing EVERYTHING and the kids are eating it too! And guess what??? none of us have died! Score!

SO in just 7 days I have lost 6+ pounds.I Feel so CLEAN and healthy. BUT as I have created a habit of running and exercising which is now my stress relief again, old habits die hard, and as I learned last night, im not perfect, nor "cured" of emotional eating.

I had a rough day yesterday...... Just lots of little things that merged all together and it wasnt my finest moment. I called Brian at 9pm, on my way home from work and Informed him that i had a bad day and I was picking up some unhealthy food to come home and sit on the couch and engorge myself. He started telling me, "no you arent, its too late to eat, and you dont need to eat" (being helpful) but all that does is keep turning me in the wrong direction... I immediately became enraged and drove myself to family fare where i purchased a box of perogies and a small tub of sour cream (my kryptonite) ... I ventured home where he greeted me, grabbed the bag out of my hand and told me to go upstairs, take a relaxing shower before i made any rash decisions. Once upstairs i found candles lit and the tub ready.... he even had my jammies ready and my stress relief cream. (yes i have a keeper!) I indulged in a very relaxing bath and came back downstairs thinking clearly. I walked into the kitchen and brian was sauteeing a handful of perogies for me, (opposed to the entire box and the tub of sour cream). Have I said lately that I LOVE my husband?

So i sit on the couch, he brings me my plate of emotional perogies, and propped my feet up. We chatted while i slowly ate a couple of perogies while he massaged my feet. (This is not a typical scene at our house, but he knew i needed him emotionally). I had 5 perogies (not proud,but i could have done MUCH worse!! normally i eat the whole box and tub of sour cream).

You know what the best part of that whole scenario is? I realized that "Comfort Eating" is not at all comforting!! All i felt while eating that is dissapointment, and reverting back to my old ways.

From here I move forward. I am not human.

Why did i tell you that story you may be wondering?!  I told you that story because its truth. Its real life. It isn't sugar coated and its embarrasing and disgusting.... But other people go through the same things as I do, whether they life to admit it or not.....so as I am trying to change, maybe my words can help!

Find a NEW outlet! One that doesnt involve a fork!

Mine is running..... the feeling I get when i pop in my earbuds and start pounding that sidewalk with my feet is indescribable. My thoughts release with each stride. I focus on the music, I focus on my breathing. Nothing matters, Just me, and my feet.

Find your stride. If I can, You sure as hell can.

SO We start week 2 today! I have already ran my mile, did a squat workout, 3 30 second planks, 10 push ups. (not much but its something). I feel wonderful, and strong.  I am improving my quality of life, and I AM IN CHARGE!