Do you over eat?

This past weekend was memorial day weekend, did you over eat?  No, I didn't ask if you chose unhealthy food, I asked if you over ate.  I did!  Yep, I admit it, I over ate on healthy food.  Did this hurt my weight loss?  Yep, it sure did!  How?  Why?  Because, my portions were not the correct amount, I did not stay on my schedule of eating and I grazed way too much.  Even though I work out, it doesn't counteract how much I ate, it never has and never will.  Abs start in the kitchen!  This is with what you eat and how much you eat.  The good thing is, I didn't gain all the weight back from what I had lost in the 7dsd, but I did gain a little!
This is what I have learned about my body though:
I cannot eat any type of bread or wrap when I want to, 2 days MAX!
I really have to watch my salt intake, NO MORE THAN 2 Days a week!
For some silly reason bread and salt are my body's enemy when it comes to weight gain so I have to cut it down a lot smaller than what everyone else does.  I have to listen to my body and watch what the food does to me.  This was learned through trial and error.

So, what's my point?  You can still gain weight eating healthy if you over eat!  This is not me preaching, it's me telling you what I did and what happened so that maybe you can learn from my mistake!

5 - 6 small meals a day, lots of H2O, sleep, and stay as close to your schedule as possible.  A messed up schedule will through you off and BAM, everything is thrown off!

7 Day Slim Down Results!

I recently did the 7 Day Slim Down from Tone It Up's nutrition plan and in the video, I share my results, how I feel, and the wonderful people who helped me through it!  If you need a great nutrition plan that is healthy, safe, and effective.  Tone It Up is the way to go!  I have always struggled with my weight, and fad diets just don't work.  This plan truly works!  They tell you what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat!  The plan also tells you what types of workouts to do and when to do them.  Once you become a member, you are a LIFETIME member, with updates to the plans coming at a constant rate.  Karena and Katrina are very involved with each member and you gain a FAMILY from all the other members!  This has been the only thing I have been able to stick with and feel great!  If you have any questions about the plan or membership, please don't hesitate to ask me.  Tone It Up can be found at http://www.toneitup.com

Don't Give Up! and Talking Hike for Heros!

It's Monday, how did you fair over the weekend?  Did you have a slip up?  If so, don't think it's all over!  Today starts a new week, which means a new day to get it right.  Pick yourself up and quit hating yourself for a slip up.  Quit telling yourself, it's just no use.  Because you know what?  THAT'S NOT TRUE!  Start over today!  Get in that workout, eat clean, drink lots of water!  Keep trying!  DON'T GIVE UP!  You are so worth NOT GIVING UP ON!  Yes, I said, YOU ARE WORTH IT!  If you feel you can't go any further, take a quick break and go again!  You can do it!

As you all know, last weekend, I did an accidental 8 mile hike with my daughter and boy was it tough!  Well, this weekend, I pushed myself even further by setting a goal to walk 10 miles for the Hike for Heros walk.  I chose a flat path because I knew that I wanted milage (that was the main goal for the walk,run,hike,bike). Well, half way through my first round, my back started killing me!  Yep, I have a really bad back.  I wanted to stop right then and there because every step I took hurt! I was really close to stopping, but then I started thinking about all of our military personnel and all of the worries they go through and I just couldn't stop, plus I needed that cardio.  I pushed myself to get through that first round.  During our first bout around the lake, I saw where they had these tandem bikes for rent, and I was like OH, well, I could rent one of those to ease my back.  Then I felt like a wimp, and kept going, pushing myself.  This is a walk and this is what I promised my donors I would do.  I did not give up on myself!  I didn't want to let my Heros down!  I continued to push through the second round, taking small breaks as needed (for my back only).  This gave me the little strength I needed to continue the steps. However, during round 2, I did rent the bike.  For a little bit, I felt defeated.  I felt like I let a lot of people down, but when I got on that bike, I got a whole NEW workout! I LOVED IT!  And because I was still getting a workout in, I felt better and undefeated.  My husband on the other hand hated it! :)  We did our last round on that bike and finished up the last mile walking (the rental place was NOT by our starting line).  I couldn't and DIDN'T give up on myself completely, I just needed to find another way, that was safe for my back. Sure, if that pain wouldn't have gotten so bad, I would have completed 11 miles of walking (which is the farthest I have gone during any workout!).  In the past, it would have been so easy for me to just give up, but instead of giving up, I found another way to keep moving and adding those miles up.  The biggest point here is this.  I DIDN'T GIVE UP ON ME, and you shouldn't give up on YOU!  Give yourself more credit for how far you have come.  Maybe you can't do 11 miles just yet, but don't let that keep you from getting out for a walk or a run.  Remember, every little thing you do to stay active means you are lapping someone who is sitting on the couch doing nothing about their health.  This is a decision you made for YOUR HEALTH, DON'T GIVE UP! You are farther in this than what you think!
Here is a little collage of pics from the walk.

Peace, Love, and Sweat!

Tips for Staying Lean And Green over the weekend

For most of us, eating lean, clean, and green is easy to do during the week, but the weekend GETS US!  We have worked hard all week and all we want to do is RELAX, go to parties, and NOT think about anything.  Me, I absolutely HATE cooking, especially when the weekend comes!  But, I also don't want to undo all the hard work I just put in over the week!  So, even though I don't like doing it, I will be cooking this weekend, ensuring that I don't undo my work.  I also have a party to go to.  What do you usually take to a party?  Sweets, chips?  Well, you can still take those things, just make them clean!  In place of potato chips, make sweet potato chips or kale chips. There are numerous recipes online that I have found.  All it takes is a little research! This also has helped me stay on track.  If you want to take more than one item to your party or cookout, do it!  Do WHATEVER it takes to stay LEAN, CLEAN, and GREEN!  My most recent recipe, which was a huge hit, was pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!  Even my kids loved them!  I found it on pinterest and made tweaks to it so that it would be clean! Here is the address if you are interested! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe - Allrecipes.com 


Another person who helps me quite often with recipes is fitfoodjunkie!  She has amazing reciepes!  I have tried her banana bread, brussels sprouts, and will soon try Pink Heart Cookies that she found on Pure2Raw's website!  Follow her! http://fitfoodjunkie.com/ Not only does she help with recipes, she gives fit tips and throws in some challenges for you as well!  She has been a great TIU (ToneItUP) sister to me!


Also, just keep in mind that you want 4 oz of lean protein with lunch and dinner and green veggies!  for your in-between snacks, go to fruit or 2Tbs of CLEAN peanut butter and of course, veggies and hummus!  And never forget your H2O!  Water is very important for your body!  Make sure get in at least half of your body weight! So that means, if I weigh 127 lbs, my minimum water intake will be 64 (yes, I rounded up) oz.  Right now, I am over 100 oz of water.  This like eating clean and working out becomes habit!  I actually crave water!  Here are some tips to help you gulp it down!  And fruit, today my water has strawberries and a lime in it!  It is so delicious!  Drink coconut water, I hard time with it myself, but I love Zico's chocoloate coconut water!  Especially when it's ice cold and after a workout!  Tomorrow, I will be walking for our Heros (10miles).  I am sure there will be LOTS of Choc. Zico consumed by my family!


So, Let me know how you did over the weekend! And if this has helped you at all!  I'm new to blogging and want to help anyone I can become healthier and fit!  Also, let me know what you would like to see me blog about!  Have a GREAT LEAN, CLEAN, and GREEN weekend!

Working Mother Works Out!

I want to start this blog post by saying this one was inspired by my Tone It Up sister Sophie, you MUST follow her on twitter @sophiehowl and her youtube page at theSophieHowl. Sophie is an amazing mother and so inspirational! Thank you Sophie for the INSPIRATION!

Now, onto today's post.  As you know, I am a working mother of 3 beautiful children and I also work.  Granted, I am blessed to be able to work from home 9 months out of the year, but I do have to go out on tour for about 3 months (non-stop).  Being a working mom has posed challenges for me.  When I started this journey, the first thing that came to mind was, how in the world am I going to find time to do this?  I work, I have 3 kids that are involved in so many things, there is housework to be done, there is laundry to be done AND I travel!  Well, the bottom line is this, you find and make the time for it!  If you TRULY want to change your health and your body, you will find the time.  When I first started following my fellow Tone It Up sisters on twitter, I admit, I was EXTREMELY intimidated by how much they worked out and how much time they spent working on their bodies. I started feeling really down on myself and was very envious. Then something finally clicked in my head and i turned things around.  I knew that I was giving all I had toward my goal, with all the time I could without making my family sacrifice things.  I ensure that I get a good 30 minutes in a day and do more if/when I can, but ALWAYS 30 minutes!  Sure, my transformation hasn't been as quickly as I want, but I'm becoming ok with that.  I am exactly where I am suppose to be.  

So, I thought, if I had this type of struggle, I am sure there are many other working mom's out there that has the same struggle so I wanted to give you some pointers that I have learned through this journey that may help you to sneak in those workouts.

1. I sleep in my workout clothes (this keeps me motivated in the morning)

2.  I work out as soon as my kids leave for school (for those of you who leave before their children, get up an extra 30 min early to fit your workout in)

3. Plan, plan, and plan (I am not a week in advance planner to my workouts, but I do think and look ahead!) I examine what I have been working on and make sure I focus on a different body part for that extra toning!  I love full body workouts (especially in a time crunch) but I will also add on a focus workout.

4. I work out when my kids go to sleep!  Yes, it's late at night and I am exhausted from work, homework, house work, never ending laundry piles, kids extra curricular activities, dr. visits, and everything else, but if I didn't get a work out in earlier, I will do it this late!

5. If you miss a day, bounce back with vengeance the next day!

6. give your body a day of rest!  I use Sunday's as my rest days.  My priority on Sunday is God and family!

I hope these tidbits help you with your struggle of finding time to fit in a workout. If you have any questions or need any advice, please ask me!  I'm here to help you with your journey! Or go on Twitter and find all of the amazing Tone It Up girls!  Inspiration and Motivation is what we do!

Another amazing mom on twitter you should follow is @fitfoodjunkie I don't know what I would do without her most days!  Thank you Sharisse for all you do!

And to quote my Tone It Up Trainers "Peace, Love, and SWEAT!"

Happy Monday!

It's Motivation Monday!  Hopefully all of you stayed active over the weekend.  My daughter and I did a 8 mile hike on Saturday!  It was one that I had to PUSH through but boy, I felt like a CHAMPION after and so did she!  I took a BUM day on Sunday, it was Mother's Day after all, but I earned that rest day!  I did pretty well staying lean and clean with a small cheat.  I actually ate some cheesy potatoes!  I hadn't had potatoes in such a long time, but I only took a spoonful!

Today I started the ToneItUp 7dayslimdown.  At the end, you are suppose to weigh yourself and measure, so this morning, I weighed to get my starting weight, and to my surprise, I am 2lbs away from my goal weight!  This slim down will definitely put me where I want to be!  Will I stop doing what I have been doing and become less cautious?  Absolutely NOT!  I still have tons of toning to do and if I want to maintain, I have to keep my A game on!  Plus, Eating Clean and working out has become more habit than anything, and I enjoy how I feel after a workout!  You will NEVER REGRET A WORKOUT!

So, with this, I bid you a Happy Moving Monday!  HAHA, see how I changed that to get you moving?  I'm clever like that somedays!  I've been trying all weekend to get a picture of our hike to post, so here's to trying one more time!

It's the WEEKEND!!!! Are you staying active and eating Clean?

Do you know there are 105 days of weekend in 2012?  Staying active and eating clean is essential!  EVEN ON THE WEEKENDS!  So what are you doing to stay active?  I was suppose to go to a 4 hour Krav Maga Women's Self Defense class, but my partner bailed on me :(  Well, I knew I had to do something to stay active so my daughter and I decided to hit a trail.  Where we go, it splits.  One is a 5 mile and the other is an 8 mile trail.  We planned to do the 5 mile trail but somehow we got confused and ended up on the 8 mile trail!  I was mentally not prepared for this and I really didn't think my body was ready for that!  But to my surprise, we DID IT!  At mile 6 I wanted to give up, but I knew that we had to keep going.  I had to change my mindset to keep my daughter going and to keep her in a good mood.  I kept a smile on my face and both of us kept encouraging each other!  My diet?  I loaded up with protein early because I know the trail and knew I needed it. I had organic rolled oats w/a tbs of maple syrup, and toast with organic peanut butter.  Lunch, was skipped since we were out on the trail, and dinner was 2 oz of chicken on top of a salad, 1 mini corn on the cobb, a tbs of whole wheat pasta, and a little wholly guacamole.  Late tonight as I have been prepping the CLEAN pumpkin muffins for Mother's Day, I was starving!  I really wanted one of these muffins!!!!!!!!  But instead, I fought the urge and chose and apple.  Sometimes these cravings are hard, but keep the will power and eat clean!  Remember being healthy is 80% nutrition and 20% working out!  YOU GOT THIS!
If you are a beautiful mother reading this, trying to change your lifestyle, DON'T GIVE UP!  YOU DESERVE THIS!  YOU ARE DOING THIS FOR YOU!  And most of all HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
#EatClean TrainHARD!

My Beginning

My struggle with weight loss has been a life long one.  I come from the Southeast, so eating healthy and exercising was something that I did not grow up on.  Sure, I learned how to starve yourself and lose weight, but that wasn't smart.  I maintained a descent weight for most of my adult life.  I had my first child in 1999 and bounced back pretty quick by eating 1 meal a day and doing yoga.  I actually saw my body changing!  I amped it up for a while, going to the gym about 2x a week along with doing yoga everyday, but never changed my eating habbits.  In 2002, I became pregnant with my twins.  I carried them full term (I WAS HUGE!) I did however, try to do yoga during the pregnancy until I just couldn't do it anymore, again (I WAS HUGE!) and boy, were they big for twins!  1 weighed 7lbs 6oz, the other, 6lbs 7oz. This is the actual start of getting my body back.  I thought I was eating healthy, but not like I should have.  I did yoga, but not like I should have.  I struggled with time management (still a struggle!).  With 3 children, there was NO WAY I HAD TIME TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!  So, I let it all go.  I definitely was not obese all those years, but NOT where I wanted to be.  About a year ago, I really started struggling with how I felt about my body, it was spring and all I could think about was wearing a bathing suit.  I knew I had to do something so I found myfitnesspal and started watching my calorie intake.  To my surprise, the app also wanted me to log in my exercise!  What???? Me???? EXERCISE!  NO WAY!  I haven't done that in years nor do I have the time for it! But it told me that in order to lose the weight, I should.  So i started searching for workouts that I could do.  I stumbled upon a Tone It Up workout that appeared to be fast and simple, so I tried it.  Boy was I wrong!  It was fast, but not simple! I was so sore the next day that I could barely move, but something happened during that workout.  I listened to what the trainers were saying about eating and exercising and how it all ties in with changing your body.  I was hooked on them but NOT the exercising part!  I didn't want to give up like I always had so I kept finding more of their workouts on YouTube.  I listened to more of what they had to say, and kept repeating those words to myself. I eventually went to their website and read up on them more, and also started following them and their team members on twitter.  I loved the before/after pics of everyone!  They became my motivation to keep going.  I couldn't afford their nutrition program so I still had the battle of clean eating going.  But, with their workouts and the pointers they gave for free, my body did change and I felt better being in my swimsuit.  THEN it was time for me to go out on tour for the summer!  Uh oh!  I had no control over how my food was prepared, i worked 20 hr days and most of the time had to eat on the run and at odd times.  Workouts didn't happen except for what I do in my job.  Everything that I had worked for was undone.  The upside to this?  I bought the Tone It Nutrition Plan!  I came home from tour and started over AGAIN!  Starting over is never fun and it was a struggle! I lost about 7lbs from the slimdown, but put it back on because of the holidays.  Yep, you guessed it!  I am a yoyo.  I did the slimdown again after the new year and have been doing a lot better!  I still struggle with choosing the right food all the time, but I am no where near where I used to be.  Working out?  I love it!  I don't get to do as much as others because of my busy schedule, but I make sure I get in as much as I can!  I am still not where I want to be, but so far from where I started.  This is a lifestyle change and undoing all these years of unhealthy habits is hard.  As a fellow Tone It Up sister said, I am NOT a beginner, but I am NOT advanced either.  This is what I want the beginners to a healthy life style to remember, change is hard, but don't give up!  When I  struggle for motivation, the things I use to remind myself of why I want to do this is for my health, to be good role models for my children, and to make my trainers proud to say, that I AM A MEMBER OF THEIR TEAM!  If you would like more information on Tone It Up go to their website at www.toneitup.com  You'll never regret you started!