I got all the pictures back from my amazing shoot with Laura Quintero Photography! I had such a comfortable time, the atmosphere was amazing, weather was perfect, and the location was BEAUTIFUL! I mean look at the scenery! Gorgeous :)
Just wanted to share some of the pictures with you!
Some tips I experienced while getting ready for my shoot:
I liked that I did my makeup a few hours before, to let it settle in and not look so "cakey". I suggest doing full face maybe an hour or so before, then doing touchups right before (eyeshadows and liner, powder, blush, bronze, lips etc!)
It's good to do hair near the time of the photoshoot so that by the time you're shooting, the curls or whatever style hasn't fallen out!
Bring a few different wardrobe choices! Having too many is better than too little
Always bring a happy attitude and smile. No one likes shooting someone who's not in the mood for a happy session!
Do your nails (feet and hands) before! I hated that I didn't prepare that part!
Bring flat shoes and heels, because you might have to do some walking! We walked all over Arlington, VA so it was great to have brought flats as well!
LOTION. Make sure you've moisturized up to make your skin look glowy and tan.
Bring different hair accessories (clips, bobby pins, headbands, etc) in case you want to change your hair look throughout!
Can't forget the power of lipgloss and chapstick!
Always be doing something, you never know what shots may be by accident, but turn out the best!
Make sure you do have a good snack before, because you don't want to get too hungry or distracted during your shoot! Even a bar or a smoothie is good! It won't make you too bloated for the shoot, but will give you enough energy to have an amazing session.
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and tips! AND I've actually decided a new setup of my blogs, sorrry I keep changing them on you all! I will post more random, day in the life/thoughts/feelings blogs over at my Training #JosieBlabbles Blog HERE and I'll post bigger blogs like Reviews, Recipes, Tips, Etc, HERE on my VMfitness Site :)
What exactly is included in the 108 pages of the program:
12 Weeks of workouts that involve heavy weights to increase strength, muscle building, and blasting fat with high intensity interval cardio circuits
Pages of in depth "Exercise Breakdowns" to show and explain how to execute each exercise as well as modifications to make the moves easier or harder
Information pages on the importance of
progress check ins, measurements, and pictures
different types of cardio (HIIT vs LISS)
why you should lift weights
why you should rest, stretch, and foam roll
Nutrition information section
breakdown of macros, micros, and other essential foods
in depth grocery guide list
tips for success
** Note: these workouts do require the ability to do jumping movements (squat jumps, burpees) and basic weight bearing exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bicep curls, shoulder presses, etc. While there are modifications, if you are physically injured or unable to do most movements, this program might not be suitable for you.
Example of Exercise Breakdown
Example workout (not all will be in this circuit style!)
The whole program is selling for just $35!
Add to your cart below and start your #OperationSxy
I'm always looking for a cakey protein batter for donuts, muffins, pancakes, etc, but a lot of the time, protein recipes just turn out rubbery and dry! BUTTTTT not this batter! Finally nailed it! Maybe it's because I used the Quest Protein Powder which is a blend of different proteins!
This month I got the chance to try the Resolution Box from Im Pretty Fit!
What it basically is is a monthly fitness box subscription where each month there's a different themed pack for your fitness lifestyle! Whether it be a Resolution pack for getting back on track, or a Spring Protein packs, Fall themed packs, and more! You can buy 1 pack OR buy a subscription to get a box monthly.
This is my first ever subscription box type of package, and what I loved about it was that you can get to try a little bit of EVERYTHING. Instead of going out there and buying a huge box
of supplements or snacks, and ending up not liking them and then
wasting your money. With this, you get to sample everything, before you
go out and buy them!
My favorites from this Resolution Box so far are the Egg White Chips and the ProCakes Protein Pancake Mix! YUHMMMM. Still have yet to try the About time protein samples, but I had them a few years ago and I remember them being super natural and tasty :)
Also, I received a tub of their PrettyFit Greens, which is like a tub of wonderful superfood GOODNESS. I threw in a scoop into my protein smoothie to get all the benefits:
Increases Energy
Supports Healthy Digestion
Helps Optimize Overall Health
Contains Powerful Antioxidants
Vegan Friendly, Non-GMO Formula
No Artificial Flavors, Colors, Sweeteners, or Preservatives
See me making the pancakes and shake here on youtube!
Overall, I think subscription boxes are so cool! I know they have so many out there, not just for fitness either! They have beauty boxes, pet boxes for your dogs or cats, nature boxes, etc etc! I love that you can get a sampling of everything, and the price isn't too shabby either ;) If you do decide to purchase a subscription, or just a box to try it out one time, use the discounts below to save some money!
Ingredients: •15.00 oz Chickpeas •1/2 cup warmed nut butter (I used Nuts N More http://www.nuts-n-more.com/) •1/4 cup liquid egg whites •1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Amount up to you!) •1 scoop whey protein Vanilla (I used MGN Whey) •1/2 cup Apple Sauce Unsweetened •1/4 cup Calorie Free Pancake Syrup (I used Walden Farms Pancake Syrup from http://www.iherb.com/ - Amount up to you!) •1/4 tsp baking powder
Blend all the wet ingredients and chickpeas together VERY well. I suggest a food processor! Then mix in the dry ingredients last. Pour onto parchment paper in a baking pan and bake at 350 F for 28-30 Minutes! VOILA! Let cool before cutting!
Iherb.com discount: "VEP693" for a discount and free shipping! I get all my specialty health foods and baking ingredients from here!
Why do vacations and trips always scare us to death when we think about staying on track for our lifestyle? Because it's a completely different atmosphere! You're on a different schedule, different foods are around you, and not to mention you're off your gym plan too!
But don't worry, follow these tips and the vacation will do as little damage to your progress as possible :) If you want to view my YouTube video on some tips, click here!
Portion sizes: You know I'm all about moderation not deprivation, but make sure it's MODERATION. You don't need the whole pizza, but maybe a slice or two are fine! Don't feel like you HAVE to finish your plate when you go out to eat at restaurants. Doggy bags are you friends and leftovers are sooooo tasty the next day. Ways you can watch your portion sizes are
Share your plate with a friend
Ask the waiter to split your dish in half! Serve you one half now, and save half in a to go box!
Don't
order with your eyes! Sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs,
so try and order a smaller dish. If afterwards, you're still hungry,
then you can always order another side.
Save on the calories: there are soooo many sneaky calories in dishes when you eat out! Try and lessen the calorie overload by:
Getting sauces on the side
Get grilled, baked, steamed dishes instead of fried, buttered, or creamy
Don't fill up on the table munchies (biscuits, breads, nuts, etc)
Allocate! I'm always allocating my proteins, fats, and carbs!
Have open faced sandwiches or burgers! You don't need both buns for the taste! So just take one out and eat it open style!
If
you're having a carby meal at night, lessen the carbs throughout the
day! If you're having a fatty meal later, lessen the fats throughout the
day
"I regret wasting calories on things that didn't taste as good as I hoped"
Don't waste your calories! If you don't like the food, don't eat it!
If
you're at a buffet, look at everything before piling it all on your
plate! Pick out the things you know you'll like instead of just filling
yourself up with food you'll just regret later
Be annoying to the waiter! Ask how dishes are prepared, ask for no seasoning, ask for additional lemon, for steamed instead of fried, sauce on the side, etc etc. This is your life, who cares if one person gets annoyed!
KEEP ACTIVE
Have a buffer for those additional calories! Add in activities like swimming, walking everywhere, going to amusement parks, etc. Keep active so that you don't have the DOUBLE negative of eating too much AND not working out! Add in some exercise/be active to help lessen the impact the additional food will have
Alcohol: Always aim for the less calorically dense choices. Don't go with the mixes with soda or juice because that's a lot of unnecessary sugars! Try vodka and water, vodka diet sodas, vodka sugar free redbull, or lightened up versions of your favorite drinks! Ask for mojitos with less sugar!
AND IT'S VACATION! Don't forget to enjoy yourself. Don't revolve your days around food or stressing about it all. If you're having a great time, food shouldn't be the center of attention! Spending time with your friends, family, loved ones SHOULD be! So have fun, relax, make smart choices, and you'll do great!
I love pancakes, but making little pancake ball puffs are so much fun! Especially when you can fill them with YUMMYY things like nutbutters, quest bars, nuts, the choices are endless!
For these, I stuffed my EHP Labs protein puffs with Nuts N More Chocolate Peanut Butter!
This has to be one of my FAVORITE recipes. High protein, pretty low calorie compared to Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes, and SO easy to make! Macros: makes 8 HUGE square servings (or you could do slices!)
1 out of 8: 198 calories, 9.7 g fat, 11.2 g carbs, 15.8 g protein!
MMMM Made these healthified Red Velvet Cupcakes for Valentines Day! They turned out DELICIOUS! Who knew vegetables would be amazing in desserts?! :D
Also, Check out these ADORABLE personalized sandals from Erin Condren! <3 in LOVE. And I can't wait to rock them out on the beach next week for my Spring Break in PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA! <3
I love that the bundle came with a tote too! It's SO durable, almost like potato sack material, so I can stuff a bunch of things in there like makeup, sunscreen, towels, etc! Can't wait to use this on my vacay! If you want to get your OWN fun summer/spring break bundle, head to THIS link and you'll get $10 off your first order! WHATTTT! I know I know, you're welcome :P
2 small to medium beets (chopped into small pieces)
2 eggs
3 Tbs coconut oil
1/4 cup agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
150 g almond flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
️Frosting:
Whipped cream cheese frosting from Walmart + sprinkles!
Method:
chop beets into small pieces
blend beets with eggs
mix rest of wet ingredients together
mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl
then mix wet and dry together
bake in cupcake tins at 350 F for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
SOO SOOO Easy and DELICIOUS!
If you happen to make ANY of my recipes, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Twitter @vmfitness and hashtag #vmfitness so I can see the yumminess!
Want to possibly join me and a bunch of other Fitness/Healthy lifestyle lovers this summer for a Fitness #HealthyBodyHealthyMind cruise?! Be sure to watch my YouTube Video where I talk about it! :D
Also in this video, I give a review of the Erin Condren Quick Ship Planner ($50) and the Happy New You Bundle Clutch (on sale from $33.20 down to $25!)!
I've been looking for a new planner for a longggg while because my life was pretty unorganized :P I had a separate planner for school/homework/planning and a separate journal for my Vmfitness Fitness updates/progress/etc. However, I would always leave my Fit Journal in my gym bag and never have it on me to update! But NOW, I have everything I need in one Planner! And I LOVE IT!
You can watch the video above to see my breakdown and review of the book, or you can keep on reading below!
1. Monthly Budget Book 2. Wellness Journal 3. Snap-In Meal Planner 4. Snap-In To-Do List 5. set of Elastic Bands 6. Perpetual Calendar 7. Pen Holder
My favorite item from it would have to be the Wellness Journal, especially for this fitness/health lifestyle! If you can see in the picture below, it separates your days by meals! So you can put in what you ate that day from Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, and there is also a section where you can write your goals, what activity/workout you did that day, and any other notes! In the beginning of this Wellness Journal there is also a progress update page that lets you write in your measurements for quarterly results, which I think is AWESOME.
And what's great about these little thin notebooks is that I can place
it in the BACK of my Erin Condren Planner in the "Keep It Together" pouch, and that way keep everything
together so I don't have to go scrambling for different books or
journals or forget one at home and not be able to update it! Super handy
to have! I also love the dry erase boards they include for "Oh! What to Eat" and "Oh! What to Buy" because since they're snap in, I can just snap them into the current week, plan my weekly meals and my grocery list/shopping list and I'm set! To see more about the Budget Book and the Perpetual Calendar, watch the YouTube video to get a glimpse of what's inside!
Now we'll take a quick look at the Quick Ship Planner!
The Quick Ship is an option if you do not want a customized cover (although who wouldn't want one, with your own name on it and everything?! I actually went back on the site and ordered one that should be coming within the next few weeks! YAY! Love personalized things!)
How the Quick Ship comes: Shows the year view in months, then shows the full month so you can plan it out right in the beginning, and then the following pages are the weeks laid out. Each day is separated by Morning, Day, and Night, making planning and organizing appointments or your schedule a lot cleaner! At the bottom you have space to write whatever you wish, like meal plans, thoughts, To Do lists, etc! And on the left you have a whole section to write your goals for the week. I'm not sure if you're the same, but I always feel like writing things down sets it in STONE and makes it more legit and I'm more likely to actually complete the task if I write it down! A goal in your mind isn't as strong, but when I can SEE IT physically, it's just another motivational PUSH to succeed!
Near the end there are also additional lined pages for notes, and then empty pages for random doodles! I think I'm most excited to use these stickers that are included at the end of the Planner! Basically they're reminder stickers like "Birthdays, Doct Appt, Mani/Pedi" etc, and also there are 2 blank sheets of stickers included, so that YOU can write what you want on them! For example, you could make stickers that are for Bills or Paydays, or Laundry day, Meal prep day, workout, ETC! The stickers are also pretty easy to take off the paper as well, so if you want to reuse them for the next month, it's not too hard to just move the stickers around and save some mulahhhh $$.
I am SO SO excited to get to writing in my planner and just fill it with my crazy life and schedule :) I love cute organizational things like this because I feel like it PUSHES me to be more organized and scheduled! I'll probably upload a YouTube video later on the planner actually filled out and how I'm utilizing it for School, Life, Fitness, ETC!
If you want to get your own Erin Condren goodies to keep YOUR lifestyle organized, click the link below to get started AND to get $10 off your first order!
Be sure to check your email for the coupon once you've signed up! https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/josiemai0120
HIGH PROTEIN DONUTS, for ONE! Whole batch for under 400 calories :)
I think I've decided now to split up my social media in the following, just so you know what's up in my life :D Instagram: Daily posts - food, inspiration, motivation, workouts YouTube: Recipe videos, motivation, tips, workouts, vlogs, Full Day of Flexible Intuitive Eating Twitter: Random tweeeets Blogspot: Recipes
:D Make sure you're following it all!
