Thanksgiving feast-ivities

Happy Thanksgiving fellow #fitness lovers!

I was reading Cassey's, over at blogilates, new post and she wrote this awesome-ness in it:

"Today is a day about feasting, family, and fun! Enjoy and embrace the holidays and don’t you dare for one second feel guilty about eating!!!! Either eat in moderation or promise to work out hard the next year! It’s YOLO time."

I absolutely love it! This isn't the time to feel guilt and horrible regret, it's about being with your family and loved ones and celebrating happiness and reunions and love! If all you think about is regret after you have a "cheat", then that's not really a healthy lifestyle is it? 

In a lifestyle change like this, you have to remember that you have the REST of your life to get to your goals. Don't think of the short term, think of the long term! If you mess up one day, it won't ruin all the progress you've made. 

Lifestyle is about moderation, not deprivation! If you deprive yourself, it's just another diet. If you don't enjoy the foods you're eating, it's just another chore. You have to truly delve into it and make it work for you, work in your schedule, your life, in a comfortable, "I can do this for the rest of my life" kind of way.

This seems kind of random and tangent now doesn't it?

Back to the main point:

DON'T wallow in guilt after your little indulgences today! You know why? Because it's one day out of the week, one day out of the many days you have in your long beautiful lives that you can use to bounce back. It's a lifestyle. We'll have slip-ups, which is normal. No one is perfect. 

Tomorrow is a brand new day to start new! Isn't that great? To know that one day won't change you forever?

Enjoy the great motivational quotes I found on moving on without regret! 

Ok now MY confession time.

I haven't been able to keep up with workouts at home while I've been back for break like I planned. I really don't have any excuses as to why I haven't been, I'm sorry for the let down #fitfam :(

I just have not been feeling too motivated as of late due to stressful situations in my personal life, so that makes a very unmotivated, lazy me. 

And I did indulge today! WHAT? No workouts, and indulgences? YES SIRRRR. And you know what? NO REGRETS, NO GUILT. No driving myself crazy.

And actually, now I'm even more motivated than ever to get back and bust out a hugeeee sweat once I'm back at school. With new motivation, glycogen stores all full of those carbs, I'm ready to kill it! 

I'll blog another post tomorrow about my progress, or lack of progress (!) since August, and how I plan to bounce back from the setback I've had for a few weeks.

So I'm just going to continue enjoying myself at home while I can, and then I'll be back at it once I have access to a gym again. I know, I just made a post about how I need to stop saying "Oh I'll start tomorrow" but hey, I'm only human ok? I'm Sorry :( Not being the most #fitfluential right now! But this time, it's for REAL! 

Promise! You all will keep me accountable ok? 

But for now, here's some delicious Thanksgiving #foodporn for you all, Asian style :P Haha, no Turkey here!

Lunch: grilled Rock fish with mushrooms onions dill and rice noodles over it that we wrapped in lettuce wraps and side of yams and potato! Dessert was delicious mochi ice cream!

Heating up the Peking Duck! MM one of my faves.

Vietnames lotus and shrimp and jellyfish salad!

Dinner: Peking Duck, some Vietnamese banana wrapped goodies, grilled shrimp, crab legs, the Viet Salad, and slice of Pumpkin pie!

AND the oh so delicious Food baby picture:

Stay tuned for my post tomorrow on how I'll be turning this setback into a comeback!!!

Tea Time with Josie - Q&A

Here it is everyone, FINALLY! PART 1 Q&A!

I was going to originally do a video for this, buttttt that ended up being 40 minutes and I never got to refilm it!
So this Tea Time with Josie Part 1 will be answered blog format, but for Q&A's I have in the future I'll try to get them in vlog format for you all so you can feel a little more connected and personalized with me! Hoping to maybe throw out a Q&A once a month!

Currently sipping on this Blooming Jasmine tea my parents picked up from Shanghai while on their Asian cruise! MMMM delicious.
Now to the questions!



How did you first get started?
If you read my About Me, you'll see the beginnings of my story there!

How do you deal with Unsupportive Family?
At first, my family and roommates definitely did not support me at all in the beginning. I started while taking summer classes at college, and while living with my sister and current roommate, they continued to eat their unhealthy foods, while I ate my veggies and protein and fruit. It was hard at first because everything they ate was SO tempting. But I kept reminding myself, I'm doing this for ME, for my HEALTH and BODY. They don't get it now, but when they see the changes I make, instead of asking Why I'm doing it, they'll ask how! (Which is actually what one of them DID end up doing!)
When I lived with my parents over the Summer, they constantly tried to get me to eat like I normally did, all that rice and yummy goodness of Vietnamese food. Now Vietnamese food isn't even at all as unhealthy as other foods out there! But some of the dishes did contain too much salt, so I would say no. After they pestered me for a while, I made sure to have a good talk with them. I told them my goals, what I ultimately wanted in the long run, and that it'd mean a lot if they supported me. I told them I understand that they keep asking out of habit, because whenever you're a child your parents' automatic reaction is to feed and nourish you! So they're just trying to help! But they don't realize that it's difficult for YOU to say no! So just let them know that! Communicate! Communicate your goals, hardships, difficulties, and how you'll be a lot more patient with them if they try to help you out too!
Currently, my parents totally accept my clean eating 100%! But of course, they love when I do give in sometimes to eat a usual home made cooked meal, or go out to a meal with them and enjoy. My dad always says "Happy food makes the tummy happy. A happy tummy = a happy heart" haha which is very true! My mom and sister have even (tried to) change their lifestyles for the better! However as of now they have both fallen off that track.....

How do you fight temptations?
OK, you know I'm no Saint in the clean eating department! I do have my slip ups, and when I do, they are BADDDDDD. Some things I do to fight these crazy cravings and temptations are:

• GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN/ Get away from food! Get it off the mind! Go read a book, watch tv, do homework, hang with friends! Something productive!
• Grab a healthy snack instead: nuts, veggies, fruit for its natural sweetness, make a mug cake!
• Brush your teeth! Usually after a minty feeling you wont want to indulge
• Go workout! And say you can have that treat AFTER! Usually, after a great workout you won't even be craving anymore!
• Keep yourself occupied, they say cravings don't usually last more than 10 minutes

Favorite Nutbutter & Animal? (oh Zandra :P <3 )
Hehe had to stick in my girl's questions in here!
Fave nutbutter? ALLLLL
Fave animal? Hmm.....
to have as a pet: cat/dog/monkey
to ride: elephant
to be: something that can fly or lives in the sea
:P

What can I do to tone ..........?
Ok, everyone asked a LOT of questions on how to tone arms, legs, tummy, lovehandles, etc.
To get those nice toned and tight curves, WEIGHT TRAIN! DON'T do that endless cardio! You'll be shapeless and skinny fat! NONONONONO.
Lift those weights to build that toned BOOTY, to build those lovely bare boulder shoulders, amazing arms, and curvy waist!

What is my workout routine?
My current Split:

Monday - Abs & Cardio

Tuesday - Back and Bis

Wednesday - Quads and Calves

Thursday - REST

Friday - Shoulders Chest Tris

Saturday - Glutes Hammies and Calves

Sunday - REST

When I have time, I'll also had some HIIT forms of cardio! 

Favorite form of cardio?
Incline walking, HIIT, or light jogging

I don't see a change in my body, help!
PROGRESSS IS PROGRESS! Just because you can't see any obvious change doesn't mean there's nothing happening! It will not happen overnight! Give yourself time and don't beat yourself up over "no" progress!
If you seriously are stuck however, you've probably hit a wall or plateau! Change up your calories, your foods, and your workouts! Try to zigzag calories to keep your body guessing (1600,1700,1800,1700,1600 etc). Don't do the same thing over and over and over or your body will get used to it and bored and won't have to work as hard to get through a certain exercise because it's already used to it! Change it up, confuse your body, and bust through that plateau!

How to stay motivated? Especially when busy with school?
I stay motivated everyday by telling myself what I want, what I need to do to get it, and if what I'm doing now will get me there. I make time in school by waking up a little extra early to fit in my workout in the morning, or if I have a break between classes, I go hit the campus gym for a quick workout! At least aim to do some form of activity for at least 30 mins/day ! I also read in a study that short workouts accumulated can equal the same as a long workout! For example, 4 ten minute sessions can equal the same amount as a 40 minute session! Haven't done much research on this, but thought it was interesting! So feel free to span out your exercise!
But basically, I stay motivated with quotes, inspiration pictures, my instagram, you all, and knowing ultimately what my goals are and what needs to be done in order for me to achieve them!

How do you deal with social situations?
Ha, my friends are so used to my healthy eating now, it doesn't phase them too badly! Yes, I bring my own meals to be prepared whenever I visit friends. I bring snacks of veggies fruits and nuts while they snack on chips and buttered popcorn. I bring my own chicken and asparagus when they're eating their double stuffed crust cheese pizzas. But let's say you don't bring your own stuff, then what?

• If you go out, try to find the healthiest thing on the menu! Don't be afraid to customize some things! Get grilled things instead of fried and with no seasoning, and get a side of veggies instead of fries!
• Even if your friends insist, politely decline the temptations they're taunting you with
• Coward way out (sometimes I'm guilty of doing this!) - Say you already ate and are full! This can get you out of explaining and having them try and force naughty food on you
• If they ask about your lifestyle, don't shove all the info down their throats! if you do they may want to shove all their naughty foods down yours! Explain to them calmly why you made this LIFESTYLE change, but don't try and make them change as well! If you show them respect, they should show you theirs!
• If they don't accept your lifestyle change, maybe that means they shouldn't be a part of it! If they ultimately want to see you fail, you don't want people like that in your life anyway!

Do I count calories/macros?
I used to at the beginning of my journey, but these little numbers had so much control over my life and mind, so I quit counting and have never been happier! Now I just ENJOY healthy foods every day! Without being controlled by trivial numbers! I dare you to do the same!

Do I think I'll ever backslide from my healthy lifestyle?
Not completely, I don't. I know that I will have times where I won't be as motivated to work out consistently or keep eating clean, but even if I do, I KNOW that I'll bounce back with an awesome come back! I'll never backslide and stay at where I was unhealthy for good. I may backslide and take a few steps back, but I will always work harder to take 3 leaps forward!

Favorite treat meal?
Ooooh that's tough!
I love sweets! Even though before my lifestyle change I didn't have much of a sweet tooth! Strange...
Froyo, Candy, CARBS, Pizza, Jimmy John's subs, Burritos

Where should I start?
I believe everyone should start with the diet aspect! Not diet as in a short term plan that ends in a yo-yoing of weight gain and loss. I mean "diet" as the foods that you eat and your body takes in! I think the first thing that needs to change is exactly that, slowly take out any processed junks and foods that aren't clean. When I first started, I mostly changed my eating habits and did at most 20 minute walks a day! Then after I got my clean eating down, then I started upping the workouts. Remember to have REST days! Great for your body physically and MENTALLY. Be sure to add WEIGHTS and CARDIO.

Where do I get my recipes?
Google! I love googling clean recipes!!! I have found so many awesome blogs this way!

How many days ahead do I food prep?
Sometimes I food prep Saturday or Sunday for the first half of the school week (Mon-Wed or Thurs) and then I food prep Wed or Thursday for the next half of the week until Sunday!

Good Snacks?
Veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, protein shakes

Workout that focuses on stamina, core, endurance, etc?
HIIT is a great exercise that focuses on all of these, as well as weight training! Contract your core through every movement, and increase muscle endurance with super and monstersets!

Thoughts on fruit?
Love fruit! Nature's candy baby! I believe these should not be omitted from your diet because they're nature's natural cleansers full of allll sorts of nutrients your body needs!

What kind of watch do you have and how much?
Polar FT7 I bought on EBAY for $57!



Well I hope you've liked this First Segment of Tea Time with Josie!
If You have any other questions you'd like me to answer for next time, leave a comment below!
My next Q&A will be focused on personal questions about me! So ask away!

Home for Thanksgiving Break!

Well good morning fitfam!

So I'm currently blogging from home-sweet-home! On a one week break from college to be with the fam for Thanksgiving break woot woot! 

Man it feels so nice to be home! I've missed my parents! I'm a big baby at heart :) And I need a nice break from classes phew stressing me out.

But once I get back, 2 more full weeks of classes, then finals week, and then 3 weeks off for Winter break! So unfair though, most colleges get a whole 4 weeks! We only get 3!

But I can't wait to celebrate the holidays, Christmas, New Years, my birthday (January 2), and then (uck) back to school by the 7th for a whole new semester with a new set of classes!

Anyway, just wanted to share with you all my workout plan for whenever I'm home for vacation, because I currently don't have a gym membership at home! I may get one over the summer, but there's no reason to now since I'll only be home for a month!

Here are a few things I do in my house or outside if it's nice enough!

(remember, the key is a good clean diet to see change!)

Nike Training Club app

Jogging/Incline walking/Elliptical

At home weights (5, 10, 15 pound dumbbells)

At home gym - leg extension, chest press and pec dec machine, cables

Yoga/Pilates/Stretching videos on Youtube

Blogilates

Tone it Up

Jari Love Slim and Lean workout DVD

10 minute solutions workout DVDs

Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred DVD

Full body circuits (strength & cardio)

Yup! So even if you don't have access to a gym, there are still soooo many ways you can get your exercise in! Youtube is a fantastic way for this because you can basically search any exercise and there will be a video on it! You can still get fit without the gym! Just make sure you do have resistance training in there summer! Make your body work against something! 

If you don't have weights at home, here are some alternatives:

Duffle bags filled with clothes/textbooks

Soup cans

Text books

Be creative with your workouts!

I'll try to post any circuits that I come up with while I'm home this break so that you can all give them a go!

Fitness Diaries, AVOCADO, and ABOUT TIME Protein Winner!!

Hey everyone!
So today's main topic will be on Food & Fitness Journaling!

Since the start of my lifestyle change in May, I have kept a food/fitness journal! Now know I was the type of person to ALWAYS start a diary, say, "I'll finish this one this time!" and then I always ended up forgetting to update it, and leaving it in a dark dusty corner of my room somewhere. So yes, I do forget to update my food journal as well! But hey I'm a work in progress!

Anyway, back to the Importance of keeping one of these journals!
Here's what I typically include in my journals:

• workouts I did that day
• the foods I eat (NOT the calories or portions, JUST THE FOOD)
• any supplements I take
• my feelings and emotions (this is where the diary part comes in!)
• this can include feelings from the day, or also feelings internally. Do you have an upset stomach? Maybe a headache?
• amount of liquids I've drank
• Usually once every 2 weeks I have a section on measurements - weight, measurements of body parts, all that jazz! But remember, they're just NUMBERS! They don't determine your beauty and worth. It's just to see what progress is happening!

It's so great to write all this down so that you can go BACK into your journals and find out what foods impacted you in what way! 

If you did have a stomach ache, what did you eat that day that may have caused it? 

If you're feeling weak, do your foods look satisfying enough?

If you're craving, what have you eaten? Did you have enough healthy carbs, fats, and protein?

What I didn't do much this summer was go back and read my entries. If I had, I would have realized I was killing myself! I had entries like "I feel so weak today.." or "I could barely get up the stairs because my legs felt so weak..."! How crazy is that?! I should have read that and realized, I'm not eating properly to give my body energy! I'm depriving myself of being HEALTHY!

This is a recent writing I had in my notebook after the second day of no cheats!! Sorry it's so messy, but I was just so excited I had to write as fast as I could!! November 15, 2012! Now whenever I'm tempted again, I'm gonna go back to this entry and read how HAPPY I was eating clean! Which will motivate me to keep on eating clean!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh yeah, I also have a yummy and sweet avocado topping recipe for you! The simplest thing in the world and takes only seconds to whip together! SERIOUSLY.

First, what are the benefits of Avocados? Don't they have lots of fat? I DON'T WANNA GET FAT JOSIE!

Oh shush now it's HEALTHY fats! It's GOOD FOR YOU! Your body needs them! Why??

And here's what avocados do for your body:

1. Lower cholesterol. Avocados contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that lowers cholesterol. A study of people with high cholesterol showed that eating a diet high in avocados can decrease bad cholesterol levels while increasing good cholesterol levels.

2. Improve your vision. Avocados contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration and can actually improve your vision.

3. Protect your heart. Avocados are chock full of nutrients that promote heart health. The high amount of potassium in avocados can regulate blood pressure and help prevent heart disease and strokes (not to mention lower cholesterol). Avocados also contain high amounts of folate, a nutrient that can also help prevent heart attacks and heart disease.

4. Prevent cancer. The antioxidants in avocados do more than protect your eyes—they can also ward off certain types of cancer. In medical studies, avocado extract inhibited the growth of precancerous cells that led to oral cancer and prostate cancers. The oleic acid in avocados also offers protection against breast cancer.

5. Boost nutrient intake. Not only are avocados full of beneficial nutrients, they’ll help you absorb antioxidants from other fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that adding avocado to a basic green salad helps increase the body’s absorption of carotenoids, a type of antioxidant, from those foods, and adding avocado to salsa increases lycopene and beta-carotene absorption 4.4 and 2.6 times higher than eating salsa without avocados.

From: http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/5-health-benefits-of-eating-avocados.aspx

And they're just plain DELICIOUS!

Makes you wanna eat like 12 doesn't it?

Ok maybe not...

but it DOES make me want to make this topping again!

Try it out next time you're eating something sweet! Maybe with your pancakes like I did! Or even a side to your breakfast or dinner for a little something sweet! Or even add some protein powder in it for a good snack of protein and fats! Or add it on top of your casein at night to slow down the protein even more for your muscles to feed on!

SWEET AVOCADO TOPPING

Ingredients:

Ripeeeee avocado

Stevia or sweetener of choice

Unsweetened almond milk

Method:

Get your ripe avocado (needs to be soft enough to mush and smash)

You can use however much avocado you want! I used 1/2

then add 1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 packet stevia (or as much as you want for taste!)
MIX MIX MIX IT UP! 

SMASH and SMUSH and MASH and MUSH! 

After it's all mixed together stick it in the fridge until you're ready to eat it!

VOILA!

Seriously tastes JUST LIKE avocado smoothie boba/bubble tea if you've ever had it! Trust me!!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry this blog post has been EVERYWHERE with NO overall thing, but just had a bunch of random things to write!

ABOUT TIME PROTEIN GIVEAWAY WINNER

So for those that did follow the instructions on the giveaway, I wrote each entry down on pieces of paper and chose blindly....

The winner is cheri_amour05!!

Congrats girlie! E-mail me at vm.fitness@yahoo.com your shipping details and what flavor you want (check out their site for flavors!) and I'll have them ship it out to you!

Great job!

And if you didn't win, DON'T WORRY! I have another giveaway coming soon... and it'll be an icy cold treat.....

:)

Morning Workout

HEY HEY HEYYY.

Today I've included a little short circuit, 2 bombing breakfasts that I've tried, curtesy of MegaMeows, and my Bucket List, an idea from Alexandra over at the Freckled Lifter! These 2 girlies are 2 of the FAB 5 IG besties :]

Well short little blog post today! But here's an easy to do circuit to do RIGHT when you wake up from bed! Start your day off and REV UP your metabolism with these moves!

No gym equipment needed! Just your body weight is fine! But if you want to be super duper awesome, try holding some text books or soup cans during those squats & lunges!

Feel the morning burn and start your day off right, the FIT WAY! 

And I love checking my blog stats and seeing where all you readers come from, most from the U.S, some from the UK, and surprisingly a lot from Australia and a few from Singapore! How cool is that?! We're all connected in some way even though we're MILES and MILES apart!

Mind boggling, I KNOW. And if all of you awesome readers did this little circuit every morning? EVEN MORE CONNECTION! It's crazy! Some of you might even be doing this workout at the same exact time but in completely different states... freaky.

Sometimes I just don't have time for a full blown out workout if I'm busy with school or work, so a short circuit in the morning to rev up the rest of my day is a really great way to start the day!

Total Body Workout and News!

Hey again everyone! 

Wow, I've been on top of blog posts this month! Trying to post more for you guys during any down time I get during these last hectic few weeks of my Sophomore fall semester!

Wow time FLIES!

Seriously, I feel like it was just YESTERDAY when I first started my Instagram, when actually it was more like back in July! 

Creating it has done so much for me that I never imagined it would. 

I've had the amazing opportunity to connect with all of YOU, learn more about health and fitness, feel more confident about my own body, learn of some amazing clean eating recipes, be inspired and motivated everyday, anddddd big news.....

Become sponsored by MAKE PLAYS OR DIE!

Yup that's right! I'll be able to strut my stuff repping their awesome workout gear! And I love their motto:

“Our motto on the field was ‘We need to make plays or die,’” Johnson-Koulianos said. “Basically, if we don’t do our job and make plays, we’re not going to win, losing was dying to us.”

I vow to always "make plays or die" and never ever quit in my journey to being fit!

Will you?!

Head over to their site and check out their sweet swagggggg.

TOTAL BODY WORKOUT

I love making these things, they're just so fun!

Try and have as LITTLE rest between each exercise if you can! And then maybe rest for :30-:60 before the next round.

Work up a SWEATY SWEAT!

It's a combo of Strength & Cardio!

BURN THOSE CALS!

Current Workout Split, Leg Workouts, and About Time Protein Review!

Hello all you health addicts! Today I'll be posting for you my current workout split and my leg workouts, if you haven't already seen them on my IG! Anddd of course, another review! Finally catching up with them all!

The workouts will be at the end of the post!


This time I'll be reviewing....

ABOUT TIME PROTEIN!

I first originally found out about this Protein Powder from Vevian over at Fitalicious.me when I was browsing through her delicious and CLEAN recipes! (If you haven't go check out her site NOW!) I've followed her since the beginning of my fit journey and her clean recipes and fitness motivation has definitely helped me so much!!!

What caught my eye was that this protein has ZERO CARBS! Perfect for those low carb days or those on a specific diet! As you can see above, it is completely natural and uses 100% Whey Protein Isolate! Many other proteins out there always have a bunch of mumbo-jumbo mixed with their powders, but not About Time! Also, it's lactose and gluten free, for all you food sensitive people out there! And PERFECT for my new gluten free diet! YAYYYY!

Here is what their awesome company claims:

The cleanest protein available

About Time's All Natural Whey Protein Isolate is the cleanest protein on the market. About Time holds a high standard of quality ingredients with zero sugar, zero carbs, and zero fat. About Time's All Natural Whey Protein Isolate is one of the only whey protein products without artificial ingredients and we also use Stevia as our sweetener, which is an all natural sweetener.

The About Time difference

All protein supplements are not equal. Unlike most other products, About Time's all natural whey protein is cold-processed micro-filtered whey isolate which means the protein is absorbed more efficiently into your system. Most other protein supplements offer misleading labels and health claims, but About Time keeps it simple and 100% all natural. Just look at the label – only 4 ingredients!

High protein, clean ingredients, lower calories than most other proteins that add a lot of other things into their mixes, and NO CARBS?! Sounds pretty dang perfect to me!

About Time was nice enough to send me some single serving sample sizes to try out and review for you all! They gave me the flavors: Banana, Vanilla, Birthday Cake, and Chocolate!

And here's my review!

Taste Test: put finger in packet and lick test & mixed with water test, to get the full flavor of the powder.

Chocolate: This is a very nice and simple chocolate flavor. No hint of any artificial sweetness at all! (And I hate the artificial sweet taste, so this is good!) It can be compared to unsweetened cocoa powder, but not as bitter. Great chocolatey taste, and I bet it would taste just like a chocolate milk shake when blended with almond milk and ice!

Birthday Cake: This had more of a vanilla-ish taste to it! Right when I opened the bag I could smell a lot of sweetness! So this can definitely cure any craving you're having for some real cakes :] It won't taste EXACTLY like a cupcake, but gets the job done!

Vanilla: Very mild with a hint of sweetness! Not toooo pungent, but not too bland either. This would be a perfect flavor in any baking recipe because it's not too overpowering!

Banana: Intense banana flavor. Didn't really enjoy this one too much. It had an artificial banana flavor to it, kind of like those banana candies? Very sweet and banana-y if you catch my drift. But I bet this would go GREAT in any baking recipe when the flavor is not too strong, like in a banana bread or protein bars or mug cakes! Or mixed with almond milk!


Overall Review:
Flavors: GREAT! They have more flavors than the ones just mentioned above too! I think my favorite would have to be Chocolate, and maybe my least favorite is the Banana.
Powder itself: Awesome mixability (is that even a word?). Didn't clump up, mixed real well even in just water!
I am a HUGE fan of this protein powder. Super clean, all natural, zero carbs, and great flavors. I recommend this to ANYONE and will definitely keep it a staple in my protein shelf! These would be the PERFECT protein powders to use in baking recipes too! Gives a great taste and great nutrition and macros! I'll be turning to this on my low carb days, and it's one of the best clean powders out there!

They even have a PEANUT BUTTER flavor! You know I'm addicted to any kind of Nut Butter... I will need to get my hands on this ASAP!

Make sure to try ABOUT TIME! You can order single serving sizes from them if you want to try a certain flavor before committing to a whole tub! You won't regret it!

Check out my INSTAGRAM for the rules on how to win a free tub of About Time Protein!!

Current Workout Split

Just because a few of you have asked when and how often I work out, thought I would just post it here on my blog so it's easier for everyone to view! Remember the importance of REST! Your body and mind need it!!

Monday - Abs & Cardio

Tuesday - Back and Bis

Wednesday - Quads and Calves

Thursday - REST

Friday - Shoulders Chest Tris

Saturday - Glutes Hammies and Calves

Sunday - REST

There you have it! Nice and simple! I'll be posting more workouts on my blog so you guys can get an idea of where to start!

Here are my current leg workouts! I'll probably do these for a month, and then switch them up so that my body doesn't get too used to the same thing! Here ya go! If any of you try it out, let me know how it goes! Do you feel the burnnnn in your quads and glutes?! Remember, LIFT HEAVY, where you're near failure on your last rep! You won't get a tight and toned bod from doing endless hours of cardio!

BRRR.. it's cold... ARCTIC COLD... & Some Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Hey everyone!!!

It's getting colder outside! Leaves are changing colors, boots and jackets are coming out, and it's almost time for those chilly holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas!!

I can't believe how fast this year passed!! Almost a new year! 2 months away!

Have you reached your 2012 goals??

Well in this blog post, I have 2 treats for you! A delicious warm recipe you can whip up and eat on a chilly day, TURKEY STUFFED BELL PEPPERS! Scroll to the bottom for the recipe! ANDDD a review on ... ICE CREAM! Even though it's getting colder, doesn't mean you can't have a nice cold treat :]

That's where this product comes in...

ARCTIC ZERO

Low calorie, gluten free, lactose free, high whey protein Ice Cream. Whaat?!!?! Yeah you read right. It's ice cream that is actually good for you! Perfect Post workout treat to shoot that protein straight to your hard earned muscles! And now that I'm going Gluten free due to Thyroid issues, these are the perfect dessert!!!

Here's what they claim about their products:

Arctic Zero is a high quality guilt free frozen dessert that is all natural, gluten free, suitable for lactose intolerants, and low glycemic. Like "super foods", we like to call it a "super dessert". People consume it for many reasons: just a snack, to replace a meal, indulge guilt free and the list goes on.
Arctic Zero is sweetened with a proprietary blend of monk fruit concentrate and organic cane sugar. We do not use artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols of any kind.
Arctic Zero contains whey protein concentrate, which is a milk derivative and therefore is not dairy free or vegan. If you have dairy/milk allergies please consult your physician.

Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter,
Mint Chocolate Cookie
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Vanilla Maple
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Cookies & Cream
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Coffee
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, INSTANT COFFEE, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Strawberry
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, STRAWBERRIES, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, BEET JUICE FOR COLOR, CITRIC ACID, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

Pumpkin Spice
INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, CHICORY ROOT, PUMPKIN, GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO FOR COLOR, SEA SALT, MONK FRUIT CONCENTRATE.

ALLERGY INFORMATION: CONTAINS MILK

OUR NATURAL FLAVORS DO NOT CONTAIN MSG OR HVP

You can find out more information about their low calorie protein products at their website and to find out where they sell their products near you!

And here are my reviews on the flavors!

Vanilla Maple - This is a very light and sweet flavor. This is the one I usually see when I go to health grocery stores. They unfortunately don't carry all of their flavors, but of the few they do carry I always see this Vanilla Maple. It is sweeter than I expected, and the vanilla is nice and subtle, but it does have a strong maple flavor. Love it!

Coffee - Such a great Coffee flavor! Not too bitter like black coffee, and not overly sweet either! You want a Starbucks frapp without the crazy calories? One of their small sugary drinks has more calories than this huge pint of ice cream! Crazy right?! And this was one of the flavors that still tasted like coffee the whole time! For a few of the others, my tongue would go numb and soon couldn't taste the flavor anymore, but the coffee flavor was still strong and potent till the very bottom. YUM!

Cookies and Cream - Coldstone anyone? Mmm I LOVE Cookies and Cream! I have whey protein powder that's this flavor! So yummy and delicious! Like ice cream Oreos. Droool...

Pumpkin Spice - This is just the perfect flavor for fall. It tastes like pumpkin pie and cinnamon all in one! It's such a unique taste, like the name, pumpkin spice! I ate this post workout all nice and snuggled up on my couch, it's such a relaxing flavor, if that makes any sense? And it was one of the ice creams where you could still taste the flavor even at the bottom of the carton!

Peanut Butter Chocolate - Mmm peanut butter and chocolate, the best of both worlds. Unfortunately for me, since I'm a peanut butter addict, I felt like there wasn't a strong enough peanut butter taste! It had a stronger chocolate flavor than the peanut butter, but it was still delicious and guilt free :]

Chocolate - Chocolate, every girls best friend! You know how after a hard relationship breakup or any major stress-out, all the girls get together and stuff their face with fattening sweets, goodies, and ice cream? Well NOW you can stuff your face with healthy, protein packed Chocolate Ice Cream! So you can how your chow time, without the regretted weight and fat gain afterwords! Great chocolate flavor, not too bitter like 90% dark chocolate, but also not sickeningly sweet!

Mint Chocolate Chip - I've heard some compare this flavor to Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mints, but since I  have never had one (I was a Samoas cookie lover girl), I don't know if that's true or not. To me it tasted JUST like a YORK PEPPERMINT PATTY! Delicious, fresh, minty, chocolatey goodness.

Strawberry - This was surprisingly delicious! It was so fresh, and there were actual real pieces of strawberries in there! Kind of like sorbet tasting, but creamier.

So does it all sound too good to be true? Delicious, low calorie ice cream, packed with protein, that's actually GOOD FOR YOU?! I don't know why you're still here reading this, go get some ARCTIC ZERO ICE CREAM NOWWW. They can be found at local health food stores or you can order them online through Amazon! Fast shipping and they come to you still frozen!

While you're buying these amazing protein goodies, go follow them on twitter or like them on facebook to get some COOOL updates from the company!

Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

This, like my other recipes, is relatively simple! I don't like to overcomplicate anything and the easier, the better! So of course, feel free to add in ANY veggies and other herbs that you like! This is just what I had on hand!

Ingredients:

Any colored bell peppers you want

Lean ground turkey

Seasonings and herbs

Other veggies and stuffings (your choice!)

Low sodium natural tomato sauce 

Method:

Preheat oven to 380-400 deg Fahrenheit

First I cut off the tops of my bell peppers! So prettyyyyyyy

Then I cooked up on the stove my ground turkey

Added in: cayenne, onion powder, garlic, Mrs. Dash seasonings, cumin, and chopped up bell pepper!

Once those were all nice and browned I added in 1 cup of low sodium tomato sauce and stirred everything together!

Stuff those peppers!!

On some I added some skim Mozzarella cheese! Melted all nice and gooooeyy

Put them in a shallow dish and cover with foil!

Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes!

VOILA! Easy, done, simple. 

Now remember, you can make it zesty and add in any other veggies and shtuff that you want! Get creative! Clean eating is NOT boring!

Bingeing, Importance of REST! And Perfect Fit Protein Review!

Hello again you beautiful people you :]

So as you know I took a week-long break from strict clean eating and working out. WHAT?!!? That's MADNESS!

Yeah it was crazy, but at the same time, during it I felt SOOO relaxed. To be honest, before my break, I had lost a lot of motivation to eat clean and work out as hard as I'd been. I had been on full throttle since May, and for the past few weeks/months haven't had a fulllllll rest day to myself. Also, due to my thyroid issue getting worse, and certain side effects, I just felt so low. All my hair was falling out, I just felt so.. blehhh!

I had also developed a really badddd eating habit.... bingeing... yeah no good no good. But I thought I'd share this with you because I know a lot of you go through that too. 

I used to binge on foods moderately before, let's say every cheat day. But recently it had gotten so much worse. I couldn't control myself. I was driving myself crazy, mentally, physically, it was seriously horrible. I thought to myself, WHY are you doing this?! But I just COULD NOT STOP! Even if my stomach was full. I hated, HATED that food had all of this control over me! I felt like my will power was so weak and my mind was in a slump, and with the no motivation, I had no will to stop eating the crap!

I went to people for help, and they told me it could be from certain things I'm depriving myself from, in my current diet or in my general life. 

They told me I need to ENJOY food. That food should be interesting and different and full of flavor so that I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.
 I'm currently trying to take control of these overwhelming urges, hence the past week off, suggested by my parents and peers. 

I was overworking myself, and from too much stress, it caused me to constantly binge and binge. Thankfully I had not gotten to the point of purging, but it was still terrible and it made me FEEL terrible.

Currently, I'm trying out different workout routines, trying to get into the swing like I was this summer when I didn't have that big of an urge to binge constantly, when food was exciting and fun and different everyday.

For myself, I learned that the same meals everyday can lead me to want to binge, so now I'm trying to create a greater variety in my diet. 

Anddd by DIET, I mean the foods I am eating, not a 2 week scam to lose 20 pounds! Once again, diet should not be used as a quick short term thing, but the foods IN your diet should feed and fuel you for LIFE!

I'm taking more rest days, relaxing more, SLEEPING more, man I've been slacking on sleep! And eating better, and SMARTER. I'm going GLUTEN FREE due to thyroid problems, so let's see how that change in my diet goes!

This past relax week has caused me to gain some weight, hopefully from water, and I'm a little up on the body fat %, BUT nothing the next few months, or heck the rest of my LIFE, since it's a LIFESTYLE, can't fix right up!

Things to remind yourself:

REST. Rest is so important. you don't want to burn your body out and overwork yourself. This doesn't do good for anyone! And you'll have more time to recuperate from your past workouts, so you can give it your ALL in the next ones!

SLEEP! Please please please get your sleep - it's so important for your mind and whole body, inside and out. You'll feel refreshed, happier, and you'll LOOK better on the outside too! You don't want dark purple bags under your eyes do you? Also, lack of sleep = FAT GAIN! Did ya know that? Well now you do.

Eat right - make food FUN, make it INTERESTING! There are so many great recipes out there I can't wait to try out!

DON'T Deprive yourself! It's about MODERATION! NOT DEPRIVATION! Have your little treats here and there, but don't over do it, which is what I need to work on. Stick to just ONE treat! Not the whole chocolate factory! 

And if you DO mess up, DON'T WALLOW IN GUILT! You'll only drive yourself mad. Remember, you have the REST of your LIFE, to become a fit and healthier version of YOU!

Don't forget your support! I learned so much about friends and family this past week it's ridiculous. They really can make the BIGGEST difference in your life if you let them into what's happening in your life! 

Now time for the review!
ANOTHER one?!! Don't get sick of me yet please! But YES, another, and this time it's on....

Perfect Fit Protein

Here's what their company says about their protein powder:

Perfect Fit Protein by Tone It Up™ provides clean, organic nutrition - and helps to burn fat, shape a lean physique and aid in muscle recovery. Each delicious serving contains 15 grams of protein and is Organic, Gluten-Free, Raw, Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, Non-Fat, Low in Sodium, and Free of Sugar, Dairy, Lactose, Cholesterol, Soy, Corn, Wheat and Allergens. Our formulation and philosophy revolve around simple and clean nutritional principles: high quality, natural ingredients without compromise.

If you've been tuned into the fitness and health community for a while, you've probably heard of the Tone it Up girls, Karena and Katrina! If you haven't, CHECK THEM OUT! Such fit gals who are DEFINITELY motivational, inspirational, FITfluential, and more! They put out tons of workouts on their site, on their youtube, and also have a clean eating plan you can purchase online! They are the founders of Perfect Fit Protein and are super passionate and dedicated about bringing all of you healthy, high quality, natural protein made from natural ingredients!

Wow, look at those ingredients, I know what they all are! Nothing crazy or artificial or nasty in there! Totally CLEAN eating protein and good for you too! 

Some reviews that I have read report this protein to be a little "chalky" or "powdery". I could see how some feel that way because it does have that sort of grainy texture, but you just need a good blender bottle to fix that up! It does seem to clump up a bit when mixed with water if you're just shaking it in a normal bottle.

BUT, it would go GREAT in a shake that's blended or some protein pancakes! YUM.

Some also didn't like the taste of it because it tasted "chalky & ricey", but honestly, I liked the taste of the powder! It actually reminded me of a flavor of a Vietnamese dessert I used to have as a kid! That could be because it's made from rice protein (and most Asian desserts are made from some sort of rice).

I honestly like this protein a LOT.

And the nutrition label is so awesome! And easy to transport for those on the go! Only 70 calories, 1 net carb, 15 grams protein! It's pretty low in calories compared to other protein powder companies!

This has saved me a few times at school when I'm crunched on meals and need a quick snack to keep my metabolism revved! Or when I'm tempted by foods around me, this is GREAT to just pop in my water bottle, shake shakeee shake your bootayyy, and then drink it up!

I think this protein powder would be used best in:

blended smoothies/shakes

baked goods

protein pancakes

SO if you want a seriously CLEAN protein powder, only 5 ingredients, all natural, then get some PERFECT FIT PROTEIN.

You can order them in single serving packets (so convenient for on the go or if you travel a lot) or in a 50 serving bag. I hope in the future they'll be able to come out with some new delicious flavors of this amazing protein powder!

Thank you Karena, Katrina, and Perfect Fit Protein for letting me try out your wonderfully clean eating protein powder!