Day 104- Motivation.

  Growing up I was a very athletic kid.  From the ages of 6-16 I swam competitively year round and manged to  play lacrosse and field hockey in the spring and fall.  Coming from a family of professional athletes, playing sports was the main focus in our house.  This being said we were not a healthy family.  After I stepped out of the pool or off a field I was gorging myself with massive amounts of carbohydrates, very little protein and whatever sweets I could get my hands on.  Needless to say when playing sports changed, my eating habits didn't.  

  Now as I have said before, I was never a "fat" kid but as Eric reminds me I was a bit chubby.  I just could never find the motivation to get myself back in shape.  The idea of giving up everything I loved eating and rearranging my schedule to accommodate an visit to the gym just seemed overwhelming and lets face it,  at 21 years old, I could find an excuse to get out of anything.  I justified having a body I hated in anyway I could think of, I blamed it on genes, ethnic background and my fathers "build like a brick shit house" analogy.  

  I guess it takes a certain amount of maturity and the right environment to change ones way of thinking.  I probably say this a lot but Eric is a great source of inspiration.  He made a healthy lifestyle look easy and obtainable.  I'm not giving up everything I loved to eat, I'm not dieting and I'm not stressing about it either.  If i have a poor workout (like I did this morning), it doesn't matter I still did it.  I cook delicious healthy meals focused on low carb and I'm satisfied 100% of the time.  The things I can't give up, like my unbelievably unhealthy cup of coffee in the morning, I'm okay with.  I love it, I  look forward to it and I don't get worked up about the extra sugar and cream because throughout the day I'm making good choices about what I eat. I'm not making myself feel guilty because I don't have to. I'm living a healthy, active and productive lifestyle that keeps me in shape and keeps me happy.  

  My motivation is the way I feel about myself right now and knowing that with the tools and knowledge I have developed over the past year and a half I will keep things this way!

In a Pinch

So I was super stoked about having last nights left overs for lunch but of course I left them at home in the fridge.  Working on York road gives me endless possibilities of lunch options but let's be honest they aren't always healthy ones.  Today when I found myself in this situation I opted for a simple and satisfying grilled Chicken breast from Chili's with a side of salsa (my favorite!)  This is a great healthy and affordable option.  I believe most chain restaurants similar to chili's will offer ala carte items, including fresh steamed veggies!

Wake Up!

  I'm not always keen on eggs at 6am so I substitutes with a bowl of protein packed goodness! 18g to be exact!  This meal keeps me full throughout the morning and gives me the energy boost that I need.  I pair this with a good cup of coffee with a splash of half and half and a little sugar.  I'm not big on artificial sweeteners or "diet" items but I'll write about that a little later this week.

1/2cup Chobani Greek Yogurt- Plain

1/2cup Kashi GoLean

1/4cup dried Cranberries

a drizzle of honey

What's for Dinner?

  Monday evenings are pretty busy for us.  So I'm a big fan of slow-cooker meals.  It's nice to come home after a evening of running around and already have dinner made.  Eric and I are big fans of Paleo although I must admit we aren't super strict about. I try to find meals that are close to Paleo guidelines, but we don't stress if they aren't spot on. 

  I found this recipe on Punchfork, its a weight watchers recipe from skinnytaste.com.  Being carb conscious, I altered it slightly.  I added Green Peppers because I only had plain diced tomatoes and I only used 4oz of corn.  Of course I'm going to cut out the rice completely and top it off with some diced avocado!  

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken 
Servings: 8 servings • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g 

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice 

Workout Week 1 & 2

Eric put this workout together for me.  It takes about 25-30 min to complete and let me tell you, it kind of kicks my ass. It's easy to follow and a good way to kick start my program.


P.S... I love workout B!

Day 106: What I'm Working With!

  I'm lucky to have such a healthy and inspiring boyfriend, setting up a home gym that works for me was really easy because Eric already had the equipment. All I had to do was some rearranging and a little bit of set up. Most of what I'm using can be easily found at any sports store or even your local Target.

 I was a little nervous about posting a current picture but it's for the sake of comparison. I'm looking forward to seeing how my body changes!  

  

March2...

  I'm getting a late start on this whole "March to Fitness" thing, but to be honest we all know I wont be stepping into a swimsuit come April. Summer is 106 days away (June 20th)and my inspiration arrived in my mailbox last week in the form of a Victoria Secret Swimsuit catalog.


  If you know me then you already know that I'm not great at finishing things. I'm hoping that blogging about this will hold me accountable and keep me working towards my goal. Over the past few months my family and friends have expressed concerns about my recent weight loss. This is no way a means to personally loose any more weight, I do not think I am fat nor am I starving myself. I simply want to tone, shape and strengthen my body while maintaining a healthy weight. I will be sharing my exercises, recipes and healthy ideas and maybe this will inspire others to do the same!