Only Got 10 Minutes to Save the World.

Happy Easter lovely people! I just got off work and am hanging out with the Snow family dogs for a little while before I head off to my family's for dinner! BUT! Do you have 10 minutes?! I do! Check out this quick and fun workout!


Victoria Secret Model Workout

Let me know if there are any topics you guys wanna hear about! I am brainstorming, I promise! I'll try to post a little more, but ... graduating in a month limits my availability! Ah, so much going on! :)

Get your sweat on!

Movin' & a'groovin' !

Since the dawn of time, we have heard from gym teachers, doctors, nurses, random strangers, commercials, etc etc etc: EXERCISE EVERYDAY! Guess what... That cliche little phrase is KEY to a healthy life. Now, I'm not suggesting that you go to the gym and get your Arnold on everyday of the week... but, get active and find something that 1) you love doing & 2) makes you feel good! It's quite simple; the more you move, the more you metabolize!

I've been asked what my personal workouts are... and well... To be honest, I don't have a consistent workout regime. I get bored REALLY easily, so I'm constantly switching it up. The essential building blocks to burning fat and building muscle tone, though, is a combination of cardio and strength training. 

Cardio! Get that heart pumping! The key to burning fat is to maintain your accelerated pulse for an extended length of time (I usually do 20-45 minutes) If you're going to a gym, the machines can be really great when you're doing the right thing! AND those silver things on the handles DO serve a purpose! Check your heart rate frequently to make sure you're maintaining that "fat burning zone".  I'm personally a big fan of the stationary bike lately. Not only does it serve as great cardio, but with increased resistance, it serves as strength training as well. Ellipticals are a favorite of mine too... although they don't do much as to muscle toning. Often times, I'll start my workout on an elliptical to get my heart rate up, then switch to the stationary. 

Strength training! This can be anything from crunches to push-ups to dumb bells to heavy weight lifting. The key is, do what you enjoy... or what you're comfortable with. Some people see more results than others for different methods. It is possible to get great body tone without lifting weights (it helps though...), BUT you can use your own body for resistance. If I don't feel like lifting, I'll do push ups, crunches, squats, lunges, sit ups, various ab exercises... But! Strength training is essential.... every pound of muscle you have takes an extra 50 calories to maintain it, so think of how many more calories your body will burn JUST by having muscle?!

So make sure you keep a stable balance of the two! The most important thing is to do things you enjoy though! I love love love biking... so when the blizzard is gone, don't be surprised when you see me cruising around! 

NOW! This is a great resource! If you don't want to pay for a gym membership, or don't want to work out outside of your house... dun dun dun. YOUTUBE WORK OUT VIDEOS. Amaaaaazing. I highly suggest Blogilates! Cassey Ho is an amazing fitness guru goddess with such high energy! You will have so much fun with all of her videos. Here is my FAVORITE workout from her! Prepare to sweat like a pig in heat. Blogilates: Food Baby HIIT

Alright, time to wrap this up! I've got cleaning & homework to do! 

Eat your vegetables kids! <3

What I Ate Wednesday

Okay guys! Here is the newest addition! What I ate Wednesday, where I will literally tell you.... what I ate on Wednesday! (Kate Huddleston coined the term, so credit to her!)

I think this'll be fun to give you guys a sample meal plan of what I eat on the daily. And... I'm human, guess what, some days I eat healither than others... but A COOKIE IS NOT GONNA KILL YOU! Maybe a whole box of cookies... every night... for 3 months... but a cookie or two once a week, you're gonna make it, I promise :)

6 am: 

-3 egg white omelet with spinach & kraft 2% reduced fat mozzarella cheese!

-half a grapefruit

-black coffee

-tazo zen green tea (for my drive to my internship)

11:20 am:

-Breakstone cottage cheese with pineapple

-Banana with 2 tablespoons of Jif Natural Peanut butter

-Fruit punch powerade zero

-water

2:45 pm:

-Vanilla organic oikos greek yogurt

-1/2 cup blueberries

-roasted almond crunch bar (nature valley - delicious)

-Water

7:30 pm:

-Pork rib (probably about 4 oz)

-1/2 cup green peas

-water

8:30 pm:

-3 cookies (Betty crocker gluten free chocolate chip)

-6 oz 2% milk

10 pm:

-WATER! 

Now, I'll have you know... I eat a lot of food that I can take on the go and STILL manage to eat healthy. I work 32 hours a week, full time student and intern at a Middle School 10-15 hours a week! That's a lot of handle, but it's possible! I try not to eat after 9 pm most nights! And always drink a glass of water before I go to sleep! :) Sometimes there are weeks when I can work out more than others.... for example, this week = MIDTERMS. So I'm sleeping every spare minute that I'm not studying. Don't sweat it though! As long as you're eating that good whole food, you're clear! :) And with that, I'm off to studying! Good night!

Let me know if there are any topics you would like to have me write about!

When Your Stomach Hates You

Well guys, not sure if you know this... But I have a gluten allergy... And when I eat it, I get symptoms relative to the flu... Ick. So this post comes straight from my bed where I'd like to share the suggested food acronym for when your body literally can't keep anything down. Medical experts swear by the acronym BRATTY.

B- bananas
R- rice (I suggest brown!)
A- applesauce (unsweetened/unflavored)
T- toast (which I obviously will avoid)
T- tea (decaf, herbal mint)
Y- yogurt (lowfat, low sugar, plain)

Maybe this post won't be too exciting for too many of you! But once I learned this acronym, my sicknesses usually went a lot easier! Hydration is crucial, ALL THE TIME, but especially when sick. So drink your 8 classes people! I'll bring more excitement to the table once the plague passes over me.

Proceed with Caution

Weightloss and the journey towards a healthier existence is a challenging one... This is something we all know. For some people, counting calories may be in your agenda for ways to succeed. While mathematically, counting calories to the exact singlet number will result in weightloss... it doesn't always mean it's the best system. There are 3500 calories in a pound, and one pound a week lost is healthy... so cut 500 calories from the 2000 calorie daily recommendation... not always what you want to be doing, and I'm speaking from experience.

For my 21st birthday, it was my goal to have my license say 130 pounds. This goal, I did accomplish! And I maintained my weight at 130 for a good solid 4 months... and then I said to myself, I wonder if I can get down to 120 pounds... This is where weightloss goes from awesome to what the hell are you thinking? I was working out 5-6 days a week (mainly on an elliptical, which frankly burns calories but builds no muscle mass) and eating a measly 1200 calories a day... I ended up sick. I let that go on for somewhere around a month, where at the ending point, I weighed 117. Which is WAY underweight for someone of my height and build. PANIC MODE! I was iron deficient, lethargic, my skin was broken out and grey looking, no enthusiasm (Yeah... can you imagine an unenthusiastic Emily? YOU DON'T WANT TO)

Since then, I have gained the weight back. It took me a REALLY long time to stop counting calories, but I have finally broken the habit. It's really difficult to get back to just eating comfortably and not worry about the number... which is why I discourage counting calories. It's important to PAY ATTENTION to what those nutrition facts say, as far as serving size and other nutrition values... but to count every single unit that goes into your body will only make you paranoid and your own worst enemy when you break it.

IF, and I mean IF, you are going to count calories... here is a great place to go to help track My Fitness Pal. MFP also has a free phone app, which is helpful for on the go. They virtually have EVERY type of food listed, and while I don't count calories, I frequent the app to check nutrition facts at restaurants and other on the go occasions.

In all seriousness, eat enough to stabilize yourself. If you're hungry, grab a snack. (Don't worry, snack suggestions are coming in a future post). If you're working out, eat more to replenish your lost calories, but eat CLEAN food, not a big mac or a pint of ice cream.

So proceed with caution stay positive, keep your eye on the prize and most importantly LEARN YOUR LIMITS AND KNOW THEM. Sometimes it takes trial and error to find them, but trust me, you'll know when you do.

Rainy Monday

Rainy, gloomy days like today often make people turn to the kitchen and grab for comfort food. Here's my advice: Don't you dare!

Rainy days are perfect for a hot cup of green tea and doing some cleaning! Something we take little notice of, is that EVERYTHING you do burns calories! Seriously, it's that easy! You might think you're just folding clothes, but did you know that you are burning off that muffin top while doing something as simple as that. I swear, there's a formula and everything : The Calories of Laundry

Livestrong.com is brilliant, anything you could EVER want to know about your health, you will find here. Nutrition, health benefits, exercise routines, apparel... I could spend HOURS browsing that website!

But, instead of the chocolate bar today, grab yourself a hot cup of green tea. Why?

THAT'S WHY. So put on some comfy sweats, turn on some feel good music (I'm listening to the 'Twenty One Pilots' Pandora channel) and sip on that tea to rid that rainy day feeling. :)

Let's Take it Back to the Start

When I look back at old pictures of myself, I sometimes have a really hard time believing that I'm even the same person. Not only have I transformed into a healthier version of myself... but a more responsible and knowledgeable adult. These pictures are from my freshman year of college ranging from November 2010 - January 2011. At my highest weight, I was 195 pounds... When I saw that number on the scale, only 5 pounds from hitting 200, I KNEW something had to change, I had to start taking care of myself. A size 18 pant wasn't going to be the size I stayed in.

As time progressed, I began to walk more, eat a little less and at the right times. I became more self aware... and as soon as I had accomplished putting mind over matter, the weight began to fall off. My original goal was to weigh 160 pounds so I could fit in juniors' clothes again. The 160 mark came so fast that then... there was nothing to get but better.

I'm now somewhere in the realm of 135 pounds. I am a gluten-free, health nut, busy body that loves to learn everything possible about how I can better keep myself healthy. It took time, patience and a SHIT LOAD of hard work, but now I can look myself in the mirror and feel happy because I have earned my body and my piece of mind. It IS possible to drop that weight, whether is 5 pounds or 500... anything is doable when you put your mind and heart in it.

 

Fresh

Over the past few months, I have received an overwhelming amount of love and support from so many people whom I both know well and hardly know at all on the topic of weight loss. As many of you know, I have lost a substantial amount of weight in the last few years through a lot of hard work, patience and will power! I decided I would create a blog to ramble about all of the knowledge I have gained over my experience to both help others and continue helping myself to lead a happy, healthy existence.

Seeing as adequate amounts of sleep is key to keeping a steady metabolism, this girl is calling it a night. An extended introduction post shall be posted tomorrow, promise.

We all have goals, and if I can share what I know to help others achieve theirs... then why wouldn't I do everything in my power to help them grow.

Signing off,
Sweet dreams and big breakfasts in the AM
EJ