Lazy days that turn into great days!

Woke up this morning early to drive my dad to the bus, drove home and started watching T.V. With parents gone work done nothing left to due but sit on the couch, right? Wrong!!! I had the thought of doing nothing this Sunday since Tuesday! But then I registered for a Zin Jam Session with Zumba enthusiasts. After watching some T.V this morning I got dressed and got into the car to drive the hour to where the Jam session was, the whole way I wasn't feeling it, I wanted to be home doing nothing. The moment I stepped into the room for my session my mood changed, women and men  of all size and shape coming together to do Zumba. The session was great, dancing to the music that Dorie Wexler had picked out I felt amazing. I had a smile on my face the whole 3hrs and even driving home I was smiling and humming the music. Now sitting at home doing some last minute homework I am happy I didn't just sit around all day. Have you had these days where you just want to do nothing but could be doing something invigorating? Skip a lazy day every once in awhile, your mind, body and soul will thank you!

School, work and life!

School has started and yesterday was a very long day for me. I got on the bus at 9:45am and got home at 9pm. With 5 classes in between that time I was pressed to eat quickly in-between classes and not go to the vending machines. I brought with me a bag of carrots, a protein bar, and a bag of mixed nuts with raisins and rice puff cereal-my owl concoction. With all that was going on I only ate a few carrots and a little bit of my mix but at least I had that! I know that whether your in school or at work or stuck in traffic it can be hard to eat right when you get hungry. I've made a list of healthy snacks under 200 calories that should be able to fill you up without filling you out! And while your eating don't forget to drink water, that's the best non-calorie snack around!
1) 1/2 a cup of Greek yogurt with 1/2 a cup of blueberries-about 120calories, 15g protein, 0fat!
Mix this up in a container to bring with you anywhere
2) 10 rice crackers with 5 laughing cow cheese wedges-under 160 calories, 6g protein, 8-15g fiber
Cut the wedges in half, one half per cracker. You can either make these and put them in a container or just bring the components and make them when hungry
3) 2oz hummus and 10 baby carrots-170 calories, 4-8g protein, 5-10g fiber
It all depends on the kind of hummus you use, look to see how much protein and fiber it contains
4) 3oz can seasoned tuna-110calories, 16g protein, 4g fat
Remember to count the crackers if you use them to eat the tuna!!
5) 1 cup edamame lightly salted-189calories, 17g protein, 8g fiber
You'll lower the calories if you skip the salt, sometimes I don't mind them not salted
6) 2 turkey slices wrapped around 1 string cheese-196calories, 12g protein
Great for a quick snack that taste yummy, kids will love it :)
7) 2 scrambled eggs with salsa-175calories, 12g protein
I make this for breakfast some mornings but I have also made it to-go for lunch at school
8) 1/2 cup pistachios-170calories, 6g protein, 4g fiber
Great for when your bored, the fact that you have to crack the nuts makes it so you don't eat them to quickly or to many.
9) 1 TBSP peanut butter and 1 medium apple-165calories, 4g protein, 4g fiber
Cut the apple into slices and put it in a container with the peanut butter, easy and yummy
10) Protein bar-depends!! You should always bring one with you or have it in your car just make sure it is under 200 calories and has protein and fiber

**Not all of these numbers will be exact! Make sure your paying attention to labels, happy snacking :)

Reminiscing!

At dinner tonight I was reminiscing about my scrapes and scars, I have plenty! Some scars that really made me think are the one's on my knees, cuts that I got in Costa Rica. I remember the day clearly, everyone was having so much fun. My sister and our friend Leah were over across a small bridge in between some trees. I had just gotten my breakfast, a big piece of toast with peanut butter and jelly, when my sister and Leah called to me. I immediately started to run to where they were, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and tripped over the edge of this small bridge, I fell and received several cuts that are still visible today. Reminiscing on this event I remember clearly that at that moment when I fell the thought that went through my head was "oh no my toast!" Yes that's right, I had just fallen and scrapped my knees and my biggest concern was the fact that my toast had fallen as well and was now unable to eat. I remember crying over this, but really not caring about my scrapes; I even tried to hide them from my mother. I realize that I sometimes get overworked when something goes wrong, especially if it's my fault, but at such a young age I was so disappointed and mad at myself because I dropped my toast. WOW no one should be that concerned with food, whether it is because their afraid they wont get more that day or whether they just want more. I've grown a lot since that day in Costa Rica, I've empowered myself in different ways. Now food isn't my life, I'm more important than what I eat! You are too!!

Mind games

Stepping on the scale and seeing the number rise can be hard, even if its only rising a little. When this happens there are many ways a person can take it. Sometimes for myself I get mad, mad at the scale and at the workouts I blame for not working. I've been known to blame healthy food as well, why eat healthy food if the scale still goes up? All of these thoughts are just mind games. Games that can't be won. A year ago I'd start playing these mind games with myself and could eat a whole pint of ice-cream or two helpings of dinner to make myself feel better or justify the games. Tuesday I weighed in four pounds heavier then I did in the morning, and this was before dinner! I immediately tried to justify the number I saw on the scale, I thought of what I had eaten, I got mad at myself for not working out, I even blamed that time of the month. But then I realized, remembered that I had to let it go, I told myself I wasn't going to weigh in again that night, I'd eat dinner have a good night and start again tomorrow. And what do you know, I weigh in this morning lower then I was yesterday morning. I'm doing just fine, mind games aside!

A helpful hint for stretching

When I was 260 some pounds I remember my first goal being to bring my heel to my butt in a thigh stretch! I know it sounds silly but back then I couldn't do most stretches and being able to grab my foot behind me was something I wanted but couldn't do. Now a few years later I can do it perfectly without any assistance from friend or wall, but it took practice. Today after coming home from Zumba I was taught a way to make this stretch even easier then I had thought.
*It helps if you take off your shoes and socks, at least for your first time
*Spread your toes as wide as you can and place your foot(that you'll balance on) flat on the floor
*Lift your heel while keeping your toes wide, lower your heel back down planting your foot firmly
*Now lift the other leg up behind you as far as possible, grab your ankle if you can
*You should be sturdy and completely straight with your bodies allignment
*Do the same on the other side, you'll feel a difference in the stretch and your body will thank-you

Health, Fitness and Fun

Most people think that working out is for people who need to lose weight, tighten up or maintain fitness for something such as a race. The truth is working out is for anyone! Kids go to classes to get their energy out, people play sports for fun or for the competition, older people can exercise for more energy or for something to do. I started exercising because I was very overweight and needed to lose weight fast, I keep exercising because I find it fun, it helps boost my energy in the morning and de-stress after a long day, it's a place to talk to other people or not have to talk to a soul. If your looking to workout but don't really have a goal set try starting with these little exercises that can burn calories and leave you feeling great!
*Ride your bike: different levels of intensity will burn 150 calories. 15mph for 15minutes, 12mph for 20minutes, or 10mph for 25minutes
*Running or jogging: the faster you move the more calories you'll burn. 8mph for 10minutes, 6mph for 13minutes, or jogging for 20minutes. Also a nice benefit you can do this outside and get some sun!
*Team sports: burn calories while having fun with friends. Football, basketball, volleyball for 15minutes, soccer for 20minutes, or Frisbee for 40minutes. It's a great way to catch up with friends while being active.
*Outdoor sports: hike for 20minutes, ride a horse for 50minutes, go kayaking for 25minutes. Your workouts don't have to be boring!
*Walking: easiest way to burn calories because we do it everyday(or should). brisk pace for 30minutes, medium pace for 40minutes or slow pace for 50minutes. If you don't want to stick to a timed walk then just park your car farther away from work and walk in, walk your dog twice a day, take a walk with your spouse.
*Water activities: Whether playing in the pool with your kids or doing laps, moving for anywhere from 13-30minutes while in the pool can help you lose some calories
*Dancing: when was the last time you went dancing for fun? Disco dancing for 20minutes, line dancing for 30minutes, or ballroom for 40minutes can burn calories and make for a great date!
*Other helpful calorie burning fitness activities include: yard work such as mowing or raking, home improvement such as painting or washing windows, housework such as mopping, vacuuming or ironing clothes.
*You can even burn calories by reading for 2hrs or sleeping for 3hrs
HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FITNESS

Present day ME

I've told you the story of how I got here, my struggle was big, the benefits were much bigger. Join me along my journey, maybe I'll lead you somewhere you didn't know you could go. It's all about health, fitness, life, and the party

Zumba!!!!!

Zumba is what helped me change my look at working out! I'd tell myself I was going to go workout but would never really want to. Then I decided to be brave and try a Zumba class at 24hr fitness, it was so much fun! Yes, i said fun. Jumping and dancing and singing along to some of the music was great, not having to look at the clock was even better. Suzanne was my first Zumba instructor and my favorite instructor to this day. The gift of fun, playful, dance, workouts that she gave me was one of the reasons I wanted to become a Zumba instructor myself. After working so hard to lose weight, Zumba is the one workout i actually look forward. In June of 2011 I received my Zumba certification.
REASONS WHY I LOVE TEACHING ZUMBA
*It's fun *The musics great *It's raised my confidence *Having leadership(as a young biracial women)  *We laugh *Sing along *Struggle together *Look like fools
*Its amazing to watch progress unfold *Making someone realize they can reach their goals

Home is where the health is!

When I came home from that first awful year at school I had already gained a lot of confidence back and lost a lot of weight. I got a member ship to 24hr fitness and started to go to classes, my little way of being self motivated with a teacher. Group fitness classes can be scary if you are overweight, underweight, young, old, and in between. For me group fitness classes were another challenge, I strove to be the best I could be in a classroom of mostly women who already seemed the best they could be. It's a showoff thing, gosh that girl is so thin and pretty...I'll work my ass of and show her just how pretty I can be. Weird yes, helpful yes. If your getting tired of doing the same thing like treadmill or weights every workout, seriously think about classes.

Do you need friendly competition?

Would you benefit from a little friendly competition? Let me know your ideas for friendly competitions that can help motivate yourself and others to become more fit and active.

Training comes first

Training with a coach came first, self motivation and want came after. After I started losing a lot of weight I got motivated to keep losing it. A week just didn't feel complete without a workout. I still wasn't all self motivated and needed my trainer and her resources to keep me on track. One such resource was a weightloss challenge, set up like the biggest loser I got to weigh in along with several others every Wednesday for 8 weeks and after each weigh-in we were taught a little something about nutrition, dieting, food labels, dining out, ect. The biggest loser of the week got to take home a prize, and the biggest loser over the whole 8 weeks got both satisfaction and a cash prize. Even after I stopped doing personal training I continued doing the challenge, it's fun to have a little friendly competition to keep you motivated.

A personal Trainer

Admitting that you need a trainer can be hard, but it can also be fun. For me training sessions were the times in my week that I could talk to someone about how school was going, hw, dinner, roommates, ect. I started to feel better emotionally and the pounds started to slip off leaving me feeling better physically. So what are some signs that you may need help? I can't speak for everyone, but in my experience the signs are:
*Excessive weight-gain, overeating
*Trouble breathing, walking, and sleeping
*Depression, laziness and stress
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?
I had all of these symptoms, but with a trainer they started to go away. I stopped overeating which in turn helped decrease my weight, it got easier to walk as I got lighter and my breathing and sleeping regulated. My trainer became my new friend, someone to talk to, my depression slowly faded and I became excited for my sessions and therefor wasn't as lazy.

The start of my transformation

I had a wake up call Christmas of 2009 mostly when I wanted to throw out all of the pictures that the family had taken. I looked awful, and more importantly I felt awful as well. I had only been in college for a semester and had already gained 100 pounds. I didn't go out with friends because I was feeling self-conscious but because I didn't go out I staid in on the couch where food was available. Looking back at in now, three years later I don't see how I could have done that to myself. I remember my Uncle coming to talk to me over that holiday, really talking to me about my health not my weight. He mentioned my emotion health, how in order to join in I actually had to put myself out there; take a risk. He also mentioned my physical health, things such as me not being able to walk for long periods of time. Truly from him came my wake up call, if I wanted to be the person I told everyone I wanted to be then I had to take a little bit more responsibility! That coming month I got a personal trainer up at my school, my sessions with my trainer Kendra became the highlights of my week.

August to August

It's August 1st, 2011. Today I look think back to two years ago August 1st, 2009, I was 18 years old then and getting ready for college. I was so excited..little did I know.
HIGHLIGHTS OF MY LIFE SENSE I STARTED COLLEGE-IN ORDER
*I chose the first college that accepted me
*I gained more then 100 pounds
*Lost all confidence
*Hurt both physically and emotionally
*Talked about my weight-gain
*Got a personal trainer
*Worked my ass off
*Transferred schools, moved back home
*Won my weight-loss challenge that summer
*Started a TRANSFORMATION