Cardio intervals for the win!

It's been forever and (over) a year since I shared a workout on here. Blogging is work. Taking time to share my thoughts and post is not as easy as one would assume. Enough about my blog failures... onto the fitness.

I've been kicking up my cardio intake. When it's sunny out, I plug into a podcast and stroll around my office complex for 30 minutes. A nice low intensity walk to get my steps in and enjoy the fresh air.

At the gym, I like to do intervals on the stair climber, treadmill and even the elliptical. I switch up the machines to make it less boring.

Last night I capped my workout off with a cardio interval session that had me struggling.

Protein Doughnuts. Boyfriend approved!

These are way too easy to eat :)

Weekends are for relaxing, catching up with friends, watching bad made for TV movies (does anyone else still do that, or is it a Netflix world now?)
Weekends are also time for experimenting in the kitchen. Should things go bad, you can easily recover with a do-over or your seamless account. 

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to make protein doughnuts for my boyfriend and I. He was supportive of my decision even though I had tried to make lemon ricotta pancakes once and the result was not so edible. He still ate them. He's a good man.

These however were much more palatable especially when you add sprinkles or fresh blueberries. I decided to split the batter and add one of each. I'm a genius.  
 

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of flour (I used Bobs Red Mill GF)
• 1 & 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup of all natural nut butter
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• tsp of vanilla extract
  
   Add - ins like;
• Sprinkles
• Fresh Fruit
• Nuts
• Chocolate Chips

Get creative and go crazy with yourself. I sprayed a non-stick doughnut pan because I never trust non-stick.

I placed these in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Watch them to see when they start to brown on top. I got into the CBS Sunday Morning and forgot my second batch. They were still good but a little over done.

Enjoy!

It's All Mental

I'm not talking about your ex's, I'm talking about your will to succeed.
I struggled with my weight since 4th grade. Classmates, adults, relatives, strangers... all made comments about my appearance. Funny, I don't remember asking them for their opinion.

Needless to say, it's very damaging for any young kid to receive negative feedback about their appearance.  My chubby face didn't define my character as a human being.  Unfortunately, society very seldom cares.

I've spent so long berating myself and judging my appearance that even now, at the fittest I have ever been, I still struggle with seeing anything but a chubby kid.

Consistency

Staying Consistent

It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle.

It took me a LONG time to realize changing my appearance meant changing my habits.
A lot of people think Advocare, the 24 day challenge or the 10 day cleanse are quick fixes or fad diets.

Why should you try it? How is it different?

It's different because it's not a "diet." It's a tool to TEACH you what you need to do to make a difference in your health. I think of it as groundwork to a new, healthier, fulfilling lifestyle.

The pic on the right was taken the last week of November. No challenge, no cleanse. I've just been monitoring my macros and taking the Advocare supplements that work for me. .

The pic on the left is after my 24 day challenge in May of 2014. The middle pic is from July of 2015 when I finished my 10 day cleanse.

As you can see, my weight HAS NOT yo-yo'd. I didn't put everything I lost, and then some, back on. I stayed consistent! .

Advocare gave me the tools to make better choices and live a healthier lifestyle. Hence the reason I continue to use their products & why I am an adviser.

Why not try it? Why not give yourself a chance to make a change? You have nothing to lose but bad habits :) I made the choice to change & am so glad I did!

Click Here to read my weight loss story 

Keeping it Clean

Want to give the 10 Day Cleanse a try? Click here

 
This summer is like most summers, very humid and going by way too fast!
I love spending time outside going for walks, drinks, dinner, runs - you name it, I do it outside - weather permitting. 

Before and After - 10 Day Cleanse

While I don't think I have been slacking on my workouts, I am slightly more lenient on my diet.  It comes with the laid back attitude of summer. "What's one more drink?", "It's hot, I need that frozen yogurt!" It's easy to convince myself to enjoy the moment and not worry about the scale.

For the most part, that is how summer should be. It's how life should be, within reason of course.  As someone who has always struggled with her weight, I work on maintaining a balance for the sake of my sanity and waist line.

The Advocare 24 Day Challenge

 Last year I decided to switch things up a bit. I was happy with my over all fitness and health but I wanted to see some more changes.  A good friend of mine, who is also a personal trainer, had mentioned Advocare in the past.  At the time, I had dabbled in supplements here and there but never stuck to a routine other than the occasional protein shake.

To see a change, you need to make a change

With summer quickly approaching, I decided to give the Advocare 24 Day Challenge a shot. Nothing risked, nothing gained, right? I also convinced my mom to give it a try with me. The 24 Day Challenge is comprised of 2 parts. The first part is the Cleanse Phase. For the cleanse, you are given ProBiotic Restore capsules and Herbal Cleanse tablets, as well as some Spark. Spark is a yummy energy drink with "...20 vitamins, minerals and nutrients that work synergistically to provide a healthy, balanced and effective source of energy that won't overburden or over stimulate your body."

These products, in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise, help to rid your body of waste and prepare your body to better absorb nutrients.* This isn't the kind of cleanse where you drastically reduce calories or consume only liquids - this is the beginning of a healthier lifestyle!

Other than feeling a little more tired than usual, the first 10 days were a breeze. When you  order the challenge, you're given a nutrition guide that outlines what you should be eating, your water intake and even some recipes that can be found online. Now they even offer a virtual coach!  The recommended food was more or less the same as my existing diet so I didn't have an issue adjusting my eating. My mom had a hard time with how MUCH she was supposed to be eating.  As a teacher she is used to eating when she can, which is about once during the day. She also wasn't used to drinking that much water. She was a trooper though!

The best investment is one you spend on yourself

 The second phase is the Max Phase.  Now that I primed myself for complete nutrient absorption, I was ready to burn some fat!

The Max Phase is about fueling your body in order to achieve maximum results.
During this phase you will take three products that work together to provide you with sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition and overall wellness.

On days 11 - 24 I had the chocolate meal replacement shake as either my first or second meal of the day. I ended up eating about six times a day, which is more or less how I've continued to eat since trying this challenge.  Other than that, this wasn't really a challenge. I continued with the provided supplements, CorePlex, OmegaPlex, ProBiotic Restore.  All are provided in a pack they call MNS-3, which provided a foundational level of appetite control and energy.

While this doesn't sound like any type of cleanse I've heard of, I certainly wasn't hungry or felt deprived, I did notice I was a little more tired than usual. I allowed my body rest and minimized my workouts to about two to three times a week. My mother didn't exercise more than once a week and that was if she had time.  It seemed a little too easy to me and the scale didn't budge for me at all!
My mom would check in and say, "I'm down 2lb! How did you do?"  To be honest, I started to think I had wasted my money.  Then Day 24 Came...

Day 1 on the left,
Day 24 on the right

It wasn't until I saw the side by side that I noticed the change, most notably in my abdomen and arms!  I remember being at the gym on day 18, catching my arms in the mirror and thinking, "when did I get more definition?"
While my weight stayed the same, I clearly lost inches. I didn't think to take measurements beforehand so I don't know how many total unfortunately.