New Year Goal

Hello everyone…the years is almost over!!! Did you set up a personal goal for the new year? I definitely did. I really want to complete the 12 week no excuse mom challenge by Maria Kang. I have an injury that is setting me back right now and I pray to God that I can heal by January 12th to start the challenge. You can read about the challenge here.

If you guys do not know who Maria Kang is, she is the Mom that started the No Excuse Mom movement. She got a lot of controversy about the picture she had of her self in a bikini with 3 kids with a “What’s your excuse” title on it. I am not going to go into that debate, but I know those of you that are trying to fit workouts into your daily mommy life especially those of you that work full-time too completely understand what Maria was trying to say with that statement. Anyway she inspired a lot of Mom’s out there and No Excuse Mom movement began. If you want to learn more about that you can check it out here.

Whatever your goal is for the new year, wether health/fitness related or whatever it is you want to work on in your life just remember if you truly want to change your life, you must first be willing to change your mind. Good luck and I wish you all a happy, healthy and sucessful new year!

…til next time Maya

Build Strong Relationships

We are so close to the end of the year. I want you all to sit down and reminiscent on good and bad things that happened this year. Think about the bad because I believe the bad is what makes us stronger. We learn from the bad and become better stronger people. Think about the good, happy moments, and appreciate them very much. Think about what you wish you would have done this year and write it down and make sure you do it. Don’t hold your self back, reach for your goals, the only person standing between you and your goal IS YOU.

Spend more time for family, if you can not physically spend time with family reach out to them…phone, text,email, Skype.  I get it. You have the best intentions, but you are busy. Super-busy, in fact. Between your job and your family and taking care of your home you barely have time to…well

Let me stop you there.

You can tell what is important to a person by the way they spend their time. If relationships are important, you will make time for them. You will make it a priority to send birthday greetings, celebrate the joys and mourn the losses of your nearest and dearest. And if you want to truly live the good life, you’ll expand this out to include friends and acquaintances.

When your friends need you, you’ll be there. And when you need them, they will be there for you, too. But I ask you all to please not put your friends before your family. It is important to have friends but I believe it is just as important to be close to your family. If you look at your past I am sure you will realize friends come and go, but your family is there to stay whether you like it or not, so make the best relationship out of it. Make it your goal not to only stay in touch when there is a death or a wedding. Send a random “hey Uncle Joe! How are you? Just wanted to check on you…” It will not hurt you, if you spend time on Facebook or any social media daily then  you can make time for this. Heck you can even use social media to stay in touch. I challenge you for the next year to contact a family member you have not talk to in a while. So contact one family member per week. If you want to make it even better and they live close by make a lunch date or visit. And I leave you with one of my favorite quotes

 

Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone!

Just wanted to give you that extra reminder not to ditch your workouts during the holidays. I know it can be stressful but remember that working out is the key for your head, just as it is for your heart. You may feel tired and not wanting to do it but once you are finished you will not regret it. I promise it will improve your mood, help you with holiday anxiety and stress. So here is a quick one you can do while you hide in your bedroom 🙂 This could be your gift to your self.

Quick post for your kiddos

Hey Parents!

I just discovered these super awesome books for my kids. I am so excited that I wanted to quickly share it with you. They are of course life lesson books and they are soooo cute. Check them out at http://www.veryawesomeworld.com/  They are by Dallas Clayton. My favorite is An Awesome Book of Love.

..til next time Maya

I will…

We have been so busy at work with flu season hitting hard here in Georgia so by the time I leave the office I am beat and its very easy for me to make an excuse not to complete my daily workout. So when I got home while cooking dinner I checked my Intagram and saw this…

So after dinner I did a load of laundry then did a ab workout with my cute partner.

• 1 minute sprint in place
• 30 second slow jog
• 20 raised leg crunches
• 15 leg raises
• 20 flutter kicks
• 15 heel touches
• 20 bicycle crunches
• 30 second plank
• 1 minute sprint in place
• 30 second slow jog
• 20 leg raises
• 15 flutter kicks
• 20 heel touches
• 15 bicycle crunches
• 60 second plank

You can do this round twice. Then I hopped on the treadmill for a quick mile. This is my I AM EXHAUSTED but I NEED to do something workout at home. I felt great afterward…thank you Instagram 🙂

..til next time Maya

 

Workout Attire

Is it just me or is there anyone else out there that thinks workout clothes is ridiculously expensive? Brands like Nike, Adidas , New Balance, Under Armour, Lulu Lemon are ridiculous in prices, to get one complete outfit you are looking at up to $200. If you ask me that’s almost a years worth of membership at my little Fitness 19 😐

So I wanted to share with you where I get my gym clothes..on sale of course and super cute. But before I begin there are two items I completely save my money and splurge on and those are shoes and sports bra. The shoes have to be right, comfortable and supportive…I have a Nike addiction and buy tons of these lol. The sports bra’s I absolutely love are VSX Sport by Victoria’s Secret. These babies are so supportive!!! I promise you will not be disappointed in this splurge. They have them on sale during their semi-annual sale so stock up ladies. I have Under Armour, Nike and New Balance sport bras and no one comes close to these.

The clothes I shop for at Tj.Maxx, Marshalls, Old Navy, Target, H&M, Kohls, Acadamy Sports Line, or even Walmart has the cutest Danskin line. I have brand name clothes and store brand name and they are all bought at affordable prices. If I work out 4-5 times a week I should have a lot of options to use througout the week. I believe in bargains.

OLD NAVY

H&M

TARGET

Check out the prices of Danskin at Walmart.

Washing your clothes is very important. Please don’t wear your clothes over again we can all smell you lol. I find it that cotton shirts are far better absorbent than polyester when it comes to sweating. Cotton absorbs it better so they’re not being released into the environment and we can’t smell them however once moist they do stick to your body which in turn can cause irritation to the skin. Polyester is not very absorbent and doesn’t absorb moisture so definitely wear your polyster clothes once only and wash. Do buy true performance fabrics. Fabrics that are flexible, moisture-wicking, temperature-specific or otherwise engineered will help keep you dry and comfortable as you exercise.

Taking care of your gym clothes…

Hang dry them. If you return home with a pile of sweaty clothes but don’t have time to immediately wash them, make sure you hang your clothes up to dry instead of throwing them in a hamper or leaving them in your gym bag

Soak them completely. Soak them in a vinegar & water mixture. Try one part vinegar and four parts water for about 30 minutes right before washing. You should also toss in a bit of vinegar or baking soda or even lemon juice to the washer water—but remember to not do this if your detergent has bleach in it! I promise this technique is definitely one to do, washing as you do your regular clothes does not take all the stench out and as soon as you start working out your sweat will activate a stale smell.

When washing and drying, set the temperature to the hottest setting the fabric will allow for. This is best for cotton garments that can withstand the heat without being broken down.

Like I said activewear is expensive so take care of it.

Til next time Maya

Chicken and Beef Spinach Meatballs or Burgers

Chicken and Beef Spinach Meatballs or Burgers

 

1 whole onion finely chopped or you can chop in food processor

3 garlic cloves minced

1 ¼ cup of Panko plain bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 egg white

Pinch of baking powder (this will keep the meat from shrinking when formed)

1 lb. of Perdue Ground Chicken

1 lb. 96% lean 4% fat Ground Beef

1- 10 oz. package of frozen spinach thawed and drained chopped.

Salt and Pepper to taste (I actually use Mrs. Dash to reduce salt intake)

 

Mix first six ingredients first, and then add Ground chicken. Mix well. Add drained chopped spinach. Mix. Add beef salt, pepper or Mrs. Dash, mix well. Let stand in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Form into balls and sear on a non stick pan on with dash of olive oil then bakes for 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

I usually make a home-made pasta sauce that I make from freshly chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. I serve it with whole wheat pasta for the family and spaghetti squash for me because I love it like that 😉 I also use leftover meat and form patties and sear then bake and serve as hamburgers the next night. See 2 dinners in one prep day.

What should I eat?

Like I said before, I am not a nutritionist by any means, everything I know was simply learned by research and teaching my self. So the question I am asked the most is what should I eat???

Well here is my answer.. EAT CLEAN!

How much you eat should depend on how much you train. You may have a goal to bulk up, lean down, lose fat, get more toned or simply stay in shape. Depending on your goal you will need to calculate your calorie intake and you can do that here.

No matter what your calorie intake number is as long as you eat clean you should be safe. What is eating clean you ask?? Well.. Put simply, clean eating is avoiding all processed food, relying on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains rather than prepackaged or fast food. If your food has a long list of ingredients then don’t put it in your body. Benefits of clean eating include weight loss, increased energy and all-around improved health.It is not a diet, it is a life style change that leads to healthy, steady weight loss and healthy eating for life.

If you wold like to learn more about eating clean you can purchase any of the books by my all time fave clean eating girl Tosca Reno here.  She also has some awesome recipes on the site. If you can not afford to purchase her books just type “clean eating recipes” on Pinterst and you will find endless recipes. I will also do a Tosca Reno giveaway here soon 🙂 Stay tuned.

Til next time..Maya

Cardio vs. Strenght Training

With all the controversy going on in the fitness world on what works best for weight loss cardio or strength training/weight lifting I decided to let you know what I learned and tested.

First of all what plays a major decision on what you should do is the result you are looking to achieve. If you are looking to just lose weight then go on and run it off :-). You may choose to run outside or on the treadmill. Depending on how much weight you are looking to lose this may work fine for you. It is proven that heavier people lose weight like this the fastest but they do hit a plateau at some point and that is when their calorie intake vs calorie burn has to be adjusted. There are many different studies in aerobic exercise that prove that you are able to contain muscle mass while loosing fat but then that’s all you get just a lean/slim body and if that’s what you want to go for it. The fat loss wars against cardio training is due to the calorie burn after the workout is completed.

Studies have demonstrated that after a weight training workout, the metabolism can be boosted for up to 36 hours post-workout, meaning rather than burning say 60 calories an hour while sitting and watching TV, you’re burning 70. While you may think, ‘Big deal – 10 extra calories’, when you multiply this by 36 hours, you can see what a huge difference that makes in your daily calorie expenditure over that day and a half. In order to generate a high amount of post-calorie burn from cardio, you would have to be doing it for a very long duration of time, and usually people who are capable of doing this don’t need to be concerned with fat loss in the first place.

What weight training will enable you to do is build larger degree of muscle mass which then basically serves as your calorie burning powerhouse in the body. Do I have your attention yet??? Many ladies are discouraged from weight training because they think they will look like a man…worng wrong wrong, I can not tell you enough how wrong this is. Ladies grab some dumbbells please. You will not bulk up, unless you want to then grab some steroids. Therefore, the more muscle you have on your body, the higher BMR (basal metabolic rate) will be and the better the calorie burning results you will obtain 24/7.

Have you every thought why men eat more than women and don’t gain weight??? Of course  it’s because they have more leaner muscle mass on their body which in turn is burning more calories around the clock.

I am trying as simply as possible to explain this to you, there are so many things to tell you about and I could write for days but I will tell you I was a strictly cardio gal and I did lose weight but that was all fat loss and barely any visible muscle. I had hanging loose skin that I hated, so that’s when I started researching and learning about weight lifting. I will also tell you that in a month of weight training I could tell a huge difference. I did not lose any weight on the scale because I built muscle and I did lose inches.

In conclusion please stop thinking that cardio equals to fat loss and weight training builds you muscles and weight gain. It is just not a clear-cut as that and often the biggest difference between fat loss and muscle building is related to diet more than anything and like I said in the beginning it all about what goal you are looking to reach.  I like to keep things interesting and warm up all my workouts with at least 10-15 minutes of cardio. In the end it is 80% of what you eat, 10% is genetics and 10% is the work you put in (it better be good 10% ladies so no excuses 🙂 ).

 

Til next time…

Maya

Moms and finding time to work out

 

So this is the magic question..When do you find time to work out?

I am a very organized person, everything that goes on in our family is written on a calendar. I have a calendar hanging in our closet and every workout, appointment, playdate, friend visit, doctor appointment ect is written out. Each sunday I will look at the week ahead and what is planned and will add my workouts accordingly. So some days I may work out before work, some after work some I will squeeze in on my hour lunch break it all depends whats scheduled that week. Here are some workouts that I fit into my weekly schedule.

Jogging/Running/ Hiking

This is one of my favorite workouts for Mondays or days I know will have a lot on my plate and may stress. Jogging or running acts as a wonderful stress reliever to me. I don’t have to count reps, or think about what comes next, I just shut my mind and go. During summer I run through my neighborhood or the park close by, my kids are usually playing in the yard while my hubby is with them either playing or doing something outside. During winter I will run on my treadmill in the bedroom usually as soon as I get home from work to get it out of the way (If I prepped dinner ahead, if not then after dinner). On the weekends while the babies and hubby are still sleeping I will sneak away to hike a near by mountain either by my self or my brother, mom or sister-in-law. Keeping it healthy in the family 😉

Before Work

Since my treadmill is in our bedroom due to space reasons I can not run in the morning and wake my husband or kids that may have crawled in our bed during night :-). I set my alarm 45 minutes before and get up and do a 25 minute T25 workout DVD or I pull YouTube videos such as Pop Sugar Fitness, they are quick and just as effective, and no ones sleep is disturbed 😉

Working out at work

I have a mostly sitting job so every hour I will get up and stand behind my chair and do squats, lunges, jumping jacks, planks or stretches. I also bought this little bike that can go under your desk, or beside your desk if you are tall like me. You can find a similar one here.  On the days that I have an hour lunch I put my building’s 4 flight of stairs to a good use for 30 minutes. I will go up and down the stairs for 15 minutes then I will do stair jump squats. If I do not feel like doing stairs I would jump rope or do a you tube video on my cell phone. It’s even better during spring and fall to do this outside. I bring a change of clothes of course to wear during workouts..you dont want to be smelly at work 😉 Doing this with a co-worker is of course much more fun.

 

Family fun workout

This one is always fun because it’s with your kiddos. My kids enjoy it and giggle just as much as I do. I play chase with my 8-year-old and he even runs with me through the neighborhood. We go to the park and I will run while he rides his bike. At home I will take my two and a half-year old and put him on my shoulders for some killer squats and lunges. I will plank with him on my back or what he loves the most is when I am doing push ups and he sneaks under for some kisses. If I am doing kettle bell workouts they will each grab one and mimic everything I do. Sets a great example for your kids!

Local health clubs

The fitness industry is on such a rise there are health clubs, crossfit centers, YMCAs, Zumba classes on every corner. What’s awesome that it does not cost arm and leg like some of the huge name gyms. I am a member at Fitness 19 and dues for my husband and I are $7 a month per person, that’s $14 for both of us!!! Can’t beat that. You can add kids room for $9 which is still an awesome deal. Planet fitness is expanding quickly, search for a planet fitness near you they are only $10 a month. They are the home of the Judgement Free Zone® where no one is judged

As you see there are many resources to get fit, we just have to fight our self and stop making excuses and go and kick butt!