Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Weighing-In: Week 5

I'm sorry about the late posting this week, I was coming up on the end of the 30 day challenge with my sister-in-law and wanted to finish that out so I could post an update.

BEGINNING WEIGHT: 156.6 LBS
WEEK 1 WEIGHT: 157.6 LBS
WEEK 2 WEIGHT: 156.0 LBS
WEEK 3 WEIGHT: 153.6 LBS
WEEK 4 WEIGHT: 152.8 LBS
WEEK 5 WEIGHT: 152.6 LBS
GOAL WEIGHT: 144.0 LBS

BEGINNING WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 1 WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 2 WAIST: 38.5 IN
WEEK 3 WAIST: 38.25 IN
WEEK 4 WAIST: 37.5 IN
WEEK 5 WAIST: 37 IN
GOAL WAIST: 35 IN

MONDAY:

-45 jumping jacks, 45 burpees, 45 high knees

TUESDAY:

-45 bridges, 45 squats, 45 lunges

WEDNESDAY:

-REST day

THURSDAY:

-100 second planks, 50 triceps dips, 50 mountain climbers

FRIDAY:

-50 jumping jacks, 50 burpees, 50 high knees

SATURDAY:

-50 bridges, 50 squats, 50 lunges

SUNDAY:

-REST day

MONDAY:

-60 triceps dips, 60 jumping jacks, 60 mountain climbers

TUESDAY:

-60 high knees, 60 squats, 60 lunges

In 30 days, I lost 5 labs and shed 2 inches off my waist!! I also went and had my blood work done this week so I'm excited to get my results back; I can tell you my BP was 93/49!! That's amazing. I've always had good BP but it's been a while since it's been this low!

If you want to learn more about my sister-in-law and how she can help you, visit her page at: http://www.teambeachbody.com/briannaray88

Now, what to do since the 30 day challenge is over.... got any suggestions??

Monday, February 9, 2015

Weighing In: Week 4

I'm very excited after this week!! I continue to inch ever-closer to my end goals, so close!!

BEGINNING WEIGHT: 156.6 LBS
WEEK 1 WEIGHT: 157.6 LBS
WEEK 2 WEIGHT: 156.0 LBS
WEEK 3 WEIGHT: 153.6 LBS
WEEK 4 WEIGHT: 152.8 LBS
GOAL WEIGHT: 144.0 LBS

BEGINNING WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 1 WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 2 WAIST: 38.5 IN
WEEK 3 WAIST: 38.25 IN
WEEK 4 WAIST: 37.5 IN
GOAL WAIST: 35 IN

MONDAY:

-35 bridges, 35 squats, 35 lunges

TUESDAY:

-REST day

WEDNESDAY:

-80 second plank, 40 triceps dips, 40 mountain climbers

THURSDAY:

-40 jumping jacks, 40 burpees, 40 high knees

 
FRIDAY:

-40 bridges, 40 squats, 40 lunges

SATURDAY:

-REST day

SUNDAY:

-90 second plank, 45 triceps dips, 45 mountain climbers

Good week this week despite being given Red Velvet Oreo's, I don't know the last time I actually bought Oreo's, they just keep being given to me!!

I'm coming up on the end of my sister's challenge so I'll have to step-up my own exercise! Time to bust out the bike!!!
 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Weighing in: Week 3

 
 

Well, I did much better with my nutrition last week and the results showed it!


I eliminated all the sweets from my house but my sweet neighbor dropped off my absolute weakness, OREOS, and of course I had to eat them. It's like my kryptonite honestly.

Aside from those sweets, I was almost perfect! Eggs and grapefruit for breakfast, cut out dinner rolls for dinner (bread--another weakness of mine) and I upped the water to where it needs to be.  I like to shoot for at least 100 oz of water since I've started exercising again and still nursing my little.

Ok, so these are huge improvements like the big name weight loss products offer, but as a health coach who studied exercise and nutrition throughout college I know those products can offer a lot of roller coaster results with weight. 

BEGINNING WEIGHT: 156.6 LBS
WEEK 1 WEIGHT: 157.6 LBS
WEEK 2 WEIGHT: 156.0 LBS
WEEK 3 WEIGHT: 153.6 LBS
GOAL WEIGHT: 144.0 LBS

BEGINNING WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 1 WAIST: 39 IN
WEEK 2 WAIST: 38.5 IN
WEEK 3 WAIST: 38.25 IN
GOAL WAIST: 35 IN

MONDAY:

-REST day; I should have gone running but my little had to share me with another infant and just wanted some mom-time... I was happy to oblige.
TUESDAY:

-60 second plank, 25 triceps dips, 25 mountain climbers

WEDNESDAY:

-30 jumping jacks, 30 burpees, 30 high knees

THURSDAY:

-30 bridges, 30 squats, 30 lunges
To add a little bit of a challenge, when I do bridges, I put my little on my core and this is my view... I think it's pretty cute!
FRIDAY:

-REST day

SATURDAY:

-70 second plank, 30 triceps dips, 30 mountain climbers

SUNDAY:

-30 jumping jacks, 30 burpees, 30 high knees

I fell off on the weekend due to sickness in our house but I'm getting back on it now.  You'll fall off a few times but it's a matter of getting started again.
 

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tried and Tested: Crockpot Freezer Meals Part 1

I went to a church activity in August where we were taught how to do freezer meals for quick, easy, delicious meals to make dinner time easier and healthier. Since then, I have been notorious about making freezer meals.


I spend 2-3 hours prepping and bagging the meals then when it comes time to cook it, I drop it in the Crockpot and let it cook.  Since having my little in October our family has continued to have delicious dinners and I have been able to maintain my stress levels because it's so easy.

My hubby will even help entertain the little while I put on a movie or binge watch a Netflix show and chop away!!

Since I also like to save money, I'm happy to say I spend less than $200 each month to make about 40 freezer meals.  Since it's just Superman and I right now, that can actually last us almost two months. The first time I made them in September, I didn't have to make more until the third week of October. Take that grocery budget!!

8 Quick Tips for Assembling Crockpot Freezer Meals:

1. Before placing any food in the gallon bags, label the bag with the dish name, date of assembly, cooking time and any additional instructions such as, shred chicken and cook additional time or add cream cheese and cook 20 more mins or serve over rice/noodles.

2. Place meat and produce in the bag first and liquids such as sauces, canned beans or vegetables last.  This will help the bag not roll around as you are trying to fill it.

3. Prep like things all at the same time. For instance, if I have three recipes with bell peppers in them, I'll chop or dice all bell peppers before moving on to the next ingredient.

4. If you need to cut any meats, do it after the produce so you can use one knife (you're starting to see how lazy I am, aren't you??).

5. The girl I learned this from suggested having a bowl you can throw your trash straight into. I just bring my garbage can over to my working area (you call it lazy, I call it efficient).

6. When all ingredients are in the bag, seal the bag well and mix the ingredients around to mix flavors. 

7. Remove as much air as possible when you seal the bag.

8. Place in the freezer laying as flat as possible (when I did this for the first time I made the mistake of standing them up and as they froze, they got stuck in the gaps of the freezer shelf).

DISCLAIMER: These are recipes that I have actually TRIED, these aren't recipes I've found on Pinterest, pinned and forgotten about. I'll let you know of the ones I didn't like and why in case my taste is different than yours.

I usually double each recipe so I can buy more in bulk (hopefully things on sale) and it makes prepping easier.

In this post:
Chicken broccoli Alfredo
Chile Colorado Burritos
Chicken Taco Chili
Chicken Fajitas
Spicy Chicken over Rice

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

-3 Chicken breasts, cut into strips (I left mine whole and then shredded them when cooked because I'm lazy)
-2 cups broccoli frozen or fresh
-1 large green bell pepper, chopped
-32 ounces Alfredo sauce

If using frozen broccoli, throw all ingredients into gallon bag and freeze.
Cook on low 6 hours, high 3 hours, serve over noodles.

The first time I made this I used frozen broccoli and felt it came out too soft/soggy so I opted to use fresh broccoli the next time and to steam it on my stove while I was making the noodles.  After steaming it, add it to the sauce in the crockpot and serve over noodles.

Thoughts: Just needed a little salt and pepper when we ate it so I just add that to my taste or I'm sure you can add it to the cooking process.

Chile Colorado Burritos

-1.5 pounds stew meat
-1 large can enchilada sauce (I use green sauce)
-1-2 cans refried beans
-Flour tortillas
-Cheese

Place beef and enchilada sauce into gallon bag and freeze.
Cook on low 7-8 hours, high 3-4 hours.
Shred beef (Usually just stirring it will shred it well) and warm up refried beans on stove top. Spoon beef from crockpot onto flour tortilla with refried beans (I like to use a slotted spoon for the beef so I cut out some of the enchilada sauce from the inside).
Roll into burrito and place on a cookie sheet or into a baking pan if you want more of an enchilada feel. Cover with enchilada sauce from crockpot and cheese. 
Place in broiler until bubbly and/or cheese melts.

Thoughts: I really like this one. I place them in a baking dish so they come out more like enchiladas. 

Chicken Taco Chili

-1 Onion, chopped (I like to use yellow, but any will work)
-16 ounces can black beans
-16 ounces can kidney beans
-8 ounces tomato sauce (I like making it with 16 ounces more)
-10 ounces frozen corn
-28 ounces diced tomatoes
-1 packet of taco seasoning
-1 T. Chili Powder
-1 T Cumin
-3 Boneless Chicken breasts

Cook on low 10 hours or high 6 hours.
30 mins before serving, shred chicken and return to crockpot.
Top with cilantro, cheese or sour cream if desired.

Thoughts: Another of my favorites, I've been making this for years, I just adapted it to be a freezer meal.

Chicken Fajitas

-2 Green Peppers, sliced
-1 Onion
-3 Chicken Breasts
-1/2 C. Chicken Broth
-1 Taco Seasoning packet
-1 t. Chili Powder
-1/2 t. Paprika
-1 t. Salt

Cook on low 5-6 hours.
Shred meat, serve on tortillas with cheese, sour cream and other toppings as desired.

Thoughts: This is a very simple yet delicious meal that continues to make it's appearance on our plates.

Spicy Chicken over Rice

-1.5 lbs Chicken (2-3 breasts)
-12 ounces Salsa
-2 T. Taco Seasoning
-1 T. Maple Syrup
-1 t. Lime Juice
-4 ounces cream cheese

Place all ingredients except cream cheese into gallon bag and freeze.
Cook all ingredients 6-7 hours low, 4-5 hours high.
Shred chicken and add cubed cream cheese.
Cook 20 more minutes allowing cheese to melt.
Stir and serve over rice.

Thoughts: This IS my favorite! I could eat this seven times a month.  It's name is spicy chicken but depending on the spice of the salsa you use will determine the spiciness of the dish (I hope everyone else likes it as much as I do).

After you try them, come back and let me know what you thought of them and what some of your favorites are.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Weighing-In: Week 2

After a rocky-start last week on my path back to pre-baby weight a question occurred to me that I used to ask my clients when I was working as a Health and Wellness coach. 


It's a very simple question that I had to answer "no" for last week. 

When there are sweets in my house, I justify that I have to eat it in order to get it out of my house so it's not a distraction.  This logic generally leads me to eating a pack of Oreos in a matter of two days and a whole batch of brownies in 24 hours. 

This week I started a 30 day challenge put on by my SIL who is a beach body coach.  With this starting, I was determined to be better and these were the results:

BEGINNING WEIGHT: 157.6 LBS
WEIGHT AFTER WEEK 2: 156.0
GOAL WEIGHT: 144.0 LBS

BEGINNING WAIST: 39 IN
WAIST AFTER WEEK 2: 38.5 IN
GOAL WAIST: 35 IN

MONDAY:

-30 second plank, 10 pushups, 10 mountain climbers (3 sets)

TUESDAY:

-20 jumping jacks, 10 burpees, 10 high knees (1 set)

WEDNESDAY:

-20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 bridges (1 set)
-1.5 mile walk

THURSDAY:

-Zumba 60 mins

FRIDAY:

-40 second plank, 20 triceps dips, 20 mountain climbers (1 set)

SATURDAY:

-25 jumping jacks, 20 burpees, 20 high knees (1 set)

SUNDAY:

-25 bridges, 30 squats, 30 lunges (1 set)

I obviously feel like I did so much better this week actually seeing some change in weight and more importantly in my waist. 

Breakfasts have started to be eggs and grapefruit (yay for friends with citrus trees) and desserts have been staved off (except for Sunday when we went to my in-laws for dinner)!

I live really close to a major shopping center which has a Wal-mart, Party City, Dollar Tree, Office Max, etc.  So when my husband needed me to pick up some things for him on Wednesday for a church activity instead of getting in my car to drive half a mile and lug my little in and out of the car I just loaded up the stroller and off we went getting in a good walk and some much needed Vitamin D! Win-Win!

Looking and feeling good! Here goes to keeping up the momentum!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Weighing-In: Week 1

Of course one of the goals for every new mother is to get rid of all that baby-weight.  If you're one of the lucky ones who magically appears the hour after giving child birth to have never been pregnant, can I please speak for the rest of us and say we don't want to hear about how you still have so much to get rid of.  Take the compliment that you look good and move on.

So, this is my effort to document my path back to pre-Emmy-Sara.



BEGINNING WEIGHT: 156.6 LBS
WEIGHT AFTER WEEK 1: 157.6
GOAL WEIGHT: 144.0 LBS

BEGINNING WAIST: 39 IN
WAIST AFTER WEEK 1: 39 IN
GOAL WAIST: 35 IN

Review of the week: the exercise was good, the nutrition is where I failed. You can't eat dessert almost every night and expect to drop the weight and inches.  I have noticed in the past, however, that I go through a week or two of gaining a pound right after I start strength-training again. After that the weight falls off.

MONDAY:

-30 minutes Zumba, 3-mile run
                If you are like me and have no rhythm going to a Zumba class may not be the most ideal for you. But if you like dancing and moving to good music and are able to call it exercise, Zumba is perfect... what a dilemma.  The solution, online Zumba videos! I found a good library of videos at Tone and Tighten or even on YouTube. I'm in the process of compiling a Zumba channel and will post a link when I do.

TUESDAY:

-Arm Workout

WEDNESDAY:

-60 minutes stroller walk

THURSDAY:

-60 minutes Zumba

FRIDAY:

-Abs Workout

SATURDAY:

-Yard Work (Our leaves finally fell off the tree, yay for living in Arizona)

SUNDAY:

-30 minute walk with family


I'm starting a 30 day challenge today.  My sister-in-law is a beach body coach and is helping others get a start on being healthy so I'm partaking in order to be held more accountable to my own goals. Accountability is a HUGE part of being successful in any goal but especially health goals. 

Let's see what this next week brings. 

Come back next Monday for an update and more exercise ideas.