Wholesome Media

There is a lot of misleading information regarding proper nutrition within the media, and major media journalists are using proper nutrition as their go to topic. It is great to see major media outlets, like the New York Times, have a blog dedicated to wellness. Their wellness blog focuses on the many things we can do to improve our overall health. Their blog offers up a decent amount of healthy recipes containing many nutritional ingredients. The New York Times and other major health-focused media outlets are great sources when trying to find good-clean recipes. These types of media outlets are typically focused on overall health which makes them a wonderful go-to health and nutrition source. These major media outlets do not look at nutrition as the forefront of media but they do recognize proper nutrition as an important and somewhat popular topic. When looking for proper guidance with nutrition make sure to research and read up on the foods that benefit our bodies.

Source:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html

Cheating Made Easy.

This may be a little odd but during my challenge I did not step on the scale at all, mainly because I did not want to psych myself out by just seeing a number change, I wanted this challenge to mainly focus on the progress picture because then you are seeing results first hand. A few people were curious to know how much weight I lost during the challenge, even after the challenge was completed I refused to step on the scale because weight in my mind it is just a number and we should never let it control our healthy habits. Even with a couple people still hounding me about weighing myself I could not escape the scale at my doctors office. As I sit in the lobby I think of what the scale will say my weight is, I know I have nothing to worry about because I have lost weight and majority of my clothes are baggy now, but it's the fact that I am stepping on the exact scale that read my highest weight to me back in 2010. I was 179.6 pounds back then; that is the time where I ran into a few health problems and those being combined with my horrible eating habits just became a recipe for tremendous weight gain. The doctor calls me to the back room to take my weight, I stand with angst as I wait for the scale to calculate my current number that defines my bodys current state and just when I felt like it was not going to be a drastic change the scale read 142.3 pounds. I was ecstatic, I could not believe I lost almost 14 pounds during this challenge, since I weighed myself a few weeks before this challenge and I was at 156 pounds. I thought that was a great way to end the 30 Day Challenge with, I know this challenge was the best decision I have made for my health and body in awhile and now it's not only a challenge but a lifestyle.

The 30 Day Challenge is completed, and now I just want to eat any cheat meal I can get my hands on. For the last 3 days I have found myself wanting to eat something bad but when it's right in front of me is when I now no longer want it, I just can't seem to even stomach the idea of eating something that is unhealthy for my body, yet I still wanted a super sweet treat. Just this week I came across an email from the Tone It Up girls, it was about a 3 ingredient cookie. I didn't open the email because of course it was going to be a healthy recipe and at that time I was really wanting a normal dessert and not a healthy dessert. After a couple days spent having no sweet treats I decided to open the email and try their cookie recipe. Boy was I missing out, these cookies hit the sweet tooth spot and I felt awesome while eating them because I know that they are 100% good for you. The 3 ingredient cookie recipe can be found here.

I followed their recipe when I made them and it made 11 huge cookies, I might make the cookies a little smaller next time and I plan to use pumpkin purée instead of bananas. You can also add in some other fruit to the original recipe, just remember to always play around with healthy clean-eating recipes because you will always end up with a better version (your healthy rendition) of the original. I'm glad this 30 Day Challenge altered my previous eating habits because a lot of people were warning me about if I binge right after the challenge then I will gain everything back plus some more. Ironically I think by making myself stay committed to this challenge for 30 days change my habits and now I can't even stomach the idea of processed and unhealthy foods.

Dyeing to be Healthy.

Hair dye is always a fun way for anyone to change up their look or style. Being a girl hair dyeing is just accepted as being normal, almost every girl has dyed their hair once in their life. Now I was a pretty regular dyer when it came to hair, every month or two I would get highlights and lowlights added to my hair. This of course is not good for your overall health since most hair dyes contain harsh chemicals to make the process faster or shinier, exedra. I decided a couple months ago that I was no longer going to dye my hair anymore and just stick to my natural color, the only problem is the strict process it takes to color your hair to your natural color, especially since I'm a blonde. I had my hair dresser dye my hair brown 3 months ago then the brown really faded to where you could still see my roots. I decided to try an all natural dyeing method since I am trying to slowly stop ever dyeing my hair with salon chemicals. I found that henna is great for dyeing hair and there are natural ingredients used to prepare the henna mixture. 

What I used to mix the henna dye:

1 container of Rainbow Henna

3 Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar (I only used this to help the dye soak into my blonde hair)

3/4 cup of boiling water

1/4 cup of brewed black coffee

Mix all the ingredients until you get a dark green creamy paste. The process was simple and very easy to apply, just be careful because it stains and make sure you clean up right after you wrap your hair up to cure. The process takes around 60 to 75 minutes depending on how rich you want the color, if you have a heat lamp to stand under the process would be around 45 to 55 minutes. 

Also don't forget to coat the outline of your face, ears, and neck with Vaseline so the henna does not leave a funky line of dye on your skin. So, that is what everything should look like once mixed and now you apply and wait. I was kind of nervous when I was washing it out of my hair because it was hard to get all of it out so it took me awhile and I was not sure if I got all the hair coated in it or if it did not turn out the way I wanted it. Once I finally succeeded in getting all the henna out of my hair, I added some hair oil to my ends and brushed it out. 

Once dried the final result was this, I love it and it looks like I had nothing to worry about after all because I think it turned out great. This picture is of it without me using any heat to style it, I just let it dry on its own to assure that the color would be set. The Rainbow Henna that I used was really affordable, works great, and comes with detailed instructions. I surely feel like my 7 dollars was well spent and I think if I ever dye again I will make sure to use henna.

Week Four.

Whoa this challenge is almost coming to a close! I am pretty surprised at how fast this month went, and I only have four more days till it's completed. For this blog entry I did not want to bore anyone with an update post on how the challenge is going, I am sure all of you understand how I operate now on a daily basis with this challenge. The challenge is still going great and these upcoming three days will be intense and will most likely go by fast.

Have you ever tried to go on a diet and you are the only one on the diet thus making the diet extremely hard right from the start. That is how most diets play out for people, one person wants to change their eating habits and the other person does not find any need to change their eating habits. This usually results in the person on the diet giving up on the diet or just cheating on their diet any chance they get until they are no longer focused on their diet. I was the only one who chose to do this challenge; my parents, boyfriend and friends thought I was crazy when I first told them about it and as much as a challenge it was for me, I know it was also a slight challenge for them as well. I'm sorry for my parents since they had to put up with me using my loud juicer everyday and for putting up with my diet meals that they would always claim "stunk up the house". Also, sorry for my boyfriend having to deal with me eating like a bird and ordering non-existant items at restaurants just so I could go out to eat with him while I was still committing to the challenge. Also a big sorry to my friends having to put up with me turning down eating out and going out with them during this challenge, and I am grateful that they stayed by myside and supported me throughout this challenge. Most times during this challenge I was grumpy and tired, I stayed really focus to this challenge and I know it's not easy to deal with someone altering their diet entirely so I appreciate everyone who stood by my side and put up with my antics during the challenge.

I also want to thank everyone who's been keeping up with my blog postings during this challenge, and sorry for not posting more towards the end of this challenge. I know I could have posted way more content for my readers but this challenge on top of school and work made it pretty difficult to keep daily content on the blog. I just want to give everyone a big THANK YOU for all of your encouraging words and feedback throughout this challenge, it seriously made this challenge go by a tad faster and even made it easier for me to complete. Thank you all a ton and keep a lookout for the final challenge blog that will be up on the 31st!

Week Three in a Nut Shell.

Wow, I cannot believe it is the last part of October. This month has truly flown by especially this last week. I wish I had a better reason as to why I have not posted in lately but I was just tremendously busy with family and school. It was my boyfriend's twenty-second birthday yesterday and I took him to an awesome Italian Steakhouse called Iavarone's. The food is to die for and the atmosphere is perfect plus it is not that expensive if you want to go out to have a nice dinner. For my meal choice I stuck with a salad, chicken with sautéed spinach, we had bruschetta for our appetizer (I only had 2 out of the 6 on the plate), and I also had a glass of wine. We were stuffed so there was no birthday dessert, ironically my boyfriend does not really care for desserts or sweets so avoid that kind of stuff is super easy when I am out with him. Dinner was moderately healthy but I almost considered that a cheat meal because I had more carbs than I planned on eating. I did not beat myself up about it since we had tickets for Howl O'Scream  at Busch Gardens. It ended up being so packed since it is getting closer to Halloween and it was a Saturday so we ended up just walking the whole park and did all the scare zones and road a few rides. By the end of the night we were both so beat because not only did we walk the whole park twice but we also walked back to our car since the line for the tram was way too long. Boy were we tired once we got home, I am pretty sure all those carbs I had at dinner were put to good use while we were at Busch Gardens. The other four days went great as well, I have had no slip ups and I am going to kick it into high gear for this last week. I plan to make sure that at least 90 minutes of exercise is done everyday, the only carbs that I will be consuming is the carbs from fruit or vegetables. I will also make sure that I am juicing daily to keep my cravings at bay. I cannot wait for this fourth week and I cannot believe that I have almost completed this challenge. Only 10 more days until the before and after picture, and I have a few interesting blog posts that will be posted this week so be on the lookout.

Day Eight & Nine.

Temptations are everywhere since the holiday season is right around the corner. The trick or treating candy is out, everything pumpkin is in reach, and candy canes are on the horizon. How is it even possible to stick to a diet with all of these treats right in front of your face? Well it's all about planning, try to have prepacked snacks where ever you go in case you get a craving, if you don't have time to prep every snack your little heart would ever desire then try to stay smart while snacking out. Last night my boyfriend wanted to go to Starbucks and of course I just wanted to run and hide since tea is the only thing that has no sugars or carbs. If it was my choice I would have completely avoided it all together but since we went I decided to play it smart with my drink selection. Typically I order an unsweetened tea but this time I was really craving a pumpkin spiced latte, but that is not on the diet menu. Instead I opted for a grande iced black coffee with one small pump of the pumpkin spice syrup, this way I am fixing my pumpkin spice craving yet avoiding all the calories with whip cream, milk, sugar, and syrup. Now I know most people do not like their coffee that plain and strong, my advice is to try to tweak their original recipe to whatever you think would be the tasty healthier version.

That was the sum of how my night went last night, I am glad that I stayed smart with my Starbucks drink choice but I am not pleased with the amount of sugar cravings that I am experiencing today because of that drink. That one pump of artificial syrup totally sent my body into overdrive on how much it wants to devour a whole cake but I need to stay strong and fight through this phase since I just need to wait until the "fake sugar" is out of my body again. The reason why diets fail is because we justify that bad thing we just put into our body and then we follow up with "Well I already ruined my diet for the day, so I might as well eat whatever I want now." This is the flaw, never let yourself fall into your own self destruction. Whenever you have these doubts then just remember to remind yourself why your doing this and what your ultimate goal is.

As far as my meals went, these past two days, it was pretty good but like I said now its tough cause im dealing with cravings. On day eight I have some muesli with some Greek yogurt and black coffee, for lunch I had tuna salad with Greek yogurt, onions, mustard/hotsauce, purple cabbage, and some goat cheese on top.

For dinner that night I sautéed a chicken breast and cooked up some broccoli with fetta cheese.

For day nine I had a cup of Greek yogurt with cinnamon for breakfast, I then made protein pancakes for lunch, and I made sautéed mushrooms with cabbage and broccoli for dinner. Week two is going by pretty fast and hopefully I'll get my secret package in the mail tomorrow, take care everyone.

Day Six & Seven.

Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get close to them. - John Shirley

I can't think of a better quote to describe how this weekend came to pass. It seems like it was just Friday and now everyone is gearing up for the start of the second week of October. This is good news to me because that means I have completed Week 1 of the 30 Day Challenge. Looking back at this week I am proud to say that I did not slip up one bit and I stuck to everything, even thought it was a challenge at some times. The main struggle I am facing is posting everyday, it's becoming very tedious and time consuming since I have homework, work, gym, cooking, and family to contend with as well. I figured I would try a grouped post on the past two days to see how everyone feels about it, I find it easier and a lot less time consuming. So just for future reference, you guys might be seeing more of these grouped postings.

Now onto my meals and daily workouts the past days. Yesterday (October 6th) my boyfriend wanted to take me to this new place in Tampa called Oxford Exchange; and I know what you're thinking, oh my she's going to go eat out and actually have a cheat meal. Well yes many would think that, because when we go out to eat we tend to let our diet fly right out the meal but making up excuses like: there is nothing healthy on the menu, well I'm eating out so I might as well eat whatever I want, etc. These are excuses and need to stay that way, we are not making anything about eating out justifiable if anything we need to become more strick on ourselves WHEN we eat out. I would also like to say that eating smart when choosing to eat out is about 70% important then the last 30% is making the right choices once in the restaurant. My boyfriend picked Oxford Exchange because it is a brand new Tampa restaurant and its main focus is serving food that is healthy, organic, and all grown local. So if you ever wanted to go to a restaurant where you are having a meal made with local Florida ingredients then I say check it out! I ended up getting a Mediterranean Sea Bass dish with sautéed vegetables.

This meal was delightful, and it was packed with ingredients that I can have while I am on this strict diet. I also ordered an unsweet blueberry and hibiscus green tea for my drink. As you can also see, my boyfriend opted for a burger and fries. This lunch filled me up so much I did not even need a midday snack before dinner. As for dinner I cooked up a very simple dish since parents when out to eat and my boyfriend and I decided to cook for ourselves since we did not want to eat out twice in one day. I made my lemon basil chicken with brown rice and some sautéed vegetables.

This meal is very simple and I have the recipe for the chicken in Day Two's blog. After dinner I made some green tea and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

As for today, day seven, I decided to start off my day with some more protein pancakes. This time I made them without the banana and I only used a table spoon of honey for my "syrup" since I wanted to make these pancakes with the lowest carbs as possible.

This version tastes the exact same and they are not dry tasting without syrup so that's a plus. These pancakes really filled me up and held me over till my midday snack. The snack I ended up making was greek yogurt with peaches, muesli, cinnamon, and coco nibs. I also took a 1 Tbs of coconut oil and mixed it with 1/2 Tbs of honey and drizzled that over my cold greek yogurt. The magical thing behind coconut oil is that it has all the properties of that Shell Chocolate Syrup for ice cream, just it's all natural. If you wanted any type of syrup for your treats or snack just mix some healthy ingredients with coconut oil and voila you have yourself a healthy syrup. I also had my midday snack with some chocolate coconut water which surprisingly tastes just like chocolate milk.

Woohoo and now we're on to dinner, I kept this dinner quite simple as well since I was not feeling that hungry. I just made a huge vegetable medley with some seared salmon strips.

Tomorrow is the start of week two! I cannot be anymore excited and I have a surprise that will be revealed in Wednesdays post, take care everyone!

Plan of Attack

Hey everyone, so last post covered all the food that will be allowed during this 30 day challenge, and now I will cover the weekly workout schedule. I think it's safe to say that people know if you want to be healthy you have to workout 3 to 5 times a week. This is true but we are not just going for healthy, we are going for the lean and cut look which will require 90 minutes everyday for 6 days a week devoted to working out. These workouts will require weights and there will be a good amount of cardio throughout the week as well. This fitness website (Simply Shredded), that I read daily, has vast amount information regarding diets and different training methods. The best thing about this website is the fact that it is for both men and women, and they post articles about the science behind the diet, figure and fitness model routines, workouts for specific body areas, and bodybuilding techniques. (I always recommend this site to anyone that asks me for training tips.) Now, I don't focus on the bulking and bodybuilding part of the website because that will never be a physical goal of mine but if that is what you are aiming for then go for it!

The articles from Simple Shredded that I reread today to get myself organized for my upcoming daily routine for the next 30 days were about carb cycling and the female training guide. These articles are definitely worth the read, because not only are they packed with information but they will motivate you like no other. After reading these articles I am stoked to start this challenge Monday, it will be very difficult but I know it will pay off in the end.

Here is general outline of my schedule for the next month:

Monday: Extremely low carb intake
9 am - black coffee and 45 minute cardio
10 am - breakfast
12 pm - pre workout drink and snack
1 pm - 1 hour weights (legs)
2 pm - lunch
4 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
9 pm - cup of green tea 

Tuesday: Extremely low carb intake
9 am - black coffee and 45 minute cardio
10 am - breakfast
12 pm - snack
2 pm - lunch
4 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
8 pm - 1 hour weights (arms)
11 pm - cup of green tea 

Wednesday: Low carb intake
9 am - black coffee and 45 minute cardio
10 am - breakfast
12 pm - pre workout drink and snack
1 pm - 1 hour weights (legs)
2 pm - lunch
4 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
9 pm - cup of green tea 

Thursday: Low carb intake
9 am - black coffee and 45 minute cardio
10 am - breakfast
12 pm - snack
2 pm - lunch
4 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
8 pm - 1 hour weights (back) 

Friday: Low carb intake
10 am - breakfast
12 pm - pre workout drink and snack
1 pm - 1 hour of HIIT (cardio)
2/3 pm - lunch
5 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
9 pm - cup of green tea 

Saturday: Extremely low carb intake
9 am - black coffee and 1 hour of HIIT (fasted cardio)
10 am - pre packed breakfast at the gym
12 pm - lunch
3 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner
9 pm - cup of green tea 

Sunday: Refueling day, moderate carb intake
11 am - breakfast
1 pm - lunch
3 pm - snack
7 pm - dinner

Now this is just a very basic schedule of events for this coming month, I understand things may come up or times may change etc...., but this is the set schedule that I am sticking to in order to reach my ultimate goal by the 30th. Just incase anyone was wondering, my goal is to get down to 135 pounds and I am currently between 145 to 150. I think with this diet and exercise plan, dropping 10 to 15 pounds should not be a problem but remember weight is just a number and we are aiming for a figure  transformation. Each day I will do a post covering what my meal plan for that day was, what workouts were done and when I completed them, and whatever new readings/findings I came across throughout my day. By the end of this month I hope to have reached my goal and I will post a before and after picture on the 30th of October.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and I will talk to you soon!

 

30 Day Challenge: Food Items

Hey everyone! I have compiled a list of superfoods that will be essential during this challenge. I am going to list these foods out so if you wanted to just print the list off to use as grocery list for this next month.

Fruit- Now do not go overboard with the fruit because fruit are filled with sugars and carbs, but they are allowed in moderation.

Berries
Melons
Apples
Bananas
Avocado
And whatever other fruits you desire

Vegetables- Now veggies are your best friend during this challenge so stock up!

Spring Mix
Spinach
Kale
Purple Cabbage
Green Beans
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Squash
Celery
Cucumber
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Garlic

Meats and Protein- Keep these in moderation, they are beneficial in small amounts.

Salmon
Tofu
Veggie Burgers
Lean Chicken Breasts
Turkey

Nuts/Oils- These are packed full with nutrients so stock up on these too.

Flax Seeds (milled)
Organic Peanut Butter
Raw Almonds (unsalted)
Sunflower Seeds (unsalted)
Cashews (unsalted)
And any other nuts you may want just make sure they are raw and unsalted.

Canned Items- Canned is never the best choice because it is never the freshest choice, but when it comes to these items you'll be fine.

100% Natural Pumpkin
Tuna
Red Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Chicken or Vegetable Stock (no added sodium)

Dairy- These items are fine in moderation and are very beneficial.

Unsweetened Almond Milk
Egg Whites
Fat-Free Cottage Cheese
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt

These are the foods that I will be sticking to during the next 30 days. There will be no exceptions for cheat meals or cheat days. Also this 30 day challenge will also exclude drinking since alcohol is just liquid sugar. Coffee is allowed but no sugars or creamers, try to drink it black. Throughout this challenge I will be posting daily about my meal plans and daily workouts so be on the lookout.

Squash the Carbs

Who doesn't enjoy a nice plate of spaghetti, I know I sure do! Although I can tell you the one thing I don't like about spaghetti is the fact that it is packed full of unwanted carbs. Back in high school I ran in track and field and the night before every meet the team would have a spaghetti cookout night, basically carb loading for the meet. So not only would my mother cook spaghetti or some type of pasta every other night but I also had my coaches trying to get me to carb up, which is never the best approach to loosing weight. Carbs are mistaken for being the one food that will boost your energy levels almost instantly, but there are many other healthier food options that will give you instant energy and also help maintain your energy levels.

My take on carbs is you just have to play it smart. I strive to eat clean carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, or steel cut oats. Those types of carbs are the good carbs that your body will process for energy, just remember to keep all carbs in moderation because abusing carb intake will just result in stubborn weight staying around.

Now onto the recipe! You will need a spaghetti squash, olive oil, and whatever else you desire for your spaghetti squash noodles. Now take your spaghetti squash and cut it in half vertically. Now that you have it halved you want to take a spoon (I used an ice-cream scooper) to scoop out the insides and the seeds. Don't scoop too hard, treat it like you're cleaning out the inside of a pumpkin.

Now that you have your squash all cleaned and ready to go, take some baking paper and line your cooking sheet with it. Take your olive oil and drizzle about 1 to 2 tsp on the inside of the spaghetti squash, then place the two halves open side down and bake for 45 to 60 mins at 375 F degrees.

Once the time is up take your squash out and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then you want to take your scooper again and start scraping at the inner sides of the squash. You will begin to notice noodle like pieces pulling up as your continue to scrape. Hollow out both halves of the squash and place in a serving bowl where you can add whichever other ingredients you wish! I made one serving just plain with sautéed mushrooms mixed in and another one with organic marinara sauce on top.

Spaghetti squash is super delicious and good for you! Plus it has minimal carbs since it is a vegetable. This is just another healthy food alternative that I make sure is a part of my everyday clean eating routine.

Pumpkin Spread - Fall Foods

As fall begins to creep up on us I begin making all of my old fall recipes, and today was pumpkin cream cheese spread. This spread is a great fall food because it can be added to almost anything to make it a festive meal. I usually use this spread on toast, pancakes, in yogurt, and as dip. This spread is not only delicious but it is nutritious! The ingredients are: 1 can of organic purée pumpkin, 1 packet of fat free cream cheese, grade A maple syrup, truvia to taste, and cinnamon.

All of these ingredients are natural and healthy for your body! And it's super easy to make.

You just add all the ingredients to the bowl and you decide how much maple syrup, cinnamon, and truvia as you like. I try to keep it simple and light for my mid-day snacks so I will still have enough energy until my next meal. Well this will be my afternoon snack, a nutritious fall flavored afternoon pick me up is just what I need.

Juicing, Smoothies, and Detox OH MY!

Ever heard of a magic weight-loss potion, or a magical pill that will melt your fat away? We all know that the hyped up weight-loss "programs" and "quick fixes" do not work, but what does work is juicing in order to get the proper amount of nutrients daily. Now I know what you're thinking, "How can one drink cleanse my entire body?" well you are slightly right and slightly wrong at the same time. Detoxing is not just a one-step procedure, it involves many different drink recipes in order to make the detox work 100% and worth your time. What people mainly get wrong about detox programs and drinks is the fact that it takes a lot of your time and you must stay committed if you want to complete the detox. A blog that I love to follow ( Organic Beauty Talk ) just recently did a post about juicing, including some detox juice recipes. At the same time that I believe detox programs can help rejuvenate one's body, I also believe that fasting (during or for a detox program) is not the best for your body.

Now I do believe in super smoothies and super drinks that will help your body rejuvenate its self. I do not do detox programs anymore, but I do try to drink a power smoothie every day. In my smoothies I try to pack a bunch of superfoods in there so my body is getting the best nourishment.

Above is what I use daily when it comes to my juices and smoothies. All of these products are 100% natural, so there are no additives or preservatives in your super smoothie. You can use water, coconut water, or unsweetened almond milk as your base. I usually just stick with coconut water (ZICO) as my base, but if I want a creamier texture I use the unsweetened almond milk.

Regardless of what you prefer, detox or daily superfood smoothies, both are great for your body but remember to be cautious when it comes to detox fasting. I encourage everyone to try and make a super smoothie this week.