GHOST 10's

Been waiting a long time for the new GHOST to come out.... they  are just so perfect!  

I'm patiently waiting now for the GHOST 11's.  I LOVE those shoes!

I tested them out for a run on the Track. 

#INLOVE

ACV

A lot because of this....... Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue.  The amino acids contained in ACV act as an antidote.  AND, ACV contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling.  So next time your feeling beat, add a TBS or 2 to whatever helps you gag it down.

I have found OJ to be the best helper to get it down.  Not gonna lie, it's brutal on its own.... don't let anyone tell you different.

There are SOOOOO many other uses for it from help with aging spots to warts to bug bites to lowering blood pressure.  #fithappens #acv

THat's a Wrap

500+........and that's a wrap!  500 calories burned every day this week doing something good for  my body, mind and soul.

TIP: and I'm serious, make a calorie burning goal and don't give up until you hit it.  Your workouts will be on FIRE!!!   If you don't have a heart rate monitor, I get the Polar FT4 on Amazon.  #fithappens #sweatysaturday

Seeing Progress.

Slow and Steady.... it's been a month of just pushing myself a little more in my workouts and I'm starting to see some progress.

Maybe its the filter.... maybe it's those AWFUL 'Y' hikes for time....maybe its those 16/8 hour windows of eating?

Maybe its this new tank from Lulu?

Take me Back

HaHa this made me laugh!  I remember eating like 2 PB&J's about 3x a day as a kid.  Washing each one down with a GIANT glass of milk.  My mom would literally have to confiscate the PB from me.

I didn't even blink an eye.  But I blinked and suddenly I'm in my 30's and some days I can't even eat PB because all my fat grams are gone and I have to opt for the Powdered stuff.  #whatiskale #takemeback #fithappens

With No Rest

Very basic exercises can usually be the best.  Also wanted to show what "without rest" looks like.

Regular DB Squats followed without rest with Jump Squats.

DB walking lunges followed without rest with Lunge Jumps.

Plyos are AWESOME after a weighted exercise! I usually go for 20 reps of any plyo!

See the video of these Supersets HERE

Be your OWN motivation

I want to be like her.

I want to have confidence like her.

I want to have desire like her.

I want to work as hard as her.

Looks like I'll be competing with myself.

The best Monday Motivation is yourself.  

L Carnitine

hat one right there...... L-CARNITINE!!!  You probably have heard of it but may be unfamiliar with what it does.

A- Helps your work capacity MEANING you'll be able to go Longer, Harder, Faster, Stronger.  MORE reps, MORE sets.

B- Helps with Recovery.  My main love for this product.  Enhances recovery..... so less pain, less soreness..... therefor working out with more energy because you're not feeling beat down.  Helps keep lactic acid down.  Buildup up of lactic acid is one of the main factors as to why you feel the muscle pain.  So by reducing that, you are able to recover faster.

C- It is also a potent Fat Burner, its responsible for the transport of fats.  L-Car. gets into your cells and is used for Energy.  For fuel.  Elevating the L-carnitine levels in your body ( which you DO produce on your own ) you will be SUPPORTING the fat burning process.  Which again leads to MORE energy.

Lots of great stuff.  Those are just a few good things that it has to offer.

WHEN DO I TAKE IT?  I take 2g WITH CARBS ( important to take with carbs!!) and protein post workout.  It can be taken with any meal in your day containing CARBS and protein.

L-Carnitine is safe.  No need to cycle off.  Can be taken long term.

There you have it.  Put good quality supplements into your body CAN help bring your physique to that next level.  Hoping to see good outcomes for myself.  So far, so good.  Soreness is less, Energy is More.

This is the brand I am currently using. 

and say SO WHAT!!!!

I've been posting healthy foods/snacks/treats etc.,  but I'm very much this kind of girl too. 

Yes I'm all about treats like protein balls, protein brownies, fake ice cream and any other "healthy dessert."  But think about it.....why are those kind of things even created?  Because the real stuff is delicious and we crave it so we make "healthy versions" so we can feel better about eating it right?! Yes.

Well I'm super glad things like that exist.  But I also believe that every now and then you just have to eat the real deal or you'll just end up eating the whole damn box.  Stop restricting.  Live a little and you'll find that you don't feel deprived or find yourself thinking about what to eat what not to eat 24/7.  Eat 2 slices of that naughty pizza without weighing or counting and get right back to your healthy business. Life is too short so take a break for ONE meal here and there and say SO WHAT!!!!  And say so what without even thinking about how you went over on your carb count.

Of course be considerate of your goals.  But I know we can all ease up here and there without guilt.  #rantover #fithappens #shithappens

Upside Down

Still living that UPSIDE DOWN almond butter life.   I posted this life hack a couple years ago and I wanted to share it again because it really is AMAZING.

This was a brand new jar.  I put it straight in the fridge upside down.  When the day came to open her up it was mixed perfectly.  This keeps the oils from pooling at the top.  And if you have ever stirred up a jar of nut butter then you know it can be an oily mess all over your spoon, fingers and down the sides of the jar.

Keeping it upside down and in the fridge ALWAYS is the secret to perfectly mixed nut butter without actually mixing....it mixes itself.  

A scale!!!

I own a food scale now!!  I wanted to make a recipe that was giving me measurements in grams, which I was like UGH!!!!

 My cute friend Wendy ordered this and sent it to me via Amazon!

Off to make Protein Brownies :)

Portion Control

LUNCH LEFTOVERS:

Buffalo Chicken with a little blue cheese crumbles on a sandwich thin

Multi Grain chips cause I'm addicted to chips and since they are 'multi grain' that makes it ok, right?! ha

For the dip:

Fiesta Corn

Avo

Tomato

Black Bean

Red Onion

Fat Free Italian Dressing

TIP: if you portion out your chips and dip and then put it all out of sight you won't over eat..... cause I know I could eat chips and dip/salsa until I die and I would!!!

So far going good

I am 6 days in on consistently wearing my heart rate monitor again.  It is official that it DOES push me to go harder.  I make a commitment to hit AT LEAST 500 cals every workout when I wear it.    

That watch is just a little reminder during my workout that says, "Haley, you can do better than this.  STEP IT UP!!!"  I chose 500 because all my best workouts make it to 500+.   I've had so-so workouts and super duper awesome workouts.  500 is a good middle number for me.  Not asking too much but it takes effort.

Some days my workouts take me over 500+.  But some days I look at it and I can tell I'm not going to quite make it.  So I know I need to try harder.  I start adding in plyos or heavier weights or commit to a few sprints when I'm all done with my lift.  If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you won't regret getting one.  

Kodiak Cakes in Cup with EXTRA Protein

🥄The other morning I did a little later than usual workout.  I normally workout fasted.... A) because it's just too early for me to wake up even earlier than I do to eat/digest/etc.  B) I am capable of working out on empty.  I don't get 🤢nauseous  C) I believe in fasted workouts here and there.  Should I eat? Probably.

ANYWAY, I hit up a workout @orangetheoryorem at 10:00AM.  I taught the morning classes so I knew what I was in for.  I needed some FUEL to survive it!  So I chose @kodiakcakes POWER cake and posted a brief pic in my IG Story.  I was surprised at all the replies to that pic asking "what is this?!"  It's heaven guys.  Pure heaven.

It has more protein than the regular Kodiak Cakes.  I love to have these on hand in cases like my Monday.  So quick!  All you do is add 1/4 cup water.  Stir.  Microwave for 60 seconds and you have a 🥞pancake in cup.  Eat as is OR I take a small little 🥄spoonful of Almond Butter and as soon as its out of the microwave I set the spoon w/ the butter in the center and it melts in all the heat......thank me later!!!   I get these at @target of course! 

workout clothes disaster

#transformationtuesday of my disaster workout clothes situation.  I have been hanging X amount of tanks on one hanger.  Then when you have a few of these going on it takes up so much space.  The worst is when you want a tank at the bottom of the stack.  You have to take them all off to get to it.  And you really can't even see what you have in there.  Just annoying.  And the legging drawer..... pretty much a big mess.

The tank top hangers are called "Hang a Bunch" each hanger can hold 12 tanks.  These come in a pack of 3.

The legging hangers are called "AJ 5 Pack" they hold 5 pair.  I doubled up and did 2 leggings per rung.  So 10 pairs on one hanger.  These come in a pack of 5.

Problems solved.  I can actually see what I have.  And it looks so much nicer.  I found these hangers on AMAZON!  Had to share how neat they are.  Maybe you are in similar frustrating situation with workout clothes.  Just wanted to share.  I recently saw the tank one at Bed Bath and Beyond.  MUCHO BETTER!!!

Protein Packed Snack

Just doing a little Sunday prepping for the week and here is one of my favorite combination of snacks.  When you got car pool duty, dr appts, or just know you're going to be away from home for a bit...... these are just so easy to make.  Have them on hand.  Grab and GO!  Kids love them too.

Beef Jerky

String Cheese Sticks x2 -these are Sargento Light, my 2nd favorite string cheese next to Weight Watchers JALAPENO which I can't find anywhere anymore.  LAME.

100 Calorie Pack of Natural Nuts

What I love most about this snack is that it's high in protein.  If you're going to tweak something about your diet, let it be added protein.  #fithappens #snackonthego

Cellulite

Cellul@&%$.......  sure everyone hates it!  90% of women have it.

3 factors create cellulite-- excess body fat, sluggish circulation and water retention.  Because of these 3, it causes connective tissue beneath your skin to weaken and fall.  THEN, that's when the fat is able to push against your skin forming dimples.

FIRST OFF, having it doesn't mean you are overweight!  I know very thin people with it.  But being overweight does make it worse.  The more fat you have the more stress you are putting on the connective tissue and then bulging in the weak spots occurs.

If nothing is done about it, skin begins to lose its elasticity and the bulges become more visible.  What can we do about it then?

Of course: water.water.water (helps release excess fluid) AND clean. eating. We all know that.  A good diet/balance of P, F and C.  That's the hard part....for me anyway.  But a way I help myself immensely because perfect eating is hard would be STRENGTH TRAINING!

Muscle training, in particular, develops muscle to help iron out the appearance of cellulite.  If you leave your muscles weak they stay weak and soft/flabby.  The fat will rest on top of that muscle and there you have to lumpy look.  Grow your muscles and smooth it out.  At the same time you are tightening the skin and then cellulite is less noticeable.   Also when you exercise/train, you get blood flowing to trouble areas.  Your fat cells need blood flow to get them moving along their way.  #Fithappens  #cellulite

Sodium

SNACK TIME:

Cottage Cheese

Pickles

Pretzel Thins

Yes this might be a little higher in Sodium.  We all hear and know about the cons of sodium.  But lets talk about the pros of sodium.

Sodium helps with muscle contraction and transmitting nerve signals.

Helps regulate blood pressure and blood volume.

Helps with overall balance of bodily fluid.

Helps sustain a regular blood PH level.  Which is a very important indicator of health.

So don't freak out over sodium too much.  It does come with some good.  It would be a different story if you had high sodium meals one after another and sat around all day.  I sweat A LOT when I work out....another reason why I don't worry too much.  I'm also not stepping on a stage anytime soon.  Just a mom who needs food so everyone stays alive and happy. #fithappens

We all want it NOW!

This....... We want perfectly clear and VISIBLE results 100% of the time in the shortest time frame possible.  It's a problem why so many easily give up or rebound on weight loss that was lost too fast.  We are so hooked on "diets" because they give such rapid results....at least the first few times.  But with each diet it can actually take you further and further away from results you are chasing.  Short bouts of dieting can negatively affect your metabolism.

So any quick fix, cutting out sugar for a month, 30 day this or that, juice cleanse, detox etc..... there are so many out there.  Yes, you may end up weighing less after any given diet but it's a scary metabolic game that you don't want to play, and will likely never win.

I never like to say I'm on a diet.  I probably eat more calories when I'm doing my thing vs when I fall off the wagon.  The difference is WHAT I'm eating.  So the approach of eating less and working out more... DOES. NOT. WORK. LONG. TERM.  It actually has a failure rate of 95%.

Yes, I have gained weight over the last year and I got soft.  But I've always been smart about going back on track and doing my thing, so that when I fall off I'm not gaining back the 20+ I gained in college #didisaythatoutloud  going back on track for me isn't DRASTIC or a quick fix.  I still eat my yogurt land and tacos.  It's something I can do forever.  It works for me.  

SO all that said, I'm back on track but I don't expect to see honest results for a long while.  I'm hoping I catch the tail end of Summer if that!  It takes hard freaking work.  Time.  Effort.  and mostly PATIENCE!  But it's a lifestyle I can live and enjoy.  It's like I tell people who ask me about "diets" ..... if you can't see yourself doing it for months or years then RUN.  Don't even start!  You'll just waste your time.

Quick Fix

I see these 21 days or 30 days of this or that and I think to myself, "if only it were that easy!"  Whatever the 21/30 day gig might be can MAYBE be used as a tool to help you reach point B but it is definitely not the answer to your problem.

So many of these things are out there.  Don't believe it! Don't get down on yourself for not looking like a fitness model in 21 days.  If a change is something you want, be prepared to dig deep For. As. Long. As. It. Takes.

Quick Fixes WILL take you further away from your goals in the long run. So get off the "quick fix train" or you'll keep getting what you've been getting Temporary results that FADE leaving you worse off than they found you! #fithappens