Using Instagram as a resource

                                                   


In case you haven't noticed, Instagram is more than just people posting random, pointless pictures of "selfies", their kids, shoes, clothes/outfits of the day, etc. Now don't get me wrong, these things happen! I mean it's an app that is basically a time line of pictures posted by people you choose to follow.  After getting home from the gym tonight, I happened to be scrolling through my time line and came across a person who is really into fitness who recommended another user that we all should follow.  I clicked on their page and sure enough, there was TONS of motivating pictures and people that the user recommended I follow.

I then realized how much of a resource Instagram really is! It's just as resourceful as Pinterest!!

Here are a few people on the gram that I have enjoyed following for fitness inspiration:

funkygym (this page has tons of other people that they recommend you follow)

bgg2wl (this stands for Black Girls Guide to Weight Loss...she also has a very inspiring blog that I recommend)

strongerthanyourexcuses (great motivational quotes and sometimes they post great exercises that you can do to target certain areas)


What are some pages you follow that you have found to be inspiring?

Super Bowl XLVII

This Sunday at 6:30pm, the Baltimore Ravens will battle the San Francisco 49s in Super Bowl XLVII!!! If someone never watches any other football games during the NFL season, you can find many Americans tuning in to the Super Bowl every year for several reasons:
1. You're a fan of one of the teams that is playing.
2. You entered into a pool at work trying to predict who will win the game and what the score at the end of each quarter will be.
3. You're just a football fan...period. 
4. You want to watch the commercials.
 ............And if none of those reasons interest you, at least tune in this year since Beyonce is preforming the half time show!!




The Super Bowl is also a time that calls for a huge celebration also known as a "Super Bowl Party".  This is a huge deal for Americans across the country as people get together to watch the big game and often times prefer to do it with lots of friends and lots of food! Before I became a football fan, I will admit I most certainly would go to a Super Bowl party even though I had no interest in watching the game.  I went because I just love a good party!

These parties can also wreak havoc on your new years revolutions of trying to lose weight and stay in shape. Most of the foods on the menu include lots of high calorie dishes with lots of carbs.  You've been working really hard all month hitting the gym consistently, trying to eat right, and then you tell yourself "I'm going to this party and today will be a "cheat day".  Oh "cheat day"! I'm actually starting to notice just how deceptive that term really is! We con ourselves into believing it's ok to go overboard and just eat and drink whatever we want in the name of a cheat day.  Then we believe we can just hit the gym and reverse the damage we have just committed.  Well how about this, here is a list of dishes that you can indulge in at your Super Bowl party, enjoy yourself, and not feel guilty or feel the need to consider it a "cheat day". And your guests probably won't even notice their eating "guilt free" dishes while you're enjoying this festive occasion!!

#1 Buffalo Wings 
What's a SB party without buffalo wings?? Well I was watching the cooking channel the other day and came across Paula Dean's son Bobby Flay's show! He makes dishes that his mom makes, but he uses ingredients that are better for your waist line and slashes tons of calories that would normally go into the dishes from Paula's recipes.  Here is Bobby's recipe for buffalo wings and it also includes a cheese dip that is also low cal to enjoy with them instead of using traditional Ranch or Bleu Cheese.
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bobby-deen/bobbys-buffalo-wings-with-tangy-cheese-dip.html

#2 Game Day Chili
With temperatures dropping, chili is always a winter favorite! It's also super easy to make in your crock pot or on the stove and it's filling! You can get more bang for your buck and your guests will feel full and satisfied!  Bobby suggests using sour cream and cheddar cheese to top it off, but if you're looking for an even lower calorie alternative, use plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, and you can use a lower fat cheese like mozzarella or shredded Swiss to top it off! 
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/game-day-chili.html

#3 Skinny Spinach and Artichoke Dip
I have found a few pretty good recipes on a website called skinnytaste.com.  This website specializes in recipes that are low in fat! Now a good spin dip is one of my personal favorites and it definitely is a good football party food! I also know spin dip can pack a lot of calories and fat due to it being a creamy food! Here is a recipe I found on Skinny Taste that will provide lots of flavor without the cost of sacrificing tons of fat!
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/hot-spinach-and-artichoke-dip.html

#4 Beer
What's football without beer?? I think that's a must at a Super Bowl party or at least it goes hand and hand while you're spectating right!? We also know beer can be a quick way to put on the pounds and also can help you acquire that infamous "beer belly" if you drink enough of it! Women's and Men's Health Magazine has a segment from Eat This, Not That on their websites that have been very helpful when trying to make good food choices. Their websites are Women's Health and Men's Health.
Either way, Men's Health provided a list of the 40 Best and Worst Beers to drink.  Take a look at the list and see if your favorite makes or doesn't make the best list cut!
www.eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/slideshow-best-beers
The list starts off with the worst then gets to the best!

Here is another link for more dishes on Skinny Taste that you may want to check out for your party!
http://www.skinnytaste.com/search/label/Superbowl%20Recipes

So there you have a list of eats and a complete list of the best of the drinks! This should allow you to have a great time at your party, eat, drink, be merry, and not worry too much about reversing all of your hard work that you put in at the gym! Remember this key word though: MODERATION!  

Enjoy your party and GO RAVENS!!!! :)

Week 3....DONE!!!

I'm so excited that it's Friday and on top of that WEEK 3 IS DONE!!! This week has been a pretty good workout week.  It's been a short work week due to inclement weather, so this has given me an opportunity to be fully rested and ready to tackle my daily workouts! Although I haven't had to go to work yesterday or today, I still got up early to complete my Ripped in 30 morning workout!

This week, Jillian was coming for the quads!! She targets the same muscle groups because she finds this to be highly effective.  I agree, I'm looking rather snazzy and I'm pleased with the results of sticking to this workout AND eating clean! I will admit, I have dreaded the week 3 workouts because it's really hard getting down low doing some of the moves she came up with.  I'm 5'11 so being really tall and having to do all this quad work can be very challenging! All in all, I pushed through and I'm so proud to say I DID IT!!!

This week I also downloaded an app to my phone called "Lose It".  Apparently it's highly similar to the "My Fitness Pal" (MFP) app.  I used to have MFP before, but I deleted it because I didn't feel like logging the foods I was eating.  Lose It has a convenient feature where you can scan the barcode on your food packages and the app will automatically figure out all the nutritional information! Sweeet!!!! I've been having a really good time with this feature! According to friends, MFP also has this feature, so either app will work if you're interested in logging what you're eating to hold you accountable!

Weight progress for the week: I weighed myself earlier this week and I am down to 184.5!!! That takes me down to a whopping 11.5 pounds lost since I started working out at the end of October (I was 196.0). These pounds are logged at my gym which I go to around 3-4pm every day.  Now my scale at home (I weigh myself first thing in the morning, naked) said I was 181 pounds.  As the week has progressed, I have hopped on the home scale and the numbers have seemed to increase a tad (roughly to about 183).  Now this kind of made me nervous because I know it's not what I'm eating that's causing me to gain.  I've been sticking to a very clean diet, so what's going on here?? I'm guessing it's muscle gain and I'm ok with that.

Some of my goals are to make my glutes bigger and more round, and to tone and rip my entire body! With that being said, I know I'm going to put on muscle weight.  If I want the glutes to get bigger, I'm going to have to squat and do Romanian dead lifts with a heavier weight. Heavier weight obviously equals me gaining weight.  To keep my sanity, I have decided that I'm not going to focus too much on what the scale is saying (even though I will continue to weigh myself at least once/week and log that number), and start focusing mainly on how my clothes are fitting.

Thus far, none of my clothes are to small (other than a few items that had BEEN too small ages ago) and the majority of them are actually getting to be too big and frompy! I have a few items that I consider "goal" clothes and I am proud to say I have 2 dresses that were way too small (one didn't even zip) and now they fit!! I wore one of them to a birthday party back in November and the dress was SO TIGHT that I could barely sit down!!! I struggled with getting it zipped and even considered just wearing it unzipped and having my friend help me once I got to the party (oh the things we go through to be "cute").  I finally got it on my own, but it was quite uncomfortable! I plan to wear this dress tomorrow to a function I'm going to and I'll take pics and post!! The other dress still has the tag on it, but it's definitely ready to be worn if I so desire!

Yay for progress!!! Week 4 is coming up and Jillian is calling it "the mother of all workouts"!! I'm a little nervous, but Jillian gets the job done and I'm up for the challenge!

Happy Friday to you all! Enjoy your weekend and be safe!! :)

Snow Day!!!!

It appears to be that January and Mother Nature are really getting to work and delivering us some true winter weather out here in Central Virginia! For the past couple of mornings, I've been extremely motivated to get up before my alarm goes off to get downstairs and complete yet another day of my Ripped in 30 DVD by Jillian Michaels.  I've been going to bed rather early and mentally preparing myself to rise at 5:00am and exercise.  Last night I went to bed at a fairly reasonable hour, but this morning I was dog tired!! I was awakened by my alarm and couldn't believe the hour had come to get up.  I laid in bed for a few minutes trying to collect myself and then the self talk began.

Of course, I first tried to talk myself out of working out. I was so tired and on top of that...I'm SORE!! I've been going rather hard in the gym and my body is really feeling it! Just yesterday, I taught a classroom guidance lesson to my 4th graders about perseverance.  We did an activity where I had the kids think of something they really wanted to achieve and they were instructed to write this down in the middle of their paper.  On the left side, I told them to write down any negative thoughts they may have or any negative things someone might say to them to discourage them from achieving their goal.  On the right side, I told them to write down as many positive thoughts or encouraging words that would push them towards continuing to work towards the goal even though it's hard.  This morning, I thought about that activity and encouraged myself to get up and get it done even though I was tired.

I felt amazing after I was done! I felt a true sense of accomplishment and felt powerful! Stronger even! As soon as I got back upstairs to prepare to get ready to go to work, I get a text from 3 of my coworkers saying school is closed!! I had no idea we were expecting a snow storm...well I heard it was supposed to start tomorrow after school had let out .  Looks like Mother Nature psyched us out and came a little early!

So now I have the day off and I've already got my workout in for the day! Talk about feeling AMAZING!!! I have the rest of the day to do what I want to do and just lounge around the house! I will be getting some work done for school (hopefully....work at home rarely gets done over here).  All of my meals are already planned out for the day since had we gone to school today, I had a full day and a meeting after school that wouldn't get me back home until after 7pm. So that meant I would be traveling with morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. So today is all about relaxing, enjoying some me time, and I will commit to getting some work done for school.

If you're off today, what are you getting into? If you're traveling to and from work, please be safe out there if the roads are hazardous! Whatever you do, be safe, stay warm, and have a fantastic day!

Joy, peace, deliverance, salvation is free....

Happy Sunday everyone! When I was growing up, I attended a small church in Richmond, Virginia and at the closing of every service, we sang a song called "Come to Jesus" also known as The Invitation.  This song was sang to as the doors of the church were opened to invite people to come join our church or give their lives to Christ.  The song went like this:

"Jesus is watching and waiting for you. Willing and able, to see you through. No need to worry, he knows what to do. I'm here to tell you, there's a miracle for you.  
He gives rest for the weary and strength for the lame. He's passing out blessings, there's one with your name. Joy, peace, deliverance, salvation is free. Come to Jesus, he's all you need."

As a child, I would sing this song with the rest of the congregation and I remembered the words long after I stopped attending the church, but they never really sank in until I had a conversation with a friend the other day.  During the week, my roommate from college and I have prayer in the morning over the phone. We started this in November and every morning we share our prayer requests with each other.  We lift up our own concerns, needs, fears, worries, etc. and we also lift up our friends and family member who may be standing in the need of prayer.  Last week, Lawren had shared what she wanted to pray about and when it was my turn, I thought about what I wanted to pray about. I didn't particularly have any requests for friends or family, and I didn't have any particular issues that I wanted to bring before God either. I thought about it and I said "you know, I just want to thank God for the gift of joy, peace, and deliverance." 

This was a highly profound moment because I realized sometimes I want to lift things up to God like finances, or material things that I may want, but joy, peace, deliverance, and salvation don't have a dollar sign on them.  These are gifts that God gives to us for free, we just have to receive them.  Now you may be thinking, free gifts, who wouldn't take those!? Anything else that's free, we take full advantage of especially if it's something of interest. So who wouldn't want joy, peace, deliverance, or salvation? 

Everyone probably desires these things, but it's not as easy as it seems to just accept these gifts from God.  Sometimes circumstances in our lives hinder us from receiving these gifts.  A lot of times we battle with fully accepting these things because of the warfare that is raging in our minds.  

I am a living testimony that when you really accept and receive these already free gifts from God, your life becomes that much better! 

Let's start with joy: Joy might be confused with happiness at times.  Some people may even think they are synonyms.  In this case, they are not.  I have heard great religious teachers say "happiness is circumstantial, but joy is eternal".  This is definitely true. A lot of times, we define being happy when everything is going well in our lives, when we get what we want, when everything is on the up and up! Joy on the other hand is still possible to have even when everything is falling apart.  When you're not sure how a circumstance is going to turn out.  When you're lonely.  When you're disappointed about something that isn't happening the way you want it to in your life.  The rain will fall on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45) and we all have good days and bad days, but having joy is the ultimate gift to get you through anything that comes your way.

John 15:11 says "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete". 

Romans 15:13 says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".

Peace: I used to suffer from being overly anxious.  I say I "suffered" because I just couldn't allow myself to find peace in certain situations.  My friends called me Anxious Annie (yeah, they came up with Frugal Frannie as well lol).  I just couldn't relax and let things happen and be at peace.  This was a MISERABLE feeling!  I wanted to change, but I felt like I couldn't. I felt like it was just a personality flaw.  I also didn't have a solid and real relationship with God during this time.  Since I have welcomed God into my heart and exercise a daily, healthy relationship with him, I have felt the peace of God all around me! 

Philippians 4:6-7 says "Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Deliverance: There have been times when I have needed God to deliver me from some things. A few years ago, there was a situation going on with me that I prayed about regularly to be delivered from. I used to write down my prayers and when I look back over that prayer journal, I see that I prayed about this situation for a whole year.  It took a long time, but I believed God would deliver me and he did. This moment in time was also a period of brokenness for me and it began my journey with having a true relationship with God.  Although I didn't understand it at the time, everything comes together eventually and I am stronger now because of it. 
Psalm 91:14-15 says "Because he loves me, says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver and honor him". 

Salvation: Salvation is defined as "deliverance from sin and its consequences".  When I spoke of deliverance, I meant being delivered from strong holds that try to take over our lives and our minds. It may be a drug addiction, a broken heart, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, financial burdens, etc. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we will be saved! Every time I think of this, I get chills. I look over my life and see just how unworthy I am to have someone do that for me! That's real love!
Acts 4:12 says "salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved". 

This scripture pretty much sums it all up.  Nothing and no one else can save us, but God! 

No matter what earthly possession you have, these things can't be bought. I felt richly blessed when I acknowledged to my friend that I accept these gifts from God and I receive them as blessings in my life.  Sometimes when we don't have all that we want, we think "I'm not getting blessed, but everyone else around me is".  We may even compare ourselves to what our friends have, their relationship, their material things, etc. but having joy, peace, deliverance, and salvation is a greater gift than any of these things!!  While you're waiting for whatever you're heart desires, accept these gifts that are already available to you. When you see these things as blessings, you won't feel like you have been passed by in the blessing department! You will know just how blessed you really are!! 

Workout DVDs ON SALE!!!

I wasn't planning on posting another blog tonight, but I had to share this information I just stumbled across!!! Now some of you may feel like you want to get in shape and you want to lose weight, but a gym membership is out of your budget. I totally get that! I have put off joining a gym for a long time because I wasn't sure if I was going to use it, and most gyms charge a whopping $50 or more per month for membership.  With the new social security changes to our checks, I'm sure we can all stand to save a dollar or two if you know what I mean!

Well I'm a huge fan of Jillian Michaels which I have talked about in previous posts.  I am also a fan of Bob Harper (from the Biggest Loser).  I have purchased a few of Bob's DVDs in the past either from his website or from local stores like Walmart and Target.  Just your luck, Bob is running a sale on his DVDs right now!! Some of them are 80% off right now!! They are usually priced at $19.99 plus shipping, but right now there are several on sale for ONLY $3.99!!! Talk about a DEAL!! I have purchased two of his DVDs and highly recommend them! I have Beginner's Weight Loss Transformation and Kettlebell Sculpted Body! If you've never used a kettlebell, please look into getting one and getting in on this amazing, dynamic, body sculpting tool!! You can purchase kettlebells at TJ Maxx and Marshall's! They cost about $.99/pound i.e. a 5 lb bell costs you about $4.99 at these stores.  Now I will warn you, neither of these DVDs are for beginners (even though it says it), BUT here's the good news: DO WHAT YOU CAN!!! Go at your own pace and give it all you've got! Start off with either no weights (do only your body weight) and then work your way up to using weights.

If you have the extra cash, I say get all the DVDs because they have never been this low (to my knowledge).  When I bought mine, I got them for $5.00/DVD on sale. There is also a 4 pack that he's selling for $14.99 that is usually $59.96.  If that's not a deal, I don't know what is!

Another good source of DVDs are the Biggest Loser series.  I got mine from Burlington Coat Factory for like $3.99/DVD.  They may have been $2.99/DVD.  The thing I like most about about The Biggest Loser set is that the people doing the workouts are highly overweight and if they can do it, I can too! Now yes, they grunt and groan and look like it's killing them, but it's very inspirational to workout with them (real people who want to get fit) and a change of scenery compared to working out with people who already have those ripped bodies and make the workout look effortless.

Again, here is Bob's website in case you want to get in on this fantastic deal Bob's website!! Hurry because I don't know when the sale goes off! Follow him on Twitter: @MyTrainerBob too to get information on when he's having a sale again if you can't participate this time around!!  He's also on Facebook!!

Thank me later! :)

Hol' on Ash...Imma let you finish, but eating healthy is EXPENSIVE!

If you follow me on Instagram or if are my friend on Facebook, you may have noticed that lately I've been posting several pictures of food that I've been eating or things that I've been doing to embrace this new healthy lifestyle of eating clean and working out.

As I was doing some chores around the house, I thought about what can I do (other than post my pics of what I'm eating and exercises I'm doing) to help someone else who may think this lifestyle is too expensive to embrace.  Well just in case that person is you, I'm so glad I thought to write this post!

Let me first start with saying, I would have been one of those people who thought eating healthy and joining a gym was out of my budget.  I am very money conscious and try to be as strictly on a budget as possible. I try to never complain about the low salary educators are paid, because God definitely blesses me and provides for me regardless if I can't always do everything I want to do. I never want to seem ungrateful because so many people are unemployed and would take my salary to their no salary any day. Either way, everyone knows educators are not the breadwinners by any means, so sometimes you really have to get creative and smart when you're stretching a dollar.  They don't call me Frugal Frannie for nothing! And I take that name with pride because that's just how it has to be some times!

So I usually set a budget of about $150/month for groceries.  Now some people may think "that's ridiculously low" or you might think it's too high, who knows.  Either way, I used to have a grocery budget of  $175 then I had to scale back due to some other financial obligations.  I looked through my spending history on www.mint.com (excellent budgeting tool to help keep you on track on where you're spending your money and how much you spend each month on certain things and it's totally secure) and I noticed that prior to me wanting to eat completely clean, I was meeting my monthly budget of $150 for groceries without exceeding it.  I do recall in previous months, I'd have to get "creative" with my meals towards the end of the month when my budget had ran out and I was left with really having to only eat the food I already had instead of buying more food. This usually left me eating a bunch of processed food that was stored in my pantry or buying a pizza from Dominos on a day between Monday and Wednesday so I can get the $7.99 carry out special and eating off that pizza for a few days to survive.

Since I started eating clean, I have already spent $200 on groceries and if I didn't have a budget, I would certainly go back to the store between now and January 31st to buy more food.  The first week of eating clean, I went to the grocery store and I went HAM!!! I spent like $100 on food that was mostly produce which I knew would be gone by the end of the week. $100/week on groceries, $150/monthly budget for groceries...you do the math and imagine my dismay when I realized I had gone too hard too fast with this whole thing.  You might be wondering, so what did you do Ash? I talked to my sister  and she made a really good point.  She suggested that I make dishes that allow you to make a lot with few ingredients.  Stuff like quiche, casseroles, etc.  With that being said, I started thinking about things that I could make that 1.) I already had in my freezer, pantry, or refrigerator and 2) could be something that could stretch out for a couple of days. I also read up on how frozen veggies are just as healthy as fresh and thanks be to GOD, Kroger had a 10/$10 sale on their frozen veggies so I stocked UP!!!!

I have also started thinking of ways to shop smarter which definitely requires a lot of planning and a lot of time.  Convenience comes at a price...and sometimes that means eating junk and not having that fit body that you want (since abs are made in the kitchen you know).  Without a plan, you will more than likely make bad decisions for food because when you're hungry, you aren't thinking about how you can make a nice healthy dish.  You want food and you want it now!! And if food requires you to cook it (other than in a microwave), then you usually want no parts in preparing it! So the next thing to do is eat whatever is convenient whether that be fast food, chips, candy, sweets, anything to get your blood sugar back to a normal reading or sometimes higher if you eat the wrong foods.

I've started cooking on Sundays and preparing dishes for lunch throughout the week. By doing this, I cook all the food I want for the week, put it in Tupperware, refrigerate or freeze, then when it's time to pack my lunch for the day, I just grab and go.  That eliminates standing in front of the refrigerator, swaying back and forth thinking "what shall I eat, what shall I eat".

As for grocery shopping a lot smarter, I have now downloaded an app called Grocery Pal (Google App Market...Android).  This app has stores like Kroger, Harris Teeter, Giant, Food Lion, Wal-Mart, etc. and all their circulars listed so you can see which store has the best deal.  It also allows you to make shopping lists and download coupons to your loyalty card.  I did notice the loyalty card section is limited, but you can always do this online at your favorite grocery store's website.  I downloaded a coupon for $3.00 off the protein powder that I use from Kroger's website and one day I was shopping and noticed the protein powder was on sale for $13.00 (down from $18.00) plus my $3 off brought my protein powder to a whopping $10 (I saved $8 woohooo)!!! I was soooo excited about this deal! Kroger also sends coupons in the mail every month and they do NOT accept expired coupons so I have started highlighting the expiration date to be sure I don't miss out on a good deal.  I am also carrying my coupons in my purse so that if I randomly pop into the store, they're always with me. Thanks to this idea, I scored a pack of Boca burgers for $.64!!! They had been marked down to $1.64 and I had a coupon (in my purse...YES!) for $1.00 off! Talk about EXCITEMENT!

So there are a few tips for you! I hope they help and remember you will get better at this and it will take less time as you get used to it all. It'll be second nature! I'm excited about next month's shopping because I have learned a few lessons so I know better for next time.  Happy shopping and remember..eat clean, train mean, get lean!!!

Week 2....DONE!

Today marks the end of week 2 of Ripped in 30! I must admit, this week was very challenging.  Aside from forcing myself out of bed at 5:00am to get downstairs to work out, Jillian also used A LOT of moves that really focus on the shoulders.  Moves that involve you to be in a plank some kind of way (plank jacks, mountain climbers, crow push ups, rows, pendulum lunges with serving biceps, etc.).  I gave it all that I could and I got through it! At the end of each work out, I told myself "YOU DID IT!!"  This really helped me feel motivated to do it again the next day.

I am proud to say that I have been noticing results both in the way my clothes are fitting and in what the scale is saying!!! Here is a picture I took of myself in the beginning of the week.

I bought these pants probably last year some time and they're a size 14 from New York and Company.  Now most women pride their selves on being able to go down a size or 2 at NY&Co due to it "running big".  Not really the case for me. I'm a solid 12/14 there depending on the cut.  I don't get any free-bee lower sizes  here. I bought them in a 14 because the 12's were a little too tight (at the time) and they rose up a little so I got the 14 for more wiggle room and to make them longer.  I put these on and I was SWIMMING in them!!! I had to wear a belt with them (which by the way, I never wear a belt with my dress pants).  Most of the time I certainly don't even need a belt. So here is a little progress.  I'm also proud to announce that I'm down 10 lbs since I started working out at the end of October.  I didn't start eating clean until January, although I was trying to be good about what I was eating in November and December. Remember Thanksgiving and Christmas, holiday feasts, tons of sweets and treats also accompanied me throughout those months. I definitely went up and down give or take a pound or two during the first two months, but mainly tried to stay on track because I was doing a challenge at my gym that challenged you to stay within 2 lbs of your original weight beginning with November 1st all the way to December 31st. So being held accountable for the weight, definitely helped keep me on track. 

Now if you're wondering "what is she doing and how much weight is she really trying to lose". I'll tell you! My goal is not to be "skinny". I want to be RIPPED!! I want to have defined, visible, lean muscles.  That is the ultimate goal! Looking good with clothes on is all fine and dandy, but looking good naked is when you know you've made it! At the end of my journey with Ripped in 30, I'll be sure to post a progression pic from the beginning to the last day.  

Stay tuned! 

Thoughts of my mother

About 6 years ago, God called my mother home to be with him.  She suffered for 11 months with pancreatic cancer before she lost her battle with her body of flesh, yet won the ultimate prize to be with the Lord.  There is not one passing day that my mom doesn't cross my mind.  When she died, I had just turned 23 years old. I think about how my life would be if she were still here with me. For comfort, people say, "she's with you in spirit", but that's definitely not the same.

I decided to write about my mom whom I affectionately called "Bubbies" because it was laid on my heart to just talk about what it's like to lose someone so close to you.  Before Bubbies was diagnosed, I had a few friends who had lost their parents, and I felt like it was an unimaginable feeling.  Like how do you go through life without your mom!? I just couldn't wrap my head around it.  I even remember a girl I went to college with who lost her mom when she was in high school and I considered this girl the epitome of strength.  I just figured you have to be strong to continue living life after such a great loss.

People don't always talk about what they went through.  Most people don't even ask.  I suppose they're afraid of bringing up such a sensitive topic and being afraid they might offend you if they ask the wrong questions.  I just wanted to share a little bit of my feelings.

#1 Talking about it definitely helps! Sometimes I just want to talk about my mom. The person I'm talking to doesn't have to say anything back, I just like to talk about her. I like to reminisce on the good times we had. I like to talk about how I think she would react to certain situations that are happening in my life now.  It really does help with coping with the fact that for as long as I live, she won't be here.

When my mom first got diagnosed, I remember her asking the doctor how long she had to live. The doctor gave an unclear answer, but I remember thinking to myself "I'm sooooo not ready for this". This can't be happening! I can't deal with this! How can life without her go on? So we start our journey of fighting cancer. Bubbies was putting up a great fight.  In 2006, I didn't know too many people personally who had cancer so it was kind of foreign to me. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know how bad other than some people died from it.  I especially didn't know much about pancreatic cancer.  With my lack of knowledge and Bubbies doing exceptionally well, I figured it was some type of mistake and that she would be just fine.  She would fight this and we'd all live happily ever after!

Around January 2007, she started to slow down and physical signs of how cancer was wearing on her were starting to show.  She had lost her hair a few months prior and she had lost a substantial amount of weight, but that wasn't enough evidence for it to really hit me that she was really suffering from a terminal illness.  It wasn't until she couldn't walk, couldn't bathe herself, was barely eating, and when we got word that the cancer had spread to other parts of her body that it really hit.  By then, I felt like something had come over me. I was starting to prepare myself for the end. It was the weirdest thing. I wasn't as weak as I thought I would be. I wasn't falling apart and thinking I didn't want her to go.  I actually remember the last time we were together.  I sat next to her while she was on her death bed and I held her hand. I whispered in her ear with tears in my eyes "you can let go Bubbies.  Go on and be with God".  Hospice had given us a pamphlet to help with what was happening.  In the pamphlet, it said let the loved one know they can let go because they will tend to hold on longer for the benefit of the family.  I couldn't believe I was saying these things to my mom.  I was saying it, but I didn't really mean it. It was almost like just saying what I thought was right.  I realized that it was the right thing.  She was suffering so bad.  It was a really hard time for my family and I that last day.

She was the most amazing woman ever! I love her so deeply and am saddened that my husband and children won't ever meet her.  I do know that she has taught me a lot and I am the strong woman I am because of her.  I am thankful for my sister stepping in and helping with everything after my mom passed away.  I'm thankful for my relationship with God who comforts me in times when I feel weak.  I know Bubbies and I will meet again one day! A special strength is needed to when you lose a parent or a loved one.  God definitely comforts those who mourn and without him, I never would have made it through this experience. I still need him because time might heal some wounds, but this one isn't as simple. It's a cycle of emotions that you experience and I need God every step of the way. Through tears or with a smile. I need Him!!!

May she continue to rest in paradise! I love you, Arlene Johnson Jackson!!

Surviving the road trip!

This weekend I went on my first "road trip" since starting this eat clean lifestyle.  I must admit I was really nervous about going out of town because I wasn't sure how it was going to go with me trying to stick to eating clean and not being in the comfort of my own kitchen or being easily accessible to a refrigerator or microwave, etc. I traveled to Washington, DC for my sorority's Centennial Founder's Day (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Innnnncorprorated) celebration! OOO-OOP my sweet sweet sorors!!! I will have another post for the phenomenal time I had this weekend and how I am so proud to be a member of this illustrious organization!!!!

Ok back on track, so I traveled to DC and I knew there were going to be three things that could pose a problem while I was there. 1.) I would be traveling almost 6 hours in my car total (going and coming) 2.) on Saturday, I knew I was going to be out and about all day long 3.) since I was staying with a friend, I couldn't guarantee she would have food that I would want to eat AND I don't like to go to someone's house and just eat up all their food (other than my sister and brother-in-law's house lol).  With me trying to eat at least 6 small meals/day, I knew that would be highly inconsiderate to expect a friend to feed me like that.  I am also on a very strict budget since this year I'm really trying to stay on track with not overspending. This easily eliminates me eating out for every meal while I'm away from home.

So I knew I was going to have to strategically plan what I was going to eat in order to survive this weekend. I did a little research and found a few helpful websites that suggested certain foods that travel well.  With that being said, I got to work on figuring out what I was going to take with me.  I knew I was going to be having brunch with my sorors on Saturday afternoon so that was one meal that was already accounted for. I also looked at the menu online before going to be sure I could choose a healthy meal once I arrived. The rest of the day and Sunday was the mystery.

The proposed itinerary for the weekend went like so: Saturday: drive to DC (2.5 hours), brunch with the sorors at noon, day party with the sorors from 3-until whenever, not sure what was happening in between, then going out to the campus of Howard University at 10:30pm to prepare to ring in Founder's Day at midnight with thousands of other members of the sorority, church on Sunday in Alexandria, VA, drive back home (2.5 hours)!

I decided on these items: medium sized navel orange (pre-peeled and put in a ziplock bag to be able to easily snack on it), 2 bananas, a canister that held about 3 palm fulls of almonds, one apple, a ziplock bag of Pirate's Booty cheese puffs (yes, I know these aren't "clean", but I was just trying to get rid of the rest of them that were in my pantry), 2 of my homemade protein bars (really one for me and one for my friends to taste in case they were interested), pre-packaged unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup of quick oats with cinnamon (for breakfast on Sunday), and one all natural granola bar.

My sorors made fun of me saying my purse was stocked with snacks. One asked me "do you have kids are something?? Why do you have all that in your purse?" Disclaimer: the apple, applesauce, and quick oats were kept in a lunch box...I did not have those things in my purse.  Everything else was loaded into a very large purse my sister got me for Christmas (perfect timing)!!!

This worked out perfectly!! On the ride down, I was getting a little hungry so I ate one of the bananas.  For brunch, I had an egg white omelet with lots of veggies, chicken, and turkey sausage for a little extra protein, a side of fruit, and some home fries which I shared with some of my sorors (yes, not clean, I know).  At the day party, I was starting to get a little hungry so I ate my orange, a handful of almonds, and the Pirate's Booty cheese puffs.  I also nibbled on my protein bar since it got crumbled while in my purse.  After the day party, we had some time to spare so we went to another restaurant with some of our older chapter sorors. I was not planning to eat while there, but I was a little hungry so I got a half order of baked chicken wings.  By morning, I had the quick oats and cut up the apple for breakfast.  After I got out of church, I ate the last banana, the granola bar, and two handfuls of almonds (I was now on the verge of starving).  This was unfortunately not enough to satisfy my growing hunger and I was getting sleepy so after about a hour and a half after eating that, I stopped off at a Starbucks (had a gift card) and got a skinny vanilla latte and a piece of banana nut bread (not clean, I know..cheat day)! This sustained me the rest of the way home!

I'm sure as I continue to have to travel while adapting this lifestyle, I will find other foods that travel well.  I say that overall, I think I did pretty good during this road trip and came as prepared as possible!

I'll be traveling again soon for the whole weekend instead of one day.  I'll be sure to let you guys know how that goes!

Protein Bars

Thursday I happened to stumble across an article online that listed the best and worst protein bars to consume. Well my favorite protein bar of all time is the Clif Bar! I especially love the chocolate chip peanut butter crunch bar! That is the one featured on the far left of my picture here.  Well of course...my favorite protein bar was listed on the WORST list of protein bars.  And this was like a list of top 5 best and worst bars.  Go figure!

Of course I was disappointed, but it does make sense.  They only cost about $1 per bar at Kroger and this is an on going "sale" they have them on.  Not too many really healthy things are that cheap.  The article explained that Clif Bars are designed to give fuel to someone who's participating in very strenuous activity for a long period of time. Example: mountain climbing for 4 hours; running a marathon; etc. They are not for the person who wants to fuel up before getting in an hour workout at the gym.  That would be me! I was eating these bars as pre-workout meals and sometimes as meal replacements if I was traveling.

When I found out I was not eating the Clif Bar appropriately, I decided it was time to start making my own protein bars.  I went online and google'd "homemade protein bars" and I came up with this recipe! I made them tonight and they were delicious!!!

There were a few things I did differently which I read in the comment section that other people did it the same way and they approved so I followed suit! I used chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla or unflavored.  I also used ground flax seed instead of chia seeds because I wanted to use what I had instead of buying something else. I was not able to find grain sweetened chocolate chips, so I just used the Kroger brand and I got the semi-sweetened ones to cut back on sugar as much as I could. I figured it wouldn't hurt to use them since it's only 2 tablespoons.  Everything else was what the recipe actually called for. Oh one more thing, in the beginning of the recipe, it says roast your oats in the oven for 10-15 minutes prior to starting. I wasn't sure of the temperature that the oven should be on since it didn't say, so I already had my oven on 400 degrees so I just roasted them at 400 for 10 minutes.

The corner is missing because I had to take a taste before saying these were good enough to recommend to someone else to make! :)

So now that I have my homemade protein bars, I'm ready to go! They were super easy to make too!!

If you're planning to make them, let me know how you like them!!

Week 1...done!

For the next 7 weeks (well now 6 weeks), I am challenging myself to work out AND eat clean to accustom myself to changing my lifestyle, but also to get physically ready for my 29th birthday.  The birthday part is a bonus, but I am seriously trying to make lifestyle changes to being more healthy.

Week one was completed today!!!!

Ok so this is what's been going on.  I bought a Jillian Michael's DVD called Ripped in 30 almost 2 years ago.  The program basically has four weeks of exercises that recommends you commit to doing 5-6 days/week and following Jillian's suggested meal plan and at the end of 30 days, you're supposed to be able to see visual and dramatic results and changes to your body! Well I'm not sure if it's supposed to be dramatic, but Jillian says "if you follow this DVD and meal plan, at the end of these 30 days, you're going to thank me".  Either way, like I said, I've had the DVD for almost 2 years and in those 2 years,  I have started and stopped and started and stopped this DVD over and over again. I've never did the full 30 day program and I certainly have never followed the meal plan.  The farthest I've gotten was completing week one for at least 4 days/week of exercise.  

Now I will say the DVD is challenging.  Jillian's programs are definitely not a walk in the park by any means! As she says "you don't buy a Jillian Michael's DVD and think it's going to be easy".  I would say I haven't finished the program because I usually divert my attention to one of the other many workout DVDs that I own, or I just give up on regular exercise all together.  

This time, I am truly trying to stick to this commitment. And now that I've shared this with all of you, I'm going to let you guys hold me accountable and I'm going to do it! 

I've been doing the DVD every morning this week around the 5 o'clock AM hour! Some mornings I have tried to talk myself out of getting out of bed telling myself it's ok if I don't do it today because I'll just workout in the afternoon after work at the gym.  I've also been cold in the morning and much warmer under my covers. Thursday morning, I was so incredibly sore that I almost convinced myself that I should just take the day off because it'd be better for my body that way.  A lot of self-talk occurred this week regarding doing this workout.  This morning when I woke up, it was unusually warm in my house so I had no problem springing out of bed to head downstairs to get to work. After I finished, I just thought to myself, I DID IT!!! I was so excited that I accomplished working out every morning this week as I said I would commit to doing.  

I've also been eating very clean this week! I have found lots of great recipes and food ideas on several websites! Some of my favorites that I've found is The Gracious Pantry, recipe.com, The Eat Clean Diet. and of course good ol' Pinterest is always a winner for looking for recipes.  I actually found out about the Gracious Pantry on Pinterest.  One thing I've learned is that anyone who has a nice body that they had to work at (meaning it's not just genetically a nice body) will tell you, it's not just about working out, it's what you're eating too. One week of eating clean has totally changed my life! I went to a faculty meeting Thursday and there were all kinds of cookies and sweets that I usually crave and am weak not to eat them, but I didn't even want them after doing such a great job eating clean throughout the week. 

I feel amazing and I'm so excited about this new lifestyle! I will be honest...there is one downfall....

Eating clean is E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In the first week, I've already spent over $100 on food!!!  I think I got a little too excited and did not consider that this clean food which is mostly produce will not last me longer than a week.  Right now, I'm on a mission to figure out how I'm going to make it through the rest of the month and how am I going to do it "clean".  I know that I cannot afford to spend $100/week on groceries, but I don't want to go back to eating anything just because it's cheap.  I've been thinking of some creative things I can do so stay tuned for that.  I'll post how my first month of eating clean went at the end of this month.  

I also plan to post progress pics! The one I took this morning looked pretty good, but there is a lot more work to go! I can't wait to see what kind of progression I will have at the end of this month and then at the end of the 7 weeks!! Stay tuned.....

49 days until "A" Day!!!!

In case you guys didn't know, my 29th birthday is in approximately 49 days!! I affectionately started calling my birthday "A" day a few years ago. Probably some time after Beyonce come out with the B Day album on her birthday.  Ok so I'm not that creative...but that's neither here nor there.  

So with my birthday coming in 7 short weeks, I'm committing to a new challenge.  In the next 7 weeks, I am preparing to commit to eating clean and working out 6 days/week. Any health fanatic will tell you that abs are made in the kitchen and it's really about what you're eating instead of focusing mainly on working out.  

I joined the gym on October 31, 2012 and in the past 2 months, I see some progress, but I'm sure if my diet was clean, I'd see even bigger results.  I wanted to do things my way and decided I could just put in at least 2 hours in the gym and still eat  what I wanted (within reason).  I then started to notice, I'm logging all these hours in the gym, slaving away, yet my diet is setting me back.  I want maximum results!.  

I'm fully ready to take on this challenge! I know it's going to take work and it's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it when I'm strutting around this summer looking amazing.  Not only will I look good, but I'll be healthy and that's truly what it's all about.  

Today I spent a few hours cooking meals for the week.  It was a very labor intensive process, but after I was finished, I felt truly accomplished and was ready to take on the week.  Prior proper planning truly does prevent piss poor performance!! That piss poor performance is eating crap just because you haven't planned ahead of time and when you're starving, you become desperate.  Desperate will have you back where you started eating those foods that have set you back all this time.  

Here are some pics of some food I have prepared for this week! 

The far left is roasted broccoli and cauliflower, brown rice, and 4 oz of chicken breast with red onion and green peppers on top.  The other dishes are either 4 oz of grilled chicken breast or 4 oz of turkey chop with sauteed fresh green beans with mushrooms and garlic, brown rice, and green peppers and red onions on top of the meat. 

This was breakfast this morning. 1/2 grapefruit, spinach wrap (9 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein in the wrap alone) 2 egg whites and one whole egg, spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese inside the wrap.

I have other foods that I'll be eating throughout the week, but this was just a little sample for now! I hope to post progress pics at the end of the 7 weeks! Better yet, I'll be sure to post...good or bad...I need to be held accountable! So here I go!!! #legooooooo :)

And I'm back!

I'm finally back from Christmas vacation and it feels good to be home! I really hate staying away from my house for a long period of time.  It's like I go through house withdrawls....weird.  Either way, my time spent with my sister and brother-in-law was a wonderful time, but I'm really glad to be home! 

Now that I'm back, I'm super excited about getting started on this eating clean diet and back to regular exercise.  While I was in Memphis, I did exercise regularly, but I haven't been to my gym since before Christmas.  It's been two weeks and I'm ready to get back in there and get ripped!!! 

Another thing I did while I was in Memphis was watch a video called Food, Inc. which basically talks about what is really going on with our foods in this country.  It was a truly eye opening experience to watch.  I couldn't believe some of the stuff I was seeing!! It's a shame that these things are allowed in our country to be put out as food.  I also read a book called The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno which changed my prospective on a lot of things too.  Reno was once overweight and after her divorce, she decided it was time to make some changes! She began working out and eating better.  Her book series are really easy reads and I enjoyed learning about how to eat clean.  

Last night I drove back home after my flight landed in Richmond around midnight.  I was going to stay in Richmond and just drive home in the morning, but I was really ready to get back home and more importantly get a jump start on this new lifestyle change.  I stopped by the store in the wee hours of the morning to pick up a few things and will be going back to the grocery store today to get more stuff.  I'm also hitting up a killer workout to top it all off.  

Breakfast today consisted of sauteed spinach, mushrooms, 2 egg whites, 1 egg with yolk, a sprinkle of feta cheese. Dried oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  I washed it all down with a mug of green tea (no sugar or sweetners).  I made the oatmeal with water instead of milk and I must say without my regular 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, it was a different taste.  I'm sure it's something I can eventually grow to like.  It wasn't 100% horrible though.  I'm sure I can perfect it with some other ingredients as I continue with this change.  

So here I go....I'll keep you all posted on how well it's going for me!! 

Thoughts of Thankfulness

Happy New Year!!

We have made it to 2013 and I'm super excited!! I woke up this morning and the first thing I could think of was to tell God "thank you".  I had so much to be thankful for, but I couldn't put into words all that I wanted to thank him for! It was an overwhelming feeling of joy that I experienced as I realized I am now stepping into a new year and new season of my life.

When I was in 8th grade, some kids at school was talking about the world coming to an end in the year 2000.  As we walked the track during gym class, some of my classmates began to elaborate on this theory that had come out about this Y2K phenomenon that many believed would be the end of the world.  I admitted to my classmates that I had not been baptized before and one of them felt compelled to inform me that I was indeed going to hell if I didn't get baptized soon! The year was 1997 and I didn't have much time to prepare for this "scheduled"coming of the Lord!! 

I went home panicking and I told my mother all that these kids had told me.  I immediately begged my mother to take me back to church so that I could be baptized.  Growing up, our family attended church occasionally.  We belonged to a church and I was dedicated to the Lord at a very young age, but our attendance began to slack off when my mother began working three jobs to support the family.  Being a single mother, I suppose she was just too tired to try to get three kids ready for church on Sundays.  The church we went to only had one service and it was at 8am.  

My mom agreed to take us back to church and on December 13, 1997 my sister and I got baptized.  After we were baptized and attended new members classes, I remember going back to church here and there, but I found it to be extremely boring and rarely paid attention when I was there.  

Fast forward to high school....

As we continued to attend church, I started to catch on to the cliche "church sayings" that many of the members would utter from time to time.  You know the sayings like "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good", "If I had 1 million tongues, I couldn't thank you enough, Lord", "if you never do anything else for me, you have already done enough"! To a spiritually immature teenager, those phrases meant nothing to me.  I actually used to think of a rebuttal for them at times thinking to myself "well God, there are actually a few other things I need for you to do for me before I can declare you've already done enough"!  Anywho...I remember it was the year 2002 (wow look at that, yet another person predicting the end of the world who was wrong! lol) and the church had held a recognition ceremony for high school seniors who were graduating and going off to college or the work force.  All of the graduates stood on a stage lined up with their graduation gowns on, medals of honor, and a nice certificate presented by the church.  We then were given the opportunity to step up to the microphone and give a speech of thanks.  I was the last person to give my speech and as the other graduates spoke, I noticed a "trend" among their speeches.  Every one of the graduates first thanked God for their achievements, then they went into thanking their parents, other family members, and some even thanked friends.  As they spoke, I felt like this is getting extremely redundant and felt like they were saying this stuff just to say it! I felt no passion! It was so rehearsed! 

So now it's my turn! I step up to the mic and the first thing that comes out of my mouth was "I know you guys are tired of hearing everyone say "I just want to thank God..." so I'm NOT going to say that..." 

*BLANK STARE* 

I think I might have heard a pin drop! WHAT WAS I THINKING?? I'm at a church and have the nerve to declare "you guys have got to be tired of hearing everyone thank God"! I will never forget that moment.  And now 11 years later, I'm still slightly embarrassed that I said that.  I've thought I was a "comic" for some time now, so maybe I was trying to be funny.  Totally not the time or place for such a "joke".  

Either way, I look back over that moment and I think about how much I have grown as a Christian.  Those cliche "church sayings" that I mentioned earlier are uttered from my mouth on a regular basis now.  They may be over used statements, but they carry so much meaning! God has truly done more than enough for me in my life time.  He still blessed me even when I straight dissed him at the church awards ceremony! I gave him no credit whatsoever for my accomplishments! SMH (that's shaking my head in case you're an older reader and didn't know).  

Sometimes I get down on my knees to pray and I go on and on and on thanking God as if he didn't hear me.  That level of gratitude even spills out to others when someone does something for me.  I will issue a sincere thank you and then express my gratitude again and again.  I feel like I can't thank God or kind people enough! When we live in  a world where kindness is taken as a weakness, and doing things for people has some what become a right not a privilege, I feel like expressing thanks is so important! 

As I stand on the first day of a new year, I step into 2013 with great expectations, a humble spirit, and a thankful heart! I'm thankful for my family, the relationship my sister and I have now that used to not be as pleasant or wonderful, for traveling mercies as I traveled during this holiday season, for keeping us safe last night, for food to eat, clothes to wear, and a warm home to live in.  I'm thankful for my friends who texted me pictures of their celebration last night as they brought in the new year an hour before me (I'm on Central time here in Memphis), I'm thankful for the text message I got from my god-daughter's mother at midnight saying "HAPPY NEW YEAR GODMOMMY". It made me think back to 2007 when my mom was the first person to call me to wish me a happy new year.  Selfishly, I resented the fact that my first call of 2007 was from my mother and not a love interest.  That was the last new year my mother would call me to say happy new year since she died 2 months later. So I cherished that moment of my goddaughter thinking of me and wanting to be one of the first to wish me a happy new year! I would give anything to get a call like that from my mom again.  I'm thankful for my relationship with God and my desire to want to tell the world about Jesus and his love! I'm thankful for Jesus dying for my sins and loving me more than I could ever imagine.  I could go on and on because the list is endless!! I will close with this, I'm thankful for this new year.  New possibilities, new opportunities, a new attitude, new accomplishments, new lessons, new blessings, new mercies, and not necessarily a new me, but a better me! 

Thank you, Lord! :)