What's all the hype about refeed days??

Hey there friends!! Long time no blogging right??? Sorry it's been a while!! Life has been absolutely insane for me and truly haven't had time to blog or think! Ha ha okay that's a little drastic but it's how I feel sometimes!!! Today I'm going to be talking about refeed days. The information, the results and my opinion! If you haven't heard of it yet, now you will! Let's get started! 

So, I had heard people talking about refeed days and wasn't sure what it was. I noticed a figure competitor on IG talk about it and I still remember the picture to this day. It was of egg whites and a snickers bar and that was her breakfast before her lifting session! Haha. I thought to myself, well that's super awesome and just kept scrolling thinking it was a bunch of pish posh. My boyfriend Aaron ended up asking the next day to research on it because he was curious so I did! Now here's where people need to be careful. There are soooo many opinions on refeed days. What you should do. What you should eat. How much you should. Etc. Etc. So, after my research of what it does, I decided to try it out myself. I have been prepping for an awesome photo shoot coming up this weekend and thought this would be a good trial to see if it works. Sort of risking it but I had confidence. And this was my results. 

This was two days after my 4th refeed day of the month!! This is what I did!

So, I ate super duper clean all week. Sunday through Friday. Watching carbs, making sure the carb source was strictly sweet potatoes, rice, oats, rice cakes. (Complex carbs) cycling the gram intake and keeping fat low and protein high. (Of course ha ha) then when Saturday would come I would still keep the protein high, fat was low but the carb intake was doubled! I usually shot for 220g of carbs. But the carb source was starchy carbs. Bread. Potatoes. Fries. Dough. Tortillas. These carbs sources release a hormone in the brain called "Leptin." Leptin speeds up the metabolism and gets in to that belly areas and burns fat cells and uses them for energy! So, since you don't eat those starchy carbs all week, then one day of the week you healthily give your body a good dose of those carbs, your body goes into Leptin mode and releases that into your system and boom, you got belly fat going away! I would still eat every 3 hours, decent sized meals, I would NOT go over board. But I made sure by the end of the day I was at 200g carbs using MYFITNESS PAL to put my footd intake in and made sure my fat content was low. (Around 60-70g)  I didn't want to ruin my hard work of course. Now, I also do 30 min of morning fasted cardio on the bike as well as my lift sessions, which I know helps as well. I'm not going to jus rely on a chemical to get fit. It just doesn't work that way, but I did try it and I will say I like what I see so far! It also helps mentally. By the end of the week, I'm tired, I'm hungry for substance and being able to get good meals in and have that satisfaction with some good food helped keep me going!! 

I'm not sure I would ever do this for a show prep diet. Some competitors do, which is fine but I will have to keep trying it to see what I think!! But if you're wanting to get lean and maybe you're having trouble and have tried everything, give this a shot!! Let me know what you think!! 

Keep on those goals!! Don't ever give up! Eat clean, stay active and be positive!! 

BELIEVE in yourself. INSPIRE others. ACHIEVE your goals. 

Quote of the day:"sweat more. Bitch less." 

Till next time my fitness friends!! <3

New recipe and leg day!!

Good morning my fitness freaks!!! Hope everyone is staying focused and staying on top of their goals! Today I'm gana show you an awesome new recipe and an awesome leg workout that will rock your world! For my ladies, leg day is key if you want sexy toned legs and a nice booty! Woo!! Let's get started!

Look at how amazing that is!! Here we have a super stuffed baked potato, and awesome chicken salad with poppyseed dressing!!  Here's how you make it...

Bake the potatoes for an hour in the oven at 425.  While that's baking you're gana make the cheese sauce that you will put on top of the potato, that is very low fat I may add ha ha. In a small saucepan, combine 1 tbsp flour, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and the pinch of salt. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of the milk until the flour dissolves. ( I use almond milk for way less sugar and calories) Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup fat free cheddar cheese until smooth. Set aside.

Now the original recipe called for broccoli but Aaron is allergic so I got frozen spinach in cream sauce and it was amazing so I'll let you decide! But either way set that out so it will thaw out or jus toss it in the microwave for a few so it will be ready when the potatoes are done!

Once the potatoes are done take them out and holding the potatoes with an oven mitt, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into a bowl, leaving a ¼" shell. Place the shells on a baking sheet. Mash the flesh with a potato masher.

Stir in  2/3 cup milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Spoon the potato mixture into the shells. Top with spinach and the delicious cheese sauce you just made. Then toss those puppies into the oven one last time, bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through. While those are baking through jus get some spinach or ice burg lettuce, and I used frozen chicken so it would fast to microwave and be ready quick! Make your own amazing salad and then once the potatoes are done, voila! You're all ready to eat!! 

Just make sure you take it easy on the dressing you're going to use. 1 tbsp should be plenty so we don't rack up the fat grams!! 

Bon appetite!!! :) 

Now for the legs! 

Leg day is my ultimate favorite if anyone knows me! So this day is definitely for more immediate and advanced folk who know the exercises! 

I started with stretching. Always always always stretch. Once I was warmed up I did squats. 3 sets of 10. Then super set with hamstring curls on the machine. 20 reps. You super set after each set of squats. 

Next, you will do lunges, either with dumbbells or a barbell. 10 each leg with weights. Then super set after that exercise with quad extensions. 20 reps. Do this three times. 

After this go straight into walking lunges for two minutes. Super set this with leg press. Make sure to keep your legs wide with your toes turned out so you form a v. This works the glutes like crazy!! 20 reps, add light weight but push through. By now your legs should be shaking and tired. Do this three times. 

The key point to this whole exercise that makes it killer, is you rest ONLY A MINUTE between each set. So, now, take the challenge and get to it!!

I wanted to post pictures so bad but had no one to take pictures so I'm sorry! I will get better about that!! 

Get to it my friends!! Push those limits!! Make yourself work!! That's when we seen results!! 

Have a great day and let me know what ya think!! 

Quote of the day: Arnold was told by many people "I don't wana look like you." His repose, "good, because you never will." 

Healthy pizza and quesadillas, what?!

Good morning my loves!!! Hope everyone's summer is going great!! I can't even believe it's going to be august soon! Since it's still summer though, we have to keep that bikini, sexy summer body right?! And we can only do that with exercise and proper eating right?! Well lucky for you, I have created a couple of awesome recipes that are packed full of fiber, protein, and clean low calories so you can eat GUILT FREE! Woo! Ha ha! Plus I'll show you a bonus dessert at the bottom that will knock your socks off!

Here you have a delicious quesadilla with chicken, cheese, and black beans! The tortilla that is used is the Flatout light, that I get at king soopers by the deli! Seriously amazing! What I do: I get the tortilla ready by first putting cheese on the bottom, then chicken, then black beans (that have protein and clean carbs!) on top, then I fold it in half and put it in the skillet, then put a pan on top so you get that crunchy texture to it! Flip it over and do the same thing for about 2 minutes and voila! You have a delicious quesadilla!! Use some salsa or siracha! So yummy!! 

Now, who doesn't love pizza??? Well, me... Ha ha ha. I used to work at a pizza shop and I'm not a big fan, but I do still get cravings and rather than feeling heavy and bloated I created this! You get protein, light carbs, and you satisfy the craving! Uuum, yes please! 

So, the same as the tortilla brand, it's flat out pita bread! They have wheat or white! Either or is delicious! Get a package of those bad boys, and rather than folding them just tear them apart! Set the oven to 375 degrees. Get your pan out, lay out the "pizza dough" and create it how you like! I do light pizza sauce and cheese to save on the calories, then load up on the chicken and olives! My boyfriend added jalepenos to his and loved it! You can play around with it, just remember to keep it clean! 

BOOOOONNNUUUSS;

DESSERT! Woo! Ha ha!! 

 

Look at this delicious beast!!! Now, I wish I could say that I made this bad boy, but I didn't. Sad face. But! I will definitely tell you where I got this! So, at king soopers down the protein bar isle (where I spend most of my time ha ha) is where you find this! Made by Met-Rx, is the protein brownie! Yes, PROTEIN brownie. My dreams have come true ha ha! This is the perfect dessert if you're craving sweets! Has 30g of protein, and sugar alcohol which is a substitute for sugar. Yay! And the best part, you microwave it for 10 seconds and it makes it soft and squishy like a brownie! So, there you go! 

Youre welcome. Hahah.... Kidding. But seriously. 

Alright my fit fam!!! I need feed back! If you like these please let me know!! I'm just getting started so let me know what you think!! Hope everyone has a great rest of their week!! Stay focused and know I'm here if you ever need help!! 

Quote of the day: 

If you want something you've never had, then you must do something you've never done! 

Supplementation

Good morning my awesome fit friends!!! Hope everyone's summer is going great!! Mine has been absolutely busy! Between getting ready to move, working, and training, I'm a WEE bit tired! Ha ha! But it's so worth it! Just got to keep pushing! 

Today I'm going to be talking about supplements! Are they worth getting? What should you take? What do they consist of? I'll explain it all and remember, if you have ANY questions, comment below and I will be more than happy to answer any and all questions! Let's get started....

So, many people ask me if they should be taking supplements. And the answer is YES!!! Supplements are so important especially if you are training hard! When we workout our body uses a lot of it's nutrients and energy to help build those muscles, and supplements help nourish our body after or during out workouts. That way you arent depleted and will see gains a lot faster with supplements!

What should I take then?

Well, since there are sooooo many supplements, I will go over basic supplements that I suggest! You don't have to take ALL. I understand the price adds up, but do what you can! 

1.  PROTEIN! This one I demand any of my clients to go get immediately! Protein is what helps repair muscles after a workout. So if you want to see tone muscles, big muscles, lean muscles, get your fit booty to a supplement this instant and go get a protein! A protein I've been taking recently that I absolutely love is Image Pro grade whey protein! It has CLA and L Carnitine in it which are two extra supplements that aid in weight loss! CLA and L carnitine take fat and convert it to energy! Awesome right?! Then the extra protein which has 30g per scoop help repair those muscles after we workout! Two in one! Best part, it's $30!! So go to your local GNC and go get some! Or you can order it online! 

2.  Vitamins!!!! Vitamins and minerals Re huge when it comes to our bodies! A lot of people think they are getting their daily intake of vitamins, but I would say 70% aren't. Just because you have one banana or apple a day doesn't mean you are getting the proper intake! Ha ha! There are so many ways to get your intake. My suggestion is a liquid form. One of my favorites is VitaCell from Max Muscle. Liquid absorbs better than pull form so that way you reap more benefits this way! 

3. Amino acids. Amino acids are HUGE for helping our bodies recover from our workouts as well! You'll most like see amino acids called BCAA which stand for branch chain amino acids! There's three aminos that repair those muscles and they've created a supplement with these, and they go in and start repairing all those fibers in your muscles you just ripped from lifting. Most of the BCAA supplements come in powder form and taste delicious!! I've tried all different brand, and they all taste delicious, do I have a preference? Not really. However, my man beast of a boyfriend LOVES Amino 1 from Muscle Pharm! Cherry limeaid is an amazing flavor! So if I were to suggest any brand I would suggest that. 

4. Last but not least, Pre-Workout! This is a supplement that you will have to test out and see which you like best. I've tried probably 10 preworkout a in the last year and have 3 favorites out of all of them. Pre workouts help give you that boost for your workout! DEFINITELY take if you're lifting! Most pre workouts have ingredients that will benefit those muscles. My suggestion for women, FBX from Max Muscle. Has caffeine in it, but does not give you the tingly sensation. For you gentleman out there that love that, there's one I highly suggest. Gun Powder from Max Muscle. Has amazing pump and tingly sensation to it. Also has a little bit of creatine too! 

Pre workout should be taken about 15-20 before your workout so that way it absorbs good into your body and then you are set to go!! 

For any of these supplements from GNC go to bodybuilding.com and just put the supplement in the search box and you can get GREAT prices! 

For any supplements from Max Muscle, either visit a local store or you can also order online, Maxmuscle.com! 

Yes these two stores are competitors, I've actually worked at Max Muscle, but the point here is to fuel your body! So let's do just that!! 

Have an awesome rest of your week! Go get some fuel for that body and again, ask any question you may have! 

Quote of the day: 

Clean eatin'

Good morning my fit friends!!! Sorry it's been a while for a post! Life happens and well sometimes your time and energy is needed in other areas of life! But! Here I am now and boy do I have an awesome food post for you!!

So! The boyfriend and I are not doing the show coming up in august. But, we are however, doing a show in October! And since it is a little ways away we are able to be a bit more flexible with our eating right now, and since it was Fourth of July weekend we were able to make some awesome healthy clean eating! So let me show you what we made!

Side note: we were actually wanting to go out to eat but decided we could get more bang for our buck if we went shopping and boy was I right! We BOTH got THREE meals for $17 worth of food!

This my dear friends is a delicious wrap he and I came up with! The wrap itself is a healthy wheat tortilla, 90 calories, 2.5 g of fat, 16 g of carbs, and my favorite part, 9g of protein!!! Then of course I have my grilled chicken in there with spinach, dried cranberries, reduced fat feta cheese, and then poppyseed dressing. On the dressing I do half the serving that way it keeps the fat content low, but you still get the flavor! And then of course sweet potato fries!! You can make your own but after a long day we decided to just buy some! Make sure to eat the serving size so we don't over do it on the carbs!

The next day for breakfast we still had 3 tortillas left and still had chicken left, so this is what I came up with! 

Delicious right?!?! So I scrambled up eggs! I did 8 egg whites, and 3 whole eggs. Since the boyfriend and I were splitting this, that's why I made a lot of eggs! Haha! Then I put in the extra sweet potatoes, sprinkled on cheddar cheese, and then wrapped it up and enjoyed this delicious, healthy homemade breakfast burrito!! 

These are both healthy choice of meals for your family or just yourself!! Let me know what you think or if you add anything else in it that creates amazing flavor!!

Have a fabulous week and remember to stay focused on those goals!!

Trail running

Hey there fitfam!!! Hope you all are having an awesome week and are staying on top of those fitness goals! Today's post is going to be short and sweet but a fun one! 

This last weekend, Aaron, my brother Joel and I went trail running up on blue sky pond trail! It was absolutely beautiful and such a fun run/hike!

This is starting the trail and my badass brother running his heart out! 

I absolutely love being outside! Must be the country girl in me but there is nothing more rejuvenating then running or hiking outside! 

My handsome man Aaron ;)

And I don't know about you but when it's lush and green out it just takes my breath away!! Love this picture oh so much!! 

Try doing something different for fitness! Go out and hike, bike, run, get some fresh air! Just remember to take plenty of water and stuff for food or emergency heaven forbid you would need anything for an emergency ha ha but you just never know!!! So get out and do something different!! 

Quote of the day: "the world is just one big giant playground! So go play!" 

Let's kick it up a notch!

Good morning all and happy Father's Day!! :) today's blog is going to be a fun one and an intense one at that! This will be my first official post of showing you a circuit training session that will not only get that heart rate going but will be so beneficial! I'm also including a protein shake with ingredients and flavor that will knock those tennis shoes right off your feet! 

Here we have, oats, silk almond milk, liquid egg whites, and myofusion protein! Now, you don't always have to use oats, but they are great for first thing in the morning, but let's say you want it for later on in the afternoon and don't want oats in them, then no worries, you don't you don't have to put them in there! This is how I made it:

8-9oz almond milk

2oz of water 

3 egg whites (measurements are on the back. Also, these liquid egg whites won't make you sick drinking them raw)

1 scoop myofusion protein 

1 tsp cinnamon 

Then if you want oats, 1/2 cup 

You can either blend it up in a blender, or you can do as I do and jus shake it up for about a minute! And voila!

I absolutely LOVE this!! There's protein, good carbs and cinnamon is my favorite spice and for those of you who don't know, cinnamon helps increase blood circulation and helps get that metabolism going!! 

So after drinking my fabulous shake it was off to the gym to do a circuit with my brother Joel! 

So here I have our circuit set up. Now, it doesn't look like much, but believe me, there is more to be had. Just wait and see. 

Here we have a medicine ball, kettle bells, dumbbells, a regular mat and a barbell. Choose weights that are about medium weight for your strength. Here is what we did: 

Curls 12 reps

Sprint

Abs 20 reps

Sprint 

Tricep 15 reps

High knees 45 seconds

Bent over rows 20 reps

Sprint 

Shoulder press 15 reps

Sprint

Squats 20 reps 

Mountain climbers 30 seconds 

Oblique twists 20 reps 

Sprint 

Now, for those of you who may not know what each of these workouts is I will show you! 

Bent over rows

Triceps 

Squats! Make sure you go low! 

 Shoulder press 

My brother Joel doing abs! Make sure to keep those feet hovering above the ground at all times! This works the lower abs like crazy!

And when you finish you should have the look of exhaustion on your face! Like this one haha :) love you brother. 

Now, you can go through this once and see how you feel but if you can keep going!  Try to go through at least 2-3 times. This helps get that heart rate up and spikes that metabolism! What I also like about this workout is you can do it outside! Just use your body weight and then sprint on grass for a certain distance! 

Let me know what you think about this workout! Try it and don't give up! It's killer but that's what gives you results! 

Quote for the day: "Do something today that your body will thank you for tomorrow." 

Have a fabulous Father's Day!!