It's just a number

So you may be wondering why the photos of myself. Especially in my blog, where all can see. Good question. Well, there is a method to my madness. I want all of you love ladies and gents to comment on how much you think I weigh. And it's not because I want to feel thin or I am insecure. Once a few people guess I will tell my true weight. The reason being is to prove a point, which you will all see what I mean after you guess. Now onwards to the post. As women, we step on the scale and if we see the number the same or increased, we beat ourselves up and give up, thinking none of the hard work we are all putting in is doing anything. This just isn't so and you do not want to begin thinking that way because it's a slippery path to more weight gain and a lot of bad decisions. Trust me that I know because I was there at one point. First off the scale is just a scale. Most cannot determine things that do weigh in on good health such as low cholesterol, low resting blood pressure, low resting pulse, muscle percentage, and fat percentage. These factors are what are so important in determining good health and a healthy life. Not the scale. For instance if you are bulky or muscular and stepped on a scale, and went to a BMI chart solely on your weight, you'd technically be considered obese. Which makes no sense due to all the strength training done. The scale is just a number meant to be taken very lightly as a slight guide in where to go on your health path. But weight is certainly not the end all or be all to a healthy lifestyle and weight loss success. So remember, the scale is not going to solely determine your health, or your character, or your morals. Well, that's all for now! Remember to guess my weight so I can make a reply good pony about the number on the scale to everyone. Stay forever for and forever healthy. 

This is my question of the day. What I posted as my status in facebook. I want to help people loose weight, but I need to know I have a steady market possibility before making the plummet with beach body coaching. Let me know if interested by a facebook message, a comment here, or an email at lia5513@hotmail.com! Stay forever fit and healthy all!

Weight loss tips/How I keep motivated

So I am part of this fabulous group on facebook for those who love exercising to Leslie Sansone walking videos, and a woman asked me if I could post some of my weight loss tips. So, as a woman of my word I am posting my tips here in this blog, for all to read.

1. Positive attitude!!!! Biggest way to reach and get to your goals! Trust me I know it's hard I know it's not easy! At my heaviest I weighed 220, wore a size 12-14, and felt disgusted with myself and pretty down in the hopeless dumps. The minute you stop beating yourself up is the minute weight loss begins to occur!! Self loathing and self pity is a major mental road block. You won't exercise as much as you could, or eat as healthy as you could because in the back of your mind you are already telling yourself "I can't do it so why try?" Well you can do it and it will happen! Negative energy holds us back! Let go, let go, and let go of the negativity and you will see all your goals are more attainable than you thought!
2. Small mini goals!!! You want to loose 40, 50, even 80, 90, 100+ pounds! Great! And it's great to keep your overall get set in the back of your mind! But your overall final goal, keep that in the back of your mind! If you think of the overall amount of weight you want to loose without giving yourself mini goals the mind becomes overwhelmed. When the mind becomes overwhelmed our brains natural reaction is to give up, or to set back in order to ease the stress. So, depending on what you want to loose overall set smaller goals from there. 20-50 pounds? Set 5 pound increment goals. 50-100 pounds? Set 10 pound increment goals? 100+? Set 20 pound goals. Numbers between 5-20 seem much more attainable to the mind than a big overall weight loss goal. And the mini goals will keep you motivated!!
3. Have mini little indulgences. Craving fries? Cookies? Ice cream? Chicken wings? Studies have shown that eating a tiny bit of your craving in small, yet slow bites is so significant in pleasing and satisfying that craving without ruining your diet for the day. Craving an oreo? Have one Oreo with say, a glass of almond milk and eat the Oreo slow. Fries? Eat two individual fries at that slow pace. Chicken wings? Eat one wing. The slow pace with small bites allows time for the body to send signals to the brain. Those "feel good" hormones will kick in thru the nerves, sending the signal to the whole body which is why by the time you finish those two individual fries, or one cookie, or a spoonful of ice cream, the body will be satisfied.
4. Aim for some kind of small exercise daily! As Leslie Sansone always says "the body was made for motion," while you could think she says that as a selling gimmick (granted if you only have just started with her I could see someone thinking that) but really, it's true. We weren't given the hundreds of bones and muscles we have to sit around in bed or on the couch all day! And again, exercising daily does NOT mean you have to go to the gym daily and burn 800 calories, and run 8 miles. A brisk one mile walk with some light yoga, for example is all you need. As Leslie Sansone also says, any time you just move and get yourself off the couch, you made a good choice! And it's true. But again daily exercise does not mean you need to do triathlon athlete styled workouts! A mile of brisk walking daily is all you need, that equals about 20 minutes a day of brisk exercise.
5. Listen to your body!!!! It knows what it needs! We are smart creatures, our minds and bodies are always giving us signals as to what we need! The body lets you know when you need to rest, stretch, eat, when you're getting ill, etc. Ignoring body signals is not a good way to try and reach goals! If you need to rest, take a 15 minute nap or break. If you have hunger pains, eat a light cheesestick and an apple! There are appropriate times to push, but don't push to the point where your body is breaking down! It's all about finding that happy medium!
6. Every bit of movement counts!!!! Grocery store? Park in te furthest parking spot from the store! Going to your office on say, second or third floor? Take the stairs instead of the elevator! Taking little shortcuts such as these really add up so much throughout your day! 
7. Build your exercise up gradually! Again, this is to prevent burnout and frustration. If you haven't worked out I  say, 4-5 years and you are just getting started again, you don't want to jump right in to 2-3 hours of heavy exercise a day. You will get frustrated and you will want to give up! I always recommend to people just starting to start with either 1-2 miles of brisk walking a day, and, only if the choose, maybe add one pound hand weights. This averages to around 20-25 minutes of exercise a day. Which is attainable and something we all can do! 
8. Be patient with your body! It takes the body on average about two weeks to really take to the changes you are making to it. Say you aren't big on eating things like vegetables, unsweetened beverages, etc. Don't instantly give up on them! The taste buds are known to adapt to change! By two weeks you will start to actually enjoy the foods you never thought you would like! Same with exercise! Takes the body about two weeks to get used to a routine!
9. Do not change both diet and exercise habits on the same day!!! Or even in the same week! Too much change too quickly is actually counter productive on the body. The best way to go with diet and exercise is to change your diet first, and give the body two weeks time to get used to the new foods, and then on day 14, begin with the exercise. This way it won't feel so burdensome on the body! 
10. When going out read menu items closely!!! Of you are out at a restaurant, but watching what you eat, be sure to really READ what is in the dish you are getting. Especially with salads! Just because you getting a salad does not necessarily mean it's aitomatocally better for you. If this salad has cheese, croutons, creamy dressing, fried chicken on it, then really it is not any better than a Big Mac or a whopper. Always order salads with dressing on the side! Any dressing, whether it's the sauce on a sandwhich, dressing on a salad, etc it's always beat of it is on the side (or you could ask for it without sauce, which is always the best option because it is a step closer to the food in its natural state). Also if you see words or phrases you don't understand always ask the server! I tend to find most of the things I don't know tend to be something creamy or fried! Croutons, I would stay away from as well! They're tony but their calories add up very quickly!

That's all for now, I'll post more later. Stay forever healthy and forever fit!

An explanation and understanding on chocolate

Okay so, I have thought about this and have given in person explanations on chocolate, so now, I am going to give an in depth explanation on chocolate for everyone to read and understand. Good news and bad news. The good news is chocolate, in its serving size quantity is healthy! Bad news, only dark chocolate is healthy in its serving size quantity. 

First off, let me start by stating that most people do not really like true blue chocolate! True blue chocolate comes from the cocoa bean and typically has a slightly bitter yet with a hint of a nutty taste. The cocoa bean in any natural form (whether grounded, whole, powder) is healthy! That's where the flavonoids and antioxidants are! A similar comparison to chocolate is flour. Flour in its natural state is a light brown/tan color because the wheat plant is a nice tan/golden brown color. However, the more of the natural seed that is stripped away from the flour, which is called "the wheat germ" or, as you will see on food packages called durum, the whiter and light the flour will be. And the lighter the flour, the less nutrients and the less beneficial it will be for us to consume. This standard principal goes for chocolate as well! Basically, the way white and milk chocolate is formed is by taking out more and more of the natural cocoa bean. White chocolate has absolutely NO "chocate" or no coca bean in it. White chocate is the equivalent to white, or bleached flour, absolutely ZERO nutritional or health benefits. All that white chocate is, is the remainders of the cocoa bean after it has been stripped (the remains tend to be oils and startchy fats) and loads and loads of processed, "white" or cane sugar. Milk chocolate has about 25%-50% of the cocoa bean within. So anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of the cocoa bean has been stripped from the milk chocolate. Milk chocolate isn't healthy either because in order to replaced what was stripped from the cocoa bean they have to replace it with additives like added oils, processed chemicals, added sugars, etc. 

And then there is dark chocolate. Dark chocolate ranges (from what I've seen) to having 65%-100% of the pure and complete cocoa bean within. This means only 1/3 or less of the cocoa bean is stripped from the chocolate. Which means that dark chocolate is going to have the least added oils, fats, sugars, etc. because of this, this is why dark chocolate is the "purest" most real chocolate and actually has some health benefits since the majority or all of the cocoa bean is in tact in the chocolate.

So, this is why I will say to people that if you do not like dark chocolate, then you are not a true chocolate fan. Because if you favor white or milk but hate dark chocolate, that means what you really like about "chocolate" are the added fats, oils, sugars, etc. Chocolate in its true state is the cocoa bean, nothing more or less. 

So, if you have one square to the serving size of dark chocolate ONLY per day, you do get health benefits from the antioxidants and flavonoids within! So there is some good news, some chocolate is healthy, just that it is dark chocolate and not white or milk chocolate.

Food for thought!!! That's all for now everyone! Remember to stay forever healthy and forever fit! It's a lifestyle! Not a fad! 

One thing to know...

Well, two things really. First I wanted to write a little more about Leslie Sansones walking videos, because as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am a huge fan of her videos. I have read a couple reviews saying her walking program is easy. First, let's start with the basics. Leslie's walking program has 5 basic steps (she always says there's four, but really, there's 5); these 5 basic steps are a kickback (hamstring curl), lifting the knee up, kicks, side steps, and walking in place. The number one key to making the walking videos challenging is getting low with the movements. The lower you sit into every move, the more muscle you will have engaged, and as we all know, the more muscle engaged, the more you will burn! Also, another key to making her workouts a challenge is to add light weights to both the wrists and ankles! So, to maximize the benefits and the workouts I get down low with every movement Lealie does in the walking videos and add 2lb weights to both my wrists and ankles! I recommend to simply get wrist and ankle weights from five below. You can buy two sets for ten dollars, which is relatively inexpensive. Trust me, with added weights and getting down low you will be sweating in no time and will get a great workout using Leslie Sansones video. I believe a great thing about her videos is you can set them up for yourself to be super easy or a super challenge, depending on what level you feel comfortable at. Added bonus: I do this for a added detox boost as I exercise, I crank up my mini electric heater and really crank up the temperature; though I would NOT recommend doing this until you are at an advanced exercise stage. Also, if you choose to add on the heater to the exercise, make sure you are replenishing your body after with LOTS of water. Our bodies are made up of primarily water, so make sure to replenish your body after! If anyone has any questions regarding exercise or Leslie Sansones videos, feel free to leave a comment!

The next topic I wanted to touch base on is listening to cues that your body gives you. I know it's not always easy, we all have busy lives to do and so forth, but we must listen to cues that the body gives! For example, I was exhausted this weekend, had a busy week, plus was exercising 6 days out of the week, ranging from 90-120 minutes. Today I allowed myself to sleep in for 12 hours. A lot of time yes, but I could tell by the end of the week my body needed the time. If you are irritable, hungry, ill, and/or exhausted, or any combination of these feelings, usually there is a reason why. Our body is always shooting signals from the neurons back to our brains to get across a message. Listening to your mindset will remain much more at ease. I truly believe that when we ignore body signals, that is what leads to negativity in our lives (ie: depression, contracting worse illnesses, and an irritability which can affect everyday relationships, work performance, etc). What people do not seem to understand is just giving yourself even a ten minute break in between our busy schedules, say to eat a snack, to take a quick snooze, will actually end up making the rest of your day more efficient because at the end of the day you will prevent from slowing down as much. Another thing I believe that will keep your energy up is waking up a little early to squeeze in at 10-20 minute workout/exercise before beginning the day. Those 10-20 minutes will be the most energizing and relaxing minutes because you are giving time to yourself, and an early morning workout allows your muscles to get the "wake up" the need as well. Your adrenaline will increase, endorphins increase, and you will become more alert and aware of your surroundings. Health truly is a lifestyle. You don't get overall health and wellbeing from only listening and completing one part of the circle to overall health. So spend time for yourself is the most important lessen here. You cannot give you all to other aspects of your life if you are not first and foremost, caring for yourself and your needs.


That's all for now. Stay forever healthy and fit everyone!

Talking about fit bands

So, one of the newer, bigger hypes that is increasingly growing in the fitness industry are various brands and type of fit bands. I have a vivofit fit band myself, and have had it since Christmas. I will say, with my busy schedule, I do not exactly use the app that goes with my fit band. I downloaded the app and set it up just so I could get my fit band properly running, but I do not use the app anymore. You can choose to use it or not; depending on the kind of person you are. I have been exercising on and off for 11-12 years now, so I do not feel like I need the structure, plus I do not like that much structure. I personally like my workout programs to be random and free flowing.

The main con with the fit band is if you make any sudden quick jolts or movements, the "steps" on the band will count down as if you took a step. That is the main thing I do not like. I would like a pedometer that will calculate just my actual steps so I can really tell how many miles I have exercised, walked, jogged throughout the day. So, whenever I get excited to say, my fiancée for example about how many steps my fit band has dropped in what I have left, I be sure to specify/say to him, for example, I have gone and made 5,000 steps AND movements (since it calculates both in reality). So with that component I feel like it is slightly /a little bit of false advertising because all it says is how it just calculates your steps; just mentioned that sudden or accidental jolts/movements will decrease your steps as well.

The greatest bonus I am finding to this fit band, is, even though it does calculate random movements and not just steps it highly motivates me. I personally set my fit band settings for the "high activity" settings, so it started me off with goal of 7,500 steps/movements. And when I am driven, there is no stopping me. And this is what this fit band does for me. It highly motivates me. As I watch that pedometer numbers continue to drop, the more determined I am to make my goal (and then-some at times).

So it is a good investment for you for one of two reasons, one, if you are like me and get motivated by watching the numbers drop, or two, if the structure of the app that couples with the fit band appeals to you. I would only skip on it if the fact that the numbers decreasing sometimes to random movements that aren't walking or jogging bothers you since unfortunately there is no way to get around that. Also it tracks your hours of sleep, when you sleep, and a couple other functions, if you want just a pure and simple pedometer, I also would not invest in this.

Have a good night all! Hope this mini review helps somewhat when deciding about fit bands. Stay forever healthy and forever fit.

Pure Green Wellness Smoothie

Here is the finished product:

First, cut up about 1/4 of a cucumber, I bought just a medium, average sized cucumber. Then cut that 1/4 cucumber into very slender circular pieces. Then cut those circular pieces in half (makes it easier for blender to cut up). Next, take a granny smith apple and cut it in half (you'll be using only half of the apple for the single serve recipe. Then, cut that 1/2 apple again into slender, skinny slices, and proceed to then cut those slender slices into halves. Next, take a green pear, cut it in half (again half a pear is for one serving). Then cut the half pear into skinny slices, then cutting those skinny slices into half pieces. Next I bought one bushel of kale, I'd say it looks about average size. Take 1/3 of that kale and cut/shred into small pieces. The next ingredient is to just drop 12 raw almonds into the mix. Next put in 1/2c of plain greek yogurt into the blending cup. Also drop in about a handful of fresh cranberries. Then put a green tea bag into a coffee cup with about 1/4c water, bringing it to a boil (for my microwave that took about 2 minutes), and dump the green tea into the blending cup. And finally, put about 1c unsweetened almond milk into the mix. Blend around 3 minutes or so. From beginning to end this took me about 10-15 minutes to create. Calorie total I am estimating this smoothie at is about 305 calories!

Well I hope everyone enjoys this smoothie! I did. Feel free to add about a half cup of trop50 orange juice is you want to make it a little sweeter.

That's all in the post! Stay forever fit, forever healthy.