I have been faithful to ab workouts in particular for weight loss and conditioning. This is one workout I use to prep and condition for fights. I've found that skill is great but out working your opponent is better ;) This conditioning and toning ab workout is perfect to get your rectus abdomonis, internal and external obliques involved. The Workout...
Enjoy the journey, Meg More Great WorkoutsHealthy Recipes You Will Love
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New Years resolutions have become a bit of a cliche as of late. But why? Shouldn't we be encouraging everyone to better themselves overall? Why not mark a day on the calendar to change yourself? I know what you are thinking New Years resolution are a cliche because no one keeps them. Well, then I ask you, what is stopping people from keeping them? I personally love New Years Resolutions, it's a time I rethink who I am and how I see myself. I think about my own life path and whether I am proud of myself or not. This year my resolutions are simple, I want to continue what I have started in 2017 (I know God forbid the years cross over.) My best new years resolution was my 2015 resolution, very simply, lose weight. And I did! Yes, you read that correctly I accomplished a New Years resolution. Granted if you have read any of my other posts you may have learned the sad ending to that story, but that's not the point. I know now where my mistakes were and can fix those mistakes. So my friends here are 10 ways that I have used to stay on my fitness and diet plan this year and plan to continue into the new year. 10 Tips...1. Write it out
- Write down your plan. I have a "fitness binder" it includes boundaries for my diet kind of like a rule book. It has different workouts for when I'm feeling lazy and it has shopping lists that fit my diet. 2. Create a standard shopping list - I keep mine in my fitness binder. This is a sheet that I typed of the foods I can eat and the food I eat on a daily basis. I then transferred this to the format of a shopping list including other necessities. That way I have a list in advance of what I need and helps me to not stray while at the grocery store. 3. I am saddened to inform you, dear reader, that I did not leave the holiday season unscathed. Well actually we are still dead in the heart of my family's holiday week. This is the one week a year that we eat until we physically can not eat anymore. I must say as of yesterday I have given up on our yearly gorging traditions simply because I actually wanted a salad. Crazy I know. Between eating INCREDIBLY unhealthy foods during finals week and coming home to Christmas festivities Christmas morning I weighed in at 196 lbs that's 9 lbs heavier than my lowest weight of 187 lbs. Although I was disappointed in myself I also wondered what kind of monster weighs themselves on Christmas morning :) This weigh in did cause me to only sample the endless platters on the Christmas dinner table. I have to say for the first time in my life I did not get up from a holiday celebration feeling as though I were going to explode. This makes me wonder if I might be onto something. I will be weighing myself on New Year's morning as well to see if my strategy works. This morning I weighed myself (Thursday) and I weighed in at 192 back down 4 lbs. So here are a few things I have done in the past few days to make sure that those pounds don't stay with me.
Enjoy the journey, Meg CategoriesPlot twist!!! You don't need a gym membership to workout, lose weight, or even be healthy. This workout is a HIIT workout that will leave you refreshed and oh so very tired! 30 Seconds Burpees 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Russian Twists 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Lunges (every other) 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Right Side Plank 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Leg Lifts 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Left Side Plank 10 Second Rest 30 Seconds Squats 10 Second Rest 1 Min Plank Repeat 3X ArchivesCategoriesIt's no secret that losing weight isn't easy hell it's not even moderately easy. I can't quite compare it to anything else because when you want to lose weight it impacts almost every decision. It is not just a diet it is a mindset and a mentality that must follow you everywhere you go.
I hope I haven't scared you away because my purpose of this post is not to scare you away, but rather to tell you of my own "rocky road." I have read hundreds of before and after weight loss stories with just simply a paragraph saying "yeah sure it was hard at times." You know exactly what I'm talking about too because every weight loss story has one little blip about the "hard part." I have had days where eating three salads a day is just what I consider to be "life." I have had other days where I would rather not eat at all than put another leafy green in my mouth. And the latter is what I will discuss with you. There are mountains on every journey you can choose to sit at the bottom and think "well I can't climb that mountain it's too tall." Or you could gather your gusto and get moving. Or because I am a firm believer in always having another option (due to my unbelievable obsession with the Divergent series.. moving on:) you could dig a hole through the mountain ( which is the less efficient option if we are being realistic.) And so that leaves us with climbing that mountain. I don't have it in me to lie to you and say that these past few months have been easy because they simply have not. I signed up to do a trial run with the ROTC at my school and simply fell in love with it. I signed up knowing that I would have to lose 70 lbs before I ever really got to commit to the Army. I failed 2 APFTs (Army Physical Fitness Test) which measures your physical ability. All the while watching my friends contract with the Army and have a clear future and plan. This all happened while I was just shy of starving myself and eating mostly salads, eggs, and meat. God I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to give up! When I got on the scale and the numbers were the same day after day, or when the measuring tape showed a quarter of an inch higher than last week despite not cheating on my diet. And for heaven's sake I read these stories about people dropping 50 + lbs in 6 months following a clean diet and exercising every day and they are so motivational! But I constantly compared myself to these people online that claim this insane weight loss accomplishment and I sincerely commend you. But then I look in my own mirror and wonder why I can't lose weight that fast, and why I ONLY lost 20 lbs and can't seem to budge the scale no matter what I do. But then I remember what I have accomplished. I may have failed my first two APFTs, but I passed my third APFT with flying colors because I worked my A** off training almost every day of the week. I took almost three mins off my 2 mile time. I lost 4 inches in my waist and need a new belt because I ran out of holes on the one I was wearing. My leggings don't stay up anymore and my t-shirts are baggy. But more than the physical changes I realized I am tough as hell because I showed self- control beyond what I ever expected I could do. And for this I am proud. To me the good here does not outweigh the bad, but I must warn you I am a dangerous perfectionist, but I know that the closer I get to my goal the closer the good will be to outweighing the bad. No, my friend, my journey has not been easy it's been a very rocky road. But I am proud of the road I have traveled thus far and I am determined to finish this road a stronger and better person. I must say I am still on this journey for the destination of joining the Army, I am learning that the journey is the most important part. I am learning so much about myself. I am building myself, not just my body but my determination as well. My journey is pushing me every day and with this I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Enjoy the journey, Meg This recipe has been an old and faithful friend. I have dieted my entire life trying different healthy foods, some I liked and others I had a pure distaste for. This recipe was the VERY FIRST health food recipe that I created myself. This recipe evolved in my Paleo Era (pun very much intended.) This was a six month period my sophomore year of high school when I followed the paleo diet. Although very successful in the first month (20 lbs!) I ended up gaining it all back while still strictly following the diet :( BUT this recipe evolved as a way of keeping myself mentally on track while following the paleo diet. I had struggled so hard to stray away from unhealthy foods I did not cheat in the entire 6 months not once and recipes like this helped me do that. I ADORE this recipe because it doesn't feel like a "diet food" it feels like real food and it leaves you satisfied not starving while waiting for the next meal. The Recipe...1 Avocado 1 Can of Tuna 1 Cap Full of Lemon Juice Salt Pepper 4 Romaine Lettuce Leaves Salsa Optional... Garlic Powder Onion Powder Mash avocado in bowl until smooth. Add can of tuna (drained). Mash tuna into avocado until the tuna is shredded. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper along with any other desired seasonings. Place the four romaine lettuce leaves side-by-side and put the avocado mixture in the leaves. Place salsa on top. Enjoy the journey, Meg For more fun and easy recipes click here
I've been around the block with smoothies, you name it I've tried it! Some were less than edible (I'm talking to you green smoothie that tasted like fresh cut grass) while others were delicious like this pure fruit smoothie. The only ingredient in this fruit smoothie is... wait for it... FRUIT. No liquids, no dairy, no powders, just fruit. This is a pure glass of fruit! The trick to making this smoothie, well smooth is not in the liquids or additives it's in the process. The Recipe...2 cups Frozen Mixed Berries 1 Banana Microwave the Frozen Mixed Berries for 2 mins, or until berries are soft but not warm. Place berries in mixer/ blender and blend until about half of the fruit has been turned to liquid. Add in the banana (chopped) Enjoy the journey my friends,
Meg This full body workout gets you up and moving with no equipment necessary. You can do it in your living room or even in a park. This is one of my go to workouts! 15 Squats 10 Push-ups 10 Lunges (5 each leg) 15 Sit-ups 10 Side Lunges (5 each leg) 20 Russian Twists (10 each side) 1 Min plank Repeat 3X Quantities can be increased or decreased based on level. Have fun!! Enjoy the journey, Meg More Like This... In some ways following a clean diet in college is so much easier than eating healthy at home. Like always counting on fresh salad ingredients and plant based choices. But in other ways following a clean diet in college is incredibly hard. Like when there is unlimited ice cream, desserts, and fountain drinks. For me the dreaded "freshman 15" hung over my head like a dark cloud. I could not think of anything worse than going into college with a weight loss mentality and gaining 15 lbs. As my first semester is wrapping up I can proudly say I have avoided the freshman 15. Not to pat myself on the back. In total I lost 20 lbs in my first semester at college!! Here's How I Did It 10. Stay away from the fountain drinks. - Water will do just fine for nourishment. Some days I could not drink another drop of plain water and I mixed a dash of vitamin water into my water bottle, but no more than a dash! 9. Plan where and what you are going to eat. -Most if not every college posts their dining hall menu online or even in a bulletin. By checking out what is available in the dining halls you can pick the dining hall based on what you like to eat so you aren't stuck with a salad or eating something incredibly unhealthy. 8. Stick to one plate. - This tip is pretty obvious, it does not matter how healthy you are eating if you are eating 5 plates of an all you can eat buffet the calories are not going to negate themselves without a significant workout. 7. KISS -Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep your food intake as simple as possible. Basically, eat lower on the food chain to keep your intake simpler. This means fruits, vegetables, nuts, poultry. 6. Increase water intake. - It's no secret in the health and fitness world that water is a key to success. Water keeps you full between meals to reduce snacking and helps to cleanse your system of impurities. 5. Keep snacking to a minimum. - Snacks are not meals! 4. Drink water before meals. - Consuming at least a glass of water before meals will help you feel fuller sooner. 3. The salad bar is your best friend. - One great thing about college dining is you are guaranteed a decent selection of salad as well as salad toppings. The salad bar can be used to get in plenty of servings of vegetables. 2. The desert bar is dangerous - If you are like me then one brownie turns into three brownies very quickly and the all you can eat ice cream quickly becomes two scoops and a swirl. Avoiding the desert bar avoids the unplanned multiplication. I would limit myself to only eating from the desert bar on Saturdays. 1. It's a mentality - Whether you are trying to lose weight or avoid gaining weight eating healthy in the dining hall is all mental. I have been around the weight loss block enough to know the story that so many of us share. I'll be honest my story isn't very far off from most of the weight loss stories I have read. I'll be honest I saw the scale read 210 and I was crushed! I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin and hated myself for it. I was heading off to college and the dreaded "freshman 15" was eerily haunting me. I knew if I wanted to change the way I saw myself I was going to have to drastically change my life. This picture was taken on July 10, 2017 it is the only full body picture I have from the summer of 2017 because I was so embarrassed of the way I looked. And even then I was sucking in my gut so hard I couldn't breathe. Just two days after this photo was taken I met someone that forever changed my life. I now look up to him as a role model and a mentor. He had previously served for over 20 years in the United States Army. I told him that I had tried to join the Army and it was less than successful and HE LAUGHED! Now I was shocked! But I needed an explanation for his laughter. He must have seen the question on my face because he said "I've heard that from more than one person, and I've seen those same people commissioned into the Army." I was taken aback. How the rules were the rules! Simply put if you are overweight by more than a certain percent you can not join the Army. It turns out this man was affiliated with the ROTC at my college. He told me "Show up on the first day for PT (Physical Training) and we will get you there." He was so matter of fact about it that I had no choice but to believe him. He seemed confident in me and I wasn't even confident in me! **Spoiler Alert** You can be sure I showed up for the first day of PT in September and completely fell in love with the program. After speaking to him in July I struggled to get back onto the weight loss wagon. I was working 40+ hours a week at a physically strenuous job with little time to eat on breaks. I rarely ate more than 1 meal a day some days I just didn't have time to eat at all. And my days off I spent all day eating and my body was desperate for calories. It was during this time that I actually put on 5 lbs! In August I decided enough was enough I needed to lose weight before going to school in September and found an extreme diet... Any experienced dieter knows what I'm talking about. A diet that restricts your calories to next to 0 and eating a "meal" leaves you hungry and unsatisfied. Yup I was MISERABLE!!! Literally I was B*tch for over 10 days I was on this diet and lost 2 lbs starving myself. I gave it up out of pure hunger and ended up gaining the 2 lbs back by the time school started. These pictures were taken the day I left for school. I thought before the pictures were taken that I'd love to have a cute picture for Instagram showing my big day of moving into college. Instead I ended up crying when I saw these photos. I'm still cringing. And so in my farewell I present to you my official "before" photos...
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MegI am an 18 year old premed student. I am on my journey of losing 80 lbs! You can follow my progress on my blog and my YouTube channel Journey With Meg. Archives
February 2018
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