Bye, Bye Love Handles

The thought of wearing a bikini in 4-5 months is a pretty scary thought! So instead of looking like this :

....here are some great exercises to target Love Handles!

And remember....for best results, these need to be completed along with your regular cardio/lifting routines.  Full body workouts that are designed for weight loss, paired with muscle building exercises is the formula for success (which can be applied to any area of the body!).

The Killer Twists
1. Find a weight. A 5-lb. medicine ball is a good starting point.
2. Get into a low squat position and hold the ball to one side of your body
3. Stand up tall and twist your body to the other side. Your arms should be above your head
4. Return to starting position and Repeat. 3 sets of 8-12 reps on each side should do the trick! Make sure you do the sets in a row without a break. This will keep your heart rate up. If you need a break try to keep it around 30 seconds.

                                 Step 2                                          Step 3

Dumbbell Side Dips
1. Hold a weight in one of your hands (around hip height)
2. Bend your body to lower the weight closer to the floor (as far as you can)
3. Now, bend your body the opposite way to lift the weight as high as you can.
4. 3 sets of 8-12 reps on each side

                                Step 1                                          Step 2

Weight Pass Around
1. Use a weight or medicine ball (around 5-lbs.) and sit on the floor, feet flat on the ground.
2. Lift your legs up slightly and grab the medicine ball with both hands.
3. Turn your upper body at the waist, towards your right and place the ball behind your back.
4. Return to starting position (without ball)
5. Retrieve ball by turning back to your right. Do not move your legs.
6. 3 sets of 8-12 reps on each side.

Do you have any other favorite oblique exercises? A great website for finding exercises is http://www.divine.ca/en/health/exercise-finder/c_266/

Healthy Snacks

Because it is human nature to snack, I wanted to share some of my favorite healthy snacks with you!

Source

As a rule of thumb : keep your snacks between 100-200 calories.  Stick to the lower end of this if you are trying to lose weight.

Always keep these metabolism boosting foods in mind when your stomach starts growling!

Source

What are some of your favorite snacks?

Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse

As I was researching Health and Fitness topics, one thing that really intrigued me was doing a cleanse.  Having never done one before and not knowing much about them, I didn't really want to spend hundreds of dollars trying one.

Then, I came across this cleanse.  It seemed very easy and for only $5, what did I have to lose? Because I had been sick for the past few days, I decided to wait until today to begin the cleanse.  The only thing you have to do is mix 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 oz of water and drink before every meal.  It is supposed to help cleanse your body and curb your appetite.

The article made it seem like this vinegar would taste TERRIBLE.  And knowing it was vinegar, I prepared for the worst.  But, because it is so diluted...it really is not that bad.  Would I drink it just for fun? No. But if I feel that the cleanse really does work, I might be trying this cleanse much more often.

I am very excited to keep you updated on how my appetite is compared to normal.  Right after drinking it, I didn't want to look at any food (but that might just be because I drank vinegar water first thing in the morning :-p!)

Now, I am off to eat breakfast, get ready for the day and head off to the local Farmer's Market!  Hopefully I come back with some good stuff!

"'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes." - Thoreau

This is what I have felt like for the past 48 hours....

I absolutely HATE being sick! (But I did not mind cuddling up in bed with my dog and watching the food network for the last two days!)

It was disappointing to not be able to go to the gym today, but I know that I need a lot of rest in order to fight this cold.  Since I wasn't able to make it to the gym, I made sure to keep eating healthy.

Eating healthy is a huge part of losing weight!!  Even with regular exercise it is very hard to lose weight when you are treating your body as a garbage disposal.

My side dish to tonights dinner (whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce...I was feeling lazy!)

Cauliflower Poppers (Recipe) :

Dinner : Spaghetti Squash

Through Pinterest, I discovered Spaghetti Squash.  I was really excited to find it at the store yesterday so I decided to make it for dinner tonight.  Now, let me warn you...people will tell you it tastes like spaghetti. It does not...it tastes like squash.  However, as long as you like squash or zucchini, you should like this.  Overall, I thought it was good. But I liked having a veggie or two for each bite to help with the taste.  In the future, I may try making this with spaghetti sauce as well.

Because I had no idea where to even begin, I used this recipe to get me started.
I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and started on my mission to try and cut the Spaghetti Squash in half.

And let me tell you...this was no easy task.  Based on what was on the sticker that came on the squash, I decided to microwave it for about 75 seconds.  This made it much easier to cut!

Once it was cut, I laid it face down on a greased baking pan and put it into the oven for 30 minutes.  Note : after going through this process, I think it would be easier to take the pulp out of the squash and the insides would cook better if you gut out all of the orange parts of the squash (just the top center portion) and the seeds.

After baking, this is what your squash should look like.  (Actually it will look a little different because you will have removed the whole middle portion!) You need to make sure you let it cool so you will be able to handle it.  While it cools, you can get started on your veggie toppings or pasta sauce.

Because I do not like tomatoes, onions, peppers, or mushrooms (haha, yes I know!), I decided to stick to some of my favorite veggies for the top.  I added a few tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a skillet and put the carrots and broccoli in.  I let them cook until they turned a little brown and then I took them out.  Next I put the black olives on the skillet just until they were warm.

Next, I used a fork to scrape out the pulp.

I had a harder time with this because I hadn't taken the seeds and orange-ish part. So I un-tangled that and threw it out.  But, next time I will make sure to take that portion out before I put the squash into the oven!

Now all that is left is plating your dinner.  I added my vegetables, threw on some Olive Oil and topped it off with some parmesan cheese.  Overall, it was an easy, filling meal that I am sure to try in many more variations in the future!

My Shopping List

As promised, I am posting my grocery shopping list.  I was running low on vegetables so, I decided to hit the grocery store last night.  From experience, I know that if I am running low on healthy options, I am more likely to choose unhealthy options.

I think it is very important to make a shopping list before heading to the store.  Not only does it make your trip faster, it adds structure to your trip.  You're less likely to be tempted by food while you're at home as opposed to in the cookie aisle.  You may also want to skip going down that aisle at all, if possible!

Since I'm new to the whole healthy cooking thing, I wanted to research some easy dinner recipes before I left.  One thing I struggle with is many recipes include 10-15 ingredients...which can get expensive very fast.  One of my new favorite websites is Kraft Recipes.  In addition to having a healthy living section, they also have recipes with minimal ingredients.  I would also suggest either investing in a spice rack for about $30 or buying a few spices during each trip.  This will make it seem less overwhelming.

5 Must-have Herbs and Spices:

5. Oregano

4. Rosemary

3. Basil

2. Garlic

1. Black Pepper

Ok, without further ado, here is my shopping list from last night:

• Pre-Cooked and Peeled Hard-boiled eggs (great time saver!!!...available next to the regular eggs)
• Asparagus (Recipe)
• Cucumbers
• Organic Baby Carrots
• Veggie Slices (Healthy alternative to cheese singles)
• Califlower (Recipe)
• Spaghetti Squash
• Tazo Green Tea
• Brown Rice
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti
• Tomato Bisque Soup -- one of my guilty pleasures that I cannot give up...I add skim milk/water and brown rice to keep this option healthy.
• Black Olives
• Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Apple Cider Vinegar (more to come on this later...)
• Parsley
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Diet Snapple Raspberry Tea
• Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce
• Green Beans

What I bought last time but didn't need to replace yet:

• Greek Yogurt with honey
• Granola
• Skim Milk
• Special K w/ Chocolate
• Turkey
• Whole Wheat bread
• Lettuce
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Quinoa
• Cinnamon Almonds
• Rice Cakes
• low-fat cottage cheese
• natural peanut butter
• 100 calorie packs
• pears
• dark chocolate

Side note: the store I went to did not have good chicken or fish, so I will still be purchasing that!

What are some of your favorite foods?

Commit to be Fit

To me, it is always intimidating to go to a new gym.  You don't know where things are, what equipment is available or the overall processes of that gym (Suggestion: Ask for a tour of your new gym before your first workout).

After making my way through the locker room, I was feeling as intimidated as ever.  I felt like everyone else at the gym knew exactly what they were doing (which I know is not true!).  I looked over towards the treadmills; knowing that I am out-of-shape, I figured this would not be a good starting point.  I was hoping to use the elliptical but those were very full, so I decided on the exercise bike.  I wanted to do 25 minutes of cardio, to get my heartbeat up.  There were definitely moments that I wanted to quit, but I knew I had to push myself.  I knew it was all mental and even if I had to lower the intensity level, I could make it.

After finishing my cardio, I wanted to do some lifting or ab work.  I still wasn't feeling quite comfortable using the machines, so I decides on ab work.  I kept it simple...a 60-second plank and 50 crunches (5 sets of 10 reps)

Plank : 

Once I get more experienced, I want to start working in more planks and side planks.  I have read that crunches can actually cause damage to your spinal cord. (See : Article)

Side Plank :

  What are your favorite ab workouts?