Workout of The Day: Make Your Circuit

What a great day to workout! No seriously! It's already Thursday!! It is another short week and another long weekend! Take time today to get in some exercise, especially because today's workout can be done anywhere! All I want for you to do is pick your 8 favorite exercises (with what you have) and make an exercise circuit.

The goal is to perform 1 minute of all of these exercises back to back.

1. Squats
2. Jumping jacks
3. Pushups ( or knee pushups)
4. Step ups ( on a bench a box jump or a picnic bench)
5. Planks (on forearms or straight arms)
6. Tricep dips (on bench or chair)
7. Walking lunges
8. Mountain climbers

Repeat 2 more times (3 sets total)

This is designed as a full body workout, keeping your heart rate elevated! This shouldn't be easy! If you don't have the desire to try some of these exercises you can swap them with ones you do like ie. Swap jumping Jacks with jumping rope.

Bring a stopwatch and make sure you don't cheat:) Take water breaks when needed.

Get Back To It: Motivation Monday

Why does it always take a holiday or a weekend to get us all so motivated on Mondays? We all put off things in our lives and say "I'll start Monday". Well guess what? TODAY is Monday. I have a challenge for you all.
Start writing down those things you put off until Monday. First goal is to try to not put them off until Monday (ie. Diet, workout, laundry, getting gas, grocery shopping) and finish them one by one. Next goal is to ACTUALLY do them by Monday. Really instead of saying you will do something, DO IT. You may realize that holding them off actually takes a lot of energy out of you and can make you feel your days aren't as efficient. Get them done and boost your confidence. Third and final goal is to try to look at this Monday as a day to set the tone for your week!

Rock your Monday!

Workout Of The Day: Park Workout

Good day y'all! What a morning for me! 8 am day after Christmas workout with my mom and two cousins! We went to coyote hills and it was freezing! My mom and cousin Cody walked and talked while Cassie and I ran and did a park workout. It felt really good to get out in the crisp air with family and be active! Here's a quick park workout you can do anywhere.

Park Workout:
Run or walk to a nearby park.
Stretch
Use picnic bench:
1st set repeat 3 times
- 20 incline pushups on bench (want more difficulty: try decline)
- 20 bench dips
- 20 step ups
2nd set repeat 3 times
- 50 box jumps
- 20 lunges (10 switching each leg on bench)
- 20 pop squats( jump out with a wide squat, jump up pushing feet together)
- 50 jumping jacks

Now that your heart rate is nice and elevated run (or walk) back!

Day After Christmas Guilt

Who is feeling like the last few weeks of treats/drinking has taken a toll on you? For me personally, I notice a difference right away in My energy level and mood even after one or two treats a day. Let's start today with some positive thoughts to keep us moving forward!!!
- Today is the first day of the rest of your life- What happened yeterday is in the past and to ve frank; you can't change that. You can either remember it and be discouraged, or you can look at it and move on in a more positive direction. Time to make a healthy start to a healthy day, hopefully a healthy week, turned in to a month, creating habits turning in to a lifestyle you carry on throughout the years. What better time than now?
-It takes 2500 calories to gain or lose a pound- On top of what your metabolic rate is (what you burn just by breathing and being awake) you must consume an extra 2500 calories to gain a pound, you also must cut or burn 2500 calories to lose a pound! SO one bad day won't kill you! Just remember to balance bad meals with a few days of really healthy ones! I like to think- you can have your cake (from time to time) and eat it too!
- Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going- Today I'm sure you feel kind of like crap if you ate and drank too much (just the motivation you need to help you make the healthy change your body needs). Now it's time to listen to that gut feeling (no pun intended) and get a movin'. Motivate yourself everday and look for the motivation in everything around you to help you push closer to reach your goals.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Thank you all for supporting me and allowing me have this outlet to share my passion!

Christmas Cheer

Cheers to Christmas! This year I wish you all the best and amazing times with your families. Just relax and enjoy this time! Family and friends are more important than anything in the world! Happiness is always better shared! I hope everyone eats good, walks a little, and celebrates with a glass of joy (my choice tonight will be a little bubbly with pomogranate)! Merry Christmas all!

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bark with Chopped Dates, Almonds, and Pretzels

Ok I guess I am biased, but this dessert is by far my favorite. I wanted something sweet for the holidays and to be honest didn't want to feel the guilt that comes with it. I am not claiming this as guilt-free but dark chocolate almonds and dates are good for you! This is way healthier than all the other cakey frosted stuff around this holiday season! This quick and easy recipe can gift 6 bags of treats;)

ingredients:
Ziploc size bag of peanut butter morsels (about 2 c.)
Ziploc size bag of dark chocolate morsels (about 2 c.)
1 scoop or LARGE handful of dark chocolate pretzels ( or regular pretzels)
8 dates chopped
1 cup almonds chopped
1 cookie sheet
tin foil

steps:
1. Boil water in large bowl on stovetop 3/4 full.
2. In the large pot place smaller pot in (but not under water) and in that small bowl add peanut butter morsels. Stir until melted smooth.
3. On cookie sheet lay out tin foil.
4. Pour peanut butter on foil and spread evenly.
5. Layer 1/2 your mixture of crushed almonds, dates, and pretzels.
6. Wash out smaller bowl, add chocolate morsels and stir over larger pot of boiling water until smooth.
7. Pour melted dark chocolate on top of your sheet of goodness.
8. Add other 1/2 of mixture on top.
9. Let cool in fridge for 45 mins.
10. Break apart and bag up or serve!!

I just love Xmas!!!!!!!!!!!! Mmmmmmmm

3

Walk Your Way Thin

Worried you are going to gain that extra winter layer over your tummy? Aren't making your gym workouts regularly enough? START WALKING! Yes, walk. Walk to coffee, walk to the grocery store, walk to talk on the phone, walk to work, walk to school, walk after you eat, walk at your lunch break. Doing this simple activity has many healthy benefits. Walking increases heart health, bone health, reduces risks of Type 2 diabetes, helps you manage a healthy weight, and reduces risks of getting depression. Let's stop being lazy and take some more time to just simply WALK!

"Walking is man's best medicine."
-Hippocrates

Restaurant Review: True Food Kitchen (Newport Coast)

To my surprise, my roommates planned an amazing dinner out for my birthday. They chose to introduce me to the delicious eats and tasty cocktails of True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach, CA. This restaurant has been on my mind for a while now, and my birthday was the perfect excuse to go try yummy eats. This restaurant menu is based on Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory diet. You don't have to worry about your food being slathered with butter or cream at this restaurant. The food is mostly local and organic, and to be honest you can tell all the food has much more flavor in comparison to your neighborhood grill.

Appetizer:
We tried the Today's Raw Fish which happened to be Albacore Tuna. This came with some light sauce and Jalapeno on top. We discussed how delicious it was, but to be honest it was very small. The slices were thin and we each got about two pieces of fish. Next time, I want to try the Roasted Beet and Mozzarella Agrodolce.

Salad:
All four of us wanted a small salad so we ordered two Harvest Chopped Salads and had them split the plates. It was the perfect little portion for us all to try. This salad had squash, apple, pomegranate, walnut, goat cheese, mixed greens, and Balsamic Vinaigrette. I would definitely order this again!

Entree:
I ordered The Pan Seared Seabass but substituted the Seabass with Salmon. The Salmon was atop of Brussel Sprouts, purple potatoes, mushroom, and Umami. This was seriously my favorite meal I have had out in months! Every bite was flavorful and light! My roommate ordered the same thing with Seabass, and she was just as ecstatic about her meal!
My sister ordered Red Chili Shrimp which came with Sesame Noodles, Gai Lan, Red Spinach and Shiitake Mushroom. She said it had a spicy kick and hit the spot!
My other roommate got the Turkey Bolognese and she said it was amazing. Turkey and brown rice noodles:)

Dessert:
They brought us out a FREE dessert for my birthday. I got the Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. This was the perfect way to end an amazing dinner. The dessert was petite and just the right amount of sweet!

Drinks:
My favorite drink was the first that I tried, it is called Flower Child-Organic Gin, St. Germain Elderflower, Honey Lemonade, Pineapple Juice, Mint, and Fennel. I liked how light it tasted and the mint almost made it like a lighter mojito!

My sister ordered Spontaneous Happiness, besides ordering it for its amazing name the drink was a concoction of Ginger and Vanilla infused Sochu (I believe a japanese style vodka), St. Germain Elderflower, and fresh lime. Her drink was a little smaller, but it was DELICIOUS. I was surprised with how amazing the drinks were here. I think the reason they tasted so great was because they weren't too strong.

I tried one more drink Cucumber-Citrus Skinny Margarita- This margarita knocked my socks off! I LOVED that the margarita was refreshing like I wanted it to be, but was NOT syrupy or too strong. I enjoyed the light flavors and the infused citrus aftertaste.

My sister then tried The Prana- Belvedere, Coconut Water, Grapefruit, and Clementine. This was super tasty! Not only was it beautiful but the taste was ON POINT. The mixologist knew what he/she was doing when they invented this one. I would recommend this for any girl; pretty, pink, and sweet.

True Food Kitchen has a very modern design. I thought it was cool to see a restaurant try something completely new. Next time, I want to sit by the fireplace on their patio (I forgot a big jacket this time). The bar top looked like a fun place to eat, but we decided to be seated at a table and we enjoyed ourselves very much!

Check out the restaurant True Food Kitchen !

Tips To Stay Healthy During The Holidays

1. Drink TONS of water.
2. Get active as much as possible (skies the limit). Walk, run, hike, gym, swim, bike, jump around, etc.
3. Start off your day right. We have all heard it is best to eat breakfast to jump-start our metabolism in the morning, to help us not overeat throughout the day, BUT ALSO if we start off healthy I BELIEVE we will be less inclined to crave junk.
4. Eat something before you go out to a party. If you go starving, because you wanted to fit in to that little dress you are most likely going to overeat at the party. Eat throughout the day 5-6 meals.
5. Fill yourself with veggies and protein before reaching for the holiday treats/ heavy carbs/etc.
6. If you drink alcohol. ( FIRST try wine or champagne, then hard alcohol mixed with no sugar added juice or soda).
7. Don't deprive yourself. OK, you may think I wouldn't say this. BUT this is your life so have a few treats:)

Remember: This is your life, have fun and live healthy. Happy Holidays!