WORK IT WEDNESDAY

I hope all of you are enjoying your week....

I have been following my STAR SYSTEMZ plan by taking my workouts to the hotel gym and eating the most nutritious foods but still of course LOVING life out in Playa! 

It has been so fun and so care-free. I may not have results next week but I know I will maintain which is what is most important. I am loving my muscle definition and I can not wait to see those abs pop! I am not one of the lucky ones with the good genes I really REALLY REALLY have to work for anything on my body!

As they say:

"80-90% DIET, 10% WORKOUT"

I am in Playa Del Carmen on my honeymoon with my husband so posts may be spastic but I could never let you down and not give you a workout!

If you do not have dumbbells at home grab a milk jug and feel that thing with water and you have yourself a kettle bell/dumbbell :)

TIP TUESDAY

You eat all the right foods, 4-6 meals a day and workout and you still seem to be STUCK! No more pounds falling off, fat still sticks there and you just DO NOT GET IT!

Well SISTER, I am here to help you!

There are a few reasons why this is going on but today we are going to focus on one of the larger reasons: PORTION CONTROL..

That's RIGHT...just because you are eating "healthy foods", :ALMOND's, PINENUT'S, SEEDS ETC. (raw, unroasted, unsalted) does not mean you can eat the whole bag.....

And grains like quinoa, barley, brown rice, whole wheat pastas..etc..same thing! YES you are eating quinoa and you know all of the health benefits but does that mean you should have three servings? NO

These foods STILL have calories! Yes, they are better choices compared to what you used to eat so GO YOU! 

But it is NOW time to look into that NEXT STEP...

You have the right formula, the right foods but those portion sizes are out of control! (trust me I am with you on this one...me and nuts are "frienenemies")

Counting on Nutrition Charts that restaurants and the internet are WONDERFUL but remember these estimates are not EXACTLY what you will be served when you go out to that same exact restaurant and order that same exact dish...WHY? Well half the time the chef is not measuring the amount of oils, butters, and gosh knows what else and could give you a larger slab of meat or even a larger serving than what was given the day of testing. Also this number is usually a "mean." A mean is a sum of all the totals divided by the amount which then gives the approximate result. 

I know you most likely don't have a portable food scale, or a nutritional chart on the back of every single thing you eat so here are so "handy" guides for you to control your portion sizes....

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

Go out and buy yourself a jump rope! It is seriously the best investment, super cheap and can go with you anywhere and everywhere. When clients mention to me that weights are to heavy to travel with I laugh because I know that options such as a jump rope and resistance bands take 0 room in your suitcase and weigh far less than a pound! 

A trick is to go to your local medical supply store and buy thera bands. Thera bands at these stores are much cheaper and you can have the worker cut the band as long or as short as you want.

Just completed this baby right after my trip to the farmers market! I got two of my girlfriends to join me today and we had a blast. It is awesome when you can have girls time and be doing something healthy instead of going out for drinks. I love doing other activities and it is always way more fun as you can actually hear each other and you are not blasted lol

Look at those delicious muffins and cookies!

The "good" stuff! I picked up some brownies for my hubby but none for me!

Herbs and greenery!

The colors of the tomatoes are so brilliant, I bought a bunch! Fennel and other root veggies!

More greens! Half the time I have no idea what I am buying but its green so I am golden :)

Mixed greens with flowers! Who would have thought you can eat flowers but you can and I got some!

Rainbow carrots! I love these!

Herb plants! I may pick one up next time but my goal is to get really good at sprouting my alfalfa seeds first!

Have you checked out your local farmers market? 

What other activities do you like to do with your friends besides going out to clubs, bars or restaurants?

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

I plan to do a tabata every morning no matter what so my metabolism is flowing throughout this weekend! I really want to keep this body I cleansed for so very tiny meals (since my stomach is small) filled with lean proteins and veggies and very frequent! With these workouts and my smart food choices all this hard work will pay off past the wedding! (Summer is coming you know :)

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

SOURCE

First position releve example.

SOURCE

Romanian deadlift example

Sixth position example

When I get brave enough there will be workout videos that correspond with these just give me a few :) Let me know how this works out for you, COMMENT BELOW!

I worked out with some of my girlfriends this morning and had a BLAST! I love it when I can challenge someone and show them something new that they can use to help with an area they don't like about themselves and want to change!

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

PLAYLIST

StarShips-Nicki Minaj

Party Rock Anthem-LMFAO

Good Feeling-Flo Rida

Works out perfectly with this workout! Let me know how you completed work it wednesday :)

FOOD CRAVINGS

Last night I was craving chocolate BAD so I went into my lovely brain full of knowledge and reminded myself that my body must be screaming for MAGNESIUM! That's right..sometimes your body sends signals to your brain telling it that it is lacking a certain vitamin or mineral. Instead of running to the liquor store for your favorite Hershey's bar try a handful of raw nuts or seeds, grab a piece of fruit or add some black eyed peas to your dinner. This should help tame the beast without pilling on the calories.

Fruits Highest in Magnesium

Papaya

Grapefruit


Legumes Highest in Magnesium

Lima Beans

Cow Pea

Raw Nuts and Seeds Highest in Magnesium

Cashews

Brazil Nuts

Sunflower Seeds

OUT AND ABOUT

I pull out my Skinny Star tricks all the time when dining out! Right now I am preparing for my wedding day, May 5th which is right around the corner and of course I want to be in tip-top shape! Last night I went out to Edith's in Cabo San Lucas, MX with my fiancé and our friend and it was delicious! The atmosphere there is unbelievable with live music, gorgeous decor and top of the notch service.

A fun video of my fiancé and our friends dessert and not going to lie I took a bite :)

*This was my very first video so don't judge me haha :)

Some quick Skinny Star tricks when dining out:
-1 glass of wine at dinner, 1 glass of wine after (or other drinks work as well, I am just a wino)
-Turn that one glass into 2 with a trick I like to call "The Skinny Sparkler"
-Tea for dessert (freshens breathe and helps you feel even more full)
-If I have to one bite of each persons dessert, savor all the flavors.

"Skinny Sparkler"

1 Glass of Red Malbec Wine (my favorite, any will do)

Sparkling Water

Squeeze of Bar Sized Lime

-Delicious yummy and will last you the entire dinner

The best thing is have FUN! Always enjoy yourself! There is no need to NOT drink because you are trying to lose weight its called not downing 50 margaritas! A HUGE difference! 100-150 calories is not I repeat is NOT going to make you fat the next day. The point of going out is to enjoy yourself so do it!

POWER SHAKE

Right now I am cleansing my system to get a fresh start to my new workout regimen! I always do a little change before starting something new because I like to switch things up in order to continue seeing results. To do this the first thing you need to do is cut out ALL and I mean ALL sodas, sugars, alcohol, packaged/processed foods which is easy considering all this diet consist of is a few simple ingredients!

Its three days for me this time possibly I will do five we will see what my body says. In anything you do, ALWAYS listen to your body! If you treat your body like a temple and listen to what its saying to you, you will never have those problems many of us have today (poor health, poor digestion, upset stomach, heart burn, large stomachs etc.)

My skin has been very dry and by looking at my tongue on this chart I am at a Damp Retention and need some detoxing ASAP! Take a look at this chart and see where you are at.

http://www.stewarttrotter.com/tongue_chart.htm

My Super Shake:

Ingredients:

-1 handful raw spinach
-1 scoop whey chocolate protein powder
-2 spoonfuls chia seeds
-8 oz of water
-1 handful of berries (the darker the better, blueberries,blackberries,raspberries, strawberries)
-dash of cinnamon for taste
-3-4 ice cubes

I get some protein, fibers, antioxidants, Omega 3's, vitamins, minerals and since its all mashed up my body doesn't have to put too much into digesting it so it can focus on all the other undigested foods I have lying around in there.

-Tip: If you have yet to try Chia Seeds they are pretty much tasteless and have so many amazing health benefits its only to your benefit to start adding it to your meals!

Try it out and let me know what you think! I have been seeing results just from drinking a shake in the morning instead of my normal oatmeal. I am seeing that eating such a large bowl of oatmeal was slowing me down instead of energizing me due to the fact that breaking-the-fast should be a light meal not a heavy one.

Have an terrific Tuesday :)

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

What are you working on for yourself? Start by switching those bad habits to good ones!

What if you were able to just put down that pizza, chocolate bar, cigarette, starbucks drink or soda? What power would you hold being able to set that bad habit down and walk away and grab something else?

A bad habit ends through change. What change can YOU make to let go of that bad habit?

For some, it takes radical damage to occur or an event to create change. For most, it really just takes replacing it with something else. Another habit..but it needs to be a "good" habit.

Here are some ideas of good habits:

Feel like chowing down on some chips or nibbling on processed snacks?

-Write it down! Studies show that writing down your bad habit or even just scrabble will take your mind somewhere else.

-The next time you feel like munching, grab a piece of paper and a pen/pencil or even colored pens or pencils and get writing and or drawing.

Always grab a soda at your lunch break?

-Start by drinking soda water and squeezing a lime in it

-The fuzziness of the soda water will cure that habit and the lime will give it just the flavor it needs

-If you have to have that coca cola taste start by mixing half soda water and half the soda that way you can ween yourself off of that bad habit

-Learn to suck down waters instead! 0 calories, refreshing and just what the body needs

Work on ONE habit at a time. If you are one to have many habits, do not stress! Just focus on one at a time. You will get there and YOU have the confidence, you just have to do it.

Just remember to keep things consistent. Do NOT, and I repeat do NOT just break that bad habit because you feel you have overcome it. Studies show that it takes at LEAST 31 days but I say it takes 3 months to banish a bad habit. I know because I was highly and I mean not living a day without sugar. The high I got and how I felt while doing homework by eating a bag of gummy bears was priceless. I now indulge in a sweet about once a week or if that. If I can do it YOU can do it :)

TABATA TUESDAY

And here it is Tuesday :) The one thing I love about Tuesday's is that I am over the Monday thing and ready to get my week fired up!

Check out this Tabata I rocked this morning and try it for yourself! It is a real sweat creator!

TABATA WEEK 9 WORKOUT

-2 minutes pre cardio warm up with stretching-

Jump Rope-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Lunge Jumps-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Froggy Jumps-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Sumo Squats-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Lunges with Knee Raise-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Jump Rope-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Lunge Jumps-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

Froggy Jumps-20 seconds

REST-10 Seconds

REPEAT 3 TIMES

-2 minutes resting cardio and stretching-

-I know you can do it-

ROCK IT :)

Let me know how it worked out!

WORKOUT ROUTINE

Lately, I have been trying to switch things up as I feel I need a different push. Working out takes a toll on our bodies and when pushing too much your body starts to feel stressed. I used to do a 7 day a week workout whether it was a hardcore cardio push, strength training or just an easy pilates toning day, I always did SOMETHING.

The next three months, I have been putting together another schedule as my current training schedule, I feel has been overwhelming to my body and my body is starting to store. This is what they call a "plateau."

A "plateau" is when the body gets used to your body doing the same routine over and over again and you either stop losing weight and stop gaining muscle which of course is the ultimate goal. Most want low body fat and of course to do this the "correct" way you must gain muscle.

My new schedule looks a bit like this:

Monday-Stretching morning/chest and triceps at night

Tuesday-Tabata morning/bicep and back at night

Wednesday-Cardio morning/shoulders and abs at night

Thursday-Stretching morning/legs at night

Friday-Tabata morning/rest at night

Saturday-Cardio or Tabta morning/full body strength at night

Sunday-REST DAY
REPEAT

Hopefully I see some results because from what I can see my current routine is not working out for me or its just that holiday bloat.

What is your current routine? Sometimes you need to switch something up in order to maximize your efforts. I am tweaking with my nutritional plan right now as well and avoiding certain foods and alcohol. I know I did some damage to my liver and staying away from alcohol, fatty foods and caffeine. I also have been squeezing lemons in everything as lemon is a strong detoxifier for the liver. I recommend squeezing lemons in your water and teas in order to help that holiday liver out ;)

Enjoy your weekend and remember your body is a temple, love it and treat it right and in no time your summer bod will be rockin ;)

FOOD SPOTLIGHT

Barley is a power food! Low glycemic index, low fat, contains both soluble and insoluble fibers, cholesterol free, antioxidants and phytochemicals. With only 144 calories for 1/4 cup of barley you can add a ton of vegetables and you have yourself a meal for under 200 calories. You could also add some lean skinless chicken chopped in barley and vegetables for a protein and nutrient packed meal for under 300 calories.

Because of its low glycemic index many of those who worry about blood sugar levels should switch your typically oatmeal breakfast for barley. It also contains more fiber than oatmeal. Oatmeal has about 3.98 grams for one cup whereas barley has 13.6 grams for one cup. Beat that oatmeal :)

Forms of barley include:

• Pearled Barley-Not recommended as the way they "pearl" and polish the barley it takes away most of the amazing nutrients the barley provides. It is less chewy, and cooks quicker but not worth it when it takes away what barley is intended to do.
• Hulled Barley-The outermost part of hulled barley gets removed and although it is more chewy and takes a bit more time to soak and cook it keeps all of its nutrients!
• Barley flakes-Flattened and smoothed out this type of barley may or may not be the best choice. Sometimes companies use pearled barley instead of hulled so be sure to read those labels and get the most out of what you eat.
• Pot/scotch barley-Stuck in between hulled and pearled this type is commonly used in soups. They polish it and remove the outer hull but the barley is not polished for too long so it still retains most of its nutrients.