New year, new you!

"Where have you been? Why haven't you wrote a new blog lately"..?!!

These are the questions I have been hearing, and I've only just deleted the Facebook app from my phone. I haven't signed out or forgotten about the world of Fb and IG, I am just taking a break and allowing my time to be spent in other ways, like reading an actual book or two. Talking to my kids rather than scrolling through endless posts and pictures. Since when did we all have to stay connected all the time anyway? I don't know.. but sometimes we need to put the devices away and actually look the world in the eye, don't ya think? 

Anyhow, as some of you know I live this fitness lifestyle. Sometimes, I cheat and eat a donut or too much chips and salsa. I however, no longer let those things hang over my head like dead weight or think I am going to gain ten pounds from a cookie. But some of us do. Sometimes the crap we tell ourselves mentally is worse than what anyone else would dare say. Why do we do that? Why do we torture ourselves to think we need to look any other way then the way God designed us? What is so alluring about a Victoria's secret model? Or, someone like Erin Stern, as many of you know I idolize. The key word here being idolize. We all do it, all  guilty of it. Is it because we want to look like them or is it that they have the physique we crave. To be the over weight girl, that just wants to feel sexy in some lingerie for her man, or to wear a dress that doesn't go to the floor, but rather reveals nice shapely legs underneath. Or, are you the skinny girl like I am. That wants some meat on her bones? And contrary to what everyone things, just because you are thin doesn't mean everything fits right in the stores. Whatever it is, most of us spend time trying to attain goals that quite simply put, you'll never have due to genetics. But, let me pump the breaks for a second. I still believe genetics can be altered with proper nutrition and guidance. It might not change the shape of your hips or how broad your shoulders may be, but you can alter your health. 

Half the battle for me has been finding the knowledge that I needed to get started on this journey. Twelve years ago I gave birth to my daughter. After that pregnancy is when I put on some weight, for the first time in my life. I was always the "skinny" girl, and to have some fluff around my body was weird to me. So I got a gym membership, even went to Weight Watchers and getting duped here and there by other "diet" advertisements etc. Only to never have any real or lasting results. Thank the Good Lord when he introduced me to my husband six years ago. I thought I had it figured out, and I thought I knew how to read labels etc. I couldn't have been more wrong. In the last six years, I have seen this husband of mine spend countless hours studying and APPLYING everything he learns either into his own lifestyle, mine, our kids and his clients with wonderful results. There have been some hiccups, a lot of trial and error, but mostly a lot of learning. Knowledge is a powerful thing when used right, we can all agree to that right..? Then if the knowledge is there, why isn't it so easily attained. And, if it is then why aren't more people healthy? I could go on and on about politics, pharmaceutical companies and the like but the real answer is within us. The answer begins with you. The question is, do you want it, and if so, how bad? 

My ambition for this year it is to help as many people as I can, that want it! I won't say it won't come with a price, but not one that will cost you your life. Well, it might in the long run if you don't become proactive about it while you still can. So many ailments can be resolved with proper nutrition. But, so many people want a quick fix pill. Can't happen. Won't happen. Think about how long it has taken you to become sick, over weight, etc. It can't be reversed because you eat a salad once a week. 

My new goal for the year is not only to help where I can with my husbands business, but to help all the people around me that are complaining, and simply sick and tired of being sick and tired. I hope to be a voice of encouragement in this abyss of never ending words, that we find on Facebook, Instagram and so on. To use these social places as sounding boards for positive things. I hope you will all embark on this lifestyle journey with me, as I too need encouraging from time to time! Let me know your concerns, if you have questions about this or that, ask me! I am here to help. Plus, I have Stockton's best as my partner, Matthew Lazaro, certified, bonafide nutritionist that just so happens to run the Max Muscle here in town. Who better to have on your side then Team Lazaro right! 

Happy New Year my lovies!! Here's to 2013!

Let's talk protein intake, weight loss and gains..

Okay, so I just got home from dropping Marin off for her training, when along the way I saw this dude, mid-40"s wearing a sauna suit, with one of those ab sweat bands wrapped around him as well, in 95 degree temps! What the heck! People are crazy.. First off, let me just say that to burn fat, and to get a good sweat, you MUST begin from the inside out. These trendy ways of losing weight and dropping water can in some instances, hurt you. Your body as you may know has sweat glands everywhere. Why do you think that is? It's for protection against heat, it's your bodies way of cooling itself off and keeping your body temperature within a homeostatic range. SO, that your brain, and internal temperatures don't exceed abnormally high temperatures which can cause heat exhaustion, dehydration, and you can pass out! Please people, exercise wisely. These quick ways to trim down aren't worth it. Don't put on a Sauna suit and say, "it's hot outside, so I think I'll go for a jog to burn off this weekends bad foods". NO, don't do it. 

Which leads me to my next point.

IF you want to widdle fat away you have to begin in the kitchen. PERIOD! IF you do not have your diet in check first and foremost, no time spent in the gym will get you the benefits you want. You  must feed your body and help it to recover so that it can build itself up again. Marin lately has been eating like a bird. Don't know if it's her being a tweeny, or she's just tired of eating the way Matthew and I do. Which, by the way I make different food for my kids because children do require more carbohydrates, etc. But, she hasn't been hitting any PR's (personal records) and she's getting frustrated. She also has her first weight lifting competition this Saturday. Although I don't expect her to out lift anyone in her weight class, I do expect her to give all her effort. Part of being a dedicated athlete isn't just putting time into training, it requires right food choices. If you want to put on more muscle and lose body fat, you have to find what balance works for you. Typical guideline is to consume 1gram of protein for every pound you weigh. For example Marin weighs 103lbs. and gets in about 60 grams of protein a day on average. I weigh 110lbs and consume approximately 150 grams a day give or take in protein. Which one do you think will get results? YES, mine and if you look at me you can see the difference. Not to put Marin on the spot, but if she isn't consuming at least 60 grams more of protein a day, she will not gain muscle, no matter how much she trains in the gym. Ladies, this is of the utmost importance if you plan to lose weight. My protein intake is  higher because I am trying to put on more muscle. If you want to maintain a certain proportion then change your diet to follow the guideline above. 1gram protein=1lb body weight, and start from there. You also have to take into account what sort of carbohydrates you consume. When I say carbohydrate don't get all excited and think, "I get to eat two slices of bread everyday". No, eat some vegetables to get your carbs, or a serving of fruit. Notice I said a serving of fruit, that's per day! YES fruit is good for you, but guess what else, it's loaded with fructose, which converts to glucose, which converts to stored fat in your body IF you do not burn it off. Vegetables are magical in that most of them don't do that. They give you all the benefits of eating fruit would and they are high in fiber too whoo hooo! 

For those of you who think you need your whole grains everyday for your fiber,  I'll let you in on a little secret, you don't need it! Besides being on the food guide pyramid as one of those food groups you should eat a lot of it's also made with FLOUR!! Flour has wheat, wheat has gluten. Guess what gluten does besides stick to your intestines and prevent absorption, it can also cause extreme amounts of water retention and systemic inflammation. Ever wonder why you get a stomach ache or bloating after eating a healthy sandwich at Subway, Wahhh laaaa! Your culprit! So why does the media tell us, along with the FDA that we need whole grains in our diet? Think about what crops our country mass produces... corn, wheat, potato and so on. Going back say, 2000 years ago, these sorts of crops each had nutritional benefits. Allowing for sustenance in harsh climates, fed humans along with farm animals and cattle. You get the picture. Now fast forward to 1950's and onto present day.. this began the time when the seeds began mutation. Because we mass produce everything in this country trying to keep up with McDonald's and bakeries, we had to produce our crops quicker and faster. So along came the idea to alter the DNA of wheat, corn etc to grow and die quickly. Along this journey, the protein gluten began it's appearance, and along with it, a more sick and over weight nation. Now, don't get me wrong I eat things containing wheat, flour corn etc from time to time. Like once a week, in a cheat meal, and I am okay eating small amounts, as anyone can be. Except if you have Celiac's disease then you shouldn't have it at all. BUT, you should not have it everyday, every meal and so on. If you are eating wheat, flour, corn etc and aren't getting the results you want, you might want to consider eliminating them all together. Your body will do just fine without, trust me. You might also find you won't have headaches, joint pain, IBS, break outs whether it's hives, eczema or acne, and your body fat may decrease too, imagine that! 

Now, that I had my little rant about weight loss for the moment, I have to go pick Marin back up and make her eat. Ladies, and men too, you have to eat to lose weight. It's not good to starve yourself, because once you start eating again, you'll balloon up. 

I am going to make this for dinner tonight, it's courtesy of Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo, sorry but it is my go to for quick family style, healthy recipes. Pick up her cook book if you can, and she also has a new one on the way! Can't wait:)

http://everydaypaleo.com/2012/02/25/southwestern-frittata/

Southwestern Frittata

Southwestern Frittata
1tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 pound grass fed ground beef (or a really lean ground beef 95%)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup salsa verde (I will be making my own, as store bought ones typically add sugar :()
12 eggs
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a large saute pan, saute the onions and minced jalapeno in the coconut oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Add the ground beef and cook just until it starts to brown and add the grated sweet potato and garlic.  Cook until the beef is completely browned and the sweet potato is soft.  Add the chili powder, cumin, and salsa, stir and cook until heated through.  Taste and season with a little sea salt if desired.  Transfer the meat mixture to a 11×7 glass baking dish and spread the meat mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 12 eggs add pour over the meat mixture in the baking dish.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle when you jiggle the pan.

Enjoy!

Sometimes I feel like I am starting all over again for the first time..

Today, was a new day for me in many ways. 

Today I let down some strongholds that have been suffocating my life. 

Today, I forgave a little bit more, and it wasn't easy.

 Today, I had a huge issue with a loved one, and I silently let it go. 

The wonderful thing about forgiveness, and forgiving is that it is not easy, but most certainly worth it. 

Today, I just let it all go.. 

...and guess what I feel a lot of peace. 

Finding peace for me isn't easy amidst washing dishes, washer and dryer always running, food that needs preparing, laundry that needs to be put away, floors that need to be cleaned and the list goes on. Two weeks ago, I started listening to Joyce Meyer every morning no matter what. I like her, she's funny, and she's real and as imperfect as it gets. I appreciate her honesty, and her ability to deliver hope. Some criticize her and I don't care. I feel safe with her delivering God's word to my ears. Point is, I have heard many things this past week that have rung true to my heart and I appreciate ministries like hers in times like mine, because just one word, in the right moment can silence your day. 

I have been in going through a world of emotions lately. Many of them unclear and I don't know where they are coming from. Simply put, I have been grouchy lately and feeling unappreciated. As moms and wives, we all feel this from time to time, if not daily. I often times sink into the habit of having a word or two to say about it, and I know the way I deliver it at times can be disheartening to my family. I want to publicly thank them for loving me and forgiving me despite my faults and failures. 

I love my family with every fiber of my heart. I know that God has placed me here in this moment with them, to sow into their lives, and to love and serve them. 

I often think that one of the highest callings in life, is to be a mother and wife. I am thankful for that! 

I read this quote when I was 18 years old, and it has stayed with me until now and every moment in between and will after I am gone.. and it goes like this:

"I sometimes wake in the early morning and listen to the soft breathing of my children...

and I think to myself,

THIS is one thing I will never regret and I carry that quiet with me all day long"-Unknown

Life in an instant can change, with one word  our day can change, in one simple breath we can be gone.. Today I am new because God's mercy's are new everyday. Can you deny that when you behold your children's faces, and see their eyes smile back at you, or when your husband touches you in the way only he can.. 

Life is gorgeous!

NOW, because I am a health advocate and trainer, I MUST share with you a recipe. 

This blog as I mentioned, will be random and full of different things. My next one I feel is definitely going to be a goal oriented, get your mind right sort of blog but today I had to share God's glory in my life. A fit lifestyle is most certainly one aspect, so a yummy low carb, high protein recipe is needed. Take it or leave it, this is how we eat in my house, and how we take care of the body we use to navigate around this planet, lol!

This recipe comes courtesy of Jamie Eason of Bodybuilding.com, (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-turkey-meatloaf-muffins.htm)

 I DO NOT use the 1 cup quick cooking oats, and I really doubt she does, being as lean as she is. If you are trying to lose weight, lean out, have any inflammatory problems, including IBS, Eczema etc you should not eat grains of any kind. I will explain why soon in one of my up coming blogs, but you do not need grain in your diet, at all, ever. Just skip that step, they taste just fine and mold together fine without the oats.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Calories: 80
Fats: 2 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 11 grams
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey (or chicken)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dry yellow mustard
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chipotle pepper spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves minced)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 2 celery stalks (finely chopped)

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.     Spray muffin pan with canola or olive oil.

3.     Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.

4.     Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.

5.     Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Serving Size:
Women: 2 muffins
Men: 4 muffins

Nutty cookie recipe.. Maxwell's favorite!

I forgot to mention earlier, that I hope to give my readers a healthy recipe each time I blog. I have been experimenting with food a lot the last couple of years because I love to eat, and I get questions all the time about "What's good for me, can you send me some recipes"!! So here you go..

I made these when our family switched to eating Paleo. I don't put in Walnuts because my husband is highly allergic, so I add chopped pecans instead. I also add in 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut  and 1/4 cup of dairy free chocolate chips. Don't let the idea of having these as a healthier option fool you. They are still loaded with carbs,  and fructose (natural sugar). If you are trying to lean out, these are not your answer, but if you have a sweet tooth, these will do the trick. They are awesome warm with a cold glass of Vanilla Coconut milk but I prefer them really cold right out of the fridge! 

Nutty Cookies

2 bananas smashed

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 cup almond butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup raw walnuts

1 apple finely chopped

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp cinnamon (or more if your 2 year old is measuring…)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to smash the bananas to baby food consistency.  Add the coconut flour, almond butter, and baking soda and mix well.  Using a hand held chopper or food processor, chop the walnuts and apples to a very fine dice.  Add the walnuts, apples, coconut milk, and cinnamon to the bowl and mix in remaining ingredients.  Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and spoon heaping tablespoons of the cookie mix onto the parchment paper, placing an inch or two apart.  Back for 25  minutes.  Makes approximately 20-22 cookies.

This recipe is courtesy of Sarah Fragoso, blog Everyday Paleo.

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/09/30/one-crazy-week-nutty-cookies/

What legacy have we left to our daughters?!?

I don't know where to begin really.. 

Writing, deleting, adding.. So I will start with this..

I am blogging simply for my own sanity. I am a stay at home mom, and I love my job. I admit I don't get out much so blogging will be my new outlet, as it seems I always have something whirling around in my head. Many of my daily conversations are with a two year old and eleven year old. While both are exciting, entertaining and hilarious, I do have adult thoughts sometimes (lol)! 

If no one reads this blog I am fine with that.. so my intention right now is to voice what comes to my heart. 

SO..

What is in my heart today.. 

Hmmm:)

I was at the gym this morning at 7 am after waking up at 6 am and going to bed late, 12 am. So in a zombie stupor I was there, on the treadmill inclined to 5% at 4 rpm's (pretty fast for a zombie I think). CNN was on and this cute little plain girl was being featured about her qualm with Seventeen magazine for photoshopping girls. Caught my attention simply because I grew up reading that magazine and NOW my eleven year old daughter will pick up an issue or two in her time. Julia Bluhm, age 14, ran an online petition asking Seventeen magazine to run unaltered, un-photoshopped pictures in their issues. 80,000 people have signed the petition with the Editor in Chief now vowing, "not to use Photoshop to alter the face shape and body sizes of its teen models, and that it will feature a diversity of models with different body shapes, races, and hair textures -- a coup for girls and women". 

HALLELUJAH and an AMEN to that! When I was a young girl, I used to study the faces of the woman that graced the covers of these magazines, and admittedly still do. I always wondered how they had such perfect skin, no wrinkles and no cellulite. Being a mom in my now mid-thirties I have discovered the secret, they lie! But, the even bigger lie is the ones we tell ourselves, am I right..? 

As women we ALL struggle with body image problems, sad but true. Including myself, I can't think of one female I know that doesn't like the way they "look". Funny part of who I am, is that I am now in the fitness industry. About ten years ago I went to the gym and haven't stopped going and probably never will. Looking back over the years my ambitions have always been lead by "looking" a certain way, rather than "feeling" the right way. About two years ago, something inside me changed and much of that had to do with the fact that I felt like I could never add up to these false images of who I thought I had to be. I was tired of the beat down. So, from that point on I have been re-wiring my thinking. It hasn't been easy, but I will say it's been worth it. I struggle with it from time to time, and that's okay because I know how far I have come from my old perception. Irony of it all, I think and feel awesome about who I am and look better physically then I ever have. I don't really care what anyone thinks of me, whether I am too skinny, too muscular, etc etc.. I am who I am. The person I like, enjoys the hard workouts, I enjoy eating healthy because eating like crap makes me feel like crap. It's simple really, I just do it, and I do it for me and no one else. At the end of the day, I like being healthy, and it's not because I feel like I have to, I want to!

So what legacy do I want to leave for my daughter, who has on more than one occasion heard many negative words come out of my mouth about my own body, face and even hair. I want her to always know that her value and beauty are NOT on the outside. Never will be! I want her to know that her freckles that scatter upon her face are darling, and not ugly. That the gold that flints out of her hazel green/brown eyes reflect the image of God. That her smooth soft skin should be adored by her husband, and caressed by her children's hands. I want her to know that the red hughes in her hair are a reminder of her mother. That the brown splash birthmark she has upon her leg, she shares with her father. Her tenacious spirit is the weapon her Lord gave her to fight and to never give up, and more importantly to see past this package that she just so happens to be wrapped up in. 

This is my sunshine smile, isn't she gorgeous!

So my new vow to myself and to my daughter is that,  I will no longer try to look like anyone other than myself, that I will be happy for the body, face and skin God gave to me. I am uniquely fashioned after He who created me. That I will shut my mouth not to talk about or put anyone else down for the way they look. That I will look to the word of God to find my esteem. In 1 Peter 3:3-4 it says, 
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight".

A gentle and quiet spirit.. to me that means to be soft with your words, even those words you tell yourself and speak out loud in front of your children.. while being quiet in your spirit, to not let your mind and heart be consumed with the things of this world, especially false beauties!