My Newest Concoctions

I thought it would be cool to show ya'll some of the things that I've come up with as of late. I try to be creative and think of new ways to keep myself motivated, new meal or snack ideas, new changes to my work-out, etc, etc. I've really been workin' on finding these new creative...."things"...because it makes dieting and getting in shape more fun and helps you to focus on the positive sides of getting fit rather than the "I can't have this..I can't do that..." side. No one likes to think like that when they're trying to get fit! So here's some of the new ideas that I have come up with this week!

Idea #1

  

*It's a proven fact that those who exercise to music are much more productive in there workouts! Not only is it important to have music to listen to during your workout, but it's also super important to choose songs that are up-beat and motivating. Personally, I pretty much always take my ipod out with me while I'm running, but I never focused much on the songs I listened to. I kinda just let my ipod play whatever on its own. After reading about the facts about the up-beat music, however, I decided to try something out. I created a playlist on my ipod that is full of up-beat songs only. I still don't have to worry about changing the songs, but at the same time, I'm guaranteed to have motivating and fast-beat songs to keep me going! It really works!

                                                                                                       Idea #2

*Well, I can't really take full credit for this one because Britt came up with it a while ago and even wrote about it, but I tried it for myself! Sweet Iced Green Tea! Yum! For me, I wanted an alternative to water besides diet soda. Everyone needs a break from drinking water all the time, but diet soda isn't the best alternative. Green tea is extremely nutritious and thirst quenching/delicious in sweet iced form. Just make the tea like normal with green tea bags, then add however much Splenda you need to make it sweet enough for you, and pour in some ice! It's great!

Idea #3

*These babies have been the best! I have this really bad addiction to Starburst jelly beans, and April was the season for them! I stayed away from them all month....until they put them on clearance. First, they were 70% off, and I just got one bag. Then! They went 90% off and I couldn't help myself!! I got 2 more bags! I knew I had to keep myself in check somehow. Otherwise, I would eat the whole bag in one night. So, this is what I concocted. I split the bags into serving sizes--each bag=140 calories. They have been perfect for a quick sugar pick-me-up or a little reward for having a super awesome diet day! :)

 

                                                                                               Idea #4

     

 *This was one of my favorites! I got the daily workouts from Pinterest, and I've posted it on the blog before. I did something a little bit creative with them. I arranged them on a scrapbook-like background and put them in a frame. I added my own little motivating quote in the middle too! I put them in an actual frame with glass so that I could use it as a dry erase board and check off each workout as I do it! I'm the kind of person who loves to check things off my to-do lists, so this method works VERY well for me!

Idea #5

*This last one has been really helpful with my 5k training schedule! I already shared the 5k training that I was doing and I told ya'll how well it worked. Well, on their website, they have a printable version of the schedule. So, I simply printed it out and pinned it up in my room. Every day that I complete, I cross it off of the calendar. Once again, it feels GREAT to cross off a day of hard work and to look at it all once you're done! Very motivating and rewarding!




~My next project? I'm working on a "before and after" collage. I'm going to take a picture every time I lose 5 pounds. I wanna lose 35 this year, so hopefully I'll fill the seventh spot before Jan 1, 2013!

Try to think of your own little creative ways to keep your motivation up and make getting fit alot more fun! Share some of your ideas and pictures! :)

Fit Test

Today was my first official day of Insanity. You start with a Fit Test and redo that test every 2 weeks of the program. I am feeling it today! Can't wait to get home tonight & get my first REAL day under my belt. I skipped the morning workout since my fam is coming into town this afternoon and I'm only working a half day. I'll have the perfect amount of time to do it though while they are away surprising my brother with a Tim Tebow event! So excited for him to find out! He turned 13 last week. AH! 13? Seriously. Freaks me out. O well. I made some Fiber One Blueberry muffins last night. They are delicious! And roughly 80 fewer calories than your typical homemade muffin as well as filled with much more nutrients! Good deal.

P.S. Like Lindsay-I lost too! It was only 1 more pound, but I'm finally back in the 150's!!! I'm so excited. It was an amazing motivational boost. Here's to reaching our goals!!!

On a Roll!

I am proud to announce a weight-loss of 2 POUNDS!!! Some people might not think that's much, but it's a huge deal to me! It's been a while since I've dropped, and I worked super hard last week, so it feels goooood!

Like I said, I worked hard for those 2 pounds...but the kicker is, I enjoyed it! Ok, Ok...I didn't really ENJOY feeling pain while I was pushing myself to run, but after I actually did it, I felt like a million bucks. And trust me, It's paid off big time.

I started a 5k training program about 2 weeks ago, so I'm on my third week.. I can NOT believe how well it has worked! I hadn't gone running in a long while before I started this program, and, at the beginning, I felt like I was going to die. I'm only at the beginning of my 3rd week, and I ran over 4 miles today!! And it felt AWESOME! I know that I'll be ready to kick that 5k's butt when May 12th rolls around! Britt has posted it once before, but once again, here is the training that I'm following...

I encourage everyone to go online, find a 5k in your area thats at least 5 weeks away(there are always great ones going on that benefit really good causes!), and start this training program.  I'm not going to lie to you like a lot of people do, and tell you that it's a piece of cake and you barely even have to work for it! No, the first week is pretty rough...especially if you start like I did without having run for a while. But, as a motivating pin from Pinterest puts it...

And it's SO true! Forcing yourself to just get out and do it is the hardest part--not the actually running. If you do, you'll feel great like I felt today. If you don't, you'll regret it and the next day, you'll be smacking yourself and wishing that you would've made yourself do it.

After my VERY windy 4 mile run today! :)

Besides my running schedule, I also found some awesome Mint Green Tea at a local Amish store!

It's deeeeee-licious! I've been loving having a cup of this in the evening to just relax and wind down. (Unless of  course your sensitive to caffeine and not immune to it like me! :)) Either way, it's a great thing to have on hand when you THINK you're hungry buuuut you're really not. Just pop in a splenda, and one land-o-lake's creamer cup and you're good to go! Yum. :)

P.S. Props to Britt for the site re-vamp! Lookin' good!

Chicken Quesadilla

Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla

*Via Linds- I use Low Carb Banderita tortillas (there are a few options with the brand- they have fat free, low carb, and whole wheat), fat free shredded cheddar cheese, and grilled chicken strips-already cooked! (You can find these at pretty much any grocery store, even Aldi's! But I find it most helpful to get a large bag from Sams Club.  Of course it depends on how many quesadillas you think you may eat!), and then I dip the quesadillas in Fat Free sour cream.  The only catch is that I have a quesadilla maker, so it only takes about 1 minute for the quesadilla to cook! If you think this is a meal idea that you will use many times, I suggest in investing in one of these quesadilla makers! They're awesome!- Takes about 7 min. total

Yummm!