Monthly Archives

May 2017

Health & Fitness Lifestyle

Fitness Journey – Before & After

May 30, 2017

Wow… While looking at this picture, I smile because I fought for every ounce of muscle on my body. It is hard for me to gain weight. I was just 92 lbs in the “before” picture and 105 lbs in the “after” picture. You are not going to believe this, but I am 112 lbs today!

Through this process, I learned how to gain healthy weight by doing it the correct way and all the while, having a balanced life with some fun food too.  I will be the first to tell you that it was NOT easy at all. It takes a lot of planning and commitment.

With all the so-called diets or food plans out there, I didn’t fit into any of those programs. I worked with my trainer to find the foods that worked best for my body and slowly incorporated them into my food plan. I tracked my food and slowly increased my intake of those key foods in a healthy way to work with my metabolism. Everyone’s metabolism is different, so it is best to find a trainer or nutritionist that is willing to understand your body and focus on your goals.

Remember you can’t out train a bad diet. For me, good nutrition and weight lifting is the key to being successful in gaining weight the correct way and building my fit body. I have tons of goals for this coming year. I am really excited to share my journey with you.

What are your fitness goals?  Have you accomplished something outside your comfort zone? I would love to hear from ya.

 

 

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Health & Fitness Lifestyle

Fitness Journey – Beautiflexx

May 18, 2017

My fitness journey has turned into a lifestyle change. Although I haven’t signed up for another competition, I still work out 6 days a week, prep meals and surround myself with positive people.

See, I have some friends that do cross fit, cross country running, yoga, Pilates or don’t work out at all. Love, kindness and support is their commonality. Truly that is all we need, right? True. However, finding online fitness communities provides support, (for me) motivation and accountability (Amen).

One community that I just absolutely love and I mean love is Beautiflexx. Trust me, I have been on many closed fitness groups. This page was created to inspire people to love their bodies and promote fitness but what’s even better, they give back to their community by supporting our veterans.

For many of us, we don’t have access to a gym or local support groups. This closed online community is a place where members can meet daily to encourage and lift each other up. There isn’t a day that goes by that you don’t see members sharing workouts, nutritional recipes, inspirational post, progress pictures and tidbits of their lives. I have personally made some wonderful connections with people that inspire me each and every day.

JFYI, as a member, there are some rules that are strictly enforced. No body shaming at all. No underwear pictures that show your nooks and grannies or party bits. I can’t believe that I have to type that. Lastly, no selling of products or services.

So, if you are interested in finding out more information about Beautiflexx, you can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter!

“INSPIRE. MOTIVATE. REPEAT.”

http://www.Beautiflexx.com

 Youtube: Beautiflexx Channel

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Food & Drinks Health & Fitness

Fitness Journey – Food Prep

May 8, 2017

During my fitness journey, I learned that food prep is a must. So when Sunday rolls around, my husband and I plan out what we are going to eat for the week. You are probably thinking that you don’t have time for all that jazz. Well, the benefits are huge and here’s why.

Saves you ton of CASH. When your refrigerator is stocked with delicious healthy and prepared options, you are less likely to go out to grab fast food or to a restaurant. If you eat out every day of the week at a cost of $20 or $50 (couple), that is a whole lot of money that could be put towards a rainy day, house or other big adventure.

Saves you TIME! When food is already prepped, you don’t have to waste time thinking of what you are going to eat, you can stay on track with your macros and the best part, you have more time to hit the gym or spend time with family.

Saves you from CHEATING!  Y’all… You know that this is the truth! If it ain’t in your house, you can’t eat it. I can’t have certain foods in my house. The foods that are my downfalls are certain cereals, potato bread, Girl Scout cookies and Reese peanut butter cups. They are not allowed in my house, period.

Keeps you on TRACK. You already invested so much time at the gym, money for a personal trainer, equipment and stylish clothes to have it all undone because of a bad diet. Every trainer will tell you the same thing. You can’t out train a bad diet. If you are worried about eating the same thing over and over again, Pinterest has amazing clean food recipes.

Well, you are probably wondering what is on my food list. During my prep for competitions, it is really strict with chicken, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, green beans and broccoli all the time. I have food sensitivities and straight up allergies to certain foods, so this is my food list at the moment.

Meat/Fish/Eggs

Chicken Breast

Turkey Breast

Tuna

White Fish

Salmon

Eggs (whole and whites)

Carbohydrates

Sweet Potatoes

Brown Rice

Quinoa

Oats

Rice Cakes

Ezekiel Muffins – Cinnamon Raisin

Fats

Avocado

Barney’s Almond Butter

Vegetables

Spinach

Asparagus (Love them)

Cucumber

Broccoli

Green beans

Zucchini

Fruits

Apples

Blueberries

Trust me, I do eat other types of food, but I track everything that I eat to ensure that I fuel my body with the right amount of protein, fats and carbs to either maintain my weight, build more muscle or lean out for a competition. All of this is done carefully so no harm is done to my body or my metabolism.

Just note, clean eating doesn’t have to be hard and it all starts with one small step forward.

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Rescue Spotlight

Susie’s Senior Dogs – Bacchus

May 3, 2017

Photo Credit: Susie’s Senior Dogs/Humane Society Naples

Bacchus is a beautiful senior dog located in Naples, Florida. This handsome boy has lived the majority of his life in a shelter environment, so let’s pass this along to find him a forever home quick.

  • Approximately 7.5 years of age, weighs 75 lbs.
  • Calm, quiet and house trained
  • Because of arthritis and sensitivity to his back end, he needs medication each day and would prefer a home without children.
  • Dog friendly
  • He has manners too! Sit, Stay, Shake, Down and Walks nicely on leash.

For more information about Bacchus or to adopt him, please email Marni at dogcare@hsnaples.org.

Humane Society Naples

370 Airport-Pulling Road North

Naples, FL

To read Bacchus’ original post, please go to http://bit.ly/2p5veqR.

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Advice Column Dog Training

Ask Ms. Deborah – How to stop dogs from jumping?

May 3, 2017

Dear Ms. Deborah,

I saw that you offer dog training advice so I am wondering if you can help me with my dog jumping on everyone. How do I get this big lug to stop jumping on me or my family? When anyone comes in the door or visits, my husband thinks it is funny and encourages it when he comes home.

 Sincerely, Frustrated Wife

Dear Frustrated Wife,

I am so sorry that you are experiencing this exuberant greeting from your dog, but it is not uncommon. Dogs jump up for many reasons. One, it is a form of greeting and if rewarded, it will continue. Two, if the dog adds in licking of the face, it is offering a peacemaking behavior and hoping someone will regurgitated their food. As gross as this sounds, it’s a win for him.

Before I begin on the steps of how to train your dog to stop jumping, you will need to express the importance to all of your family of why it shouldn’t take place. If anything was to happen to a small child or to grandma, all of you would be heart broken. You can explain to your husband that your buddy can continue to jump up but only when given permission to do so.

How to train your dog to stop jumping?

  1. Don’t make a big deal coming or going from your home. Raise your hand, come on! I know that all of you have come in the front or back door all excited, talking in that high pitched baby voice getting your buddy all worked up and BAM, the jump. For me, it is best to come in the home quietly and calmly. This type of entry reduces the excitement at the door.
  1. Ignoring the behavior you don’t want and redirecting to a behavior you do want. I highly encourage you to watch your dog closely. He will give you a cue of when he is going to jump. If he does jump up, turn your back and don’t encourage it. When he offers four paws on the floor, reward with either a small treat or your attention, calmly. Also, if you have small children coming home from school, please help them get in the door and assist them in training the correct behavior.
  1. Manage the dog and his environment. As you and your immediate family practice the new ground rules and begin to teach Fido what is expected now, it is important that friends and extended family understand the importance too. Don’t allow your dog to practice the behavior ever. Because the more he practices it, the better he will get at it. You will have people constantly trying to booger up your training by saying that they don’t mind the dog jumping up, but stay the course.
  1. Tips and Tricks. You can ask friends and family to call or text before coming over so you can manage your dog’s success. It is important to have control of your dog at all times. A leash is a great way to have that control. If you feel that your dog will be unsuccessful greeting people at the door at this stage of his training, you can place him into a secure area until all of the excitement at the door has calmed down.  At that time, you can leash and calmly walk him over to greet all of those wonderful people.
  1. What not to do! This is the part that I beg that you don’t get frustrated. Adding excitement to the situation will only make it worse. Please don’t knee him to the chest, yell, punch, push or cause any other pain to your dog. I have seen many people use alternative methods and it will make your dog become terrified of you and never really learn the behavior that you are asking for in the first place.

If you dog has any other behaviors such as growling or biting with the jumping, I highly recommend you working with a dog trainer that specializes in behavior modification.

 

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