Coconut Oil

So my newest obsession is coconut oil. Not only is it great for you, but it is delicious too! I have been incorporating coconut oil into my diet everyday since Monday. Yesterday I felt completely amazing! I had so much energy, and I was just in a great mood. I found this http://skinnyms.com/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/ yesterday while reading up on it. Take a look at just how amazing this tropical fruit is for you.

Baby Steps

Do you relate to any of the following thoughts?

"I'd like to work out more, I just don't have time."

"I hate running, it is way too hard!"

"I love food too much to eat better."

"I honestly just don't know where to begin."

These statements are extremely common. We have all thought them at some point and I am sure most of us have said them out loud. These statements all may be true, but are they holding you back?

About 3 years ago, I said the very same statements even though I was running competitively, I simply did not understand what good nutrition was and how to properly fuel for everything I was putting my body through. Instead of eating many greens, proteins, and complex carbohydrates, I was merely "carbo loading" all the time! As a result, I was 15 pounds heavier (and remember I am 5'1'') and sluggish in my running and daily life. I attribute this to my lack of knowledge and as hard as I was working and trying, I was just going backwards.

Although, I look back at those days and wish, "If only I knew then what I know now" I also am thankful now for the knowledge that I have gained. I use this knowledge to pursue a lifestyle of balance and also find that I enjoy my food much more now then I did before.

Focusing on your health means embracing your creativity. You are the artist in designing colorful meals that send your taste buds to the moon and back. You are the designer in creating meals that keep you sustained and alert, meals that carry you throughout the day to be efficient and productive. Embrace your creativity and find the flavors that you love to eat.

Embrace spices to add flavor to your food before resorting to oils and dressings. Experiment, there is no failure. On that note here are some marinade/dressing combos you can add to stir fries and salads that I have created:

-1 tbs Miso Paste (same paste used to make Miso soup in sushi restaurants)

-1 tsp Chili Garlic Paste

-Half Lemon

-2 tsp Soy Sauce (Low Sodium if you can)

-1 tsp Garlic

-1 tsp Sesame Oil

Mix and enjoy

-1 tbs Turmeric

-1 tbs Siracha

-Half Lemon

-Dash of Cumin, Salt, and Pepper

-1 tsp Olive Oil

Mix and enjoy

Be your own culinary artist and share your wonderful recipes please :)

Cardio infused Pilates workout

It was hard for me to talk during this workout because I was out of breath! It will get your heart pumping and blood flowing. While you keep your lungs at work there is also full body toning. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

All around abs

I have another ab video for you! I think this one is a little bit more challenging than the last one. What do you think?

Losing your love handles

I hear a lot of girls complain about their love handles and muffin tops and now you don't have to! These are some of the best exercises for toning up that area. Hope you guys enjoy it!

No weights or push up arm workout.

Here is a quick arm series that's going to tone up your arms! It really focuses on hitting the tiny muscle groups in your arms. Hope you guys enjoy it!

10 minute tushie toner

Alright guys, here's a 10 minute video that focuses on toning the tush. Again, please excuse my awkwardness...I get camera shy.

Time crunch ab workout

I know it's hard to workout when you're on a time limit, especially when you have a busy day. Here is a short ab workout that you can do when your time is short. Enjoy! If you have any workout suggestions comment and let us know.

Textbook Arm Workout

Please excuse my awkwardness it was my first video ever.

Now in this video I mention how this is a great replacement for the magic circle. The magic circle is a great pilates workout tool that can be used for things besides your arms, but if you do not have one a textbook is great replacement for your arms. 

My Top 10 list of Health Tips

Top 10 Health Tips

1-Take a rest day weekly
2-Do Cardio and Strength training
3-Eat every 2-4 hours to keep metabolism up
4-Drink Tea and Water often
5-Know portions based on your body
6-Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
7-Eat whole wheat grains (white offers minimal nutrition)
8-Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up to start metabolism
9-Enjoy your workouts
10-Indulge once and awhile :)

(additional)
11-Don't let Jenna or I cook crab legs for you, this was a terrifying experience

At home workouts

 <--Personally I am not this brave.

Not all of us are as lucky as Danielle to be living somewhere where the coldest it gets is 40 degrees (and she still complains). I am currently stuck trekking around  Michigan State's campus and it is horrible. Today I spilled some coffee on my arm and it literally froze to my jacket. When it is this cold out I absolutely refuse to workout outside. It also does not give me very much motivation to go to the gym either. My alternative is simple; workout at home! At this point I have my favorite exercises memorized, so it is pretty easy to do this. For those seeking cardio, jump roping is a great way to get your heart pumping, and it does not require too big of space. I am hoping by this weekend to have some workouts made for the site so those of you who are suffering the cold weather with me can get a good exercise in at home.

Do handstands! They're good for you.

As I said in a previous post I have been experimenting with yoga, and every time I finish a sequence I feel great! I have been trying to master forearm stands lately. Handstand/ headstands/ forearm stand are all great for your core and arms! They also help build your endurance. Aside from that, reversing your blood flow has some amazing benefits; it is easier on the heart to have blood flow right up to your head instead of having to push it up there. The blood flow to the head will flush your adrenal glands, and when this happens we have more positive thoughts which fights depression. They also provide fresh blood to the pituitary glands and hypothalamus. These two areas keep our bodies at homeostasis or in balance which improves our overall well-being. They are great for both physical and mental health!

 I have been trying to master these forearm stances. My form still definitely needs some work, but I have been making progress!

I start out just trying to bring my knees up. Once I gain my balance, I bring my legs up to straight.

After I find my balance with straight legs, I have been trying to bend them. The goal is to eventually have them touch my head, but I am clearly still far away from that.

If you are just starting you, you can use the wall to assist you or start in headstands. They are all great for you and will make you feel good.

Why Pilates?

Whether you are a runner, cyclists, swimmer, gymnast, or just an average person I believe that Pilates will have a positive influence on your fitness and individual goals. But why?

First off, I will give a definition of what Pilates actually is. I found this definition on dictionary.com but many other sites offer other great explanations of Pilates.

Definition: a method of physical and mental exercise involving stretches and breathing that focus on strengthening the abdominal core.

For the past 2 years, I have devoted much of my fitness routine to Pilates. Pilates truly does focus on the strength of your abdominal core, it keeps your body in balance. All of your strength starts at your core because your core is not only your abs but also your back, especially your lower back. With a strong core the rest of your body will be able to function efficiently because your posture will be improved and you will feel far less fatigued. 

The other thing about Pilates that many people may not be aware of is that is creates an after burn. With cardio, you are burning calories on the spot. With strength training, you will continuously burn calories throughout the day and in turn boost your metabolism. For this reason, I believe that an effective fitness program incorporates both cardio and strength training. 

I would like to challenge anyone reading this to devote 10 minutes a day to core strengthening. You can find 10 minute Pilates abs workouts on youtube for free, follow printable workouts online, or even use a fitness DVD. You will be happily impressed with the effectiveness of working your core for only 10 minutes a day and we all have 10 minutes to spare! You can do your core work while watching tv or take that time right when you wake up in the morning. Whenever it is, you will soon realize that it is worth it and hopefully discover the magic of Pilates :)

Lance Armstrong- Once a Hero

After watching the Oprah special with Lance Armstrong, I have to say I left with an interesting array of emotions. Being a former athlete and also just being who I am, there is no way I could ever justify doping or any form of cheating. I was pretty saddened by this entire story, but in taking a step back and thinking about that time in cycling I have to wonder how many others were doing it? Many other cyclists were caught doping and I have never been the type of person to say, "But everyone else did it..." but I do believe that Lance Armstrong was punished much more harshly then the rest.

I know that he represented a much greater cause and the fact that he was the top of the sport and ultimately turned many people onto cycling makes his doping much more of a disappointment then other cyclists who were caught. In no way am I defending him, but I do feel for him and feel that everyone else should have received the same sentence he did if fairness is the moral of the story.

At the end of the day, Lance Armstrong is a person. He has many deep rooted flaws but his fighting spirit definitely impacted many people and served as motivation for other athletes and cancer survivors to push on. While he was stripped of all of his medals and given a death sentence in the world of competing, no one can truly take away what he brought to the sport of cycling. I am sure the sport of cycling will never be the same and drug testing will only begin to intensify but I guess when the level of competition rises, the rules to too.

To those who were inspired by his story and feel let down, remember to keep your passion for whatever it is you do and inspire others along the way. Everyone has the potential to accomplish great things and this has become a lesson to the world. Even if he let down many, he also taught many through is demise. Hopefully there be a lot less people who attempt to cheat in what they do. Shortcuts in life will only take you so far, we have seen that many times!

Yoga

Today I did the p90x yoga tape and I must say it is a lot harder than I expected it to be! Not only does it require flexibility but it requires a lot of strength. I found some free yoga classes nearby where I live so I am hoping to start those soon. It is very good for my mental health. I tend to forget about everything else because I am so focused on trying to perfect the pose. Hopefully here soon I will be able to do all of the p90x tape with more grace. If you haven't tried yoga before I would definitely recommend it!

A little nudge in the right direction…

For people who dread working out, hate working out, don’t work out, or often work out but have days that are hard for them to get moving (which if you don’t ever have those days I wish I had your mindset!) it is important to ask ourselves, “What is the purpose behind even putting in all that effort?”

Now I want to make it clear from the get go, I do not consider myself the end all be all of fitness and working out. I think more than anything I enjoy it and I enjoy talking to other people about it and learning from them. I do also believe it is important to have a reason driving you to get in a good workout and exert all that energy.

Of course there’s the obvious, for vanity purposes and if you are human and a female at that then I’m sure you have that drive somewhere in your motivation. But even past vanity and looking good there is so much more behind working out that I am personally learning each and every day.

The following is my personal list for working out and everyone’s is different so if you care to share yours I would love to learn more reasons J

1. The endorphins during a workout and especially after are something that I truly crave. I need these to feel really accomplished and nothing can replace the feeling after a workout even if I felt horrible during it.

2. Working out has sharpened my brain. It is actually proven that exercising is great for your mind. I find that I am able to process information so much more clearly than I used to before. Not to say I have all of a sudden turned into Albert Einstein but I have realized that I am able to better pay attention and focus then I used to.

3. Working out gives me a peace of mind that I need to get through the day. I find that I am a much nicer person when I am able to work out and if I don’t get it in then usually it takes me awhile to feel like my normal self.

4. Of course the wanting to look good factor..I am not going to pretend that I definitely do not care about my appearance..although I am sure many people will try to convince you of that!

5. I have acquired some of my most valuable friendships through physical fitness. Of course my teammates from Cross Country and Track have turned into the people that I confide in the most. When you are forced to run miles and miles of torture with girls just like you every day, you develop a love and respect for them and these have brought me some of the best friendships of my life. I miss these girls every day.

I am sure I could come up with some more reasons but those are some of my most important. Feel free to comment, I would love to hear what yours are too!

Seeing is believing

So I realize it is hard to trust someones advice if you have no proof that what they have done works. As much as I hate showing before pictures, I will post some before and afters so readers will be able to see the benefits of what me and Danielle offer you.

Before:

Now after many months of lots of pilates and healthier eating, I got some results I was happy to see:

I would also like to note that the goal of this blog is not to help people lose weight. It is to help improve  people's overall lifestyles so they can be the best possible versions of themselves. If you so happen to look better in the process that is just a bonus, but health is the overall concern here.

Pictured is a road that I run in my new home in Atlanta, Georgia. I dealt with Michigan winters all my life and trudging through the snow..this makes getting a run in a little easier. Winter runs can still be beautiful though :) If you have no desire to give winter running a try, maybe try a local spin class or fitness class. Gyms offer many great group fitness classes that provide effective workouts. Or be creative and create your own mini workout at home using youtube video workouts or some fitness DVDS.

Choose to do what you enjoy the most

Working out is one of those things that people seem to either love or absolutely DREAD! Take a second to think of where you fall on this spectrum..it may actually be somewhere in the middle. Now take a step back..anywhere you fall on this spectrum is okay. If you do not absolutely love working out it does not make you a horrible person! I think it is more of finding out what type of workout you like that makes a difference. In the past, I absolutely dreaded working out. I would push it off all day and then squeeze something in later. There was no purpose to what I was doing, I was just fighting against time and trying to feel like I was accomplishing a lot..when in fact, I was not exerting myself in a way that allowed me to burn a significant amount of calories..I was doing what they call going through the motions.

For me, the switch that made me realize what I was doing actually happened my senior year of Cross Country in college. Think about it..I had been an athlete my entire life..when I was younger I didn't think about working out..I didn't need to. As I got older, I began to make it more of a punishment instead of something enjoyable. As a team, we were running many many miles and after awhile it just seemed to get monotonous and tiring. Sure, I had a goal..become faster but even as a college athlete I was still going through the motions.

Then it miraculously happened..one day during our off season..my boyfriend (now fiance) popped in a P90X yoga video. I must have made it 20 minutes before I quit! It was sooo hard for me, but it got me thinking. I never enjoyed weight lifting..ever..we were required to many times for track and I always feared bulking up and developing muscles I didn't want or need. I began youtubing strength workouts and I came across Pilates..2 years later I am still hooked and have noticed that my body has completely changed. Pilates changed my entire perspective on running..it supplemented my training so well that I improved a lot in just 6 months. This was the piece of the puzzle I had been missing for all those years.

I now try a balance of workouts from running, Pilates, Barre, Yoga (rarely..I still am horrible at it), Cross Training, sometimes cycling (but nothing beats running in my eyes :), etc.

Don't be afraid to try something new..you have nothing to lose and if you end up hating it you don't have to do it! But the more you try, the more you may realize that you enjoy working out but in a different way. You could jump rope, roller skate, hula hoop, swim, I find all the options we have to be so amazing

Do what makes you the happiest..and I wish I looked like that in 2216..weird camera difficulties.

An unconventional workout

Though many little girls (and sometimes boys) played with hula hoops during their childhood, it seems that they have been forgotten by many. Hooping can be a great way to tighten up the abs, slim the waste line, get some cardio in, and most importantly have fun! More advanced forms of hula hooping, or hoop dancing can also work the arms and the legs as well.

If you want to put on a light show while you workout, I would recommend getting an LED hoop. They're too fun!