Day 19

Another Kwest week has come and gone. Wasn't very happy with my level of activity this week BUT I'm so proud of how well I'm doing with my healthy eating. Yesterday Danny and I went to a Trivia night with two other couples. They ordered burger sliders with fries and buffalo chicken fingers with wine and beer. I ordered two glasses of water and slowly swallowed the large amount of salvia that was caused by the yummy food. Never in my life have I been able to resist unhealthy food for this long. It feels great. Now I just need to find the strength to up my gym time. Didn't loose too much weight this but I'll make up for it next week. At least two hours in the gym each night. I want to start journaling my food. Sooooooooo here it goes:

Breakfeast: 600 calories
-hot cup of mint tea
-banana peanut butter smoothies: almond milk, banana, peanut butter, chai seeds, protein powder

Lunch: 200 calories
-homemade chili

Snack: 45 calories
-homemade Kale chips
*I've always seen recipes for Kale Chips...interesting taste... they definitely don't compare to sour cream and onion but they were a heck of a lot healthier!!! Seasoned the kale with garlic and fat free parmesan cheese.

Dinner: 400
-Genghis:
Protein: Chicken
Veggies: spinach, zucchini, lots and lots of broccoli, jalapeños,  and two mushrooms(never cared for mushrooms but I tried to incorporate something new :) :) :)
Sauce: garlic water and chili garlic


Gym: 5k on the treadmill and ab and back workout

Oh and here is the poster I created for today's challenge. I accidentally put loose instead of lose ;/ but I do want my clothes to get loose lol.

#healthkwest #genghisgrillad

Little Big Sister

The title for this weeks challenge was Did you ever know that your my HERO? I don't know but now I want to hear that Enrique Iglesias song. So here's the link in case anyone also feel like listening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koJlIGDImiU

For todays challenge we have to interview someone in the health or fitness field and ask for advice on the Health Kwest Journey. She probably though this was weird but I decided to interview my little sister. I've always appreciated her dedication towards living an active lifestyle. She's currently studying Kinesiology and plans to become a Physical therapist.

1. What can I do to stay motivated in this competition? 
Set goals. Remember why you signed up to do this in the first place. You weren't happy with how you felt and looked. Ask yourself every day... why am I doing this. I guarantee that will remind you of your goals and motivate you to keep working till you reach your goal.

2. Besides eating healthy what can I do to continue to lose weight?
Switch up your workouts. Your body will start to get use to your workouts. You don't want that happen. Try different workouts...cycling, work outclasses, lifting different cardio machines. If you do continue working out on the treadmil and bikes make sure you increase the resistance/incline. 

3. Is there something that I can keep in mind?
It took your body awhile to get to where you are... your body wont change in a day. Stay motivated...dont give up... keep trying as hard as you can!!!!

Hot Damn!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow. This weekend was super cold and filled with lots of snow and ice. I didn't get to eat at Genghis Saturday because the roads were horrible! I did make it to the gym. Had a nice workout but when I came back I was craving pizza. Not going to lie I really miss pizza and yummy bread. Instead of ordering pizza I made my own pizza with cauliflower crust… Sounds weird but it was so yummy. My husband was cranky, hungry and rushing me so I didn't cook the crust as long as I should've but it was still delicious. Definitely want to try this again.

This is where I got the recipe: The crust is amazing!!!

http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/02/the-best-cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
 

Today's challenge was to make a music video outside Genghis Grill. It had just snowed and was very cold so I opted to make the video inside. Here it is. I was very happy with how it turned out and of course I love my husband and the staff for helping me!

Check it Out

Who wants more Vegetables????… ME ME ME ME

Veggies aren't usually my first pick but I'm learning to love and appreciate them. I haven't really ventured outside the box at Genghis but it's great to see all the choices they have. I've never been a fan of peppers but maybe I'll try it in my next bowl. So what vegetables to I prefer in my bowl and how do they benefit me???

1. Spinach:
-high in vitaminA which supports production of moisture
-high in fiber
-lowers blood pressure
-asthma prevention
-cancer prevention
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609.php

2. Broccoli:
-supports the bodies detoxification
-contains significant amounts of fiber to facilitate better digestion
-is rich in nutrients like potassium, calcium, protein and vitamin c
- may reduce blood sugar levels
-benefits your skin
-supports heart health
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/09/broccoli-benefits.aspx

3. Zucchini
-helps reduce bloodpressure
-good source of vitamin c
-if taken before pregnacy it can help prevent neural tube defects in the fetus

Long as a Giraffes neck

In a rush to leave work last Friday I left my computer at work… I haven't been able to blog since. Monday was a holiday and the school was closed for snow yesterday. I was itching to update my blog… so here it is! I might have said this in a past blog but I've tried living a healthy lifestyle multiple times in the past. I never make it past a week and last week reminded me why. The first week is always the hardest. I would love to say that I was Positive Polly but I wasn't. I was cranky, tired, and craving sweet, sugary, cheesy, and carb-y food. Although it was hard, I was able to stick with it.

On Valentines Day we were supposed to past a before picture and list three goals. I posted to Tumblr but also want to post here.
My three goals:
1. WIN- It seems weird to say but  I don't think I've ever tried this hard to be healthy in my life. I've don't everything I'm supposed to I've even cut out 99% of carbs. My husband and I are newlyweds and renting right now. I'd love to use the money as a down payment for a house
2. Continue the healthy lifestyle. I don't plan to just eat healthy for 60 days… this is a lifestyle change. I feel a lot better about myself and my eating habits and I understand that it's a lot better for my body.
3. I bought the bathing suit that I'm wearing in my before picture three years ago. I've never been comfortable enough to wear it out. At the end of this challenge I would to be able to confidently wear the bathing suit.

Before picture:

Although the point of this challenge is to loose weight I have not yet weighed myself. It usually takes my body about two weeks to start kicking in the weight loss. I'm afraid if I look at the scale and I haven't lost enough weight I might get discouraged. I will wait till the end of next week to weigh myself. Plus like I said weight loss is great but the most important part is living a healthy lifestyle.

This week one of my goals was to step up working out. That I have done. I've even tried YOGA. which I surprisingly love. It's only been a week but this is defintiely a journey that I'm enjoying. I'm so thankful for the opportunity that  #genghisgrillad has provided me.

CHEERS to the next 50 days!!

TGIF

TGIF

I have never been so happy for FRIDAY!!! This was an absolutely crazy week. I wanted to blog every day but a little sleep was essential to my sanity. Last week was School Counselor Appreciation Week.  Thursday the staff got together and celebrated by bringing in SMORES cupcakes and delicious shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate. I'm drooling just typing about it. Guess who didn't eat a cupcake or cookies? Yep!!! I was so proud of myself. To top it off they had leftover pizza from an after school club that I had to say NO to. PIZZA and COOKIES are two of my favorite things. It was a busy work week but I got thru it and I feel AMAZING & PROUD. YES I still love pizza and cookies but it's only been a week and I realize that I don't need them... I can say NO.

Goals for next week:
1. Blog every day
2. Include meals in my blog posts
3. Step up my workout game

Have a good weekend. Happy Valentines Day

BUT

Yesterday was absolutely insane. Work was extremely busy. I had a night event. To be honest I was cranky and hungry. I'd be lying if I told you eating healthy was easy....  Usually when I have a busy day at work the first thing I want to do is eat something unhealthy BUT I didn't. I ended up having a night work event and didn't get home till 10. I still hadn't gone to the gym. That was the last thing I wanted to do BUT guess where I was at 10:15 PM... yep Gold's Gym thanks goodness its open 24 hours. I had missed the mail so I wasn't able to eat at Genghis the first day. That really bummed me but I sure did enjoy it today. The staff was amazing! I may even work out with one of the hosts. Ready for day 3. 

Night Before Day 1

Well. Tomorrow is DAY 1 of my #genghisgrill #healthkwest

I've tried multiple challenges in the past but I feel most positive about this one. I've created a meal and workout plan. I have the support from the people I love… especially my husband, he is working out and eating healthy with me. I've never been one to blog but I'm going to try to attempt that as well. Wish me luck and good luck to everyone participating. Going to go finish dinner and take before pictures.  READY!!!!