My Meals Monday: April 20, 2015

This week is all about getting myself eating right and working out again, I can happily report that I have done both today!

I started my day off with a pre workout snack of 6oz of coffee and a small banana nut muffin that I made, then I headed up to the gym.

After working out I had a bowl of Raisin Bran cereal, another 6 oz coffee, and a big pint of ice cold water.

For lunch I had a sandwich made with oat nut bread, extra sharp cheddar, mashed avocado with pesto, and italian herbed chicken breast.

In the afternoon I had another pint of water and another 6 oz coffee.

I also had a Yoplait light blueberry yogurt as a snack.

For dinner I had 2 slices of chicken breast in a lemon caper sauce, sliced cucumber in italian dressing, quinoa and kale, and sweet potato butternut squash soup. 

As you can see I did pretty good today not only did I skip the junk, but I also made it to the gym!!!! What about you did you eat right and make it to the gym today? 

If you would like to see the video for MY Meals Monday you can find it here.

   

Workout Wednesday: Building a morning routine

Over the past couple of months I have been working on building my new AM Routine, this routine is all about fitting in the necessary parts of my morning, (i.e. shower, vacuuming, unloading the dishwasher, and working out) but also incorporating a couple fitness goals.
The first thing I wanted to start incorporating was a quick 20 minute morning yoga routine, I wanted to  add this in right after I wake up and walk the dogs so that it sets the tone for the rest of my day. I knew if I tried to go full on 7 days a week it wouldn't stick, so instead I set a goal of doing it 2 times for 1 week, then the next week I set a goal for 3 times in a week, then the next week I set a goal for 4 times in 1 week, and it went like this for 6 weeks until I had finally built up to doing it 7 days a week. I learned in this process how much I loved doing the am yoga routine, but not just for the relaxation and the stretching, but also for the mental clarity I felt throughout the day. I have mentioned once or twice before that I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Onychophgia, and  anxiety, because of this I have a constant sense of where I'm at mentally, and can honestly say my morning yoga routine has helped more than any therapy session ever attended, although as I wright this I feel that bit of anxiety starting to flare up so moving on to a different subject :)
When I first decided to start a morning yoga routine I instantly jumped online and started my search for the perfect yoga DVD, and then it hit me, I'm apart of the greatest online community ever invented...YouTube...and if you can find a cat playing the piano then surly I can find a good yoga routine...and I did! What I love most about this particular routine is the fact that its not noisy, as in the instructor isn't doing any unnecessary talking and there is a great balance and flow to the video.
I would highly recommend starting a little yoga routine of your own in the mornings as the benefits far out way the 20 minutes that you have to wake up earlier. Remember when starting your routine to start slow as constancy not speed is what matters most. I will post the yoga video that I do every morning here so you can all enjoy it as much as I do. 

Tutorial Tuesday: Drugstore Gym Makeup Look

Since this is now April and we are all rushing back to the gym to try and get ready for summer I thought I would post a makeup look that can be done in less than five minutes, is completely drugstore, and isn't too made up. 

One of the things that drives me crazy about the gym is when you walk in and see "That Girl"... you all know exactly who I'm talking about the girl standing there in her pink booty shorts and sports bra showing off her never ending perfectly toned and tanned body and a full face of makeup, I mean come on its the F***ing gym who actually goes like...she does, and I have found that it can actually make attending the gym a daunting task when you have that to look at, so I have started to wear just a bit of makeup to help boost my confidence, without the overly done cake look. 

To start I fill in my brows with the NYX Push Up Bra for brows, this is not about shaping the most amazing brow this is just about adding some color so they actually seem to be there on my face.

Then I use the third color on the top grow (the peachy color) of the Maybelline The Nudes Palette, just to cover up my dark blue-green eye lids and make them all look one color. 

Then I add the bronzer from the Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder, just through my crease so it adds that 3D effect to my eyes.

To make my eyes pop even more I add Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid liner in Brownish Black.

Then I use Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara on my top lashes. 

And to finish the look Revlon lip gloss in Peony. 

This is such a basic look but really can make a huge effect on how you feel about yourself as well as how motivated you are when you walk in the gym, and as for "that girl" she better step aside because I'm feelin so good, I'm bout to take her place hahaha.

You can find the video of this look here, leave me a comment below telling me what you do to get ready for the gym. 

My Meals Monday: April 13, 2015

For breakfast today I had Shredded Wheat Biscuits with a banana and Almond milk, I really liked this cereal and it helps mix up my usual oatmeal breakfast. 

For lunch today I had a sandwich which had, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Mashed Avocado, Italian Herb Chicken Breast, Rotisserie Chicken Salad, and Alfalfa Sprouts in Oat Nut Bread. 

I have been juicing almost daily now and I love this carrot and apple combo, so I have been using this as an afternoon snack for the past 2 weeks and its super affordable as I bought 10 pounds of apples at costco for $15 and 10 pounds of carrots for $8 and each drink only takes 1 apple and 3 carrots and then pour over ice and your good. 

For diner we did Taco Del Mar again I swear I am so obsessed with this place, but its just so good, I again went with the spinach tortilla burrito it had Sour Cream, Avocado, Black Beans, Ground Beef, Cheese, and Tomatoes. 

That is everything I had today if you would like to watch the short video for this you can find it here, and don't forget to leave me a comment on what you had to eat today. 

Style Sunday: Gym Style

Today's post is about gym style, as summer is just around the corner many of us are rushing back to the gym to try and get in shape for summer, sadly many of us who struggle with our weight find it a tough task to find cute but functional gym wear. When I look for workout gear I always look for compression pants with a wide waistband as that will offer tummy control as well as help to keep our tummy tight so we can work on our core, I also look for tops that breathe but doesn't look like I'm wearing a tent. 

I have become a huge fan of the Old Navy active wear as they off the right fashion flare with the perfect amount of compression and control for any of looking to look a little slimmer.

March Winners & April Giveaway

I know this was supposed to be posted on the first Friday of the month but sadly I went through all the trouble of making a super creative easter cupcake video to go along with it, only for the footage to be "corrupted" and completely unusable according to Final Cut, so I jumped up and refilled the entire video only to realize in editing that I forgot to turn my lights on, so the whole video was really dark, and I forgot to turn the mic on...cue the very long string of very bad words...I thought I might be able to salvage the video with really good editing and voice over but honestly I was just so not happy with it so I scrapped the whole project and thought I would just post this, the winners of the Affina Facial Scrub is Kirsten Paige and Monique Guthrie, I have already messaged you via Youtube Messaging Center.
Aprils giveaway is going to be my favorite face mask of all time, the Sei Bella Clay Mask, it leaves your skin feeling so soft and smooth, and I swear I feel like my faces glows after this mask ;) The 2 winners for this will be announced on May 1, 2015.
I am spending the week writing Copy for Don's website as well as filming I have a big list of what I consider to be fun and different videos that I will post starting on Sunday.
I hope you all have a great week and once again sorry I was tardy for the...Giveaway lol