No More Jiggles: Motivation

The BIGGEST hurdle for me and working out is actually getting to the gym.

I'm dead serious, once I'm there I find I can make myself work sufficiently without getting too lazy, but getting there is the hardest part for me.  You wouldn't think that's the case, but it is - in truth I would much rather sit and decompress from a long day of work, catch up on a couple shows - get some real relaxation in, but the truth is, I will feel better once I'm at the gym.

And that's because of endorphins.

EN-DOR-PHIN:

noun/ en dorfin

Any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions. They are peptides that activate the body's opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect.

To put it simply - this is a chemical the body releases when worked that makes you feel better.

I always notice after a good workout that instead of feeling exhausted, I feel energized, I feel better overall, mentally, physically and emotionally.  (You know, unless my workout motiviation for the day was fueled by anger).  

Endorphins are known to:

Relieve stress, alleviate pain, and improve your mood. In addition to these benefits, endorphins can affect your appetite, increase your sex drive, delay aging, and boost your immune system.

In addition to exercise and sex, endorphins are released during other activities. For instance, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, deep breathing, laughter, and meditation all cause the body to provide endorphins to the body.

(Found here)

If that isn't motivation to get to the gym, I don't know what is.

So if it's one of those days, get your butt off the couch and get a good solid workout in - you'll feel loads better.

Pinterest: A great day to do nothing

These pins were brought to you by:

Waiting for my iPod to charge.

...I lied, I'm just procrastinating because I need to go to the gym.

Parenting books say that this sort of humor is horrible.  I think its genius and personally hope to have something like this one day.

Pretty, right?  But you know if you have a child...or an immature husband, this is a poor choice.

So pretty and open, right?  I love all of the choices here.  Yep...all of them.

Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons - delicious looking.  My butt jiggles just looking at it.

This is super cute.  I really am contemplating getting the stuff to do this today.

Healthy and delicious...until you eat roughly 80 of them, which you probably will, and then you're back to square one.

Baby legs in Boise State colors.  This is SO gonna happen when I have babies.

This is super cute.  I have nowhere to wear this, but it's so cute, I died a little.

These are adorable.  I would buy these in a heartbeat.  I bought earrings that came with a similar tag in the back.  I was going to hold off until the cashier told me that they were half off...and the woman who makes them has a son with autism.  So I said, "I'll support that!"  Alright - I'll be honest, I was already sold when she said they were half off.

I know that Chevron is just trendy and will be out of style by next year...but I would love to put this in my laundry room.

Well that's all for now.  I better get my jiggles to the gym.

Until next time!

No More Jiggles: Grapefruit?

Grapefruit?

This is supposed to help you lose weight?

Well there are tons of weight loss books written about this bitter fruit so you have to delve deeper right?

Apparently grapefruit are full of something called Naringin which is an enzyme which helps burn fat.  True story, and while Naringin can be found in other citrus fruits, Grapefruit have the highest level.

I remember a couple years ago I reached out for weight loss tips and one of them was to eat half a grapefruit before every meal, the person swore by it - that it helped her burn 10 pounds in less than a month.  

But here's my issue - grapefruit are BITTER.  Not unbearably so, but enough to make you think twice when you're about two days in.  And without dousing it in sugar to get over the taste and completely undoing the weight loss issue, it's kind of tough to keep up.

Except I recently came upon another weird topper:

Sea Salt.

I know what you're thinking - barf.  But I tried it and it's actually really good!

Obviously, it's a very light sprinkling of the stuff, but it was surprisingly good.  Also there are recipes to try a little bit of brown sugar on half a grapefruit, then broiling it in the oven for a few minutes so it caramelizes.  

I haven't tried it so I can't vouch for it, but it sounds like a safe bet.  Again - with the sugar, but grapefruit is tough to down!

Then there are yummies like this:

Pink Power Grapefruit Smoothie

1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Pink Grapefruit Juice
1/2 Cup White Grapefruit Juice
1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
1/2 Cup Ice
2 Frozen Bananas


Sounds doable to me.  Ooh - mangos would be tasty in there too!


Looks like I have some grapefruit to buy.

P.S. It's my birthday today.  True story.

Colorful Jeans: Do it?

I must admit, in the last month I've tried on two pairs of colorful jeans.  I can't seem to make up my mind though on whether they're a purchase I'll be proud of, or regret.  It always seems I get the guts up to try something crazy around the same time that it's going out of style.

But I am loving the idea of bright colors.  

You see - it's my birthday week and that is a good excuse to shop.  So I've tried on mint green and teal pants.  Each time I walked away telling myself that I would never wear them or that I'll buy them when I'm in a smaller size.  But it turns out that pretty much all colorful jeans run small.  I'm not just saying that as a woman who needs to come to terms with a new jeans size, it's what the sales associates tell you every time you pick them up and tell them you need a fitting room.  They're skin tight too, when they say go at least two sizes up, they're not kidding - because you won't get them past your knees.

How long are these going to be around anyway?  A season or two?  Is it worth it?  Because I get a lot of wear out of pants and it'll kill the frugal side of me to buy a pair of pants I'll only wear for a summer.  I often wonder what I would wear with them.  The suggested way to wear them is the ultra hip color blocking, by adding color to more color.  I'm not that brave.  I think I'd go with something like this:

This just looks like Spring to me.  Which is today, by the way.  Or is it tomorrow?  I don't know - it always falls around my birthday.

And it turns out you can find colorful jeans....EVERYWHERE:

Charlotte Russe

American Eagle

Express

Buckle

Gap

Old Navy

Banana Republic

I guess the question is...what color?

Has anyone else out there taken the plunge and has been rocking the colorful jeans?  Are they easy to rock?  Are you happy you did it?

No More Jiggles: Don't die from belly fat

My belly....

I dislike the state of my belly.

It jiggles and bulges and makes it so I can't wear what I want.

Also - according to studies - it's slowly killing me.

There are TONS of studies out there that keep saying the same thing - if you're overweight, you're at risk for many more diseases than the fit folk.  The life threatening type.  If you're a woman and your waist is more than 35 inches - that's a sign you're at risk for heart disease and diabetes already.  Also - among obese people, the risk of cancer is 33% more likely than those who are at a healthy weight.  The World Health Organization estimates that up to a third of colon, kidney and digestive tract cancers are caused by inactivity and being overweight.  Belly fat only adds to the problem when you know what causes cancer and hormone distribution when you have excess weight.  Cancer is caused by abnormal mutations when cells divide.  When a person has fat tissue, the body produces more hormones which increase cell division.  That means there's more opportunities for cell division and a bigger risk of cancer. (Women's Health Magazine)

Scary, right?

Along with feeling and looking better, a BIG push to work on the belly is now so you won't die.  You're welcome.  Come back for more anxiety-filled grim tales anytime.

So how to combat it right?  There isn't a "lose belly fat fast" scheme that will work.  I'm sorry - they might try to sell that to you, but if you buy it you're a sucker.  There's no way to get results quickly without hard work.  And that goes for most other aspects of life.  No get-rich-quick plans that work either.  Hard work.  Which sucks.

So how do you start?

EAT RIGHT!

You can find article, after article about foods central to weight loss and more importantly - belly weight loss.

#1 - Nuts.  Almonds are on the healthiest side of the nut spectrum.  (Yeah I giggled when I wrote it and that's why I'm keeping it.)  Nuts build muscle, curb cravings, fight obesity, wrinkles, cancer and high blood pressure.  No joke!  You're going to want to look for the natural, low salt, low sugar variety to get the best results.  How do they help your belly?  They're filled with fiber and protein which help curb the appetite and metabolize fat.

#2 - The musical fruit.  (We're already off to an immature start, I figured I'd keep with the theme.)  Beans/ Legumes fight obesity, colon cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure while helping to burn fat, build muscle and regulate digestion.  Seriously - have more beans.  Chickpeas are on the healthier side of that spectrum having the same benefits as almonds.

#3 - Green Veggies.  Especially spinach.  Green veggies fight cancer, obesity, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and aging.  That's right - aging.  They neutralize free radicals - which are molecules that accelerate aging.

#4 - Low fat or Fat Free Dairy!  Milk, yogurt, cheese!  Fights osteoporosis, cancer, high blood pressure, while building strong bones and helping with weight loss!

#7 - Oatmeal!  Plain though, don't get excited for the good sugary stuff - this has to be stripped down to help you the most!  Oatmeal fights colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity while helping you with reducing cholesterol, and giving energy.

#8 - Peanut Butter.  I know it's not shown but every woman reading this knew what I meant by looking at the picture, while admiring Brad's flared nostrils.  Peanut butter is a great source of protein which helps build muscle and burns fat.  Peanut butter also helps with wrinkles and cardiovascular disease.  

The list goes on, but you get the drift.  Certain foods are best for burning fat and keeping you...alive longer.  

Keep these foods in mind when you're at the grocery store next and remember the benefits - they're not just for belly fat.

As always, all helpful fitness tricks and tips are appreciated - until next week!

No More Jiggles: Don't be a marshmallow

Today I'm going to tell you about my marshmallowy body.

As a kid, did you ever  put a marshmallow in the microwave?  Don't lie to me, we all did it.  We all had to clean up the aftermath - we all made homemade s'mores, but more importantly we all watched that thing blob out every which way and increase it's size.

That is how I feel.  Like a marshmallow in the microwave.  I feel like I am spilling out - of my jeans, my shirts, pretty much anything that tries to contain me.  I realize this is probably just good ol' fashioned water weight but I can't find a better suiting depiction of how I feel - I am a marshmallow in the microwave.

So I decided to find tips on how to avoid bulging every which way:

1. AEROBIC ACTIVITY - any aerobic activity is great for burning fat.  Livestrong.com suggests 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity.  Even if it's a brisk walk for 30 minutes straight - 30 minutes a day will not only help with the marshmallowing, but it's good for the heart as well.

2.  YOGA/ PILATES:  Both are great for strengthening the core and work muscles that tend to be underneath the marshmallowy fat.

3.  Avoid sleeping right after meals since this slows the digestive process.  Ideally you should wait 3 hours after eating before going to sleep.

4.  Avoid soft drinks and soda.  Every so often won't hurt but they're directly tied to belly bulge.  Also they're terrible for you - no matter how delicious they are.

5.  Avoid high fat, high sugar foods.  Yes, these are the yummiest, but they're making you into a campfire treat!  Adopt the "Just Say No" stance to high fat, high sugar foods.  They'll only make your tongue happy - the rest of your body will rebel.


And just in case you need an image to stick with you:

I should totally make this into a magnet for the fridge.

That's all for today - as always let me know of useful tips!