GOOD GAWD.......

So I have finally made my way back to the gym and it feels so damn good, I almost cried as I walked in the door (tears of joy of course). Monday I hit that elliptical gave it the "business" for 45 minutes and then conditioned these legs. Man I thought I was on to something!

Until.....

I decided to take a group exercise class.... Zumba, you must know I am an avid lover of it. I love dancing and Latin/salsa moves make me feel like a princess once it's all said and done. I mean come on, with all the hip movements and not to mention gyrating and jiggling there is NO WAY possible you can't love it.
But on this Tuesday I decide to take a course I'd never heard of NOR did I take time out to look it up to see what it was about. All I know is I made it on time, was number 5 on the list and I was "ret-to-go!!!!".

And then I see these suspensions hanging from the ceiling.... and nothing in me said "walk away".....
I actually stayed and asked for punishment.

And that is EXACTLY what I got!!!

This exercise helps rebuild your core, arms, legs, and back! It increases muscular endurance and it is great for all fitness levels!

In 60 minutes we touched on everything from squats, lunges, push ups, sit-ups, planks, even bicycles and so much more. When I left that place I had the walk of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the confidence of a millionaire.

I slept like a baby and woke up with sore muscles every where from my thighs to my damn forearm, now you know.... that is a work out!!!

So needless to say I will be there every Tuesday and Friday (6:45 AM - as long as I can muster up the energy to make it out that early) so I can get my body with this program......

Also try something new.
Introduce your body to it, learn it, perfect it, and always share it.

Until next time fam.........

 
Breakfast.....
You know it's the most important meal of the day right?
Hell yes, you were already aware.... BUT question is how do  you make sure what your eating is best for to keep that strong bod running through out the day?
If it makes you sleepy or sluggish.... Uh.... You probably shouldn't make that your daily staple.

I've decided to incorporate more fruits and veggies for breakfast may it be through means of whole or cut fruits and veggies or juicing..... either way I am getting it in and I don't feel like I need coffee to keep me going through out the day.

My juice consist of:
1 Banana
4 Strawberries
2 Carrots
1/2 Mango
1/4 Pineapple
4 bushels of Kale
2 Celery Sticks
and of course a nice cup of ice, since there is nothing like a nice cool drink to kick your am off after a Sweaty AM session!!!

Never be afraid to experiment with the wellness and for the better when it comes to your health. Grab your favorite fruits and veggies (of course drop in some you've never tried before and give it a shot!) I promise you will feel great and have a much better day then being fueled off of greasy eggs and bacon.....

Your worth much more than that lol

Stay tuned. Good stuff is in route!!!

In case you missed this summer.... plan on coming back with a bang for summer 2013!!!!!!!

Today a question was passed my way: "What events in your life have impacted your weight gain?" and I said......

As for me, I grew up with my mom and my grandfather as major impacts in my life, mom was more so on the heavier side but my grandfather did his best to remain fit. And he always told me that a woman should take care of her body and mind her appearance. Also, growing up in the city I noticed how my friends (skinny chicks) were treated compared to me the rounder lady of the bunch….

As I got older, I then learned about medical hits my family was taking from diabetes. I lost one of my favorite great aunts to the disease, a disease that I thought was one obtained by just simple bad luck. When I learned it could be prevented and for some reversed (learned this with my husband in my head, Luther Vandross), I then began to take charge and look at the way I viewed food and physical fitness.

My final year in high school, I knew I was graduating and I knew that I would never see these folks again. My normal 170 frame blew up to 200 lbs in less than 6 months, all from sweet birthday cake, soda, pizza, and the wonderful fried foods.

When I hit my freshman year at NSU, I began making better choices with eating and fitting in physical activity when ever I could. When I officially cut out the beef and pork my wide statue became a sleek slender frame coming in at 1 motha-freaking 50…. Lawd the good ole days lol lol.

I now am not aiming to be small (although I am on a mission to get some type of abs lol) I want to be physically fit so I don’t feel like 35, 40, hell even 50!!!!

I also can not bear any types of surgery or shooting my self with insulin, those are not options for me. So I focus on steering clear of anything that can be prevented by moderation and exercise.

Now your turn....... what events have impacted your weight gain of loss??

Accomplishments

I always manage to come up with tons of ideas, and guess what.... I usually don't follow through, bad yes, I know.

This time around things are different. I am not sure if I got tired of my daughter calling me juicy (her term for FAT!!!) or if I was just wanting my 30's to be completely different compared to my 20's.

How often do you sit back and think about your list of goals to meet? How many of them have you hit? What have you accomplished thus far? How often do you ask yourself this question; how often do you ask others this question?

Time to consider the possible along with the impossible and get on the ball.

Look forward to videos!!!

And soon to come, live meetings!!! Nothing like getting some exercise in while outdoors!!!!

Here is to a Brand Nu You!!!

A Journey Inspired

I sat down with my best friend who is currently on her own journey with weight loss and management. Her over all goals inspired me to follow through with plans made and her story is one to share.

When inspired, share the story, it was created to touch others.....

1.      How tall are you?[Toccara Robinson]  5’11


2.      What type of surgery did you have?[Toccara Robinson]  Gastric Sleeve.. its different from the gastric bypass because they do not cut your intestines. With the Gastric Sleeve, they pretty much remove a large portion of your stomach.  It makes it so that your esophagus, stomach, and intestines are like one long tube or sleeve.


 3.      I understand you and the gym have become best friends, what motivates you on a daily basis to live this healthy lifestyle.[Toccara Robinson]   I never thought I would ever say this but yes, the gym and I have become very acquainted. I am there pretty much 5 to 6 days a week and twice a day a couple times out of the week. My will to live is what motivates me on a daily basis.  I watched my cousin die from her weight and I vowed at her funeral that, it would be me.  Whenever I feel like not going to the gym, I just remember my cousin and how she would have given anything to have the opportunity to change her lifestyle.  Trust me it’s not easy but when I see other morbidly obese people like myself, something insides me just won’t let me give up and quit. 


4.      Do you plan on making an impression on others? And if so, who is your target audience?[Toccara Robinson]   I definitely want my journey to serve as a motivator for other people.  I want people to look at me and look back at my past pictures and say WOW, if she can do it, I can do it because this journey has very little to do with where you start but has everything to do with where you end up.  I am open to inspiring any one that needs the inspiration but I am really passionate about helping those people that are at a point where they can’t even help themselves.  I want to make a lasting impression on the folks that society has pretty much given up on.  The people that look at themselves and say, being fit will never be me and that feel like there is little they can do to change because they are destine to just be fat.  I want them to know that there is still hope and that they are worth the effort despite of what they think and what society wants them to believe.  There is still hope for change.


5.      Name one thing at the end of every day you set out to accomplish? Is that target hit every day?[Toccara Robinson]  Umm that is a hard one.  Every day I try to accomplish celebrating the little things.  I try to relish in the fact that it’s another day for me to try to do just a little more than I did before.  To try something new and to push myself towards another goal.  I have come to realize and my friends have been very instrumental in helping me come to this realization, that I am very hard on myself and that I don’t give myself enough credit for the accomplishments that I have made.  So my goal is to take a few moments everyday to reflect and to give myself a pat on the back.  There is still room for improvement but I can never forget where I came from


Stay tuned, we will definitely watch this woman succeed!!!

Go Toccara!!

Be sure to check out her blog; watch as learns, teaches, and shares with the world! 


Click HERE to check out Toccara's Blog

Building this CORE

The best way to gauge performance is to make sure it is tracked, researched, and rewarded of course silly!
I am proud of where I stand and the direction I am heading. I always find, and do my best to share stories of motivation and inspiration but I think I tend to skip my personal thoughts and consideration when it comes to those words (motivation & inspiration).

When it comes to your core, remember that is the center of where your energy comes from. As long as you work on making it stronger you can't go wrong. I've listed a few things for you to remember...

In order to join me on this journey in finding those abs kiss the spot reduction GOOD BYE..... doing crunches every day will do you no justice and will discourage you since results are at a minimum. Make sure your cardio and strength training are apart of your training routine.

Your abdominal muscles are just like every other muscle in your body, they require rest. Focusing on that core every other day will do just fine hun. And be sure to experiment with various exercises!!

If you'd like to have that strong core you'd better learn more about your back! There is no way to have a nice tight core yet a loose back. Be sure to incorporate some exercises that train that back, you'll thank me later.

Pay attention to what your body responds to since some moves are way more effective than others. I cuss the most when I put in some bicycles, a reverse crunch, and a stability ball crunch. This means they are effective! 

Make sure you EAT your way to a flatter belly since we all know "ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN!". Avoid sugars (especially those good ole sweet beverages) and keep a clean diet.

Stay tuned more to come on the 5 topics just touched. Don't want to put you in info overload!!!

Great night Fam!!!!!