Motivation 101 on Exercise

You have had a long day, planned to workout but you're completely exhausted and feel as if that's the last thing you have time to do.. You skip your workout and find yourself thinking about it as you're eating a large dinner.. "I'll make it up tomorrow".  Tomorrow comes and you find yourself exhausted and yet again, left with the decision to exercise or not to exercise.

You are not alone, everyone needs motivation to get exercising whether it's just a little or 100%.   There will always be those days when you feel as if your motivation levels are running on E and you can't find anywhere to fuel them back up.  My answer for you? Discover the ways in which can motivate you at anytime.  I am going to provide you with my best pieces of advice of what helps motivate me to exercise.  The biggest thing I have come to realize is time is no excuse.  You can find time for anything that's important and we all know exercise is extremely important to have as a part of our lives.  

This post will include:   -The fundamentals of motivating yourself to exercise
                                   -Music in a Jar secret

                                   -My gluten free pancake recipe

                                   -Sample workout Beginner-advanced levels

                                   

Here are the top SEVEN tips for finding the motivation to get into and keep a regular exercise routine that I have come up with. 

1).  Write out your goals

Where do you want to be a month from now, six months from now, a year from now? 

What is a troubled area on your body you would like to improve? 

What is a goal weight you would like to be at? 

What is the reason for you to want to reach your goals? 

What is an obstacle that prevents you from reaching your goals and how can you avoid it?

How can you achieve these goals?

**Have an incentive for if you reach your goals..  buy new shoes, a new outfit you have been wanting

2).  Make a "gym bag" 

Fill it with at least TWO: Shirts, pairs of socks, shorts/pants/capris, sports bras (females), ONE pair of shoes, a water bottle, spare deodorant, hair ties, headbands, headphones, baggies of serving size pre/post workout powders and a list of workouts just in case you are having an off day and can't decide what workout you want to do! 

3).  Do a fitness assessment on yourself every Four weeks

The purpose of a fitness assessment is to create some motivation to push yourself to do better each time.  You can also see where you are currently at and your progress along the way! 

My fitness assessment includes:

-Body measurements of calf, knee, upper thigh, hips, waist, chest and arm

-Weight

-# Push ups until fatigue

-# Crunches until fatigue

-Plank time until fatigue

-Mile run time

-Sprint time until fatigue @12mph, 0 incline

**I also STRONGLY suggest to include pictures of yourself to see small changes over time.  You might actually be pretty surprised!! :) 

4).  Plan out workouts

The idea behind planning out your workouts is kind of like promising yourself you are going to do something, so you have more of a chance of actually doing it.  Just like I said earlier, time and exhaustion is a major issue a lot of people blame for not working out.  If you plan out the times you would like to workout, you clearly can fit it in your schedule.  If your excuse is that you are exhausted, you will feel much better after the workout AND you will gain energy levels with a regular exercise schedule! 

5.)  Find a workout partner
Even if you and a partner workout together once a week, it's still someone to have with you along the ride to your exercise goals.  By having a workout partner, it can also help motivate each other and push yourself harder..  No one likes to lose or be last, right? 

6.)  Change it up
Once you have a routine down, you will need to change it up about every Six weeks.  This goes for your cardio routine and weight training routine.  The reason being; your body gets used to what you are doing and doesn't have to work as hard because it is familiar with what it's doing. You need to keep finding ways to challenge yourself and take the next step.  Make sure you don't do the same type of cardio every single day/time you exercise (running, elliptical, bike), and definitely make sure you aren't resistance training with the same muscle group back to back.. your muscles need at least 48 hours to rest and repair before they go at it again.

7.) Listen to Music!
By making playlists that get you pumped up and in a good mood, it will be easier to workout and actually enjoy it! Take some time to go through your music and create a few playlists so that you don't hear the same songs each time.  There may be different types of music for different workouts such as running, lifting weights or stretching.  Change it up and have fun with your music! :)

***Did you know, by putting your iPod or phone in a glass jar while it's playing music, the sound will reflect off of the glass and become up to 3x as loud!?  This tip can easily make an at-home workout, or just anything you do around the house much more enjoyable being able to have louder music playing from your phone! 

Recipe for my Gluten Free Pancake Mix::

-1/4 Cup Bisquick Gluten Free Mix
-1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
-1 TBSP Ground Flaxseed Meal
-2 TBSP Unsweetened applesauce
-1/2 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk
-2 TBSP Egg whites 

TOPPED WITH::
-1 TBSP Almond Butter
-1 TBSP Blueberry Agave Nectar
-1 Small Banana Sliced
-1 TBSP Chia Seeds
-2 tsp Unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

***Did you know:: Chia seeds are a natural powerhouse? They contain Omega-3 essential fatty acids that help support normal cardiovascular and digestive function, and have a higher level of Antioxidant activity than blueberries. You can add them to almost anything, I like to put them in my yogurt and shakes I make, or top my oats with them! :) They are a bit pricey but the bag will last a while! 

Here is a Killer Leg Workout that I like to do to push myself and keep my heart rate up! 

I do resistance training every time I workout and sometimes I like to add in a cardio workout between sets.  For example (Lift 8 repetitions of curls x 3 sets) and I will get my cardio in between each set.  

-At the very beginning, I always set a goal for myself to work for and keep going until I reach it.

-This workout, I set myself a goal to do 150 box jumps and to be completed between lifts. 

-I was using a 18 inch box and did 15 jumps between each set.  

 *Beginnger

    -Instead of jumping up to the step/box, you may step up and back down

         *Moderate

           -Jump onto a 12 inch step/box

               *Advanced

                 -Jump onto an 18 inch step/box

                    *Elite

                      -Jump onto a 24+ inch step/box

Once I completed my goal, I was ready for more so I pushed myself go to 200 box jumps and I completed them in Two sets of 25 jumps! 

Next, I did back to back air squats on the step.  I did THREE sets of 10 repetitions each leg:

-Right leg squat

-Left leg squat

-Both leg squat 

**No rest between, just go until all three sets of 10 are completed. 

**To make more advanced, squat lower or a higher step or add weights! 

Left Leg, try to keep your balance!

Right Leg, squat as far down as you can

Keep your shoulders pulled back and knees behind toes

**Every time you fall off, make yourself do something for example: 10 push ups, burpees, or crunches

My dog motivates me to exercise too! She can't just go out on a walk by herself and I know how much shes loves to go for walks so I try to take her at least three times per week when I'm at my parents house!
Doesn't she looks so happy!? This was Wednesday when it was VERY nice out, we enjoyed a nice 35 minute walk :)

[Need help losing weight, gaining energy, increasing your workouts or just feeling better overall? Check out my advocare page and you might find something that works perfect for you! -I recommend the 24 day challenge, spark energy, post workout recovery or catalyst!]

www.advocare.com/12103005  If you have any questions, just ask me.. You may order from my page on the site or just ask me and I will put in a larger order so it's cheaper shipping :)

Contest Information: Send a picture to my email of something healthy or fall related such as a workout picture, pumpkins, halloween, a recipe you love, or anything related to my blog posts.. be creative. I will select one picture to feature on one of my next few blogs and everyone who enters a picture will be in the running to win a prize :) 
*new winner on the 1st of every month! 

Send away:: Ce.Lawson08@gmail.com 


EVERYONE have a HAPPY && SAFE Halloween weekend :) 

Question to think about:  Which tip can you take to help you increase your motivation to exercise?

Challenge: Whichever tip is your weakest, find a way to overcome it and use the tip! (Ex. Pack a gym bag or find  a workout partner)

Quote of the Day: When you Love what you have, you have Everything you need. 


XoXo

Fall Food & Bucket List

LOVE fall season with the trees changing, football games, sweatshirts, excitement for upcoming holidays and might I add, it's the season for "centering".  Centering or (soul searching) means "to enter the heart" and involves deep reflection of one's "real self" to find who we are and what our purpose is in life.  

This Post will include::      -My fall bucket list

                                       -three recipes (two with pumpkin)

                                       -20 minute workout anyone can do
                                       -New Contest Information! 

I get to drive down this road every day going to and from work/school to my apartment! Love the nature and seeing deer (luckily haven't hit one!) 

I have been coming up with ideas in my head listing all of the things I would love to do this fall.. what's better than making a bucket list and sharing my ideas with everyone else!

Spray painted my pumpkin Gold! Love it :) Just needs glitter and it would have my name written all over it! 

Here are a few healthy recipes to try involving pumpkin :)

Pumpkin Bars (Healthy & Gluten Free)
-1/2 cup brown rice flour (or regular to make non-gluten free)
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1 egg white
-2 TBSP ground flax meal
-2 TBSP brown sugar
-2 TBSP agave nectar
-1/2 cup canned pumpkin
-2 TBSP vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
-2 TBSP unsweetened applesauce (or oil)
-1 tsp vanilla extract

**Preheat and bake at 350 degrees, spread in an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and cook for 14-16 minutes :)
**About 80 calories per serving (serves 8)

SINGLE Serving Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Again, healthy & Gluten Free)
-3 TBSP Brown rice flour (or choice of flour)
-1 TBSP canned pumpkin (Sweet potato or applesauce can be substituted for the pumpkin)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 TBSP chocolate chips
-1 TBSP of brown sugar or agave nectar
-1 1/2 TBSP vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
-1/4 tsp vanilla extract

**Frosting (Optional)  I just mixed:
-1 TBSP vanilla greek yogurt
-1 TBSP almond milk
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
 & put in the freezer for 20 minutes :)

**Preheat and bake at 330 degrees for 15 minutes in a muffin tin with cooking spray.
**About 125 calories per serving with "frosting"

Here is the end result :) One with the "Frosting" and one without! both are good! 

This is just a simple and healthy salad:: Spinach leaves with 1TBSP honey Dijon mustard, bacon bits, 3 oz grilled chicken and 1/4 cup peas! yumm :) 

Tis' the season for football, warm clothes, tailgating and friends! Showing my school spirit and supporting our football team full of stud athletes :)

My First and not last fall tailgating and football game :) Grand View Homecoming! 

WorK it OuT
My workout partner and I dominated our tough Monday workout.. consisted of 3 Sets x 8 Reps of six different bicep and back lifts and together, we had to complete 400 box jumps, 200 single leg box jumps (each leg) and 1000 jump ropes! & Yes, it was a success! We ended it with a fun photo shoot and my polar watch showing the calories burnt in only 90 minutes!

PUSH YOURSELF! Find new limits and OVERCOME them!! Only have positive thoughts and get rid of ALL bad thoughts!! NEVER talk down on yourself! *Try kick boxing for a high intensity change up :)

20 Minute workout:: Do each of the following as fast as you can, as many as you can for one whole minute

-Jumping Jacks                             -Push ups (girls can be modified)

-Crunches                                      -Box jumps/stair jumps/towel jumps

-Plank                                             -Mountain climbers

-Side plank (30 each side)          -Bicycles with straight legs 6 inches from ground

-Body squat jumps (or add wt.)   -Jump split lunges (switch legs in air)

**Rest one minute and repeat 1-2 more times! 

[Need help losing weight, gaining energy, increasing your workouts or just feeling better overall? Check out my advocare page and you might find something that works perfect for you! -I recommend the 24 day challenge, spark energy, post workout recovery or catalyst!]

www.advocare.com/12103005  If you have any questions, just ask me.. You may order from my page on the site or just ask me and I will put in a larger order so it's cheaper shipping :)

Contest Information: Send a picture to my email of something healthy or fall related such as a workout picture, pumpkins, halloween, a recipe you love, or anything related to my blog posts.. be creative. I will select one picture to feature on my next blog and everyone who enters a picture will be in the running to win a prize :) 
*I will start having a contest each time I post a blog and there will be a new winner on the 1st of every month! 

Send away:: Ce.Lawson08@gmail.com 

And my Bailey girl poses perfectly for the camera allowing me to capture the pumpkins and fall leaves in the background :)  HAPPY October, Everyone! 

Question to think about:: What is one thing you could change about your diet and what steps do you need to take to get there? What is holding you back? 

Challenge::  Carve or decorate a pumpkin this weekend, it's fun to be creative once in a while! :)

Quote of the day:: Today will never come again, Be a blessing. Be a friend. Encourage someone. Take time to care.  Let your words heal, and not wound. 


XoXo 

Make or Break a Habit in 21 days!

Happy Wednesday, Everyone, we have already made it halfway through the week!

In today's blog you will find: -Advice on breaking or making a habit
                                               -HIIT workout idea
                                               -A couple recipes worth trying! [[gluten free]]

Did you know it takes only 21 consecutive days to make or break a habit? Well if you didn't already, now you do.  This could be great motivation for some who are willing to cut out an old habit or create one that you have always been wanting to keep up with. 
A Habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary; a regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. In other words, repetition of the same physical action can eventually become an automatic reflex. Habits are repeated actions that ultimately can help people achieve their goals.

Here are a few ideas of good habits to form::
-Brushing your teeth morning/night
-Flossing your teeth morning/night
-Wearing your seat belt
-Taking a water bottle with you throughout the day
-Exercising
-Preparing meals/bags/clothes the night before
-Stretching
-Meditating
-Get up earlier
-Review your goals
-Write to-do lists
-Save money
-Have family time
-Read
-Saying a prayer before bed

Here are a few ideas of bad habits you might want to break:
-Smoking
-Give up sweets
-Give up fried foods
-Drinking soda
-Eating fast food
-Not wearing your seat belt
-Sleeping in
-Staying up late
-Slouching
-Being late
-Nail biting
-Gossiping
-Alcohol

1) First thing to trashing an old habit or creating a new one is to make a list of each habit you would like to focus on. 

2) Next, you want to put them in order to decide which is most important to start with to improve your overall healthy lifestyle. (You only want to focus on ONE habit at a time to prevent overwhelming yourself)

3) Then you need to decide why you really want to form this habit or get rid of it.  Think of personal and inspiring reasons to help motivate you to stick to the 21 days of habit form/breaking. If you need to purchase something to get your habit started, get what you need (floss, alarm clock, note pads).

4) Figure out what triggers the bad habit, or what makes you avoid the new habit you want to create and decide how to change those reasons.

5) Engage others, try to get others to join you in your 21 day habit challenge.  I'm sure you can find someone who is looking to break or create a new habit and more than likely they will have the same habit as yourself!

6) Write out affirmations to keep you motivated and going towards the goal of your habit.  There's nothing better than to see notes to yourself to keep you positive the entire 21 days!

7) Lastly, visualize yourself reaching your new habit.  How good will you look, how much better will you feel, what will others think of you?

(Myself doing one legged jump ropes)

Add in a few of both legs to give your calves a rest

I always love to try new HIIT workouts! (High intensity interval training).  HIIT is a type of performance during a workout that involves a short duration with very high intensity followed by a longer duration of lower intensity.  Today I decided to do 1,000 one-legged jump ropes. I did 100 between each set during lifting! It's challenging but gets my heart up and down pretty quick :)

Or do one legged high knee jump ropes! 

Love my polar watch! It lets me know where my heart rate is, how long I should rest to get my heart rate down, what percent of calories I'm burning is going towards burning fat, and how many calories I burn during my workout! Seeing these numbers really helps push myself harder to achieve new goals :)

These were very good! [[Pumpkin protein pancakes]]
Recipe::
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/4 cup old fashion oats
1 TBSP maple agave nectar
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
[[blend together blender]]

Topping:
2 TBSP almond butter
1 banana sliced

 This is my recipe for Pumpkin Protein balls (No baking needed).  Tis' the season for pumpkin :)   You need:: (OR can modify to your liking)
-1/2 cup steel cut oats
-1/2 cup old fashion oats
-1/2 cup brown rice flour
-1/4 cup flaxseed meal
-1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
-2 TBSP maple agave nectar
-1/3 cup canned pumpkin
-1 TBSP almond butter
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-2 TBSP water

Mix together, roll into balls and there you go!  (Store in baggies or container in fridge)

Thanks for checking out my blog, hope you found can take something useful from it!

Goodnight from my cuddling dog and myself! :)

Question to think about:: What is a habit you would like to make a break? 

Challenge:: Pick one habit and stick to the make or break 21 day process.

Quote of the day:: Sometimes you are delayed where you are because God knows there's a storm where you're headed. Be grateful 

XoXo

Food for Friday

Healthy tastes bad? Not at all! 

Many people are driven away by the word "healthy" before they even give it a chance.  Have you ever had someone give you crap for eating healthy? When you do something right for yourself, there will always be others trying to bring you down just because you're happy (in any situation).  DON'T let them! Since when are greasy cheeseburgers and pepperoni cheese pizzas good for your body? Okay, I'm not saying to avoid these foods because they are highly irresistible and okay to eat now and then. I'm just saying it's not right to try and bring someone down for doing the right thing, we can all make our own choices and it's easier to support someone and be positive rather than negative.  

I like to eat as healthy as possible for as long as I can, then I can really enjoy one of my favorite foods that I know I shouldn't. 

To those who think healthy must taste bad if it's good for you, you're very wrong.. I have came up with a few things the last couple weeks in which many of you might actually enjoy :) 

First, you can make you're own butters for much cheaper and make it taste just the way you like! Since I am allergic to peanuts, I have been making my own sunbutter (sunflower seeds) -It's only about $3 to buy a package of unsalted, organic sunflower seeds.  Other ingredients I decided to add include honey and olive oil! All you need is a food processor.. I've heard you can do it in the blender as well but I haven't tried yet. 

3 Cups of sunflower seeds

After One minute in the Food processor 

After three minutes I added 1/3 cup of honey

After five minutes, I added 3 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil

The final product was finished in about 10 minutes in the food processor! 

Lastly was the taste test and it was clearly a success! :)

For storage, I put it in a container (jar preferably) and in the fridge! Lasts a few weeks.  

Next, we have a couple of breakfast ideas.  They each include 1/4 cup steel cut organic oats, 1/4 cup old fashion oats, 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk.  Great tasting, filling and you can easily add variations to it!  (I like to make it with almond milk so it gives the oats a vanilla flavor).

Oats with 1/2 scoop of my vanilla whey protein powder, 1 TBSP almond butter, 1 banana sliced :)
And my Tazo Chai tea latte! 



This is my oats with 2 heaping TBSP of pumpkin and 1 tsp of maple agave nectar!  (Pumpkin spice maple oats) Perfect for the fall!

This would be 1/2 cup brown rice that was cooked in gluten free chicken broth, 3/4 cup spinach leaves, 1/2 gluten free tortilla, 1/3 cup ground lean turkey, 2/3 cup mixture of peas, carrots and green beans and topped off with 2 TBSP of salsa! Yum! 



And my last recipe to include today is what I call Healthy almond butter chocolate chip gluten free protein bread bars.  I mixed some things up and this is what I came up with.. they are definitely worth a try and taste almost like brownies! Soo good I already need to make more :) 

-Here's the recipe: -3/4 cup brown rice flour
                             -1/4 cup ground flax meal
                             -3/4 teaspoon baking soda

                             -pinch of salt

                             -1 cup of almond butter
                             -1/3 cup brown sugar

                             -2 egg whites

                             -1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

                             -1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                             -1/4 cup bittersweet mini chocolate chips



In the dish before baking



One serving after baking! :)

***preheat oven to 350, coat 8" x 8" baking dish with cooking spray, combine liquid and solid ingredients separate then combine. Bake 10-15 minutes or until toothpick is clear! :)


So there's a start for a few healthy food ideas for you to try! Hope everyone has a great weekend and makes at least one healthy decision! I have a weekend full of work and time with friends (some friends I haven't seen since early this summer!!)


[[GO Grand View VIKINGS]]



Question to think about:: What holds you back from making healthy food options?

Challenge for the weekend:: Say hi or at least smile at everyone you pass by for one whole day.

Motivational quote:: Your life is a result of the choices you make... if you don't like your life, it is time to start making better choices.



XoXo

Everyone has to start somewhere, right?!

Why wait until tomorrow? 

First of all, Thanks for checking out my blog :)

I am unsure why people constantly use the excuse of having no time to be overall healthy- (eat healthy, make healthy life decisions, and workout healthy).  You can make time for things that really matter. And lets be honest, your health should be one of the most important things in your life!  I have four part time jobs, go to school full time and still manage to workout at least 5x a week, prepare meals to eat healthy and make time for friends, family and myself! There's no excuse for anyone so get your butt movin!

Anyway, that's my rant of the day so lets get motivated and get inspired.. I like to try and inspire others because it motivates me to keep pushing myself! :)

Here are a couple exercises you can do with a physio ball to challenge yourself! First set of two pictures work your abs hardcore! Second set of two pictures work your hamstrings very well! I did these this morning after 40 minutes of cardio.  Do about 8-12 repetitions and 3 sets of each!
Let me know what you think :)

Arms either at side, physio ball between legs (straight legs) 

Keep firm grip on physio ball with your feet, raise your legs as high as you can, keeping them straight then slowly lower back to the first position. 

Feet on the physio ball, arms at side, raise hips off of ground as high as you can keeping legs straight. 

Curl in ball with your feet while keeping your hips raise as high as you can off of the ground then slowly straighten your legs back to the first position. (keep hips off ground entire exercise). 

Question of the day:: If you could eat one food, as much as you want, when you want.. what would you choose? 


Stay tuned for updates, more to come! 

XoXo