"Post" and "Pre" work-out snacks

I know it has crossed your mind every time you begin a new work-out program, what should I eat before and after my workouts?

That's a good question! What you fuel your body with before and after a workout will determine your energy levels during your workout, how well your body recovers and rebuilds after your workout, and whether the calories you eat will be used as fuel or fat. But the size of the meal/snack and what it consist of also plays an important role in all of the above.

In my opinion (not to be confused with yours or others) I feel like a post-workout snack is a little more important than a pre-workout snack. And here's why; most of your fuel that your body uses during a workout isn't from what you just ate, it's actually from the carbohydrates (glycogen) and fat that's stored in your fat-cells, liver, and muscles. That's why if you have ever ran a marathon or long distances before, your coach will tell you to eat a lot of pasta or something else high in carbs the night before. My coach used to tell me eat a whole box of Mac & Cheese....even though that's not the HEALTHIEST way to get your carbs! You can't expect to eat a bowl of pasta for breakfast 5 hours before a run and your body to have fully digested it to be used as energy do you!? Usually your body has enough glycogen to fuel itself for 1-2 hours of a high intense workout ( Insanity, Boxing, weightlifting, high cardio, etc.) or 3-4 hours of a moderate exercise (brisk walk, yoga, light cardio, etc.). That is why EVERY meal is just as important as the other! But, this post is strictly about pre- and post- workout snacks.

Now, if you are a training athlete or you do high intense workouts everyday, I'd say a pre-workout snack is necessary. Also if you are sensitive to changes in your blood sugar, like if you have hypoglycemia or diabetes, you will definitely want to eat a snack before your workout. My Fiance is hypoglycemic and his blood sugar is ALWAYS dropping if he doesn't get enough carbs on a daily basis, much less a workout. One thing you need to know is that your pre-workout snack needs to consist of carbohydrates and protein, but more carbohydrates. Protein is NOT used to fuel your body during a workout, it is used to repair damaged muscle tissue, which is how you gain muscle. Carbohydrates is what your body uses to fuel itself during a workout (in case you didn't get that in the previous paragraph!) I will make a list of pre-workout snacks below. You will want to eat a snack 30 minutes before a workout and no sooner. Also, it's important that you hydrate yourself before any workout. Drink 16-20 oz of water about 1-2 hours prior. I have gotten headaches while working out because I didn't drink enough water and let me tell you, the pain of a headache while sweating and doing push-ups and such, is nothing compared to just sucking it up and chugging that bottle of water down before a workout! Stay away from caffeine and warm fluids because they tend to speed through the intestines. And DEFINITELY stay away from dairy and high-fat or high fiber foods because they can upset your stomach, slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and leave you feeling sluggish!

Pre-Workout Snacks:

-Fruit Juice
-Fruit/yogurt smoothie
-Cottage cheese with fruit
-Peanut butter and a banana
-Peanut butter and a bagel
-Energy bars that are higher in Carbs
-Any kind of fruit
-Shakeology ( I mentioned what this is in another one of my posts)
-Cereal


On to the post-workout snacks. I feel this is the MOST important especially after a high intensity workout. No matter what workout you are doing, you are working your muscles. Every time you work your muscles, you are making them stronger, which means you are building more muscle. Protein is the building block of muscle. I've talked in a previous post about how important it is to up you protein intake if you want to insure that you build muscle. Every time you work on building muscle, whether it be weightlifting, jump roping, squats, etc, you are creating little tears in your muscle, which is why you tend to be sore the next day from an intense workout! Anyways, your body then takes the protein it is giving to repair these tears which will make them bigger and stronger. I may be explaining this horribly but what I am trying to get at is after a workout you have probably created some new muscle tears and your body is going to need protein to repair them, which is why it's important to give it what it needs! If you do NOT give your body what it needs guess what?  It's going to take that protein from somewhere else in your body and use it up. And that's definitely not good! So make sure after ANY workout that works any muscle group, you eat a snack/meal no later than 30 minutes post-workout! You will especially want it to be high in protein.

Post-workout Snacks:

-Hard broiled eggs
-Chocolate milk
-Cheese
-Nuts
-Greek yogurt
-Shakeology ( I mentioned what this is in a previous post)
-Protein bars
-Whole grain crackers with cheese or nut butters
-Hummus and raw veggies
-Oatmeal

So, in a nutshell, before a workout eat a snack that consist of about 200 calories that is high in carbohydrates, basically any fruit and a little bit of protein. And post-workout, eat a snack or a meal (how many calories depends on if it is a snack or a meal and your your daily calorie intake) that is mainly protein, whole grain, dairy, meat, etc. The best advice I can give you is that you know your body better than anyone else. Do what YOU feel is best for YOU. If you are new to working out then it really is trial and error to see what works for you. As always, I hoped this helped you better understand this topic and if it has please comment, like, and/or subscribe. Thanks for reading! :)

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Increase daily protein intake to lose weight?!

I am writing this today because there seems to be a lot of confusion about how much protein a person should consume daily. I am NOT a nutritionist or an expert in this field. This is just my unbiased opinion. I have read a lot of articles on it and have talked to a few people who found what works for them.

First off, anything to do with nutrition is very confusing. I feel like that is why dieting is so hard because you have to figure out the EXACT amount of everything your body needs. Too much of something, it's bad. Too little of something, it's bad. And it varies from person to person, which is what makes it so difficult to determine. When you want to lose weight, saying you are going to eat healthy sounds as easy as 1-2-3. Until you start getting into more of the details. This is why I enjoy working out more than I do eating healthy. haha.

There has been studies that show increasing your protein intake will actually help you lose weight! Who would have known? Protein is needed in your body for cell growth. Mainly muscle tissue. Everyone knows that muscle BURNS fat! So, when you put two and two together, it makes sense. Some people will tell you that if you increase your protein intake, it can be harmful on your kidneys. This is somewhat true. If you are NOT working out daily and are just living a normal life, yes, it could be harmful on your kidneys because your body does not need the extra protein. Also, it will just get stored away as fat. But, if you are working out everyday, trying to lose weight and build muscle, then yes, upping your protein intake is crucial!

Your body needs all the protein it can get when it is building muscle. If you do not supply it with enough, guess what it is going to start doing? Instead of burning fat, your body is going to be eating at your muscle tissue because it is built up of protein. You will actually start losing muscle mass and not fat. But, if you are supplying your body with enough protein, it will be using that to BUILD muscle, which in turn will burn fat. Don't quote me on what I am about to say, but I believe that for every 1 pound of muscle you have, you will burn an extra 35 calories a day. So if you gain 10 pounds of PURE muscle, your body will be burning 350 calories extra a day!!! That's not including the normal amount your body burns on a daily basis with just normal activity, which varies person to person. So for me, my body burns 1500 calories at a normal rate. So if I gained 10 pounds of muscle mass, my body will be burning 1850 calories daily! That is just by sitting on the couch watching tv, sleeping, talking on the phone, etc. Get it? If I was only eating my normal 1500 calories a day, I would still be LOSING weight. And that my friend, is why protein is important when it comes to weight loss. Of course, you have to continue to build muscle in order to keep it, or else it will go away. But you get the point!

So I am going to go over the protein intake for men and women, depending on your goals and level of activity. Remember, if you are trying to lose weight, it is crucial you up your protein intake or else you will NOT build muscle and burn fat. Give your body what it needs. If you are not doing any sort of exercise activity and are just sitting on the couch eating potato chips daily (which, I hope you're not!), then by all means, only consume the recommended daily allowance of protein. Which, for males is 56 Grams of protein and for women is 46 Grams of protein.

Also, if you have kidney problems or kidney disease, then it is not best to consume more than the recommended daily allowance. Otherwise, you are in the clear!

• Average healthy sedentary adult (male or female) that does NOT workout or have any related goals. This is just what I consider to be a good minimum daily protein intake for general health/function: 0.5-0.7 Gram of protein per pound of body weight

•  Average healthy adult (male or female) that IS doing some form of exercise regularly or IS trying to improve their body (lose fat, build muscle, etc.). This is the MINIMUM I'd recommend in this case: 0.8-1 Gram of protein per pound of body weight

• Average healthy adult FEMALE, whose primary goal is building muscle, getting "toned", maintaining muscle while losing fat, increasing strength while improving performance: 1-1.2 Grams of protein per pound of body weight

• Average healthy adult MALE, whose primary goal is building muscle, getting "toned", maintaining muscle while losing fat, increasing strength while improving performance: 1-1.5 Grams of protein per pound of body weight

So, for example I am a female, and I want to lose weight and build muscle. I do the Insanity workouts, as you all know. I would put myself in the range of 1 gram of protein per body weight. Right now I weigh 122 pounds. So that means I need to consume around 122 grams of protein daily. If you are extremely overweight then it is best to use your IDEAL body weight instead of your CURRENT weight. So let's say you are a 230 pound women and you want to lose 90 pounds. Then you would take...let's say...0.9 grams (because you are losing fat and building muscle) and times it by your ideal weight which would be 140. So you would have to consume 126 grams of protein daily. Simple as pie!

Below is a list of items where you can get your protein from. This is not everything you can get protein from but it will give you an idea.

• Lean meat
• Eggs
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Tofu
• Cheese
• Beans
• Lentils
• Nuts
• Nut butters
• Vegetables
• Bread 
• Pasta 

I hope this post helped you to better understand how protein can effect your weight loss. If it has, please take the time to like, comment, and subscribe. Thank-you!!!

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Clean eating...and some of the challenges I face with it.

So not only have I decided to eat "healthy", I have now decided to eat "clean". Boy I am REALLY pushing the limits of my Fiance. He likes change, but I don't think he likes DRASTIC change! With my first round of Insanity, I didn't really stick to eating healthy...I had a hard time with it. See, my fiance is the type who doesn't gain weight. So he thinks he can eat whatever he wants. Well, in actuality he CAN. But, that's not the point. You do NOT eat healthy just to lose weight. You eat healthy to BE healthy. I mean, it makes sense when I put it in those terms right? So he is having a hard time grasping the fact that he has to stop eating those darn swiss cake rolls and drinking coke that does nothing but damage his health in the long run and our pockets! So, back to what I was saying...I had a hard time eating "correctly" the first round of Insanity because my Fiance just wasn't really giving in. Therefor I kind of gave up. Which was dumb in my opinion because I'm the one who cooks if you know what I mean. But I did. I stopped eating junk food for the most part though. I would occasionally eat something sweet. When it came to dinner, I kind of lost motivation about making healthier meals because it didn't really interest my Fiance. I mean, I did cut out the hamburger helper! That stuff is a heart attack waiting to happen! But I still made things like tacos, I still used butter, I would eat fast food when we were out and about instead of packing something to eat. Things like that. Towards the end up my first round (week 6), I had lost 11 1/2 inches total and 3 pounds. I did NOT finish the last 2 weeks due to traveling. I was quite happy with those results, but I didn't feel accomplished. I KNEW I could have done better. No matter how much you exercise, if you do not eat right, you will not have that sexy flat stomach that you have been wanting. It just will not happen.

I was starting a Challenge group on September 3 and I KNEW that I wanted to join in with my challengers. But this time, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to prove something to everyone, to my friends, to my family, and to my fiance, that I CAN and WILL achieve the goal that I want. And the only way I would do that was if I made the lifestyle change of eating clean. I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm okay with that. You just have to decide and commit to something and JUST DO IT. A quote I like is "What is uncomfortable in the beginning will be comfortable later, but what is comfortable in the beginning will be uncomfortable later".  Remember that. That goes for EVERYTHING in life...

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING??
  With all that being said, you may not even know what "clean eating" is. That's okay. I will explain it to you.
Eating clean simply means eating foods that are in their most natural form or pretty close to it. Eat mostly foods that are off of a tree, bush, or vine, and you are good to go! Eat lean cuts of meat. Pretty much just chicken breast and fish, occasionally lean cuts of red meat. Always make sure to cut off the fat. If you have access to a butcher, then go that route. That way you know the meat is coming straight off the animal and not being loaded with "extra" stuff. And last but not least, eat WHOLE grains. In the world of eating clean, there is NO such thing as white bread, or white rice, or white sugar...you get the point. Eat WHOLE wheat bread, BROWN rice, WHOLE wheat noodles. And make sure they are 100% whole wheat. Check the nutrition label for the very first ingredient. Sometimes they think they are sneaky and whole grain is not the first ingredient. So be careful! And also, brown sugar is NOT healthy. All that is is white sugar with maple syrup added to it. So don't be fooled. I will give a list later on of the things to eat.

 Also, for an example, a banana versus banana ice cream. Obviously you KNOW which one is clean and which one isn't. Or frozen dinners that are LOADED with preservatives and other harmful things instead of making the "real deal". Why is eating clean so hard for people? Because that is society nowadays. We have become accustomed to thinking that eating boxed meals or frozen meals are easier and convenient. But is it really convenient? No. It's more expensive. Therefor you have to work harder to make more money to pay for that food. That's not convenient. Stop following the crowd. Make smart decisions about what's healthy. It's not convenient to eat fast food when 20 years down the line you have a heart attack and have to pay the doctor bills. Seriously, sit down and THINK about that for a moment. As you can see, this is why I have decided to start eating clean. Not just to lose weight, but because it makes the MOST sense.

Okay! Moving on. I will share a list of examples. Once you start reading some of them, you will start to get the idea and will be ready to go to the store!

A tip I found helpful: When shopping at wal-mart, you have NO REASON to go in those middle isles. You should do 95% of your shopping in the produce and meat section, if you do not know a butcher. The only time you should go to the middle isles is to grab BASIC things. Like pasta or natural sweeteners. Things like that.

LEAN PROTEINS:
Egg whites
Shellfish
Bison
Game meat
Ahi tuna
London broil
Turkey
Lean ground turkey
Tilapia
Halibut
Top round
Chicken breast
Pork chops

FATTY PROTEINS
Avocado
Almonds
Salmon
Trout
Coconut
Walnut
Cashews
Natural peanut butter

DAIRY
Unsweetened almond milk
Greek yogurt
Unsweetened rice milk
Cottage cheese

FRUIT (really, anything goes, moderation is key though)
Melons
Bananas
Dates
Apples
Blueberries
Cherries
Mangoes
Oranges
Strawberries
Tomatoes

VEGETABLES
Kale
Beets
Lettuce
Cabbage
Spinach
Broccoli
Artichoke
Carrots
Radishes
Onions
Garlic
Beans
Potatoes

OILS
Sunflower
Olive
Coconut
Avocado

SWEETENERS
Sugar free maple syrup
Applesauce (no sugar added)
Coconut sugar
Birch sugar ideal (xylitol)
Stevia in the raw- or truvia

So there is a short list. As you can see, you will not be deprived. It just takes some getting used to. And if you were smart, unlike me, it might be best NOT to mention the change to your spouse? Let him or her figure it out on their own if they ever do. There are MANY more food items I did not cover. And maybe some of them that I did cover not everyone agrees with are "clean". So go by your own judgement! Personally I think anything is better than nothing when it comes to being healthy! Good luck to you for trying! And like always, if you like my posts, please subscribe and comment below. Share if you please. :)

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How To Eat Healthy

If you are anything like the average person, eating healthy can be hard and a little frustrating. If it's one thing that is tricky, it's having a well-balanced diet. But it doesn't have to be! A lot of people think that you have to change EVERYTHING about your diet to obtain health benefits or to be healthy overall. That's not necessarily true. If you make small changes in the beginning, it will lead to amazing health benefits in the long run. Don't try to change everything about your eating habits all at once. You want to take tiny steps to achieve big goals. You don't want to set yourself up for failure. You're more likely to give up or cheat yourself if you change your whole diet at one time, than you are if you make the small changes first.

DO NOT worry yourself to death with calorie-counting or portion sizes. Everything does not have to be exact. In the beginning, shoot for a "ballpark" range. That way you won't drive yourself crazy and quit because of becoming overwhelmed. Think more about WHAT your eating. It's not rocket science to figure out what's healthy for you and what's not. Go by color, variety, and freshness. It will be easier for you to make healthy choices this way.

Every change counts! Don't think that making a small difference at first is not going to get you anywhere. Over time you will see a difference. Eating healthy is not all about how fast you can drop the pounds. It's about being more healthy, feeling great on the inside, having more energy, and a having a better mood. Eat healthy for your body, not just so you can lose weight. That often leads to disappointment and stopping altogether. You don't want that. This is a life long commitment and ultimately will help you live a longer and healthier life.Who wouldn't want that?!

Small changes include eating in moderation. For starters, eat smaller portions. Nowadays, the serving size has increased significantly. When you order at a restaurant, the amount they give you is half of what you should eat in one serving. Make it a habit to ask for a "to-go" box and pack half of your meal away when you get it. That way your not tempted to eat it all at one setting. When you cook at home, serve your meal on a smaller plate. When you buy dish sets, they usually include big plates and small plates. Use the smallest plate. That way, you can't stack it up with endless amounts of food. Eat more vegetables than meat. One serving size of meat, fish, or poultry is equivalent to a deck of cards. I know sometimes you may be eating your favorite dish and you just can't help but get seconds because it's sooooo darn good! But DON'T!! Tell yourself that you can always have it later. Maybe for lunch the next day.

Chew slowly!!! Chew what's in your mouth as much as you can before you swallow. This will help your body digest it better and also gives your body time to let you know when it's full. It takes your brain a couple of minutes to send signals to your body to let it know it's full. So try to stop eating before you feel full. Give your body 10-20 minutes before getting seconds on anything. If you still feel full, then proceed. More likely than not, you will soon feel full and won't need seconds!

Eat 5-6 small meals a day. I can't stress this enough. If it's one thing that's important about eating healthy, it's this. If you want to stabilize your metabolism and help manage your weight, you NEED to eat throughout the day. I know this can be tedious, but think of  your metabolism as a furnace. If you keep adding to it throughout the day, it will keep it burning. Same for your body. If you keep eating throughout the day, your metabolism will stay in high gear. Which means it will constantly be burning fat. You don't want to throw your metabolism out of whack. That will have you storing fat in no time. If you're going to be out and about, pack small snacks that are easily accessible for you to eat. Apples, string cheese, nuts, whole-grain cereal, portable yogurt, and carrots are all good snacks that you can easily bring with you. There are tons of snacks that you can bring with you.

Eat healthy Carbs, Fats, and protein. Your body needs these things to keep it healthy. There is an endless amount of UNHEALTHY Carbs and Fats. You need to be aware of it. Here is a small list of the healthy ones:
PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cottage cheese, Eggs (whole), Fish (coldwater), Granola (raw, no sugar), milk (non-fat), Oatmeal, Turkey breast, and yogurt (non-fat, no sugar)

CARBOHYDRATES: Apples (with skin), Blueberries, Carrots, Celery, Citrus fruits, Cucumbers, Kale, Kiwifruit, Melon, Pears, Peppers, Pineapple, Brown rice, and Sweet potatoes,

FATS: Avocados, Cereal (whole-grain), Coconut oil (unrefined), Eggs (whole), Fish (cold water, freshwater), Flaxseed, Olive oil, and Olives


Limit sugar and salt! Sugar causes energy ups and downs and it adds to health and weight problems. Avoid sugary drinks and opt for naturally sweet food that will crave your sweet tooth. Salt causes high blood pressure and leads to other health problems as well. Try to keep your salt intake around 1,500-2,300 mg per day (Fun Fact: that is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt!). Avoid processed or pre-packaged food. Be aware of the salt intake when you are dining out. Choose fresh or frozen vegetables over canned. Stay away from salty snacks. Buy foods that say "low-sodium" or "reduced sodium".

Drink water, water, and more WATER!!! Water is ESSENTIAL to your body. You cannot live without it. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins. Majority of people do not drink the recommended about of water daily. Which, by the way, is eight 8oz. glasses a day. If you are drinking under the recommended amount, you probably have experienced being overly tired, having low energy levels, and headaches. You also may "seem" hungry. Your body sends the same signals of dehydration as it does for hunger. There may be times when your stomach is growling. Try drinking a glass of water first. If it stops, then you were just thirsty. Also, don't waste your calories on sugary drinks like soda. They have no nutritional value to your body and can actually harm it. You never heard of cave men drinking soda huh? If you are a heavy soda drinker, I DARE you to take soda out of your life for one whole year and see if you notice a difference in your life and weight. I have been "soda-free" for 7 months now and counting. If I can do it, so can you!

If you follow any of the things listed in this blog, you are well on your way to a healthier life. Remember, make SMALL changes first. Once those become habit, add more changes. Don't try to conquer it all at once. You will most likely fail. Especially if you have a family other than you that you have to feed. They tend to be against the "eating healthy" motto. But, if you ease it in your lifestyle, they will most likely accept it! Below is a list of examples for small changes you can make. Enjoy!

-Choose fruits and nuts as snacks instead of sugary treats
-Use lean ground beef
-Eat white meat instead of dark in poultry
-Non-stick sprays instead of butter
-Skim milk instead of whole
-Reduced fat or fat-free cheese instead of whole
-Serve sauces and dressings on the side
-Drink more water and less sugary drinks
-Bake, grill, or broil instead of frying
-Whole wheat bread instead of white bread
-Order vegetables instead of fries
-Snack on apple slices instead of chips
-Mustard instead of Mayonnaise
-Reduce portion size

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