Why You Should Be Selfish - And Put Your Fitness First (01/27)

Aloha readers! 

Today's post is inspired by the recent Nerd Fitness post. 

In this week's article, Steve talks about why it's okay to be a bit selfish for the next month and put yourself first - your fitness, your nutrition. What Steve is trying to explain is that by prioritizing your fitness and nutrition, rather than your family and friends getting mad at you for being pre-occupied, or different aspects of your work (or school) life taking a toll, the complete opposite will happen. 

By always doing the workouts you plan and eating healthy, nutritious food, you'll feel more energized than ever. And because of that, this will give you more energy to spend quality time with your loved ones without being "too tired". It'll push you to really manage your time well, not to mention improve efficiency. Sure, for the first week or two, your work load may take a small suffering because you are allocating your time to other tasks, but it will slowly help you learn how much time it takes to do certain things, and how to keep yourself focused and away from distractions. 

The reason I wanted to share this article with my readers - besides it being super awesome - is that I want to let you know that if you WANT to make health and fitness a part of your priority, than after you MAKE it a priority, you have to DO the real priority. I can tell you all day long that getting my exercise and eating healthier foods is my priority, but if I'm not doing it - it's not my priority. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. 

Here is a brief overview of how you can actually start prioritizing your workouts and nutrition, without all the other aspects of your life taking a hit: 

- Workouts: schedule in your workouts, and stick to it. No matter what happens. Have a lot of work to do at the office? Stop at the time you're supposed to be off, and leave it for tomorrow. Have endless amounts of studying to do? Stop. Save it for later or tomorrow. At first, you might think that puts you at risk for getting fired from the job or getting bad grades on the upcoming assignment. But on the contrary, this will help you improve your time management skills, work ethics, and efficiency. 

- Eating well: Having to spend the time and money on groceries may make you cringe at first, but in the long run the benefits outweigh the negatives. If you plan all your meals, you'll be less likely to buy food on the go, which can add up quickly. You'll be learning new kitchen skills that you may not have had before. It'll help you create a system to get what you need to done in a timely manner. On top of gaining time management skills, you'll be spending the money on things that will benefit you - helping you reach your goal - rather than stuff you don't need. 

- Sleep: when it comes to getting enough sleep, 9/10 of us are probably guilty for not going to bed at the time we set. Why? Because we're doing some last minute planning, or packing lunches, or just simply laying in bed watching Netflix. By prioritizing our workouts and nutrition, it starts a whole chain reaction of events that Steve has pointed out - allowing you to be more productive during the day, and to get things done. 

By choosing to prioritize your sleep over a 25 minute comedy episodes, or two or three, you'll wake up feeling more energized. This cycle then continues on to fuel you for your day, allowing you to feel more energetic and productive, being able to get more things done, and so forth. 

I won't go into and greater depth about the article; if you'd like to read the full article, you can do that here. But as you can already tell, despite the challenges for prioritizing your workouts and nutrition, the after effect of being able to commit to it outweighs majority of the (temporary) negatives. 

I most definitely intend to start doing that myself!! 

Until next time! 

Cheers!

xoxo

How To Plan Healthy Meals (Part 2 - 01/15)

Aloha readers!

As promised, here is part 2 of how to plan healthy meals. If you missed part 1, click here to read it. 

5. Plan your meals of the week ahead of time. Ever come home from work and not know what to eat, then end up ordering a pizza? Me too! But this can be avoided by planning your meals out ahead of time. Planning your meals - whether it's one meal or all meals for the day - it can help you with planning your grocery shopping too. Knowing what you need to know in what amounts will help prevent food wasting and buying un-needed things! 

(http://imgarcade.com/1/weekly-menu-planner-6-meals/)

6. Try not to see certain foods as off limit. Moderation and balance is key! Restricting yourself completely from foods you enjoy can lead to cravings - resulting in overeating / binging on the restricted food, or worse, on all foods in general. 

7. The more colorful, the better! When you're choosing your veggies, aim for a mixed variety of colors. This will increase the nutrient variety and content in your meal. Instead of just broccoli, add cauliflower and carrots. Instead of white potatoes, have sweet potato instead. 

(http://inherchucks.com/2013/05/)

8. Prep your veggies ahead of time - a bunch at a time. Knowing that things are prepped and ready to be cooked when you get home will reduce the likelihood of eating out. Prep your veggies so that you can take them with you as snacks on-the-go. 

(http://www.andreaswellnessnotes.com/2013/10/weekly-food-prep.html)

9. Buy portion-sized tupperware. If you're new to portion sizes, portion sized tupperware may be able to help. Be careful when buying them, and do some critical thinking when you're browsing. If the portion don't fit the guidelines mentioned in part 1, or according to your meal plan, then it won't work! 

(http://lazytrainer.tumblr.com/post/73752899672)

Leave a comment below and tell me what you do / plan to do to make healthy eating easier for you! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

How To Plan Healthy Meals (Part 1 - 01/15)

Aloha readers!

I mentioned in my last post that planning meals and eating accordingly to a healthy meal plan has been a struggle for me, so I did some searching and put together some helpful pointers for planning healthy meals. This topic is a lengthy one, so I am going to split it into two posts. If you're reading this now, be sure to check back later on today for part 2!

1. Be aware of overall portion sizes. Studies have shown that choosing larger plates or bowls consistently led to putting more food on the plate and consuming more food. Choosing smaller plates can reduce overfilling your plate and stomach, as we often feel obligated to clear our entire plate. 

(http://steadystrength.com/7-unbelievably-easy-ways-to-decrease-portion-sizes/)

2. Portion out your plate. As you're putting dinner together, think about how you're going to fill up your plate. Fill up on non-starchy veggies first, and this should take up about half the space on your plate.

(http://goodcheapeats.com/2011/06/portion-control-and-a-typical-dinner-whats-on-your-plate/)

Next, add on the protein sources. Opt for lean protein sources, like lean beef and turkey, chicken breast, or salmon. Protein takes longer to breakdown and digest, and will make you feel fuller for longer. 

Lastly, top off your plate with carbohydrates, preferably complex carbs. Complex carbs are composed of many sugar molecules connected together, rather than just 1 or 2 molecules (simple carbs). Complex carbs take longer to break down, helping you stay full for longer, and reduce those high sugar and insulin spikes. 

To make the switch from simple carbs to complex carbs, have mashed sweet potato instead of white potatoes. Have whole wheat dinner rolls instead of white dinner rolls. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. 

3. Learn your body's cue for when you're hungry. This sounds easier than it actually is, as we often mistaken boredom for hunger. Waiting to eat when you've reached the point of starvation will cause you to make poor food choices - often something fast and over portion sized. If you know you won't be home until past dinner time, or you might be stuck in traffic, pack healthy snacks to take with you, or keep some non-perishable ones in your car. 

4. Stock up your pantry with non-perishables. Although I don't recommend living off of canned foods if you can afford the fresh produce, there are a handful of things you should have stock up in your pantry. Having some essentials in your pantry can help prevent you from ordering in when you can whip together something in 15 minutes or less. Some things I reckon you have in your pantry include: canned beans (one kind or mixed varieties), canned tuna (look for low sodium options), some canned veggies like tomato (for chili), corn (for soups), and peas and/or carrots. You can also buy frozen veggies too! 

----

Don't forget to check back later today for part 2 of planning healthy meals! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

What is Cholesterol? How Do You Deal With High Cholesterol? (01//13)

Aloha readers!

 I've been sharing with you many posts about getting physically active and some about eating healthier, but I'd like to share with you some of the knowledge I've learned from my education as well. Today's snipbit will be about cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a lipid fat that is absorbed from dietary sources (dietary cholesterol), and is also produced by the liver. We often hear about "high cholesterol" and start to think that cholesterol is the villian , but in fact, cholesterol is vital for normal body functions. 

Cholesterol is mainly carried by lipoproteins, and circulate in our blood, traveling to various tissues and organs that require cholesterol.

There are 3 main types of lipoproteins:

• "VLDL" Very Low Density Lipoproteins: VLDL's are only synthesized by the liver; the remaining dietary cholesterol not picked up by tissues is reabsorbed by the liver, and repackaged into VLDL. VLDL circulates in the blood, and cholesterol is picked up by tissues. 

• "LDL" Low Density Lipoproteins: also known as the "bad cholesterol", too much LDL's can cause a build up in arteries and increase the risk of arterial diseases. 
• "HDL" High Density Lipoproteins: known as the "good cholesterol", it is believed to help prevent arterial diseases by bringing cholesterol back to the liver to be broken down and expelled as waste. 
• Triglycerides: the form in which fat stores in adipose (fat) cells. 
  
  (http://www.floraproactiv.com.au/proactiv/cholesterol/what-is-cholesterol/)

Ways to lower cholesterol 

• Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats: cutting down the use of butters and margarines and replacing your cooking fat with olive or canola oil is beneficial for lowering cholesterol because of the polyunsaturated fats. Choosing options with a lower percentage of fat, such as omega-3 rich fish over fatty red meats, can also help moderate your cholesterol levels. 
• Incorporating more fibre into your diet: foods like oatmeal that are high in fibre help drag cholesterol out of your body (waste elimination). Researching studies have shown that it can help decrease LDL's and maintain the levels of HDL. 
• Consuming red meat in extreme moderation: red meat is high in saturated fat, causing your body to convert this fat into cholesterol. Higher consumption of red meats is also linked to higher rates of colon diseases and cardiovascular diseases. 
• Cooking with garlic: garlic contains many antioxidants that help strengthen our immune system, as well as preventing the oxidation of LDL's. 
• Snacking on almonds and other nuts: almonds and nuts are packed full of monounsaturated fats, and can help lower the LDL's and increase the HDL's in our body. 

Most importantly, other than changing our dietary habits, is also making changes to our lifestyle. Moderate cardiovascular exercise such as moderate intensity running, jogging, or longer walks can help with weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight. 

I realize that my blog is titled Sellychan Fitness, but my degree is in Nutrition and Metabolism. I love working out and fitness related, but I also have a strong passion for nutrition material. Leave a comment below of what you think about these posts, and I'll try my best to keep writing them! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

You Don't Like to Exercise - But You Want To Start Working Out (01/02)

Aloha readers! 

We're two days in to the new year, and many of us have set new goals and resolutions for the new year.  You've come to my blog probably because you're searching for ways to be more physically active and be more healthy in 2015. 

But exercise may not be "your thing", you say. You've tried going to the gym regularly, maybe you've even tried purchasing expensive, yet ineffective, programs, detoxes, or exercise equipments. Only leaving you feeling unmotivated and disliking what you're doing. 

So what do you do? And how are you going to do it? If you're starting a new exercise program, your goal shouldn't be to become super buff, or lose a tremendous amount of weight (without the guidance of a trainer or a health professional). The first step should be getting to a point where you don't hate exercise anymore. Consistency will lead to results, and with that, you'll be more encouraged to work harder. 

Choosing a program that's very hard or super challenging may seem logical at first, but soon you may find yourself struggling and quickly losing motivation. It's not necessarily about choosing a challenging program, but rather choosing one that you CAN do, allowing you to STICK to the program. 

Once your fitness level starts improving, you'll enjoy the activity of exercising a bit more, and then you can venture off to try new things. But until then, choose something you KNOW you can do, and STICK TO IT. Like Nike said, JUST DO IT - whatever it is. Do it regularly - no excuses! Keep it simple, fun, and energetic! 

(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/502925483358444596/)

Here are 9 tips for starting and sticking to an exercise program that you choose. 

1. Find and build consistency. Like previously mentioned, make a commitment to your program and do it consistently. If you can't do it consistently, re-evaluate the program and make it more suitable. 

2. Take baby steps. Ever tried to jump too far, fell, and scraped your knee? It's the same idea for working out - except you're hurting your motivation and self-esteem. Progress a little bit each time, and do a little bit more each time. 

3. Choose something fun. Workout programs or routines don't always have to be dumbbells and treadmills all the time. Yoga classes, dance classes, martial arts, mediation classes - there are so many FUN options to choose from! Find your fun! 

4. Bring a friend. Motivate and compete with each other. Workout partners are great for keeping each other accountable, and it can feel less scary if you're trying out something new.

(http://womenshealthency.com/articles/bodybuilding-in-the-female-world/)

5. Join a sport team. It could be a new sport, or a sport you've played before. What can be even better than exercising with a friend? Exercising with a group of friends! Not to mention the socializing component too if you're trying to expand your network. 

6. Build an energizing playlist. Music can take you a long way. Do some searching online to create your own playlist, or download a pre-made one. Songza app has hundreds of playlists to choose from. If you want to go the extra mile, create a "pumped up" playlist and another playlist for when you're working out. 

7. Get a caffeine boost. Whether it may be first thing in the morning, or after work, a bit of caffeine can be your best friend to get some energy pumping through you. 

8. Upgrade your wardrobe. Workout shirts, pants, headbands, shoes, gym bag, etc. Pick up something new! There's something about getting new gear and wanting to take it out so you can flaunt it. 

(http://theberry.com/2013/12/21/daily-motivation-25-photos-341/)

9. Reward yourself. Doing something consistently requires a lot of hard work, time, and patience. It's an accomplishment worth celebrating, even if the tasks are small. Give yourself a pat on the back, reward yourself with a little something, and continue to work hard! 

I've went from not wanting to exercise, to having my fair share of struggles with being consistent with my health and fitness, but these tips are going to help both you and I make progress on being consistent too! Share with me in the comments below what you did / are going to do to start exercising!

Cheers! 

xoxo

Fixing Your Diet - Identify and Remove Nutritional Deficiencies (12/19)

Aloha readers! 

Today I'd like to talk to you about the often neglected micronutrients - vitamins and minerals! Firstly, how has your diet been lately? Would you consider it balanced? Wait.. what does balanced even mean to you? We hear a lot about the macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. But what about the micronutrients? 

Micronutrient deficiencies are more common than you think. The most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in athletes include calcium and vitamin D, the B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin C. Macronutrient deficiency is more susceptible in people who restrict energy or had a recent rapid weight loss. Water intake can also make an impact on vitamin absorption. 

If you're struggling to get adequate servings of fruits and vegetables, there is a slight chance that you may be have adequate intake of some vitamins and/or minerals. Micronutrient deficiencies can be corrected with time and a few simple steps. 

1. Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Staying hydrated can help you curb your cravings, and help you be more alert and make better food choices. Drink more water if you have exercised that day, or done any running or hard labor for that day. 

2. Eat more foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally packed with lots of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will help make sure you get a wide range of vitamins and minerals that are essential for optimal body functions. If you're afraid you're still not eating enough fruits and veggies, talk to your physician to see if taking a multivitamin tablet is suitable for you. However, your major source should still be coming from natural foods, and not relying on supplements! 

3. Get 2-3 servings of fish in your diet each week. Fish are good lean sources of protein, and marine sources, such as salmon, tuna, and shrimp are good sources of an essential fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, commonly known as omega-3. 

Omega-3's produce anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, and are essential for regulating the inflammation functions of the body, as well as excess inflammation. Because our Western diet is often an imbalance of omega6:omega3 (more omega-6 consumed than omega-3), many people don't get enough omega-3 in their diet to synthesize these anti-inflammatory compounds. Taking an omega-3 supplement may be helpful if you don't like to eat or don't eat a lot of seafood, to help reduce excessive inflammation in your body. 

I know my blog has been a big focus on the physical component of health and fitness, but you can't have health without the nutrition component either. I am a Nutrition major student, and topics like these are very, very interesting to me. I hope to bring to my readers the knowledge I learn from my classes, in order to help you live a happier, healthier, active life :) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Update + New Content

Aloha readers! 

Allow me to selfie for a moment here to show you that I am still alive :P 

In the midst of trying to sort out what I want to do with my life (which is still a big ????) I have decided to try and bring your more helpful health and fitness content on my blog throughout the new year. Given my previous attempts, trying to blog every day may not be realistic for me. Instead, I'll aim to post a couple times each week. 

Of course, it will be a little more frequent in late December and early January since I'll have some time off from school. That being said, I'm slowly putting together a calendar of what kind of content I want to deliver on my blog and when I will deliver it :) This is exciting! 

I'll leave you with that, and now I'm back to planning things out! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Grocery Haul! (09/21)

Aloha readers! 

I hope you've all had a great weekend, and are all ready to kick some butt this week! 

I went to go get some groceries today, but of course I took a couple selfies before leaving the house :) 

I also like to take some time to plan out roughly what I'll be eating each day, possibly even each meal, and then use that information to plan out how much food I want to pick up! 

I was a little short on time today, but here's a rough idea of what it would look like:

Top left corner: grocery/ingredient list 

Notebook: plan of meals for the week 

I had full intentions of making this week's photo more interesting, ie taking photos with my grocery cart or while I was shopping...but I forgot =P So for another week, you will have to settle for this overfilling table food! 

On the table (left to right): celery, carrots, sweetened vanilla almond milk, light thai coconut milk, mixed spring greens, red pepper, zucchini, onion, coffee grinds, strawberries, simply whey protein bars, sour cream, burger buns, chia seed bread, broccoli, garlic, brussels sprouts, natural beef hot dogs, some milk. 

Some meals that I'm planning to make (nothing crazy) include my signature coconut curry chicken (using much of the veggies pictured, and the coconut milk), toast with scrambled eggs and cheese, tuna and legume pasta salad (not pictured), spring mix salads, sweet chili chicken burgers, and more! 

I've got a busy busy week ahead of me, but since I'm not a huge fan of prepping meals for more than 2 (max of 3) days, I'm going to opt for quick and simple foods (rather than always buying food, like I have been!)
Things like the sweet chilli chicken burger, tuna legume salad are all quick easy options! 

Not to mention the ingredients can be all made together during dinner, and used for lunch foods too! 

For some time, I always thought "why can't I meal prep like other people?" "how come they're seeing better results than I am?" Well, the result part was obvious - because I wasn't 100% committed! Why wasn't I 100% committed? Because what works for them DOESN'T work for me. In other words, in order for me to succeed, do well, and see the results I deserve, I need to find out what works for me and stick with it! Be 100% committed! 

What Inspires Me to Help You

Yesterday, I was scrolling through my instagram feed, and I happened to come across a post by the gosupersisters. It really touched me, not only because of similar situations among our family, but because of their passion for health and fitness. It reminded me of why I took the first steps of starting my own fitness journey, and what inspired me to help others. 

"Did you know more Americans die from heart disease than anything else? We know the dangers firsthand. When I was in third grade, I remember our mom telling us to GET IN THE CAR NOW because dad was sick and needed help. We drove to the hospital while he was in the backseat clutching his chest. We waited in the hospital for hours, unfed, sleep deprived and extremely scared. Our dad almost died that day. His heart, it just stopped. The unhealthy lifestyle finally caught up with him. 

Growing up in Michigan, you're not often exposed to healthy eating or exercise unless your parents teach you. Especially if you live in a food "desert" where you don't even have access to healthy food at all. But you still have to TRY. Why? Because people who care about you are depending on you. As if watching our dad almost die as kids wasn't scary enough, several years later he was scheduled to have spinal surgery and it got delayed due to his heart condition. 

Sadly for him, that delay was too much. His spinal discs slipped and severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. He can walk now after years of physical therapy, but not well. He's been disabled ever since. 

We don't just share exercises and recipes to help you "look" a certain way. We want you to have a better quality of LIFE because we've seen firsthand what poor choices can do to a persons health and how it can affect literally everyone who knows them. If we are looking at the bright side, this experience made is who we are now. We take care of ourselves much better now and the thing is... We also look younger now than we did years ago, simply for the fact that we eat well, hydrate and strength train on a schedule."

After reading their post, it made me reflect upon why I chose to take the first steps to living a healthier lifestyle, and why I want to have the knowledge and the capability to help others to do the same thing. 

Because I've watched someone become ill and lose their life over a bad lifestyle habits, and it created a huge impact on my life. 

I knew I wouldn't want to follow the same footsteps, and I wouldn't want to see anyone I love and care about to follow those footsteps either. I want to be able to help others live a healthy life, while bing happy at the same time. That is what inspires me to help you - to help you take the steps needed to develop healthy, lifestyle habits! I'd like to help you live a life where you're not only healthy, but be able to have confidence in your own body image, while making healthy choices and still being able to enjoy yourself! 

Online coaching is now available for any of you who are interested! Let me help you take those first steps to living a healthier, happier life! Send me an email at selinachan.business@gmail.com to get your fitness and nutrition plan started today!

Happy Sunday! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Back and Bicep (Week 1)

Aloha readers!

Today kicked start the second week of school, and as I'm writing this post at 9PM, I am already having trouble staying awake. 

Although I have to wake up (what I consider) early, go to school, workout when I can, study, and work on my blog and business plans, I know all this hard work and effort will not go to waste! 

Firstly, here is a quick recap of today's workout. 

I haven't worked out my back in a long time, and it definitely felt really good. One thing I did well was focus on my breathing. I am trying a new technique out, which is to breathe out during eccentric (negative), and inhale during the concentric. There were a couple sets where I started off the reversed way, so there's lots of work to be done :) 

Secondly, I also want to talk about how I've been feeling since becoming certified as a fitness trainer. To be bold and truthful, there is a lot of pressure on me right now. Both from myself (mentally and physically), and from society in general. Don't get me wrong, there's no people making rude comments towards me or anything, but it's the ideal pictures of society that is pressuring me. 

Right now, I am not at my fittest and healthiest stage. And as a trainer, I feel that I am pressured to be and appear my very best in order for people to see me as a suitable candidate for being their personal trainer. However, I am working on slowly letting that false thought go. 

Why? 

Because even though I am not at my best appearance physical wise or have the greatest eating habits, I have studied hard to learn the information I need to help others achieve their goal. Just because I am a work in progress DOESN'T mean I am incapable of helping others. 

So with that being said, I am going to continue to go through with my plans of bringing you ladies (and some gents) both customized workout and nutrition plans, some simple, yet detailed workout guides, and more! However, I will only be setting aside so much time every day and week to work on all of this. Slow progress is still better than no progress!  ;) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

First Day Back to Lifting

Aloha readers! 

I have survived my first week of back to school :D hehe 

I also took this opportunity to hit up the gym and lift some weightssss. No doubt, it felt good! 

Sporting my black and white camo tights from abs2bfitness 

Lifting weights help me feel strong, and workouts like the ones from 21 Day Fix make me feel good (probably from all the sweating). 

Speaking of the 21 Day fix, I guess you can say I've diverted away from it before completing it entirely :( the last few days of work diverted my attention and energy, and I was very concerned with finishing my personal training exams. 

Newest pair of tights from abs2bfitness. I have loved their tights from day 1! They always fit comfortably, no tugging and pulling required, and it's an eye-catcher when you're at the gym and out and about. Click the link above and use SELLY15 for 15% off your purchase! 

This pair, specifically, is loved by the mr and mrs bumble bees D= I looked like a lunatic swatting at them as I was walking to the bus stop! 

Today I wanted to talk about something that often falls into how people define themselves. 

People often say "I am fat" because they feel down because they are overweight, and perhaps even have a lower self esteem and not much confidence over their own body. 

However, we shouldn't let that define us. I have excess body fat that I want to shed too. But I don't / steer away from telling myself or others "I am fat". There is so much more to a person that defines who they are than simply by their outward appearance. It's a combination of what's on the outside and the inside. 

For me, I am a fitness enthusiast who is always trying to do better. I am a dedicated student who puts many of my hours into studying, for dusk till dawn. I am a personal trainer with a growing passion for health and fitness, who hungers for knowledge, and wants to do what I can to help others like yourself achieve their goals. Oh, and yes, I have fat on my body too.
But that's not what defines me! And it shouldn't define you either. The point is, move forward and dig deeper to find something that shows who you truly are.

Learn to love yourself for who you are, each and every piece of it! 

Cheers! 

xoxo 

Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight Times

Aloha readers! 

Today's post is a little bit personal. I want to share with you something I posted on Facebook recently. 

I haven't been feeling my best the past two days (reasons unknown), and it's really taken a toll on me. Tonight, I had some deep thoughts about how awful and sorry I've been feeling for myself. My life the past 6 months has been a constant cycle of: giving up, feeling sorry/awful/upset, take some time off, pick up the determination and motivation to start again, do good for a few days or a week, give up.

It made me ask myself: Why do I always fail so quickly? What am I doing wrong? Why can't I be consistent? Why does my determination dwindle so quickly? Why do I lose sight of my big picture so easily for the instant satisfaction? Basically, I've been feeling like a phony the past couple days!

This is my internet statement that starting today, I am going to commit to this change. I can't full on jump in and change everything in my life all at once in one day - because I know that's just too drastic and it won't last. Little changes by the day, one step at a time, one day at a time.

So for today, I have my meals planned out, and I have my To-Do list made.

Another change that I've introduced to my blog is .... a new title change! For you readers, this may not be a huge deal to you - but to me it is! This little change opens doors and windows to bigger changes in the upcoming future.

I started my blog a little over a year ago, when I first started my health and fitness journey. It started out with a selfie in the bathroom, which slowly led to book reviews and workout posts, and then to things we have today: workout routines, progress photos, recipes, foodie photos, grocery hauls, giveaways, and even an ebook along the way! 

Thank you for reading and supporting me. 

I don't know you guys, but I love you! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

21 Day Fix - Progress Photos

Aloha readers! 

So I slept in this morning, and woke up knowing that I had a couple errands to do and that a steamy hot latte was in need :P 

I got to the Starbucks here and there wasn't even a single seat open :'( So now I'm stuck tapping away on my tiny iPhone screen instead of my giant iPad keyboard. 

Anywho, this post is for the progess photos of my 21 Day Fix. These were taken on Day 1 and Day 7. 

So these 7 days were more like 10 days, because I had some "off" / rest days. And my eating was by no means on track for hald of those 10 days :( That is the reason why there are only very small changes in these photos 

Hands on the side 

In this photo, my stomach appears to be a bit smaller - you see a little more definition in the upper part of my stomach 

With my arms up above my head 

Stomach looks a little less round, noticeably closer to the top 

Side view, hands above my head 

Upper portion of stomach looks slimmer, lower portion of stomach not much change, thighs and glutes look more toned

Side view of lower body, hands above my head 

This angle makes my lower stomach look more round that before. The glutes and thighs appear to be more toned though. 

It's taken a lot of time for me to come up with the courage to post revealing, progress photos like these. So if you don't have anything nice to say, please keep it to yourself. 

I'm using different tatics when it comes to eating and meal planning this week, so hopefully this will help with me staying on track, and I'll continue to work hard on my workouts! 

I'll be sure to post some more progress photos in the upcoming weeks. 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Day 10 (Total Body Cardio Fix) - 21 Day Fix

Aloha readers!

Firstly, I apologize if my "days" for 21 day fix are all over the place... I have a hard time debating whether I include the days I missed or not...

Anyways, today is Monday! It's a new week! We all get a fresh start! So get yourself ready to kick some butt this week ;)

On this week's agenda:  last stretch of studying for my ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer Exam, meal prepping, 21 day fix workouts, prepare progress photos, meeting up with some friends for an afternoon picnic, hopefully only a couple days of work (gross!), and getting my stuff ready for back-to-school !

I woke up on time as I had planned to get my 21 Day Fix workout in! 

Boy, every time I do one of these cardio or leg workouts I'm sweating BULLETS. 

The workout is only 30 minutes long, but I do a bit of extra stretching at the end because I know my body needs it. Number wise, that's a decent number of calories burned in 30 minutes of non-stop work. 

Post workout / breakfast today was 2 hard boiled eggs with some sweet chilli sauce, and a strawberry, blueberry, vanilla rice milk smoothie 

My usual breakfast consists of toast, scrambled eggs with sausage, and some fruit (whole or smoothie), so it's hard for me to take my sweet time to make that after an exhausting workout like that. Which is why I had these eggs boiling during my workout, then whipped this smoothie up once I caught my breathe and gobbled them up! 

Saturday afternoon was grocery shopping with Mom time :) 

I took this opportunity to stock up on what I would need for these next 2 weeks before school starts again! 

Pictured here, I've got about a dozen bananas, few pints of blueberries (which aren't super sweet, sadly), and some fresh, ripe strawberries. I'm not the biggest fan for raspberries because of the seeds, but I know it's good for me - so I snack on them at times or throw them into my smoothies. 

As for veggies, I've got a huge bag of carrots and cucumbers to get through, some lemons for my lemon waters in the morning, and some greek yogurt for my proteinnn! I still have some veggies left from small grocery trips before, so the carrots will be incorporated into those stir-frys. 

On top of this, I also got a HUGE pack of chicken boobies - enough to last me more than 2 weeks! Seriously, I bought about 7 pounds worth! 

Stay tuned for my 21 Day Fix (not-so-much) progress photos this week! 

Cheers! 

xoxo