What I Ate Wednesday & Fitness Fanatic!

Hiya! Happy Wednesday. Can you believe this is the last Wednesday of July 2012??? I know I'm probably sounding repetitive here, but where in the heck has this year gone?!?! I've seen a few comments out there from people who are already looking forward to the comfort foods of Fall for goodness sake --- hey man, I love me some comfort food, but I still have an entire garden of veggies to enjoy, so for now I`m sticking to salads, stirfries and lots of fresh, delicious summery food!

On Monday, I started Week #4 of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer and I continue to feel great! I've been sticking to my clean eats and following the workout plan and things are going really, really well! Check out what I've been munching on this week:

Breakfast
I continue to flip flop between protein pancakes and veggie/egg white scrambles. They're quick and easy and oh so tasty.

Lunch
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you already will have seen a glimpse of this awesome lunch! On Monday, I made up some Salad in a Jar combos. These ones had a Mexi-theme (black beans. brown rice, sweet potato, green onion, orange peppers, tomato, shredded cheddar and mixed greens). Instead of using a fat-laden salad dressing, I mashed up half an avocado with sugar-free salsa. This was the freakin' bomb-digity of salads my friends!!!!

All packed and ready for lunch.

Salad unloaded....AH-MAZING!!!!

Snacks
One thing I've found myself craving this week is something sweet. Last night I whipped a batch of raspberry lemon popsicles. Mmmmmm.....

Dinner
Oh baby, Sunday night's dinner was deeelish! I had grilled 'shrooms, half a steamed sweet potato and a huge salad. I've been attempting to make a healthy recreation of one of my fave salads --- the Olive Garden salad. This was one of my best ones yet and I promise that I'll share a recipe as soon as it is perfected! This was a meal fit for a king :-)

And now we come to fitness....I'm in Week #4 of LiveFit!!! This is a huge accomplishment and I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it. Dare I say that I'm starting to get my very own set of guns???

Pow pow --- I have muscles, I really, really DO!!! hehe

This week my workout schedule's going to look a little like this:

Monday - rest
Tuesday - back/biceps
Wednesday - shoulders/abs
Thursday - chest/triceps
Friday - legs
Saturday - yoga & back/biceps
Sunday - rest

Next week, we add cardio back in (excited!!) and our workouts increase to 6 days per week. I think I'm going to get a royal butt kicking --- I'm feeling a little out of shape in terms of my cardiovasciular health, so we shall see how things go the first day where I have to add 30 minutes of moderate cardio. I'm hoping that I will start to burn more fat and that my body will start to lean out.

So thank you once again to Jenn for hosting this weekly foodie shindig. If you're looking for more food & fitness inspiration, make sure you head on over to her site to see what other bloggers have been up to.

What is your favourite popsicle flavour?

What body part do you like working out the most?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

What I Ate Wednesday - LiveFit Trainer Continues On...

 Happy Wednesday!

Are you surviving the heat?? Yesterday set new records here in Southwestern Ontario --- I'm told (& I really hope) that it is expected to be the hottest day of the year! It was SO HOT! Don't hate me for saying this, but I am really looking forward to the arrival of Fall -- warm days and cool nights is my favourite kind of weather! 

I know some people don't have a big appetite when the temperatures spike, but heat won't keep this gal down. In fact, I really can't think of any type of circumstance that stops me from wanting to eat!

 

I can't believe I'm already in the middle of Week 3 of Jamie Eason's 12 Week LiveFit Trainer. I'm really starting to notice a difference in the way my body feels since I started eating clean 17 days ago. I always ate fairly healthily, but my nighttime snacking has definitely been cut way back and I have really reduced the amount of processed food that I eat on a daily basis.

Let's have a peek at what I've been noshing on this week:

Breakfast

I've been eating lots of protein pancakes and egg white scrambles for breakfast. A couple of days ago, I decided to stuff a tortilla with the egg white scramble and then added some mashed avocado to create my version of a breakfast quesadilla. It was pretty freakin' yummy! I mixed a little taco seasoning with some non-fat plain Greek Yogourt as my sauce on the side.

After my workout is done, it's off to work I go. A large coffee with milk is my morning drug :-)

 

Snack

My snacks have mainly consisted of some sort of conction that involves non-fat Greek Yogourt. I recently won some granola from Boulder Granola (new fave!!), so I've been mixing in a bit of that together with a peach chopped up into chunks.
We got some local peaches on the weekend and they are scrumptiuous!

 

I've also been eating raspberry cheesecake protein popsicles like crazy.

*Teaser - I have a new popsicle recipe coming for all you chocaholics out there! Stay tuned....  ;-)

Lunch

Most of my veggies are consumed at lunch. Large salads and boatloads of water are the norm.

This salad was awesome--I combined a baby arugula/spinach mix with broccoli slaw, raw almonds, shredded carrots, yellow pepper & marinated tofu and then added some light spicy peanut dressing.

{drool}

Dinner

I actually had time to put together a nice dinner for Derek & I on Sunday --- it was nice to relax and have a leisurely meal together! I had marinated kabobs loaded with veggies & tofu, some whole grain brown rice and a side of roasted beets from our garden. Ok, so they're from Derek's uncle's side of our garden, but we're family, so we share so he won't mind that I scooped some while no one was there on Sunday morning hehe ;-)

Fitness

My workout plan has increased from 4 days per week to 5. We still have 2 weeks of no cardio, but I've really started enjoying the weight training and I'm not missing the cardio as much as I did in the beginning. We've also increased the weight from 60% of our maximum to 80%. Let's just say that my body hurts. Most of it is a good muscle hurt, but yesterday I couldn't raise my arms above shoulder level without some serious effort!

If all goes according to plan, my workout schedule this week is going to look a little like this:

Monday - Chest & Triceps
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Back & Biceps
Thursday - Shoulders & Abs
Friday - Chest & Triceps
Saturday - Yoga
Sunday - Rest

My upper body is definitely where my weaknesses lie, so instead of doubling up on the legs workouts, I've decided to double up on chest & triceps this week and then maybe back & biceps next week.

Whew, I've written quite the WIAW post this week! If you have any questions or want any more information about my experience with the LiveFit trainer, my clean eats or workouts, please feel free to email me anytime. If you're looking for more food & fitness inspiration, head on over to visit Jenn at Peas & Crayons and see what other bloggers have been up to this week.

What is your fave body part to work out at the gym?

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Andrea
xoxo



What I Ate Wednesday ~ Clean Eats & LiveFit continued...

Happy Wednesday! And how are you on the gorgeous day? Things have been going pretty fabulously around here. I'm very proud to say that I'm in the middle of LiveFit Week 2 and I am feeling really, really good! The clean eating is going very well (the only time it's challenging is when I get the munchies right before bed) and I'm really enjoying the workouts - much to my surprise!





  

Since this is What I Ate Wednesday, I'm going to start with my eats and then give you a quick rundown of my workouts. Remember, clean, mindful eating and exercise are the two essential components to getting healthy and staying that way! I truly believe you need both in order to live a long, healthy life.

Here's a peek into my eats this week:

Breakfast

I have finally found a protein pancake that I cannot live without. On the weekend, I tried a banana bread protein pancake (recipe by PJ Fingers) with a cup o' joe on the side, of course! It was dense and pancake-y and totally delicious. I ended up making 2 extra batches, so that I could have some for this coming week. All you have to do is freeze and toast. Mmmm....weekday pancakes are a treat around this house!

Lunch

I am still swooning over sprouted whole grain toast with smashed avocado. Add a little sea salt and you have the best snack on the planet. On the weekend, I had some avo toast with an egg white scramble on the side. In my scramble was tempeh 'bacon', green onions & some grape tomatoes. Yummers!

Snacks

I can't keep out of my raspberry cheesecake protein pops. They are so freakin' good! I'm also eating tons of Greek yogourt mixed with Truvia and unsweetened cocoa. I'm thinking I need to nickname myself the "Queen of Sinless Treats" :-)

Dinner

This was one of the lonely girl meals I had when Derek was away this past weekend. A lightened up version of sweet potato homefries, marinated honey dijon tofu & sauteed kale with mushrooms was on the menu. A rainbow on the plate is a major dose of healthy in the belly!

Are you weak in the knees over all that amazingness up there?! haha

You might recall from my posts last week that I am currently in Phase 1 of Jamie Eason's 12 Week LiveFit Trainer. Right now we are doing 4 days of weights and still NO cardio. The no cardio part is taking a bit of time to get used to and so is working out only 4 days per week. I was starting to feel restless over the weekend and considered going to a step class, but I didn't. I do have plans to go to a yoga class on Saturday with a friend, so I'm hoping that will fill my workout gap. My workout schedule this week is going to look a little like this.

Monday - Chest & Triceps

Wednesday - Back & Biceps

Thursday or Friday  - Legs

Saturday - Khundalini Yoga

Sunday - Shoulders & Abs

Not too shabby right?! I know I shouldn't complain at all about the workouts at this point because they're a total breeze compared to what's coming up! Remind me that I was wishing for more when I'm complaining that I can't move from sore muscles mmmmkay?!

If you're looking for more meal and fitness inspiration, head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out Jenn's What I Ate Wednesday pages.

What is your favourite summertime snack?

If you could do just one workout per week, what would it be?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

LiveFit Trainer: Week One

Hiya!

So how goes it?!

Things around here have been cah-razy busy with meal planning, food preppin', early (really early) workouts, <gulp> lots of weights at the gym and some seriously sore muscles. I'm talking so sore that it hurt to lift my hair straightener to my head yesterday morning :-( No jokes!

I am super excited to share the new plan my friend, Natasha, and I have committed to. We have just started Jamie Eason's 12 Week LiveFit Trainer. The program is absolutely FREE and we started on July 2nd and will end just before the end of September. The timing (hello summer!) is maybe not ideal, but there is always a reason why not to start. We took a week to research and review the program and then we both jumped in with 100% commitment. Seriously, there is no better time to start than the present.

Via Pinterest via Claudia Patricia

At first, I was absolutely terrified about the workouts. There is NO cardio during weeks 1 through 4, which is a completely foreign concept to me. I love cardio; in fact that's pretty much all I do in combination with core and strength training group classes. As you know, I avoid the free weights area of my gym like the plague, but this week I've been forced to venture in there every single day. I'm pretty proud of myself because I decided to jump into this program headfirst and I have completed every single thing so far! This workout schedule is waaaayyyy out of my comfort zone but I know I'm going to be a stronger, more fit woman when I'm done! I've conquered those free weights like nobody's business and I feel awesome (sore, but awesome haha!).

For me, the easier part of this plan is the food. I'm happy to eat boatloads of veggies and Greek Yogourt everyday. My biggest challenge so far is ensuring I get the proper amount of protein because many of the meals call for lean meats. My plan this weekend is to sit down and do some research to make sure that I am substituting an adequate amount of  vegetarian protein to my diet. Jamie's meal plan is very, very clean and I am really excited to see what results I'm going to see and feel with my body.

My hopes with this program is that I lose body fat and gain some muscle tone. The thoughts of having trim and toned shoulders and arms is so freakin' exciting!!! I'm also hoping that I create strong enough habits that I am able to maintain the clean diet after the 12 weeks are up. My plan is to update you on a weekly or bi-weekly basis as to my progress. I did take "before" pictures and I'm planning to continue taking pics at the beginning of each week. Let's just say that if I needed any additional motivation, one look at those before pictures will send me straight to the gym! I'm not real happy with myself for slipping back into old habits because I definitely have taken a few steps back with my weight and body image right now. I try not to focus on past missteps though and right now my focus is on moving forward to meeting my new goals.

 Source: Pinterest via Claudia Patricia

Amen to that sista'!!!

I've always wanted to be fit and strong to the point that I could rock a bikini down the beach with total confidence. This really resonated with me because I really, really want to see what my body and my will are capable of! I'm turning 35 later this year, so this is going to be my birthday gift to myself!

I hope you check back to see my progress and support me on my journey. If you have or are taking part in the LiveFit program, let me know so I can keep track of you and support you on your journey as well!

Do you have goals or dreams that you've always wanted, but just never buckled down and accomplished?

What inspires you?

Have a good one,

Andrea

xoxo

What I Ate Wednesday: Fun, Food & FITNESS

I am ridiculously excited about this month's WIAW theme! The timing couldn't be more perfect because I just started Jamie Eason's 12-week LiveFit program, so food & fitness (and always a little fun!) is pretty much my main focus obsession right now! 

My current plan focuses on several small meals per day

 and some seriously clean eats.

Here's a peek into my eats this week:

Of course, I'm focusing on the amount of water I'm drinking each day.
My goal is to drink at least 64 oz per day, not counting what I drink while at the gym.

Breakfast

Egg white scramble with veggies (I used sundried tomatoes, mushrooms & red onion) with sugar-free salsa.

<Insert workout here - I like to hit the gym before work>

*more on my workouts below*

Mid-Morning Snack

Non-fat plain Greek Yogourt with stevia, cinnamon and fresh berries.

The addition of cinnamon was AWESOME!

Lunch

I had a kale & shredded brussel sprout salad with chickpeas. The dressing was a combo of extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard and fresh lemon juice. I made this up the night before and layered it in a mason jar. Around 10 a.m., I gave the jar a shake so that the kale leaves could marinate before I dug in.

This was SOOOO good!

I'm thinking a recipe post might be in order ;)

Afternoon Snack

One thing about this program is that the majority of protein options allowed are animal proteins. I plan to use egg whites, tofu, tempeh and protein shakes to supplement some of that and I also made a batch of Jamie Eason's lemon protein bars.

They're really easy to whip up and I was happy to find that they're quite tasty too! One batch made 16 squares and I froze the majority so I could snack on them all week!

Dinner

One slice of sprouted 16 grain bread with mashed avocado, tempeh 'bacon' & sliced tomato with a side of stirfried kale & crimini mushrooms.

Hello plate of awesomeness <3

Delicious, filling & satisfying.

Fitness

I am doing something that I NEVER do.....I ventured into the free weights area of my gym. I was shaking like a freakin' leaf because for some reason I am so self conscious over in that area, but I rocked the workouts for Week 1, Day 1 and Week 1, Day 2 and I feel awesome for getting over my insecurities!!

Oh, and I.AM.REALLY.SORE.

(a 'hurts to lift my arms to type this' kinda pain)

Wanna see what other bloggers are eating and doing to keep active?!
Check out Jenn's WIAW page for all kinds of motivation.

 

Do you have any insecurities when at the gym?

What is your favourite post-workout snack?

Have a great day!

(...and Happy Independence Day to all my American family & friends!)

Andrea

xoxo