Today is workout Wednesday, and yesterday was Valentine’s Day. If you are anything like me, you took full advantage of Valentine’s Day to eat delicious, terrible for your health, food(s). As if Valentine’s Day isn’t enough of a reason to eat these yummy foods, yesterday was Tuesday which means, it was also Taco Tuesday! YES. Absolute perfection. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant in town for dinner last night where I ate my entire TWO chimichanga entrée all by myself. #iAintSorry. However, my body is definitely sorry, because today’s workout will not feel too good. I’m sure of this LOL. Read More
Fitbit Charge 2 (Review)
It’s been exactly a full month since I’ve had my Fitbit Charge 2 and I must say: I LOVE IT. I mean, I really and truly, love this little thing. It’s crazy how much of an impact such a little device can have on your every day life. Read More
Self Care Sundays
Self care Sunday is one of the major parts of me taking better care of myself this year. Self care Sundays concentrates mostly on my physical outward appearance, but this ultimately connects to my mental and spiritual health as well. As they say, “when you look good you feel good”, and Read More
Vision Board 2017
One of my favorite activities to do for the new year is a vision board. Not only are they fun to do, they give you a visual goal to aim for and accomplish, in the new year. I usually make mine before the new year begins, but this year I finished it 5 days into the new year. Better late than never, right?Read More
Fitness Consistency in Chaos
If there is one thing I have learned since starting this post baby weight loss journey, consistency is the key all of it, both eating and working out. But, what do you do when your daily schedule varies day-to-day and can even be a bit chaotic? Read More
5 Pre/Post Workout Stretches
Happy workout Wednesday, everybody! I have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately, especially lifting, and have had some pretty sore days because of it. However, as most of us already know, stretching is not only amazing, it helps prevent injury while working out. I have perfected and found my 5 favorite pre/post workout stretches that are most effective for me. I wanted to share these stretches with all of you in case they will help with your aches and pains in any way.
Opposite Leg Toe Touch:
This stretch is pretty self explanatory. I touch each toe for 10 seconds and do this 2-3 times depending on how stiff I feel. You should feel you muscles loosen up with each toe touch and hold.
Foot Grab Squat:
Squatting is a huge part of my workout routine so stretching the exact muscles I use for squatting before and after is key. You will hold this position for 10-15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. You should feel your body loosen up enough to go into a deeper squat position each time.
Sitting Leg Extension Toe Touch:
This is a wonderful stretch for the hamstrings. Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. Grab you toe and pull back a little more with each count and set. You can even add some arm movement in as you do this stretch.
Butterfly Floor Touch:
This stretch works the areas for squats as well but adds in more stretching of the groin. When you get into this position lean forward on your arms, which push your legs further apart, and feel the stretch in your groin. Do this same pressure and stretch for 10-15 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.
Sitting Butterfly Flutters:
You will sit with the bottom of your feet touching each other and bounce your knees up and down. You should feel the stretch in your groin as you flutter your knees up and down. Flutter 10 times on each side and repeat 2-3 more times.
These exercises always leave me feeling either ready to start my workout or ready to go home after a good stretch. What are some of your favorite pre/post workout stretches? Feel free to share below.
Happy Wednesday, everybody! 🙂
Brie <3
[03.09.16]
Black Bean & Turkey Veggie Soup
If you follow my Instagram account you probably know I have been into meal prepping and clean eating for a few months now. My go to meals have always been chicken thighs or salmon with veggies and quinoa. One day I was craving a black bean soup of some sort and decided to throw some ingredients together in a pot with black beans and see what happened. Well…it was amazing. I have since made the recipe a few more times and now that I have perfected it I want to share it with all of you. You can use whatever vegetables you like best because you really can’t go wrong with delicious veggies!
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Serves: 5-6
1 lbs. Ground Turkey
15 oz. can Whole Corn
(2) 15 oz. cans Reduced Sodium Black Beans
1/2 bunch of Kale
1 large Red Bell Pepper
2 Jalapeno Peppers
1 large Yellow Onion (diced)
1 cup Cilantro
1 Tbsp Garlic
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Smoked Paprika (regular paprika is OK too)
1 Tbsp Honey
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups Water
*corn tortillas*
- Heat your olive oil over medium high heat for a minute or until really hot. Add your garlic, and diced up onions, red bell pepper, and jalapenos to the pot. Stir for 3 minutes or until soft and add your ground turkey to the pot. Break up and stir ground turkey until browned.
- Once your turkey is browned add your can of corn (drained), cans of black beans (NOT drained), cilantro, and spices to the pot. Stir well to combine ingredients and spices.
- Now add your water to the pot, stir to combine, then add your pieces of kale to the pot. Make sure the kale is mixed and covered with the soup liquid then cover pot and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Taste your soup and adjust the seasonings to your own taste buds. I tend to like spice and always add more cayenne and black pepper to my mix.
- Brown 1-2 corn tortillas and dip in your soup for an even more delicious taste.
You can share this delicious recipe with others or meal prep for 5-6 meals. Remember you can switch and mix it up with your own spices and veggies in this soup. You can even branch out to different types of beans, however, I would research which beans are best for clean eating purposes.
Enjoying a delicious meal without guilt is one of my favorite feelings! 😉 Have a great evening and let me know how you like the recipe!
Brie <3
[02.17.16]
Weekly Workout Schedule
Happy Motivation Monday, everybody!
I’ve been working out consistently enough the last few months and because of this I have finally perfected my daily workout schedule. I have attempted multiple workout schedules and none of them ever really seem to fit me exactly. Instead, I decided to take the workouts from the multiple workout plans that were beneficial to me, as well as, add in a few challenging and effective exercises I have used in past experiences. After doing this schedule for a while I’m positive I will stick to this workout plan because, I love it! As I get more lean and strong I will adjust the reps and weight. However, I am not trying to get “bulky” from the lifting so instead of lifting extremely heavy for shorter reps, I will increase the reps in addition to the weight, but at a slower pace. Here is a day by day breakdown of the exercises I have been using:
Monday:
30+ minutes cardio
Jumping Jacks – 10
Push-ups – 10
Mountain Climbers – 10
Burpees – 10
*Repeat 3x with 2 minute break in between*
-cool down stretch-
Tuesday:
15 minutes cardio warm-up
Squats – 3×10
Dumbbell Lunge-Curl – 3×10
Jump Squats – 3×10
Deadlift – 3×10
Kettlebell Sumo Squat – 3×10
Russian Twists – 3×15
Lying Leg Raise – 3×15
10 minutes elliptical cool down
-cool down stretch-
Wednesday:
30+ minutes cardio
Tricep Dips – 3×10
Lateral Pull Downs – 3×10
Dumbbell Curls – 3×10
Dumbbell Flys – 3×10
Tricep Push Backs – 3×10
-cool down stretch-
Thursday (machines day):
15 minutes cardio warm up
Leg Press – 3×10
Leg Curls – 3×10
Leg Extensions – 3×10
Calf Extension – 3×10
Hip Abductor – 3×10
Hip Adductor – 3×10
Rotary Torso – 3×15
Weighted Abdominal Crunch – 3×15
-cool down stretch-
Friday:
1 hour cardio
-cool down stretch-
Saturday (optional):
20+ minutes HIIT (can use Monday’s workout by adding 2-3 more rounds)
7 minute abs (look up 7 different crunch positions if you don’t know seven)
Sunday:
OFF DAY
-be sure to do plenty of stretching-
Most of these workouts require lifting weights, and I advise starting off light, and increasing to your desired weight. Your body will let you know what is too much and what is too light. Also, feel free to alter these workouts to your liking. You may want to concentrate on a different part of your body and decide to switch things around or completely swap them out all together. Either way, make it fun, so that you want to return to the gym each day!
Have a great evening! 🙂
Brie <3
[01.25.16]
16 Goals For 2016
Now that we’re in the year 2016 I wanted to make a list consisting of 16 goals to accomplish this year. I chose sixteen goals because who’s really going to write out two thousand and sixteen goals? Exactly. But in all seriousness I like to brainstorm things I would like to accomplish or improve, write them down, and hold myself accountable to these goals. I refuse to call them resolutions because goals that are taken seriously and strategically planned out tend to drive me more than the cliche new year resolutions ever will.
These are the sixteen goals I wish to accomplish in 2016:
1) Bi-Monthly Food Box
Now that I am getting into couponing I want to be able to bless others as well. I would like to put together a food box at the very least every other month to donate to a local family in need. It’s not major, but it’s a step in the right direction towards helping others beyond volunteer work in 2016.
2) Potty Train Jordyn
I’m pretty sure this is pretty understandable to those who have and don’t have children. However, we would like to talk about another child in 2017 (yes a whole year from now) but the conversation won’t even begin until Jordyn is fully potty trained.
3) Pay Off (A) Major Debt
As your average millennial buried in wonderful college loans, I would like to eliminate some, if not all, debt unrelated to my college loans. I’m aiming for financial freedom as soon as possible.
4) Visit 3 States BESIDES Illinois
My husband and I both are from the surrounding Chicago suburbs. Which means we always to IL for vacations to see family. However, in 2016 I want to explore and travel more than around/to IL.
5) Squat 150+ lbs
Because we all know strong is the new skinny. 2015 has shown us being fit and in shape is more important than being skinny. I plan to work on conditioning and strength this year.
6) More Base Activities
Now that pretty much all of my close friends have moved to new bases and states I need to find more friends. Haha j/k (sort of) I want to be more involved in base activities in general because I believe as a military community it’s important to be an important part of the community.
7) Visit 1 New Montana City
I’ve lived in Montana for almost 4 years and there are many large/popular cities I have never been to yet. Since we live here we need to take advantage of the places around us this year.
8) Visit The White House
We are planning another trip to Washington D.C. to see friends this year since we did not make it there last year. I want to reschedule a White House tour because this is the last year President Obama will be in office.
9) Spend <$100 On Grocery Trip
I’m officially one of those crazy coupon people trying to learn the ways of the couponing professionals. A major goal of mine is to spend less than $100 on a usual two week grocery shopping trip. I believe in me!
10) Take A Cooking Class
I’ve always wanted to take a cooking class. It has always looked like so much fun and would be a perfect date night idea. The husband and I have to make this happen this year.
11) Grow Blog Subscribers By 100+
I currently have 75 subscribers to my blog and would like to grow this list by at least 100 more this year. This is a huge challenge, but it’s one I am up for!
12) Do More Volunteer Work
As most of you know I am a (now level 1 certified) basketball coach for Special Olympics Montana. However, I would like to spend more of my down time helping others vs. doing things selfishly for myself. Selfless vs. selfish is the motto.
13) Eat Cleaner
This goes right back to fit being the new skinny. I want to eat cleaner for my health and my appearance. 70% of losing weight and getting in shape is what we put in our bodies so I need to do better this year.
14) Monetize Blog
I haven’t gotten a lot more serious about blogging. Writing is something I love to do and I would love to merge my passion with my purpose and create a job from it. Who doesn’t want to make money doing what they love?
15) Take A Dance Class
I’m not just talking about any dance class, I want to take a professional ballroom dance class. Learn to salsa, foxtrot, merengue, swing dance…anything!
16) Go To A Concert
Unfortunately living in Montana means we don’t have many diverse, main stream artists come here to perform. This year I would love to go to a popular artist’s concert even if it means traveling to a bordering state to do so. Especially if the artist is worth the hype.
You have officially read my goals (and reasoning) for 2016. I will try my hardest to accomplish all of them this year. What are your personal goals this year? Share in the comments below!
Brie <3
[01.03.16]
Meal Prep Tips
What better time to share some meal prepping for clean eating tips than the day before everyone overdoses on Halloween candy, right? 😉 I started meal prepping for the first time a little over a year ago. It was part of the fit girls guide challenge I did in November of 2014 for twenty-eight days. Although it was a lot of work, it definitely helped save time throughout the week, as well as, have no excuse to grab unhealthy food. However, when I first started meal prepping it was more time-consuming than need be because I hadn’t figured out how to make it easiest just yet.
I have been consistently meal prepping for about 6+ months now and it takes me half the time to meal prep, three times as much food, from when I first started. I have had a lot of people ask me about good meal prepping food and resources which I shared in a blog post back in September. Click here to read it. I have most recently been asked about tips and tricks to make meal prepping a little easier for those who are just getting started or beginners. I’m no expert on meal prepping per se, here are three helpful tips for your next meal prepping session:
Prep in Steps:
Instead of doing EVERYTHING for your meal prep on the same day, break up what you can into different steps. For example, one of my favorite meal prepped combinations is the baked chicken, green yellow and red quinoa (rice) and a veggie of some sort. To do this prep I always cook my quinoa and/or rice the night before and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. While my quinoa and rice is cooking, I season my chicken and place it in the refrigerator overnight as well. The following day while my chicken bakes in the oven, I chop up my vegetables that go in the quinoa/rice combo as well as my vegetable that will serve as my side. Although it takes two days of prepping, it allows you less time in the kitchen overwhelming yourself all at once.
*Cold quinoa/rice is easier to mix in to your cooking vegetables in the pot for meal prep which is why .
Double the Recipe:
Most meal prep recipes are for about a weeks worth of food. However, when making certain foods, you can double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don’t need right away. Look up the guidelines regarding how long certain foods last in the refrigerator and freezer to be sure you’re making sanitary choices. I always prepare two weeks of lunch at a time to save time on doing it all over again in another week.
*If you have a favorite recipe that uses a certain measurement and mix of spices, using a smaller Tupperware container, triple or quadruple your mix of spices and it saves you time for your next 3-4 meal prep sessions by not having to measure each ingredient.
Switch Up Choices:
Besides being time-consuming, another reason people lose interest in meal prepping is because they get tired of the same foods. So switch it up! There is no rule that says you have to meal prep the exact same food for two weeks straight. Who wouldnt’ get tired of that? Instead meal prep at least two different meals to alternate each day. Once you’ve gotten better at conserving your time and meal prepping quicker, make as many different meals as you choose. Believe it or not, being excited about eating your food helps motivate you to find the energy to get in the kitchen and meal prep in the first place.
*If you don’t know where to start for multiple meal prepping recipes and sites, Pinterest and Instagram are great resources. Or you can refer back to my link at the beginning of this post for more meal prep resources.
Hopefully these meal prep tips make meal prepping for you first timers, and beginners a little easier, and less frustrating. If you have any other questions regarding the tips or extra advice, please feel free to comment below or send me at email (info on my page). Happy meal prepping and clean eating! 🙂
Brie <3
[10.30.15]