Fit Pregnancy

I had a vision in mind when I found out I was pregnant that I would be able to stay fit throughout my whole pregnancy. I learned quickly though that you never know how your body is going to react to all these changes. I always imagined myself as one of those glowing women on the cover of Fit Pregnancy still working out and eating healthy. However, my first trimester was a trying one and I completely fell off the workout wagon for a good 6 weeks. I had extreme nausea and threw up constantly (sorry for the detail), but it’s true. I lost 7lbs during the first trimester and had no urge to eat, which means I had barely enough energy to get through a workday. Around week 12 things slowly started to turn around for the better, some days. I would try my best to go for walks, and my wonderful husband bought me a prenatal yoga DVD by Gaiam. On the days I ate well and had some energy I did what I could. I learned to be lenient with myself, and not be so critical. I’m on week 21, and feel myself getting back to normal. This past weekend we had friends visiting from San Diego, and it felt great to spend time with them and walking all over Seattle for two days. Some of the lessons I learned while being pregnant-

• Baby is the first priority and as long as she is growing strong & healthy do your best to maintain your health also
• You can’t be so tough on yourself, be lenient
• Don’t expect to follow a strict workout/diet regimen
• Listen to your body, if you have been throwing up all day and can barely have the energy to finish a work day, don’t expect to fit in a workout
• Lift, but not as heavy. Go for higher reps with way lower weight, and focus on more body weight exercise
• Focus on stretching, I highly recommend prenatal yoga. Not only has it helped me stretch, but it helps me really tune into what my body is actually feeling.
• Let your body eat what it craves, but make sure if it’s an unhealthy try to find alternatives. For example, I had terrible chocolate cravings so I turned to dark, natural chocolate!
• If you haven’t been working out ask your doctor if you can start. With the beautiful weather of spring all you need is a brisk 20-30 minute walk to get you going. Then make sure to stretch after.

Brazilian Butt Cardio Workout

This week I’ve decided to step up my cardio, especially my morning session. I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my sessions because I wasn’t really focused on intensity. I would use this time to catch up on How I met Your Mother on Netflix, or browse through facebook or pintrest. I also felt myself getting bored. I needed a way to amp up my routine!

Of course I turned to Pintrest, and I found this interesting high intensity routine, originally posted on SuperSkinnyMe.com. I do this routine as instructed, but repeat it twice for a total of 45 minutes. This is one difficult workout, by the end of my routine I’m crazy sweaty! GROSS!

However, I’ve seen great improvement with making my cardio sessions more intense. I feel like you don’t need to follow this exact formula, but when you focus on increasing your intensity by pace or resistance with some recovery breaks in between- it helps you power through a routine, making cardio sessions more effective, and challenging.

How do you change your cardio sessions/routine to keep you mind and body engaged?

Will you try this high intensity interval training? I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Stretching

Happy Monday!

Like most people I find myself sitting for the majority of my day-during my long commute and being at work. Being seated all day can tense up muscles. This can lead to headaches, pain, and stiffness in our bodies. It is essential to stretch!

Stretching helps prevent a multitude of injuries, stress, and strain that is caused by sitting. It’s a simple solution and can help improve your overall well being and aide in relieving soreness from working out! Make stretching a part of your daily routine

I found this on the Greatist! Six essential stretches all day desk workers should do today!

 What are some of your favorite stretches?

One Year Ago

Exactly one year has passed since I had my life changing heart procedure. Looking back at my very first workout with my trainer on June 28, I couldn’t even finish a set of body-weight lunges; to the progress I’ve made Today has been immense.

The strength I’ve built over time has only been because of what God has done for me. Without HIM I would’ve found every excuse not to workout or get healthier. I felt this was God telling me to change my life, this was my second chance and there was a reason he saved me.

Sometimes we find every excuse to not do something; when you know in your heart you should be focused on making every effort to change some aspect of your life.  Set new goals, create a bucket list, use it as a guide for the way you live your life. Don’t set your dreams on a backburner and wake up one day realizing how much time has passed. Sometimes it takes a drastic event to change your perspective on life. Don’t let struggles or hardship be a reason to stop your journey, but fuel you in the direction you need to go.

I’ve been so blessed by two amazing trainers that help guide me to where I am today with a healthy diet & tough workout regimen. I’m officially a personal training success story with 24 Hour Fitness!

This is my official before & after. I hope to scan in a better quality asap :)!

What are your goals this year? Don’t wait until new years to set a new resolution!

What happened?

I honestly don’t know what happened this month, but I realized I haven’t blogged since April 3^rd? Wow, what happened? Let’s recap-

• I continued my strenuous workout plan
• Maintained my diet
• Gave myself more free days then ever
• Felt completely burnt out and sick the weekend of April 6-8, just as I felt I was getting back into the swing of things.
• Bounced back the following weekend
• April 14 we went to Rick Steves’ spring travel festival! Even more excited at the prospect of going to Europe for 2 weeks (hopefully in September!)

• Enjoyed the amazing town of Edmonds, and enjoyed brunch at Chanterelle (I highly recommend this place)
• Walked along the water with my love in Edmonds
• Drove to Seattle later that day and walked even more along the pier, and enjoyed meeting new friends at Pike’s place-This was the first sunny weekend in a long time here in Seattle; we made sure to make the most of it!
• April 22^nd we went to the NPC 2012 Emerald cup. Amazed at all the dedication and hard work these athletes put in for this sport! I also saw my previous trainer Larry, I haven’t seen him since October, and his reaction to my progress was the best.

To sum this month up, it was everything I needed-time with family, friends, and motivation to work harder than ever. Hopefully I can stick to a steadier blogging schedule, this time! I hope to post results soon, I weigh in tomorrow. YIKES!

Finding Balance

Finding balance, it’s much easier said than done. When I first started my journey it was easy to say no to temptation. It was easy to avoid people and places that I knew would be detrimental to my diet and sidetrack me from my goal. However as time passes it’s getting a lot harder to avoid people, places, and situations because a part of me misses them.

This weekend I was completely burnt out. I was sore, achy, and tired. When I thought of walking into the gym and lifting another weight, I just couldn’t get out of bed. I missed lazy Saturday’s with my family. I missed not having a schedule. I wanted to also take my sister out for her birthday without the stress of counting calories. I wanted freedom from my daily grind. So I let myself. I took Saturday and Sunday off,completely. I didn’t go to the gym or log calories on myfitnesspal app. I felt guilty…but then I realized I really, really need this.

I need to let go sometimes. This burnt out feeling I have wasn’t from the weather. It was internal. My mind needed to relax, in order for my body to completely recover. Since July, I’ve been really adamant about getting in my workouts, logging calories, and being very strict on myself. I was at a point where I needed to step back and re-focus on your goal on why I started.

It’s easy to find motivational quotes that push you through a mental barrier, but sometimes just relaxing and letting your mind go is what will fuel you for the rest of your journey. I enjoyed my weekend with my family, sans Iphone app and gym!

I realized this weekend it’s all about balance. Enjoy time with family and friends, but still find healthy alternatives, like meeting for coffee and sitting outside, instead of eating at a restaurant. Schedule a hike with a friend, instead of a movie. It’s all about balance. It’s a long, and life changing journey, but it’s worth it when you discover new strength.

I’m ready to refocus and reach for my goal-

My goal is to be 8-10 pounds lighter in 7 weeks, before I go to Disneyworld for my nieces 2^nd birthday!

Motivation

Lately, I don’t know if it’s just the weather, but I’ve been feeling a little burnt out. My workout schedule is intense, and I think my body is finally feeling its effects this week. I’ve needed an extra dose of motivation daily, and again I turned to my best friend PINTREST :)!

Here are some of my favorite images…

 

To sum it all up, everything good takes work, a lot of work. Find what motivates you. Find a bigger reason to DO something than NOT. Motivation is turning negatives into fuel that fires a passion deep inside of you. Motivation is something that will be the driving force behind any goals you may set for yourself. The only thing limiting you is your mindset, not your body. You’re body can be pushed beyond anything you can imagine, as long as you try. There will be days when you feel more exhausted than others, rest; then refocus on what motivated you to start. It’s something greater than anything that can stop you.

I’ve had to remind myself this week that it’s OK to feel exhausted, and to give myself a mental break from counting calories. I’m looking forward to the weekend when I can catch up on sleep,and enjoy a free meal with my sister. I can’t wait to celebrate her birthday! I also had to refocus my purpose on why I place so much importance on health and fitness. It’s beyond weightloss, but getting stronger and looking forward to a long life with my amazing husband. Look beyond the numbers, and keep motivated towards your ultimate goal.

I’m looking for great results in April! I’ll be posting my results from March soon. I have great news to share :)!

 

Nocturnal Saturday Workout

After a fun date night with my husband, we decided to hit the gym for weightlifting (back) & interval running. This is my 3^rd Saturday in a row I’ve been to the gym, but the first time going late at night. We were there from 8:00-10:00 PM. It may sound insane, but it was one of the best workouts ever!

Benefits-

• The sweet front desk attendant said “WOW you are so dedicated” and kindly asked how many days I went to the gym. I said “6 days!” I thought it was very sweet of her to notice 🙂
• I didn’t have to wait for a single machine, weight, and most importantly the sauna was not crowded! AWESOME!
• It’s calmer around this time-usually our gym is filled with loud, high school boys. It can get overwhelming when they start yelling random things at each other. SIDE NOTE-If people can hear you through their headphones, you’re speaking way too loudly!
• We took our time-with nothing planned after a workout, we slowed down, stretched to make sure to avoid sore muscles the next day.

Have you worked out on a Saturday night?

Las Vegas-The Recap Part 1!

Day #1-Local Scene

After picking up our rental at Alamo, we went directly to a little restaurant off the strip called KOMEX.It’s an amazing fusion of Mexican and Korean flavors. It sounds so outlandish, and strange, but this is definitely a must try!

I had the lettuce wrapped tacos. My husband had the kimchi beef fried rice & bulgogi burrito. I had a couple bites of his order, and they were amazing!

I wish I had taken pictures, but by the time we had our food I was incredibly hungry, and basically inhaled my food.

We did some grocery shopping later that night and picked up some essentials-Greek yogurt, salad, light Italian dressing, whole wheat English muffins, morning stars, and egg whites.

Day #2-Gym & shop-aholics

We woke up around 10 am, and made breakfast with my cousins. I had an egg white, morning star, English muffin sandwich.

Then my husband, cousin, and I went to 24 hour fitness, located only 5 minutes from where we were staying, super convenient! We went through an intense leg, back, and core routine. We then continued our workout with 40 minutes of steady cardio. We were insanely sore and had to stretch our exhausted muscles.

After, we went to Costco to pick up more essentials for our family reunion. We also picked up a rotisserie chicken for our salad we had for lunch.

We met up with other family members at the Premium outlets. I didn’t have any luck here so we moved on. We then went to Fashion show mall. Some of my favorite stores were Cotton On and Super Dry Japan. We spent almost 7 hours shopping! YIKES! We did major shopping damage, and it was an amazing day!

We had to re-energize and decided to try RA Sushi for happy hour, located just outside of Fashion Show Mall. It was the most extensive sushi happy hour menu I’ve ever seen. The price ranged from $2-$7 plates, of generous portions. Each dish was unique and flavorful. I highly recommend trying RA sushi to help recover from a long day of shopping. It was a feast!

After our meal, we had to walk it off. We ventured onto the strip. I loved the reaction, and look on my cousin’s face as we walked outside and the Las Vegas strip was lit in all of its glory! It was her first time in Vegas and she absolutely loved the lights!

Day #3-Family time!

This day was all about family! I think the pictures speak for themselves…

My adorable niece, husband & I infront of the Welcome sign!

Some of the cousins & my niece infront of the "Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas" sign

Some of the ladies infront of the "Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas" sign

Us waiting for the Bellagio water show! Someone was excited 🙂

Some of my cousins & their kids at the reunion.

I’m beyond blessed for the amazing family God has given me. Every day I think of my family and I can’t wait to see them again. We took time to share stories of our Grandpa, who passed away two years ago. We looked back and realized what an incredible impact he has had in our lives, and his love of God he shared.

We hope to get together again soon, and live out his legacy. Looking forward to more memories, laughs, and prayers with my family!

PART 2 Coming soon…

Pictures from day #3 courtesy of my cousin Edward Fernandez.

Interval Training-Best explained

After doing the same cardio routine for almost 7 months, I needed to switch things up. Last week I added interval training 2 days a week- as I mentioned here I do the “Little Method” on the treadmill for 25-27 minutes, with a 10-15 minute cool down. It’s a quick & effective way to burn calories.

Quick Tip: It is essential to perform a proper cool down, I.E. walking with no incline, and at a slow pace (2.0 Speed). I make sure my heart rate is down 90-100 BPM.

I also make sure to do quad & calf stretches. This helps with stiff muscles and soreness the next day.

More Health and Fitness News & Tips at Greatist.