Kelsey Fitness and Nutrition

New BLOG

2012-07-31T21:33:00.002-07:00

Alright so I am redirecting this blog to my new blog it's KelseyFitSpot.Blogspot.com

It is just an addition to this!! Please enjoy. I will no longer be writing on this blog

A Sample Work Out From the Book I'm Writing!!

2012-07-31T21:00:00.002-07:00

Core

Warm up and Stretch:

30 Seconds: Cardio March

30 Seconds: Jump Rope

Head Rolls

Inner Thigh Stretch

Quad Stretch

Work out:

25 Stationary Lunges

25 Push ups

30 Crunches

25 Seconds: Low plank hold

25 Seconds: Table

35 Each Side: Side Leg Raise

10 Full: Banana Rolls

10 Full: Plank to Side Plank

10: Forward Weighed Circles

10: Backwards Weighed Circles

30 Seconds: Superman(X2)

(Repeat)

Stretch:

Upper Back Stretching

Chest Stretch

Pot Stir

Huggers

Front Bent Over Stretch

Cat Stretch

Upward Dog

Shoulders and Chest

Warm up and Stretch:

30 Seconds: Cardio March

30 Seconds: Jump Rope

30 Seconds: Overhead Reach

Huggers

Pot Stir

Chest Stretch

Work Out:

25: Push ups

15: Forward Weighed Arm Circles

15: Backward Weighed Arm Circles

10: Side Lateral Raises

10: Front Lateral Raises

25 Seconds: Plank Hold

15: Rotator Cuff Lifts

15: Upward Rows

(Repeat)

Stretch:

Huggers

Pot Stir

Chest Stretch

Head Rolls

Shoulder Stretch

First Donation----Thank you!

2012-07-31T15:07:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give a thank you to Charles Mountford for the first donation to this blog!! For helping to keep this blog going!! All support is extremely appreciated, and I hope that I can help anyone looking to lose weight and get healthy. Even a 50 cent donation is extremely appreciated. Please let me know if there is anything you are interested in learning about.

Please Donate

2012-07-31T12:25:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!! This blog has been very successful!! Unfortunately this is my full time job and I have to make some kind of income to keep it going...In the upper right hand corner there is a spot for donations. Please feel free to make any kind of contribution. Even $.25 cents is GREATLY appreciated! I am full of knowledge when it comes to fitness and health and I want to help everyone I can, so please help keep this blog going by making a donation :) Thank you.

Amazing leg work out

2012-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is the leg and butt work out I do, it works your entire lower body and it is hard! I also feel it the next day like crazy. It usually takes between 20-40 minutes and I usually do it after about an hour run.

It doesnt really matter what order you do this in, I mix it up. I usually do one set each. 20 each

Plie squats- this is like a basic squat accept your legs are wider as you're going down in a plie.

Lunges- feel free to add a few pounds of weight if wanted. I switch legs every other lunge. Be sure to keep your form good

Curtsy lunges- these are just like regular lunges except you step back and cross your leg behind the other. Refer to photo.

Leg kick backs- This is really great for your butt. You will start on all fours, then kick your leg back, pressing your heel to the sky.

Squats- Regular old fashioned squats. Keep your back straight and press your butt down like you're going to take a seat.

Leg curl machine- This machine is at most gyms, it works your hamstrings.

Leg press down machine- This machine is at most gyms as well, it works your quads.

Leg press machine- This is found in a few different machines at the gym, it works your entire lower body, either by usuing your legs to press your seated body up, or keeping the seat stationary and pressing your legs down.

Calve lifts- very easy and effective. Just stand up, you can add 5 pound weights if you want just holding them off to the side. Then use your calves to lift your body up standing on your toes.

How to be active!

2012-07-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like as Americans we are so lazy! Many of us live a very sedemintary life style doing as much sitting as we can, that mixed with our very unhealthy diets gives a good explanation to why we are all so over weight. If you are obsese or overweight, obviously changing your diet is the most important step in becoming healthier, but just small steps can help you become healthier and fitter. I am writing some basic things that you can add to your daily routine to help you become more active.

Skip the elevator: Think about climbing three flights of stairs. That's a lot of work! It probably burns 15-20 calories! Refuse to take the elevator if you don't have to, add stairs and burn an extra 15-20 calories in a few minutes. It's not difficult either. Sure until your body and heart get used to you might be out of breath the first few times, but every time it will get easier! Instead of dreading stairs just think about it as, hey more calories I'm burning!

Park far away. When you head to Target or anywhere else(unless it's late out and you're alone in a dangerous neighborhood) park far away, give yourself a few minutes of power walking. If you can make an excuse not to work out, don't make an excuse to why you can't add in a minute or two of some extra walking. I don't usually park far away because I do a lot of running, but I don't get upset when I don't get the closest parking spot, usually I don't even take the closest parking spot, I don't mind a few minutes to enjoy the sun and the fresh air.

Take your dog for a walk. If you have a dog take care of it! Walk it 2-3 miles! It's a great workout for you and great for the dog as well. It will make the walk more exciting as well.

Dance! If you're going to go out to a bar or go out, hit the dance floor. If you're going to drink excessive calories in alcohol you might as well dance th em off!! Dancing burns a ton of calories and if you hit the dance floor a couple hours just think of all the calories you burn.

Make TV time work out time. When you watch TV, do sit-ups, jumping jacks, run in place, lunges, push-ups, stretch, throw punches, do some kicks, buy a stationary bike or treadmill or elliptical and use it while you watch TV. Get some cheap dumbbells and do bicep curls while sitting on your couch! Think of all the things you can do. If you watch two hours of TV a day, that's a pretty good work out!

Walk or ride your bike: If you're going up the street for something, or only traveling a few miles and don't have a lot of dangerous intersections, walk or ride your bike!! It will save you on gas money and is good for your body! Think about it a win/win situation.

Play outside with your kids. Instead of watching them or sitting there play with them. If you take them to the pool get in and swim with them. Look at how active kids are!!! Try to keep up with them.

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Running

2012-07-19T09:18:00.002-07:00

Running is one of my favorite exercises. Why? It is because the way it makes you feel. I remember in the beginning I could only run maybe a quarter of a mile before I couldn't even breath. Now I am running almost 2 miles straight without a break, and I ran run about 8 miles tops. So I thought I'd ad some personal tips I'd like to share if you're really interested in getting your running up to speed!!

EAT! Eat about an hour before your run. If you eat right before your run you'll get cramps or sick. Try to eat about an hour or two before the run. Some good foods are carbs like rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread or English muffin. Peanut butter is full of good fats and proteins to help get your body ready, or some almonds. Bananas and honey can help you with energy.

Stretch, soak, ice. Be sure to stretch immediately after your workout. A good calve stretch is walking the dog. Go into downward dog, separate your legs slightly and press one heal down while you bend the other knee, you should feel a good stretch in your calve. Switch legs every few breaths. Do some basic hamstring, glute, and quad stretches. Also soaking in a hot tub or bath will help sooth and warm the muscles keeping them from becoming tight. Icing will help numb any pain.

Breath. When running or any exercise gets hard the best thing you can do is breath through it. Focus on your breathing, and take your mind off the pain. I know when I get to my third and fourth mile and my legs are pounding on the ground I am ready to stop, but you have to breath. Also it's easy to get out of breath, so the best thing to do is focus on taking deep breaths in and and. Breathing also keeps oxygen flowing in through blood which helps your body heal faster!!

Good shoes and good form. There are many different theories on what kind of shoes you should wear to run in and how different grounds can effect your joints and bones. I know I had knee problems for awhile due to running, but as I strengthened my legs by lifting weights, I was less prone to injury. I hear barefoot running is the best. I bought a pair of feet gloves and never really could tell if they worked because my feet filled up quickly with blisters. I bought a pair of new balances and they are super light! I love them, they are by far the best running shoes I've warn.

Pace yourself but push yourself. Don't over do it or over press yourself in the beginning. Let your first mile or two be a warm up and save your sprinting until the very end, other wise you will run out of energy quickly. But also push yourself. Running is mental and there will come a point when your brain says time to walk, or time to stop, or time to go back. That's when I do a body check. I check my breathing, am I out of breath to the point of passing out? Usually not. Then I check if I'm dehydrated. Am I still sweating, can I think clearly, am I over heated? Usually a bit of water helps to hydrate back to a healthy state. I ask myself, are my legs tired or are am I pushing them to injury. Usually my legs are beginning to feel sore, but not to the point of hurting myself. If you give yourself a chance to examine your body and actually think about why you're wanting to stop usually you find no reason other than the fact that you mind wants to. That's when you say NO, I will press on...then do it. Keep going. When I do this and allow myself to mentally push on, is when I do my best runs. This is also true in any work-out. Very rarely do people push themselves to their max, or to injury. Usually it is our mind that gives up.

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Thursday's eating tip

2012-07-19T08:19:00.001-07:00

Today I want to talk about almonds.

Almonds are a tasty treat full of protein and dietary fiber as well as several other vitamins. Eating nuts such as almonds can help lower cholesterol. Almonds may help with your complexion or even help prevent cancer. Almonds can be eaten by the handful or added to a a trail mix. Almond milk is a great way to get the benefits of almonds in a tasty drink. Almond milk only has around 60 calories!! I like to make smoothies from it, using almond milk, honey and strawberries or bananas. It is much healthier than other smoothies and has less than 200 calories!!

P90X Review

2012-07-18T18:43:00.001-07:00

A really good work out I like and several others enjoy is beach bodies P90X. I wanted to use this blog to talk about each P90X work out!

Get P90X from Amazon.com

Chest and Back: Chest and back is hard, it's full of push up and pull ups. It is a full focus on the chest muscles and the back muscles.

Plyo: Plyo is a super cardio work-out all about jump training.

Shoulders and Arms: This is my favorite lifting work out, it works the three main arm muscles, biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

Yoga X: This is an hour and a half workout, it's extremely difficult. It is much harder than any yoga workout I have done at the gym.

Legs and Back: This is a tough leg workout, its includes squats, and lots of lunges. It gives your legs a break as you work your back with push-ups.

Kenpo X: This work-out is another favorite work-out of mine. It is a great cardio work-out that includes several kicks, blocks, and punches. It is a great core work out!

X-Stretch: I add this as a supplemental work-out, it is very much like a basic yoga or hatha yoga. It gives practically every muscle in your body a good stretch!

Core Synergistic: This is a tough workout that integrates some cardio with shoulder, chest, abs, oblique, glutes, thighs, hip flexors, and hamstrings.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps: Like the shoulders and arm work-out this is a basic weight lifting work-out. It just mixes in push ups, along with shoulder and triceps moves. It is tough.

Back and Biceps: Another weight-lifting workout, with pull ups and bicep moves. Very focus on biceps.

Cardio X: This is a fairly simple workout. It is one of the shortest and it takes the cardio out of core, kempo, and plyo, with a yoga warm-up. This one is enjoyable because it really gives you a mix up and taste of a few different work-outs.

Ab Ripper X: This is the shortest work-out of them all but don't let it fool you. Fifteen minutes of hard ab work that will leave your abs hurting for days.

Wednesday's eating tip

2012-07-18T07:31:00.001-07:00

Fast Food:

Fast food is good and bad, but mostly bad!!! It does not digest as quickly because it is full of bad chemicals and preservatives, it is full of sodium, and BAD BAD fats, and it is full of un natural and bad sugars that our body can not process. I want to share some information with you on what exactly fast food is, and also, if you are on the go, and if you must eat fast food, what should you chose!

Bad choices:
Grilled Cheese Burger Melt ---1500 calories
White Castle Large Shake - 1680 calories
DQ Large Chocolate Malt---1300 calories
DQ 6 piece chicken strip basket----1270 calories
White Castle Chicken Rings 20 piece---1130 calories
Jack in the Box Bacon Ultimate Cheese Burger----1090 calories
Hardee's six dollar burger----1060 calories
Sonic Peanut Butter Shake Large- 1010 calories
Arby's Pecan Sticky Bun 4-pack----2751 calories
Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger----780 calories
KFC Chicken and Biscit Bowl----870 calories
Subway Pepperoni and Meatball 6 inch---600 calories

Better choices:
Mcdonalds Fruit and Yogurt Parfait---160 calories
Taco Bell Fresco Soft Steak Taco---150 calories
Taco Bell Fresco Chicken Soft Taco-----150 calories
Taco Bell side black beans----80 calories
Taco Bell Mexican rice----120 calories
Taco Bell chicken soft taco----170 calories
Taco Bell volcano taco----230 calories
Taco Bell Cinnemon twists- 170 calories
Taco Bell bean burrito---370 calories
Subway 6inch black forest ham no cheese---290 calories
Subway 6inch oven roasted chicken breast on whole wheat----310 calories
Subway 6inch turkey breast no cheese--- 280 calories
Subway 6inch veggie delite no cheese---230 calories

Websites for nutrition facts
http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/information/
http://www.subway.com/nutrition/nutritionlist.aspx

How to get rid of leg cramps

2012-07-17T11:27:00.002-07:00

This one was asked as a request for me to write, I've never had a real issue with leg cramps so I did a little research on this one. One thing I found that I have heard works before is potassium. I've been told before that eating a banana will help with leg cramps. I have never myself had any kind of cramps but I have heard that any kind of body cramps come from dehydration. So when you're working out or doing yoga or stretching it's extremely important to drink lots of water. Not just to keep hydrated but to prevent cramps. I think i might have heard about staying hydrated from my track coach. If you have cramps at night drink a lot of water or Gatorade to hydrate your body. If you didn't know alcohol and caffeine will dehydrate the body so try avoiding these drinks if you suffer from cramps. One remedy I use for muscle aches, which I am sure will work well with leg cramps is stretching, heating and iceing. As a runner and athlete, I constantly have muscle pain somewhere on my body. Stretching is absolutely necessary daily for me. A simple 2-5 minute stretch will normally do the trick, but yoga or a long stretch routine can really help take kinks out of any sore muscle. Stretching will also lengthen and loosen muscles so they are not so tight. Heat works like stretching, heating the muscles up and losing them. Sitting in a hot tub or hot bath, or even taking a hot shower sometimes really can help. Ice calms the nerves and helps numb pain. From the research I did it really seems like the best thing to take internally is zinc, calcium and potassium. Like I said before, bananas are helpful, a lot of juices and as before Gatorade has some of these minerals in them.

So I can't tell you exactly what to do, but from my common knowledge as well as some research this is what I seemed to have find. Please be sure to comment if you know of anything else!!

Holistic Nutrition

2012-07-16T08:48:00.003-07:00

I've had people ask me what are cures for this and that, and what can I do all naturally. So I thought I'd put a few things together that come from all natural foods, supplements, etc...stuff from the earth that can heal you. I have taken and tried several of these!!

Coconut Oil and Brown sugar or regular sugar: Great for stretch marks, wrinkles, and evening skin...OK ladies, no need to spend tons of money on expensive treatments and products. A container of Coconut is about 10-12 dollars and Brown sugar is like what 3 dollars? Mix it together and put it in a container, after soaping up in the shower, shaving etc, use this mix everywhere, really massage well especially areas with scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, dry skin. You can also really rub plain coconut oil into skin as well. I wouldn't recommend putting it directly on your face because it is very oily unless you plan to wash it off. My skin glows like never before, my wrinkles soften and my stretch marks have faded and I've only been using it maybe two weeks. I have been using cocoa butter and lotions for months now and coconut oil is best thing I have tried so far!!! It is very important though to use something to exfoliate while using coconut oil to get the oil deep into your skin. I use brown sugar, but regular sugar works as well, or you could probably use some kind of body scrubber.

Apple Cider Vinegar: It's nasty and I've tried it before. I'm not exactly sure if it worked for me, but I know it has SEVERAL health cures. From weigh loss to acne. Like I said I am not a pro on this one, it is really strong, you have to mix it with water in order to drink it. You can also make salad dressings with it as well, would probably hide the taste. I would ask around or google Apple Cider Vinegar, but I know it's one of those cure all.

Cayenne Pepper- I LOVE this one, I add it to stir fry's marinades, fajitas, BBQ!! It's the greatest and adds tons of heat to any meal. Cayenne pepper is excellent for your digestive system. I have read up that it can relieve a heart attack as well. I have never seen proof, I just read it.

If anyone has anything else on this topic they are interested in be sure to leave a comment! I would be more than glad to write up something on health foods. I believe that good eating leads to a healthier you!

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Zumba

2012-07-16T05:24:00.003-07:00

I thought today I would give you some information on Zumba. Zumba fitness is a fitness class that is all about international dancing while getting fit. Zumba incorporates belly dancing, classic American Show tunes, reggeaton, salsa, cha cha, tango, cumbia, hip hop, pop and more. It is very latin influenced but most of the instructors play some awesome modern tunes like Sexy and I Know It. I would rate Zumba as an easy to moderate class. It is more a cardio workout than anything. There is lots of movement and dancing around.. Very rarely though will you actually feel sore. More out of breath, and needing water. It's a great cardio workout to add to your training schedule. It is great for any level. The dance moves aren't extremely challenging, some are faster but they are very repetitive so it's easy to catch on fast. Most age levels could probably handle Zumba as well. I take my Zumba at Gold's Gym, but check out this website to find a Zumba instructor near you.
http://www.zumba.com/

You can also get Zumba for your Wii system and Kinect system, check out this ad I found below!!!

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Sunday's Eating tips

2012-07-15T15:53:00.002-07:00

100% whole grain bread? White Bread? Wheat Bread? What should I chose?

Everyone has tried a low carb diet at least once, and you always hear cut the carbs, don't eat bread, don't eat this....Well the thing is carbs are good for you, especially if you are athletic. White bread or enriched bread is full of carbohydrates that break down and send sugar into our bloodstream, raising our blood sugar levels...in turn helping cause diabetes as well as making us fat!

In turn the best bread you can eat is 100% whole grain bread it is full of fiber, not carbs that turn into sugar. Whole grains also are full of vitamins and nutrients unlike white bread.

Beware....read the ingredients label. It is easy to grab a bag of bread that looks like wheat bread, but be 100% sure that the ingredients does not list enriched flour, it should say whole wheat.

All in all stay away from anything enriched or refined and stick to whole grains. You can find whole grain pasta, and whole grain rice as well. I eat lots of bread and I've lost lots of weight, so ignore people who tell you to stay away from bread...the key is STAY FAR FAR FAR away from white bread :)

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Kickboxing

2012-07-15T15:06:00.001-07:00

I apologize...I've been out of town a few days and now just getting back in town. So today I thought I'd write about kickboxing...kickboxing type classes are fun, fast paced, high energy classes that burn tons of calories. They are hard to adapt to but once learned they are a lot of fun. I know I burn about 600-800 calories when I take the class and I feel it the next day. Gold's Gym offers turbo kick, which is extremely hard. Also Beachbody.com offers a video called Turbo Jam which has some kickboxing in it as well. I thought I would include a video that shows you what kickboxing is.

It's a great leg, upper body and core workout(a whole body fitness experience).

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Friday's Eating Tips

2012-07-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday...I know it's the weekend, and everyone is going to be going out with their families eating or going drinking. So lets talk about alcohol...if you are very serious about dieting and losing weight and want maximum results I would suggest no alcohol, but I know that not everyone wants to give up their favorite drinks...So I'm listing some popular drinks to make you aware of just what you're consuming. :) enjoy:

Shots:

Jagar Bomb: 158 calories
Goldschlager: 103 calories
Vodka: 56 calories
Rum: 65 calories
Tequilla: 69 calories
Scotch: 97 calories
Gin: 70 calories

Mixed Drinks:

Tequilla Sunrise: 187 calories
Vodka Tonic: 97 calories
Diet Coke and Run: 65 calories
Rum and coke: 200 calories
Sex on the beach: 189 calories
Screwdriver: 125 calories
Long Island Ice Tea: 270 calories
Margarita(10oz): 500 calories

Beer:

Bud light: 110 calories
Bud: 156 calories
Bud 55: 55 calories
Corona Light: 105 calories
Corona: 148 Calories

Wine:

White Wine: 105 calories
Merlot: 123 calories
Chardonnay: 90 calories

Other:

Smirnoff Ice: 228 calories
Bacardi Silver: 225 calories

Will Add With Requests!! Remember this is per drink

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Pilates&Yoga

2012-07-12T09:27:00.006-07:00

So I haven't said much about fitness yet, and fitness is my favorite part of losing weight!!! It makes you feel great, makes you strong, it's good for your heart!! So many benefits. I've dabbled in a lot of the fitness areas so I want to share some of them with you. When it comes to fitness, don't just go to the gym and do the elliptical for thirty minutes and go home. You have to find something you love doing, something that is going to keep you coming back for more!! Hopefully I can give you some information to help you find something you love doing!! Today I want to talk about Pilates and yoga. I have only done Pilate's once at the O'Fallon Gold's Gym, but I do yoga several times a week. Basic yoga is offered three times a week at Gold's gym so I take advantage, I also do Yoga-X and X-Stretch. Yoga X is hard hard yoga and its from the P90X series, X-Stretch is like a yoga/stretch video from the P90X series. I wanna talk about Yoga a bit first because I am more familiar with it.

Yoga: It's tough. I'll start with that. I'm decent, and I've been doing it for ten months. Yoga is about balance, strength, and flexibility. It takes all three to master yoga. Basic hatha yoga focuses on breathing exercises and stretching. You won't burn of a ton of calories in yoga, or burn a lot of fat. It's a very low intense work out. Yoga is something that you could probably do everyday along with your regular routine, or you could do it on a day off. There are moving vinyasa's which are the hardest I think. Those will burn the most calories. Moving vinyasas are when you move through different yoga poses going from one to the next. I included a video I found on YouTube that shows an example of a moving vinyasa. They are difficult because you are moving through each pose having to find precision in every move. Yoga is excellent for your health and overall athletic ability. If you're a football player, runner, dancer, basketball player, weight lifter, yoga is excellent! Yoga is excellent for stabilizing the nervous system, helping organ function, it helps lengthen and stretch your muscles, and it calms the mind reducing stress. When you do yoga it is so focused that your mind shuts off, and if nothing else you focus on doing two simple things, breathing in and breathing out. I am a huge fan of yoga!! Most gyms offer yoga classes. I go to golds and they have several! I try to take the basic class 2-3 times a week. You can also find some great videos on YouTube as well just buying a basic yoga video. P90X offers a challenging yoga video as well! Here is a video I found, we did some of these moves in the class I took. They are much harder then they look!! Just a warning!

Pilates: I've only taken Pilates once, they only offer it once a week which is why, and it's hard to work into my schedule at times. Pilates is also a lower intensity work out, it is mostly done on the fall using mats. It is very similar to yoga, except in my opinion a million times harder. I remember the day after, I had muscles hurt I didn't know existed. Pilates is an excellent core work out. Really great for your abs, hip flexors, inner thighs, shoulders, chest. Like yoga Pilates takes control, flexibility, strength, and you must find a smoothness to your moves.

What should I eat?

2012-07-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I had a friend request this post. He asked: What can I eat? I want to give everyone a variety of things that are great and where you can purchase them(thanks Michael Moushey)

First of all, I love this one! Simple easy and healthy

Minute Brown rice, you throw some rice and water in a pot and boil it, super simple, super super filling! Taste good and it's made from whole grains! Add this to any veggie dish and you'll be full to the brim! I don't know what it is about rice but it's filling!! Just be sure you get Brown 100% whole grain rice!

I was asked what kind of chips are best. I'm really not sure, but in my opinion I would say sun chips. They are made from whole grains and are full of fiber. Stick to only a handful, eating the whole bag isn't going to do you good. I recommend separating them into baggies with the correct serving to be sure not to over eat.

I just discovered this yesterday! Almond milk. It's not bad! I like it for smoothies. You can use it in cereal, chocolate milk, smoothies, protein shakes. It's full of protein, and about 50-70 calories for 1 cup!! Can't go wrong!

All natural peanut butter. I found this brand at Whole Foods Markets. It doesn't taste as good as regular peanut butter, but It's much better for your body, plus it includes flax seed. Do not eat more then two tablespoons per serving. Don't eat low fat peanut butter, the fats in peanut butter are really great for you!

Sushi! It's a bit expensive, but worth it, full of vitamin and fish is rich in Omega-3. Be sure to find a clean sushi bar, as raw fish needs to be handled properly! I bought this platter at Schnucks. It wasn't too bad but for $10, I would just head to a fresh sushi bar!

This is a shrimp stir fry I made. Very clean, and SUPER tasty. It's just fresh ready to cook frozen shrimp. I'm sure you can also buy shrimp at the counter as well. It's chopped jalapeno peppers, green and red peppers, broccoli, ginger root, cayenne pepper, honey, soy sauce, olive oil, sea salt, pepper. I have a tendency to to just throw stuff in a pan and hope for the best(It is usually amazing). I'd say about a teaspoon of oil, about a tablespoon of honey and soy sauce. The rest I would season to your liking, the more cayenne pepper you add the spicier!! This was really good though!!

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How I did it!

2012-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

I lost 71 pounds...From a size 18 to a size 8(getting close to a 6).

So the big question is how did I do it.

230lbs August 2011

I remember when I hit 230 pounds, I remember looking into surgery, liposuction, tummy tuck, gastric bypass. I was depressed and thought that if I had surgery it would cure my problems. Well I believe everything happens for a reason because suddenly my world was turning around and everything in my life got crazy over night. I felt like I was losing everything, I was leaving my husband, moving in with my parents. I didn't have a job because I hadn't worked when I was married. It was just crazy. This happened in September 2011. I decided the day I left my husband that it was time for change. I accepted that my life was going to be temporary difficult, but I also accepted that I was going to change. I decided I was going to become a better brand new person in every way shape and form. That meant changing my eating habits and losing weight!

In the beginning I would have been more than happy to just get back into a size 14. In a size 14 I looked alright, guys still thought I was cute, I could still fit into cute clothes.(When I got into my biggest at size 18 I had to visit Target, Kohls, Walmart, plus size department). I'm not sure what mentally changed me. I think it was just me tired of being lazy, tired of not living, tired of sitting around doing nothing while the world was passing me by. When I was big I didn't want to go out because I was embarrassed, so I spent most of my time at my house cleaning and watching movies. I was only 24 years old, that wasn't how I wanted to live. We only get one life, and everyday passes by and we only get older. I was watching myself get older and unhappier every day. I think that's what changed me.

Around 230lbs June 2010

The first three months were the hardest. I bought P90X as a challenge. It looked hard, I wanted hard, I wanted to push myself. I started losing weight by doing P90X and running. My running wasn't pretty. I was 5'5 and 230lbs, I was slow. It took me about 16 minutes to do a mile and then I was done! P90X was hell. I was this chubby girl running around doing crazy things. But I envied the people in P90X, they were strong and pushed themselves, I wanted to push myself. I got involved with the beach body community, and met several of the coaches who are awesome! Met others trying to lose weight and better themselves. I used facebook as a tool to friend people who were into fitness and weight loss as well. I'm a shy girl, I'm not the type to just go to a park and chat with the joggers. So I used facebook to meet others who were into fitness as well. Coaches, trainers, weight-loss successors, anyone! the more positive people you surround yourself with the better motivation you will have.

With doing P90X and doing short runs I started losing some weight. I believe I hit around 210-215lbs around the holidays(Thanksgiving and Christmas). I was still big, but I was in a size 16 now, not an 18! I felt so much better about myself and more confident. But something was wrong. I wanted to push myself harder and further. I was trying to run 3.7 miles at my favorite park, but I also just felt out of breath and weak and tired. It was my eating habits. My diet at the time consisted of Pizza, chips, hamburgers, fries, cookies, candy, ice cream....and anything else bad. I refused to touch healthy food. But when my body wasn't allowing me to further fitness wise, I knew it was time to fix things. I started counting calories. Turns out I was eating 3000-4000 a day...and that's shocking and sounds gross, but I can bet that's about what most Americans eat, unless they are watching their diet. Calories jump on fast, a single piece of pizza can be 500 calories!! Then if you eat three that's 1500, almost your entire day! Go get a burger and fries, and BAM 2000 calories. Done! If you don't take account every piece of food you put in your mouth, you're going to get fat!

When I started doing research on food, is when I became a food nut. I thought I loved food before, but it was more an addiction. I was addicted to eating crap. Mmmmm a slice of pizza, some cookies--well I'll just eat ten of them. Mashed potatoes--oh so good--how about another serving. Salad--yuck no. That was my attitude. When I opened my eyes and saw that food could either be dangerous, poison, or it could be fuel and medicine; that is when I learned to love and cherish food. I eat a lot, I tell people I eat a lot, my parents tell me I eat a lot. So why am I 159lbs still losing weight, healthy and full of energy? Well let's put it this way, I can't remember the last time I ate something from the freezer or out of a can, and I can't remember the last time I ate fast food. Well I eat subway--whole grain and grilled chicken with lettuce and onion, hold the cheese. So now that were talking about food how about I tell you my diet, what I eat:

I do enjoy protein supplements, I drink muscle milk and actually just started drinking it a few days ago, and my arms feel super tight. Muscle milk is excellent for building lean muscle, so if you're not looking to bulk up its a great protein supplement. Sometime if I'm doing a morning workout and don't have time to eat breakfast I'll grab a muscle milk or protein bar. Some of my other breakfast choices include; all natural oatmeal, peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread, fruit(berries, pineapple, oranges...), eggs fried in oil not butter!, 100% whole wheat English muffins.

For lunch I eat turkey on whole wheat, peanut butter on whole wheat, grilled chicken with broccoli, salad with a half tablespoon of light ranch onions spinach kale and other greens, chicken kabobs, grilled shrimp

Dinner could be a salad again, sushi, grilled chicken , shrimp stir fry with cayenne pepper, broccoli, onions, peppers, ginger root, I also use sea salt instead of regular salt!! Much healthier. Mai Mai, Salmon. The key is you gotta learn how to cook and eat whole clean foods!! IF you stick to whole clean foods your good to go!

Muscle I'm building

So back to the story: I remember it was somewhere at the end of January when I hit 199. I was so happy, I was finally under 200 pounds!! I hadn't been under 200 lbs in a few years. I was in a size 14 now, and so happy about it. But the thing was, I wasn't stopping. I was happy but I knew my potential was greater. I had lost over 30lbs but that was just the beginning. I started pumping it up, lifting more weights, eating better, I was running much more(I think my mile was around 11-12 minutes). Instead of 3-4 days of working out it was more like 4-6 days now. I was pumping it and pushing myself. Every time it got easy I pushed myself another step forward.

185 pounds came and went, I joined golds gym in April and took my fitness to another step. I started taking classes, Zumba, cycling, Pilate's, yoga, body combat! I was beginning to spend 1-3 hours in the gym daily! I Was getting stronger and leaner and happier and more confident everyday. I pushed my running further as well, I just kept pushing and pushing. I finally hit being able to run 8 miles, and in June I did my first 5K, 39:10! Not the best, but I passed a lot of people up! My last weigh in was 159lbs!!!! I am now in a size 8, and between a small and medium shirt!! I can't believe my results. I look back and I really don't even know who I was at the time. The person I am not is the person I love!! I love my body, I love my heart, I love everything about who I am and I wouldn't change that for the world. Fitness and health are a wonderful gift and I am just so blessed I have come this far.

I want to keep pushing myself until I hit 120lbs. It's tough work and the smaller I get the harder it gets,
but I will make it!!

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Wednesday's Eating tips

2012-07-11T07:50:00.003-07:00

Veggies---Let's talk about them a little bit

In my opinion Raw Veggies are about the best thing you can eat. Why you ask? Full of fiber, and vitamins! Let's talk about some of my favorites and why you should eat them.

Broccoli-these veggies only have a about 30 calories per serving. it is high in vitamin C, and also has cell-repairing nutrients as well. They also have high levels of carotenoids. So eat your broccoli

Kale- Kale is extremely healthy! It can help reduce the risk of caner as well as help with digestion. It is full of Vitamin K and A. Kale is great when added to a salad!

Spinach- Rich in antioxidants, also full of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine,iron, vitamin B₂, calcium, potassium, vitamin B₆, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Tuesday's Eating Tips!

2012-07-10T17:27:00.002-07:00

Eating is difficult. PERIOD! Some foods are addictive, that's right, they are addictive. And what's with the fats....Saturated fats, unsaturated fats, transfats? C'mon...too much work!! Let me help make this easier, let's take baby steps so we can get you focused on healthy eating habits.

Today I want to talk about fat. No not the kind of fat you want to get rid of. People mistake fat for being some kind of evil world. Fat-free, low-fat, don't eat fat, I'm gonna get fat. Fat is a negative word in American culture. But the thing is fat is not all bad! That is right, there is good fat so let's talk about what kind of fat's you should be eating...well how about we make it easy and I throw a list at your.

Good Fats

Peanut Butter-I LOVE peanut butter. If I'm running late or don't have time to eat, I eat a tablespoon of peanutbutter. Don't get low fat peanut butter because peanut butter is full of wonderful unsaturated fats. Just get your regular 190 calorie Jiff, or to go really healthy hit up your local whole foods store and pick up a jar of all natural peanut butter.
Olive oil
Avocados
Peanuts
Cashews
Almonds
Walnuts
Sesame Oil
Omega-3

The key to fat's is moderation. Don't eat an entire jar of peanut butter. When it comes to good fats you will usually want to eat about a tablespoon of them per serving. Be sure to check the serving size on the pack on a particular product. Remember low fat or fat free isn't always your best choice. Check labels, see what kind of fat is in a certain product!

Now for the ...

Bad Fats(stay far far away!!!)

Lard
Coconut oil
Butter
Candy
Chips
Cheese
High Fat Meats(beef...)
Pastries and Sweets

Welcome to my health and fitness blog

2012-07-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I am in the process of creating a pretty big website all about healthy eating and fitness--but if you know anything about web design...A good website can't be thrown together overnight, so until then I'm going to be keeping this blog. If you're not familiar with me from my facebook page or twitter- Hi I'm Kelsey! I am a writer, web design college student, and fitness lover! Here's the big deal...I have lost...wait for it SEVENTY-ONE pounds!! In ten months!! I didn't starve myself either. I get constant questions from facebook of how did you do it! Well here's the secret, in this blog I'm going to tell you all my secrets, tips, everything!!! What's in it for me...well I get a little money from the ad's on the side of the page-but what's really in it for me is the satisfaction I get at the end of the day knowing that I may have changed someones life!! So..please. I am an open book, I know a LOT about health and fitness so if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!! I would love to help anyone in anyway possible :)

240lbs
Jean size 18
Shirt Size X-Large

159lbs
Jean Size 8
Shirt Size Small