I Lifted Weights!!!

Breakfast this morning: 

It has been a crazy week! Luckily, I have been able to be very consistent with my nutrition and training schedule to fit into my bridesmaid dress on March 22...only a half inch in my chest/ back to go!

On another note...I LOVE that Jamba Juice gives out Competitor Magazine for free!! It is such an inspiring read. Next time you are getting some juice (remember to stay away from the sugar infested smoothies!!) grab a copy of this mag...it might motivate you to sign up for a race!

There is a really great article in the current issue about race training for speed.

Dinner Last night: 

Eggs, Tomato & Mango salsa, bell peppers, steamed asparagus, 1/2 avocado

My Breakfasts and Lunches have been looking like this lately: 

Hard boiled eggs, salsa, celery, chicken, fruit, avocado. 

ANNOUNCEMENT:

I took a Body Pump class last night and finally tried weight training! 

I liked it except I wished there was more of a focus on abs/butt isolation...I'm also not that sore, which shows that maybe I didn't lift heavy enough? I don't want my arms to get too buff! Everyone tells me that my arms won't get buff by lifting heavy, but my arms are already pretty toned/buff and I don't lift at all!

I am going to try another class tonight and see if lifting heavier makes a difference. You would think after doing 150 (or more?) squats my legs/ butt would be sore...but no. 

I am going sign off and devour a bag of fruit.

 

Cheers! 

<3 Beth

Look Better Naked Day 3: Clean Eats

Hi guys!

The weekend kick-off to the Look Better Naked plan has begun!

The cleanse has been great! Luckily I can eat meat, so the protein has definitely helped keep me full! 

Here is what a few of my meals have looked like: 

P.F. Changs Curry Vegetables with Brown Rice

Spinach Salas with veggies, hummus, and kidney beans (lemon squeeze and balsamic for dressing)

Ezekiel Bread with peanut butter, raw honey, and raspberries!

Honestly, eating clean not only tones, but it makes you feel SO GOOD. Seriously! I have been so full of energy! 

(or, it could have, of course, been the coffee!)

Au revoir!

The Look Better Naked Invitation!!!

Hello Beautiful Readers!

As you can see from my arm-flailing, I am so so so excited to share that I will be going on an incredible 30-day journey called Look Better Naked!

Being the Women's Health Mag fan that I am, I noticed a lot of publicity regarding the Editor-In-Chief's new book Look Better Naked. Of course, the front cover drew me in almost immediately, as it looks like this:

 

This front cover is great-marketing-in-your-face. Way-to-go Women's Health Mag for hiring intelligent people.

Anyways. I picked it up to see what all the fuss was about, and was surprisingly impressed. While it DOES focus on losing weight and toning up, it ALSO focuses on body image and self esteem! Which is AWESOME! 

 

THE DIET: (I hate diets. I really do. Mostly because I am terrible at keeping them):

Here is my I-Hate-Diets-Face: 

Although my hatred of dieting runs deeply through my food-loving veins, I know that a little structure will do me some good! 

The LBN Diet consists of these "rules": 

• A two-day cleanse that kick-starts the eating plan. The purpose of this cleanse is to (in my opinion) banish sugar cravings, as the only sugar it allows is one cup of berries in the morning. It mainly consists of veggies and protein, with unlimited green tea (thank the Lord I can still have my caffeine!)

• Five meals a day (Bfast, lunch, dinner, 2 snacks)

• Low-cal to no-cal spices and flavorings (this is KEY to curbing cravings!)

• UNLIMITED green tea, water, fat free milk, and veggies

• Fiber, lean protein, healthy fats

Those are the staples of the diet.

I will be following this "diet philosophy" for 30 days! This is my challenge.

Here is how I will be doing it:

 Look Better Naked gives daily meal plans, but I do not think I will follow it in detail because there is not enough room in my fridge to hold all of the ingredients the meals call for! It is literally a different recipe for EVERY meal, which is crazy to me. However, I will definitely stick to the philosophy behind each of the meals (for example, if the dinner for Monday calls for salmon, and I have chicken in the fridge, I will use chicken instead). The meals are FABULOUS, so I will definitely make as many of them as I can!

THE WORK OUTS: 

LBN is definitely written for women who are trying to jump-start a new lifestyle (aka women who are out of shape!), so the beginning workouts are relatively simple. It consists of:

• Working out four days a week, two hours total per week
• Two 24 min. interval workouts
• Two strength training sessions that last less than one hour

The book gives all of the workout details, including pictures and great instructions on flow and form. I will not be following this portion of the plan, as I am training for a half marathon and mixing Pilates, yoga, and strength training into my workouts in ADDITION to running.  So, if I obtain amazing results, keep in mind that I will be working out MORE than the book calls for, as it is written for women who do not exercise regularly!

Essentially, I am excited to embark on this 30 day journey because this journey is all about FEELING BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR OWN SKIN, which is SO SO SO important.

Being sexy starts with feeling sexy :)

If you want to come along and participate in this plan, EMAIL ME! I will send you all of the details of what I will be eating and what workouts I will be doing.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO!!!