Get off of The Nail Already!

Good evening friends! 

Several years back, I heard a story that really resonated with me and has stuck in my mind since then. I wanted to share it with you, realizing that many of you are probably guilty of this. :)

I was walking down the street and happened to see an old man sitting on his porch. Next to the old man was his dog, who was whimpering, moaning and groaning. I asked the man, "What's wrong with your dog?" The man replied, "He's lying on a nail." I then asked "Lying on a nail?, Well why doesn't he just get up?" The man then replied, "It hurts him enough to whimper, but not bad enough for him to move." 

With this in mind, I look at health. Before I decided to become a health nut, I was not happy with my body. I would complain and whine, and be miserable, but I was not doing anything to make the changes that would SOLVE my problem. I was basically lying on a nail. In hindsight, I can admit that it was easier to whine and complain about my weight than it was to get up and step outside of my comfort zone. I can also admit, that I had no idea where I was supposed to start, or what I was even doing once I decided to take that first step. 

I know a lot of you who are not happy with your health, and who simply sit on that nail because the idea of taking a step off of it is scary. I am here to invite you off of the nail! Imagine all of the amazing things you might be able to do if you try! Imagine all of the people you could inspire! Imagine the positive example you could set for your kids, grand kids, friends, and everyone! You do not have to stay on the nail. So if you ever find yourself feeling like you are unhappy with your health, but not quite unhappy enough to make a change, remember that it only takes one step at a time. You are in charge of your story! 

xoxoxo

50 Creative Ways to Burn Calories

Good afternoon Fit-Fam!

I decided to put together a list of 50 creative ways to burn calories, for those of you who may just not feel like heading to the gym today. How creative can we get? How many calories can we burn?

1) When unloading the dishwasher, put the dishes away one by one. More steps = more calories!
2) Fold laundry downstairs, and bring each item upstairs to put away one by one. Stairs baby!!
3) Dance your butt off. Turn your TV to the Y2K station (or pandora) and just let loose!
4) Run in place when you catch yourself standing still. Great heart rate booster!
5) Watching tv? Do jumping jacks during the commercials. No need to fast forward through them.
6) Carry a 20 pound weight with you each time you go up or down the stairs in your home.
7) Jump rope! It only takes about 7 minutes to burn as much as 100 calories jumping rope.
8) Not good at jumping rope? Jump in place!
9) Cartwheels! Personally, I have NO clue how to do them. But if I did,  would do them all the time!
10) Wrestle with the kids! You will be surprised how quickly you run out of breath!
11) Cleaning? do a REAL squat each time you need to bend down for something.
12) When going up stairs, skip a step to challenge your muscles! Sprint them if you dare!
13)  Take the kids to the park - and walk in circles around the park while they play.
14) Run through the playground as fast as you can. Make it a race with your kids!
15) Swing at a park. No, really!! Get on the swing, and pump those legs!
16) Each time you sit down, do 20 jumping jacks beforehand.
17) Hula Hoop! How long has it been since you have hula hooped?
18) When sitting at your desk, do single calf raises. Everyone loves great calves!
19) Skip around your house. The extra movement is fun, and burns pretty nicely!
20) Go on a cleaning spree. People who "deep clean" their house can burn up to 500 calories!
21) Throwing something away? Take it to the big can outside rather than the one in your kitchen.
22) Do push ups against the kitchen counter while you wait for the microwave to finish.
23) Run to the mailbox instead of walking. Come on, its not that far.
24) Play frisbee with the dog. The furry family is typically happy to help!
25) Walk the dog! A 10-20 minute walk can create a GREAT after burn for the day.
26) Grab a friend and the stroller, and walk and talk! Time flies when youre chatting away!
27) LAUGH! Laughing works your abdominal muscles and an hour of laughing will feel GREAT!
28) Rake the leaves into a pile for the kids to jump in! Rake them up again, and again!
29) Run through the sprinklers on a hot day! It's a great way to cool down, and burn calories.
30) Climb a tree. Can you still climb a tree? How about going outside and finding out!
31) Rearrange the house. A change in scenery, AND a workout all in one!
32) Jump on the trampoline! Did you know bouncing/jumping is a natural way to boost your mood?
33) Play tag! Running is a lot more fun when you are being chased by friends and family.
34) Do mini sit ups while sitting in a chair. Elevate your feet for a bigger challenge.
35) Put a few weight plates in a backpack and simply carry them around with you.
36) Each time you pick something up from the floor, do a burpee.
37) Vacuum your floor on the lowest setting. This makes the vacuum harder to push.
38) Build something! A dog house, a shelf, a bench, it doesnt matter, just build something!
39) Play dress up! You would be surprised how much movement it takes to do this!
40) Take your time in the grocery store. Walk up and down each aisle!
41) Arm wrestle your spouse. Be sure to try with both arms so one doesnt get jealous :)
42) Run alongside your kids while they are on their bikes. Or walk... Whichever!
43) Stand up instead of sitting down. It's not so terrible to stand, I promise.
44) Do sit ups in the bath tub. The water will create resistance that makes it more difficult.
45) Get romantic with your spouse! It's no secret that sex burns quite a few calories!
46) Pace the room while on the telephone. The extra steps you will take can really add up!
47) Do tricep dips off of a dining room chair, or the edge of the couch while watching TV.
48) Still watching TV? On the floor, flutter your legs up and down with hands under your butt.
49) Sing at the top of your lungs all afternoon. You will have to tighten your core muscles for this!
50) Just be crazy for 5 minutes. Kick the air like a ninja, jump up and down, spin in circles, do anything and everything you can think of to get yourself out of breath for just FIVE minutes!

I firmly believe you can turn anything into a great workout. There are always great ways to make any activity more beneficial for your body. Good night fit-fam!

186 Calorie Super Moist Pumpkin Spiced Sponge Cake

Fall is here my fit-friends!!!! Can you believe it? Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING is surrounding you, tempting you, and testing your will power. But alas, I have tinkered around in my kitchen, and I have come up with your solution!

Please allow me to introduce you to my "Super Moist Pumpkin Spiced Sponge Cake!" At only 186 calories per serving, it is a very reasonable treat, or even breakfast! This baby is Gluten free, and has a lot of nutrition to offer!

Fat: 2.5 grams Carbs: 28 grams (8 grams fiber) Protein: 13.5 grams

Ingredients:
2 large egg whites
5 packets stevia 0 calorie sweetner (or equivelant)
3 drops vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup Libby's pumpkin puree (canned)
1 Packet unflavored instant oatmeal (28 grams)
Cinnamon, & pumpkin pie spice to taste

1) Place the Oatmeal dry, in a blender or food processor and blend until it resembles a flour texture. This is called oat flour. In a bowl, add the 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, oat flour, 3 of the 5 stevia packets, and cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice and mix together until well mixed.
2) Place the 2 egg whites in a separate bowl big enough to whip them. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, and 2 of the 5 stevia packets. Add in the 3 drops vanilla extract. With a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg white mixture until it forms fluffy peaks, like whipped cream. (If you are using a whisk, you will need to beat in a circular motion, pretty intensely)
3) Fold the whipped cream egg white mixture into the pumpkin mixture, until it is marbled, but not completely mixed. (About 10-15 folds)
4) Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high, until the cake bounces back when touched. It will be more of a cheesecakey texture than a cake texture, this is normal.
5) Sprinkle cinnamon on top because you are fancy. Enjoy!

Dear Fat Girl

Good evening Fit-Fam!!! Tonight I thought I would share a letter with you all. I was always told at the beginning of this weight loss journey, to write a letter to my future-self for when I need motivation, and so I did. Over one year ago, I wrote to myself. Tonight, I will share that letter with you and also write a reply letter to my past self. If this doesnt touch your heart, you might need to check your pulse.

Dear Sarie,

I come to you tonight to offer a memory. It is March 20th 2013, and I currently weigh 240.2 pounds. Is it silly to write myself a letter when I am not even sure that I will ever change? Maybe... I want to lose weight. I know I have said that a thousand times, and I always give up. I am still not even sure that this will be any different, but tonight I had to buy new underwear because my other underwear are cutting too tightly into my hips. They are a size XXL. I honestly don't know how I let this happen... I don't understand why when I look in the mirror, I dont feel "THAT BIG." I am completely in denial. 240 pounds isnt THAT bad...right? Wrong. I am so miserable. If I ever follow through with this weight loss thing, and should ever NEED to read this, I guess the  truth is better motivation than anything. I am miserable. I hide it well with a smile, but I still cry in the fitting rooms, and thats IF I even go clothes shopping anymore. They dont make cute clothes for "fat girls." I have a lot of "fat" friends who are absolutely as happy as can be with themselves. Why can't I be like that? I swear I fake it so often but I don't even look in the mirror anymore... I spend more time hiding from the camera, than I do actually enjoying myself. I rarely even go places anymore because I dont want to be seen like this... I hate when people watch me look through the clothing racks. It is absolutely humiliating to be seen grabbing the very last hanger in the back because I need size "whalephant." If by some act of God, you are reading this letter for motivation to keep pushing forward, hear me out. I am not happy. Underneath it all, I swear to you, I am not happy and I beg you to please not let me live my life like this. My husband and kids deserve so much better than this.....

Sincerely, Fat Girl.

Dear "Fat Girl,"

I come to you tonight to offer you a much needed lift in your spirits. The year is 2015... I first of all, want to say, that you are a STRONG WOMAN. Absolutely every broken piece of you has been held together because you have a heart of gold. I hope that you knew somewhere in your heart that you had it in you, all along. I know this because I am you, over one year later. You are not a "fat-girl" anymore. You are not miserable anymore. You have fought against the wind, and walked uphill in the dark, backwards, blind, to fight your way to this point. NOTHING about the last year was easy, but every triumph shook off a few of those demons that used to hold you back. You ran a 5k without stopping. You can officially go clothes shopping without crying, and you certainly do NOT have to pick from the back of the racks anymore! You have lost 100 pounds! You went from someone who knew NOTHING about nutrition, to a Certified Elite Personal Trainer! You are certified in Fitness Nutrition, Personal Training, Strength and Conditioning, and Group Fitness! You never stop smiling, and you walk with your head held high. It is amazing to be able to be around people and for once NOT wonder if they think you are fat. It is amazing to be able to get dressed, and NOT have to change clothes because of the way things fit. Nothing hugs too tightly, and nothing fits your shape awkwardly anymore. Yep- thats right! You have a shape! I know you were a broken soul before, but I need you to know that you were still able to succeed. I come to you tonight, proud. I am here to prove you wrong, because I always said one day I would. One day I would beat the odds; I would lose the weight. I know that behind that chubby smile was a LOT of depression, and today, both the depression and the chubby smile have packed up and left. You, are worth it. You were ALWAYS worth it, dearest fat girl. You just needed to prove it to yourself, because after all, you were the only one who didnt believe you could do it. Congratulations on your success, hot-stuff! Now lets go change lives!

Sincerely, Sarie. the NOT-fat-anymore-girl. xoxoxoxoxo

Change Your Life in One Week Challenge

Hey there fitness friends!!!

With all of the challenges circulating through social media recently, I decided to offer up a challenge of my own. So if you are reading this, you have probably witnessed my own life transformation, which was certainly not easy, and is certainly not done yet. I have lost 70 pounds! I get email after email each week from people I don't even know, who just want to know where to start, and I am always thrilled to help someone with the desire to better themselves.

Here is my challenge to you, all of you! I challenge you, to dedicate ONE week to your health. A single week, dedicated to getting a little more active, and following in my footsteps. Just one little week, of looking a little closer at your nutrition, and reaping more benefits than you knew possible. I challenge you, to put your health first, for just one week!

Why just a week? There is certainly a lot of thought behind this challenge, and while you will not lose 70 pounds in one week, the amount of change that will happen is tremendous.  A week is easy to commit to. when you ask someone to dedicate the rest of their lives to a new change, they crawl back into that shell because that is a scary request! I believe wholeheartedly in taking things one step at a time. What actually happens in that week is amazing though! You start to ask questions, and to learn how to track your macros. You start to move your body a little more, and you enjoy that accomplished feeling you are left with after each workout, no matter how small (even just a walk!) You start to get into a routine, where your life no longer revolves around food and eating, but around your kids, your spouse, your goals, etc and you learn what it really means to eat to live, not live to eat! At the end of that week, imagine how it will feel to see a few pounds fall off of the scale, and to be able to understand how you did it!

One week turns into 2, which turns into 4 which turns into more and more. If you have the desire to make a better and healthier you, and you are willing to learn and willing to try, there is no way you can fail. So what do you say, can you give me one week?

xoxoxo
-Sarie

If it Fits Your Macros (Part 2 of Macros Blog)

Good afternoon fitness nation!


I just wanted to pop in for a quick post, since I have quite the audience now! In a previous post, I explained what macronutrients were and how you can track them and adjust them to work for your weight loss. (if you havent read that post click this http://crazymomgettingfit.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-heck-are-macros.html ) I really just wanted to expand on that a little bit since I have had people ask me how it is that I lose weight and still enjoy some of the yummier foods in life. I promise, I am not a wizard with a magical metabolism (But hey, I can dream right? No harm in pretending to be a wizard lol. )

It's called IIFYM, and that stands for "If it fits your macros." Basically, look at your macros like you look at money. If you have $40, you aren't going to try and spend $50 right? If you do that, your debit card gets declined (and that is like a nightmare when there are people in line behind you lol. Look at your macros like you look at a budget (which can be a scary word, I know.) I know that I need 170 grams of carbs in a day (I eat 1700 calories per day and 40% of those calories are reserved for carbs.) If I get a craving for frozen yogurt, I simply look at the nutrition panel of the fro-yo. Frozen yogurt is pretty much all fats and carbs, and that's not always a bad thing! You need carbs remember? I need 170 grams a day, and if I decide that I want to spend 40 grams out of my 170 total grams on fro-yo, well then I'm going to do it! mmmmmmmmmm fro-yo!!!!!!

WAIT! Here's the thing... Yes, you technically CAN eat pizza an fro-yo and ramen noodles and make it fit your macros, but that doesn't mean you should. What I like to do, is a healthier modified version of this. Instead of fro-yo, I'm going to eat Halo-Top protein ice cream, or Atctic Zero protein ice cream. I still get my ice cream fix, but I made a better choice than traditional ice cream. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

So say I log my Halo-Top into my fitness pal, and I've eaten it. Now if I click that "nutrition" button on MFP, it is going to deduct all of those Halo-Top macros from my "daily balance." This means for the rest of the day, as long as the foods I choose fit into my "balance," I am free to enjoy them. The tricky part, is trying not to overspend in any category. If you notice you can  ALMOST fit something in to your macros, but not quite, simply eat a smaller amount of it, problem solved because you still get your treat, and it fit into your macro-budget for the day. Once you get the hang of this, it is amazing! There is absolutely no one out there who couldn't make this work for them for life! Make better choices, and find space for the things you want on occasion. No cheat day needed when you can make your favorite things fit right? Enjoy spending your macros, and get to it!

Feel free to share this with your friends and family!!

Why Do People FAIL in Weight Loss?

Good morning fitness nation!! I decided this morning was a good time to bring up the reasons why most people fail in their journey to a better body. I see these everyday from countless people, and they drive me nuts! I should admit though, there was a point in time when I was failing as well. If any of these sound familiar, dont take it personally, just understand that most of us see right through  it :)

Dishonesty:
So you're on a "diet." Your Facebook status says so, and you're always going on and on about how you are excited to be on this new "diet." Here goes.
"I've been good all day, I can eat this WHOLE pizza to myself and then have 5 gallons of ice cream for dessert." That food you just devoured as a reward, has calories. LOTS of calories! You are not supposed to reward yourself everyday, that defeats the purpose of having a caloric deficit. In turn, you will be 2 weeks into your "diet" and have probably gained weight.
"Oh my gosh Becky, I will never try that diet again! Dieting made me GAIN weight!!" No sweety, it was the lack of discipline that made you gain weight. What you eat in private, you wear in public.


Excuses:
Lets name off every excuse I can think of. Then I'm going to bust them.

1) I am just big boned/curvy. If you took an x-ray of your bones, you would discover that your bones are not a size 20. Being 300 pounds has NOTHING to do with your bones, it has everything to do with how you eat.
2) I dont have a workout buddy, so I cant go to the gym. Since when did losing weight on YOUR body become someone elses job? They aren't going to do it for you, learn to be independent, because in the end, you will learn that others HOLD YOU BACK. Stop relying on others for you to succeed in YOUR tasks.
3) I cant afford the gym membership. So go outside! Do you know how many times I've taken my kids to the park and did bench dips, squats, sprints, lunges, etc on the park equipment while they played? Easy.
4) I'm fat because my parents are fat, it's genetic. No, Your parents are fat because of the food they choose to eat. You are not them, you can choose to eat better, and move more. Weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out. Eat less calories than you burn and you lose. Boom. Its not mommy's fault.
5) I'm on a medicine that makes me fat. Really, youre 280 pounds because of the medicine? Not because of the 6 doughnuts and soda you just posted on Facebook as your "Breakfast of Champions?" I call B.S.!
6) I have kids, so I wouldn't have time. Well, I have 2 kids (3 if you count my husband) and they're both under the age of 5. As I mentioned above, I take them to the park! I improvise! I go on walks with the stroller. I dance in my living room. My kids dont have to eat the foods I eat, no fight needed.
7) I work all day and then I'm too tired. Did you know you can do 5 minutes of intense cardio to create up to a 200 calorie after burn? Do you REALLY not have even 5 minutes? Yep. That's what I thought.
8) I found a new diet pill that says I dont have to eat right or workout. Really? Guess what I just found? I found a magical penny that grows a money tree if I plant it. I'ts not working, I dont know what I'm doing wrong!!! Oiy. Seriously, don't you think the WHOLE WORLD would be thin and fit if it was as easy as taking a pill? Stop relying on other things to do the work for you. YOU have to put in the work.

So I'm sure there's a thousand other excuses out there, but my point in all of this, is that there really is no excuse. I can negate anything you throw at me, because I got over the excuse phase. I have lost 60 pounds so far, and I did that by admitting that I was overweight, and being HONEST with myself about why I was overweight, and then sticking to my plan to lose it! I was accountable for my mistakes (which DO happen) and I suffered the consequences and moved forward. I ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD!!!