1 day to go...

It is Sunday but I won't prep any food because we are leaving tomorrow :-). Our fridge actually is almost empty.
I am almost done packing, my read for the flight is bought and my honeymoon nails are done :-).

Here an other pictures of my pre honeymoon abs. I took the picture this morning.

I will take an other picture of my abs after my honeymoon to compare. I already have a new goal set for the next few months. I will let you know in about a week... so stay tuned ;-)!

I am off to my last workout before my vacation.

Have a great Sunday!

It is FRIDAY :-)

Jup :-) I am off to the gym! Have a wonderful Friday!

The countdown begins

Woohoo, five days to go until we are going on our honeymoon. I am so excited and almost can't wait for it. Plus my husband is finally coming home today :-). We didn't see each other for a few weeks which makes the whole vacation even more exciting.

But I am honest I worked hard the last few weeks and I am really happy with the progress and I am a little bit nervous about being away for a week, eating out and not working out as much. That probably sounds silly it is just a week but I worked my butt off at the gym and at home in the kitchen and I just feel really good right now. I am a little bit afraid that after that week I won't feel as good anymore...we will see...

Ether way I will get back after that week, recovered and with lot's of energy and will work even harder on my goal's!

I am off to the gym! Have a wonderful day!

Work Hard, Dream Big!

What I will eat today!

This morning I got up and had a glass of water on my empty stomach and then I ate my usual for breakfast. Overnight oats with fresh berries (I used blueberries today) and cinnamon, a green tea and 3 egg whites topped with RedHotSauce (not pictured)

After my 30 minutes group personal training I refuelled with a protein shake (1/4 Banana, 1/4 cup mixed berries, 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk). With it I had a slice of Ezekiel bread (half with coconut oil and cinnamon and the other half with peanut-butter and sugar reduced jam).

For lunch I will have tilapia with quinoa and carrots, tomatoes and cucumber (I am not done cutting them). As I said before, I am not a big fan of pre-cooking vegetables so I eat them raw.

This afternoon I will snack on one of my Banana-Coconut-Protein-Muffins. I love them!

And for dinner I probably will have a big salad with some kind of protein but I didn't decide yet.

I kept my food very clean for the last three weeks and I feel great. I am also very happy with the progress I got from working hard and eating right.

Off to work we go! 

Have a great day!

a.m. or p.m.

Growing up I never was a morning person. In 2005 I joined the Swiss Military and I had to get up at 5 a.m. every single day (sometimes earlier) and it changed my inner clock ;-). Oh at first I hated to get up that early but you get used to everything. I started liking it and now I am a morning person. I often find it a waist of time now to sleep into the late morning and I am just less tired and more active in the mornings. Of course once in while I still do sleep in but most days I am up around 7ish. My dog gets me up every morning.

I also prefer to workout in the morning. I feel great after my workout and ready for the day. I  have more energy in the morning than in the afternoon/evening. It also helps me with eating good the whole day because I already put work in and don't want to ruin it with bad food.

When do you like to workout and why?

Rest day!

MONDAY a new week, a new day. This week I will start with a rest day :-). I work out six days a week right now and I push myself every single time. Especially on the weekends I take my time at the gym so Monday is a good day to rest for me right now. Also my honeymoon is one week out (woohoo)  and I want to workout every day until we leave.
During my honeymoon I will enjoy myself with some treats and I won't work out every single day. I love being active so we will do things and maybe I even go to the gym once or twice but I also will try to relax and give my body a break. Breaks are important! Your body needs to rest and recover.

Work Hard, Dream Big!!!

Prep-day

It is Sunday which is my food prep-day for the new week. I boiled some eggs, made my Banana-Protein-Coconut-Muffins (this time I used 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup oats),  made some overnight oats and I baked some tilapia.

It isn't much food that I prepared because I will make my dinners fresh every night this week. My boss isn't in town so I am working not as much so I will have more time at night to prepare my food.

Do you prepare your food for the new week?

Progress

When I did the Jamie Eason's LifeFitTrainer http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html in 2012 I took pictures of me so I could see the progress (I still do that). Here is a little remainder that hard work pays off. Firs arm is after the LifeFitTrainer in summer 2012. I changed my diet to clean eating and lifted weights regularly for the very first time in my life. 

Second arm is from November 2013 over a year later. I have had some up and downs in the last year and I wasn't giving 100% all the time but still...not bad :-)! 

Happy Saturday!!!

Work Hard, Dream Big!

To Do List

Get your list done! I am off to the gym. I wish everyone a great weekend!!!

Work Hard, Dream Big!

Workout = Being happy

Yesterday morning I woke up and felt tired and low on energy. I wasn't sick but I didn't feel like getting out of bed, going to work or to the gym. But I dragged myself out of bed, had breakfast, walked my dog and went to work. I was suppost to meet some friends at the gym after work for a workout but of course they cancelled.
So I went home and took my dog for a walk and oh how nice would it have been to just sit on the couch and not leave the house again. But I got up instead, changed and went to the gym. I did a leg & abs workout and I felt great afterwords. I love how a workout can change your mood, makes you happy and you feel so much better about yourself.

No pain no gain :-)

Work Hard, Dream Big!!!

Progress

My honeymoon is getting closer and closer (woohoo) and I can't wait for it. I am so excited! Because I would like to lean out a little bit more (plus I am still trying to loose some weight especially around my butt and legs which is where I keep my fat) I increased my cardio to 30 to 40 minutes and I do 20 minutes interval of it. I start to see some more changes and I am happy with it so far.

Sorry for the toilet ;-)!

Do you work towards something?

Work Hard, Dream Big!!!

Clean Banana Coconut Protein Muffins

I love coconut and I was craving some yummy coconut muffins the whole last week. So I spend some time in the kitchen on Saturday and came up with this recipe. They are clean and good!

You take:

2 cups of almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites 
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (make sure to head up the oil)
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (I used baby apple sauce :-) )
2 ripe banana - smooshed 
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder 
(optional I did not use it for mine but you could put about 1/4-1/2 cup of honey in it. Depends on how sweet you want them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 
Poor the batter into a muffin tin, sprinkle some unsweetened coconut flakes on top of the better
Bake for about 20 minutes (depends on your oven)

If you try them out let me know what you think!!?!!

Have a great day!

New Week, New Beginning

It is Monday a new week to better yourself, getting stronger and healthier!

Work Hard, Dream Big!!!

Lest We Forget!

Being prepared

Normally Sundays are my prep day's but I am meeting some friends today so I did all the prep cooking yesterday so that I am ready for the new week.

I made overnight oats for the next three days, baked sweet potatoes and tilapia and because it starts to get colder here I thought it is time for a turkey chili (http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-turkey-chili/). Back in Canada my husband and I ate this recipe probably once a week :-). It is delicious!!!
I mixed the sweet potatoes into the turkey chili. I love the mixture of spicy and sweet.

I also spend some time trying out a new muffin recipe. I will post more about that in the next few days.

Are you ready for the new week?

Have a great Sunday!

It is Weekend :-)

I love working out! I always did. For years I was the "cardio" girl. Running on the treadmill or outside with my dog for hours but I never saw the results that I wanted until I started lifting weights. My workouts are my me time and I love them. 

Working out helps me stay balanced and happy and ever day I can workout is a great day. So I am off to the gym for a biceps/triceps/abs and cardio workout.

Do you workout on the weekends or do you rest?

Happy Weekend!!!

Friday Fitness Motivation :-)

I am not where I want to be yet but I am closer than I was a few months ago. In the last few months so much happened. I got married (July), two weeks after our wedding we moved from Canada to the USA and had to eat out for about a month. I had to settle in a new home and get used to a new life here. We had a family emergency and the first few months at a new place are always hard because you have to figure out everything (where to find what at grocery stores/gym/work/friends). But even the first few month were an up and down with my workouts and I was allowing myself way more treats than I normally do (I enjoyed the Newlyweds life ;-)!) I got back on track.
Now I am settled and have my routine and I give 100% every single day because I have my goal's/dream's and I want and will reach them with time.

I am off to my early workout before work. Are you giving a 100% for your goals/dreams?

Work Hard, Dream Big!!!

Water

Drinking water is very important. Water keeps us hydrated and every single cell in our bodies needs it in order to absorb nutrients and expel waste products.  Water also helps with keeping your skin moisturized which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Water also helps you with keeping full so you won't eat as much which can help with loosing weight.

A lot of people have a hard time drinking enough water during the day. I found a way that helps me make sure that I drink enough. Every morning when I get up I start my day by drinking a cold glass of water on my empty stomach. This helps my body waking up after sleeping for 8 hours and it is now a part of my morning routine.
During the day I write down every single time I had a glass of water or a cup of tea. This way I keep track on how many glasses I had. I also measured our glasses once so I know now how many glasses of water I need to drink to get to 33.8 oz (1 Liter). My daily goal of water intake is 1 Gallon (3.78 Liter's).

Do you drink enough water?

Work Hard, Dream Big!

Easy "breakfast" dinner

Last night I came home after work and I was really tired. I took my dog for a walk and when I came home it was dinner time. I planned on doing some fish but I was just too tired to heat up the oven and wait so I checked my fridge and made an easy "breakfast" dinner.

I cut up some baby tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and put everything with spinach, 3 egg whites and one whole egg in a frying pan. The whole dinner was ready in 10 minutes. I sprinkled some hot sauce over it and voila!

Healthy eating can be super easy!

Have a great day!

Shoulder workout / Progress

I had a great shoulder workout this morning. I warmed up for 5 minutes and did:

Standing Dumbbell press 3 x 10
Side Lateral raise 3 x 8
Dumbbell Front Raise 3 x 8
Seated Bend Over Dumbbell press 3 x 8
Shoulder Press with Barbell 3 x 8

After weight lifting I did 30 minutes interval training on the treadmill. I will do more cardio in the next few weeks in hope to lean out a little bit more for the honeymoon.

I am happy with my progress so far. After our vacation I will try to grow some more muscle. I always had a hard time growing muscle on my arms/shoulders and it was easier for me to built muscle on my legs and back.

Did you workout today?

Work HARD, Dream BIG!!!

Learn to say no and go against the flow

With changing my diet to clean eating I changed my lifestyle. There are certain things I will never buy or eat again and there are other things I will eat or drink but just for special occasions.
I like the way I feel and I love to see the changes in my body because I changed my lifestyle. I feel better, healthier and stronger.

But this new lifestyle ins't always easy. Most people do not eat the way I do and they have a hard time understanding. So often I hear comments (mostly negative) or I get interesting looks.
Last week on Halloween a friend invited me for dinner. We were a big group so she ordered pizza. The pizza was greasy and covered in cheese and totally not what I wanted to eat. But I took a peace because I didn't want to hear the comments or get the funny looks. After I went home I saw a post on Instagram from Tarah Andrews (Figure Universe Pro/Sponsored Athlete) I quote:"You'll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and don't apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in".
This made me think. Why did I eat the pizza (I am not even a big fan of GOOD pizza)? I ate it because I didn't want to hear the comments and get the looks so I choose the easy way. Was it what I wanted? NO! I said yes but I wanted to say no. It is not just about the pizza it is about everything in life. We often say yes to things but we really want to say no. And yes there are situation where a no is just not the right thing to say or do but there are other situation's where we should say no.
This is my life, my body and my decision. And I am making the decisions to say no. No to the easy way. No to always go with the flow and no to food that I just do not want to put in my body anymore!

Can you say no? To what do you say no?

Happy Monday!

Sunday prep-day

Sunday's are my prep-days for the week. Today I made a chocolate banana protein nut bread (http://beingfatiseasy.com/recipes.html), sweet potatoes and ground turkey with peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms (I mixed sweet potatoes and ground turkey together). I am also boiling some eggs right now and I will prepare some overnight oats for the next three days.

This morning I had a great leg/abs workout at the gym. I warmed up for 5 minutes.
LEGS:
Leg extensions: 4 x 8
Leg press: 4 x 8
One legged cable kick back: 3 x 10
Bulgarian Split Squat: 3 x 10
Seated Leg Curls: 3 x 8
Inner-thigh-press: 3 x 8
Outer-thigh-press: 3 x 8
ABS:
Hanging Leg raises: 3 x 8
Dumbbell Side Bend: 3 x 15 each side
Medicine ball side to side: 3 x 30
and for the plank challenge I did 2 x 90 seconds
After my workout I stretched for about 10 minutes.

Did you prepare your food for the new week? Are you ready?

Work Hard, dream Big!!!

Spinach Berrie's Smoothie

Last night I went to a Halloween party. It was fun but I got home late so I am really tired today. Ether way it is my rest day and my body needs it!

This morning I started my day with one of my favourite smoothie's. 

Spinach Berrrie's Smoothie:

1/4 cup of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder

and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

Lemon pepper Salmon

I love seafood and I am so happy that we live so close to the ocean now. I can pick up fresh seafood daily if I want to :-).
I had lemon pepper salmon for lunch yesterday. It is very easy to prepare and super yummy.

Here with Cauliflower, Asparagus and Quinoa

Take salmon (you could also use an other fish) and put it on a baking sheet. Squeeze a lemon to get fresh juice (I used 1/4 cup) and put some pepper in it. Mix and pour over salmon. Cover salmon and put it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. When ready bake for about 15 minutes (depends on your oven) at 400 degrees and enjoy!

I am off to my 30 minutes interval training. Have a great FRIDAY!!!