To Use a Personal Trainer or Not to Use a Personal Trainer....

I have used personal trainers in the past, and I really enjoyed working with each and every one of them. I am the type of person who needs that extra push from someone else in order to meet my fitness goals, so that is why I have tried using different personal trainers before. It wasn’t necessarily to lose weight, because I was already going to the gym 5-6 days a week, but it was to learn different weight lifting exercises to help me tone up, and for the most part not be lazy with the amount of reps/sets I was doing.

For some people, hiring a personal trainer to help them get in shape is what they need in order to start shedding the pounds. Many people also need a trainer for nutritional purposes; what kind of diet they should be going on, along with an hour of training for 2-3 days a week (depending on the person’s goals). For others (like myself), I can now teach myself different weight lifting routines to add into my daily exercise routines. So do I need a personal trainer? No. If I had the money to afford to hire one in the city, I would for a few months just so I have someone to test my limits and push me to work the hardest I have ever worked.

I recently joined New York Sports Club, and had a free assessment with one of the personal trainers there. It was very informative, and helped me think of ways to switch up my workout routines, but for me, it just was not worth it to start paying for sessions when I don’t think I need them.

If you have the money, and you are looking to get into shape, then I do think that starting off with a personal trainer is a great idea! If you are determined to do it all on your own, then do your research and also sign up for some different classes you might be interested in taking at your gym. Either route you take is a great way to start your fitness journey =)

Are Fruits Really That Good for You?

Everyone who is on a diet, usually has a lot of fruit and vegetables incorporated into their daily meals, but is that really going to help you from keeping weight off?

Not all of the fruits we eat are that healthy for us. Many of our favorite fruits contain a shit ton of sugar, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of losing belly fat. I was actually surprised when I did my research and found out how many of my favorite fruits that I eat every week contain high amounts of sugar.

For example, bananas (my absolute fave), contain 17g of sugar!

Pineapple contain about 16g,

Grapes- 23g!

Apples- 13g.

Now, I’m not saying to stop eating these fruits just because they have a lot of sugar, BUT maybe cut back on your intake each week and start eating more low-sugar fruits instead.

The best low-sugar fruits that you should add into your diet, are raspberries (5g = 1 cup), kiwi (7g), avocado (1g), strawberries (7g = 1 cup), and blackberries (7g = 1 cup)

The best time to eat fruit is either first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, or as a mid-morning snack. By eating fruit on an empty stomach, helps with your digestive system, and helps you feel more energized. You should definitely avoid eating fruit right before bed time, being that many of the fruits we like to eat (as I mentioned earlier), contain a lot of sugar.

How Do I Give Up Sweets and Alcohol?

So now that the month of February is over, so is my pescetarian diet. I could have definitely gone for longer, but I did miss turkey sandwiches and my grilled chicken at times. Now what I really need to cut out are sweets and alcohol.

 I know that this will be super challenging, but it is something that I really need to set my mind to and actually stick to it. It all comes down to will power and being confident that you can do it. Everyone has their own way of doing things, so I am going to come up with different strategies to follow and stick to. If you are looking to do the same thing, try and follow my recommendations below and see what works best for you!

1.   If you are craving anything sweet, try and keep dark chocolate in your house so that you can have one piece and be satisfied. Eventually you will slowly start to ween yourself off of that one piece of dark chocolate, and won’t crave it after a while. Dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants and is super nutritious. It does not contain as much sugar as milk or white chocolate.
2. Do not keep any chocolate or sweets in the house, since it will be easier to get to, BUT feel free to treat yourself once in a while.
3. You can try and cut out sweets cold turkey, but if you are like me, that’s is straight up impossible.

I am not a huge drinker to begin with, but once in a while after work I like to have a glass of wine, or if I go out for dinner I might get a drink or two. On the weekends is probably when I binge drink the most, only because during the week I am usually a sober sally. Also, my friends drink and my boyfriend drinks, so sometimes I just can’t fight the temptation when happy hour or brunch is thrown my way.

My boyfriend and I said we were going to stop drinking last month, but that did not happen, so I think we may try it again in April. To be honest, drinking is probably going to be easier to eliminate than sweets, but I am going to try my best!

When I go out to dinner, I am not tempted to get a drink, so I think I can definitely do it. I just have to keep telling myself that summer is right around the corner, and by consuming alcohol and sweets, will not help my summer bod come into play.

See what works best for you, or if you have tried this before, feel free to let me know how your journey went, and how long you were able to stick it out for!

My Go-To Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (as many of you should know), which is why you should NEVER skip it!

I used to not eat breakfast every day because I just wasn't hungry that early in the morning, but then when I started eating breakfast in the morning, I realized how much of a difference it makes in my daily eating routine.

During the week, I will usually bring a yogurt and a banana for breakfast, or a piece of whole wheat toast with organic peanut butter. If I decide to order breakfast, I will either get an egg white omelette (sometimes with a couple pieces of turkey bacon on the side), or I will make that into a wrap because it fills me more.

On the weekends, I love to keep it simple, and make scrambled egg whites with avocado. If I am trying to keep it a low-carb day, I will not put it on a piece of toast. It is easy, healthy, and filling! All you need is one avocado, and 3 egg whites. When I mash up my avocado, I like to add some salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Once I have scrambled my egg whites, I mix them in the bowl with my avocado, and there you have it! Sometimes I also like to put some of my Louisiana Hot Sauce to add some spice to it!

It may not look too appetizing, but trust me, you'll be thanking me later =)

Post workout meals

Whether it is a protein shake, some grilled chicken with veggies, or fish, it is important to always have a good meal filled with the right amount of protein and carbs after your workout.

I usually work out in the evening time during the week, so I like to have a healthy/hearty dinner that I know won’t be heavy, and will fill me up before bed time. Sometimes I will make avocado toast with scrambled egg whites, and other nights I might make salmon or shrimp with a side of rice or veggies. Since you are burning lots of calories when you exercise, it is important to eat a substantial meal afterwards. 

If I work out in the morning, I will have my cup of coffee before the gym, and then eat breakfast once I am finished with my workout. It is also a good idea to bring a protein shake with you to the gym, for right after your workout. This will help support your muscles.

Shrimp & Cauliflower Stir Fry

Happy Monday everyone! Sorry it took so long for me to share with you my cauliflower rice stir fry recipe, but here it is! It came out a lot better than I imagined, and it is super quick and easy!

What you will need is one head of cauliflower, (or you can buy the pre-cut cauliflower), broccoli, carrots, peppers, and whatever other veggies your heart desires. Since I am not eating meat, I added shrimp to my stir fry, but you can add chicken , steak, or just veggies if you would like. I didn't go crazy with the seasoning since I added teriyaki sauce to it, but I chopped up some fresh garlic and added salt and pepper.

In a medium size saucepan, add some oil, chopped garlic, and your veggies. I chopped up my peppers and carrots into smaller pieces beforehand.

While your veggies are sauteing, put your cauliflower into a food processor, and blend until your cauliflower resembles the texture of couscous.

Add your shrimp to your saucepan after your veggies have started to soften.

Once your shrimp is cooked, add your cauliflower rice and teriyaki sauce, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until cauliflower has softened.

Once everything is mixed together, your stir fry is ready to serve!

                                      BEHOLD!!

What I will do for next time, is not add an entire head of cauliflower (since the cauliflower is all you can really see), but add more color to my dish.

Week 1 of no meat

So I’ve made it a week without any meat, and I must admit, it has been a bit of a challenge. Although I do not eat much meat to begin with, I have been DYING for a turkey sandwich, and the worst part is that I know I can’t have one!

As of right now, I have just been eating shrimp and salmon. I made salmon and sautéed broccoli last night for dinner, and brought some for lunch today. Tonight I am going to be making a shrimp stir fry with cauliflower fried rice. I’ve been saying I am going to make cauliflower rice or pizza crust for so long, but haven’t done it yet! Tonight is the night, and I will be posting my dish tomorrow.

 I have found that planning my dinners for the week, over the weekend, is making it a lot easier for me. Once I have my meals all planned out for the week, I know exactly what to shop for at the supermarket. I am a HUGE planner, so if you are like me, you should plan out your meals this way too. It also gives me a chance to get creative with my meals and what to make with them.

Once I start getting sick of my shrimp and salmon, I will have to look to the internet for different recipe’s and fish to cook.

 This week also starts no alcohol February. I told myself after Super Bowl that I would not drink for the rest of the month, but if all goes well, I am definitely going to try and stick it out for longer. My boyfriend on the other hand, we will see how long he can stick it out for =p.