5 Things I Love for a Great Workout

1. Asics Running Shoes- Proper shoes help tremendously! Your joints will love you for it.


2. Water Bottle- You have to keep yourself hydrated. Plus I just love a nice cold gulp of water when I'm hot and sweaty.


3. MP3 Player or Headphones(most gyms have TVs to plug your headphones into.)- I have to have something to listen too so I don't get bored, it really keeps me moving to have something to focus on.


4. Proper Clothing- Let's face it you can't work out in your jeans and cute shirts. I love a fitted T-shirt and just black Capri leggings.


5. Pony Tails and Bobby Pins- I have to have my hair pulled back when I work out. It feels so much better to have it out of my face. This is probably crazy but I feel like it somewhat cools me down, but that's probably all in my head!

OK everybody those are the things that I feel help me to have a better workout so go out there and see what works for you. As far as my progress since I started things have gone great! I try and make sure I make it to the gym at least 4 times a week. I make sure I get my cardio in there. I can say that I have improved with working out on the treadmill. I am currently walking 1 mile with making sure I keep my heart rate at a pace that makes worth going on that machine. Anyway I have improved my time and have been able to go at a faster pace. I also am still riding the bike for at least 10 minutes to help with strengthening my leg. Eating has been going good. I am definitely eating a lot less and am working on recognizing when I am full instead of keeping on eating till I want to explode. I have also tried cutting back on my sweets. There is no way I can get rid of them all together but I definitely try and limit what sweets I am putting in my body. I could do better in that area but it has been hard with having so many birthdays these last 2 weeks. I LOVE CAKE! So other then that I am doing great and can really feel myself getting stronger and feeling better health wise and about myself, and that's the most important!

Lean Mean Muscle Machine

OK everybody I'm doing something new on this blog thingy. It has been a goal of mine to get a little healthier. I realized this blog would be a great place to start because I am letting the world know I want to get healthier and by doing that I know I will have everyone holding me too this goal of mine! Do any of you find yourself with tons of different clothes in your closet and drawers and haven't been able to wear them forever and your wardrobe is down to a minimum of 1 pair of jeans with the flab hanging over, that "slimming" black T-shirt and scrubs? Well that's what I've hit and I miss all of my cute clothes! So everybody right here and now I am pledging to a healthier lifestyle. Healthier eating, exercising and enjoying life will be my plan of attack. Every week I will post something new whether it be a healthy recipe that I have found, tips, and just updating my progress. I have posted a photo of me and my what I will call "goal jeans". It is my goal to be able to get to a point where I can wear my jeans comfortably key word comfortably. If you would like to join me in this, then just start your own little section on your blog. It certainly helps when you know you have support and other people you can bounce ideas off of and share progress with. With all of this the main goal besides being healthier and what not is I want to do this for long term and for my future children. If I can't learn to make better eating habits and be active now then how on earth am I going to be able to be active with my kids and teaching them healthy eating habits then I will be passing this all to them. Another big part of why I am doing this is because when I was 17 I was diagnosed with cancer. It was a tumor in my leg that was wrapped in the main nerve line. Because of where the tumor was they had to cut the main nerve line which supplies blood to the muscle to help them grow and keep strong. Since that surgery my leg has attrafeed ( I know I completely spelled that wrong! and I have lost the use of my quads and what ever the muscle thingy is in your shin area. It has limited me a lot in what I can do. Before I got sick I was very active and living a healthy life I truly believe that because I was taking care of my body before hand that I was able to recover as quick as I did as well as do so many things now that Doctors either said I wouldn't do or would have a hard time doing. Because of the problems with my leg I haven't been able to run since I was 16(I was diagnosed a week after my 17th birthday). It is a huge dream of mine to be able to do that again one day. It's something that so many people take for granted, having the whole use of your body and if I have learned one thing through all of this it is to not take the simple things for granted. And that means your health and body!


Today was the beginning of everything! My husband bought me a gym pass for my Birthday. And most people would think that he was suggesting something to me but they are very wrong because to him I am perfect. I was very excited for my gym pass. When I went I rode the bike for 10 minutes then stepped on the treadmill for 20 minutes at a quick pace. I walked a mile on the treadmill. After that I did a few weights to help with my legs and arms. After my gym visit I was starving. So I came up with a tasty lunch that was very filling. There are these bags of vegetables from Pictsweet called Deluxe Steamers. I got the Italian Vegetables with Fettuccine. They are only 70 calories per serving and no fat. All you do is pop those in the microwave for 5 minutes. Then I grabbed a can of tomato sauce and added some spices, garlic and onion powder. Oh and of course just a teaspoon full of sugar. After all we can not deprive ourselves of the finer things in life! After that has simmered for about the time the veggies are in the microwave toss the veggies with the sauce and enjoy! I ended up eating the whole bag of vegetables it was so tasty and I was full!