Hydrating Green Smoothie Recipe

I woke up a little dehydrated this morning and I'm sure the alcohol from last night is the culprit. I didn't wake up with a hangover (I know my limits and don't like to overdo it), but I still wanted to feel vibrant again.

Spinach smoothies are my go-to health drink lately. I make variations of them with different flavors of greek yogurt, fruits, protein powder, and even kale. I usually throw ice and water to get the consistency that I want, but it can get a little boring. I've heard that coconut water is very hydrating, and believe me, I've tried to down it before. But I don't like it! Not by itself at least. However, it was on sale at Target yesterday so I decided to bite the bullet and try again, but to add to my smoothies! Let me just say, that was the way to do it!

Here's the recipe I made this morning--it's one of the best I've had.

Hydrating Green Smoothie
3/4 cup coconut water (35)
1 banana (110)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach (10)
1 container pomegranate greek yogurt (140)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed (30)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (60)
2 tsp cocoa powder (5)
4-5 ice cubes
4-6 oz water

Layer each in a blender and blend to preferred consistency (more ice will give a slush smoothie, more water will be thinner). It makes about 30-32 oz of smoothie--all for 390 calories! Split it in 2 and it comes to 195 calories a serving. It's so filling too. Drink up!

Food Journal 3/10/13

Morning
- 1 cup coffee and soy milk (30)

Afternoon
- 1 cup veggie green soup with tofu and broccoli (200)
- 1 protein bar (170)

Dinner
- 1 mediterranean veggie patty (110)
- 1/2 cup refried beans and spinach (100)
- 1/2 avocado (100)
- 1 orange (80)

Snack
- 1 greek yogurt (140)
- 1/2 banana (60)

Evening
- 1 cup protein cereal (110)
- 1/2 cup soy milk (40)
- 10 almonds (70)

Total: 1210

Food Journal 2/1

Breakfast
-1 Starbucks soy latte (170)
-1 greek yogurt with blueberries, ground flaxseed, and Kashi cereal (290)

Snack
-Atkins meal bar (240)

Lunch
-Fresh & Easy salad (320)

1020

Food Journal 1/31

Breakfast
-1 spinach smoothie (330)
-1 packet blueberry oatmeal (140)

Snack
-1 cup broccoli apple and almond salad with vinaigrette (255)

Pre-workout
-1 Atkins snack bar (150)
-16 oz water with BCAA blue raspberry (5)

Post-workout
-16 oz soy latte (150)

Lunch
-1/2 cup brown rice (110)
-1 cup pinto beans (170)
-1/4 cup spicy corn (90)
-1/4 cup spinach (10)

Dinner
-1/2 sweet potato with coconut flakes (120)
-1 veggie hot dog with muenster cheese, mustard, and spinach on wheat bread (200)

Total
1730 calories

Weight Loss Calculator - How Long to Lose?

When setting weight loss goals, most of my clients have high hopes to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Is that realistic? Most times it's not. It takes months and years to put on weight, so don't expect to lose it over night.

That being said, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer! I found a cool tool to find out how long it'll take to get to your goal weight, with healthy daily calorie recommendations based on your activity level. Check it out:

Weight Loss Target Date Calculator

Food Journal 1/30

Breakfast
-1 vanilla spice soy latte (260)
-1 spinach feta wrap (300)

Snack
-1 Special K protein bar (180)

Lunch
-1 greek yogurt with almonds, blueberries, and ground flaxseed (280)

Snack
-1 apple (70)
-1 cup chai tea with soy milk (30)

Late afternoon
-1 cup green veggie soup with tofu and broccoli (200)
-1 greek yogurt with 1 scoop protein powder (150)

Dinner
-1/4 cup broccoli and cheese (40)
-1/2 cup pepper jack and pinto beans (180)
-1/2 cup brown rice (120)
-1/3 cup spicy corn (90)
-1/3 cup spinach (10)

Total
1910 calories

Food Journal 1/28

Breakfast
-1 sweet potato with 1 cup black beans and spinach (300)

Snack
-1 Special K protein bar (180)

Lunch
-3 piece veggie "chicken" (120)
-1 cup spaghetti squash with avocado sauce and broccoli (190)

Snack
-1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1 banana and 20 almonds (290)

Snack
-1 Vega One chocolate protein shake (140)

Dinner
-2 veggie hot dogs (100)
-1/2 cup thai veggie rice (120)
-1/2 wheat bagel with 1oz cream cheese (180)

Total
1620 calories

Food Journal 1/27

Early morning
-1 Vega One chai shake (140)
-1 cup chai tea with soymilk (50)

Breakfast
-1 whole wheat bagel with muenster cheese (290)
-1 veggie sausage (80)
-1 greek yogurt with flaxseed (180)

Snack
-1 cup coffee and creamer (30)
-1 apple (80)

Snack
-1 Special K protein bar (180)
-1 fruit flavor water with creatine (20)

Lunch
-4 piece veggie "chicken" nuggets (140)
-1 cup spaghetti squash with broccoli and avocado garlic sauce (210)

Dinner
-1/2 cup cottage cheese (110)
-1 banana (130)
-20 almonds (140)

Snack
-1 Kashi trail mix bar (140)

Total
1920 calories

Food Journal 1/26

Early morning

- 1 cup coffee with soy milk and creamer (40)

Breakfast

- 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup spinach, 1 tbsp salsa (350)

- 1 cup chai tea with soy milk, cinnamon, and honey (60)

Lunch
- 2 cups spaghetti squash (80)
- 1 cup marinara with broccoli and spinach (100)
- 4 pieces veggie 'chicken' nuggets (160)
- 1 cup salad with 1 tbsp dressing (30)

Dinner
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (100)
- 1/2 banana (60)
- 20 almonds (140)
- 1 tbsp flaxseed (30)

Snack
- 1 Special K protein bar (170)
- 1 vitamin zero water

Food Journal 1/23

Breakfast
- 1 container vanilla greek yogurt (120)
- 1 Special K protein bar (180)
- coffee with soy milk and creamer (40)

Snack
- Fresh & Easy pre-made salad with edamame, tomato, cranberries, & mango dressing (270)
- coffee with soy milk and creamer (40)

Lunch
- 1 veggie sausage (80)
- 1 sweet potato (150)
- 1 cup broccoli and spinach mix with 1 slice pepper jack cheese and hummus (130)

Snack
- 1 apple (70)
- 24 almonds (160)
- 1 small Gatorade (80)

Snack
- 1 Clif protein bar (270)

Dinner
- 1 packet oatmeal (140)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (60)
- 1/2 cup blueberries (40)
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese (30)

Total
1860 cal

Food Journal 1/21

Early morning
-1 Special K protein bar (180)
-1 cup coffee with soy milk and creamer (40)
-1 banana (130)

Mid morning
-Salad with cranberries and quinoa  (320)
-1 container greek yogurt (120)

Lunch
-1 mocha soy latte no sugar added (200)
-1 sandwich with veggie patty, hummus, pepper jack cheese, spinach, on wheat (380)

Snack
-14 almonds (140)

Dinner
-1 cup green veggie soup and tofu (180)
-Salad with blueberries, broccoli, pepitas, apple, and vinaigrette (220)

Total
-1910

Write Down What You Eat

If your energy is low and you just don't feel like yourself, keeping track of what you're eating could help. I don't mean obsessive calorie counting, but instead making sure your body is getting enough of the nutrients it needs. I want to start doing that more often. So.. this is what I ate today. Looking at it now, it looks like a lot! I went through the calorie counts and I'm at around 1945 cals for the day. I consider myself active so that's not so bad.

Post Workout (taught morning spin class)
-1 bottle of Fresh & Easy green juice (80)

Breakfast
-1 veggie patty (120) with 1 slice pepper jack cheese (70)
-1 cup salad (10) with 1 large orange (100) and 2 tbsp vinaigrette (50)

Lunch
-1 honey greek yogurt (150) with 1 tbsp flaxseed (30)
-1 cup blueberries (80) and 12 almonds (85)
-1 cup coffee (5) with 1/3 cup soy milk (25) and 1 tbsp creamer (15)

Snack
-1 small sweet potato with cinnamon (130)
-1 apple (80)

Dinner
-kale, red pepper, edamame stir fry with tofu and brown rice (390)
-1 Special K protein bar (170)

Snack
-3/4 cup Special K protein cereal (120)
-1/2 cup soy milk (35)
-3 peppermint chocolate squares (200)

Total
1945

I definitely had enough fruit and veggies... maybe cut back on the sugar now!

Testing Wheat Free Eating

Tomorrow marks one full week that I've eaten no wheat. Without too much detail, I was getting inflammation and felt fatigued all the time. I got the idea to try not eating wheat from someone at work. She tried it and said that while it helped her energy levels, it seemed too complicated to maintain.

Well, I somewhat agree. I already don't eat meat, so without wheat, I felt I had to replace a huge staple in my diet. I've gotten so creative this week with my food planning!

In the last week I've made homemade veggie sushi (surprisingly easier than I thought), brown rice and tofu stir fry, refried beans with spinach and avocado, and kidney bean red velvet brownies. I've always wanted to cook more, and now I had a reason to do it. The only downside? I feel hungry every couple hours so I feel I'm constantly eating. I keep my calories in check to about the same amount but still.

We'll see how long I keep this up...

5 lbs

Disregard BMI. Track your progress in body fat % lost.

Healthy Habits That Aren't So Healthy

Here's a great read:

"22. Doing a million crunches. The secret to six-pack abs probably isn’t crunch after crunch. To flatten out and tone up the core, try running some intervals, lifting a few weights, and cleaning up that diet instead."

Healthy Habits That Aren't So Healthy

Working at a gym, you don't know how many times you hear people say they want to lose their stomach and get abs. Then they proceed to do a hundred crunches. That is the worst thing you can do--you won't lose belly fat (you can't spot reduce) and you might end up hurting your lower back.

The best recipe for six-pack abs is to stay on top of your nutrition. Things have to be near perfect to have that hard chiseled look. And although I have 19% body fat overall, I don't even have six-pack abs because I enjoy the occasional drink and some chocolate.

Discipline is key. First is nutrition, second is strength training, third is cardio. That's my recommendation for losing body fat and working toward a flat stomach!

Quick Legs Workout

Found this on Tumblr and thought, that looks pretty simple! Let me tell you, my quads and hamstrings were burning in such a short time. I did the warm-up, the workout twice through, and the stretching to finish. If you continually push through it, it'll take you less than 20 minutes to break a sweat.

When you're limited on time, something like this is perfect.

Goals Revisited

As a trainer, I talk to people about their personal goals. Increase strength, stamina, endurance, lose body fat, gain muscle, etc. I want to revisit my own goals though. At around 19-20% body fat (estimated), I'm within the "Fit Women" range. I'm 5'4" and my weight stays within the 124-127 lb range.



Time to be honest: I'm not as proud of myself as I should be. I'm supposed to be the example. Closer to athletic. I would love to be 12-15% body fat, no matter what weight that should take me to. At that point, I would have much greater definition in my abs, rather than the top portion that just shows now. Proof of the hard work I'm capable of. Proof that I fuel my body right. Nutrition is a huge part of lowering your body fat percentage.

By the end of August, I want to lose at least 5% body fat. That is my personal goal. To attain it, I will try to eat around 1500 calories a day, with a good balance of lean protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates. If I slip up one day, fine. I'm human. If there's a party, I won't deprive myself, but I won't go overboard.

I need motivation just as much as the next person. This is my goal and this is my confession of it.

Don't hide your goals in your head. State them, and don't be afraid. An unstated failed goal goes unnoticed but also without support. State your goal, find your support, and take action. That is the first step.

Spin Safety

Safe Spinning

Here's an article full of quick and helpful tips when riding a spin bike for exercise!

Tough Total Body Workout

This week I haven't eaten my healthiest. Granted, it was my birthday on Tuesday and I drank more than my fair share of beer at a Spurs game. My workouts haven't been so structured either. That however doesn't mean I haven't pushed hard.

I found a simple body weight workout on Pinterest this morning and it caught my eye. I mean simple as in, oh yes, push-ups, crunches, plank... those exercises are familiar.

It took me TWO HOURS to complete. After completing one set of all these exercises I looked at the clock, thinking you know, I would have had a great workout just doing this... but can I do it? Challenge accepted.

I have never sweat so much in my life but I actually had the energy to do it. (I had about 700 calories before this afternoon workout, with about 60-70% of them from protein.) For my 15 minutes of cardio I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill each time. After completing two sets of everything, I finished with 20 minutes on the stair step machine.

I am beat but feel so accomplished right now. I wouldn't recommend this kind of workout on a regular basis though. You'd end up hurting yourself in the long run. But every once in awhile? Go for it!

I'm going out tonight for my last birthday celebration which will include vegetarian mexican food and margaritas. I will feel no guilt about it now!

Motivation and Protein Powder

A couple of my clients have motivated me recently. I don't want to be a sub par trainer. I want to continue to evolve and make myself a better person.

This last week I've been slacking off a bit. It started because I was feeling tired, but I just need to work my schedule around that. No excuses. These next two weeks my work schedule will be a bit crazy. I'm covering night shifts at a different location while keeping up my training clients and switching them to early mornings. It's also my birthday this week, so it won't be all work! I've got a fun week planned as well.

Using this birthday as a new opportunity to begin change, I want to achieve these goals:

- Run a half marathon before the year ends

- Increase my standard running pace to 6.5 mph (about 9:15 minute mile)

- Decrease my body fat % enough to where I see more than the top half of my abs

- Decrease the amount of sugar I consume

My boyfriend and I just got our first tub of vanilla protein powder. I'm curious to its effects and how it could help me. I'm not big on making shakes (mostly because I'm too lazy to get out the blender everyday, much less clean it everyday) so I'm trying to come up with different ways to incorporate it into my diet.

Tropical Protein Parfait

- 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced

- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

- 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

- 8 walnut halves

The vanilla protein powder makes this concoction taste sweet. I like how the juice from the pineapple chunks makes this taste better than I think it would on its own. After a few bites, I realized that the vanilla protein mixed with cottage cheese pretty much tasted like cake batter. Whether that's good or bad is all up to you.