30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Woohoo, 3 for 3! Every day is an accomplishment so I am happy with how I am doing so far. I fought off having a piece of cake, enjoyed a gluten-free item, and drank a lot of water! Checkout what I ate....

B: Purple power protein shake.
L: Lightly fried chicken sandwich on a sesame seed bun with lettuce and tomato, a side salad with a lot of veggies and red wine vinegar, carrots and celery with lite ranch, and to finish it off a slice of gluten-free banana bread. YUM!
D: Grilled chicken breast with brown rice and black beans, and a tomato, onion, and balsamic vinegar mixture.
S: Post-workout shake.
S: I was still a little hungry before going to bed so I had a few pita chips and hummus.

As you can tell, calorie count is not a big deal for me right now as I have to pick up my metabolism by eating every few hours and since I am burning cals at the gym, my body is requiring more nutrients and protein.

For my workout I did interval training on the treadmill for a little over a mile and finished it off with core exercises for 15 mins. It was a lite workout because I was SO sore from the weight lifting I did for days 1 & 2. Gotta rest your muscles...

Other than tracking my health log I also want to share some insight into my life. My spirit was SO HAPPY all day because I received an invitation into the Phi Mu Soroity! Yah! This is all so new to me, but I have met such INCREDIBLE women, that I know I am in the right place and that my future has so much in store....

The funny thing is, once I got home from our fantastic Bid Day celebration, I was told of some bad news from Venezuela. My Godmother's little girl was rushed to the hospital because her failing liver condition was worsening and causing her to have side-effects. Oh, did I mention she is only 7 months old and was born with a serious list of health complications? It just broke my heart. I broke down in tears because no child should ever deserve to be fighting for her life at such a young age.One moment I was jumping for joy at FAU, but then life hit and I felt a rush of fear knowing that this was a very real situation.

I am asking all my prayer warriors out there to PRAY for my little cousin, Estefania. She is a little fighter with a mean punch because she has continually survived such life-threatening moments for these past 7 months. God has taught us all a lesson and my family and I are trusting in Him to help us get through this. Although I struggled with that all night, this morning I saw this picture on Facebook that another cousin posted of our little fighter....

Estefania at the hospital. I mean how can you not love this little girl with her toys and the ribbon in her hair? Lord, may we all look this happy and this faithful in our times of great trouble...

Be blessed,

Nicole

30 Day Challenge - Day 1 & 2

I am back! I have not blogged since a month or two before Miss Florida because...well....I was SO busy! This past summer was just incredible. I am so glad I get to look back at pictures and remember everything I did before and during Miss Florida. But....now, I am here! It took me awhile to get back to just a good, happy, motivated place. After Miss Florida, I was left with so many questions and thoughts that I just broke-down and hid in my Nicole shell for about 3 weeks. It wasn't all bad, I was just slowly transitioning into what my life is today. I am more motivated than ever to get my life back on track! I am excited to share my thoughts, my highs and lows, and my health tips with my friends for the next 30 days. I hope you gain something from my blog!

One of the TOUGHEST things for me is working out. I mean who really loves working out? Yea...not many. So just getting my booty off the couch is a daily challenge. But with 2 days under my belt, I am getting back into the swing of things. For the past 2 days I have started my workouts on the treadmill. Cardio is my favorite part of working out because although it hurts, I feel myself getting stronger and stronger with every stride in my run. I am staying consistant with a solid mile, but as the days go by I will add interval training, incline, and run a little more each night, until I reach a 5K (3.1 mi). Next was resistance training...which pretty much means weighted squats or lunges (OUCH) and arm exercises. Last is core training. I focus on a 10-15 min core set for lower, upper, and side abdominals. For now I am focusing on the basics....getting my balance back, working on stability, and continuing momentum by not taking many breaks. Oh, did I mention I workout at LA Fitness? SO many gym junkies there, it is easy to be inspired!

Next is my diet...I mean daily food intake! HA! I reeeally need to stop using that word! For the past two days I have focused on cutting sugars, fried foods, and dairy. I do not eat red meat or fish so that cuts out a good amount of options. But I replace those with chicken, turkey, whole grains, LOTS of veggies, and nuts. My food mantra is, "If you know it's not good for you, then don't eat it right now." It's a very common sense approach. Should I have that garlic roll? No, unnecessary carbs. Should I have sugary lemonade? No water with a squeeze of lemon is better. Should I have that slice of pizza? Yes, ok I am guilty...but that was an amazing slice.

The best way to improve your diet is to simply replace bad foods with good foods consistently because eventually your body will stop craving those bad foods. I will be doing this for the next 30 days. But that does not mean I won't cheat because I do not believe in self-deprivation of all food items. If so, after these 30 days I will just run to the dessert/pizza/soda bar and go crazy. NOT GOOD!

Yesterday and Today's meals:
9/10
B: Slice of cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter, banana, cantaloupe, pineapples, and 1/3 cup of granola.
L: Whole wheat panini sandwich with turkey, tomato, lettuce, herbs, and little Italian dressing with carrots, celery, and light ranch on the side.
S: A slice of pizza... yea, I had a 10 min. break in between a 3 hr class. Next time I will plan better :)
S: Almond and walnut mixture before my workout.
D: Whole wheat pasta, grilled chicken with marinara sauce and a salad with avocados, dried cranberries, walnuts, and light Asian dressing. (Kind of random but I was craving something Asian)
*Clearly I do not pay attention to carbs.

9/11
B: Protein shake
L: Whole wheat wrap with turkey, lettuce, tomato, and pesto with a salad on the side. (Just a bunch of veggies and a little balsamic dressing)
S: Hummus with pita chips
D: Post workout protein shake (So important, I should have done it yesterday) and a half quesadilla with last nights left-over chicken, peppers and onions and a little cheese!

Both days I drank water and almond milk! That's it! As boring as that sounds, I need to let go of the juices and sodas. This weekend I may add some OJ or unsweetened tea but I am just drinking what we have in the fridge until we go shopping!

Have a happy week everyone,

Nicole