Oh my word. Talk about LAZY people!!! OK, maybe we aren't lazy, just super busy which is why this blog has taken a back burner this past year... I'm sorry- I'm sure we've lost a number of readers, but hopefully we can build up the "following" again... I've been doing a lot of thinking and a number of things in my life are going to change and improve... One of those things is Wake Up and Glisten!
So... I thought I would start the blog back up with a post about one of my most favorite things... ICE CREAM!!!! I LOVE ice cream... That might be an understatement... I really, really, really LOVE ice cream. This does not bode well with my weight loss and health goals...
I wanted to share my thoughts on ice cream, and a healthier solution to still get that "ice cream fill"...
First of all.. what is it about ice cream that I love? I really enjoy the coldness and sweetness of it. As we all know- sugar is addicting (especially refined), and since we crave the things we feed on, it makes since that I want ice cream EVERY NIGHT... So, the other night I was wanting ice cream, but I've been doing really good this week on my eating plan, so I didn't want to throw it off. I remembered a dessert that an old roommate told me about and that is basically frozen bananas, pureed into an ice cream-like dessert. It totally satisfies my ice cream craving, and is so much healthier for me!!
I thought I would take a minute and compare some of the nutritional facts between my favorite ice cream (Haggin-Daz Peanut Butter and Chocolate) and the Banana ice cream I make at home (becoming a new favorite)...
Banana : Almond Milk:
Haggin Daz:
In case you can't read the stats:
Haggin-Daz:
serving size- 1/2 c
Calories 340
total fat- 23g
carbs- 26g
sugars- 22g
Protein- 8g
All that for 2 cups of ice cream...
Now, for the banana ice cream-
ingredients- banana and almond milk
Almond Milk-
serving size- 1 cup
calories- 30
total fat-2.5g
carbs- 1g
sugars- 0g
protein- 1g
When I make it, I use 1 1/2 bananas and 1 c of almond milk, and that yields about 2 cups of ice cream... So, either way i eat 2 cups of ice cream, but one is 1360 calories and the other is 195... now, I will add peanut or almond butter sometimes and that adds 190 calories, but still... 385 calories for 2 cups is much better than 1360 for 2 cups...
Just a thought! And after a great workout, I usually have some calories to spare, so I don't mind "splurging" on 385 calories for dessert! Tonight, I still have a 360 calorie deficit!
It's been a few months since my last full post and during that time I have gone through a huuuge transformation not only physically but mentally.
In recent posts (Part 1 & Part 2) I've shared a lot about how I have physically transformed myself into becoming a better me. I've worked hard to lose weight and I've worked hard to gain endurance and mileage in my Half Marathon training. BOTH of those are a huge part of who I am today, what I know about my "limits" and what can happen when I push them. (I'll be doing a future post about my last Half Marathon and how I killed it!)
This 3rd section of my journey, which brings us to where I am today, actually started waaaaay back in November of 2012. Like many of us, I was feeling the effects of too much holiday grub and being at Grandma's house! (treats everywhere!) I was feeling mushy and hadn't really been working out hard since the Half Marathon at the beginning of the month. Granted, I was involved with a Christmas show, Beauty and the Beast, so I was active and working but not taking the time to build and train new muscle.
I had been following 2 girls on twitter for a while but hadn't really looked into what they did until one week right after Thanksgiving. All of a sudden, Twitter "blew up" with tweets about a special Black Friday offer they had released. Curiosity got the better of me and I checked it out. It was an offer to join a team of women across the world and have life time access to a Nutrition plan that genuinely looked great! It was geared towards fueling your body to not only burn fat but also how to gain lean strong muscle. With the deal came their own workout DVD, a water bottle (we all need more of those!), stickers, a hat, a journal, and a sample packet of a protein powder they had developed themselves. These girls looked legit! But priced at $150, it was out of my range. I sat on the offer for a couple days but as the deadline loomed near, I got anxious I was missing out on something incredible. That night I went to the parents....
"Mom... Dad... there's these two girls who have this nutrition plan and they're having a special deal with extra goodies.... Can I have this be my one Christmas present?"
After showing them some videos and more information, I got my wish. Santa came early!
I joined Karena & Katrina and the rest of the Tone it Up! family!!
I officially started the Nutrition plan on Jan 1st 2013 and there was a lot of trial and error on which recipes worked for me, exactly what things were, and when you were supposed to eat them. Slowly but surely I started feeling better about what I was eating and my body was showing results through how it was feeling. I had more energy and I felt better all around.
One of the things I really appreciate about the TIU program, is they are constantly bringing new things to the table. It's just, buy the plan, here are some workouts, GO! They have challenges throughout the year to keep you motivated. The first challenge I was a part of was the Love Your Body Challenge gearing up towards Valentine's Day. It was a great way to "up" my workouts and really start building muscle with a set workout schedule and help along the way. I did have to sway away from it towards the end, as my next Half Marathon loomed closer and I needed to bring up my mileage. But that race was a turning point in my own personal race goals because I had been doing so much strength training with the girls.
Fast forward to Spring of 2013.
Karena and Katrina announced the start of their 3rd annual Bikini Series Challenge! Who doesn't want to look amazing in a bikini??
I signed up the first day and was so excited for the next 8 weeks of workouts and challenges. Lemme tell you.. it flew by fast!! It was tough, for sure. There were a lot of days I could barely move my arms or pick up my legs to get me to work, but it was so worth it. There were also days, I didn't make good choices on food and the last week of school was killer with all the parties happening in the classes and break rooms. BUT I do know that I have made an incredible difference in my body since finding TIU. I have muscles in my arms that have NEVER been visible before! There are also times during a workout where I'll glance down at my legs and be utterly amazed at the muscle tone I've built up. I've leaned my legs out with running but as far as muscle building, TIU has improved my strength by leaps and bounds.
I still have work to do as far as becoming confident in wearing a bikini but I know that I am literally a stronger person since signing up with these ladies. The Bikini Series has officially come to an end today but I intend to continue the workouts and keep my goals in place. I owe it to myself and to my body to treat it the best I can and I've gained confidence in knowing my good choices are affecting the rest of my life. I'm incredibly thankful to Karena and Katrina for starting the Tone it Up program and bringing it to all of us. Through it, I've met so many amazing women from around the world and am now lucky enough to call them friends.
If you want to know more about the Tone it Up program and the Nutrition plan check them out at Toneitup.com They also have a community site where you can check in, blog your progress, share recipes, and meet new people. Both of these are FREE to sign up with! The $150 price I talked about was for lifetime access to the Nutrition plan which is updated and added to very often. I think I have about 6 additional bundles plus the newest version of the entire plan. It's worth every penny!
I hope that you guys all have an excellent rest of your week. Get out and do something active!
