America is bad for my diet!

It has been a while since I have updated my blog, my apologies! God has been doing his thing and has kept me very busy!

In any case, since I moved back to America I have had a very hard time staying healthy. While I lived in Honduras I ran, I eat fresh non-processed foods and I worked out on a regular. Less than 4 months after I moved back I managed to gain 20pounds and stopped running all together. I am not exactly sure,  when this happened, or how for that matter. All I know is that one minute I was enjoying my skinny jeans and the next I was trying to figure out why I couldn't fit them.

I want to believe the weather might have had something to do with my weight gain. After all who wants to run outdoors in the winter? Yea, I didn't think so! You might be wondering, why I didn't join a gym like the rest of the world...well I am glad you asked. First of all, I don't like working out in closed quarters. Secondly, I could not bring myself to pay a membership fee for something I can do myself! When I was unemployed I could not afford a gym membership, and once I got a job I did not want to pay for one! Needless to say, who has time for the gym? I live such a  busy life that I need the convenience of the outdoors to stay fit!

I will never forget the moment when I realized I had put on one too many pounds! It was the middle of February and I was facebook living, reviewing some of the pictures from my best friends 25th birthday celebration. I was wearing a sleeveless black dress, and my arms looked huge. I have my friends to thank, they had no problem letting me know I was fat. After reviewing the evidence, I had to admit they were correct!

The Solution!

The first item on the agenda was my diet! Loosing weight is 75% diet and 25% exercise. So I started watching what I ate. Living in a Spanish household, with a mother that constantly cooks for a village, can make eating healthy a mission impossible. However, dieting along with juicing has made a world of a difference. Next, I revisited an old friend. Good ole Mr. Shaun T, if you do not know who that is, you may know him as Mr. Insanity! Yes my friends, the most ridiculous workout known to mankind. Insanity was cool, I died every night and started seeing some results here and there. However, indoor workouts get a little boring to me after a while. So, when it got warm, I started running again! Man did I miss running! At first I really struggled with consistency, but I have been getting much better! After dropping my undesired and unwelcome 20pounds, I have been focusing on keeping them off and working on my beach body!

I have a few tools that I incorporate in my routine! First, my dumbbells! I have had these since college and, although they are only 5pounds when I am done with them I can barely feel my arms. Next is the Ab Wheel. When I first got this puppy in my hands, I was not trying to mess with it. However after almost 2 months of staring at it, and with a little motivation from my lover I decided to put my fears aside and give it a try. Now we are inseparable! Last but not least, is the pull up bar! I am still getting acquainted with this bad boy. However everyday I celebrate a small victory as I build my upper body strength!

Shoutouts to the MapMyRun App! Awesome app to track my morning runs, keep tabs on what I am eating and set fitness challenges to help me stay on track!

That is all for now folks! Look out for the biweekly updates on my fit-to-fit recovery! Remember, only you stand in the way of your beach body! Summer time is almost here, don't get caught with FUPAS ladies! #iamjustsaying

Forgiveness = Peace of Mind

Have you ever stopped and thought about all the people that have hurt you? Intentionally or unintentionally? Have you ever wondered how much those experiences have influenced your behavior, and your life?

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and more times than less we don't know or understand the reason until after things have happened. I am what people call an internalizer. I have a really tough time letting go grudges and coping with emotional pain. As I work harder on my relationship with God I have learned about the importance of forgiveness. The only person who is affected by holding on to emotional baggage is you. While others are living their lives not thinking about the situation and moving forward, you find yourself hurting and frustrated because you cannot make things better. Why should you let someone else's behavior destroy your own peace of mind. I am not saying forgiveness is easy, quite frankly is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. But at the same time it has been the most liberating. 

Forgiveness is not for the people who hurt you, is for yourself. Once you let go of the baggage you can move forward with your life and see why things had to go down the way they did. I know is not easy but you will feel a lot better once you forgive. Forgiveness doesn't mean going back to the same situation that caused you all the pain to begin with, no. Forgiveness calls for us to cleanse our hearts and souls of unnecessary baggage in order to successfully move forward. The lord calls on his children to treat people as he treats us. God forgives us everyday for everything we do,  who are we to not do the same. 

I welcome you to forgive someone who  has done you wrong. If you truly forgive them and let go of the negativity you will feel 100% better and will see progress in your life. We live in a world full of negative energy, which continuously holds us back from achieving our true potential. I encourage you to to move forward with a clean heart and you will find yourself closer to happiness. Real happiness and real peace of mind. 

How to lose 20 pounds and Keep them OFF.

One of the best feelings is realizing you have lost weight and look absolutely fabulous. I remember the day I realized I lost 10+ pounds. I had just gotten out the shower and was getting ready to head out, I looked at my body on the mirror and realized I looked thinner. Then I pulled out my fave pair of skinny jeans (Yall know which one am talking about, the one that you have been saving for when you lost those extra pounds, because you simply could not let go. Yes, that one) and to my surprise it fit a lil big. I did not know what to do with myself, I kept of admiring my body thinking to myself, "Girl, you look great!." After 20 minutes of much needed self love, I decided to get dressed and actually head out. A few days later I got on the scale to see how much weight I lost (I was thinking about 15pounds) and was thrilled to learn I had lost 22pounds.

So, how did I lose those unwanted 22pounds? For starters, I didnt even know I needed to lose 22 pounds or in the words of my bff, that I had 22 pounds to lose. My cousin convinced to start competing in the body fitness category of body building and gave me a few tasks. First, she told to cut some things out my diet. It doesn't matter how much you workout, the faster way to see results is by having a balanced diet.

Here are some of my new do's and don'ts.

• Fruits (I usually have one for breakfast every morning, and as a snack I love green apples and mandarines).
• If you have a specific type of food you simply cannot stop eating, find healthier ways to cook it. (for example, I love sweet plantains, now instead of frying them, I boil them. Is not the same but I am satisfied.)
• Try healthier meals. If you like to eat fish, or seafood try grilling, and steaming. Both methods are healthier and in some cases faster.
• Try not to eat out often. Sometimes when we eat out, we venture into foods we should stay away from, the best thing to do is treat yourself once in a while.
• No rice, no fried foods, no sodas, and little to no juice. (I really keep these things to a minimum, they have a lot of calories and should be eaten in moderation. I do drink juice but water is my first choice.)
• It is important that you eat three times a day and have your snacks in between. Keep your metabolism busy with smaller portions.
• Alcohol (I am a social drinker and some days I feel like I need a drink to unwind. However, I limit myself to a glass of wine or two a week. I stay away from mixed drinks and hard liquor.)
• Run. I did not start running until my last year in college. Once I got to Honduras I found out I was doing it wrong (who would have thought there was a proper way to run? yea me either). I started running on the tracks by my house, and at first I could only handle running one lap and walking the next. Now, I can run 12 laps non-stop on the 8th lane which is roughly about 4 miles. I really try to do this a minimum of 3 times a week, some weeks are better than others but this has been a major part of my weight loss.
• I also have a workout routine, that doesn't require a gym. All I use are a set of 10 pounds weights, some stairs and a chair (let me know if you want me to share it with you.)

These are some of the key elements of my weight loss. The best way to keep the way off is to maintain your routine. Once you change your diet, your body will demand that you eat healthier, and maintain the changes. Do not stop working out, and dieting. Loosing weight and keeping it off, requires that you change your lifestyle. If I can do it, you can do it. Please post comments and suggestions!