A Picture... Can motivate you more than I can

This picture says it all.

So, I heard something about Spinach

We all know vegetables are good for the body. An old cartoon taught us that eating a can of spinach gives us strength like no other! I don't suggesting eat a can of spinach because it isn't the healthiest version of spinach for you. What I do suggest is trying to eat these veggies weekly. These are the ones that I have on my list of items to eat every week. Now, I must inform you that some of them are for no other reason that I like to cook with these items.

Carrots - Good snack food not to mention great for your eyes.

Spinach - This ingredient has multiple benefits that include bone, skin, blood pressure, and vision. For more info on these and more just follow click this link.

Mushrooms - Cooking ingredient

Onions - Cooking ingredient

Asparagus - Chalk full of vitamin C and vitamin K, asparagus can help with diet, digestion, and heart healthy. Not to mention this ingredient can be added as a side to almost any dish and you can also add it to past to add some green color. For more health benefits click this link.

Avocado - Avocados are full of fats, oil, and cholesterol that is healthy for your body. They are filling and help to keep you full. Avocados are also versatile in how you can use them. You can use them as a snack, on a sandwich, in a pasta, or as the sauce itself. Check back to an early blog post to see a simple recipe for a great tasting snack.

Beans - Need I say more? Fiber and just plain healthy. Warning, farting my occur if you consume too much of these guys.

Cucumbers - Great snack food, just add salt, pepper, and a little bit of ranch.

I'm back!

I. Survived.

I rarely ever get sick, well, until I moved to Atlanta that is. I believe it has something to do with the fact I am used to clean country air of the south and this big city captures smog like no other. Anyways, last week I ran a fever for three days and all I had the energy to do was sit on the couch and watch Ru Paul's Drag Race on Netflix. Side note: that show makes everything better!

On top of having a fever I also caught an infection and am now on antibiotics. After today, I have two days left of my pills and I will be good to go!

What does that mean for me? Well, I am going to be taking a few more days of rest and looking at hitting the gym again on Thursday. I cannot wait to get back into the routine I had to step out of for awhile. My training program over the next few months will be different because I am in the middle of a show. Goal is still to hit 150 by end of April, but with these setbacks I've had, I won't be upset if I don't hit my goal by then. I will also be adding more running to prep for a 5k on April 26. To do this my roommate has suggested looking into the couch to 5k training program. I plan to take a look at it and let you guys know what I plan to do. Since I use to be on a cross country team, and pretty good might I add, I hope that with a few weeks of intense training I can easily build back up to a 3 mile run. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow, you guys can expect a clear detailed look at what veggies (maybe fruit also) I eat. I am also hoping to cover this week what kind of snacks I keep around outside of my 25 items. Have fun living healthy!

A Week of Rest

Over this past weekend I have felt some pain in the upper portion of my back. I figured it was just muscles growing from working out all the time, but yesterday, after practice for a show I am in, the pain got worse and I realized that I have strained a few of my back muscles. Which led me to think about what to do...

In conclusion I have decided to take this week off from working out and give my body a rest and also give me more time to write about my diet this week! So, be on the lookout tomorrow for more information on my diet with tips and tricks on how to eat healthy.

Also, this is an important note to all of you guys. If you are just starting off with heavy workout routines, make sure to start with 3 days of rest and work your way down to fewer rest days. After doing some research I found out this is what I should of done instead of going with only 1 day of rest a week.

Be safe and have fun!

“Adventure without repose is like exercise without rest. Rather inefficient.” 

~Brandon A Trean~

Gaining Mass, Cutting the Weight

Well folks, looks like I have lost some weight since I weighed in on Monday. At first I thought, "How?!?! How the $#%@ did I lose weight?!" But, after some careful evaluation which was pretty much looking at myself in the mirror... I realized, thanks to the help of my roommate, that I have discovered a nice side effect of eating healthy! Long story short, I have cut down on my fat percentage of my body weight. Gained more muscle mass over this week, but lost more fat weight! So, you can all note that I am back below 140 at a weight of 138.9 lbs. Almost right where I started before this blog.

Now, what is my plan? Work out harder and gain more muscle! Just because I had a set back and lost "weight" doesn't mean I need to change anything in my diet or how I operate. My body is adjusting and changing for the better, which is all I can ask. A natural change is much better than a forced change. Always remember that.

Weight: 138.9 lbs

Meat, lots of meat.

We all like meat, to some degree or fashion, right? I'm going to assume that even if you are vegan you have some nagging for meat and I will just continue this post talking about what meats I eat and why. So, without further ado, lets jump right in!

1. Beef - Protein, vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, creatine, carnosine and even omega-3. These are the benefits that come from eating a red meat. It is also very versatile in the sense that you can add it to almost anything you cook. Options are always nice! Add it to a pizza, in a pasta, make a meat loaf, etc. So many wonderful recipes to explore!

2. Tilapia - Tilapia is another versatile meat that can be cooked many different ways. Since it also a fish it has oil that our bodies naturally need for healing after a workout. Tilapia is also a very good source of lean meat which can help watch out for unwanted body weight gaining.

3. Salmon - High protein and omega-3. What more could you ask for! Salmon is also known for its post-workout abilities in healing our muscles. I find salmon harder to cook than most ingredients, but try adding it to a pasta to gain some points on the carb side of things.

4. Chicken - Lean, meaty, healthy... Pretty much sums up why I eat chicken and have it on my list. Plus, I can cook amazing dishes with chicken.

5. Eggs - More protein per gram than beef, vitamins A/E/D, and just darn tasty no matter which way you have them. I will usually, and when I say usually I mean every day, have two boiled eggs for breakfast. This is easy because I can get them started and finish getting ready for my day. Once they are finish just add salt, pepper, and paprika and you are good to go!

Hope this helps out you guys deciding on what ingredients to put on your 25 item list!

Delayed Report/My Diet

Slightly delayed, but that is what I get for having a Monday off from work!

So, good news is that I have gained another pound, which I personally thought was going to be impossible. Looks like my healthy habits are really working and working out almost every day is paying off! Just goes to show that we have to start somewhere and keep up the momentum. Also, this picture isn't the best picture, but I promised I would post one every week... even if nothing has changed from last week.

Weight: 141.2 lbs

This post is two part, I also plan to introduce what I eat since more and more people are starting to ask, "What exactly is your diet?". Well, lets talk about the basics and build up... I decided when I started this healthy living that I was going to stick to only 25 ingredients (not including spices, etc) while I was cooking at the house. What does this mean exactly? It means when I go out to a friends or out to eat, that I really don't care what I eat. The reason for this being is that eating healthy all the time actually will slow your metabolism  Guys, this is bad for those of us that are trying to consume massive amounts of protein. Here is my challenge to you, make up a list of 25 ingredients that you will stick to buying when you go out to the grocery store. Break down this list into meats, veggies, fruit, grains, and other. Soon I will post my list, but I also want to see yours! Feel free to comment below on what 25 items you plan to buy, if you feel like this plan is good for you.

Have fun! I will post later on in more details what I eat and when I eat them. So, keep reading and sharing with friends!