WE'RE MOVING!!!

I AM MOVING THIS BLOG TO https://musclesandmakeupblog.wordpress.com/ PLEASE FOLLOW ME THERE! :) MAKE UP REVIEWS FITNESS TIPS, ADVICE, AND VIDEOS MY FEEBLE ATTEMPTS AT FASHION! :)

M&M or F&F?

It has been soooo long since I last wrote! Where to start... Well of course I have to start with the fitness side of things. The offseason has always proven to be a struggle for me. I can work out from sun up to sun down, but saying no to an Oreo when there isn't a show coming up is hard (honestly those things are like crack anyway). I'm not going to lie. I struggle like everyone. I LOVE TO EAT!!!! My weight has fluctuated somewhat and it kind of sucks because I have to fight that image issue almost every competitor develops when they are used to seeing themselves at a low body fat percentage. I also get to feeling guilty because here I am trying to help others make better choices and I can't say no to Dairy Queen. I guess it only proves I am human. 

Training is going well, just not as good as I want. I started a new job, which I totally love! However, it has caused me to really work on my time management skills because I now have to juggle a full timeline, 3 kids, household chores, out of the house errands, and football season (my husband is a college football coach so the fall is completely packs for us). I also have my online training clients to take care of and I put that as a priority because I don't want them to feel that they aren't getting the personal attention I pride myself on.

Now, into something new! I guess you noticed my title. No, it isn't candy selections . I am trying to decide on a new name for my blog because I want to combine my love of fitness, clothes and make up into one blog. Muscles and Make Up or Fitness and Fashion? Help me decide! Reviews, tips, advice and more! I'll be posting on all of it! It's something I am really excited about! 

Eating Clean on a Budget

I know it sounds impossible, but I can assure you it’s not! I agree that it is unfair that we have to pay more for healthy food than for junk, but that is something that we just have to grit our teeth and bear. Just the other day I found a 10 pack of little bear-shaped cookies for $1 but had to spend about $5 on a bag of little oranges for my kids. This is when we have to decide where our priorities are and how badly we really want to make a change in the way we eat. My husband and I don’t go out to eat that much because we chose to spend extra money for healthy groceries and therefore sacrifice a weekly dinner out. One meal for two people at a restaurant can easily cost $50. Think of how much that can buy at the store, definitely more than one meal. Even eating fast food can cost more than a homemade meal. We have three children and just to take them to a fast food restaurant is at least $20. For $20 at the store I can buy five pounds worth of chicken, a marinade, a two liter of sparkling water, a bag of steamable vegetables, and four sweet potatoes (and probably get change). Let’s say you have a $100 budget and need to buy groceries for a week for you and your significant other. Here is a sample meal plan and grocery list that will keep you under budget: Meal 1- 2 scrambled eggs, ½ cup oatmeal Meal 2- 1 can tuna, 2 rice cakes, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter Meal 3- 4-6 oz chicken breast, ½ cup cooked brown rice, 1 cup steamed veggies Meal 4- 1st Step Pro Wellness shake and 1 banana Meal 5- 4-6 oz marinated chicken breast, 1 small sweet potato, 1 cup veggies Meal 6- 10 almonds, 2 boiled eggs *7 lb of chicken (1.99/lb)= $14 *14 bananas= $2.50 *2 Large bags frozen veggies ($7.50 ea)= $15 *2 Bottles Marinade= $5 *Oatmeal= $3 *14 sweet potatoes= $7 *14 cans tuna ($.68 ea)= $9.52 *Bag of almonds= $8 *2 pkg Rice cakes= $4 *5 dozen eggs= $9 *Peanut butter= $3 *Bag of brown rice= $3 *1st Step Pro Wellness Protein Powder= $17 That makes a grand total of $100.02! Not too shabby. There is a good rule of thumb when purchasing food: fresh is better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned. Depending on what your budget is, we all understand that you just have to make the best decisions possible. Just remember, eating clean is essential to losing weight.

Surviving the Holidays

When it comes to diet and exercise, no other time of year wreaks havoc like November through January. You can also include that little bomb on October 31 when the mimi members of our family bring home buckets of candy. Sure the candy is SUPPOSED to belong to the kids, but let's face it, only about 50% of it makes it to their little bellies. Whether it's tailgating at football games, Thanksgiving, Christmas get-togethers, or New Year's parties, the sights, the scents, and the company always mean there's good food around. How then can you survive without swelling up to two times your size? Here are some great tips to make it to February. 1.) It's called "tupp life" baby. Pack your food!!! Prep your food ahead of time and pack it in a container that can be reheated. I did that for my husband's Christmas party at work. I knew everyone would be eating some yummy catered food and didn't want to mess myself up since I am prepping for another figure competition. Many times you want to feel like you are part of the party and when everyone else is eating around you, you don't want to just sit there. This fixes that. 2.) Eat ahead of time. If you don't mind watching the others stuff themselves then eat before you go so that you aren't hungry. If you would like to join in on the festivities and eat the food that is available it still helps to snack on some healthy food before you arrive at the party, this way portion size is under control. 3.) Eat the healthiest options available. Most parties have veggie and fruit trays, enjoy them. If you're eating a holiday meal at home, then stick with white meat turkey or chicken and veggies. Don't douse everything in butter or gravy. 4.) Keep those portions under control. When it comes to dessert, or any other treat, keep the sizes small. Have 1/8 of the pie or cake, not 1/4 of it. 5.) Watch for liquid calories. While gravy can fall into this category, I'm talking about alcohol and soda mainly. Portion control comes in here as well. One glass of wine will work and give you that fermented fix you crave. And if you're just dying for some pop then have the diet version over the high octane stuff. I hope these little tricks and tips help! You'll be surprised at how many calories you'll cut by implementing one or more of them. I hope you had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Drink It Up

You always hear the recommendation about drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day. While that is a good suggestion, I think you need to know why drinking water is so important and what the correct amount will be for you. When I was a personal trainer at the Michigan Athletic Club I was given a great formula for the amount of water to try to shoot for a day. If you take your body weight and divide it by half, that number is the number of ounces you should drink a day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should drink at least 75 ounces of water a day. Why drink so much water though? What are the benefits of drinking so much? Let's look at some of the benefits of drinking water: 1.) Water helps regulate body temperature 2.) Water keeps a balance in body fluids. 3.) Water helps keep skin hydrated and clear. 4.) Water helps regulate digestion and bowel movement. 5.) Water aids in flushing toxins out of the body. 6.) Water helps to lubricate joins. 7.) Water keeps the body hydrated, which helps keep the body from cramping Need some tips on how to drink more water? Here are some great ones! 1.) Keep a bottle with you to sip on during the day. 2.) Flavor it with calorie free drops, powders, or fruit. 3.) Drink a bottle of water with each meal. 4.) Begin and end your day with a glass of water. 5.) Put an alarm on your phone, watch, etc to remind you to drink. 6.) Some people drink out of a gallon jug with time lines drawn on it so that they have a certain amount drank by the time listed on the jug. I hope this little blog helps you understand more about why water is important and how much you should try to drink! Drink it up!

Women and Weights: Bulky? No. Manly? No. Beautiful. Yes!

When many women are asked about starting a weight training program oftentimes their response is something like “I don’t want to get bulky,” or “I don’t want to look manly.” Although people within the health and fitness realm understand that these are just myths and have been spreading the word for years, somehow many ladies have not received the memo. So I am going to say this loud and clear: YOU WILL NOT GET MANLY OR BULKY FROM LIFTING WEIGHTS ALONE!!!! For some reason when they think of lifting weights they automatically think that they are going to look like Ms. Olympia or some other female bodybuilder. Many women do not understand what it takes to reach that level of muscularity or size. The food consumed, the weight lifted, the supplements taken…everything plays a part in actually bulking up. And, please know, that when I say bulking up, what I mean is adding lean muscle mass. Below are some reasons why the average woman will not get manly or bulky just because they start a weight lifting regimen. 1.) Women do not naturally produce enough testosterone in order to put on the mass that a man does, nor does their testosterone cause them to have man like features. 2.) Women do not generally lift heavy enough to create an abundance of muscle mass. You have to consistently lift heavy in order to break the muscle down for it to build up bigger, this is known as hypertrophy. 3.) Women do not generally eat enough in order to gain the mass that they would deem manly or bulky. In order to really bulk up a woman needs to eat roughly 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, not to mention the healthy carbohydrates and fats they need to consume. On average, a normal, every day woman consumes about .3 grams per pound of body weight. 4.) Some women do not get that big naturally. To get as big as some women do I’ll not tiptoe around the elephant in the room. Some women do take performance enhancing drugs. Those drugs are also the chemicals that cause a woman’s face to take on masculine-like qualities. 5.) Most women don’t know what kind of body type they have. Do they burn fat easily? Do they build muscle easily? Do they gain weight easily? Is it hard for them to put on muscle or weight in general? So there you have it. Lifting weights will not make you manly or bulky. As I have stated, so much more goes into it than that. But let me close with this, for all of you ladies out there that lift light weights over and over again hoping to build long lean muscle, you’re wasting your time. Going light for high reps doesn’t give you that triathlon athlete look. It only creates endurance within the muscle. So if you have big arms and just lift light to try and lean them out, you’re outta luck. You’re still going to have big arms, they’ll just be able to lift the weights several times without getting tired. Lifting weights, and lifting heavier than you’re used to, can actually burn many more calories than steady state cardio! Give weights a try. Impress yourself with your strength. Do what you never thought you could!

The Dangers of Being Too Lean

It’s a struggle that most of us have encountered, or will encounter at some point in our lives. It’s no fun. You get cranky. You get frustrated. You get impatient. When it comes to losing weight, the only good thing about it seems to be the end result. The journey is not the one to relish. For those of you who set a goal and reach it, good for you! For those who haven’t yet, don’t give up. I do want to caution you though once you get to a certain point. There are dangers to losing too much too quickly, or getting too lean. First of all, you need to understand that certain television programs that show people losing ten or twenty pounds a week is very misleading. The people are living 24 hours a day with nothing on their minds but diet and exercise. Plus, they are extremely obese so they have a lot more to lose. A healthy weight loss is one to two pounds a week. That is what I always have my clients aim for. One pound is equal to about 3,500 calories. What this means is that you need to burn 500 calories more per day than what you consume in order to burn one pound a week.

If you restrict calories too much you body will go into what is known as “starvation mode” and weight loss will come to a slow crawl or even stop altogether because your body is going to hold on to every calorie it can. What you are doing is actually slowing your metabolism. You can also develop problems with your heart, immune system, hair, skin, and nails. When you become too think you can also develop anemia, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Women who are too thin can experience fertility issues due to amenorrhea, which is the absence of a menstrual cycle. As you know, obesity has several health issues associated with it, but now you know that being too thin or losing weight too quickly does as well. Too much of a good thing is not always such a good thing.