The Girlfriend Workout

I'm a mom.  I get busy.  I don’t always have enough time for my friends, but when the time comes for a girls weekend I immediately get excited and nervous at the same time.  I know there will be laughs, fun, food, drinks, drinks and drinks…yes that is drinks, said three times.  SO, with that being said, how can you get in a sweat when going on a vacation with your friends?  Just do it together!  You might have to drag someone to do it with you or they might have to drag you, but hold each other accountable to get a little exercise before you go and make memories that, in my case, you don’t always fully remember.  The idea is to enjoy your life, without being to caught up on having a piece of pizza or a margarita every now and again.  Don’t over do it and don’t miss out on life because you are too tight about your diet.  That’s the great thing about macros, you can make it fit and have fun at the same time. 

This weekend we all traveled to the DC area to visit our friend Val, who actually didn’t know we were coming, so, thanks for having us Val, even though you had no choice in the matter.  Thanks also to my amazingly strong friends Kimmie and Jordan for joining me in the pics.  Most of all I have to thank sweet Carson, Val’s son, for joining in on all the fun and getting in some wheelbarrows and planks with us.  

Here is the workout we did.  Do it with your friends, spouse, kids…whatever, just do it!  We did ours around a high school track, but you could certainly do it in a park or just someones yard.  Have fun y’all!

xo

Warm up:

Walk 1/4 lap (lap, not mile)

Jog 3/4 lap

Sprint 1/4 lap- effort 7

Partner Plank with Hand Slap (30)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 7

Partner back to back (wall) sit (60 sec)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 7

Partner leg push downs (20 each person)

Rest 30 sec

Sprint 1/4 lap-effort 9

Rest 90 seconds

1/4 lap walking lunges

Rest 60 sec

1/4 lap wheelbarrows (half way each person)

Rest 30 sec

1/4 lap Sprint effort-10 

Rest 90 sec

Abs circuit

30 knees up

20 toe taps (knees bent)

30 leg raises

60 sec plank

30 opposite knee (15 each)

20 cycling crunches

30 ankle taps

20 supermans

Cool Down- 1 lap around track

Things I Eat (CHEESE)

I have had a lot of questions on what I eat on a daily basis.  The idea of eating a macro nutrient diet is that you can eat pretty much what you want as long as it lines up with your required number of fats, proteins and carbs within your allowed calories.  Now, with that being said, you could blow your entire macros on one trip to a fast food joint, or in my case one sitting with some chips and queso, but the point is to live a healthier life, and that just won’t get it done. 

First thing I do is cook a big batch of chicken breast over the weekend so I have it prepped and ready to go in the fridge for the week (my kids love it too, so that is a bonus).  I happen to love chicken, but if you prefer something else, like ground turkey, or flank steak, etc, by all means go with what you like (if it fits).  I cook about 8-10 chicken breasts by marinating them in a fajita type seasoning (try low sodium) and 2TBSP of olive oil.  I put all of it in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge anywhere from 30 min to 24 hours before grilling it. Here are a few of my go to meals that I eat on a weekly basis.

Alison’s Favorite Salad

Organic Romaine Hearts, 4 oz (about 2 cups)

Diced Tomato, 4 oz

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, 5.3 oz

Monterrey Jack Shredded Cheese, 1/4 cup (28g)

Baked Blue Corn Chips, crushed, 1 oz (28g/about 19 chips)

Sour Cream-Fat Free, 2 tbsp

Hass Avocado, 1 oz.

Mix lettuce, tomato, chicken, cheese and crushed tortilla chips.  In a separate bowl mash the avocado and mix with sour cream.  Toss salad in with the sour cream/avocado mixture.  Enjoy.

Here are your macros: 

Calories 508

Carbs 34g

Fat 21.7g

Protein 47g

Southwest Chicken Mix-up

Black Beans , 1/4 cup

Whole Kernel Sweet Corn (I used canned because it’s easy), 1/2 cup

Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 1/4 cup (28 grams)

Grilled Chicken Breast, 150 g

Microwave Organic Brown Rice, 0.5 cup

Mix black beans and corn together and heat in microwave.  Add rice, cheese (can y'all tell I like cheese?) and chicken.  Eat it up!

**Salsa would be a good addition to this if you can fit it in your macros. 

Here are your macros:

Cal 551

Carbs 40g

Fat 17.7g

Protein 62g 

My current daily macros are

1745 Cal
175g Carbs
175g P
39g F

Again, it’s about eating what you like as long as you can make it fit.  Don't stress about it, take small steps and try to get within 5% of your numbers.  If you need more help with things to eat, check out one of the websites I love, www.rippedrecipes.com (thanks to my dear friend Abby for sharing it with me).  I will post my daily food diary soon to give you an idea of what I eat through out the day.  Good luck y’all and let me know how I can help you.

xo,

Alison

A Journey to Find My Fitness

This is my fitness journey.  I’d like to start by saying I am not an expert.  I have done a lot of research and I follow the advice of my trainer.  I only know what has worked for me and I hope that it can inspire just one person to live the life they want with the health and body composition they have always dreamed of having.  

Being fit has a different meaning for most everyone.  For me it is an outlet, something I find great joy in and have fun doing.  It wasn’t until recently I had a desire to challenge myself to transform the way my body looks and feels.  I have never had hamstrings in my life and I decided I wasn't going any further without getting some!  Something in my mindset changed.  I decided that if I wanted something, with some hard work and dedication I could get it , and I believe anyone else can as well.  DISCLAIMER: Before you go thinking that I have a body image problem, please Y’all, withhold your negative thoughts.  I simply wanted to change MY level of fitness.  This is my journey, I don’t judge other people for how they want to live their lives and would ask that if you plan on judging me, just stop reading now.

With that being said, I am here to tell you what has worked for me.  The lifestyle I follow has been the only thing that I can say has made a difference in how my body looks and feels.  It isn’t magic, and it isn’t easy, but I can’t say it is difficult either.  I have tried numerous things in the past to try to change my body.  I have tried, low carb, no carb, low calorie, high protein, only fruit, juicing, swimming, cycling, triathlons, running (P.S. I HATE RUNNING), lifting weights and many other things.  I wish I had known then what I know now!  I started researching different ways to “get fit” after I had my second baby and came across something called IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) also known as Flexible Dieting.  It’s a way of eating that is composed of a certain number of calories broken out into Fat, Carbs and Proteins.  Y’all, let me scream it from the mountain tops…IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!  If you are interested in how to start eating within a macronutrient diet here are my must haves to help you get started.  

1.  Download the My Fitness Pal app on your phone/computer.  It has a food diary where you can log your meals as well as a chart that tells you how your are doing on your daily breakdowns (Fat, Protein, Carbs and Calories).  I use this everyday, it is a must.

2.  Now, you need to calculate your macros.  This can be a bit tricky and there is some estimating involved.  Do your best to be honest with your calculations and you can always adjust as needed.  Here is one of my favorite websites for calculating your macros, and many other things about the IIFYM lifestyle…

      

             http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/how-to-calculate-macros-for-cutting/

(Again, let me state, I am not the expert, I have done a lot of research on this for myself, but I don’t claim to have all the answers).  Once you have your calculation, plug it into the app and start logging away.  If you have a better app for this, great.  This is just the one I prefer.  Feel free to "friend' me in the My Fitness Pal app under alisonboob.

3.  A food scale.  Nothing fancy, Y’all, just a regular ole’ food scale.  Mine was $10 at the grocery store. 

4.  Start an exercise routine.  If I were to pick one thing, I would suggest weights.  However, you need to follow the advice of a professional when starting any kind of fitness regime.  I currently lift weights about 5 times per week and do 20 minute HIIT cardio 2-3 times a week (My go to is the elliptical).  

5. Prep your food.  This isn’t necessary, but it's a definite way to get you ahead of the game.  I do this a couple times a week and often log my meals the night before so I can be sure I am getting my proper breakdowns (Fat, Protein, Carbs).  This will take some getting used to, but after a couple of weeks, it will be second nature.  The food you choose needs to fit your daily intake for Fat, Protein and Carbs within your allowed calories.  I will be posting my food diary at a later date to give you an idea of what I eat.  I will tell you I am never starving and I eat delicious foods.

6.   If you can hire a trainer to help you with the process, I would suggest it.  However, let me assure you this can be done without the help of a trainer.  I repeat, YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN!  I started this process on my own and have just recently hired a trainer to help me get to the next level and he is teaching me a lot.  

I hope you will enjoy following along with me on this adventure.  I have a long way to go with a lot to learn, so if you want to jump on the train with me, please do.  I am happy to answer any questions you may have, or give you the encouragement to get started.  Just leave me a comment and I will do my best to get back with you. I am so thankful for the people in my life that motivate and encourage me everyday, so I understand just how important a support system is.  Here’s to living a healthy life and feeling great with the body you want!

xo-Alison