Jenna Pardini

Counting Macros

01.27.2014

Counting macros. Who does it? Who is against it? Who has no idea what that is?

I have officially gone crazy and am on my first week of counting macros. Macros including how many grams of proteins, carbs, and fats my meals consist of. Wow, this is harder than I thought, requires a lot of brain power and prep time! I just purchased my first food scale and have officially gone off the deep end. 😉 Just kidding, but seriously wondering if any of you count protein, carbs, fats etc? It is not an easy task, but so far so good. This is my first week testing the waters, and I’m not 100% sure I’m doing it right, but I’m sure it will get easier with time. Hopefully in no time, I can just know exactly what to eat and when without having to think about it.

I’m not competing, nor am I obsessing, I’ve just been very curious and want to see how my body reacts. I love the whole learning process of it all, and actually paying detailed attention to what I eat. The prep time is more tedious, but if we want the body of our dreams, we have to work for it! Not only am I wanting to see what physical changes I see, but also how this affects my training runs for the marathon. Food is power, and so far I feel like it may be the key to getting me through grueling 15/20 mile runs. I’m in the muscle growing stages, and to gain muscle I eat, eat, eat. (Turns out this isnt so bad after all) 😉

I’ve been following a truly inspiring instagram account called “Passion2befit”. Ashley (passion2befit) and I have been emailing back and forth and I’ve grown to get to know her through social media. She is an amazing athlete who shares her bodybuilding life through pictures and sets out to help as many people as possible. (I am very excited to have her featured on the blog soon!) Ashley created a meal plan for me, taking in about 1900 calories/day. Here are some pictures that capture my meals (a few snacks not pictured):

(4 eggs white with spinach; oatmeal with cinnamon; non fat greek yogurt; chicken, broccoli and quinoa; stuffed pepper from Trader Joes with salad; rice cake with cake batter protein powder and blueberries)

I’m sure some of you are thinking, why the heck is she doing that? My intention is to take a peek into a life of a competitor/athlete and learn how to nourish my body, get to know my needs and watch the positive changes that may occur. This is all a learning process for me and so far, I’m loving the journey! Really excited to update you guys on my progress.

Don’t forget to enter the Michelle Bridges program giveaway. (She doesn’t count macros, but gets you on track with a delicious meal plan!)

GIVEAWAY! #12WBT

01.20.2014

I have some pretty awesome news for you guys. Remember the Michelle Bridges body transformation program that I did a few months back? Well, I am so excited to announce that I will be giving away 2 Memberships of the Michelle Bridges 12WBT Round 1! Yes, you heard that right…2! (Each worth $199)

This program is EXCELLENT for all fitness levels and gives you all the tools you need to change your lifestyle. I couldn’t be a bigger fan of the delicious recipes, workouts that fit any lifestyle and overall motivation Michelle personally gives. Here are a few more details:

Pre-Season of Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation Round 1 is currently in session and open for sign ups! *Pre-Season explained below.

Round 1 of MB 12WBT kicks off February 3rd, 2014 and continues for 12 weeks! Remember, members start together, and finish together as a team! You must sign up by February 3rd 2014.

Michelle’s 12 Week Body transformation program is delivered online by Michelle herself, where she will be your trainer, coach, and mentor at a cost much lower than a personal trainer. The cost is $19.99 per week or $199 one-time-payment.

Pre-season: Like any great journey, preparation is the key! Michelle has designed 12 Pre-Season tasks to set members up for success and get the most out of their upcoming 12WBT Round 1. Every few days of Pre-Season, a new task will be unlocked for members to complete. Don’t stress about fitting them in – each one won’t take much of your time, so no excuses! Prior to the Feb 3rd kick off, try your best to complete each task, as each will give you the prep you need to smash through the next 12 weeks! Pre-Season is open NOW!

www.michellebridges.com/12wbt

More about Michelle:

Trainer on the Biggest Loser Australia for over 8 years
Trainer for over 25 years
People have lost over 1.7 million pounds on her program
Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation is Australia’s #1 Online Fitness Program
Michelle has been featured in NYT, TODAY show, Access Hollywood.
Program is unique because it includes changing your mindset – something other programs don’t – so you can actually discover why you fall back on old habits and overcome those obstacles to change your lifestyle beyond the 12 weeks
Success stories highlighting not just weight loss, but people who’ve actually transformed nearly every aspect of their lives for the better
Check out these success videos: Video 1 / Video 2 / Video 3

How to enter the GIVEAWAY:

Easy entry for all Fitness & the City Facebook Fans
Follow Fitness & the City on Instagram
Follow Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation on Facebook
Follow Michelle Bridges on Instagram

Optional Entry: Sign up for FREE Fitness & the City emails on the sidebar —>

Please leave a comment below letting me know that you completed all entries.

Winner will be announced January 28th. Good luck!

Also, feel free to comment with any questions you may have about the program.

Stay connected with Michelle Bridges via: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

I have been financially compensated for this giveaway but as always, all opinions are my own.

Steep Stress Away

01.15.2014

I love love love drinking my cup of tea before bed each night. Why? Because it keeps my away from the piece of chocolate I typically crave, has zero calories and helps me to de-stress. Traditional Medicinals was kind enough to send some of their tea to try and I cant get enough. Seriously. Im addicted. As most are addicted to coffee, I’m addicted to my nightly calming tea. I have a naturally high stress level and am always on the go, so this is my way to finally relax at the end of the day.

About Traditional Medicinals:

“For nearly forty years we’ve been passionate about connecting people with plants. And we’re equally as passionate about passing along the centuries-old wisdom of how to use them. So even though our look has changed, our aspirations remain the same: help you discover the power of plants. We don’t just make formulas because they sound good. Every tea and herbal product that we make must have sufficient evidence of safety, quality and efficacy in support of our claim statements and formulation rationale.”

More about tea…Did you know?

Green tea can help you maintain a healthy weight and interfere with fat formation in the body.
White tea can help you look younger by strengthening elastin and collagen.
Black tea can help reduce stress levels and risk of heart attack.
Tea can help boost exercise endurance.
Antioxidants in tea can help protect against a ton of different cancers.
Tea is hydrating!!
…and the list goes on. (Source)

Here are the teas Ive tried and loved:

Easy Now – A soothing blend of relaxing herbs like passionflower, chamomile, lavender and catnip, a mug of this is a great start when you’re looking to unwind.

Chamomile with Lavender – This tea settles your nervous system and relaxes your digestive system. Brew a cup when feeling frazzled or tense* and this herbal blend of beautiful and fragrant flowers and lemon balm will help ease your nervous tension or upset stomach.*

Nighty Night – With the help of passionflower, a wildly intense beauty with calming properties, this tea will aid in relaxation and allow the body to ease into a good night’s sleep.

Do you drink tea? If so, what’s your favorite?

Traditional Medicinals sent me products free of charge, but as always all opinions are my own.

1000+ Calorie Burn Workout

01.13.2014

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! Awhile back when I was taking part in the Michelle Bridges body transformation, I mentioned an awesome Saturday workout of mine which burned more than 1000 calories!! I put a little twist on that workout and have continued to do it about once a week since then. A number of you have asked to share, so here you have it.

If you want to burn a number amount of calories, you have to put in the work! Just getting on the elliptical and going through the motions doesn’t do the trick. You need to really dig deep, find that motivation within and go for it! High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a must for maximum calorie burn. I LOVE doing this workout especially on Saturday mornings when I have a little extra time, as it will take a little over an hour. I can’t even explain how amazing it feels to complete this and see the amount of calories you just burned. Such an accomplishment.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Paris Marathon Training

01.09.2014

Hi there! I have gotten a couple requests to share my Paris Marathon training schedule so here it is! I’ll be training and running the marathon with a friend of mine so she has set up our miles and route for each Saturday. Yikes!!! I have never trained for a marathon before (although I ran the SF Marathon), so this is going to be extremely challenging. Along with our long Saturday training runs, I plan to run 3-4 miles about 2-3 times a week.

If you are in training mode, one of my biggest suggestions would be to find a running buddy. I would not be able to get through this training without a friend running with me, and pushing me along. I am an extremely motivated person, but 26 freaking miles, is much easier with someone by your side.

Also, here is the Half Marathon Training Schedule I have used in past races for those of you looking to run a half.

I am SO ready to step outside my comfort zone and accomplish something as exciting as a full marathon IN Paris. What a dream!!

Do you have a race coming up? Or would you take a leap and sign up for one?

For more marathon related articles:

17 things running teaches you about life / Tips to fuel before a race / Marathon must-haves

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