fitness

Homemade Almond Butter / New Etsy Find

09.03.2013

Hope you had a terrific Labor Day weekend! We spent the weekend in Sonoma visiting my parents, soaking up the sun and relaxing. While there, my mom and I decided to make homemade almond butter. I don’t think you guys understand how easy it is to make. Why buy it at the store when making your own is SO simple and nutritious!

DIRECTIONS: put your almonds in a food processor and let it run. That’s it, seriously! After 1 minute your almonds will start to resemble almond meal. They will then start to build up on the side, so every 2-3 minutes you will want to stop and push the almonds down before continuing. After a couple minutes the almonds will start to get clumpy and sticky. This is when they finally start to release their oils. After 10-12 minutes your almonds will then resemble almond butter, but don’t stop there! After a couple more minutes of processing your almond butter will magically release more oils and become creamy and smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt if you wish and give it one last swirl. Easy, right?!

I had mine with some pears, while the fam enjoyed some it on some whole wheat bread. My fave is toasting a piece of Ezekiel bread with a spread of almond butter on the top and enjoying while warm. Remember, almonds are a “good fat” and should be included in your diet. Peanut butter is much higher in fat therefore I personally prefer almond butter to peanut butter. 🙂

———————————-

How freaking cute is this notepad?! I got it from an adorable Etsy shop called Charm and Gumption. They have a lot of cute paper products, notepads, stationary, invitations and more. When I saw this fitness notepad I had to have it and can’t wait to order more! Visit the Charm and Gumption website here.

Follow me on instagram if you don’t already, I share a ton more photos on there! : @fitnessandthecity

Have a great week! 🙂

What I Ate Wednesday / Grocery Shopping Tip

08.28.2013

I am linking up for another What I ate Wednesday! Hopefully this gives you guys some ideas of what I eat, as I am constantly looking for new meal recipes! Head over to Peas and Crayons for more clean eating ideas! She makes master pieces over there, where as my cooking skills are slowly but surely progressing. These pics are lacking veggies which I ate but are not pictured, so here is the gist of my meals:

Breakfast: post workout protein shake with my fave yogurt. Fage Total 0% greek yogurt is my go-to. I buy at least 5/week, love!

Lunch: I bought this chicken pre-packaged at Trader Joes. These are SO good! This one is a lemon flavor, but they have plenty others also. I usually shop on Sundays or Mondays and prepare my meals for the week. My lunch will look very similar to this all week.

A little peak into my desk drawer at work…full of Quest Bars! The perfect afternoon snack. This is my fave flavor also! YUM!

Dinner: Egg whites, extra lean chicken sausage and tomatoes for me, cheese for my boyfriend. We almost always eat the same dinner, just different variations. (It’s not the prettiest pic but this is reality) 🙂

Dark chocolate after dinner is my guilty pleasure…alright secrets out. I just discovered this new store here in SF called New Tree. Its more of a coffee shop but they make these delicious chocolates!

————————–

Have you guys seen the show Extreme Weightloss? I am obsessed! It is so educational and the stories very inspiring. One take-away from the show: shop the outside of the aisles in the grocery store. Everything you need is on the outer parts of the store. No need to go within the aisles. This is SO true and one of the best grocery shopping tips. Also, the junk is right in front of you, you must search for the healthy items. This reality is unfortunate, but go with a list and search for the items you need instead of spur of the moment shopping which often leads to buying more unhealthy items.

Head to Rocco Dispirito’s website and check out his healthy cookbooks. I am so anxious to try his recipes. Let me know what you think!

Dream BIG and start NOW!

08.23.2013

I know I talk about sets, super-sets, to failure and all these terms I’m sure you haven’t heard of, right? Thing is, I just learned what they are myself, so I hope you’re not reading this feeling discouraged because you don’t know what a tricep extension super-set with a bench tricep kickback is. Everyone starts as a beginner, including myself about a year or so ago. Heck, I still don’t know a lot of different terms or the perfect way to do this or that. Its been a long process for me and I wish that I had more time to study and get certified. The more you read, research and practice the more it will make sense, I promise!

I remember the first time I stepped foot in the weight room, I was terrified! Had no idea what to do, didn’t want to look like a total nerd for bringing in a notebook full of exercises and hated the fact that every boy stares at the girl in the weight room. As time went on, you kind of get used to it. Gain confidence in your workouts, get ideas from watching other people do exercises and get comfortable with it. I assure you, if you are feeling like I did in the beginning, it gets better! Keep at it, get in there and lift with the boys! You will be kicking major a$$ in no time! 🙂

Since we’re talking about different levels of fitness, another thing I mention a lot is 100% clean eating and exercising 6 days a week. I know this is not a normal routine for the average person, so make if fit into your lifestyle. For those starting out, try exercising 3-4 days a week and see how you feel. Take baby steps. No need to start off full force. If you are on the quest to eating healthier, try eating 2-3 sweets a week or cutting back your favorite junk food. If that seems like a lot, try to limit to once a day. Work your way towards the 100% clean eating. Make that your goal. I have slowly progressed to the stage I am at now and would have never imagined I would be running the full marathon (literally). Your metabolism will speed up with time and nutrition will become a cinch the more you practice. My biggest advice is to research. Use google, use the internet, there are tons of millions of articles out there about fitness and nutrition. Even magazines have helped me learn a new exercise or what or what not to eat when. No matter what fitness level you’re at, do your research! (bodybuilding.com has been my go-to resource)

Bottom line, all fitness levels welcome here!! We all start somewhere. Don’t get discouraged by your level of commitment or knowledge. Every expert was once a beginner! Make fitness FIT into your lifestyle. Set small goals and work towards the larger ones. Start NOW, so you can look back and see how far you’ve come. 🙂

Tips To Getting Your AM Workout On

08.14.2013

I am loving my new routine lately, so much I had to share it with you guys! Since I started a new job I have been waking up early and working out before work. I have been trying to do this for years, but now I am able to get to work just a tad later. Lazy? Nope, not me…but I will admit I am not a morning person! Working out in the am has its benefits! I am full of energy throughout the day and have gained a small amount of my social life back. I LOVE getting it done allowing me to either make it a double day later, or have the free time after work. I have been doing cardio in the am and weights in the pm. It’s all about PRIORITIES and finding the time to squeeze in a good workout. One of the biggest things I’ve learned from this lifestyle is that if you make it a priority, you will find the time to commit. I was shocked at how many people were at the gym at 6am. Go you!

So my dare to you: wake up 1 hour earlier and either go to the gym, go for a run or do some yoga or weight training in your home! Then tell me how you feel. 🙂

Here are some tips to getting your morning workout on:

Sleep in your gym clothes. I know, seems weird but saves time from having to change or pick out an outfit in the morning (which for some reason takes a while for me)
Prep your protein shakes/water/heart rate monitors all together so you can grab and go in the am
Set your coffee timer (if you prefer coffee to get you going)
Think about what you will train in the am whether it be a specific body part, cardio, yoga, spin? More thinking at night and less in the morning seems to work best for me.
Set your alarm
Go to bed early! Get as many zzz’s as possible.

…And before you know it you’re on the road to success!!

This may seem a little uber organized, but this is what has worked for me so worth a try. 🙂

Question: Do you prefer am or pm workouts?

Have a great week! xo

Napa to Sonoma 5k / HUGE new goal!

07.23.2013

Hi loves! Sorry for my lack of posts lately, I have been a busy bee! New beginnings, change and exciting transitions are a good thing, right? Anyways, I do have some exciting news. Well two things, fitness related. First off, I placed 10th overall in the Napa to Sonoma 5k this weekend! 7th place female! It’s so exciting to make progress! If you follow my Facebook page, I talk about progress all the time. Little progress is better than no progress at all! Shaving time off my runs, seeing huge changes in my body and feeling overall very happy! Doesn’t get better than that. 🙂

This course was absolutely beautiful! I regret not running the half marathon, but will next year! People come from all over to visit the wine country which happens to be my home town. It’s really eye opening to return and realize how beautiful it really is! I may be a city girl, but Sonoma will always have my heart. 🙂

Such a fun event!! They had tons of wine tasting after and I saw a cute shirt that pretty much sums is up:

“Run a lit, Wine a lot”. 🙂

Next goal…maybe top 5? Hmmm… 😉

Exciting News #2- Sooooo, I sat down with a girlfriend of mine the other night who happens to be a photographer. We chatted a little bit about my fitness goals and you know what I realized? I don’t have one! So with that said I have decided that I really want to do a fitness photo shoot in 3-4 months!!!! I am so nervous to announce that and have been majorly doubting myself but after talking to others about it, why the heck not?! I need a goal, why not make it a big one. To be photo shoot ready to me, means getting in the best physical shape I have ever been. BUT doing it all on my own. Not using a nutritionist or trainer, but being my own motivation. I want to share the journey with you guys and see how I progress. Why the heck not, right? So I have yet to set a date, and SO nervous to commit but with this post, I think I just committed!! YIKES. I will need to believe in myself more than I ever have before! So stay tuned peeps!

Find your passion and the sky’s the limit! xoxo

fitness

Latest from Instagram