So many people get on this fitness journey not because they have the desire to but because they want to look like the girls they see on social medias and think it will make them more attractive and boost their confidence. Guess what? It's all in your head. Self-esteem and confidence are things no plastic surgeon or workouts can fix.

Stop trying to look like other people or wishing you were like them. It will make you more depressed and feel worthless. Instead, do this for you and say to yourself every morning that you are beautiful, you want to live longer and feel Good. Many women, even trainers, have surgeries and live on supplements, but yet make you think it's all natural and all you need is to work hard. Then when you don't get the results you expected after a couple of months, you start convincing yourself that it is not your thing. I've been working out for 5years and I don't use anything, NOTHING. The highest I can go is maybe have a protein bar if I'm out running some errands. I still have some cellulite at the back of my legs and I love it because it is a part of my body and makes my feminity

I am writing this today because I see so many women beating themselves up over how they think they should look. It is about your health and nothing else. Nobody said you should have big muscles and be all cut because you workout and eat healthy. Our bodies are different and you should focus more on doing what's right than wanting all these crazy unrealistic results.

Love yourself, be thankful, workout, eat healthy, and the rest will follow😘

All of us struggle with being healthy and sticking to our workouts. I, too, still struggle. There are days I wake up and ask myself why I'm doing all this. Some days, I just want to stop working out and eat a gallon of ice cream with some cookies and a chocolate cake but then I remind myself why I started this journey.

    Fitness and eating healthy is not about being skinny, having muscles, or a big butt (saying this because most women start working out thinking it's going to make their butt bigger). It's all about your health. Fitness should become a lifestyle not a chore. If you turn these two into an every day task like taking a shower or brushing your teeth then it becomes easier to do. I know a gentleman who is 350lbs, he runs marathons, works out every day but he decided not to give up his eating habits and I applauded him for That. I took this example to make you understand it's not all about being skinny; beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. I just want you guys to understand how important living a healthy lifestyle is. You can be a little heavy but if you do what you are supposed to, you will feel so much better.

  Some people say they do not need to exercise or eat healthy because they love themselves which I understand and respect but God gave us one body and we need to take care of it. You might be young and may not have any health issues but the older you get the less your body is able to handle certain things. That's why I never ask people to give up their food choices, make them healthier and better. Also, you can never get a good meal out of the window of a drive thru.

   This entry is so close to my heart because I was having a conversation with a man the other day and he told me how he never cared about eating healthy and exercising because he's always been skinny and thought skinny meant healthy. The guy had 3 heart attacks by the time he was 40. Never had symptoms or health issues. Food and exercise are the 1st two medicine. I would rather have a heart attack or stroke knowing I did everything in my power to avoid them, than sitting on my couch and eating myself to death.

   Be smart and choose wisely

 

          Everybody wants to lose weight or wants to be healthy but 90% of the time, we do it the wrong way. We often find ourselves envying fitness models or athletes and end falling into a crazy workout routines or drastic diets. The thing we always forget is bodies and minds are so different. What works for me does Not necessarily work you, that's why You ought to figure what works for YOU.

1. Drastic diets are a big no for me because you'll end up gaining all your weight back after a couple of months. Why? You did not give your body and brain time to adjust. You cannot go from eating greasy foods every day to salads. Your body will crave the junk to the point where you'll end giving in to temptations. Like I said in the nutrition article, substitute. Instead of frying your chicken, bake and so on.

2. Do not attempt workouts that are way out of your league just because you want fast results. You are NOT competing with anybody but yourself. It's all about baby steps. Lots of people go from not working out to wanting to try high intensity bootcamps. Guess what? You have a high chance of giving up. If you've never worked out, start with walking then add short jogs in between. Do some low intensity aerobics and increase your level as you go.

3. People always ask me what my secret is because some do not believe I lost weight just by working out and making few changes. Well sorry to disappoint you but that's all I've been doing. There's no secret pill or secret because if you take weight loss pills, teas, and etc, the weight will quickly come back as soon as you stop. Everything is in your head. Our thoughts are what control us. If you tell your mind (not body) I can do it, you definitely will. We are tired, hungry, mad, sad, depressed because we tell ourselves that's how we are feeling. When you get hungry and you know you just ate, tell your brain to shut up because you just fed your stomach. Try this with every emotions you feel and tell me the results. Will be waiting :)

      Cooking is sometimes challenging especially when you have to work and have a family. Here are some quick and healthy recipes that will save you time and keep your palettes satisfied.

Spaghetti squash carbonara.

   INGREDIENTS:

1 large squash
4 slices of bacon, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
1 cup of parmesan cheese
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of chopped parsley
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven at 400°F
Slice squash in half. Remove all the seeds and strings.
Place in a pan  and cover with aluminum foil and let cook for 40 minutes.
When squash is ready, rake all the squash and place the inside in a pan.
Cook the thinly sliced bacon in a large skillet.
Combine eggs, cheese, and all the seasonings in a bowl.
Add the spaghetti and eggs/cheese mixture to the bacon.
Stir for 5 minutes and let cool for 1 then serve. (You can add more parmesan on top if you want)
Photo credit: food Network
 

SPICY BARBECUE CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken drumsticks
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce of your choice but I recommend one with less sugar
2 green chili peppers
2 chicken cubes bouillon
1 tbsp of dried parsley
1 tbsp of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven at 375°F
Season the chicken with cubes bouillon, black pepper, and dried parsley.
Put in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.
Slice your chili peppers
Toss the chicken in barbecue sauce then top with the peppers.
Let broil for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how brown you want it.

Craving banana bread but don't want all the carbs and sugar? Here's an easy recipe to help with your cravings.

    Ingredients:

2 cups of grinded oats
2 large bananas
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp of Vanilla extract
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

     Instructions:
 
Preheat oven at 350°F
Mashup the bananas. Add the eggs and grinded oats.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix all together until even.
Lightly grease up a baking pan. Pour your mixture and let cook for 45 minutes.
Take out and let cool for 30 minutes then serve.

Here are some flourless peanut butter cookies. There are packed with protein and will keep you full.

Ingredients:

1 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon of baking soda

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F and grease cookie sheet.
Beat peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and baking soda. Mix until everything is well combined.
Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball and place on sheet.
Put in oven and let cook for 8 to 15 minutes (depend on how brown and crispy you want them).
Place out and let cool for 10 minutes.

When it comes to working out, I usually say do what's best for you but I would definitely recommend you to get a membership at your local gym and these are the reasons why:

- Working out at home is very distracting, especially for moms.
- You can easily give up when you workout at home.
- You will find yourself taking unnecessary breaks

 I'm saying these out of experience because I was there. I will recommend to take a membership at a gym that's 24hours because you can go up there whenever you want to. A gym that has childcare (for moms because I would've never been able to exercise if my gym didn't have one). And last but not least, a gym with fitness classes. Those will really help you, especially some of you who have never worked out, not to get bored at the gym and kind of learn what to do with weights and etc.

For those of you who can't make it to the gym or can't afford it, I would recommend YouTube fitness channels. Try to workout when your kids are sleeping or at school. Also, if you have an hour lunch break at work, walk around for 30minutes then have your lunch. Or, whenever you get home, walk or jog around your neighborhood for 30 minutes to an hour and when you get home, do some push ups, sit-ups, and squats so you can work your muscles. You can also buy some weights so your workout will be a little more intense and burn more fat.

We are what we eat and I'm saying this because 90% our health issues and physical appearance mostly are determined by what we put into our bodies. Like I said earlier, I'm not the person who will ask you to turn into a vegan or cut out all your carbs or whatsoever because I don't but what I always recommend and preach on is portion control and healthy substitutes.
 
 First of, if you're a sweet lover like me, I will ask you to make your own desserts. For example, if you want to eat a cake instead of using regular flour, you can switch to oat or whole wheat flour. As your sugar, you can opt for honey and a banana (also works well even in chocolate or red velvet cake). Choose unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk and 2teaspoons of vegetable oil instead of butter. These are some tiny changes you will make that will amazingly help you achieve your healthy you.

Secondly, the main course. Red meat might be tasty and all but it's also not good for you. It elevates your blood pressure, causes gout, and many more diseases but I'm not going to ask you to completely cut it. What you can do is, have a lean steak once a month so your body will not be craving it, especially those who are meat lovers. Focus on lean chicken/turkey and some fish (make sure the fish isn't raise on antibiotics because that's a big no no). Have more vegetables on your plate than your carbs. For example, if you're eating a hamburger, have a garden salad as the side and you might add a tiny portion of sweet potato or French fries. Or if it's a pizza night, have a slice of pizza with a lot of vegetables of your choice. Vegetables and salads are very filling and will help you control your cravings if  added to the meals you love.

Thirdly, NO SODA. Yes, NO SODA. your body doesn't need soda. It's full on sugar and is very addictive. You want to drink a sparkly drink? Make your own. You can get one of those soda makers, mix your water with some lemon, or strawberry, whatever you want with honey, put it on the machine and TADA you have your SODA. Eventually you will have to stop drinking sparkly drinks because the bubbles in those, can make you blotted or gassy. Truth be told, WATER is the best thing on earth you could ever drink so DRINK SOME WATER. If you think it's tasteless, add some lemon but you are going to have to drink at least 8 cups of water a day to see the results you want.