Mint Green

Nothing says spring like the perfect shade of mint green.  I love the spring season with the new grass coming up out of the ground and the colorful fresh flowers in bloom.  And then the colors in fashion to coordinate with the season...Effortless!  This post is not totally health or fitness related but it is one of my random obsessions:)  What are some of your favorite spring colors?

5 Ways To Help You Loose Weight

Swimsuit season is coming in hot, so it's time to kick it in high gear and get rid of some excess body fat.  I know I titled this post, "5 Ways To Help You Loose Weight" but please don't focus on the actual number you see on the scale.  If you can just focus on eating healthy and controlling your portion sizes, this will be much easier and way less stressful for you, and you are sure to see results sooner than later. :)  If you have any other tips that have helped you shed that unwanted body fat, please share! 

Make it a great day! 

1- Eat Breakfast

Eating breakfast is so important for more than just weight loss goals.  It helps your mood so you feel happy, it helps your brain so you can think more clearly and it helps give your metabolism the boost it needs to get going for the day.  Breakfast is one of those meals that you can get away with eating good healthy complex carbs and feel no guilt from doing so.  I always try to include a complex carb, some protein and little good fat in my breakfast.  One of my favorite go-to breakfasts is a little bowl of oats with 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, chopped nuts (usually cashews or almonds), a little almond milk and a few raisins or craisins.  Another one of my favorite breakfasts is 1-2 fries or scrambled eggs on top of 1 piece of whole wheat toast and salsa to top it off.

2 - Eat Smaller Meals More Often

If you take 3 normal size healthy, well balanced meals and split them up into 5 or 6 little "snack" meals and then spread them out throughout the day, you would be loosing weight in no time!  Eating smaller portions more often really boosts your metabolism and allows your body to use everything you've consumed for energy instead of storing it away as fat.  When you eat smaller meals, you have to make sure you're eating balance meals so they you'r body ins't ingesting all these empty calories and then telling you it's hungry 2 seconds later.  

3- No Bread After Breakfast

Since whole wheat bread is a complex carb it takes your body longer to digest it, which is why your able to get away with eating complex carbs in the morning.  After breakfast though, if your looking to loose weight quicker, skip the bread and complex carbs.  Go for the veggies and lean proteins!

4- Eat Enough Protein

Eating protein not only helps keep you full longer, it also is the key component in repairing and maintaining your muscles after you workouts.  And we all know that having muscle is incredibly important in helping you loose excess fat.  

5 - Stop Eating Out!

Eating out is one of the deadliest things you can do to sabotage your weight loss goals.  I know that restaurants have become a little more healthy but the food is not near as fresh and doesn't have near the amount of nutrients in it as it would have if you bought it yourself and prepared your own meals.  Plus, when you buy your own food and prepare your own meals you are forced to plan out your own menu.  When you plan out your own menu you are setting yourself up for success because you can now control exactly what gets brought into your home and ends up on your plate.   

5 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

It can be intimidating to start a new chapter in life, one that involves a healthy, fit you!  It makes it a little easier to reach your weight loss goals when you have a metabolism that's working for you rather than against you.  Here are 6 things you can do to really aid in helping you get to where you want to be.  Number one is sticking to your goal!  Make realistic goals so you don't get overwhelmed and give up.  Just think baby steps:)  Once you get a few baby steps down, move onto the next step and you'll be looking and feeling great in no time!  Good luck!  I know you can do it!  

1 - Build More Muscle

The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn and you don't even have to do anything.  Every pound of muscle burns between 5-7 calories in a day.  That means that say 135 lb female will burn between 675 and 945 calories a day doing nothing.  

2 - Eat, Eat, Eat

When people try to loose weight, they tend to think that drastically cutting back on calories will do the trick.  While they might loose a bit, almost all of them will gain the amount they lost plus some over time.  The reason for this is because when you limit your calories so much, your body automatically goes into starvation mode and begins to store everything and anything you put in your mouth, including healthy foods.  The best way I've found, is to eat every 3-5 hours just a little something that has carbs, protein and maybe a little fat and around 200-500 calories.  By eating this way you are constantly keeping your metabolism going, which makes your metabolism become faster.  Just what we want! :)

3 - High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

This type of training boosts your metabolism the most due to the intensity.  When you perform HIIT, your metabolism goes into overdrive for up to 3 days!  Doing this type of training 4 times a week will really aid in your weigh loss goals.  I have a few examples of this under my "Workout" section.  You can also take any exercise and create your own HIIT mix, just make sure you have a mix of strength and cardio when creating your own!:)

4 - Water

Make sure you're drinking plenty of water.  You don't have to necessarily over-do the whole water thing.  Just make sure you're getting between 6-8 glasses a day.  Staying hydrated will help keep your metabolism going and your body running smoothly, so drink up.

5 - Spice It Up

Adding spice to your meal will help increase your metabolism.  One of my favorite snacks as of late is putting humus on a corn tortilla and drizzling cholula or smoked tobacco sauce on it, so good!  If you're not a into spicy foods, ginger and mustard will also help raise your metabolism.

6 - Protein, Protein, Protein

Make sure you're eating enough protein!  This one is so important for so many reasons.  For one, protein builds muscle and muscle burns fat.  Two, Protein helps regulate your blood sugar which stabilizes your insulin, which helps regulate your metabolism.  And three, protein supports your immune system, which keeps you healthy and vibrant.  Some of my favorite sources of good protein are fresh alaskan salmon, garbonzo beans, black beans, chicken, greek yogurt, nuts, seeds and eggs.  Hemp seeds are an exceptionally great source of protein and can be easily thrown into almost any dish you're making!

  

Spicy Cucumber Salad

I hope you're all having a great start to your week!  I know for a lot of people you crash on the weekends and then pick back up starting Monday.  If that's the case, then this is a great salad to use for lunches, dinners or just a snack.  This salad has very few calories and you can eat more than usual and still loose weight.  Besides the benefits of cucumbers, the spices in this dish will rev up your metabolism and help you burn off those calories and feel good again.  Let me know what you think of this recipe!  I found it off Jeanette's Healthy Living:)  I would like to find a few more cucumber salad recipes to get me through spring and summer, if you have a favorite let me know:)  Thanks!


Make it a great day!


2 cucumbers (thinly sliced)
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (adjust for more or less spicy)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sugar

Combine cucumbers in salt and in colander, place over a bowl. Allow to sit for 25 minutes.
Place salted cucumbers on a layer of paper towels and pat dry.
Combine red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, garlic, oil and sugar in bowl.
Add cucumbers and toss well.
Serve chilled.

Last Chance to Win Free Color Me Rad Passes!

Last Chance to Win Color Me Rad Passes! Enter for your chance to win!

Entry Rules:

**MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF STAYMOTIVATEDWITHME**

*Like StayMotivatedWithMe on facebook

*Like ColorMeRad on faceook

*Post the link to this giveaway on your facebook/blog

Good Luck!

For more details about this race, go to ColorMeRad.com

7 Tips for Staying Motivated

Staying motivated is one of the hardest things to do sometimes. Life gets so busy and working out seems to get pushed aside, yet that's one of things that keeps our minds fresh, our bodies healthy and strong and our emotions in check. Here are seven tips to help get you and keep you motivated!  Work on one every day of the week and by the end of the week you'll be ready to get moving:)

1. Set a Goal
If you have no goal then you have no place to go. Set realistic goals. Start small. Don't get carried away. If it's just walking for 5 minutes a day, great! If it's running a marathon, great! As long as you are working towards something you will be able to achieve, you're on the right track.


2. Make a Schedule
Putting your workout into your schedule will help to ensure you've created time for yourself to work on whatever workout goal you've designed. Now, stick to your schedule and it will soon become habit! :)

3. Get Cute Workout Clothes
What you wear to workout in, really can make all the difference in how well you workout. Make sure you buy workout wear that's flattering, comfortable and of course functional.

4. Create a Support Team
Get your friends and family involved if you can or at least tell them all about your goals and that you would appreciate all their support. The more people who are aware of what you're doing the more likely you are to stick to it!

5. Do What You Like
You are ten times more likely to stick to something you actually like doing verses something you don't. This might require that you venture out and try new things to find the few things you actually like doing. Make sure to give yourself a little time too...don't just try something once and give up. Really try it and then decide if you like it. :)

6. Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress allows you to really see how far you've come and give you inspiration and motivation to keep going.

7. Reward Yourself
We reward our kids all the time...Why not reward ourselves? When you reach your goal, go get a pedicure, a new book or something else that's considered rewarding to you. This should act as a great motivational tool and help you reach your workout goals!

My goal right now is to train for another half marathon and stick to my training guide! Tell me what your workout goals are?

Last Chance To Win Free Color Me Rad Passes!

I have 2 more FREE passes to give away to 2 more lucky winners!  What better way to jump into spring than to get blasted with color, burn some calories and enjoy good company!  This is going to be such a fun race!  It's perfect for any level of fitness!  Get a friend, make a goal together and run this race!

 Good luck to you all! :)

Entry Rules:

**MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF STAYMOTIVATEDWITHME**

*Like StayMotivatedWithMe on facebook

*Like ColorMeRad on faceook

*Post the link to this giveaway on your facebook/blog

Good Luck!

For more details about this race, go to ColorMeRad.com

Passion Fruit

What do you do when winter lasts to long?  I buy exotic fruit:)  My mom recently returned from the Caribbean and shared with us her story of passion fruit smoothies.  Apparently the woman that gave her this passion fruit smoothy has given this same drink to her children. Because passion fruit lowers blood pressure so much she can only give her children a certain amount.  This lady also told my mom that when her children drink this smoothie, they end up taking 3 hour long naps.  Now we're talking!  Bring on the passion fruit! :) Ha! Ha!  What's the most exotic food you've tried?

    Benefits of Passions Fruit 

    • Passion fruit is a very rich source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber. 100 g of fruit has about 100 calories.

• This fruit is a great source of good dietary fiber.  Good fiber in your diet helps remove the bad cholesterol from your body.   The fruit is a very good source of dietary fiber. 100 g fruit pulp contains 10.4 g of dietary fiber.
• It's a great source of vitamin C; provides about 30 mg per 100g.  Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight off pro-inflammatory free radicals.
• This fruit provides a good amount of vitamin A which help with vision and protects against lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Passion fruit is also very rich in potassium; providing about 350 mg of potassium in 100g of the fruit.  Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. 

2 More Winners!

Congratulations!!!

The winners for last weeks giveaway to ColorMeRad are 

Caitlin Obrien and Jenn Lassiter

You are going to love this race and have so much fun! :)

Jenn and Caitlin, email me at Tiffany@StayMotivatedWithMe.com so I can get you your passes.  Thanks:)

2 More Color Me Rad Passes to Giveaway!

I have another 2 FREE passes for Color Me Rad! This is such a fun race to run! Round up your friends and enter for your chance to win! 

 Have you ever run a race? If so, what's your favorite?

Entry Rules:

**MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF STAYMOTIVATEDWITHME**

*Like StayMotivatedWithMe on facebook

*Like ColorMeRad on faceook

*Post the link to this giveaway on your facebook/blog

Good Luck!

For more details about this race, go to ColorMeRad.com

Jenn and Karrasch Won!

Congratulations!!!

The winners for last weeks giveaway to ColorMeRad are 

Jenn and Karrasch

You are going to love this race and have so much fun! :)

Jenn and Karrasch, email me at Tiffany@StayMotivatedWithMe.com so I can get you your passes.  Thanks:)

Strawberries

Nothing beats fresh produce!  When I was a kid, living in California, my family would go to the stands that had the freshest produce in the world!  They would literally have just picked it that day!  My favorites were oranges and strawberries!  To this day I still love both, but now I'm kinda picky about what I'll even buy just because the mass produced produce doesn't come close to tasting like the fresh produce I used to get as a child.  Ah….I miss those days:)  With that said, I did purchase a flat of strawberries at Costco last week and I have to say that these berries are very very tasty!   It's a good thing they're so good for you because I eat so many!

Benefits of Strawberries:

*Loaded with antioxidants and detoxifiers which help with preventing eye problems due to aging and arthritis.

*Help fight the growth of cancer  cells.

*Helps with brain function.

*Helps with lowering high blood pressure caused by sodium.

*Help with heart disease and better functioning of the heart.

*Helps prevent birth defects.

*Helps prevent infections and colds.


How To Buy Strawberries:

Strawberries come in many sizes.  Berry size is influenced by the variety, time of picking during the season and their growing conditions.  Sometimes the smaller the berry, the sweeter and tastier it is.  The best berries are dry, firm and fully ripe.  Leaves should be green and very fresh looking.  Careful for a stained box; that could indicate that the berries could be overripe.