Please help promote Designs by Tiffany!

I have a side business that I am trying to grow.  It's a fashion accessories/clothing business.  I began selling mostly women accessories but recently decided to add children clothing, women clothing, little boy accessories like hats, ties,etc...The faster I grow, the more I am able to add to what I sell.  Will you help support me and please like my page (HERE) to help me grow?


Thanks in advance for you support!  :)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

This week has been super crazy with the husband out of town and me left to 4 crazy kids under the age of 4!  No need to say more!  Anyway, I managed to fit in a couple real workouts that I felt were great.  I think I felt they were great because first they only took 30 minutes or less and second because I can barely walk! Ha Ha!  That just goes to show you how out of shape I am too!  I'm getting there though!  Slowly but surely! :)

Here are just 2 that I thought were worth sharing if you felt like switching it up!  Let me know what you thought about these workouts and leave a comment about other workouts you like as well! :)

Jillian Miachaels 30 day shred level 3

Jessica Biel's Workout

Protein Shakes to Curb your Sugar Cravings

As you know, I'm really trying to cut back on my sugar intake.  Not so much fructose, more of the sucrose.  Easter weekend I had sweets 2 days and then the week following I had a couple airheads and jelly beans on 2 or 3 different occasions which isn't good for me!  That's what I'm trying not to eat!!!

I tend to crave sugar most when I haven't had the time to feed myself because I'm too busy feeding everyone else and cleaning up after the kids that I literally don't have time to eat.  That's not good at all!  So lately I've been very into these yummy protein shakes that curb my sweet cravings and satisfy my hunger.  Here are the two that I've been drinking the past couple weeks.

Chocolate Protein Shake:
1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder
1 Cup Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)
1-2 TBSP Cocoa Powder
15-17 Big Ice Cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla


Pina Colada Protein Shake
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 Cup Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 tsp Vanilla
15-17 Big Ice Cubes

Do you have any yummy protein shake "go to" recipes?

12 minute workout for 3-28-2013

I managed to find time today while the kids were napping to fit in a 12 minute high intensity workout, yeah!  My workout came from Zukalight.com.  I did the butt workout from March 27th.  I wanted so badly to hop on my bike or treadmill for 20-30 minutes afterwards but unfortunately my children needed me.  I guess I should say fortunately my children needed me.  At times I feel I'm being selfish by wanting the whole day to be about what I want and it takes a minute for reality check to set in before I realize how fortunate I am to be raising my own children and don't have to rely on someone else to raise them for me.  I do think however that it is mandatory that you take care of yourself first though.  My aunt always uses the analogy of the airlines telling you to put your oxygen mask on first and then your kin.  Same goes for life...if your oxygen tank is empty then you're useless to your children/husband/boyfriend/friend (whoever needs you).  I guess what I'm trying to say is something to the effect of don't feel guilty that you want to fit a workout into your day when realistically your day is filled with the demands of your precious children or whatever else is demanding of your time!

My food intake went like this:
Breakfast:  Old fashioned oats with honey and raisins.
Lunch: Protein shake (so good!)  Here is the recipe I used:
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBS cocoa powder
1 cup almond milk
15 Ice cubes

For lunch I also had about 4 bites of egg noodles with this chicken stroganoff.  Recipe for the chicken is HERE!

Snack:  1/2 cup raisin bran plain
Dinner: Salmon burger with Stubbs BBQ Sauce on white bread with 1/2 cup green beans no butter or salt, just plain tonight.

I usually don't eat white bread but did tonight because I was super hungry and it was an excuse not to waist scraps!  Nice excuse!  Obviously my diet could use some improvements but that will come in time.  Baby steps remember :)  Although if you want to see much quicker results eat a clean polished diet and your results will show much quicker than mine:)

Comments are always welcome!!! 

How Does A Mother of 4 Under 4 Do It???

You might be thinking to yourself, how in the world does a mother of 4 under 4 find the time to workout.  I ask myself that same question almost everyday!!!  I just had my 4th little munchkin a little over 2 months ago.  It took me a full 2 months to properly and completely heal from my c-section.  Before that, I hadn't done an ounce of any form of exercise since my horse accident on may 18th 2012!  Not even walking!  I guess a few times I did walk my other children to the park which is not even a mile away.  I could count that:)  Anyhow, long story short, my body and endurance is absolutely out of shape and not even close to par! I decided to begin logging my daily eating and workouts (if any) on this blog and see what happens along the way.   I'm mostly doing this for myself so that I continue to "stay motivated" for ME!!!  This is really just going to be a journal of trail and error and we can see what works and what doesn't:)  My plan for now is to mainly focus on what I eat!  I'm going to drastically limit my sugar intake and then go from there.  Baby steps!!

 I have to admit, I took some definite BEFORE pics this morning and was absolutely disgusted!  I want to do something about the way my body looks but honestly don't know when I can fit any form of exercise into my day or night for that matter.  But I can however control what I choose to put into my body for nutrition.  I'm more than open to any comments, questions or suggestions, so feel free to speak your mind and give your best tips and tricks ;)

Juicing And Pregnancy

I know it’s been a long while since I’ve published a post.  I kind of just left you hanging and I apologize for that.  To fill you in, I got in a horse accident and then at the same time got pregnant.  I couldn’t even walk until about August which honestly was hard but I was so sick from being pregnant that even if I wanted to work out I couldn’t.  I’m now past most of the intense sickness and only get nauseated if I don’t eat often.  Speaking of eating often...I have not been eating very well the past little while and I don’t like the feeling of it.  I’m now on a healthy kick again and ready to begin really focusing on whatever I put into my mouth being nutrient dense so it counts for something other than expanding my butt!  Oh, and come January, well realistically probably February due to healing time I am going to be super specific about exactly what I am doing and eating on a daily basis to loose all of my baby weight and get back in shape!  My goal is to loose everything within 3-4 months!  It can be done!  It will be done!  And I would love for you to do it with me:)  So in the meantime let’s be healthy and try to avoid indulging during the many Holidays to come:)

K- back to the real post subject.  My sweet neighbor gave me a juicer a while back and I haven’t touched the thing...:)  I thought it would be a great idea to begin juicing but when I began my research I came across some info that changed my mind for now.  Below are a few of the things I took away from what I researched.

“Few people are aware, as an example, that juicing while pregnant can actually cause your newborn problems. Why might this be? Because while the mother is carrying the child, if she juices, then the fetus is getting extra nutrition. First, this nutrition can be too much of a certain vitamin or mineral which could possibly cause harm. But more importantly, it can also cause the newborn child to become nutritionally deficient fast. Studies have shown, as an example, that a mother who takes a lot of vitamin C while pregnant may give birth to a child who then suffers from scurvy. Why would this happen? Because once born, the child is getting less vitamin C than it is used to causing it to be vitamin C deficient.”  This info is from juicing book.com

Just goes to show, eat everything (healthy food) in moderation!!!  I try to eat what’s in season so I get a good mix of different fruits and veggies:)  I love getting my produce from local co-ops or farmers markets:)  If you live in Utah and know of a really good organic farmers market or co-op that you’ve tried please leave the info in the comments below!  

Thanks for stopping by:)

A New Friend

A few days ago I came across this tool that allows you keep track of what you're eating.  It tells you how many carbs, fat, protein and calories you should be eating in a day in order to reach whatever goal you've set for yourself.  I've been using it for the past 3 days and it's great because I am able to see exactly what area of nutrients I am lacking in or consuming too much of.  Check it out and let me know what you think!  myfitnesspal.com 

Journal Entry For May 25th

For some reason I was so hungry this morning!  I had 2 pieces of toast and eggs which kept me full all morning:)  I felt like a ate pretty good snacks throughout the day and didn't feel hungry at all, I was very satisfied yesterday:)  And I'm pretty sure the shredded chicken salad from Cafe Rio has more calories than that, but that's if you eat the whole thing.  I never eat the tortillas or all the rice and beans, although rice and beans are great for you due to the fact that together they make a complete protein.  If you're looking for a lower calorie meal at Cafe Rio, go for just one shredded chicken taco!  It has less than 200 calories:)

Here's what I ate:
Toast with butter - 320
eggs - 140
crackers with cottage cheese - 220
grapes - 100
saltines - 80
1/2 banana - 40
almonds - 70
1/2 shredded chicken salad from cafe rio.  - about 400

Journal Entry For May 24th

Yesterday was going very well up until my husband came home and wanted all of us to go to his softball game...I hadn't fed anyone dinner and wanted the boys to stay in the stroller the whole time because I can't chase them around right now:(  So...we bought fast food!  I decided to go to taco time because their crisp bean burritos are so easy for our kids to eat by themselves:)  Little did I know just how many calories are in 1 just 1 crisp bean burrito.  My husband would die at the amount of calories he consumed last night.  I'll inform him when he gets home today;)  Let's just say, I'm glad I only ate one!

Here's what I ate:

Greens and whey protein shake - 150
almonds - 160
1/2 tuna sandwich - 150
2 rice cakes with peanut butter and honey - 350
1 large peach - 100
almonds - 160
cliff builder - 270
crisp bean burrito - 427

Total for the day - 1767

On a better note, I came across some leg exercises on pinterest that I might be able to do in another week after the swelling of my knee has gone down, hopefully!!!

Journal Entry For May 23rd

I felt pretty good about today:)  For me, it's so hard to not workout during the day!  Working out for me does so much more than simply build endurance and burn calories.  Working out is so healthy for my mind and mood as well!  Not being able to barely walk is killing me!  Have you ever been injured for a prolonged amount of time?  If so, what did you do to keep yourself sane?

Today my diet went like this:
eggs and veggies - 200
cliff builder - 270
quinoa salad - 230
sweet potato with butter - 200
quinoa salad - 200
toast with jam - 140

Total for the day - 1240

Journal Entry For May 22nd

Okay so I realized today that when I get super stressed, sugar or bad food really does something for me:(  Unfortunately two seconds later I feel horrible for eating whatever it is that I shouldn't have eaten.  Vicious cycle if you ask me:)  Yesterday was a super hard day for me and I felt like I was doing great but then the evening rolled around and I decided that I needed to make some baked donuts.  What?  I don't even like donuts!  What is going on with me?  Either I'm extremely stressed (totally!)  or my hormones are out of whack and I'm wanting things I never eat.  Either way, I did make them and I did eat some.  They were however the healthy version of a donut and only had 1/2 cup sugar in the whole recipe so I didn't feel too bad.  I think they each only had about 30 -40 calories so I was able to enjoy 4 without feeling too too bad:)  Tomorrow which is really today is going to be a great day!  I've already done very well and feel that it's going to be a successful day! :)  It's okay to fall off track once in a while, just make sure you get right back on track and you'll be fine:)

Here was what I ate yesterday:
Scrambled eggs with veggies (pepper, onion and broccoli) topped with salsa - 150
Toast with butter - 140
small peach and a string cheese - 110
cliff builder bar - 270
goldfish and an apple - 370
potstickers - 150
3 baked donut holes - 100
Total calories for the day - 1290

Journal Entry For May 21st

Ah...I was going to do so well and then was doing okay but then...the chocolate goldfish came out!  They actually don't have a whole lot of sugar but they are not the snack I should be going to!  I did only eat one serving and then stopped but because of that one serving went over the calories I wanted to eat for the day!  I am trying to stick to a 1200 calorie diet because I am not doing any form of physical activity so If I don't want to gain weight while injured I figured I will manage my caloric intake the best I can;)  So my day yesterday went like this...And I always drink water or lemon water throughout the day:)  Hopefully tomorrow will be better!  My will power isn't where it need to be right now but I'm trying to strengthen it! Join me in this little journey of mine and let me know how you're doing?  And if you have any fun tips or recipes that work for you, please share:)  Have a great day!

cereal - 300 calories
pretzles and string cheese - 140
cliff builder - 270
kids cliff bar - 100
quinoa salad - 130
1/2 cup berry/green smoothie - 70
grapefruit - 70
goldfish - 200
3 pot stickers - 160
1 small peach - 50

Total colories 1490

Motivated

Friday I fell off my horse and hurt my knee and shoulder pretty bad.  This means I will not be able to workout for probably 2 months.  That's a long time and I realize that I need to watch my diet very carefully.  I figured that for the next little while I would do posts that are kind of like journal entries to keep me on track and motivated:)  If you want to follow along and stay motivated with me as far as diet goes, I would love your input and comments!   My first and most important challenge is going to be avoiding sugar.  May the challenge begin!

8 Great Metabolism Boosting Foods

Sometimes you simply need a little jump start to help get you on the right track to your weight loss goals.  Exercise is of course very good and healthy but that alone will not be enough to get you where you want to be.  You have to focus on your diet!  Work on creating healthy meals that you really enjoy!  Play around with different spices and combinations of food and make it fun!  Here is a little list of some great food choices that will aid in boosting your metabolism to give you the jump start you need.

1 - Broth based soup
2 - Apples
3 - Pears
4 - Grapefruit
5 - Broccoli
6 - Lean meat
7 - Oatmeal
8 - Hot peppers

Why these metabolism booting foods work!

Each of these healthy food options, helps to keep you full longer without all the calories.

Water rich fruits and veggies allow you to eat more without going over your calories.

High fiber foods keep your digestive system on track which in turn keeps your insulin levels even and prevents further fat storage.

Lean meat boosts your metabolism and burns calories because of the protein which takes longer to break down in the body.

Shoulders

Want sexy, toned shoulders?  Try these shoulder exercises for 8 weeks and you'll see a difference in your newly sexy sculpted shoulders.

1 - Resistance band internal shoulder rotation

2 - Resistance band external shoulder rotation

3 - Standing military press

4 - Standing one arm shoulder press

5 - Seated Arnold Shoulder Press (my personal favorite!)

6 - Barbell upright row

7 - Lateral dumbbell side raises

Loose Weight Fast With One Move

Jump roping has been around for ages and is one of the most effective ways to help you loose weight and rev up your metabolism.  Not only will jump roping help you to loose weight fast, it also is very beneficial to your health and wellbeing as it helps to drain your lymphatic system and rid your body of toxins.  Jump rope for 5-10 minutes a day and in 4 weeks you will see the weight start to fall off!

Calorie Calculator

I just found a great tool on HealthyWeightForum.Org to really help you figure out exactly how many calories you need to eat in order to loose the amount of weight you're wanting to loose.  It's such a great calorie calculator.  It will show the results in red if it's impossible, yellow if it's too few calories to be healthy while loosing weight and then white when showing a healthy amount of calories to intake in order to loose however much weight you want to loose.  I love it because it puts your weight loss goals in perspective and give you a more realistic goal and idea of when you'll see results and how much weight you'll loose week by week.  Make sure to read what the activity levels mean to get more accurate results.  Let me know what you think! :)

5 Ways To Loose 5 Pounds Fast!

I've come up with 5 healthy ways to loose 5 pounds fast.  Stick to these 5 steps and you will see a difference in yourself.  You will look and feel so much better and hopefully that will be enough to keep you motivated to continue to follow these simple steps and really change your lifestyle to accommodate reaching your weightless goals.  It's up to you!  You are the only one who can change yourself!  I believe in you!

Make it a great day! :)

1 - Move
Move, as in move your body.  You have to burn more calories than you eat in order to loose any weight.  Go for walk in the morning before work or even drive to work early so you can walk for an extra 15 minutes.  Walk to lunch.  Go for another 10 minute walk after dinner.  Just making time to fit in an extra 10-15 minutes of some kind of physical activity during the day will definitely burn extra calories and help you shed those 5 pounds.

2 - Avoid Processed Food
By avoiding processed food, you are forced to consume fresh fruits and vegetables.  Fresh fruits and veggies have more vitamins and minerals to keep you're body at it's finest, allowing you to yet again loose that unwanted weight.

3 - Fill Up On Water
I can't say enough about how important and healthy it is for you to drink water.  Don't even buy juice or soda!  Water keeps you're body running smoothly, keeps your skin healthy and keeps you feeling satisfied so you don't binge on bad food.  Try keeping a water bottle with you at all times and every time you even think about food, drink some water until it's really time to eat or until you're truly hungry.

4 - Break Up Your Workout
Try breaking up your workout into two different sessions.  Do your cardio in the morning and then your strength training in the middle of the day or at night.  By breaking it up like this you are making it so that you don't have time to just sit around.

5 - Get Up And Go To Bed At The Same Time Everyday...Even On The Weekends
Doing this helps keep you on a good schedule and forces you to be more organized which will then allow you to get in your workouts, feel more accomplished and become much healthier.
 

The Perfect Shade Of Pink

Pink is my random obsession this week:)

Nothing says feminine more than the color pink, and the perfect shade at that.  This is the softest, prettiest, most subtle shade of pink I could find and I love it!  It makes me feel so elegantly girly...

Don't Quit

This is so true!  Make up your mind to stay with whatever it is you are doing.  You can do anything! 

How To Get A 6 Pack In 6 Weeks

In order to get a six pack in six weeks you must follow a healthy diet in order to see any results, and make sure your eating enough calories but not too many.  Try to get at least 4 days of some kind of aerobic activity in as well.  Even people who eat healthy food but eat to many calories of healthy food can be overweight.  It's all about balance and proper portions.  Making sure you're getting enough protein, carbs and good fat.  Don't be afraid of good fats!  They're good for you.  Make sure to do all the moves properly to avoid injury.  Always check with your doctor if you have any concerns about certain exercises.  You'll be performing 30 reps total for each exercise.  You can rest for no more than 10 seconds between each set of 10 reps.  Good luck! :)

Make it a great day!

Do 10 reps and repeat 3 times.

Do 10 reps and repeat 3 times.

Do 10 reps and repeat 3 times.

Do 10 reps and repeat 3 times.

Do 10 reps and repeat 3 times.

7 Easy Ways To Burn Extra Calories

Do you not have time for the gym?  Here are 7 easy ways to incorporate burning those extra calories.  What more of an incentive for cleaning your house, cooking meals, and keeping up on your yard than to be able to burn tons of calories while doing so.  Happy cleaning, cooking and gardening:)

1 - Cooking for 1 hour = 150 calories 

2 - Gardening for 1 hour - 240 calories

3 - Moderate household chores for 1 hour - 210 calories

4 - Carrying small children - 180 calories

5 - Mopping for 30 minutes - 110 calories

6 - Vacuuming for 30 minutes - 110 calories

7 - Sweeping for 30 minutes - 120 calories 

8 - Mowing the lawn for 60 minutes - 270 calories

4 Amazing Butt Exercises

While most would like to be able to "spot" reduce, it's just not possible.  You have to follow a great diet and you have to exercise regularly!  You can however build muscle in specific areas and then as we all know, the more muscle you have the more calories you're going to burn and the easier it will be to loose those extra pounds.  Once you loose those extra pounds,  you will then be able to see the muscles you have been working on.  I've come up with a few of my favorite butt exercises for you.  Let me know how you like these! :)  

Make it a great day!

Bulgarian Split Squat

These are somewhat of an advanced move so make sure you're comfortable with the basic lunge and squat before you try some of the more advanced exercises.  If you're already advanced, you can add weights to this exercise and get an even better leg workout.  Make sure you're using proper form!  Your forward knee should NEVER go over your forward toe, back straight, shoulders back, looking forward, arms to your sides or you can place them on your hips and your ready to go.

Walking Lunge

The walking lunge is such an effective exercise and should also be performed with proper form.  As a rule of thumb, always roll your shoulders back and hold good posture while performing any exercise.  This works your glutes, quads and hamstrings.

Basic Squat

Ah, the classic squat...what more to say, gotta love these.  Remember good form!

Butt Raises

I learned these back when I was a dancer...If you're more advanced, you can put a dumbbell on your pelvis as you move up and down.  These are great for defining the base of your butt.

Remember, remember...PROPER FORM!!!  Proper form is what will make it or break it.  Don't think you need to do 500 reps in order to get results.  All you need is a good diet, get some cardio in about 4-5 times a week and you will definitely see results.  I usually do about 3 to 4 rounds of 15-20 reps with little to no weight.  You can adjust your weight to your comfort level and goal.

4 Ways To Loose Weight Without Exercise

Although exercise is extremely healthy and good for you, sometimes our bodies or circumstances don't allow us to fit in that time at the gym.  No real exercise and still loose weight?  Sounds to good to be true right?  If you really focus on these 4 tips, you will be able to maintain and even loose weight without setting foot in a gym.

1- Make Sure You're Truly Hungry

When hunger strikes, make sure you're really hungry and not just dehydrated and need water.  Being dehydrated can make you feel hungry for food even though all your body really needs is water.  Drink at least 6-8 oz of water then wait 20 minutes and reevaluate your state of hunger.  

2- Illusions

Try using smaller plates, bowls and even utensils when you eat to trick your mind into thinking your'e eating more.  Using a smaller plate or bowl will allow you to really fill your plate yet you're only actually eating about half of what you would normally if it were on a regular sized plate.  Using smaller utensils allows you to slow it down when it comes to consuming your food.  Sometimes we eat way too fast and our bodies are robbed of being able to actually taste and ingest the food that we're shoveling down our throats.  Taking smaller bites takes longer, therefore your'e body is able to process what and how much you're eating and then lets your brain know you're full much sooner.

3 - Fill Your Schedule With Calorie Packed Activities

At the beginning of each week, sit down and write out your schedule for the week.  Make sure you're filling your days with things for you to do that will burn a few extra calories.  For example, if you're a stay at home mom or dad you could go to the park and run around or clean your house more.  If you work, walk somewhere for lunch instead of driving.  Try to think outside the box and mix up your normal routine.  If you usually come home go to the kitchen then plop yourself down on the couch, switch it up.  Come home, get your hiking shoes on and go for a hike or even just a stroll around the block.  Take your dog for a walk.  Wash your own car.  Pull your own weeds.  Clean your own house.  You get the picture right?  

4- Stop With The Mindless Eating

I see this all the time…just because your bored doesn't mean you need to eat!  This goes back to the planning and filling your time with good activities that leave you no time to eat mindlessly.  We are such creatures of habit that we have to make more of a conscience effort to change our patterns.  When we make that conscience effort to change the way we do certain things and stick to the change, we then create new habits that will be much more rewarding and create happy healthier individuals. 

If you have any other tips that have worked for you, please share:)

Make it a great day! 

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?