What's In My Gym Bag? | Daisy's Edition

Happy Workout Wednesday ladies! This week I wanted to give you an exclusive sneak peek of the items I tag along to gym with me. It's so important to make sure you have packed the rights items because you never know when a problem may arise. So pay attention, take notes, and share your gym bag tips with me too! ;)

1. iPod: Full of my favorite tunes that will provide motivation, persistence, and support.
2. Victoria Secret Mini Body Splash in Love Spell: You never know when you need to freshen up it is not uncommon to be a little funky after a workout ladies.
3. Lock: To keep all my belongings safe and protected
4. Towel: To use when I'm seriously sweating which happens quite often
5. Water: To keep me hydrated and cool, duh. I usually go through 1 bottle in the hour that I am there.
6. Fiber Bar: I usually take this directly before or after my workout to give me an energy boost
7. Hair Brush/Comb/Mirror: To touch up my do because I know it's a hot mess after I'm done with my workouts
8. Chapstick: My worst nightmare is having my lips be all crusty while I'm running on a treadmill, yikes!

P.S. Here's my gym bag!

What's in your gym bag ladies?

10 Tasty Salad Options

Hey ladies! I hope all is well on those health journeys and if they're not then after this post it definitely will be. I wanted to spend sometime on the subject of salads. Everyone thinks salads are boring, simple, bland even but I think they are one of the most versatile meals you can ever have! Especially since, they're loaded with fiber, vitamins, and all the healthy necessities our bodies need.

Trust me, there's more out there to choose from besides Chicken Caesar and garden salads!

I'll be honest, I never liked salads. I would cringe at the thought of them but since starting my weight loss journey I've become completely addicted to them. I've learned how to mix it up, keep it fresh, and keep it new. If you have a bad history with salads please allow me to change your perception.

1. Spinach Greens, Quinoa, Grapefruit, and Advocado salad. (c/o: Skinny Taste, Recipe Here)

2. Caprese Salad: Lettuce, Mozzarella, Olive Oil and Tomatoes

3. Grilled Chicken, Tomatoes, Roasted Butternut Squash, String beans & Mixed Greens

4. Rainbow Salad: Grilled Chicken, Corn, Grilled Yellow & Red Peppers, Onions. Add a southwestern feel to a bland salad! (c/o)

5. Apple Chicken Walnut Salad: Yes fruits & vegetables make a delicious combination (c/o + recipe here)

6. Spinach Strawberry Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing and Crushed Pistachios (c/o + recipe here)

7. Grilled Shrimp, sliced mango, lettuce, avocado, onions,and  peanuts (c/o + recipe here)

8. Potato Salad: Baby Dutch Potatoes, feta cheese, green peas, radish, shallot, and artichoke. (c/o + recipe)

9. Mixed Berries Salad: Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries lime, grilled chicken, walnuts (c/o)

10. Chicory Tangerines, Onions, Pomegranate, and Mixed Greens (c/o)

Which salad will you try next?

 What's your favorite salad combo?

This Workout Wednesday: Zebra Funk

Zebra by classicdaisy featuring military shoulder bags

Black shirt
bonanza.com

Old Navy activewear pants
$20 - oldnavy.gap.com

Victoria s Secret military shoulder bag
$50 - victoriassecret.com

Neff digital watch
$35 - zumiez.com

vitamin water clipped by xxjuliaroxxx USE!!!
$50 - redbookmag.com

Who says you can't workout in style? Let's get serious ladies! Nothing is more motivating then a great outfit that is personal to you and creative. I hope this weeks workout outfit inspires you to go through that closet and put your best foot first. Don't get me wrong, even if it's just an old t-shirt and some sweats--as long as you're in the gym then I consider that success. 

Let's keep moving, keep striving, and keep fighting for our health!

The Top 10 List

(short bread cookies, cupcakes, fried chicken, caramel sundae, chinese food, pizza, frozen alcoholic beverages, candy bars, potato chips, seasoned french fries)

Hey ladies! I hope your week is going great. I wanted to share this exercise I found over at my favorite tumblr site, That ARThletic Girl. Basically, I've composed a list of my Top 10 High Calorie Favorites. I know you are wondering why in the world would I do such a thing, right?

Well, according to Dr. Sharpio's Picture Perfect Weight Loss, you should "try this: List your personal top 10 high-calorie favorites. These aren't foods you’re not allowed to eat, just your unhealthy favorites that undermine your healthy eating efforts. Putting them in a list allows you to put them in the forefront of your mind, leading to food awareness."

Once you list them, you'll be far more conscious of the next time you reach to put them in your mouth. But if you are someone like me who still tries to balance the healthy/unhealthy choices, maybe you can take this list to the next level and also use this list as a reference for the foods you can eat every once in a while as a treat because we all know deprivation leads to complete sabotage. 

What's on your top 10 list? 

Share your favorites in a comment below!

Grocery Shoppin(Small Pickup)

 Hey Ladies,

I did a bit of grocery shopping earlier this week and wanted to share with you.  Below are some quick snapshots I was able to get. The most important items for this shopping trip was fruits/veggies and healthy snacks of course! 

So The 1st place was Sam's Club because I like their fruit/veggie prices and of course the quantity! So here is my Basket of goodies

Fruit cups Mixed variety/ Peaches
Tomatoes for salads
Bag Lettuce(Salads)
Apple Sauce Cinnamon/ Original
Red Seedless Table Grapes
Strawberries
Bananas
Fuji Apples(All time FAVE!!!)
I also threw in some other things such as eggs, Double Fiber bread, Pepsi Max, Milk(household)

2nd and Last stop was WALMART!!! Ok so here is where I picked up my normal goods! Except I decided to try some new Ice cream, yogurt and lean cuisines!

So tell me whats on your grocery list/cart??? So I can try something new

Gym Buddy or Solo Dolo Flow

Okay ladies! I don’t know if you’ve ever considered having a gym buddy or not but when I first started out in the gym, I thought it would be cool. I thought that maybe we could encourage one another and talk as we go! Boy was I wrong!! Lol okay so here are the things that went wrong with my so-called gym buddies:

1.     The person would be late

2.     She seemed focused on themselves only, I was the only one interested in offering motivation during the workout

3.     The person would agree to come on certain days and times and as usual things came up and that made me consider not going by myself

Okay so those are only a few things that I can point out but since then, I’ve learned a few things and now only prefer to go by MYSELF! This is my new perspective on the SOLO-DOLO workout

1.     I can be self centered and focus on myself

2.     I can stay as long or as short of a timing if I want without considering my buddy time restraints.

3.     I can machine hop without considering my buddy preferences

So ladies share with me your experience working out with a gym/workout partner whether your experience was good or bad……

For more info on this topic click here

Our Monthly Weightloss Report

Challenges: For the month of February I started out doing good then I fell off when my birthday came! I couldn’t deny nor turn down birthday cake.

Accomplishments: I can’t really say I had any real accomplishments this month but I plan to improve much more in March.

Peak: I didn’t have a peak except for the delicious birthday cake I ate everyday after I first cut it! (Just being honest)

Pit: I consider that the entire month was a bad month because my weight didn’t change nor did I really accomplish anything health wise.

Stats: unfortunately I don’t have any current stats I’d like to share but my ultimate goal weight remains in the 150-160lbs range.

NOTE: I really didn’t do anything extravagant nor have too much success in February so that’s why I really don’t have much to say to the above answers! Pardon me; I’ve made a promise to myself that March will be a better month. So be on the look out for my March update!

Goals for March:

·       Lose a total of 10lbs

·       Overcome late night munchies

·       Try Spinning for the 2^nd time

·       Become a Frequent member at my local YMCA

·       Try the Sauna out

·     Continue to complete MEATLESS Monday’s with Daisy!!!

Hey ladies! I hope you had a wonderful February and if you didn't thank goodness for March! I just want to say thank you for being so motivational during my weight loss journey. You've made all the difference and I am so inspired and confident that Glo & I made the right choice by starting this blog. Now, I know you've been wondering what's been going on with the stats, I shared with you last month. So here we go!

Challenges: After finally coming down from my Holiday hiatus of unhealthy eating habits and a lack of tracking, I decided it was time to keep pushing forward. I was becoming too content with the -40lbs I'd lost and once I started gaining 5-6 of those lbs back I was too through with my poor choices. So, I decided to give my Weight Watcher's etools my undivided attention. It took a while getting back into the swing of things but better late than never.

Accomplishments: I joined the free gym at my school and I haven't looked back since. I'm reaching my 4th week of being active and it feels amazing! I couldn't have done it without that awesome chick up there, GLO! She pushed me like you wouldn't believe and I am so grateful for her endless support.

Peak: Losing -3.4 lbs after weeks of gaining. Realizing that I LOVE being active! Sharing my healthy snack ideas with my boyfriend and catching him eating my carrot grape combo.Also, tricking him into trying out my homemade smoked TURKEY sausages. Now he's hooked, haha =]

Pit: The awful fluctuation of my weight. It literally made me feel self-conscious about all the success and progress I made during my journey. I started to feel like I was losing faith in myself. I just beat up myself really bad over it. I also kept these feelings a secret from my loved ones and it felt horrible! (Please, DON'T do this, if you ever need someone to listen GLO & I are all ears. I promise!)

Stats:

• Current Weight:  223lbs | 221.4lbs 
• Goal Weight: 200lbs
• Measurements: 
• Waist - 47 in | 44.5 in 
• Bust - 48 in | 44 in
• Thighs - 46. 5 in | 40.5 in
• Arms - 16 in | 15 in

Goals for March:

• Lose at least -5 lbs.
• Try out pilates class.
• Print out more positive affirmations to stay focused, motivated, and fit.
• Try & Share new recipes.
• Start saving for a heart rate monitor calorie counter watch.
• Be able to plank for 30 seconds.

*Remember, keep up with my exclusive weekly weigh-in's here & Last but not least, I want YOU to take the pledge to being FIT, FAB, & FIERCE. (Click here to get started)*

Celebrity Slim Downs: Jordin Sparks

Do you remember the first time we met Ms. Jordin Sparks? She appeared on American Idol belting out a soul voice with a package full of curves. Jordin Sparks never appeared to be overweight but she was slightly thicker than the other competitive main stream singers out there. I always admired her charisma and the effort she put into maintaining a slightly larger frame. Needless to say, I was totally shocked when the image of her new cut abs made a grand appearance on the web! Everyone was going nuts over how slim and amazing she looked. I had to agree that she had made quite the change but a part of me was skeptical about whether it was cosmetically engineered or naturally done.

Much to my surprise, Jordin Sparks successfully achieved a healthy 35 lb weight loss simply by starting off by walking around her neighborhood. Then, she evolved to running and mountain climbing! I tell you a little bit goes a long way. Jordin is a perfect example of what taking it slow can ultimately lead to. Jordin is said to currently love speeding up her cardio routines with a hearty digest of ZUMBA! She loves it because, "The energy is so high" and she doesn't have to run on a treadmill.

Jordin Sparks new size 6 body is even more curvaceous and slender.  The rumor to her weight loss secret is portion control with a low tolerance for deprivation. Being able to keep a close eye on the measurement of food entering the body was extremely key to her weight loss along with getting physical.

Here are some words of the wise from Jordin: "I learned that I'm not ever going to be a size 2. I would look so weird as a size 2. Somebody would blow and I would fall over. It just wouldn't be healthy." Jordin seems to be head strong and very of the results she wants for her health and I love it!

Ladies, please join me in a round of applause for Ms. Jordin Sparks. At 21 years old, she is quite the inspirational bombshell for young women like you and me who are ready to make some brand new life changes for the better! I hope you enjoyed this weeks Celebrity Slim Down!

Fruit Guide

(via)

This week I want to discuss fruits and its myths. I know it can be frustrating figuring out how to approach produce. Many of us think they are gross, impossible, or free foods. But in reality, they too hold calorie amounts, are delicious, and very nutritious. Most importantly, fruits are FILLING! If you need a quick snack or something to satisfy that sweet tooth grab some berries.

Above, are a few calorie estimations for the fruits you may be eating on a daily basis!

And as if there weren't enough reasons to eat fruit, here a few more that you probably had no clue about!

FRUIT MYTHS: 

• All the great fruit is often out of season and nothing ever seems ripe during the Winter. WRONG!
• You'd rather wait until Summer to get your fruit on when everything is good! WRONG!
• Fruit has too much sugar. WRONG!
• Fruit still has calories and too much of a good thing is bad for you. WRONG!
• If it's not green then it can't be lean. WRONG!

Here Are My Top 5 Must Have Fruits: (RIPE ALL YEAR ROUND)

1. Bananas - Perfect breakfast component. Always in season. On the go approved.
2. Carrots - Hits that crunch craving. Easy to pack. Affordable. Lasts long. On the go approved.
3. Grapes - Satisfies the sweet tooth. Easy to pack. Lasts long. On the go approved.
4. Apples - Make me feel super full. Always in season. On the go approved.
5. Strawberries - Great for munching. Easy to pack. Great for on the go.

My Least Favorite Fruits:

1. Oranges - peeling process is irritating to me and my nails. (sorry I'm such a diva) 
2. Pomegranate - too seedy and difficult to eat but I love the taste of them in drinks.

My Top 5 Favorite Fruits:

1. Watermelon
2. Mango
3. Blueberries
4. Plums
5. Pineapple

So remember, "fruit is not the enemy--it's your friend!"


What's your favorite fruit & your least favorite fruit?
Share in a comment below!