VLOG?

Hello everyone! How is everyone enjoying their Labor Day weekend? Mine has been pretty relaxing. Got some good workouts in, yummy food in my belly and some studying done. I've been thinking about doing a video blog, a "vlog," what do you guys think about that? I've been getting a lot of questions pertaining to my diet, workouts, daily routine, etc, and thought it would be easier to go into detail about those things via "vlog." I did try to make a video the other day on my computer, and when I played it back, there was no sound (lol). So I guess I have to figure out what the problem was before I go forward with any vlogging...but keep your eyes open for a vlog entry in the near future. Would you guys like that more? I think it would be a bit more personal and you guys could connect with me on a greater level :)

My first week back at school was pretty stressful...I'm taking seven classes as well as working directly after my classes mon-fri until 6:30 and then getting my gym time in. I've been trying to figure out a set schedule for me to follow that would be the least stressful for me to follow on a daily basis. It's been hard sticking to my diet while sitting through back-to-back classes. I've been doing meal preps, where I cook meals for the entire week, which helps me in the morning getting food together, and I do really recommend meal prepping on say, a Sunday night, to get all of your meals put together for the week ahead of you. The only downside to meal prep is that is incredibly time consuming. When I do meal prep for the week, it takes about 3 or 4 hours to cook everything as well as another 45 minutes cleaning up afterwards. Even though it is time consuming, it definitely makes my mornings a lot easier when getting food together. It cuts out from decision making and running around trying to put a healthy lunch together.

I've recieved a bunch of questions from people asking what I take for lunch with me to keep up with my meals during the day, so I wanted to give you guys some examples of things I've been making that keep me full and satisfied until my next meal.

One example of something that I make during my meal prep is tuna. 

This is so simple and fast to make and keeps fresh for the entire week. 

I separate the tuna into containers and grab one in the morning for my lunch box, 

pair it with an unsalted rice cake, and there you go - one meal ! 

I make my tuna using canned tuna in water.

I mix in Mrs. Dash garlic/onion seasoning (sodium free), 2 egg whites, and chopped up cherry tomato 

This meal I usually pair with a handful of almonds 

Another recipe that I've recently come to love is overnight oats. 

This meal I eat for breakfast because it's a little bit higher in carbs and I like to get the majority of my carbs in with breakfast. 

Mix together:

1 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 cups oats

10 almonds

1/4 cup protein powder of your choice

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs flaxseed

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

4 egg whites

Refrigerate overnight and heat up (2 minutes) in the morning and enjoy! 

This recipe is so easy to prep the night before and takes literally 2 minutes to heat up in the morning and enjoy! The oats get almost like a pudding consistency overnight and taste delicious the next day! This meal is incredibly filling and packed with nutrients - I love it! 

I don't want to make this entry too long with recipes, so I'll stop there and add some more recipes on my next post. I have a delicious new protein pancake recipe that I've been using. I'll put the picture up on today's post to keep you guys wanting more :) 

....YUM!!!

I also wanted to add my most recent posing pictures for you guys..I got my shoes in the mail the other day and now posing practice is in full swing :) I'm getting super excited for my competition - you guys have no idea! 

 (sorry, Derek got in the top picture haha)

Most competitors take up posing classes to learn how to pose and what the judges are looking for, but I'm trying to do everything myself. I've been doing a lot of research and video watching and have been working really hard to get my own personalized pose. It's all about posing in ways that best reflect the symmetry and best assets of your figure. I think so far I've been doing pretty good working on my stage presence and poses. I really need to concentrate most on posture, however..that's what's been getting me. 

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Labor Day and have a great week back to school / work! 

Keep an eye out for my protein pancake recipe and even a vlog in the next post!!!!

xxxo

Fitness Felicia 

You Don't Need to Belong to a Gym to Get a Good Workout In!

Hey guys! Challenge of the day: OUTSIDE Workout! My challenge today was to devise a workout for you guys to do outside! Not everyone has the time or money to be a member of a gym or fitness club, however that doesn't mean you can't get a great workout in by using your surroundings!
I made a few videos to show you guys some things you can do right outside.

I made these videos to give you guys a few exercises you can do outside, just so you all have some visuals, but the possibilities of what you can do are endless! Below is the complete workout, so check it out!

Warm Up:

60 seconds of jumping jacks immediately followed by 60 seconds of high knees 

3 sets of 10 elevated pushups 

(if elevated pushups are too difficult, do regular pushups on a flat surface) 

3 sets of 15 overhead triceps extensions

30 tricep dips

2 sets of 30 uphill walking lunges: body weight or holding weights

(if uphill is too difficult, try on flat surface. Also, be sure to keep proper form and keep your knee over your ankle to not cause stress on your knees)

30 plyometric jumps

5 100 meter sprints 

(if sprints are too difficult, go for a short, 5 min jog or fast paced walk)

100 crunches

2 sets of 60 second planks 

2 sets of 20 oblique crunches

Try this outdoor workout out and let me know what you think! Don't feel as though you can't get a good workout in just because you don't belong to a gym or don't have time to get to the gym on a certain day. This workout is a quick 25-30 minute workout, and is actually good to do to mix up your regular fitness routine. If its a rainy day outside, try a similar workout indoors, its all about trying new things that work for you. 

Add household items (such as balls, water bottles, rocks, etc) as weights if body weight becomes too easy for you. 

I hope these videos gave you just a few ideas of things you can do right  at home to get a good burn in during your busy schedule! 

Until next time guys!

Fitness Felicia