Power Up Pre-Workout Breakfast Sandwich

I never realized how much a good meal can help make sure you are ready for a workout no matter how hard. Day 1 of this challenge I ate some cereal and a banana and I almost passed out twice and after that I have been making sure that I have a good meal and for my case a good breakfast since I have been going to the gym in the morning. Many people think that working out without eating first will help them burn more calories or build more muscles but the truth is not eating first can make working out harder to do and can essentially be unsafe if you do not have food in your system before hand. 

Don't I look Delicious!!!

This is what I like in the morning before a workout something with a little bit of carbs, a lot of protein and some good vitamins from some veggies. Here is my Power Up Breakfast Sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1 Bagel, Bread, Sandwich Thin, Roll (Whatever you have on hand or whatever you like)
• 2 Organic Cage Free Eggs, whisked
• 1/2 Smithfield Ham Steak or thick sliced deli ham
• 1 Large Handful Spinach
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato slice (For this I get the largest tomatoes I can find so one slice will fit on the bagel or whatever bread product you are using. If you can only find small tomatoes use a couple of slices to cover the bread.)
• Cooking Spay if not using a non-stick pan

Spray pan and heat over medium high heat. Cook eggs like you would an omelet not moving then except only slightly around the edges to allow the raw egg from the top get into the pan to cook. 

When eggs are almost cooked spread spinach and then the cheese and allow to melt slightly before folding in half. Allow the spinach to wilt before removing from the pan. Place ham in the pan to heat through, about 2 minutes on each side. Toast your bread product if desired.

When assembling the sandwich, cut the egg in half first and then assemble in the following order.

• Bread Top
• 1/2 the Egg
• Ham
• 1/2 the Egg
• Tomato
• Bread Bottom

I like my eggs a little more on the well done side of things. (Eww slimmy eggs) But you should cook the eggs to your desired amount of doneness.

Time to Set Some Goals...

One thing that is making this journey a little easier to travel through is the fact that I have some goals in mind for what I want to do and how I want to feel at the end of it. For the immediate I want to lose weight, eat better and gain some energy. While these goals are great ones to have, they are vague. One thing I have found is that my goals need to be concrete. I have to have a timeframe, a number or a size to shoot for. Now timeframe in this instance is my best friend Makayla's wedding on October 11th. I have about 6 months to lose about 30 pounds. I think this is a great and realistic goal which is always a good thing. I'm not a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" who doesn't have a job to do everyday except to workout and eat right and do what the producers tell me to do. I have a job, friends, commitments, family to juggle as well as a trip or three planned as well as working out and eating right. 
Now that I have chosen to make my health a priority finally, I don't want to screw it up so goals are going to be a sure fire way to make sure that I stay on track and keep my eyes on the prize.

My Overall Goal is to be a healthy weight for my size, be happy and finally feel like the thin girl I have always wanted to be.

My first checkpoint to get there is to complete this 100 day workout challenge I have decided on and to measure my success initially on how I feel and not necessarily how I look or what the number on the scale says. Now of course those are important things too, like finally breaking free of the "300 club" or going down a size or two when I go shopping. A big part of this goal is also to be taken off all of the meds I am currently on. 

My next checkpoint is to make sure that when we take pictures at Makayla's wedding in October they are finally pictures that I am proud of display on my desk at work. I want to look at the picture as see all the hard work I have put into getting to that point and be happy that day for all the right reasons and not be self conscience that I am still the "BIG" girl in the bridal party. Now granted I will most likely still be the biggest size dress in those wedding pictured but that won't matter because I will have still dropped a couple of sizes from when the dress was first tried on and I can take it to the Bridal Shop and prove that snotty dress consultant wrong. (I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I have the most amazing friends [aka Makayla] who if I hadn't stopped her would have gone up to said dress consultant and would have either punched her or at least verbally bitch slapped her. You are the best friend a girl could ever have)

After that my next checkpoint is that I will once again fit into the racing suit that I wore when I swam in high school over 7 years ago. Or for that matter, feel comfortable in my own skin.

After that checkpoint I don't have anything else in mind at this point but I'm sure I will come up with something crazy to make sure that I keep working towards a goal and better life.

Workout Update

Day 5/100 Completed... 
As you know I also got a trainer so day one was my evaluation day, and oh boy was it bad. I was completely out of breath the whole time, every muscle in my legs were burning in the first 10 minutes oh and I got dizzy twice. But no matter what I powered through and I didn't quit so what if I had to stop for a little bit. I didn't QUIT!
Day 2 I took it a little slower since I was extremely sore after that first workout. So 30 minutes on the bike it was. 
Day 3 I did not go to the gym but I did dance when I got home from work. Some zumba, some hip hop, just moved.
Now Day 4 is where things got tough... and hour long cycling class. What the hell was I thinking! But again I powered through. I may not have done all the jumping and running and whatever else they call it but I biked over 20 miles and pushed myself do do something I haven't ever done before. I couldn't be more proud and thankful for Ray for inviting me to go. I think its going to be a regular Saturday morning thing.
Ray probably gave me the most encouragement.

"Just keep pedaling, go at your own pace and don't look around and see what everyone else is doing. Do you and after a couple of classes you will be able to do must of this stuff too."

Being that day 5 is a day off from work and a Sunday I wanted to make it a light day when it comes to working out but none the less I was up early this morning and out walking 2 miles with some amazing people. I am so blessed to have this kind of support system and I really just hope that it continues and that I also learn when to accept the help from others and know that I don't need to do everything on my own. I have people in my life that want nothing more then for me to succeed and I know that not everyone has that type of support. I would hope that eventually everyone has someone they can lean on in a time of self discovery.

Post Workout Smoothie

This is my go-to after workout smoothie this week. I got a little of the inspiration for it from my favorite coffee chain, hence the cup but as a former barista from this coffee chain I had an idea for a smoothie with a little more real fruit and some protein powder to help recover after the workouts that I know in the future will become increasingly hard.  

What you will need: 

Equipment:

Saucepan, blender

Ingredients for Smoothie Base:

1 bag frozen strawberries

⅔ bottle Tropicana Farmstand juice blend peach mango flavor

In a saucepan over medium high heat bring all ingredients to a boil and allow liquid to reduce by ¼. Let cool slightly before blending until smooth. Store in airtight or beverage container until ready to make smoothie. This is the flavor combo I am doing this week but whatever is your favorite fruit will work too. For this I use the frozen over fresh fruit because it all gets blended up so do you really need to spend a ton of money on fresh fruit when it's getting ground up basically, I think not. 

After you work combine the following ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth. 

1 c frozen strawberries

1 banana minus a bite (I'm usually so hungry after a workout I can't wait for the smoothie)

3/4 c Smoothie Base

1/4- 1/2c Milk (your favorite flavor i.e. Regular, soy, almond) 
1/2 scoop 100% whey protein powder unflavored (This can be kinda hard to find. I got mine at GNC. I don't like the fake taste of flavored protein powders but you can always use a flavored one if you like it.)

1 handful of spinach

Layer the ingredients in this order for best results.

... And so it begins.

So Day 1 has come and gone and so did days 2,3 and now 4... Now I decided to go this past Monday to see what LA Fitness was all about. They just started opening up locations in Buffalo and I wanted a different gym to try so, why the hell not. Now keep in mind that I walked into the building just wanting to get some information you know like what the cost is what you get for the cost, not to actually get the membership but as I'm sitting there listening to a pretty good sales pitch for me to start at their club I'm thinking what am I waiting for there are so many reasons I need to join this gym and stop procrastinating once and for all. So I joined just like that. I gave them my credit card and done. Now in the past I would never had done that, I would be afraid and not just about the money but about what people would think about the fat girl going to the gym and the looks I would get and would I pay all this money and then quit half way through? Just so many unknowns that normally I would be too scared to do it. But I'm done with the worrying and just done with care what the hell other people think.
I finally believe in myself enough that I'm just going to do me and not worry what any one else thinks and I hope that everyone can find that peace like I have. 

Couple of things I have done to set myself up to keep track of this challenge.

 I put together a tracker on my wall for each day. For each day I put either the exercise/activity/class that I did either at the gym or whatever I did that day to be active. Once I complete it I cross it out. 

I have reached out to friends and family to let them know what I am doing and surprisingly have gotten a ton of support and that what I needed more than anything else. Put the word out on Facebook and let them know you need their support and love during this new adventure. 

And don't forget to thank those that helped motivate you along the way!!

Starting My 100 Day Challenge

Hey Blogosphere!
I hope you are happy to have me. My name is Karen and I am starting this blog to track my journey on a one Hundred Day Workout Challenge. I know it will be a daunting task, working out everyday for the next 100 days. Now I don't just mean walking around my block for 20 minutes once a day I mean joined a Gym got a trainer working to a better healthier and cleaner life and well looking good GREAT in a bridesmaid dress in October!!! Thats right Makayla, your wedding is my first checkpoint to looking and more importantly feeling better. 

Not only did I want to start this to track what I have done, where I started and where I end up in 100 days but if I can inspire one person to do the same and change their life for the better because of it that would mean all the more to me!
I have learned over the last few day that I have ALOT of people that care about me and want me to do well at this... its like they are coming out of the woodwork!!!

I little bit about me so you know I am not a skinny mini girl already and trying to lose 10 pounds around her hips. Granted yes I want to lose 10 pounds around my hips but more then that I am a way more the full figured 24 year old that has been put on every diet known to man by a well intentioned by overbearing mother since I was 9 years old. Not that I don't thank her for wanting me to be healthy but I knew from even that young age this if I wanted to get healthy it was something I would have to decide on my own. I HAVE OFFICIALLY DECIDED THAT THIS IS FOR THE LONG HULL THIS TIME. I will not quit and I might start out small but I will NOT QUIT this time. 

I was in sports during high school and tried working out when I was in college but now that I have a grown up job in an office I found my eating habits had only gotten worse and the size of my clothes just kept going up and up. I have never in my life been thin even when I swam in high school and being a fat swimmer doesn't look good. I was fast enough to stay on the team but more than that, not so much. I'm pretty sure even as a kid I went from little kid clothes tight to large junior clothes to plus size women's in a matter of a few year. Not only do I want to shop in the plus size stores anymore (1. Those clothes are expensive and 2. I want to go shopping in a regular department store and not feel embarrassed about my size). I am a very insure person when it comes to my weight and being 24 on the verge of diabetes, heart problems and issues with your joints because of the immense amount of wight I have chosen not to get rid of in the past is no picnic.

But enough about the past , lets talk about what you will find on this blog. I will track what workouts I have been doing, what classes I try at the gym (how those work out since I'm not very coordinated) good new healthy recipes that I try including my daily post workout smoothie! and how I power through despite going to a 4 day BBQ Competition in Memphis, TN less than a month into this endeavor with a TON of amazing food and booze to last until the next year (because let's be honest I will 100% be enjoying all that food and booze) but will still have a daily workout before I head to the Mile of Swine for the day! 

I do want to let you know as my readers that I am by no means a doctor, medical professional, dietitian, personal trainer, etc. I am simply a girl on a mission for a better and happier life. If you are inspired by what I am doing please check with a medical professional before starting a workout and diet program. I suggest not working out alone if you can avoid it in the beginning to ensure that you do not end up putting your life in danger and of course to ensure that you have proper form when using equipment.