The Big Move: Cincinnati, OH!

So, it has been a while since my last post because I have been pretty busy.  After starting my job in Jackson, MS, and working there for over a year and a half my husband's job asked us to move again.  I have no qualms with this, I am a big city girl.  I was very excited for the opportunity to move to a much larger city than we have had the chance to live in.  As I mentioned before, I grew up in New Orleans, so every city I've lived in since moving away has really been a culture shock each time.  I moved from New Orleans, LA to Auburn, AL, a very small college town that has a staggering population of about 20,000 when school is not in session.  Now, everything happens for a reason and I know this because I was lucky enough to meet my gorgeous husband, Ben, while attending Auburn University.  From there, we relocated to his hometown of Huntsville, AL where we lived for about six years.  In Huntsville, AL Ben started a job with an amazing company that needed us to to relocate to Jackson, MS for a store that recently lost a general manager.  After only a year and a half, they realized Ben's talents could better be utilized elsewhere and decided to offer him the general manager position of the store they were building in Cincinnati, OH. Whew!  So, that is where we came from, and we hope this is our last stop.  So far, WE LOVE IT!  Below, I have attached a picture of our view from our balcony.  

Our neighborhood was recently ranked #2 on a list of best in the city.  I have completed a 5k race in downtown Madeira, we have had the pleasure of going to their 4th of July celebration, and even walking around enjoying the small-town feel and scenery.  Here are some pics of the girls in our neighborhood.

Here are a couple of pictures of downtown Cincinnati that I've been able to capture.  I really love the skyline coming in over the bridges from Kentucky.  The majority of the city is really beautiful.  There are tons of trees, manicured gardens, well-kept buildings.  Just beautiful.

On top of all that has happened, I finally landed a career job!  I just started in the recruiting industry.  I LOVE IT!  It has been something that has kept my mind busy and kept me interested.  I am so excited for the future, and motivated to show everyone what I'm made of!  

Lastly,  I have lost weight since we've moved!  I started a running streak because of the Fit Momma Page on Facebook.  For the streak, I was supposed to run at least a mile a day from Memorial Day until Independence Day.  I not only completed my streak but decided to extend it until Labor Day because of the results I had!  Before is actually last Summer (August, I think) and after is two days ago.  I couldn't fit into those white jeans May 15th of this year when I was packing for the beach!  

So, that is a quick rundown of what is going on in my life right now.  Feel free to find me on Facebook or shoot me an email!

Weekends killing your healthy eating? Here are a few tips on how to defeat those cravings!

So here's the for instance... You have your weekend planned out so that you can keep exercising and eating healthy, BUT your friends have other plans (of course).

Plan A:  Lets have a party for the game this weekend!!
Of course there are a great deal of temptations that can arise at a house party, mostly on the snack table, but you can avoid these with a few simple tricks.  Firstly, if you're bringing something for the party, pretzels are a great subsitute for chips because they have very low fat and calories but give you the salt that I'm sure you'd be craving while eyeing the chips and dip.  Secondly, BYOBW (bring your own bottled water) it will keep you from splurging on the empty calories in the soda and beer that is going to be present.  If you still think you'll have a hankering for a sweeter drink just grab a packet Pure Crystal sweetener or a Propel to avoid the extra calories and sodium that comes with soda.  Finally, dessert.... ohhh dessert!  Really there are only three ways to avoid spluring on the potentially diet defeating desserts that could be present. 1. Bring your own clean eating or low sugar baked goods (I find a lot of my recipes on bodybuilding.com or thegraciouspantry.com). 2. Avoid staying long enough to be tempted. 3. Give in but have only 1/2 of a normal portion (1/2 a cupcake, a small square of brownie)... although I don't recommend #3 unless you have amazing will power and are leaving the party immediately after you eat your first serving of dessert.. otherwise you will probably partake in your second and third servings, too.

Plan B:  Let's go out to eat!

There are a few ways to help you plan this out to avoid diet disaster, too.  1. When restaurants are chosen, try and ensure it is one that has a healthy menu option.  I always check out the restaurants I go to online to make sure they have healthy items on the menu, or at least ways I can make them healthy.  Knowing what you're going to order before you go in prevents a lot of caving in to hunger pains and cravings.  Avoid appetizers and desserts!  There are very few, if any, restaurants that serve healthy appetizers; and I'm sure there are none that serve healthy desserts.  If you're hungry when you arrive just add a salad to your meal with light or low-fat dressing on the side (they always put way more than you need); and if others order appetizers then ask for it with the appetizers.  Some restaurants do have low-calorie/low-fat soups that can be ordered, as well; although I would be weary of these because of potentially high sodium content. 
Alrighty and we all know everyone's real problem at restaurants... THE BREAD.  Yes, some places do serve wheat and multigrain bread but that does not always mean you should eat it.  Let me put it into perspective.  Even if you order a light meal and side salad your calories are more than likely already at a staggering 600 calories, add a couple of pieces of bread and you're at a lovely 1000 calories for 1 meal... not really conducive to losing weight, is it.  And just to be sure you don't have a misconception about flavored drinks, they are about 300-400 calories alone... so I recommend water or diet soda.  Overall, you should be able to make plenty of healthy decisions when out to eat.  The key: plan ahead.

Plan C:  Come over to my parents' house for dinner

So, for me this has been one of the biggest challenges.  My mother-in-law has planned a huge dinner with the family and cooks all of the food Southern style, AKA not healthy in the slightest.  I have to admit that this is one of the hardest situations to conquer for many reasons.  Normally, you don't need to bring anything for dinner; however, if you do have the opportunity when planning begins then ask if you can bring something so that you can have your delicious healthy option. That being said, if you are told nothing is needed there is only one thing to do when faced with a lovely meal that your mother-in-law has prepared.  NIBBLE.  You are able to determine which items are the least healthy options, so go with very small (or no) portions of the least healthy items (with the excuse that you're not a fan of so and so).  Avoid mashed potatoes and buttered rolls altogether, if possible.  I have definitely used the line, "I've already had some," before, too... to avoid a certain unhealthy option.  Although the veggies will probably have butter or oil I would eat a couple of servings of the veggies to avoid other options.  Try to avoid casseroles or have one spoonful if necessary.  If the meat isn't fried then go for a decent portion, and if it is go for about a half or quarter portion.  Overall, very small portions will fill you up with nice Southern Style cooking just drink plenty of water and eat slow so that you know when to stop.  You may end up having to chalk this one up as a loss, that doesn't mean go crazy... just do your best to get by for now!

By the way I have to share my favorite app for when you're dieting and exercising to help keep track of your food intake, Myfitnesspal.  The website, myfitnesspal.com, has the same properties and you can add friends and ask questions to the community!  It gives you a certain caloric intake daily and allows you to track it via phone or online.

Well I hope that covers all of the bases, if there are questions feel free to email me or respond to this post!  Good luck!

Working out around your work schedule

So I've recently been hired at a job that has hours from 8-4:30, normal hours right? However, my children can be dropped off at daycare at 630am and picked up by 6pm... I face the dilemma of how I was going to be able to squeeze in my Cardio AND strength training.  I'm sure a lot of people avoid working out entirely because of this conflict but I believe I've come up with a reasonable solution.

So assuming it takes me about 35 min to get ready and I get to the gym at 640am, I would have 25-30 min for a strength workout or even a quick 20 min Cardio session. The great thing about after work workouts is that you don't necessarily have to shower before you pick up your kids, giving you anywhere from 45 min to an hour to get in what you were lacking in the am!  Anyway I begin my job Feb 13th and will be testing my solutions.  Will give you more feedback soon!

Conquering the French Quarter of New Orleans LA!

So I've just recently made a weekend trip to NOLA!  It was a blast and I figured with all of my experiences during the first 12 years of my life and my recent visits I could come up with a good number of guidelines when visiting a very culture rich and beautiful city!

Firstly, decide whether or not you would like for your trip to remain entirely in the French Quarter or if you'd like to discover the rest of the city!  This will help you to decide on the best location for your hotel.  The French Quarter has a decent number of historically beautiful hotels but they come at a price.  However, if you book at LEAST 6 months in advance there are a large number of historic bed and breakfasts right in the middle of all the action.  When booking in the French Quarter you MUST remain on the following streets: Bourbon, Royal, Chartres, and parts of Decatur.  AVOID being close to or on: Esplanade Ave, Rampart, Canal and any other road more than a block from the streets mentioned above.  These areas are ill lit and not heavily populated and can become dangerous at night.  If you decide to just visit the quarter, then the Garden District may be a better area for  you to stay in.  Staying in this area will allow you to visit the quarter via a quick trolley trip, along with many other areas such as parks and the Audubon Aquarium (AMAZING by the way).  When deciding on a place to stay, ensure that you've done the research on the parking situation (if the hotel has it) or a parking garage nearby that is gated with a guard or surveillance. 

Ok, so now that we've gotten your sleeping arrangements aside, it's time to talk travel options.  One of the lesser known methods of travelling to New Orleans is via train!  You can take an Amtrak train via most major cities for as long as it would take you to drive, or less, and at a reasonable price.  If you are not a fan of such a long trip of course you can fly into the major airport at NOLA.  Lastly, depending on your location you may choose to just drive, although this is when you'd need to consider parking when making arrangements.

Alright, now we've gotten the travel arrangements done and you need to budget for entertainment and food, souvenirs, potentially alcohol....  The great news for buying souvenirs is that there is sooo much competition in this area that a little bit of walking can find you an amazing price on just about anything you can imagine.  If you decide to drink in the quarter, try to hold off until the evening when every bar on Bourbon street must compete to get you in their doors with anything from free cover to drink specials like 3 for 1.  For the most part you will remain fairly entertained by street performers and artists throughout the day and night, but if you would like something more there is an amazing zoo and aquariam, insectarium, and other museums and tours that will cost a bit extra but will definitely meet your needs.  Finally, FOOOOOD, the best part of your vacation to New Orleans~ Most restaurants in the quarter will cost you a pretty penny but the best way to discover the reasonably priced places is to walk around until you discover a hole in the wall.. Almost everything is delicious in the quarter and the real dives normally have AMAZING food, too.  And of course there is always the famous square fluffy donut topped with mounds of powdered sugar... THE BEIGNET!  There are a few places that offer these and they are very cheap... I will not name a favorite because it all depends on how you like them but I've been frequenting Cafe Du Monde since I was a little girl, and still have to have chocolate milk with mine!

Overall, New Orleans is an amazing place to visit and I hope you can enjoy my hometown as much as I have over the years.

Watching my muscles show :)

So, its been a long journey from my second child in August 2011.  During my pregnancy I had plenty of time to decide what route I would take to get my body back the second time around.  After realizing that the roads I've chosen before hadn't revealed the six pack I had always desired, I knew it was time for something different.  Now, trust me.. I've done all types of fad diets- The 48 Hour Hollywood Diet, Veganism (had pretty nice results... but tough to follow), and a few others that I'm going to keep to myself; but, I wanted something I could make into a lifestyle choice so that I could have my six pack for life!  After my graduation in August 2011 with a degree in Biology and Exercise Physiology I began doing some research on my own to determine what exactly these people were doing to have such cut and beautiful bodies.. After tons of scouring the internet, my answer seemed to be the resounding "Eat Clean" solution.  I decided with the motivation I have after babies that it would be a great time to start.

So, here is what "eating clean" entails... Lean proteins are the base of this diet, things such as turkey (ground, baked, etc), chicken, lean pork, etc.  Loads of veggies but light on fruits because even too much fruit sugar can be bad for you; it is normally recommended that fruits are eaten earlier on in the day so that the sugar is burned off.  Complex carbs like quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal  should be consumed as well but as sides and not as dishes (a tough one initially for me because I'm a carb FREAK lol).  No or limited dairy because of the effects of milk on the body (bloat, excess fat etc) it is recommended that you substitute Almond Milk for it instead and if you need a little pick me up some non-fat Greek yogurt is ok, too.  Finally, one of the biggest things in this diet is to watch sugar content!!  You would not BELIEVE the amount of sugar you consume each day... track it one day and find out how far over the recommended daily amount of sugars you exceed (Myfitnesspal is a very easy app to use and tracks this for you).  Watching sugar means reading labels and getting stuff plain and unsweetened and adding a less harmful artificial sweetener such as Stevia or Truvia (if you absolutely need it).  That essentially covers everything about "eating clean" that I have knowledge of, so far.

Although these guidelines may seem strict to you now... trust me its not as hard as taking that first step in the right direction.  Six months ago I was a little scared that it would be too hard for me to follow; now I look at this like, "Yeah, that's not bad at all!"  I've discovered hundreds of thousands of recipes that follow this lifestyle and taste nothing short of AMAZING.. yes desserts included.  Anything change is tough because humans are creatures of habit, but if you can make these your habits you'll enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life because of that change in the right direction.

Feel free to email me with questions.. April <3

Where does your city rank?

So I've reviewed the list of America's Fittest and Fattest Cities and I must say that I am quite suprised that LA and Vegas showed up on the "more sluggish" end of the list.  You would figure with the number of performers they have per capita in each of those cities that their ranking would be significantly closer to fit than fat... But surprisingly, this was not the case at all!  According to Men's Health Vegas is one of the most gluttonous, sedentary places in the US. 
Moving on however, there were a few things that the fitter cities did seem to have in common: tons of recreation; more gyms, parks, outdoor activities than other more sedentary cities.  And a funny thing I noticed was that one city actually had 57% less bars than most cities, making it harder to get that beer belly!  Anyhew, the list is linked here so check out where your city ranked.http://www.americanfitnessindex.org/report.htm

Stressed and overwhelmed.. the MOM syndrome

I know the feeling, kids at home by yourself for hours... You have a million things to do because the Hubby works during many businesses office hours; yet you're expected to do it for the most part because of an innate misunderstanding of what taking care of 2 kids before going to work that night entails.  You're also expected to remember everything, screw up nothing and just be all around amazing.  Sometimes it is good to just remind the Hubby that you are indeed human, and not actually superwoman as he previously imagined. 

Now that I've gotten those thoughts out, I want to tell you what helps me immensely.  Sometimes during the weeks before a move or a new job transition its better to back off on your workout than to burn out on it.  Sometimes as long as you're maintaining your fitness at  minimum of 3 days a week it can really help push you over the hump.  But if you push too hard during a trying time and you may begin to relate relaxing exercise to your stressful daily life (causing you to want to do it less).  Anyways, I've currently cut out most of my weight training and continued running while we pack up and move during the next week or so... I am preventing burnout that I've experienced before and so far so good!