Nothing like a little dose of reality to get me back on the wagon .....

I must admit our little fun "Jimmy Buffett" weekend kinda got me out of my schedule and out of my routine.  I already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for last week amist my week of not being "so good" - so I knew I was not going to hear the best of news.  So nothing like being told that your BMI is 34.7 (I need to get it down to 27) and that I am carrying around an extra 17 liters of water to knock me back into reality. 

So he is suggesting a 21 day cleanse to get my body rid of all the toxins.  Apparently I may be toxic at the cellular level - WTH???  It gives me one more thing to worry about.  He told me that doing Zumba is great, but I also have to incorporate weight lifting.  Cristina, you can't be scared of weights!  So now I am kinda back to square one.  Gotta keep my chin up about still making good food choices and not get discouraged, gotta keep up with my water drinking and excercise. 

The biggest question is how is that I am carrying 17 extra liters of water on me???



Fruit of the week:  WATERMELON - enjoy it this summer!

Benefit of eating watermelon:

• protects against macular degeneration
• fights heart disease
• loaded with antioxidants
• reduces the risk of cancer
• prevents erectile dysfunction
• good source of vitamins and minerals

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

How many calories do you actually burn during a Zumba class? 



Well I made a great investment this weekend and got a Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor with chest strap transmitter that tells me how many calories I burn!  It is awesome!  So on Sunday for Darryl's class (who always goes 1 hr and 15-20 minutes) I burned 820 calories.  Last night's Stacy's class (1 hr) it was 730 calories!  WOW  I was very happy to finally know how much it actually is!  I am going to try to incorporate a day or two of just doing cardio and lifting to mix it up a bit - curious to see how I do on those workout days!




My next little discovery this week is a great website Daily Burn (www.dailyburn.com).  It also has an iphone and Android app you can get.  Depending on what you want to achieve it sets goals for calorie intake and exercise.  So I just track everything I eat (they have an extensive list) and it keeps track of my daily intake accurately.  It is such a great reminder of what I am eating ...... I mean do I really want to waste 1/2 of my suggested daily calories on Chic-Fil-A or Starbucks??? I am not going to say that there will be days when the answer is going to be YES!!!!!  For the most part though, it is helping me stay away from all those temptations.  I am a visual person so seeing it right there in front of me is a nice reality check!  You can also track how many glasses of water you are drinking on a daily basis! (If you read my last blog you know why this is a struggle for me).  As it tracks what you are putting in, it also tracks your work out and weight.  So overall it gives you a way to track everything and incorporate the information to give you a daily picture of how you did!  This is good to see when I am having a good day, and keeps me motivated when I had a bad day!

This week I also made some changes to the supplements I am taking and have seen some positive results.  I am just happy that although the change is not happening over night I can definitely see a difference.  My arms are definitely more toned and not as  flabby and my abs are not so pillsbury dough boy like!  Hmmmm maybe what I need to do next is post a picture..... eeek I am not sure if I am ready for that, but it might be a good motivational tool!


Turkey Chili Recipe
1 lb of ground turkey
1 taco mix package
1 package of light ranch mix
1 can of Rotel (depending on how spicy you want it choose which Rotel you want)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of Kidney beans
I can of Pinto beans
1 bag of frozen corn (you can also use canned corn)

1) Use cooking spray to brown the ground turkey
2) Add the rest of the ingredients in a stock pot
3) Add the ground turkey and cover
4) Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat
5) Serve and enjoy!

Roughly 300 calories per serving .... It fills you up and it also is great the next day.  You can also freeze it and eat it later!

My battle with soda

I figured out quickly that one of my first challenges was going to be eliminating soda from my life.  The old Cristina used to start the day stopping at my favorite gas station and loading up with 32 oz of diet coke.  I was there so much that the attendant and manager gave me a birthday card one year.  Now one would think that 32 oz of soda would be more than enough for one day.  Nope, I used to drink at least two more of those.  WOW when I think about it that is on average 96 oz of soda on a daily basis.  My kidneys hurt just thinking about it.

I knew that eliminating the soda would help me get on the right track towards my goal.  How to do this?  How do I get rid of something that is such a routine.  Well the first thing I did was invest in a nice water jug (Nalgene) that holds 32 oz of water.  I push myself to drink one on the way to work, then drink another one in the morning, another in the afternoon and one in the evening.  That fulfills my goal of replacing the 96 oz of soda with water and then some.  I carry my jug with me everywhere I go.  I am constantly drinking water.  Guess what all those articles about the benefits of water where right.  I feel so much better.  The only drawback is my constant trips to the bathroom, but I can live with that it gives me a chance to stretch my legs.

I can't say it was easy.  The first few days were so hard.  I had the worst headaches.  But I kept on pushing and did not give in to the temptation of the dreaded diet coke. It made me realize how addicted I was to soda.



I can't say that I have not had any soda in the last month.  But the last time I had a diet coke, my husband was sure I was on some drug because I was so hyper.  I was bouncing off the walls.

So what if you are having the same problem?   Here are a few things that have helped me out:

• Always have water with you
• Do not keep sodas at home (I don't buy them for the house)
• Crystal Light can quench the need to have something with taste.  They have the little packages that are convenient when you are on the go!
• Indulge once in a while and splurge on a soda
• Keep reminding yourself that the more water you drink the more toxins you are flushing out of your system

One step at a time right!

Monday Night Zumba

I must say I have a love/hate relationship with Staci our Zumba instructor.  She is this cute, little, skinny and bouncy blond.  She has enough energy for 100 people.  So in preparation for her class I drank my Spark and headed into the studio.  I always stand in this corner of the room, the one area that seems to be void of big mirrors.  She leads us through an hour of various routines and dances.  I know Staci is doing this for my own good, but after an entire song of squats and gyrations I just don't like her for a minute.  Despite my feelings she keeps smiling and cheering me on.  Before I know it we are cooling down, I am dripping in sweat and I can start to feel my muscles tense up.  Why they put the studio on the second floor is beyond me,  the walk down the stairs is painful.  The only thought that keeps me going is that surely I just burned 500-600 calories and despite my muscle revolt one day this will get easier. 

Recipe of the day:
Turkey Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• Taco Mix
• Mixed greens
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Olive Oil

Brown ground turkey with a little bit of olive oil.  Mix the taco seasoning with the ground turkey.
Prepare mixed greens.  Cut up tomatoes and avocados and put over mixed greens.  Top veggies with ground turkey.  You can also top with salsa. Enjoy! 

It's amazing how yummy this is!  My husband and son really enjoy it!

LIfestyle Changes are a work in Progress

Yes I am embarking on major lifestyle change.  I think after ten years I can no longer blame those extra pounds on baby weight from Jacob!  I decided that I needed a little bit something extra to help me stay motivated.  It's called accountability and I hope any who read this will help me stay on track on the road to a healthier me!

I have come up with enough excuses to not make time for this important part of my life.  In between my family and my career, it seems like I forgot to make time for a very important person and that is me.  As I have started to incorporate exercising back into my llife, I found that it levels me out and I feel so much happier.  Along with exercise and better nutrition I am going to challenge myself to get back in those skinny skinny jeans.  My sister is getting married next year so I have ten months to do some major remodeling in this 35 year old body. 

I hope that by sharing my journey (the good parts, the hard parts and the bad parts) I will have all of you to keep me on track. 

So here goes ..... I will try to write as often as I can about the challenge up ahead.