Pintrest

Friday, January 20, 2012

WHATS THE POINT!!!!!!

I hear this phrase all the time...."WHAT'S THE POINT!". That usually comes after a conversation about not loosing, weight, having trouble with a good diet and finding time to work out.

LOOK, I know its hard! Its really hard when your starting out, its probably the hardest thing to do, when your asked to make life changes, stop eating the way you have always eaten, push your body to do work outs you don't feel like, or think you can do. But guess what I also know...ITS WORTH EVERY MINUTE, EVERY MOUTHFUL, EVERY EFFORT!!!!

I stopped in at a few of my favorite Facebook pages and asked them what was the best part and the hardest part of their health/fitness journey. Here is what they told me......


Get-Fit-Naturally the most rewarding part is being healthy and strong, i very rarely get sick. the hardest part is the same for everyone i think, staying motivated and staying away from junk when i get cravings, however, the longer you eat clean the less the cravings, but in times of stress most every one's bodies react the same - and the cravings come! LOL! thank you for asking! : )

HealthyFitFamilies.com Most rewarding is definitely seeing my wife and children live healthy lives with me. The most difficult is being disciplined when it comes to living healthy. Sometimes I just want to overindulge and sometimes I succumb to it.

Carlye Miller THE MOST rewarding is the way i feel. it really does make me the best mom, wife and friend i can be! And honestly i have always been into staying fit, but since having babies i couldn't just getup and go play some sand volleyball. so really the hardest part for me was just finally, after becoming a mom, just making working out a part of my life. and i will never stop!! :))

Mary Shares Fitness I'm still on my "journey" to get fit again, but the difficult part for me is eating healthy! When you are busy with kids, school, work, etc...it's so easy to just pick something up fast. I'm finding that setting small goals for myself instead of changing EVERYTHING at once is working better for me! :)

Tish's Fit Tips-The most rewarding part, is feeling energetic, confident, and healthy! =) The hardest part is probably staying consistent with my diet, because I travel a LOT, but I have found ways to still stay healthy on the road! People you can do this! Just learn to make a few changes! =
) It isn't hard once you figure it out! =) Go ahead and share, i hope I can inspire others too!


Busy Mom Gets Fit For me the most rewarding part of being fit and healthy is the position it has put me in to help other people achieve their goals. I love working out, so the hardest part for me is the "food" part. I will always have to plan and strive to get better and better at a healthy diet.

Kettlebell Moms More energy to get through the day and actually liking what the scale says! The hardest part can be avoiding all the junk food! (But it's well worth it!)


So what can I take away from this??? It is worth it!
It is hard, it is a challenge..BUT...Its REWARDING in so many more ways than you can count! So please, please, if you are just starting out, be patient, stick with it and know without a shadow of a doubt that to live a happy healthy life is an amazing gift to give yourself!!! Your worth it and you CAN DO IT!!!

Is there a point to all this health and fitness mumbo jumbo.......YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!










Thursday, January 19, 2012

100+ LIKES!!!! WOOP WOOP!!! Time for a giveaway : D


THANK YOU !!!! THANK YOU!!!

I am so excited to have reached the first goal of 100+ friends here on Better Believe Fit!

To celebrate i am giving away one of my favorite things! A super yummy, loads of bright colorful pictures, HEALTHY cook book : D Since my journey into fitness I have become a real lover of a good, healthy, cook book. Salads and egg whites can get a bit boring. SOooOO try something new.




This cook book by Gillian McKeith offers a great variety of new and tasty recipies to try out. I have really enjoyed it, i hope you will too.
To be entered to WIN you must first go to Better Believe Fit and LIKE the page, come back here and leave a comment on the blog on why you want to be a healthier you !

I cannot wait to hear all the wonderful reasons you have to be healthier and happier!!! The giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Sunday Jan 22nd, then i will enter you all into a random winner generator and will announce the winner on Better Believe Fits Facebook page !

Good Luck!!!




Saturday, January 14, 2012

If I have to eat one more egg white..........

When I started my journey into the world of fitness, I was literally bombarded with "PROTEIN". Are you getting enough protein, how ya getting that protein, did you drink your protein, eat it in a box with a fox????? GOOD GRIEF!!!! SERIOUSLY!?!?

So I decided to do a little research of my own, since I am not a huge fan of daily ingesting loads of meat and eggs. Now don't get me wrong...and I will say this nice and loud "There is nothing wrong with meat and eggs!" just so we are clear. I strongly advocate buying hormone free, organic and local when you can. I know this is not always economical or possible for us all.....I digress...back to the protein : )



Usually, or at least I did, when asked about protein, meat and eggs came to mind. Then I started to wonder...why all this darn protein??? Is this the sneakery of the farmers of chicken and beef trying to pull one over on me??? Well the truth of the matter is....Protein is very important to the health and maintenance of our bodies..I will explain.

Why we need protein : It is necessary for our bodies to grow and repair muscles and our muscles burn a lot of the fat we are so desperately trying to get rid of. Protein provides structural and mechanical support to our bodies, it helps us keep moving during those hard workouts and help us in our daily range of motions. The proper amount of protein in your diet will help keep your bodily fluids balanced, you don't want that to get out of whack or you may end up with a nasty case of fluid retention other wise known as Edema ( that can make your whole body swell, TERRIBLE!) Protein in our body is busy carrying various nutrients and waste to where they should be. I learned that Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from all the cells in your blood!

WOW !!! So thats why we need all that PROTEIN!!!

My next thought was " So i am DOOMED to have to eat eggs FOREVEEERRRR!!!!"  No, not quiet! (i tend to be a little on the dramatic side) .

Eggs and lean meats are one way to get in your good protien but there are so many other options out there that can fill your health needs....Just take a look.....





 
FOOD AMOUNT
PROTEIN(gm)
PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh
1 cup
41
9.3
Seitan
3 ounces
31
22.1
Soybeans, cooked
1 cup
29
9.6
Lentils, cooked
1 cup
18
7.8
Black beans, cooked
1 cup
15
6.7
Kidney beans, cooked
1 cup
13
6.4
Veggie burger
1 patty
13
13.0
Chickpeas, cooked
1 cup
12
4.2
Veggie baked beans
1 cup
12
5.0
Pinto beans, cooked
1 cup
12
5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked
1 cup
11
6.2
Tofu, firm
4 ounces
11
11.7
Lima beans, cooked
1 cup
10
5.7
Quinoa, cooked
1 cup
9
3.5
Tofu, regular
4 ounces
9
10.6








Peas, cooked
1 cup
9
6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked
1/2 cup
8
8.4
Peanut butter
2 Tbsp
8
4.3
Veggie dog
1 link
8
13.3
Spaghetti, cooked
1 cup
8
3.7
Almonds
1/4 cup
8
3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain
1 cup
7
7.0
Soy yogurt, plain
6 ounces
6
4.0
Bulgur, cooked
1 cup
6
3.7
Sunflower seeds
1/4 cup
6
3.3
Whole wheat bread
2 slices
5
3.9
Cashews
1/4 cup
5
2.7
Almond butter
2 Tbsp
5
2.4
Brown rice, cooked
1 cup
5
2.1
Spinach, cooked
1 cup
5
13.0
Broccoli, cooked
1 cup
4
6.8
Potato
1 med.
(6 oz)
4
2.7
Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005 and manufacturers' information.


 HURRAY!!!!!!!!! 
All these awesome and healthy options! See, God knew we needed protein , but He also knows we dont all eat the same foods. So here is a long list to choose from. I love the fact that you can meet your protien needs with an egg, or a steak, or a bowl full of lentils : D

So egg whites, I am still going to eat you in the morning with my oatmeal, but I am now on a mission to try out all these other fabulous foods that are healthy, lean and packed with protien!

Bon Appetit !

Thursday, January 12, 2012

COME ON GET HAPPEEEEEE!!!

Today I am blogging about ENDORHINS! What is an endorphin???? Well as far as Wikipedia can tell me  Endorphins ("endogenous morphine") are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters.[1] They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise,[2] excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm,[3][4] and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being.



SAY WHAAATT????  All I know is that when I work out no matter how CRAPPY I felt before I started about 10 min. into it I am getting this "I AM AWESOME" vibe coming over me , and this is shortly followed by a "YEAHHHH!! KICKIN BUTT TODAY!!!!" I would think that these fantastic little fella's would look like this in my brain....



 
that's how they make me feel. So now on top of all the amazing benefits of working out...you
 get the bonus of feeling like your on a high and its all natural baby!!! Some people refer to this feeling as a "Runners High" or as it most times comes after extended periods of working out at a high intensity a "second wind". There are apparently a lot of different endorphins your body can release but these Beta-endorphins are the strongest brain effecting endorphin and you get them, when???? While working out!!!

OKAY... so you get it working out will make you happy! OH YEAH!!! Not only will the endorphins give you that great high, they have also been shown to control pain, cravings for chocolate (we all need that!), and to help reduce symptoms related with eating disorders. They are also believed to have great benefit to your body and mind such as enhancing your immune system, reducing stress, postponing aging process, and help to ward of the feelings of depression!!!

I mean WOWZA people these things should be bottled and sold, we would be millionaires! But the most wonderful thing I can think of is that we all have an endless supply of endorphins in our bodies and with all the amazing benefits they give us why are we not bouncing off the wall happy????

Well I am pretty darn happy, and I try to get my fix every day. I hope that after reading this Blog, along with your healthy happy goals, your going to be even more motivated to get your sweat on. Its hard work, but its worth it. I think the endorphin were created as a kind of reward for us, to show us that pushing our bodies and making them work hard is good and good for us. So next time your working out I want you to push yourself...do an extra set, run the extra mile, and I will be hearing shouts of  "I AM FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!".

So you gonna do this!!! YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Better Believe Fit !

So here we go the "FIRST BLOG" i am sooooo excited to be on this amazing journey and I can already tell that it is going to be loads of fun,  we are going to meet some great people, learn some really awesome stuff....and the BEST part...we will be getting healthier and happier as we go!!!

Better Believe Fit is about getting to that pivotal point in your life where you have had enough of the unhealthy lifestyle and the depression and the mood swings and the crappy feeling from all the ...well..crappy food you have been eating and lack of those wonderful little endorphins that flood your brain when you work out ( I LOVE THEM!)

Better Believe Fit is about, what I think, to be one of the most important parts of getting fit and healthy...a positive, KICK BUTT, attitude. KNOWING that you are capable of doing this with the right tools. Getting motivation from friends who care, and getting your butt in gear and moving!!!

We will be talking about work outs that work! Food that is good for you and tastes GREAT! How to handle when your feeling less than motivated or if set back occur. We will also spend lots of time laughing and embracing this wonderful phase of the journey to a happier healthier you!!!

So are we gonna do this???? YOU BETTER BELIEVE FIT!!!