New Personal Website

First and foremost I would like to announce that my new personal Website is coming soon.... so stay posted!!

Secondly, l my journey with livefit has officially come to an end, but now I begin on a new journey. One in which I never thought possible, or even crossed my mind. One in which I am very excited to be on and can not wait for the ending result! Are you ready for it??? Wait for it??? Ok i Think your ready...drumrolll......I am doing my very FIRST fitness competition!!!!!!

I am super excited to be embarking on this journey. Not only will the outcome be the ultimate reward but I am excited to see a different world. Yes, I have always been into fitness and working out. Yes I have done pageants but fitness competitions are a complete different ball game. The dedication that everyone has and the support that everyone gives one another is undeniable. Well lets see how this journey will be. I know there will be days where I am frustrated because I am not seeing teh results as fast as I want, and days where I would rather stay at home snuggling up with my doggie instead of hitting 2 rounds of the gym.....but in the end I know it will all be worth it.

This past weekend my best friend asked me, "why do you do it?" Why do you put yourself through all that sacrifice?" (mind you we were sitting at PF Chang's and all I was having a water because I made sure to eat my meal before coming so I wouldn't be tempted) I told her," I do it because I love the feeling of accomplishment!" That indescribable feeling when you look at yourself in the mirror and you remember all those sweat and tears you had to endure and to know see the end result. Its a pat on the back and a self-assuring fact that "you can do anything you set your mind to"

Yes there are times when you went to say "screw it" and just have a greasy cheeseburger....but honestly what is that? Just 1 minute sense of pleasure and a lifetime of guilt? or even worse? A lifetime of always feeling ugly because you are not proud of your body and confident enough to love yourself? By all means, if you have found a way to love your body as is ...good for you! The whole thing is for you to LOVE yourself and be confident with who you are!! I can't feel that way unless I workout and eat healthy. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this has to be the way that everyone thinks...at all!! More power to you if you go against the norm of society and love yourself just how you are!! I love my curves! I love that I am not stick thin but I love it even more when I sweat and work for what I want! :)

Week 11

Wow I can't believe I am almost done with the livefit. I am feeling amazing! I must say the sprints from week 9&10 were killer but I was very proud of myself for finishing everyday strong. U haven't lost much but my body fat has reduced a lot. I'll post pix soon!!!

No more Artificial Sweetner

I'd also like to share this story that I saw on facebook. I must say that I already started to stop using TRUVIA. i USED HONEY THIS MORNING IN MY OATS :)

I have come to an end of my 'FOUR WEEK NO SPLENDA CHALLENGE'. I didn't post anything prior to today about doing this because I honestly didn't know if I was going to be able to stick with it! Like many people, sweets are my weakness. I picked Splenda as my choice of sweetener because it is supposed to be the better of the others. I have always known how bad certain sweeteners are on your body and how it affects the process of leaning out, but never realized the full effect of it until now. This picture says it all. I wonder now what the Splenda is doing to the inside of my body since it can make such a drastic difference to the outside. When our bodies react to substances that we intake in a negative way; there is a reason. During this 4 weeks, I have changed NOTHING to my exercise routine. When it comes to diet, I have been drinking more water to flush out any toxins in my body while maintaining my regular meal plan. Like I have always said, there is NO easy way out of anything. It has taken me YEARS to understand this. Everything must be done the right way to acheive the long-term results that so many seek. The great thing is that time does pass and great acheivements come with it if things are done the right way. So why not go about everything you strive for in the right manner?

So many people ask what 'my secret' is to leaning out and staying healthy, and the only answer in my mind is:

"That there is NO secret. The sources are out there for anyone to accomplish their fitness and health goals BUT it's how willing you are to do it right."

I am so glad I stuck to this challenge because it has made me want to completely cut out sweeteners from here on out. This is why I also tell people that knowledge is key and things work when you start applying them to your actions. You start to make changes involuntarily rather than doing something you don't want to do (which will most likely lead you back to point A, instead of continuing the progression).

-->The left picture was taken exactly 4 weeks prior to starting my challenge and the picture on the right is 28 days after that. I hope that some of you learn something out of this post and that it will motivate you to try this for 4 weeks! Please post on my page if you are willing to try this and take progression pictures! I would love to feature someone into my book I am currently working on called "Mentally Fit". Those who complete this with progress pictures will all be considered. Remember, that it's a short time to stick to something for a life-long change! :)

Thoughts??

Day 66

Wow I almost done with livefit! I must say that I absolutely love this program and will probably do it a 2nd time. This time around I haven't been that great on the diet. I had Ny in the middle of it, and although I've eaten very clean, I have snacked in between meals which is a big NO NO.

I have noticed some differences especially in my abdominal area. (I will post pictures soon)

I also made this amazing chicken that I will post the recipe soon....toodles

4th of July in New York

I went to New York on Monday because I had some meetings and since it was my mom's bday on the 4th, as a b-day surprise I bought her a plane ticket to go with me! We turned into a girls vacation since my aunt and nieces tagged along. We saw a lot of things in only a couple of days. I was only able to get in one workout but honestly with how much we walked, I did not feel so bad about that. My shoe even broke just to give you a little insight of the excessive walking that was done. I have blisters on every part of my feet.

Now as far as the nutrition goes, I am very happy because I did not over indulge. I was able to stick to clean-eating as much as possible. I did, however, have little bites here and there of dessert, pizza, fires, burgers that my family was eating. Just little tastes and that was enough to keep me satisfied. We went to Bobby Flay's restaurant " Bar Americain" and the food was delicious. I ordered the Florida grouper and it was amazing. My niece ordered the ribs and those things where to die for. We also ate at Mario Batalli's restaurant "Otto's" I did have a slice of pizza because it was just so darn interesting. It was a pizza with an egg on top. It was a thin crust and the slices where very small.

We even had tea at the American Girl place and it was such a fun, girly thing to do. We had a blast. The most amazing trip, although it was definitely not relaxing in the bit, it was unforgettable. My meetings went very well and I am very happy with the outcome of it....stay tuned for all the wonderful things coming!!

Day 43

I was really tired this morning when I went to the gym, it also did not help that today's leg workout was killer. Its funny because I looked at it last night and thought " Oh there is barely any exercises...this is going to be a breeze". Boy was I wrong! Yes there were only 6 exercises but each one was sooo long and tedious.... glad I got that out of the way. This afternoon I will be trying out a new spinning class at SlimCycle, I'm pretty stoked about it. It's in the new easy rider bike, hopefully I won't fall off. I am going with my mother, niece and friend (goes to show you you can workout at any age)

I also started counting calories and I still haven't gotten the jiff of it. I am always hungry and I have been eating a little more which is scaring me a bit.

Today's Meal (High Calorie)
Breakfast: 5 eggwhites
                Oatmeal
                3/4c berries
                1 tsp coconut oil
                1/2c caffe latte w/ almond milk

Snack: 2 rice cakes w/ 1 tsp SF strawberry jelly
            Tuna w/ mustard

Lunch: 4oz Sweet Potato
            2 of Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
            1/2 c greenbeans

Snack: 4 of Jamie Eason's Lemon Bars

Dinner: 6oz Jamie Eason Monster Meatloaf
            veggies

 Seems like alot right??? That doesn't even add up to my 1750 calories I need to consume today!!!

June Foodie Penpals

So sorry I have been MIA lately, I've just been extremely busy. But I am back and with some great goodies from Carrie's Sweet Life. She sent me some delicious goodies that u can not wait to get my hands on on my cheat day!! The cereal is made in her town ad well as the chocolate and taffy! I even got a spatula which I was actually in great need of! Can't wait to try it all.

2nd Week of Phase 2

Wow! I can't believe how fast time passes. I am already on the 2nd week of the Livefit. Next week I start counting calories..not excited about that.

How was everyone's weekend? Mine went by a little too fast for my liking. Had a fashion show, birthday dinners and was able to catch up on my "Fifty Shades of Grey". I am actually on the 3rd book already.
I am completely and utterly in love with Christian Grey. I have my fingers crossed that they will pick Ian Somerhalder to play him. I think he is a perfect 10.

Well today I went to the gym at 5am and did a great chest workout and ran for 30minutes. Boy was that tough though. I really don't like running on the treadmill. It's so boring and monogamous. I prefer running outdoors and changing the scenery.  I also made some yummy PROTEIN BARS INSPIRED BY jAMIE eASON.

Chocoberry Nutty Protein Bars

1 cup Oat Flour

 4 Egg Whites

2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

½ cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal

½ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

1tbsp PB2 Peanut Butter

8oz Berry flavored Baby Food

3 tbsp Baking Cocoa

4oz Water

1 cup strawberries cut up into small pieces

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Mix dry ingredients (oat flower, vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa, and PB2) together in a large bowl.Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Splenda, Berry flavored Baby Food,Water) together in a medium sized bowl.Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.Then add starwberriesSpray cooking dish with a non stick butter spray and add batter to dish.Bake 20-30 minutes in oven.Makes 16 squares, serving size=2 bars.

Day 33: Shoulders and Cardio

Just got back from the gym and I am dead. I did a shoulder workout and went up n weight so I really shredded those muscles. I also did 30min on the stair master at LEVEL 16....WOW is all I can say hahaha



I haven't exactly weighed myself yet but I do feel a difference. I am going to get my body fat done on Monday ... I am a little nervous.
 BTW who is doing the Love my body challenge?? I love my hair..i just got it done haha

•  

  Smith Machine Military Press

  1 warm-up set, 3 sets of 10 reps

Superset:

•  

  Upright Dumbbell Rows

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Standing Dumbbell Military Press (shown seated)

  3 sets of 10 reps

End of superset; resume normal sets

•  

  Incline Bench Front Dumbbell Delt Raises (go light)

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Rear Delt Cable Flyes

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Lateral Raise

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Last set is a drop-set.
•  

  Rear Delt Raise

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Last set is a drop-set.

Love your Body

I'm so sorry I've been lost these couple of days. Work has had me going crazy! I was filming the movie "Pain and Gain" with Mark Wahlberg. I can't wait until it comes out. It's going to be a great movie. The movie is a dark comedy based on body builders...it's actually a true story. I just found out a friend of mine used to work at the gym of which they speak about in the movie...small world. I've also been doing various fitting for fashion shows and some photo shoots, but I am back.

I wanted to talk about a very important topic that every person, male or female, seems to be a victim of. That is, saying negative things about your body and always hating on it. Being in the industry that I am in I see this a lot and I am also a culprit of it. We always seem to be our hardest critics. We always compare ourselves to others and wish we had smaller thighs, bigger lips, tighter abs, etc. I have come to realize that what may seem like a HUGE deal to ourselves, is unknown to others. For example, you may have a pimple in your face and to you it seems like its is the size of a crater and you want to hibernate in your house until you look decent enough to withhold ground in civilization. Truth be told, you show it to someone and they didn't even notice it was there. The same rule applies with our bodies. I am sure that others do not notice our imperfections as much as we do, and because of that pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect, we seem to beat up on our bodies and ridicule it. Constantly saying negative things about it. Without even knowing it, this takes a toll on our bodies. Constantly surrounding ourselves with those thoughts brings negative energy. We are not noticing the wonderful and amazing things are bodies do. How much work goes into pumping blood into our veins, getting air to our lungs and allowing us to have those BIG muscles show through.

If you feel as if you are stumped and have been hitting the gym really hard, eating 100% and doing all the right things, but yet don't see the results you want. Don't go into that negative place and begin hating on your body. Instead embrace it. Visualize yourself with that body you want. In those jeans you wore when you were in high school and tell yourself" I can do it." " I have an amazing body and there is no reason as to why I can not look  like those girls I see in fitness magazines." Envision yourself  having those abs and tight buns, and I promise you you will get there. I will let you in on a little secret: When I was preparing for Miss Florida Usa and got down to the thinnest I have ever been...around 9% BF I always envisioned the body I wanted. I had vision boards all over my room and bathroom. Whenever I felt like given up, I would look at those pictures and tell myself that I could do it. I saw myself flaunting those abs around that stage. I barely ever said negative things about my body in that time period, and look how far it got me.

Now I would like to challenge everyone to this (It was my New Year's resolution), you must say one nice thing about your body on a daily basis. It may be anything such as "I love my eyes" but its just to help us get out of that mind frame in which we are constantly being negative.

Here's how it goes:

Love My Body Challenge

-Everyday post something you love about your body.
-You can either post it here under comments
- Post it on my  Facebook wall
- Post it on my Twitter with #lovemybodychallenge
-or e-mail it to me and I'll post it on here with your permission of course

Who is with me??

POWERMEAL CHALLENGE

First off, I would like to congratulate the lovely Olivia Culpo our new reigning Miss USA 2012. She is absolutely stunning and did an amazing job answering a very difficult question. She took her time, gathered her thoughts and did not stutter once. Congrats on a job well done,

Second, I just read about powercakes "Powermeal Challenge" and I am really excited about doing it. It is a wonderful way to get everyone to incorporate healthy food into your meals. For the month of June she has a color for everyday; today being yellow. We are supposed to have diverse colors on our plates when we go to eat, and I think this is the perfect way to get everyone on board. If you haven't already done so, check out her blog Here

Lastly, I am very excited to start Phase 2 on the LiveFit trainer. Today begins my first day of cardio. I am thinking of doing zumba for 30min. I have already started to notice a difference in my body which is making me a very happy girl.

It's Friday, Friday!!

TGIF!!!!! This was a really short week and I am not complaining! Got my 5am workout in (legs)! Tomorrow will be my last day of Phase 1 and I can finally start Phase 2. I am beyond ecstatic!

Just wanted to do a quick shout out to some amazing ladies competing this weekend....Livefit Journey and Tosca Reno! These ladies are in amazing shape and a true inspiration to us all. They are both mothers and incredible smart and knowledgeable.  Tosca is competing in honer of her late husband Robert Kennedy. Wishing them both the best of luck and I know they will do amazing.

Many things going on this weekend! I've got my modeling class tomorrow. I am very excited to see my students since it's been 2 weeks since I last saw them. I have a casting on Sunday and Sunday night is MISS USA!! Tune in @9pm on NBC on June 3rd!!  I've already got my favorites and who I think will be taking it all.....Who do you think will take the crown???

Breakfast and Day 24 Livefit

Good Morning folks! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was amazing! I relaxed, tanned ( or actually toasted lol), and spent quality time with those I love. I sticked to my diet and never went in to grab an Oreo or potato chip. The group actually decided to go to Dairy Queen and I did not feel tempted at all, and let me tell you..... Ice cream is my weakness!!

Well today Is just another day in the life of a foodie queen! Woke up and has my oats and egg whites. As I was eating them I was watching TV, charmed to be exact, and I notice how they always seem to just have a cup of joe for breakfast! I cringe at the thought. Ever since I was a little girl my mother always made me have breakfast. Even if it was small bit it was something. She always told me "it's the most important meal of the day", she was absolutely right!

Breakfast jump starts your day. It provides you the fuel to have energy throughout the rest of your day. Many think that cutting it out will help them lose weight, but it's all the opposite! Not eating breakfast slows down your metabolism and will actually make it more difficult to lose weight. Those that slip it willies likely eat heavier on the next meal or nibble on high-calorie snacks. This can also lead to obesity in children and young adults. So the next time you want to rush out the door with just a cup of joe, remember you are doing more harm than good.

If you feel like you don't have time in the morning to make eggs and oatmeal you can make overnight oats (recipe soon) or have some protein bars already baked and ready to go.

Alrighty gonna go hit the weights today! Day 24 and I got back and no eps today. Last week of phase 1.... Can't wait to begin phase 2

Happy Memorial Day!

Today we must remember the amazing troops that have put their lives on the line for our freedom.... Just waned to wish you all I happy and safe Memorial Day!!

Happy grilling

Damy's Brownies

These where lifesavers this past weekend! Anytime I got a Craving for sweets, I had one of these! Great alternative to the real thing.. You won't miss it!

You can find the recipes here
http://www.damyhealth.com/2012/05/black-bean-brownies-with-peanut-butter-swirl/

Fajita night

Needed something other than chicken and turkey tonight so decided to do steak fajita. I used top sirloin (is on Jamie's approved food list), some frozen veggies and onions. Added se braggs amino acid and voila you got a meal! I ate it with lettuce. Everyone else had corn tortillas. Yumm

This was so good and super quick and easy to make! I think I e found my new live for cooking. I guess if the modeling doesn't work out.... I could always be a chef!!! HahH

2lbs top round streak

1 bag frozen veggies of choice or fresh

Bragg amino-serving size is 1/2 tsp so add to your desire

1 tbls olive oil

Cook steak in pan, once done remove from pan and set aside. Add veggies and olive oil to pan saute until soft, add meat back in with Bragg amino. Cook for additional 5 minutes. Serve with rice or tortillas.

Protein powder

This is the shake I buy. I usually get the chocolate fudge but wanted to change it up. What's your favorite shake??

Day 18 & Muscle Soreness

Today was leg day again. Considering the fact that my legs were still sore from Monday, I felt pretty good! Am I the only person who actually gets happy that I am sore?? I love knowing that I trained hard enough that my muscles need to rebuild themselves and will grow. The soreness is actually called DOMS. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

DOMS is caused by tiny microscopic tears that occur in the muscle as a result of high intensity exercise (such as weight training, intense cycling, etc). After the workout, the muscle begins to rebuild itself (provided it is allowed enough time and nutrients to recover). This is the rebuilding process which creates new muscle that is bigger and stronger than before. In other words, your muscles are growing. Your muscles grow when you are at rest – not when you’re at the gym.


Remember that we must always shock are bodies so that we can constantly be gaining muscle growth  and that soreness....... will be back!!!

Day 17

Good Morning Dolls!! I'm here at a catalog shoot waiting to do my hair and make-up. Decided to write a little on the blog to update you of what's going on. Since I knew I was gonna be shooting all day, I decided to go to the gym at 5am. Today was chest and triceps. The gym was pretty empty and I loved it. I used to go at 5am everyday but I've been so busy lately that I haven't had energy to get up! But boy am I glad I did today. I really miss it and I think I may have to start going back once phase 2 starts.

Here are some pictures of everyone getting ready

Day 16 of LiveFit Trainer

Today I did back and biceps at the gym. I felt very good. I did weigh myself this morning and have not dropped any weight, however I do feel my clothes less tight so I could be losing inches. I am not really scared since I've spoken to a lot of you who have done the trainer and didn't see any changes in PHASE 1. I'm excited to get started with Phase 2.

Here was my workout. I did it in about 30 minutes.

•  

  Hammer Strength Lat Pull

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Alternate Option:
  Pullup
•  

  Seated Narrow Grip Cable Rows

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  T-Bar Row

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Alternate Option:
  Bent-Over Barbell Row
•  

  Back Extensions

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Barbell Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Incline Dumbbell Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Alternate Hammer Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps

- For the Hammer Strength Lat Pull I used 30lbs

- Wide grip lat pull down- 70lbs

-Seated back row- 32.5lbs

- T-bar 35lbs

- Back Extension- 25lb plate

- Barbell curl- weighted silver bar w/ 5lbs ea. side

- Incline Dumbbell Curl- 10lbs

-Hammer Curl- 10lbs




Post workout I made a 


"Cheesy" Apple Pie!


Ingredients:
- 1/2 an apple ( I used granny smith)
- Cinnamon
-1/2 Cup Lactaid Fat Free Cottage Cheese
- 2 Truvia Packets


- Chop the apple
- add 2 Truvia Packets and a lot of cinnamon
-Mix all together
- Microwave for 1:15
add in the cottage cheese and enjoy!!