The Ending Of Relaxation

{prepare yourself for lots of pictures}

There are usually two kinds of vacations my family takes: tour the whole damn city or option two would be to have a relaxing vacation with little to no schedule.

Being in Atlanta has been RELAXING. This is a vacation that won't need a follow-up vacation. The whole reason I went to Atlanta was because my mom was going for work (she travels every week) and I just happened to have this week off from nannying. So it worked out perfectly.

I cannot tell you how many times people said to me "what are you going to do there?" I would answer with "uh, I don't know, relax?" Well that's what I've done. My mom goes to work 9-5 and I relax ALL. DAY. LONG.

It is great. Most days I would wake up and grab breakfast from the hotel. Then I would hit the gym up for a workout. Some days I went 45 minutes and some days I went 1 hour and 30 minutes. Whatever I felt like doing I did! Then I would make a protein shake to get some good nutrition into me. Then blog, check Facebook and twitter, I'd go on Pinterest and I would online shop.

This blog is a no judgement zone

I made some new friends. But actually,
it scared the crap outta me!

Then about 11 I would go lay by the pool to catch some sun and fresh air. I have already read two great books: Losing It and Faking It both by Cora Carmack and both very, very good.

My Mama and I! 

After I relax all day my mom comes back from work and we go out to dinner. We have shopped at the local mall. I got some new things from Macys (shocker:)) and Jcrew. They both seem to have different styles than the MN stores, so that's fun. Sometimes we workout again if we feel like it, or we hangout and go to bed early. I don't think I have stayed up past 9:00 PM (Atlanta time, so 8:00 PM MN time) this whole trip. And I love it!

We matched! ha ha.
P.S. This picture was taking AFTER we
had a cookie AND frozen yogurt {feeling FAT}

All good things must come to an end, I am excited to get home to my bed and my doggies. It has been a relaxed, chilled, laid back vacation, but honestly I wouldn't want it any other way. 

P.S. if you know me you know I'm obsessed with Tutti Frutti, a frozen yogurt place. Before I came I found out there were THREE near my hotel (within 15 miles. One even within 1 mile!) However, for the life of me I can't find it. Trust me we have driven around for 20 minutes, I just won’t drop it until we found another frozen yogurt shop that was OK.

Pinterest Failed Me

A few days ago I started using a new protein shake called isagenix. It is all new to me but I know it is the best thing for my body. It is non-GMO, organic, gluten free, soy free (the shakes), all natural sugars, and more!

I have always loved protein shakes. For me they are a quick and easy snack right after a workout. But I struggled finding the right one. I tried Body By Vi, Herbalife and Life-Time Fitness Brands.

They were all pretty good, don't get me wrong; however, when you realize what is in each shake and that it may be harming your body you start to worry. And this is what was happening to me. I was starting to freak out about what I was putting into my body. Some protein shakes aren't that high in calorie, so it makes it easier for people to lose weight.  But then people gain it back as soon as they eat normal foods. They are also filled with artificial sweeteners, which are so bad for you body (minus a few). So knowing this I knew I was ready for a change.

This is when my cousin Alyssa introduced me to Isagenix. It is a WHEY protein, which is so much better for you. I never knew this until I was at her house and then when I went home to do more research. Dang, it was like Pinterest failed me by never telling me whey protein is so much better for you than soy protein. Whey protein is extracts from milk by numerous methods and it helps you stay full longer. It has also been proven that whey protein burns fat faster and helps with muscle retention and growth. On top of all of this it burns calories faster. Amazing. I am new to all of this, so it is a learning experience, but who doesn't want to learn about different ways to make their body HEALTHIER? 

I was interested but at the same time I was like how can this one be different from the others and actually be good for my body? She did lots of research, as did I and I was convinced to go to a shake party at her house.

There I was able to try the shakes, try some protein bars, hear success stories, see videos and hear even more about the product. I liked the shakes she made and the bars I tried, so I thought hey I will try it and if I don't like it there is a 30-day money back guarantee, so what was I losing? Nothing.  

Well about two weeks ago my big package came in the mail. I started in Atlanta while on vacation. I brought my magic bullet with me and made shakes in my room after I worked out. It was great!

I took before pictures and did some measurements. I am not hoping to lose 30 LBS, I hoping to gain good lean muscle and tighten up. I have already lost around 60 lbs by working out and eating healthy. My main goal is to look fit and strong.

If you have questions about Isagenix, want to learn more about protein shakes in general, or anything else contact me!

strong is the new skinny

Staying On Track

When you go on vacation things can get a little rocky. You tend to not work out as much and your eating habits often go downhill. I think this happens to almost everyone.

When you’re on vacation you just say “I will eat healthy when I return”, “I am going to work extra hard Monday!”, “I will work out double next week”, “oh they are drinking, I should too”, “it’s ok, it’s just one week”, the list can go on and on.

And that’s OKAY.

Vacations don’t happen every week. So it is ok to splurge every once in awhile. But then when you do get back home from a vacation get completely on track. Don’t fall off the road completely. The longer you are away from a routine the harder it will be to get back into that former routine. {If you quit smoking for 5 months vs. 1 week, 5 months will be harder to return to smoking than 1 week}

I am on my second week of a two different back-to-back vacations. I was at an outdoor musical festival for three days and then the next day I left for Atlanta for six days. But I have managed to eat pretty clean.

Country Jam (outdoor music festival) was hard because you are often there for one or two meals. If you eat there you are going to spend $10 for greasy fried cheese curds. No thanks. So instead we ate a huge meal right before and then brought (snuck in!) little snacks.

We had a few healthy meal choices that we brought from home. We had: grilled chicken, turkey burger meat for taco salads, Caesar wraps and turkey sandwiches. We also had LOTS of snack options: blueberries, grapes, apples, carrots, string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, popcorn, rice cakes, peanut butter, protein bars, the list could go on forever.

By having all these healthy choices I was able to make the right choice most of the time. Then when I did want to have a treat I didn’t feel as bad.

The hotel didn’t have a gym. One of the days we went on a walk and the other day we ran 5 miles. This was ok for me, because A) skipping a day of working out is ok and B) I had friends with me that kept me motivated to go on a 5 mile run VS. a 5 minute run.

Going to Atlanta has been easier because there is a gym and I have time to workout daily, which I have been doing. But when I want frozen yogurt or a slice of cake I am going to do it because I am on VACATION.

Eating that amazing white chocolate raspberry cheesecake from The Cheese Cake Factory was totally worth a hard 45 minute work out. 

For breakfast I try to stay with oatmeal, greek yogurt, fruit, eggs, cottage cheese. For lunch I like doing protein shakes/bar, veggies, cottage cheese. For dinner we go out and I like chicken (shocker : )), sandwiches, veggies, soups. And then some nights I like to get dessert. When I have my meals I make sure to make the right choices so when I do indulge it is ok.

Make sure to eat fairly healthy for most of your meals if you do plan to have a treat at some point in the day.

When you are away don’t completely give up everything you have worked so hard towards. But do remember this: vacations are usually short and you get off routine, but that is ok because you can jump back on track after one week of being off of your normal ‘routine’. And one slice of cake will not make you gain weight, just like one salad won’t make you lose weight.

P.S. don’t be up all night worrying about what you ate. It will be OK!!!