In less than 48 hours, we will be dancing the night away in the year 2012! I can’t believe how quickly 2011 flew by! So many great things have happened this year, I’m going to narrow it down to the best of 2011!

2011 Highlights:

1. My boyfriend became a successful attorney within less than a year of graduating

2. I went to Florida with my besties, in March

3. My best friend, Effie, got engaged, in May

4. My first cousin had a beautiful baby girl, in May

5. The Anna Vissi concert

6. I started my schooling at IIN, in May

7. Got back in touch with my college friend, Lea, who is constantly teaching me new things about health

8. My other best friend, Andria, got married, in June – I was her MOH

9. I went to Florida with my cousin/bestie, Patricia, in June

10. I went to Florida/Mexico in August with my boo

11. I ran my first 5k and 10k in November

12. I joined my cousin, Stella, on her no sugar detox all of November - fared out pretty well!

13. Both my weight and cholesterol have dropped from the year 2010

14. I have been cooking and baking (something I never used to do!)

15. Christmas Dinner at Southbranch, with Effie, Andria, Patricia and Nina

16. The first – and best yet- Christmas eve at my cousin JP & Kleo’s house

17. My cousin, Stella, opening her White Elephant gift (Charlie) a real rabbit.

18. According to Kleo, “The day after Christmas Eve” aka Xmas day – opening gifts in our pj’s with baby Katerina

19. Christmas Day at my cousin Patricia’s house – thank you for that amazing corn bread pudding

20. The day after Christmas eating like fat cows and watching the worst movie on earth, with Stella, Kleo & Lea.

Now that 2011 is coming to a close, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the past year – our triumphs and our failures, our strong moments and our weak moments, our family and our health. And now is the time to think to ourselves – how can we become better people than who we were last year?

In the new year, let’s make it a point to appreciate and focus on what we have in our lives and think less and focus less on what we don’t have because it’s what we have that keep us happy and healthy

Cheers to the New Year! May 2012 bring us health, happiness and love

One day of super clean eating and drastically cutting my caloric intake (compared to what I was eating before) has left me feeling fantastic! I do feel a little bit hungry (not to the point of dying), but I know this is false hunger because I clearly have the reserves to use up!! Therefore, this is where I insert #selfcontrol and suck it up!

With every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you eat like a moose you will look and feel like a moose. To counter this, you need to zip up your mouth, eat less and move more. It really is that simple! Life is all about striving to reach balance and that really applies to almost every category in life. Our bodies, our minds and our spirits are constantly searching for that balance. When you eat too much you feel lethargic, but when you eat too little you have no energy and feel dizzy. However, when you eat too much one day you can balance that out by eating less the next day – works like magic!

Same goes for work – if you work too much and have no time to relax you’re probably losing sleep which in-turn causes a number of other issues (stress, tired, crabby). Or when you work a lot to make a lot of money, but you never have the time to spend it because you’re always working! If you workout three times a day and stuff your face you won’t lose any weight. On the contrary, if you workout three times a day and eat too little your body produces the hormone cortisol which raises insulin thus, putting a stop to your weight-loss. However, when you don’t exercise at all you actually have less energy throughout the day.  So, as you can see, in order to achieve optimum health you really need to find balance in all areas of your life (physical, emotional, spiritual, and career.)  Everyone is different and we will all have different ideas of what balance is in our life, but it’s something that we should all try and strive for - or at least I will- in 2012!

I’m not going to lie, I completely fell let myself fall off the healthy wagon.  After five days of binge eating on foods that really have no nutritional value (chocolate, popcorn, pita chips and the like), I stepped on my new brutally honest and unforgiving scale this morning and told myself NO MORE. Enough is enough –  I am stopping myself in my own tracks before I go down that downward never-ending spiral. I went down that road last year and come May I was miraculously 8 pounds heavier.  I wonder why? Don’t they say Americans gain an average of 7 lbs over the holidays? Yeah, well I beat that average by a pound! How did I do that? Simple – one bad food choice after the next or my personal favorite – “I will start tomorrow,” but the “tomorrow” never came or “It’s the holidays I’m supposed to eat everything in sight – literally.”  The worst part of it all is knowing you are going to regret your decision while you’re making that decision, but don’t stop yourself anyway.  I think that is what annoys me the most – knowing I have all the control, but I choose to ignore it for one reason or another. All of this adds up in the end.  All-of-it. 

So, rather than waiting for January 2nd or waiting for Monday, I’m taking back my control starting today. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t like the way I feel when I overeat. I truly feel like a lethargic beluga whale.  Who likes to feel like that? I’m sure the beluga whale doesn’t even like feeling that way!! I may have kept up with my exercise (minus Monday and Tuesday) but it really made no difference! Perfect example of how diet is more important than exercise and I don’t mean that you should never exercise, but your focus should be on what you’re eating!

Also, after indulging in Greek cookies and chocolate my skin is already showing signs of dermatitis – something I had exactly this time last year (with eating habits exactly how I displayed these past few days.) I went on antibiotics for it and it cleared up, but somehow it has returned again and I was seriously thinking, how can this be? I refuse to take drugs again! And then the light-bulb went off. I have been eating processed junk and sugar! Duh! How did I not even think of that before? You are what you eat and what you eat directly affects your body! It makes perfect sense and I’m embarrassed that I didn’t figure this out before. More of a reason to NOT EAT CRAP. PERIOD.

Now that my crazy rant is over, I encourage you all to check yourselves before you wreck yourselves! If you feel that you are going down that same path again- just stop. Cut it cold turkey. It’s going to be hard because the temptation is there, but work around it.

This morning I woke my ass up at 7 am and jumped on the treadmill for a 30 minute HIIT workout. For breakfast I had a protein pancake (protein powder, flax meal, egg whites, 1/2 banana and 1/4 cup blueberries) and it’s now 2pm and I haven’t eaten lunch yet (my lunch break is usually 12:30,) but I’m not even hungry.  It’s so incredibly easy to fall into a routine or eating pattern where you eat when it’s “lunch time,” so you eat out of habit not out of hunger.  That is going to be one of my new year’s resolutions.  Eat when hungry- not when bored, angry, sad or happy. Getting in-tune with our bodies is extremely important.  When we don’t know our bodies, only listen to our brains, and just eat for reasons besides hunger, we find ourselves ‘living to eat rather than eating to live.’  And that, ladies and gents, causes the downward spiral!

Good morning and happy Friday!

Morning booty-call (one time through) :

Followed by this- one time through and 10 minutes of stepper:

• Breakfast: was two eggs over medium – yum!
• Mid-morning snack: 1/2 grapefruit
• Lunch: an apple with 1/2 a tbs pb and a protein bar (because I didn’t like what I brought)

When I got home from work I jumped on my stepper and cranked out 30 minutes plus an ab circuit (3x). I made a post workout french-vanilla protein shake and then went to dinner with my besties! I ordered a Greek style pork chop with salad and some veggies – delish

It may be the weekend, but we still need to stay on top of things! I will be updating my workouts tomorrow and Sunday to keep me accountable.  Happy Day #4 of 12 Days of FITmas!

Good morning, fellow challengers! My day two (yesterday) was fantastic!

I started my morning with a booty-call of 30 minutes on my amazing stepper.

Then ate my TIU protein pancake and was off to work!

Lunch was a salmon salad with balsamic and an apple:

Afternoon snack was Trader Joe’s three layer hummus with veggies:

When I got home I started to get lazy to workout, but somehow I managed to get my dad to do the TIU Rush Workout with me.  We completed it three times and went into the ab circuit I posted yesterday. I was like his personal trainer – it was quite entertaining!

Dinner was a Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burger w/ Avocado and leftover okra:

The chicken burger was de-licious!! Low in fat, calories and ingredients! After dinner I got on my mini-stepper and stepped away for 30 minutes while watching X-factor.  Overall, I’d say it was a great day

What was your workout?!

Day 1 was a great success in both areas of food and fitness. I didn’t manage to get up for my booty-call, however I made up for it after work.

I recently became a member of the TIU team and am starting off with their 7 Day Slim Down into their Lifestyle program.  I have often referenced ToneItUp’s workouts – you can find them on my workout tab. Well, I must say they kick major bum! Karina and Katrina, as well as the whole team, are incredibly inspiring and simply awe-some! Visit their website for fabulous workouts, recipes or if you want to become a member: http://toneitup.com/

I started my day with the TIU slim down protein pancake that I posted yesterday.  My mid-morning snack was 1/2 a grapefruit followed by my lunch which was a chickpea salad w/balsamic dressing.

Please note: It’s best not to eat at your desk, but our lunch room is too cold!

Before my workout I had a ‘thinkthin’ bar in ‘chunky peanut butter’ which was okay (I personally prefer larabars or kind bars because they have way less ingredients and no sugar alcohol.)  The plus side to these are: 20 grams of protein, gluten free and sugar free!

My workout:

20 minutes on the elliptical – intervals

40 minutes on the stair glider – intervals

Followed by this circuit 3x: 

Let’s just say I was a sore, sweaty and hungry mess. When I got home I ate baked chicken and spicy okra!

Spicy Okra: (so you know, I make things up as I go and throw in things I like you can always alter it)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh okra
• 2 medium tomatoes or canned tomatoes if you wish
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 a red onion
• canned chili peppers (was not a fan, next time I will use fresh)
• spices of choice (cayenne, chili powder, paprika, s&p)

PS: Target is having a sale on Smart Water! 6-pack of 34oz bottles is $5.99 – Stock up!!!

Okay, we’ve all been here I know it – where you just can’t seem to get back on your A-game. That’s where I’ve been for the past week. Late night snacking uncontrollably – all on my own personal volition.

What to do in a situation like this? Well, first I threw out all possible temptations in my house because apparently there were still a few things left over that I conveniently ‘forgot’ to get rid of. That was step number one. Step number two is having a little heart to heart with your mind – because this really is a mind game after all. I have kept up with my workouts, but remember 80% is diet so, if you’re eating crap you won’t get the results your looking for. Get back to the point where enough-is-enough!

Slip-ups are bound to happen – we’re human, but they shouldn’t last for a week! So, if any of you are on the same wagon, I’m posting some much- needed thinspiration.

Last but not least…

Check yourself before you wreck yourself!

What better way to find motivation than to watch the Victoria Secret Fashion show right before the start of the month! The show was great – especially the music (minus niki minaj)- and the girls looked phenom, however some of them needed to eat a cheeseburger- or three.  In my opinion, bones sticking out of your body is not attractive – it’s nauseating, but I guess that comes with the job! They’re models for a reason, no?

In case any of you wanted to starve your way thin, here is the VS Angel Diet:

“Lima drinks a gallon of water a day. For nine days before the show, she will drink only protein shakes – “no solids”. The concoctions include powdered egg. Two days before the show, she will abstain from the daily gallon of water, and “just drink normally”. Then, 12 hours before the show, she will stop drinking entirely.”

For those of us who like to eat food… that’s solid, the VS diet might prove to be a little difficult! However, there are plenty of healthy ways to lose weight – yes, it will take more than 9 days to lose 9 lbs, but the faster you lose weight the faster it creeps back on – with a few added pounds. I’m sure many of us have experienced that first hand! I’ve come to realize that maintaining or losing weight – unless you have impeccable genes – will be a constant struggle for most people and that’s just something we need to accept.

For example, it took me three weeks to lose a solid three pounds by eating healthy and exercising . Thanksgiving rolls around, and by eating whatever I wanted for about 4 days, I gained 1.5 lbs back. Now, I’m not freaking out because I know that getting back on track will bring me back to normal again, but that’s the key phrase “getting back on track.” This is why extreme diets will always end in a big FAIL because most people cannot sustain a lifestyle where you only eat protein shakes all day, or only eat 500 calories a day, or any other extreme method of weight-loss. Sure, you’ll lose a lot up front, but that’s because you’re doing something you normally don’t do – it’s a change from your daily habits, but once you go back to your original eating habits because you most likely will – you suddenly have found all the weight you lost.

Yesterday, I was extremely sluggish all day and was heavily dreading my evening workout to come. I was so close to skipping out and then I got this text message from my health and fitness nut friend Lea:

You bet your ass I chose to get up and get moving!

My workout:

Strength:

• TIU- Lean Arms Pyramid
• TIU- Lean Legs Pyramid

This workout totaled 55 minutes and this is the aftermath: sweaty mess!

Nothing short of a Victoria Secret Model

PS: “I’m sexy and I know it” and “Sweat” by Snoop Dog (David Guetta remix) are some great running songs! I probably repeated those at least 4 times each

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! First and foremost, I want to say that Georgia and I completed the 10k Turkey Trot with zero walk breaks – I’ll elaborate more on this topic tomorrow!

Things I’m thankful for:

• My health
• My loving family
• My fantastic boyfriend & friends
• Georgia – for waking up early and running with me
• Living in this wonderful country
• YOU! My fabulous readers who keep me motivated.  Hopefully, I am  inspiring some of you to pursue your goals too

What are you thankful for?

Why is it that fat gets such a bad rap? The whole notion that “fat makes you fat” so eat less of it has been proven otherwise, thanks to the wrongly advised “fat-free, low-fat” era, where no one actually lost weight or lowered cholesterol – quite the opposite happened actually. Through extensive research and studies there have been many findings indicating that fat is not what increases cholesterol levels, affects weight gain or causes chronic disease. The real culprit here are sugars, trans fats, and processed foods – basically anything white.  ”The whiter the bread the faster you’re dead.”

What happens when you are told to eat less fat? Naturally, you need to replace fat with another macro-nutrient such as carbohydrates. When you turn to fat-free, low-fat or even sugar-free products, something has been added/replaced in order to make up for the missing nutrient – otherwise understood as highly processed. Sadly, most Americans (not my readers, of course) weren’t taught to make the connection. They just see fat-free on the box and assume it has to be good for you – or because “my doctor told me to cut my fat intake.” Unfortunately, we were not taught to understand that what matters are the types of fats (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans.) and what foods have those types of fats. For example, an avocado doesn’t have a nutrition label on it, so unless you are interested in learning about it you wouldn’t know that it’s a “good fat.” Or, that eating pre-packaged low-fat foods are loaded with carbohydrates and sugars, which can cause heart disease and high cholesterol – because it certainly doesn’t advertise that on the box!

Obviously, everything is best in moderation. Too much of anything can never be good for us, however, replacing fats with sugars aka carbohydrates will not make you any less fatter – on the contrary, it might do the exact opposite. A good rule of thumb when it comes to general nutrition, and I’ve mentioned this before, is – eat real foods. I haven’t heard or seen anyone die from broccoli overdose! I’m not saying carbohydrates should never be consumed because vegetables actually fall into the carbohydrate category. Breads, pasta, potatoes and cereals aren’t the only carbohydrates that exist – they differ, though, because they are processed. No one said to never eat a piece of bread for the rest of your life either (again, extremes don’t last) but just take note on whether it’s white bread vs. whole grain, white rice vs. brown rice, or white pasta vs. whole wheat pasta. White generally means it has been stripped of its outer layer, which carries all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals. After all, we eat to survive – so why eat foods that increase our chances of disease or death?

Related articles:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/index.html