It Don't Taste The Same..

TGIF My frieeends!!!

The hubby and I are both of for the day and its time for shopping and a fro yo date.

Whats your weekend plans??

Speaking of fro yo ( my favorite "cheat" meal of all time) Todays post is all about foooood. The good, the bad and the fatty mcpatty favorites.

Boom.
Here we go.


After all this healthy eating I've done, food I used to love, no longer tastes good. 

Things I used to despise and gag at the site of now are delicious. 

I just wanted to do a little comparing real fast to show you how your taste buds can change when you change your diet style and are open to new foods.

I used to love soda, Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper in particular, now the shit burns my throat.

I never could drink hot tea. Now I'm a mess with out a glass of Green Chai Tea or Peppermint tea in the evening. I'm on par with the queen now... 'Ello poppet

Avocados, those things used to creep me out and I would rake the guacamole off my food and gag at the site of it. Now I'm making fresh avocado blends for sandwiches.

Hummus. I thought that stuff was like dirt. It's like crack now. I cant get enough, I don't even need anything to dip in it, I'll eat it with a spoon.

Greek Yogurt. It had the worst texture. Now regular yogurt doesn't taste right.

Cake, used to be a go to for me, now it just lacks something.

Fast food, I used to be a junkie. I sold it, I ate it, I thrived off it. Now it makes me sick and tastes like it was cooked in motor oil.

Regular chips suck. I like PopChips, at least I get more chips than air this time with out the finger grease.

Sweet potatoes, its a fucking orange potato that people put in pies. WTF.

I was crazy, I never knew what I was missing.

Broccoli. Tree babies, I love tree babies, don't know why they scared me off in the first place, I mean their only babies....

Honeydew melon. Its green, It looked weird. It didn't taste like honey...

It tastes like heaven now.

Oatmeal, looks like chicken feed...guess I've eaten enough chicken to become one, BOCK!

Spinach, popeye was strong for a reason. I was weak without it now I'm a buff sailor.. or something like that...

Redi Whip, I ate the whole can or I would. Now it tastes like that stuff you use to clean your keyboards...No i didn't taste it but it smells like it would taste like that...

What are some changes you've experienced??

Have a great weekend ya'll!!! There will be a contest(s) coming up soon, so stay tuned!!

-J

Recovery and Core Foundation Workout

Heyy Dave, guess what today is??

HUMP DAAAAYYY!

I love that commercial.

Today I want to really stress how important recovery is. Whether you are a runner or just gym rat, if you exercise you need to be treating your body with some proper recovery.

*Stretch - 

Tired and true, if you not stretching out those muscles after making them work, they will come back and bite you in the ass in the form of a cramp. Probably at 2a.m when your least expecting it.

*Foam roll/massage - 

Treat yourself to either massages or a quality foam roller. The direct pressure and rubbing from either one of those are really going to help sore muscles and aid in blood flow.

*Ice Bath- 

With clothes on fill your tub up with cool water and a bag or bucket of ice. It will be cold and it should be. Hints ICE bath. The cold water decreases swelling and increases blood flow. Doing this regularly will help prevent future injuries

*Epsom Salt Bath

 Epsom salt and warm water will help relax, soothe and treat swollen muscles.

*Hydrating- 

When you sweat your body releases salt, which is why its important to grab something with electrolytes in it after a workout.

*Fuel- 

With in 45 minutes of completing a workout your body needs to replace what it expelled to keep powering the fat burning and muscle building process. Chocolate milk is a super duper after workout drink! 

How do you recover?

No matter your favorite form of fitness, with out a strong core, you can compromise your body and lead to injury.

I've put together 4 super core moves that will work multiple muscles groups, burning calories and really strengthening your core.

Examples of each move:

Done in order as appears in workout.

 Super Crunches are just a two part crunch working lower and upper abs.

Single Leg Cleans Beef up your balance.

Reverse Plank and Press, alternate arms each time.

Starfish Planks will help with balance as well.

Any more questions on a move, just ask!

So I'm finishing up my last few days of Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred take two. To see my first round of results go HERE and now that it's coming to an end I'm looking for new at home videos to go for to help build definition and tighten and tone all over. I'm pretty much positive I'm going to start Shaun T's Focus T25 50 Day Program. Has anyone out there done it? Is doing it? Input on it please??

Whats your favorite workout video/program??

This week I also got the COOLEST blend-y cup...uhm EVER!!!! It's called the The Cyclone Cup, naturally I got Pink ;). It is ridiculously awesome. It has available storage to put mixes/powders in or what ever else you need to store and it actually blends stuff super well so there are no chunck-lets!!! 

Who would be interested in winning one of these?!?

I smell a contest/giveaway coming up...

*sniff sniff*

Sha-sha-shakin' not stirred.

Boom.

Have a wonderful wednesday!!!

-J

I Lint Roll My Dog...Confessions of A Closet Clean Freak

With all this talk in the blog world about being a clean freak or OCD about deep cleaning. I decided it's time I come out of the closet....

Hello, I'm Jessi and I'm a Clean Freak

Hello Jessi

So it's out there. 

Whew.

Here's the dirty dirty or in this case the clean clean...

I cannot stand a dirty house. 

I get it most people can't, but I mean, the littlest things annoy the crap out of me.

A cup beside the sink instead of in it- annoying.

Toilet paper not put on the dispenser, just left somewhere else- annoying.

A piece of trash left on the counter- annoying.

Shoes just kicked off and not put to the side - annoying.

Food left on plates and put in the sink - annoying.

Not closing the microwave door all the way - annoying.

Unmade bed - annoying.

Wrinkled rug - annoying.

No air freshener - annoying.

Sticky spots on the counter - annoying.

Crumbs on the floor and walking on them - annoying.

You get the idea.

I clean my house every couple of days. The main reason is because my hubby works in a dirty place and we have a short hair chihuahua. She has white hair. It shows up on EVERYTHING.

I give her a bath and she clogs the drain. 

I dry her off and hair flies. I still love her and wouldn't trade her for anything, so I lint roll her. Yeah I take a lint roller and run it up and down her back.

Maybe I'm crazy.

But it helps.

It gets a lot of her loose hair out.

She thinks its petting.

She's not that smart.

I also lint roll the furniture.

I use a lot of lint rollers...

Every few days when I clean the house, I do the same routine.

Lysol the kitchen and bathroom counter tops.

Scrub sinks, toilets and bathtubs... I also clean my sponge holder... is that weird?

Change the trash.

Dust

Use screen cleaner on tv's and computers.

Lysol the Fridge, Stove and Microwave.

Dry swiffer the floors, use the hose on those floors, than swiffer wet jet said floors.

Vacuum the floors, the furniture, the rugs, the corners of the walls and the curtains. Then I vacuum the the hose part of the vacuum  and clean off the vacuum.

Then I wash the rugs and febreeze the whole house and light a candle.

If I could drown my house in febreeze I would be okay with that.

I like a clean house, I can't help it.

I also go on random deep cleaning binges.

Like putting away the groceries turns into cleaning out the cabinets and reorganizing them all.

Putting away clothes turns into going through my closet and getting rid of clothes and re-organizing  it in general.

Dusting turns into polishing.

And every few weeks, vacuuming turns into shampooing the carpets..

Do I have issues?

Probably.

Where does my cleaning obsession come from?

My mom runs a cleaning business where she cleans residential and business. Our house was always clean. I may have not liked it or appreciated it when I was younger, but once I started living on my own, the cleaning gene kicked into full swing.

To me there is nothing better than coming home from work to a clean fresh smelling house and crawling into a nice and neat bed. Or to be able to lay on the floor and not have dirt grind into your face. To walk across the kitchen floor and not have crumbs stick to your feet and feel like you walked across the desert. 

Do I judge others on how they clean their house? 

Absolutley not!!! Your house is your house, if it pleases you, good for you. I just have to have my house a certain way or well I'd probably have a melt down.

Pssst, guess what, I just cleaned my house... I feel good.

What's your crazy obsession that you don't share with everyone??

-J

Your Questions Answered and 5 on Friday Link Up

TGIF!!!

gonna get down on friday..

I put it out there that you could ask me anything you wanted and you asked, now I'll answer.

Boom

Ask and you shall receive! Haha.

How many days a week do you work out?

-At least 6. Usually 7. I always tell myself I'll take a rest day, but then I get bored and feel like doing something, so before long I've ran a few miles or I'm sprawled out on the living room floor doing crunches. I can't help it, I'm addicted...

What do typical workouts look like?

-I alternate days with running and walking. I also do some sort of full body circuit that I can do at home for 30 to 60 minutes and a little yoga for a good stretch. I throw in some crossfit every few days too. For more details GO HERE.

Do you go to a gym?

- Only if I'm at a hotel, but 98% of the time I work out at home. I'd like to join a gym someday when I one's available to me.

How do you go out to eat and stay on the right track?

-I drink a glass of water before my meal, I look up the nutritional values on line if I can, I order grilled chicken or with out bread, get steamed veggies, add hot sauce. I always get the condiments/dressings on the side and I eat slowly so I know when to stop. I do indulge though, like mexican food. YUM. I just get fajita with out the tortillas or I order a side of lettuce and use that as my base!

How long did it take for your stomach to compress?

- I lost a lot of weight in my stomach right from the beginning, but I really noticed a big slim down after 4 or 5 months. Thats when clothes started not fitting or fitting better with out a big belly bulge. Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred REALLY helped a lot with that.

Specific workouts?

- Running, Jillian Michael's 30 day shred or any of these:

Cardio Vs Strength?

-Both, I think a good workout should hit both categories so you get your heart rate up and build muscle while burning fat. Thats why I really love crossfit.

How long do your workouts take?

- I do 10 minutes of something/anything when I wake up to jumpstart the day. Then I do 15-30 minutes of running or walking after work or in the evening. Followed by about an hour of full body circuits of some sort. And If I'm really sore 5-10 minutes of yoga.

Favorite cheat meal?

-Frozen yogurt, hands freaking down. I love fro yo and the toppings. If you want to be my best friend, you'll take me on a fro yo date.

How did you start, like from day one?

- Once I knew I wanted to change, I began researching like crazy about lifestyle changes and fitness plans, NOT diets. I took a trash bag and went through all my cabinets and fridge and freezer and threw away any and all foods or drinks that would be hindering to my progress. I downloaded the couch to 5k app (C25K by Zen Labs) and began running on the treadmill three-four times a week. I started doing sit ups and leg raises and small hand weight exercises while I watched tv. I cut out pop and began drinking water all the time. I continued to research to find new things to incorporate. I started taking fish oil and probiotics. I stopped buying pre made meals and started buying fresh foods and taking making time to do food prep.

What's a good yoga workout?

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgZ2CC7nfws

 or any video of Tara Stiles on the Yoga Solution go HERE

Does your husband workout with you?

-Sometimes, he'll go for runs or walks with me and do some ab workouts.

Does your husband eat the healthy food or do you cook two separate meals?

-We eat the same, I only cook two separate things, when one of us is sick or not very hungry.

Are your friends and family supportive of you?

-My family, EXTREMELY. Friends, they really don't care I guess, but I;m making there jaws drop constantly...

Favorite workout gear?

-Nike shorts and just a tshirt or tank tops.

Do you count calories?

-Yes and no. Im aware of how many calories are in something or I'm consuming but I'm not writing it down.

Tummy tuck or any other surgeries you want?

-Not right off I want to see what I can do before I opt for that adventure, possibly a tummy tuck some day, I have some excess skin I'm not a fan of. But I hope to tone it up.

WHEW.

Now if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!! I'll answer!

Now for some 5 on Friday Lovin'...

Linkin' up with the amazing,  Darci at The Good LIfe Blog

Today my 5 are what I'm looking forward to most about Fall

1. Sweaters, love the fluffy warm feeling of a sweater.

2. Windows being left open to let cool breezes into the house.

3. My birthday, October 3rd, I love my birthday, who doesn't!?!?!

4. Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks...yummy...oooooh good lawdddy child.

5. Carving Pumpkins and roasting the seeds. I'm a child at heart I can't help it. I'll always love halloween.

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Have a fabulous friday!

-J

Killer Cardio/Crossfit {{W.O.W}} & Q&A Requests

Wed - Nes - Day

Does any one else say it like then when they spell it? My third grade teacher told me that and I still do it in my head till this day... 

I'm lame so what.

Of course I'm Linking up with The beautiful baby bumpin' iron pumpin' Skinny Meg!

I love link ups :D

Today I'm going to give you 3 quick and super duper effective workouts!

All of these workouts are super fast and guaranteed to make you break a sweat!

A good way to start your day, takes less than 6 minutes, can do this while coffee is being made or toast is, well toasting.

Crossfit is a great will to mix cardio strength training. Good for a group workout too!!

This is killer!! it is awesome though!! You will burn over 200 calories with out a doubt on this, I burn around 230 and its only 20 minutes!! I had to walk on a few of the steep incline because my knees were not down for it. Which there is nothing wrong with that, listen to your body and prevent injuries!

I also stumbled upon this video that is 10 minutes long and burns approx. 104 calories. I've started doing it in the morning right when I get up to get the blood flowing and the heart pumpin'. I also am doing it while my food bakes at night! Such an easy way to burn some calories and work your whole body!!

10 Minute Full Body Circuit

Whats your favorite quick workout??

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know, but for those of you who don't:

I'm opening up myself to any and all questions to be answered in and upcoming blogpost (hopefully Friday). You can ask your question by leaving a comment, or emailing me or posting on instagram, any way you want it just thats the way you need it, any way you want it... Any and all questions are welcome and I promise to answer all of them honestly, of course, because I don't sugar coat anything around here because theres enough diabetes in the world as is.

So

ASK AWAY!!

Have a happy HUMP DAAAAAAYYY!

- J

Bombshell Tuesday Feature//August Birchbox and the Ipsy Battle

Happy Tuesday!!

So I want to start off with this: I "met" Precious through a link up and, boy oh boy is she awesome. She has lost over a 100lbs and is looking FABULOUS!! She keeps it real and eats real foods. So I was more than HONORED when she approched me to do an interview to be featured on her blog as a Bombshell! To read all about it, hop over to her blog The Coily Bombshell  or click HERE.

Now to the box vs. bag battle.

DUN DUN DUH!

Since March I've been a subscriber to Birchbox. This is my August box, to see previous boxes go HERE.

This month I got:

Coastal Scents Eye Shadow- 

I really like the icy neutral color. I'm not big on bright pink or bright blue eye shadows, I'm a natural /metallic kinda gal for the most part! But the shadow its self does wear awesomely! 

Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper Serum-

Contrary to popular belief, I've got some crazy naturally curly hair. Im not talking afro, I'm talking like lions mane, big and unruly. This stuff is pretty awesome. Putting in just a tiny bit of my hair after towel drying it, really helped keep everything in check and cut the frizziness down. With any oil based serum, remember, a LITTLE goes a LONG WAY.

Dr. Jart+ BB Cream with SPF 45-

I LOVE BB CREAM. I really do. It has taken the place of regular foundations and coverups in my makeup drawer FOREVER. It is so light, blend-able and breathable, its almost to good to be true. I hate heavy make up and the feeling of pancake face. And BONUS its got SPF, any make up with an SPF is a winner in my book. Ladies tend to forget how important an SPF on their face is when wearing makeup. Its crucial to help prevent sun damage and even wrinkles.

Whish Exfoliating Body Wash, Coconut Scent-

On my days off with out the hubby, I always treat myself to a bubble bath and exfoliate my skin from head to toe. It was luxurious to use this one ! It smelt soooo yummy and it did exactly what it was supposed to, knocked off all my dead rough skin and left me glowing and silky smooth.

Whish Deodorant Swipe-

These are also supposed to inhibit hair from growing back as much, but because I wax my armpits, the hair growth is already inhibited. So I was unable to tell anything in that area,  but it worked great as a deodorant. These would be great to throw in your purse or gym bags for long days or unexpected sweaty situations!

So here's the thing, it's not that I haven't enjoyed my Birchboxes, but It seems to be the same product type each time, just a new brand. And all the products seem to be super expensive and birchbox exclusives, so you have to get them through their site and again, the full size on these are pretty pricey. 

I've heard a lot about Ipsy Bags and I finally decided to look into it.

Well its official, 

I'm on the waiting list to get a Ipsy Bag and I'm going to cancel my BirchBox Subscription. 

Ipsy makes you take this quiz about your style, your product love and your complexion colors. So you will only see things in your bag that are targeted for you. Also it comes in a cute little bag each month and is ever changing. 

Bags are much easier to reuse then boxes.

It also includes more affordable products available in many area's besides their site. And it's the same price, $10 a month. 

That sealed the deal for me.

What do you subscribe to, if anything??

Whose your favorite Birchbox or Ipsy??

-J

Motivation Monday {&lazy Sunday Recap}

Gooooood Morning everyone! It's Monday again, back to work and counting down til Friday. Rinse and repeat. Being an adult is not all it's cracked up to be.

I worked all week and into the weekend, with the rare exception of having a Sunday off. It's weird having Sunday's off because the hubs works that day and so I'm home by myself. Sounds more exciting than it really is. I throw my hair up in a messy bun, grab some comfy clothes and watch netflix while doing laundry. 

I know, I know, your pretty jealous of the exciting life I lead.

Psh.

I did some baking this weekend, if you follow me on Instagram, than you know I lucked into 56, yes, FIFTY FREAKING SIX free bananas that were starting to turn. I made the hubs 3 different variations(regular, chocolate chip, cinnamon raisin) of whole wheat,dairy free, and sugar free(none added) banana breads. I made myself muffins and banana bread cookies, banana ice cream and a PB2 and banana pie for the both of us. I still had quite a few left over naners so I pureed some to freeze and just peeled the others and froze them as well. I'll use them for future cooking.

What are your favorite recipes that include banana's??

While I was on my kick, I made some fresh "jam" for myself. I blended raspberries, strawberries and a few kiwi's with some honey and boy oh boy is it good. I love things that are on the tart side, so I didn't add as much honey to keep it tarter. It made for a great PB2 and "jam" sandwich!

While I was home alone I had some time to place with my new slicer. I whipped up a batch of what I'm going to call Honey Mustard Chicken Salad. 

A chopped green apple, chopped red grapes, chopped red onion, black beans, tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of yellow mustard mixed together and served on a soy tortilla with fresh chopped spinach, even the hubby, who hates mustard thought it looked delish when I sent him a picture. Yeah we send each other pictures of our food, we're just weird like that.

So I finished the Advocare 10 Day Cleanse on Wednesday as most of you know, so know I can go back to "normal" eating. Strangely enough as much as I missed dairy and bread while on the cleanse, I have hardly ate any since. Yes I've had some but no where near as much as I used to. I'm still craving fresh fruits and veggies like a mad woman. I could totally live like a zoo animal and just have fruits and veggies thrown at me all day and be okay with it.

The hubs and I were talking about what some things are we want to try to find when we start looking for an apartment/house in Washington State, and I told him that I want a mini fridge as my night stand in our bedroom, stocked with water. He laughed at me. I drink so much water through out the day and night, it is ridiculous. I kid you not some days I drink 7 or so bottles of water (over 118 ounces) during the day and up to 3 bottles from the time I crawl into bed til I wake up. I mix it up with spark or tea but I love me some water.

Does anyone else drink water like camel?

Now on to some motivation. While I was doing laundry I decided to do a quick go through of clothes, I'm a hoarder. I used to never ever through away clothes, now I'm constantly going through to get rid of the things that are just way to big.

I got this shirt for my senior pictures in 2010 and I wore it only once for the pictures( I was wearing spanx even) and the shirt was on the tight side. I tried it on and couldn't believe it but it fit. Not only did it fit, It fit better than it did when I first bought it! 

Shut the front door.

Then my parents stopped by to drop off the Tshirts my dad picked up for the hubs and I while he was in Sturgis. I was a little sad and prepared for dissapointment when my dad told me he accidently grabbed me a small. I've never worn a size small shirt in muh liffeeetimmeee. I just knew I was going to put this on and and see it was too tight then go into a depression and hide on the couch.  Deep breath and pulled it on.

It effing fit, and it loooookeeed GOOOODD! I looked damn good! Haha!

The picture on the right shows me in a size large tshirt that I stretched to make it fit better and it barely fit. Now I'm wearing a small. Things can change,  YOU can change, if your willing. It just takes dedication and time. Progress is progress no matter how small. Just keep going!!!

I never thought I would make it this far, I still am shocked when I look in the mirror every day. It's such a great and overwhelming feeling to wake up and look at yourself and be happy with your reflection and your progress. 

 Whats your motivation for this monday??

- J

Supplement Sunday

So it's Sunday and I'm fully prepared for a nice laid back day because just like a blue moon, for once I'm off and don't have to show my face. The hubby has to work so it's going to be me and my fur baby lounging around the house watching Prison Break on netflix and drinking tea in a pair of sweats trying to figure out how to spend our day. But I thought I'd throw out this post because I get asked a lot about what supplements I take and what they do for me.

Here we go..

"Ohh piece of candy"

A big misconception is that supplements are either used with the hopes that they are a "magic pill" or that only body builders use them to bulk up.

Naaah.

They are neither a magic pill or roid rage city.

I take supplements to support my health and lifestyle. You don't have to take expensive supplements that come pre packaged, you can just take what your body needs and not pay an arm and a leg.

What do I take?

After a good amount of research I've come to the use the following supplements for my own health, everyone and their body needs different things depending on their diet. So when choosing yours pick ones either recommended by a doctor or that fit your needs.

1. Probiotics- 
It helps keep your digestive system in check and makes sure there are plenty of live active cultures in your g.i tract. I take one of the Align probiotics daily.

2. Fish Oil-
Omega 3 fatty acids help reduce cholesterol by increasing the amount of high-density lipoproteins that clean the walls of blood vessels of cholesterol, and decreasing the amount of triglycerides in the blood stream, which is great for people who are at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Omega-3 fats have anti-inflammatory effects that maintain joint health and provide relief for arthritis and skin conditions like psoriasis, and they also promote heart health by regulating heart beat and blood thickness, increasing blood circulation and lowering blood pressure. I take one Nature made pill daily.

3. Vitamin E Oil-
I don't ingest this, but I do rub it on my skin a few times a week to help with my ever changing body and stretch marks. 

4. Protein Powder-
Because I don't always eat meat and I work out like crazy,  I don't always get all the protein my body needs, so I always keep EAS Soy Protein powder on hand. I'll make a shake to drink and then can rest assured my body got what it needed. This is only on an "as-needed" basis for me.

5. Peppermint Tea-
This helps with digestion and stomach bloat. I drink a glass of this after dinner or with dinner to help keep bloating from happening as much.

6. Colon Cleanse Pills-
Colon Cleanse is the brand, now let's all admit it, sometimes we get a lil "backed" up and need some uh, "assistance". Colon Cleanse, is all natural and you just take it before bed and then in the morning everything is, uhm, flowing correctly. I take these just as needed of course.

Now these next ones aren't ones that I take but supplements that you should/could take if you aren't getting it in your diet.

*B-12, If you don't eat a lot of fresh fruits or drink coffee then you might need some B-12 to keep you up and going for energy.

*Calcium, If you don't drink milk then your bones could be lacking the calcium you need, so this might be something you need to help keep yourself strong and prevent injuries.

*Cinnamon- If you don't eat a lot of it and you have a family history of diabetes then this is something you should be taking.

*Biotin- helps grow hair and nails and improve the condition of your skin. This is great if you have a skin condition or problems with hair or nail breakage.

Again, I'm not a doctor so don't take anything you are unsure of. This is just all I've come across in my personal research.

What supplements do you take?

What products do you use to keep your body in prime fighting condition?

Have a lazy and enjoyable Sunday! 


-J