Getting Bored...

Hey you...thanks for reading...I mean all I'm doing is writing down my thoughts on this here blog thingy and you are reading it. Just want to say THANKS!!

So, how's your journey going? If you started your journey on January 1st with the "new year, new me" group, statistics show that you should have given up the commitment like 6 days ago. HOWEVER, if you have stuck with it, you are well on your way to establishing a habit! It only takes 21 days right?

It's so possible to get bored with this thing...I mean that is one of the main reasons I hired a trainer. I don't want to go in the gym and act like I know what the HECK I'm doing. LOL... Ok, so seriously, I get bored with stuff really quick. If you don't catch my attention in like the first 5 mins, my mind is elsewhere. It's honestly something I have to mentally focus on in most situations.

So with working out and eating right, the possibility of getting bored is bound to happen. How do you combat that?

Mix up your workout - With my trainer, even though we tend to do the same exercises, we have no idea what he's choosing for each workout and that keeps it from getting boring. No trainer? do some research...look up new exercises that you can do to keep yourself engaged.
        
Be on the lookout for yummy tasting, healthier options. I'm a TRADER JOE'S FANATIC!!! They are a low-cost health food store up here in NC and they have so much YUMMY food! Be sure to look at labels even in the health food store.              
Don't be afraid to try something new...you never know what you may stumble upon. I had tried Greek yogurt a while ago and HATED it. But I decided to try Trader Joe's Greek yogurt and I LOVE IT...and it's low-calorie, low sodium, AND a GREAT source of protein...YAAY!                                    
Have you tried anything new this week? Leave a comment below.....

Thanks for reading!!!!

UGHHHH...Protein Shakes (lol)

I just finished WORKING!!! Like ugh...it's our busy time in my department :) Extremely thankful to have a job though...

So I'm going to keep this concise...Rochelle asked me about protein shakes and I thought I would make it into a post.

Protein shakes are disgusting! LOL!!! My trainer explained to me that in order to build lean muscle, it is necessary to take in a significant amount of protein a day. Because I was so sore in the beginning, he assured me that supplementing/increasing my protein intake would help with the muscle soreness as well. When you are trying to build muscle, your protein intake needs to be .6 to .8 g per pound of weight per day. So let's say you weigh 180 pounds, your protein intake needs to be between 108 to 144 g per day. Now you can get this protein from food, but for someone like me that doesn't eat meat on the regular, that is difficult to do. Meat is one of your significant sources of protein.

This is where the infamous protein shake comes into play. It's a great way to supplement your protein intake per day. I personally HATE them...especially since I choose to drink mine with just water and nothing else. My thought process is that the only reason I'm drinking that shake is to get protein. If I add more things to it, I'm adding calories.

So! What's the point? Protein shakes work! They may not taste good but they do work. I find that if I do a protein shake before I go work out and one after I work out, my muscles are less sore and I find that my recovery period is shortened. Find one that works best for you keeping in mind that some of them have a milk base which will bother you if you are lactose intolerant. You want to choose a protein shake that is low calorie, low sugar and 100% protein. Be careful about some protein shakes because some of them have a bunch of other stuff in it that you don't need. I think it's best to go with a powder than something that is already bottled up because those tend to not be 100% protein.  I personally use a soy protein, unflavored shake and I am JUST starting back to drinking them.

Thanks for reading :)