Dirty Little Secret

"My dirty little secret....who has to know?" - All American Rejects

I've had a lot of people ask me for my green smoothie recipe. I keep changing it up, adding and subtracting things trying to get the maximum nutrients while keeping good taste, but here's the best tasting version I've made:

Carrot (one big one or a few baby ones...I love the carrot juice and want to add more but my blender doesn't fully chop them)
Apple (I use a honeycrisp - any sweet apple will work)
Kale leaf or two (large..more if you are doing baby kale....be sure to take the leafy part off the spine, toss the spine)
Baby Spinach (2 handfuls)
 Strawberries (to taste...I use 4-5)
Orange and lemon juice (I do fresh squeezed but in a pinch, you could do from a bottle..I pretty much use all the orange just and may half a lemon or so)
Coconut water (I don't measure, just a few pours)
Regular water (keep adding more for smoother consistency)
Agave nectar (just a good squeeze, or you could use stevia....honey does not sweeten well with this smoothie)
Chia seeds (1-2 tablespoons....these expand in liquid, have no flavor, they help fill you up and a loaded with nutrients....they are a superfood)

That's all! Obviously, take off stems and remove the apple core and whatnot. Everyone's blender is different so be sure to read about chopping carrots and apples and stuff. Be sure to keep coconut water, juice, or regular water equal with the solid food when blending to help it all smooth out.

Yields 3-4 glasses (or Mason jars) full, depending on how much liquid you add

It's always best to drink this fresh, but who has that kind of time? I make a batch to get me through 2-3 days. If you are going to make these to last more than 2 days, freeze some! They will only keep in the fridge safely for about 2 days. These are so good when they have been in the fridge over night or have just thawed from the freezer, they taste like an Orange Julius with a hint of strawberry (to me anyways)....I guess it's because all the flavors have had time to meld together.

A little blurry, but that's it!

Chocolate

"Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time." - Snow Patrol (Chocolate)

Cutting out food?!?! They have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Well, I gave up Dr. Pepper for Len...err....21 days....go me! (Yes, I tried to go 40 but I was stressed and tired one day, it was the only thing that sounded heavenly). I will say that I've went from having 3-4 per day to just 1 or 2 per day, and sometimes none at all. I think that's a step in the right direction?!

So, I entered that transformation challenge back in January and let's just say I failed miserably. I somehow gained 10 pounds instead (cold weather = no running, too busy = loss of sleep, cookies = yummy!) ...whoops! So then I started thinking....a few years ago I was at my skinniest (which still wasn't skinny but I felt great) so what has changed and what did I do back then? Oh yes, I ran every day without fail and slept a lot. Oh, and I loved my job and wasn't in school....aka, I wasn't stressed like I am now. Well, I can't help the stress right now, but the rest........

I've entered another challenge and am ready to commit this time! Full force! The weather is warmer so I can finally run again. I'm learning not to ignore the "your body is tired, go take a nap" signs. I've planned my days out a little better so that I have time to prepare meals, work out, and get plenty of "me/nap" time. ::MOTIVATED::

So...about MSG....aka monosodium glutamate....aka, the devil's advocate. In short, it's what they give to lab rats to fatten them up - and it's in most of our food. So I've been reading labels lately. This is a good practice btw. I haven't gotten to the "don't get it if it says *sugar*" stage yet, but if it says *monosodium glutamate* I put it back.

Today, I went to the store to grab some cream of chicken soup to make chicken and dumplings......well wouldn't you know it....MSG in the soup. Thank God for smart phones, I quickly found the substitute recipe that let's you make your own cream of something soup without the MSG! I'm doubling it and adding poultry seasoning to it!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/ingredientsubstitutions/r/bl90911a4.htm

Stay tuned.....I've started living the smoothie lifestyle and I may never look back! :)

::UPDATE:: 2 weeks later

I'm down 2 pounds and feeling great! The secret? I have been sleeping a lot more. Instead of trying to get a ton done and fighting through a tired phase with sugar (or Dr Pepper), I take a short nap. 30 minutes to an hour, then have some fruit or a smoothie when I get up. When you can hardly keep your eyes open, it's your body telling you that it needs rest...seriously! LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

"I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody..." - Whitney Houston (RIP)

Dance! Get moving! One of my favorite things to do is turn on Pandora (either my Aaliyah or 90's pop station) and just dance around! I usually do this when I'm cleaning or getting ready to go out for the night. Sometimes, if it's rainy or cold out, it's fun just to do it to get a small workout that's actually fun! I create my own crazy moves, copy moves I've seen in videos, do some kicks and punches.....you get the idea. Yes, I'm so glad I live alone and there are no hidden cameras....if these walls could talk.....

Anyways, my schedule is hectic, so sometimes I just don't have the time to do a long workout/run or even to dance around and be silly. Sometimes, I just need a serious, focused, quick workout.

Enter Jillian Michaels.

Now, I don't watch biggest loser and don't really know her or care for her...but while playing around on  Amazon, I came across a suggested DVD workout that got rave reviews. So I said "why not?"

Let me just tell you - whew! It's a 27 minute WORKOUT! It's called the 30-Day Shred and I believe that if you are adamant about it, you will see and feel results. I did. I've gotten off track with it so the results are in limbo, but if you are better at sticking to things, there's no way that this won't work. After 2 weeks, I finally go to the point where I could make it all the way through Level 1 without stopping and without modifying too much.

Stay tuned....I've got posts about yoga and pilates adventures, plus tips on successful meditations and even my journey to juicing!

And for a little inspiration.....

Bikini Season is upon us ladies......(I got this photo from Pinterest, not sure where it really came from!)

Chasing Pavements

"Should I give up? Or should I just keep chasing pavements...." - Adele

Well Adele, the answer is simple....NEVER GIVE UP! Especially when it comes to chasing pavements (aka, RUNNING).

With that said, I haven't ran in 2 weeks. Lets talk about why, shall we? One word: COLD. I've vowed that if it's above 40 degrees and sunny, I will go for a walk/jog. If it's above 50, regardless of if there is sun, I will go. But see, the groundhog told us that Spring was coming fast....the groundhog lied...LIED! It's been in the 30's with snow and rain. The nice days, I've been at work. This will not do. Thankfully, this weekend is looking up!

If you are not a runner, like me, do intervals. I can't do long runs. I run for a minute or two, walk for a minute or two and keep repeating for at least 20 mins.....I'll do it for an hour if it's my day off and I have  no where to be for a while. It's the perfect therapy. And eventually you'll build more stamina and be able to run for 4 or 5 minutes before "dying" so that's good.... haha.

:::WHEN TO DO CARDIO:::

Do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach or right after your weight lifting workout. Again, I prefer jogging, but if you have a gym or your own home equipment (lucky devil!), mix it up with the elliptical or the stair climber.

The reason for doing cardio at these time is because of your glycogen storage and your body's ability to effectively burn more fat/calories. There's a whole science behind it, and while it's controversial, I've seen a lot of people who get better results this way. Here's a quick article if you want to know more....
Running on an empty stomach

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

What I'd Give

"What I'd give to make you coffee, find out how you like your eggs." - Sugarland, What I'd Give

ANYWAYS, let's get to it.....a quick idea for breakfast.

For the last few years, I have lived off of Daylight Donuts...I love them...donut holes, glazed, chocolate, sausage rolls, cinnamon cake, cinnamon roll.....you name it. One look at the nutrition facts could make a person sick to their stomach though...enter....healthy breakfast.

It's hard to get up and make breakfast, especially if you are without kids (don't have anybody else to feed, what's the point?) and exhausted from all your other activities (jobs, school etc), donuts are easier. I've always been a believer in breakfast, just not healthy ones. But some people would rather just have their Starbucks and skip the rest.....NO WAY! But that doesn't mean just grab a packaged muffin with your coffee....NO NO NO.....do better! For yourself! Eat a larger, well-balanced meal for breakfast and save the muffin for AFTER your morning workout....no morning workout? NO SUGARY MUFFIN! Some say it's wrong, but I'm a believer in rewards for hard work. So I've been trying to eat well, and allow a *small reward* when I've worked out really hard.....but we'll save all that for another post.

Now - on to my FAVORITE BREAKFAST....I eat this every morning that I don't have to be up super early. Meaning that on my days off or the days I go to work at 10 am or later, I make this!

Scrambled egg whites with spinach, 1 slice of toast with organic butter (I like Kerrygolds) and honey, green tea with honey.

The eggs are easy: melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan and sautee a slice of diced onion and a cup or two of baby spinach for a couple of minutes, until the onion edge brown and the spinach begins to wilt, add egg whites (I buy the carton kind and never really measure, just however much you feel like)...I add some Mrs Dash seasoning, a splash of skim milk, and pepper to my eggs before pouring them into the pan for a little extra flavor. Cook until they are not runny anymore, a few minutes usually. I also add just a small sprinkle of Colby and Monterey Jack shredded cheese when the eggs are done - GO LIGHT ON THE CHEESE. Obviously, you could make this an omelet....add tomatoes or peppers or anything else you feel like. I'm just picky about my flavors.

You can also do water, fresh juice, regular black tea, or a small coffee if you don't like green tea - but I didn't like it either, it's acquired taste and so worth it! So many benefits of green tea! Honey helps with the flavor!

A Little Bit Stronger

"Even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger!" - Sara Evans, A Little Bit Stronger

I so did not eat clean today! Fail! But that cinnamon roll...oh so delicious!

So first, the bad news...I'm just not feeling any difference yet. In fact - despite my workouts, eating better, getting plenty of sleep, and drinking water - I feel like I'm going the opposite direction.

BUT, I'm not losing hope. They say it takes 4 weeks for you to feel different, 8 weeks for you to notice the difference, and 12 weeks for everyone else to notice it (or something like that?)....so.....I still have another week to feel better!

Today I just wanted to share two links/tools to help you if this is something you've been thinking about, they are a great place to start.

The first is the Female Fitness Bible. I will warn you, it's lengthy, but worth the read! It's my go-to manual. Lots of nutritional and work-out information. My main problem is the lack of a gym, so I modify a lot of the work-outs to make them work sans weight machines.

The second is My Fitness Pal and it is awesome...after you build your own profile that is. It is a calorie/protein/carb/fat calculator and pretty much every food imaginable can be found here. You fill out a short survey and it tells you how many calories you need to consume to weigh a certain amount in a certain amount of time. What I like is that it saves your past foods/meals and tracks approximate calories burned in cardio workouts....the more/harder you work out, the more you can eat (common sense....). I never wanted to be a "calorie counter" but something about seeing the numbers in front of you keeps you in better check, if you have the willpower to follow it!

The Morning

"Push it to the limit, push it through the pain...." - The Weeknd, The Morning

Hi friends! I made a "get healthy" blog a few months ago but I didn't like it so I deleted it and made this new one. Long story short, I'm getting healthy and I wanted to share everything I'm doing with you for motivation and support! Healthy in all aspects: mind, body, and spirit!

I've entered a Body Transformation Challenge through Bodybuilding.com to help me stay motivated (big $$$ if I win) and give me a target date to acheive some of my weight loss goals. I have to keep my stats (measurements, weight, progress pics) on that site so on occasion I will share them with you here. I also have a bodyblog I have to keep for them so a lot of what I say I will copy in my posts on here to you.

I titled this blog Chiny's Busy Body because 1) I'm working on my body and 2) I'm super busy....so I thought the name was catchy.

Somehow, I plan to show you how I'm juggling everything I have going on in my life (full-time jobs, part-time jobs, school, church commitments, maintaining healthy relationships - family/boyfriend/friendships, occasionally having a social life etc). I believe you can have/do it all (at least, whatever "having it all" is in your eyes), but you gotta work hard and push through. It'll be worth it!

I'm going to update weekly - hard promise to make but I'm determined - it'll keep my focused and accountable.

I'm also going to share a lot of nutritional stuff with you - diets, supplements etc.

Remember, I'm on a budget and right now, lacking a gym membership - so I'm doing this as cheeply as possible. I hope someday people will find me as inspiring as I've found some other girls.

Here is one who's story is similar to mine, her's was my "epiphany" story that made me say "I can do this too!"

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-clean-eating-made-her-a-model.html

No, I don't want to be quite that skinny, I'm not trying to be a model. I just really want to feel good in my clothes again! Right now, I put them on and just feel "yuck!" I live in leggings because of the stretch factor.

Let's do this!