Overdoing it at the gym...

I know that many of you do not have this problem, but I have been very interested in this topic lately. On instagram, the fitness community (fitfam) has become a huge fad. The problem is that it is all about looks. The concern should be overall health and not how ripped you look in the mirror. I have been guilty of over training at the gym.

Can a mother of 4 be Fit?

Can a mother of 4 be fit? The answer is yes! The first photo was taken in early 2009. I had no desire to workout. I ate anything I wanted. My mom lived with me, helped with meals and sometimes nannied. So needless to say, she is southern (bless her heart) and most everything was drenched in oil, butter and bacon y'all!!! Finally in April 2010, I decided to start working out. I used to go after I put my kids down for bed at night. IT was my first time ever even owning a gym membership! Boy, did I have a lot to learn!

Fit

The goal is to be fit not skinny. Anyone can starve themselves and be slender. Do you feel your best when you don't eat? The answer is no! Learn to control calories and work out! I have been so busy with school, family and my own gym time that I have neglected to post in my blog! I am currently working on a health behavior modification paper for my Health Psychology class. Can you think of something that you need to change in your life? Observe a behavior for three days that you know you should get rid of. Implement a seven day plan to remove or improve upon this behavior! Post results below! Stay tuned for what I did to improve my health!

Baby Steps

I have not had much time to blog lately... Midterms! But I wanted to post this photo that I created using a quote by Mark Twain taken from my Health Psychology book! Enjoy! And remember, baby steps... A little bit at a time!

ABS!

One of my favorite muscle groups to train are my abs. I was very fortunate to have had four children, not need a c-section and not get a single stretch mark on my tummy!! Genetics and cocoa butter are my secret. Like I said before, I didn't start working out til 2010 when my youngest was 2.
Ok back to abs,  I try to train my abs at least 2-3 times a week. Every other day is best (give at least 48 hours in between).

Here are a few of my favorite ab exercises that I do (I switch it up a lot, but I usually do at least 3-4 per session, the eagle crunches are just an addition that I do in the am and pm):

One of the most effective Crunches you can do....

SO I have hardly anytime to post this right now...(I'm supposed to be studying for my Biology of cancer midterm!) I just want to share one of the most EFFECTIVE ab exercises that I have found... it is AWESOME! One of my favorite yoga instructors taught me this! Literally if I am running out the door and need a quick ab boost, so to speak, I do at least 20 of these per side....

THE EAGLE CRUNCH!

If you wanna get lean, you need Protein!

PROTEIN!!! I wanted to share a simple smoothie that I made after my workout yesterday. For my smoothie, I used a vegan protein powder packet (pre measured) from Amazing Grass (I love their superfood energy bars too), a handful of strawberries, blueberries and some unsweetened flax milk. It was my first time having flax milk and I was pleased. I usually drink almond milk. I mixed all of the ingredients in a blender with ice. ( I eyeball everything, rarely do I measure.) But I would say I used at least 8-12 oz of the flax milk.