Recipe Friday (Saturday) April 20, 2012

Healthy Lasagna Recipe

This is one of my family's favorite recipe when we are not doing show prep, it's a healthy take on lasagna and can be altered to include your favorite veggies, meat, and cheese.

Ingredients:

-whole wheat pasta or veggie pasta (I don't use lasagna noodles but you can)

-1 can of all natural tomato sauce (try one that includes your favorite spices)

-1 bag of shredded low fat or fat free mozzarella cheese

-1 lb of 99% fat free ground turkey (or use the kind of meat your prefer)

-16 oz of fat free sour cream

**veggies if you wish

To Do:

-cook pasta and meat and set aside

-create a layer of pasta, meat, tomato sauce, sour cream, (veggies) and cheese

-Repeat 2-3 times and finish with cheese

Bake for 20 minutes at 375 

*you will notice it cooks fairly quickly so keep an eye on it

Enjoy!

Diet and Competing...My Personal Experience

I have had so many people call, email, and Facebook me about my diet and experience while doing the NPC body building  show in March 2012. The question I get asked most often is "Can you share you diet with me"? I really wish it was that simple, but it is a bit more complex.  In this post I will answer that and other questions I have been asked. If you do have any other questions feel free to email me!

Diet:

-As I stated above I always get asked to share my diet with others, why this is not as simple me emailing it to you is my diet is custom to me and my goals (competing in a bikini body building show).  I worked with a personal trainer who customized my diet each week according to my progress and how close to the show we were.  While doing this process my diet was depleted of fats and carbs and then the carbs where added back in 2 days before the show to create the look needed to look great on stage.

-"Where can I start when I want to change my diet?" For this I would say keep it simple. There are some really easy things you can do to have a healthy diet. Think whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meat, low fat or non fat dairy, healthy fats, and eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours. And most important DRINK WATER! You would be so surprised at how many calories the average person drinks in a day, that right there is a great way to cut unnecessary calories from your diet.

-If you decide you want to go into a more detailed plan for nutrition GET A PERSONAL TRAINER!!!! I do not think people truly understand how much goes into a nutrition plan that is custom to you, a personal trainer will create a perfect guild for you to transform you body into exactly what you want (YOU must follow the plan, as YOU are in control).  I am a personal trainer and I still hire one to help me achieve my results. Shane and Tiffany Heugly (click here for their website) have helped me so much trough this journey and can help you too!

Competing:

-When you are thinking of doing a show there are a few things to consider. One, this is a VERY large time commitment, I personally spend 2-3 hours a day at the gym.  You must give 110%, the diet can be very hard sometimes, and sometimes you really want to give up. But in the end if you push through (typically you spend 16 weeks training), you will be so happy! The feeling I had the day of the show and being on stage is like nothing I have ever experienced.  I would also highly recommend having a plan for after the show. Your body will go through so much during those weeks of training and  if you suddenly stop it can be very hard emotionally and physically.

-The one thing I was not quiet ready for when doing my first show was how much my relationships with others changed.  Friends suddenly did not want to hang out as I could not go out to eat or go grab a drink.  Family parties were stressful, we were always having to make sure there was something there we could eat.  And there was stress in my marriage as we barely got to spend time together. Remember that these things are just temporary, before you know it you will be on stage and then you can celebrate you amazing accomplishment! And as for the affect on your personal relationships, it is something that can make them stronger.  My husband and I came out on top, we decided it was better push each other to train harder and achieve that dream and we did just that. This coming June we will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary by competing again. We have turned it from something that use to stress us out and pull us apart to the activity that we do together. Oh and as far as the friends matter is concerned, the new friends I made that compete are amazing! Making the experience even better!

Lindsey

Recipe Friday April 13, 2012

This week's recipe is probably the most exciting one I have found in a long time. 

I found this on the Facebook page of Muscle Egg.

Facebook Page

This is a really cool company that sells flavored egg whites by the gallon. I highly recommend checking them out as well.

Also in this recipe I found my new favorite protein powder, 

About Time Whey Protein in Birthday Cake flavor.

I was able to find it on amazon for a good price.

About Time Whey Protein

Click on the link below to view the recipe, enjoy!

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Cupcakes

Workout Wednesday April 11, 2012

This week I wanted to share a great butt workout! Start with a 10-15 minute warm-up of cardio (your choice) and get ready to work!

-walking lunges 15 each leg (add the ankle weights or dumbbells from last week to increase the difficulty
-squats (base should be the width of your shoulders)
-glut raises (lay flat on your back, bring the knees to a bent position and keep feet flat on the floor, raise gluts up and back down and squeeze)
-leg lifts (begin in the bridge position with knees on the ground and hands under your shoulders, lift one leg up and press sole of your foot the the ceiling while keeping leg slightly bend and squeezing your glut)
-side to sides (begin in a slightly wider squat position and step side to side, squeeze inner thighs as you go)

Repeat 3-4 times

Finish with a 10 minute light cardio cool down

*make sure your knee never goes over your toe in squats or lunges, this will prevent injury.

Happy Training!!

Lindsey

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Hey guys I am so sorry I was not able to get this up on Friday, I was experiencing a few problems with the blog, but here is the recipe I promised. This is one from Jamie Esson and a favorite of my family's. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition (without walnuts): 1 square = 47 calories, .7 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3.7 g protein

Nutrition (with walnuts): 1 square = 63 calories, 2.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 4 g protein

Ingredients:

§  ½ C Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal)

§  1 - 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce

§  2 tsp. ground cinnamon

§  1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

§  ½ tsp. ground clove

§  1 tsp. baking powder

§  1 tsp. baking soda

§  ½ tsp. salt

§  2 tsp. vanilla extract

§  4 large egg whites

§  1 - 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin

§  2 C oat flour

§  2 scoops vanilla whey protein

§  ½ cup almond milk

§  ½ C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350.

2.     Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.

3.     Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.

4.     Add the final 3 ingredients (4, if adding walnuts), and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.

5.     Makes 24 squares.

Everything It Takes

Workout Wednesday April 4, 2012

It's Wednesday which means its time for the WOW (workout of the week). Today's workout is a full body boot camp style training program. It can be done at home, the gym, or at the park with a group of friends.  You will need just a few things (most can be purchased at any sporting goods store or check out your local TJ Maxx, Ross, or Nordstrom Rack).  Before you start the program make sure you are healthy enough to participate in a workout program, this is a high intensity workout and should be done with care. 

Items needed:

Jump Rope                                                                                   Resistance Band

Free Weights (at least 5lbs)                                                               Ankle Weights

Work Out:

Warm up- begin with jump roping for 60 seconds followed by 15 jumping jacks (repeat 4 times, this is called a super set).

*For the exercises below repeat the super set 3 times before moving onto the next body part.

-Bicep curls for 30 seconds

SS (Super set) with 60 seconds of jump roping

video for bicep curls

-Bent over rows or standing rows with resistance band (put band around a tree, bar in the gym or a banister in your home, step away for more resistance or closer for less).

-SS jumping jacks for 30 seconds

video for bent over rows

video for resistance band rows

-Burpees (with or without push up) or jump squats for 30 seconds

-SS jumping rope for 60 seconds

video for burpees

-Shoulder press with dumb bells (add resistance band to increase difficulty) for 30 seconds

-SS jumping jacks for 30 seconds

video for shoulder press

-Punching (this should be done chest high as if you were punching a bag, to increase the difficulty add your weights). 

-SS jumping rope for 60 seconds

-Walking lunges (add wights to ankles to add difficulty) for 60 seconds.

-SS with jumping jacks for 30 seconds

-Ab crunches and bridges (3 sets of 30 seconds and try to continue through all sets).

-Cool down by walking for 5 minutes.

Keep in mind all of these exercises can have difficulty added by wearing ankle wights or using heavier dumb bells. At any time you feel out of breath or need a rest listen to your body.

I have provided video links for some of the exercises that may be new to you. If you have any questions feel free to email me or contact us on Facebook.

buffbabefitness@hotmail.com

Buff Babe Fitness Facebook Link

Happy Training!

Lindsey

Choose Right

Workout Buddy and Team Heugly

The idea of getting started with a workout plan can be intimidating, but finding a workout partner or team to be apart of can really help you along your fitness journey. Here are a few things I suggest when looking for someone to join you at the gym.
- Find someone who has the same/or close to the same fitness goals as you. That way your workouts will be similar and you can share tips that have been working for each of you. (Always keep in mind that we all respond differently to exercise and diet, and that something that a friend is doing may not work for you).
-Have set times and stick to them.  I also suggest setting a limit on rest times. The gym should be a place to work hard, too many times people spend all their time talking and not focusing. (People always say "I saw you at the gym but did not want to say hi, you seems focused"; as you should be). Keep each other accountable for getting to the gym each time and be a positive reinforcement.
-When training for a bodybuilding show, triathlon, marathon, or other sporting competition consider joining a team.  This allows you to meet others who understand your goals and can help motivate you.  Being part of a team also allows you to have that extra support the day of competition.  And believe me, on those days it is so nice to have someone there who understands who you are going through.

Speaking of teams I wanted to share my team I am apart of when it comes to competing in body building shows. Team Heugly is made up of personal trainer Shane and Tiffany Heugly and do show prep, training, and nutrition plans for their clients.  They provide a great environment to meet people who have the same goals, create support for all their athletes and motivate their clients to achieve greatness. From personal experience I can say it was amazing for my husband and I to meet people who had the same love for something as we did, but to also find people who are going through what we are.  From this experience I would highly recommend that if you are getting ready to put your fitness goals into action, find a team or organization that shares your passion.  You will be surprised at how much it will help you along the way!
Check out their website for before and after photos, videos, and a list of awards.
Team Heugly Website

Here is the link for the video highlights from the NPC March 2012 show.
Video Highlights