Lessons Learned

Another semester has come and gone, yet again. Except this time I graduate in a week in a half. In just these four short months I've learned a lot about myself physically and mentally.

My goal when I started my blog for my class was to lose 20 more pounds, and stay committed to working out and eating healthy. Of course that wasn't always the case. I ended up losing only about 10 pounds instead, and not eating as healthy as I should've. But you know what? I'm happier than I have been in a long time.

Working out alone has helped me tremendously this semester. Whether it was 5 times a week, 3 times a week, or even these past couple weeks only twice a week- I still feel happy that I've come this far in not only my weight loss journey; but in my college career as well. It has been a crazy ride and I've learned many things about myself and life in general.

Kickboxing

About 10 years ago when my parents were still together we used to go to the gym every night, because they were trying to get back into shape/lose weight.

We went to a place called All American which is now called 10 gym. It was probably one of the best gyms I've ever been to. They had racquetball, a pool, hot tub, sauna, tanning beds, group fitness classes, a track and all the fitness equipment. It was awesome!

At the time I was about 12 years old and working out with equipment could get boring sometimes. So I started taking some fitness classes while my parents were on the equipment.

Kickboxing was the first class I took, and I fell in love with it!

Kickboxing is one of the best work outs that you can get (and it's fun)!

It is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching. It was historically developed from Karate, Muay Thai, Kun Khmer, and Boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or as a contact sport. In 45 minutes of kickboxing, a 135-lb woman burns about 482 calories. The American Council on Exercise notes that the calorie burn for a 135-lb person may vary between 350-450 calories for a 50-minute kickboxing class featuring a warm-up, cardio portion and a cool down. Again, it usually just depends on your weight and how hard you actually work during the time.

There are also many plus sides to it such as:

• Fat burning
• Increased muscle tone
• Builds strong bones and ligaments
• Increased cardiovascular fitness
• Improved muscular indurance
• Improved core stability
• Improved strength and power
• Stress relief
• Improved coordination and body awareness
• Improves confidence and self-esteem

Most local gyms have fitness classes with kickboxing and UCO is currently trying to get a class for the coming up year (says my spin class teacher).

If you haven't tried it- then
you definitely should!

Beginner's Weekly Workout

Recently I've had a lot of my friends ask me:

"What kind of work outs do you do?"

"What do you eat?"

Of course, I do more vigorous and challenging work outs since it's been about a few months since I've gotten serious about this being healthy thing. And what do I eat? Well, you have a pretty good idea from my previous posts- vegetables, fruits, proteins, fibers.

Next Level Jalapeño Popper Dip

Spaghetti Squash has become one of my new favorite meals to make. There is so much you can do with it to make it creative, and tasty.

One thing I make at least once a week are jalapeño poppers. I love spicy food, and this meal satisfies my cravings.

Yesterday I went on Pinterest to look up some spaghetti squash recipes (besides the breakfast one) and found the Jalapeño Popper Spaghetti Squash. Seriously- the best thing I've tasted in awhile.

And it was so easy to make!

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash
• 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and chopped  
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, plus 2 tablespoons extra for topping
• Turkey Bacon or Italian Sausage (which is what I used to mix things up)

*There are a few other ingredients in the original recipe, but this is what I normally use for my jalapeño poppers- so I just went with it.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Brush the squash with olive oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Roast for 30 - 40 minutes until you can easily puncture the skin of the squash with a fork.

While the squash is roasting make the jalapeno popper dip. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, ¼ cup cheddar cheese, ¼ Monterey Jack cheese, diced jalapeno, most of the green onion slices (reserve some for topping, and most of the crumbled bacon (reserve some for topping). Stir well.

When the spaghetti squash is done baking, use a fork to loosen the spaghetti squash.

Divide the Jalapeno Popper dip between the two halves of the spaghetti squash. Mix the dip into the "noodles" with a fork.

Sprinkle the top of each spaghetti squash half with remaining cheese, green onion slices, and bacon pieces.