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.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Another week, and another easy recipe to get me through it.

Honey Garlic Chicken is a 5 ingredient, 15 minute recipe that is to die for.

It's perfect alone, or even over some pasta, rice, or veggies for low carb. The extra sauce makes it even more desirable to drizzle over these ingredients.

With sweet, sticky honey and salty soy sauce with a hint of garlic and red pepper flakes- SO GOOD.

Yes, it's that easy.

As Spring Break comes to an end, and graduation is quickly approaching; the semester has been getting to look a lot like Princess Mia driving the stang (see below).

With that being said, staying on track with a healthy lifestyle can be a little challenging.  My energy has been consumed with school, work, sleep, repeat. So trying to keep my exercises in the routine and eating healthy is seeming to be more and more difficult. 

I found an easy dinner recipe that I could make on the nights that I feel like my energy is so low. Believe it or not- this recipe takes 15 minutes tops!

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus

Ingredients: 

• Medium Shrimp
• Asparagus
  
• Garlic Clove
• Parsley
• Paprika
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon Juice
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Rice and Pasta (if preferred)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Line up your asparagus on pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 pepper, Toss until evenly coated then line asparagus back in a single layer. Roast for 6-8 minutes depending on thickness.

3. Meanwhile, remove tails from shrimp.

4. Remove pan from oven, and push asparagus to the side (keeping them in single layer). Add shrimp and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes and fresh parsley. Toss until evenly coated then line shrimp in single layer.

5. Top asparagus with 1 tablespoon of butter, and top shrimp with 2 tablespoons butter. Roast for 6 minutes until shrimp is cooked.

6. Remove pan from oven and drizzle with lemon juice. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pasta, rice, etc. (I use $1 Alfredo pasta from Wal-Mart pre-packaged. Takes 7 minutes to cook).

That's What Dory Said

Writing a blog can sometimes be a little challenging and isn't always the easiest thing to do. You have to write original ideas that stick out and are different from the rest. Keeping the audience attention is the most important factor into writing a blog. All in all, you just have to keep writing until you feel like you've got it all right. It's like a journal or diary, but a little better because you make it your own.

Switch It Up

Change is a constant thing with everything we do, and just in these last two in a half months my blog has changed. It has inspired me to try new things which then led me to write about them in different forms. My blog has changed as well as changes within myself. It has helped keep me motivated in doing what I love and wanting to inspire others through my blog- it has turned into a positive outlet. Whether it be new exercises or fun ways to keep my interests in them- same thing with recipes, and even lifestyle changes. 

Looking Forward

At this point, who the heck knows what I'm going to be doing with my career. My major is Strategic Communications so I'm wanting to go in the direction of working at an ad agency and possibly run social media accounts for a business, or two. Blogging is important (to whatever I'll be doing) by showing my originality and creativity through writing. If I decide to run social media accounts, then I have to be creative and come up with new and quirky ideas to stand out from the rest. 

The After Math

I never could picture myself having a blog. I always thought about writing one, but could never figure out what exactly my interests were, nonetheless how to keep myself interested. Along with that I've never even really been a writer because I feel like I just ramble on (kind of like now). Blogging in this class has affected me in ways I didn't really think could. It has helped me put my thoughts together on a screen in an organized way. It has also helped keep me interested and motivated in something that has helped shape me into a better and healthier version of myself. Lastly, it has expanded my mind to try new things and not just with fitness- but with everything. 

The Takeaway

A few lessons I've learned from this class is that you have to be creative in your writing and again, stand out from the rest of the million other bloggers out there. Another important lesson from this class is that there are no bad ideas/thoughts. Just keep writing until you get it right. If you don't think you've got it right- then keep going until you think you do. Knowing what to blog and put out there, and what not to put out there are also very important in the blogging world. Perfection isn't key in blogging- speaking your mind and getting your thoughts out there is the important lesson.