livinfitlife-blog

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First vegan health & fitness magazine! #wholefoods #vegan #healthandfitness (Taken with Instagram)

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Best meal ever: vegan buffalo chicken, spicy sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery to dip! #vegan #spicy #perfectsimmerfood (Taken with Instagram)

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Vegan peanut butter fudge with cocoa nibs! #vegan #peanutbutter #coconut oil (Taken with Instagram)

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#Hallelujah #afavoriteword #mayphotoaday :) (Taken with instagram)

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My Tips on Fitting Exercise Into Your Day:

Schedule it - Mark it on your calendar or planner and treat it as an important meeting, not to be missed!

Wake up earlier - For a lot of people, waking up earlier than normal is a horrible inconvenience.. but it’s also a great way to get a workout in before your day has even officially begun! (Trust me, it’s such an awesome feeling walking out of the gym as all your fellow bleary-eyed gym-goers are just walking in!)

Keep your workout gear close-by - By keeping a set of workout clothes in your car at all times, you give yourself NO excuse not to hit the gym after school or work. Just swing by the gym on your way home ;)

No gym? No problem! - Bodyrocktv on Youtube has AWESOME, intense, at-home workouts that you can do for $0 and minimal time! There are also a massive amount of workout DVDs available online.

Avoid the elevator - You can burn extra calories by skipping modern conveniences. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away, not in front of the store, skip the car and take your bike..

Take breaks - Get up from your desk, stretch and go for a quick walk to the coffee machine or the water fountain. Sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy, so give yourself a break.

Use time wisely - While you’re waiting for the shower to heat up or your ride to arrive, do jumping jacks, push ups, squats, burpees.. anything you feel like to get your body moving. At least it’s SOMETHING.

Squeeze it in - Even if you don’t have one giant block of time, you can squeeze in 10 minutes here and there of something like Yoga, Pilates or Tabata style workouts.

On the phone? Walk! - Don’t sit if you spend a lot of time on the phone. When given the opportunity, walk and talk.

If exercise and health is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. You’ve only got one body, take care of it! =)

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Strugglin'

Lately, I have been struggling

I have been unmotivated to work out and eat healthy. It's like I go two days with eating really well and then BAM! I get unmotivated and get off track. I'm in this rut and I don't know how to pull myself out. I feel like I've been at a low point in my life for months and I just want it all to be over! Ugh. Sorry this is so morbid, but it's how I've been feeling and I want to be open! So I want to apologize for my lack of posting about workouts and things.

I love seeing you all get busy in the gym and eating healthy. One day, hopefully soon, I will be doing the same!

Prayers appreciated <3

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Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders an absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense - Emerson <3

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Walking Even experts against a hardcore workout on your period have to agree that a walk gets you moving without injury or danger. So, put on some sneakers and sunblock, and hit the road. Walking by itself isn’t a huge calorie burner, but you will feel good about the fact that you...

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“Maybe meditation isn’t so mysterious after all. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recorded the brain waves of stressed-out employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wisconsin. The subjects were split randomly into two groups, 25 people were asked to learn meditation over eight weeks, and the remaining 16 were left alone as a control group.

All participants had their brain waves scanned three times during the study: at the beginning of the experiment, when meditation lessons were completed eight weeks later and four months after that. The researchers found that the meditators showed a pronounced shift in activity to the left frontal lobe. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before. ” - Psychology Today

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I often get asked by girls who have never eaten healthy or worked out before.. where to start! I totally get how overwhelming it can be, as my journey only started about a year ago! Here are some basic tips I have for those JUST starting out on a health and fitness journey! =)

Get rid of the junk food! This includes (but not limited to): regular and diet soda, cookies, chips, crackers, candy, white breads and pastas, fruit juice, sugary cereal, condiments like ketchup, mayo, ranch and other fattening/sugary dressings and marinades, fast food, frozen dinners and most packaged goods. Start making your own meals from wholesome lean proteins, veggies, fruit and healthy fats. Basically, eat as close to natural as possible!

Cut out the alcohol. It shuts down your metabolism, promotes fat storage and breaks down muscle tissue. It’s basically treated by the body as a toxin… If you’re serious about getting in shape, not drinking won’t be a problem.

Start exercising! The trick is to find something you enjoy so that you will actually DO IT. There are SO MANY options, some of which include: weight lifting, pilates, yoga, cross fit, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, powerlifting, olympic lifting, jogging, cycling, spin, zumba, interval training, jazzercise, jumping rope, dancing, running, hiking, mountain climbing, swimming… the list goes on!!

Develop patience and a positive attitude if you don’t already have them! You WILL have set-backs and losing weight/getting fit WILL take time. You will occasionally cheat on your diet, you will miss a workout, you will stumble, you will make mistakes… you’re human! Nothing worth having ever comes easily… if it WERE that easy, everyone would be in shape! Know that you are only a failure if you QUIT. So don’t quit! You will regret it in the long run!

Surround yourself with people who support you. There is nothing worse than having negative and/or jealous people around when you are trying to make a healthy, positive change to your life. There WILL be people you THOUGHT were your friends try to drag you back to your old, unhealthy ways. They might tease, taunt or grill you for your new habits. Some people can’t handle change. If you find that your healthy habits are being mocked or demeaned by those around you … ask yourself why your ‘friends’ would want you to go back to being unhealthy. Do they not understand the sudden change? If so, explain to them why you’re doing it… Or, are those friends just jealous? If so, CUT THEM OUT OF YOUR LIFE! 

Plan ahead! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Prepare your meals and workouts in advance. Always keep workout clothes, a water bottle and protein powder with a shaker cup in your car so you never have an excuse not to hit the gym. Always carry an apple, a serving of almonds in a ziploc baggy and a packet of tuna with you.. that way you never have an excuse to hit the vending machines or burger joint!

Set realistic goals and track your progress! Keep a journal log of your workouts, your food intake and your stats each week so you can track your progress easily! 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is a reasonable and healthy goal (depending on your current weight). The scale is not always a good indication of your progress though! Numerous factors can affect the number that are unrelated to fat gain/loss. The mirror, pictures, the way your clothes fit and your measurements are better ways of tracking progress!

You can do anything you set your mind to. Believe in yourself, don’t give up and you will get there <3

In case you guys didn’t already know, I’m on Facebook & Twitter now too! I was asked frequently whether I would consider making accounts.. and I finally got around to it! I hope you will all join me there too! <3

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MuffinTopL3SS

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/MuffinTop_Less

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How Hormones Affect Your Sleep

“Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of “checks and balances” system to control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.

So what’s the connection to sleep? “When you don’t get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don’t feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food,” Breus tells WebMD. The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain.

Studies: Those Who Sleep Less Often Weigh More

How the hormones leptin and ghrelin set the stage for overeating was recently explored in two studies conducted at the University of Chicago in Illinois and at Stanford University in California.

In the Chicago study, doctors measured levels of leptin and ghrelin in 12 healthy men. They also noted their hunger and appetite levels. Soon after, the men were subjected to two days of sleep deprivation followed by two days of extended sleep. During this time doctors continued to monitor hormone levels, appetite, and activity.

The end result: When sleep was restricted, leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up. Not surprisingly, the men’s appetite also increased proportionally. Their desire for high carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods increased by a whopping 45%. It was in the Stanford study, however, that the more provocative meaning of the leptin-ghrelin effect came to light. In this research — a joint project between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin — about 1,000 volunteers reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors then measured their levels of ghrelin and leptin, as well as charted their weight. The result: Those who slept less than eight hours a night not only had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, but they also had a higher level of body fat. What’s more, that level of body fat seemed to correlate with their sleep patterns. Specifically, those who slept the fewest hours per night weighed the most.” - WebMD

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 Ok, although I'm not always vegan this is SO true :)

You Know You Are Vegan When....

Your Roommates: “Stir-fry AGAIN?!?!”

You:

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One of the questions I see all the time in the tumblr health/fitness/weight-loss community is whether or not you should eat back your exercise calories. The general consensus seems to be yes. I say no. I don’t eat back my exercise calories, or even track...

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LiveFit Day 24

I woke up this morning and started my day with the  TIU HIIT the Beach workout from the Beach Babe DVD! I am going to try and do this every morning until my friend's wedding on may 21st! It gets my day started and pumped!!

Today is suppose to be legs day, but instead of doing that I went on a run with a friend! So I still worked my legs, just in a different way!

Do something good for yourself and enourage somebody to do something good for themselves! xoxoxo LiveLoved :)

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Starting May off right! Egg white scramble, toast, coffee w/ almond milk, and a banana (not pictured)! yum :)

(Taken with instagram)

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I am often asked how to deal with friends and family who don’t understand the desire to eat healthy and exercise. Honestly, it can be rough at first. What you need to keep in mind though is that it’s natural for people to be wary of things they don’t completely understand. When you decide to change your lifestyle to something of a healthier nature, be prepared for people to question and criticize you and perhaps even make fun of you. Some on the other hand will be there to encourage you along your journey.

Here are a few tips I have for those of you going through this:

Lead by example - make healthy food, eat healthy food, exercise, be positive. By showing people that you enjoy your life and the things you do, they will be more likely to understand.

Explain when asked - if people don’t get why you’re skipping dessert or choosing grilled over fried, be prepared to explain that you want to put only good things in your body. It’s the only one you have, so you’re treating it well.

Be patient - it may take your friends and family some time to adjust to this “new you”.. but so long as you give them time and remain patient with them, it’s more likely as time wears on that they will come to accept, and perhaps even join your new, healthy way of living!

Be prepared for some people to never accept this. As hard as it is to hear… you may come to find that some people in your life truly weren’t your friends to begin with. I myself discovered this… When I stopped raging every day and didn’t want to grab Taco Bell and lounge around on the couch all day, there were people who not only made fun of me and criticized me, they virtually disappeared from my life. In the end though, I’m thankful for this. It made it much easier to weed out the ones who were genuinely happy for me and WANTED me to be happy and healthy… and those that just wanted me to keep them entertained and make them feel better about their OWN lives.

Be strong, stay positive <3