Over the past two months I have really taken an interest in my body. I was training for the Miss Florida International pageant and really wanted to look and feel my best. With the help of my amazing boyfriend and supportive family and friends, I was able to achieve this goal.
With a combination of motivation, diet and exercise I was able to transform my body in a short period. I did not try any fad diets or crazy supplements. Everything I did was natural. With the help of UFit meals I was able to keep track of everything I put into my body. I used the Olympian x2 a day plan. This allowed me to keep track of my carbohydrates, calories and sugars. I opted for lunch and dinner on the meal plan. For breakfast, I would usually eat egg whites smoked salmon or turkey.
On weekends or days I was not using the meal plan, I would eat fish or chicken with fresh veggies. I usually opted for salmon because it is easy to cook and can be tastily flavored with just a few spices and lemon. We also had some fresh snook and grilled pineapple one day which was fantastic. I would snack on cucumbers, almonds and my favorite sweet treat, frozen PB2 banana sandwiches. I also would eat rice cakes when I was craving something crunchy. It seems my pup Windsor also liked these cakes.
I cut out almost all excess sugar. I cut out all dairy and I cut out most carbohydrates. For me, the most difficult part of this whole diet was giving up cheese and bread. Have you ever tried to give up cheese and bread when your boyfriend is constantly eating cheese and bread? It is very hard. I also gave up cappuccinos which I wrote about in my last post. I was using almond milk for about one month but my stomach was not a fan of almond milk. I began drinking black coffee with one teaspoon of sugar. To my surprise, now this is what I prefer (however it is better when made at home then made at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts)
First, I upped my time in the gym and my time putting in cardio. I began jogging x3-4 miles a day instead of just 1 or 2 miles. I also added in some treadmill intervals and inclines. Along with that, I added in some time on the bicycle when my boyfriend had time to join me.
A sample just cardio day would be x3 miles of fasted cardio in the morning.
~Later in the day~ 15 minutes of treadmill intervals. 10 minutes on the rowing machine
Possible evening bike ride with babe.
On days I did weights, I would pair back/biceps, shoulder/triceps, chest, legs, one day of full body and one day off. I am always looking for new workouts and body weight workouts since we are on the road a decent amount. I found the shape magazines to have good workouts in them. When I have access to a gym, I try to make the most of it.
The gym I typically use does not have a squatting rack so I use dumbbells for squatting. I also like to squat with resistance bands. I am a huge fan of lunges and bench jumps on leg day as well. Lunges with the bosu are my new favorite thing to do in the gym.
To maintain my Zen in the middle of the week, I like to take a hot yoga class when I can. When in Tama, I have been going to Bella Prana yoga for the hot power flow yoga class. This class really makes me sweat and stretches out my whole body. The next day, I am sore in places that I did not know even had muscles. With a nice set up, lululemon yoga mats and complimentary hair ties in the bathroom, this yoga studio is by far the best one I have been to. It is nice too, because I can ride my bike to yoga…living the dream.
I just had three cheat days since the pageant ended, ( I got 1st runner up). I had tacos, tacos and more tacos. My amazing, supportive boyfriend got me macarons, cookie cake and ice cream and we pigged out together. I also had chik fil a and a cappuccino.I spent Mother’s day with my family and we had a smorgasborg of food at Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs. I came home, and my boyfriend and I enjoyed some macarons. Then we went to Publix and stocked up on the good stuff. At home he made me tacos with all the fixings and then at 2am (we love our late night snacks) we had cookie cake with ice cream. The next couple of days I did not indulge as much but I did not shy away from sweets or fried foods (like key lime pie and hush puppies today hehe).
After three days, I am so ready to go back to eating healthy and focusing on being my best self.
To look my best, I have been paying more attention to my beauty routine. Aside from this, I noticed when I cut out almost all excess sugar and all dairy, my skin began to look healthier and have a natural glow. To capitalize on this I found a skin care regime that works for me. To learn about my skin care regime stay tuned for the next post. Also, keep an eye out for a post about my weekend at Miss Florida International. If you have any questions leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Brittany Buzz 