Character Crush

Take a minute and think about different television and movie characters you have a crush on. Now imagine you met someone who looks like that person. You’d be all over him/her, wouldn’t you?

I don’t blame you because I recently did the same thing and it was NOT a good idea. I met a guy on one of those online dating apps who looked really similar to Jake (Puck’s younger brother) on Glee. I don’t care if Jake is kind of douchey and ended up cheating on Marley. As soon as he sang “Let Me Love You” to her, I was on cloud nine and immediately in love.

My “Jake” was arrogant and kind of douchey just like the character, but I was hooked. And against my better judgment and all the red flags (such as not wanting a girlfriend anytime in the foreseeable future and constantly flaking last minute on me), I still did everything I could in hopes of him liking me and one day wanting me to be his girlfriend. And allllll because of stupid Jake from Glee serenading Marley with that song and making me swoon.

Admittedly, I do enjoy a challenge so that probably had a little bit to do with it. But there does come a point after a week or two where I can’t play games anymore. I let our little charade go on for nearly two months. TWO MONTHS. It’s unbelievable to me looking back because I never continue to give people chances if I know it’s not going anywhere.

If he hadn’t reminded me of my character crush, it would have ended the first time he flaked on me. But I, like many other girls, came up with a fantasy in my head that was so detached from reality. And instead of finding my happily ever after, I ended up spending a night crying into a bowl of ice cream broken hearted and angry at myself for letting it go on for so long.

So, my advice to all of you is to never ever try to date someone who reminds you of a character you have a crush on. Even if they are a nice person, you’re likely to create a fantasy in your head that the other person can never live up to and you’ll end up disappointed in the end.

Our journey to find love can’t be spent with our heads in the clouds dreaming up impossible fantasies and imagining situations to be something they are not. Stay grounded and realistic – but hopeful and optimistic – and you’ll eventually find a real life Prince Charming.

xo AJB

Week At A Glance

One thing that really helps with creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to plan out your week. If you already know the choices you're going to make throughout the week, you're much less likely to make bad ones. A schedule of your week gives you something that you have to be accountable to, especially when it comes to fitness. Here's what I do each week to stay on track.

Grocery Shopping:

My number one weight loss tip would be to MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD. Always know exactly what you're eating and how it is helping or hurting your body.

It's important to create a grocery list before you go food shopping because it keeps you from making impulse buys (costing you more money) and buying junk food that you don't want in your house. Don't forget to purge your home of all crap before starting a diet. Also, planning out your meals for the week will keep you from cheating on your diet because you know exactly what you're going to be eating and when.

You want to stay mostly on the border of the grocery store, which is where the produce, dairy, and protein is. Don't go wondering down the cookie and cracker aisle because, as much as you'll hate to admit it, you DON'T NEED ANYTHING down there. Trust me, it's just torture. The only other aisle I go down is the oil/ canned fish aisle so that I can get my olive oil and tuna. 

Daily Meal Plan:

Breakfast: Egg whites with vegetables (broccoli and mushrooms are my favorite) you can also add bacon/ turkey bacon if you think you need it

Snack: Carrot sticks, other vegetables, fruit, nuts, guacamole, hummus

Lunch: Lean protein on a salad (I use olive oil and lemon juice for my dressing)

Snack: Carrot sticks, other vegetables, fruit, nuts, guacamole, hummus

Dinner: Lean protein with vegetables (no butter!)

"Dessert": Depending on what time you have dinner, you may get hungry again. If you're feeling hungry after dinner, try drinking a big glass of water to see if the feeling goes away. If it doesn't then I'd recommend a low-sugar fruit, but not within 2-3 hours of bedtime if you can help it.

Cheat Days/ Alcohol:

I don't believe in having an entire cheat day because, honestly, I could eat an entire week's worth of calories in one day and blow all of my progress. You want a reasonable cheat meal to kick cravings, reward yourself, and shock your system. What you don't want (and I've learned this the hard way many times) is to get on the scale the next morning having gained several pounds and blown your whole week.

Let's be reasonable here. I'm 23-years-old. I'm going to drink alcohol.

I like to reserve my alcohol intake for my cheat nights. Again, be careful of what you're drinking because you can ruin your progress with alcohol as well. I wouldn't have a lot of alcohol before your cheat meal because it's going to slow down your metabolism and increase the affect on the extra calories your taking in. Shy away from high-calorie beers, ciders and cocktails. I'm a big tequila fan so I like tequila and orange juice or tequila soda water and lime. You can do vodka and rum the same way- just watch the calories in your mixers.

Exercise:

I find it best to work out 5 days in a row and then let your body recuperate for 2 days in a row. If you have a weird schedule, do what works best for you but try to workout 4-5 times a week for at least an hour.

Monday: Lower Body strength/conditioning with weights followed by 30 minutes of cardio

Tuesday: Upper Body strength/conditioning with weights followed by 30 minutes of cardio

Wednesday: Cardio-intensive for 45-60 minutes total

Thursday: Total Body strength/conditioning with weights followed by 30 minutes of cardio

Friday: Cardio-intensive for 45-60 minutes total

That's it! Remember, if plan out your week and make smart choices, you'll see the progress you want to see.

xo AJB

10 Ways to Eat Less

Managing our food intake is the biggest part of losing weight. It's hard not to give in to cravings and boredom and end up eating things we shouldn't be eating and/or aren't really hungry for. Let's be honest here, if you put an entire pizza in front of me, I'm going to eat it. I'm no stranger to frequent, big portions of food. But after years of trying different methods, I'm finally eating an appropriate amount of food every day and losing weight. By implementing my 10 tips, you'll realize that you too can feel just as full with less food if you eat the right way and the right things.

1. Plan Your Day/ Use a Meal Clock

It's important to know what you're going to eat, how much of it and when so you can reason with yourself if you're feeling "hungry" between meals and snacks.  If it has been less than 2-3 hours since you've eaten and your last meal was significant, you should ask yourself: am I thirsty? Am I bored? Am I craving that cupcake over there? The feeling of being thirsty is the same as that of feeling hungry, so always have a tall glass of water and wait 20 minutes to see if you're still feeling hungry.

A Meal Clock is when you select the times during the day that you are going to eat. For instance: 8 am breakfast, 11 am morning snack, 1 pm lunch, 4 pm afternoon snack, 6 pm dinner, 8 pm nighttime snack. You can find different "clocks" online and tailor them to your day.

2. Drink More Healthy, Natural Liquids

Drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated, flushed, and feeling full. Tea and coffee (without added creams and sugars) are also a great way to feel full between meals and snacks. Always make sure to drink a full glass of water with every meal. The water takes up space in your stomach with the same feeling as food, but without the calories.

3. Keep Unhealthy Foods Out of Your Home/ Workspace

Having unhealthy foods near me or in my home is the worst cycle of torment for me. I'm one of those people where if it's there, I'm going to want to eat it. If you know an unhealthy food is close by, you're going to think about it. If you think about it, you're going to start craving it. And if you're craving it, you're probably going to end up eating it even if you're not hungry for it and even though it's not the right food to be eating. You can't always control what's around you when you go out, so put in the extra effort to control the environments you can by keeping the junk food out.

4. Keep Your Healthy Snacks Handy, But Out of Sight

Just because food is healthy, doesn't mean you can't overeat it and ruin your diet. Never leave food out on your kitchen counters or on your desk at work. By keeping food out of sight, you're less likely to think about it and therefore less likely to eat it when you're not hungry. That said, unlike unhealthy foods, you want to keep healthy foods handy so you can always make a good food choice when you're hungry and it's time to eat.

5. Use Portion Control: Measure Your Food/ Don't Eat from the Package

It is important to pay attention to the recommended portion of the foods you are eating. You'd be surprised how smaller amounts of food can actually fill you up. Taking the time to deal with measuring cups can be a pain at first, but eventually you will train your eye to know appropriate portions for different foods. In the same vein, don't eat snacks straight from the package if it is not a single serving. Measure out the appropriate portion and put the rest out of sight. Even if it is a single-serving package, it helps to take the food out and put it on a plate or bowl so your eyes can see exactly how much you are eating.

Another cool tip for portion control that I love is to use your hands. The size of our hands are directly related to the size of our bodies and are therefore our best measuring tools. For females, the protein of your meal should be the size of one palm, vegetables should be the size of one fist, whole grains should fit into the size of your cupped palm (if you're eating them), and healthy fats should be the size of one thumb (if you're eating them). Males should double these measurements.

6. Use Smaller Plates

Another great way to control your portions is to use smaller plates. It will trick your eyes into thinking you are eating more food than you actually are. You'll end up feeling more full and satisfied than if you had the same amount on a bigger plate, leaving empty space on your plate... and in your belly.

7. No Distractions While Eating

Mindless eating is a huge cause of overeating. Many people eat while they are watching TV, doing work, talking or performing other tasks. You should pay attention to every bite you take so that your brain acknowledges that are you are eating. If you mindlessly eat, you are more likely to overeat at that meal and the next.

8. Eat Slowly

It takes about twenty minutes to start feeling full. So, the faster you eat, the less full you will feel when you are done, and the more likely you are to pile more food on your plate for seconds (and thirds.....). A helpful tip to slow down your eating is to put your fork or spoon down between every bite.

9. Brush Your Teeth Earlier at Night

When I know I've eaten all the food that I should for the day and it's within 2-3 hours of bedtime, I like to brush my teeth to make sure I don't get bored and eat something I'm not really hungry for. If you actually get really hungry you can still eat something because, let's face it, it's not like you wire your mouth shut for the night. But at least having a clean mouth will make you ask yourself if you really need the snack.

10. Choose the Right Foods

Eating less isn't only about how you eat, but about what you eat. You can implement all the tricks mentioned above and still end up overeating or feeling miserably hungry throughout the day because you're not choosing the right foods. Here are the three things you want to incorporate with every meal and snack:

a) Foods with High Protein Value: They'll make you feel fuller longer because protein does not break down as quickly as carbohydrates.

b) Foods with High Water Content: Water takes up a lot of space in your stomach without adding calories.

c) Foods with High Fiber Content: Fiber takes up space in your stomach similar to the way water does without adding calories. It also helps you digest your food at a normal, healthy rate.

xo AJB

The Ultimate StairMaster Booty Workout

Let's be honest, just because we're losing weight and getting in shape doesn't mean we want to have the figure of a 14-year-old boy. There's a lot of value in having a perfectly sculpted butt (emphasis on sculpted, not just big). I'm naturally "gifted" on top, so I put a lot of focus on making my backside look just as good because I certainly wasn't born with anything back there. It really doesn't take that much time to start building a good butt and it can give you added confidence while you're trying to lose weight in other areas. If you put on a pair of pants or a tight skirt/dress and think "DAMN, my booty is rockin'!", you're likely to overlook other areas of your body that you would normally be nitpicking and feeling insecure about. And seeing faster progress back there will give you confidence that you can make the same progress in other areas.

There's a lot to think about when sculpting your behind. You of course want the bulk in the middle, but it's important to do exercises that round the top and lift underneath. Do you really want a big butt that sags? No, you want a butt that's lifted and sexy. I'm going to do other posts/videos with different exercises, but here is a great way to start sculpting your booty while getting in a good cardio routine. It has different speeds so you can raise and drop your heart rate to burn more calories and different stepping moves to sculpt different areas of your butt and legs.

Sidenote: The StairMaster looks intimidating, but once you get used to the steps it's really easy and a lot of fun! Start on slower speeds and bump them up as you get more comfortable.

The Ultimate StairMaster Booty Workout

(20 minutes plus cool down)

Minutes:

0-2: Double Step w/ Donkey Kicks @ speed level 5

2-3: Side Step Left @ speed level 10

3-4: Side Step Left @ speed level 8

4-5: Side Step Right @ speed level 10

5-6: Side Step Right @ speed level 8

6-7: Normal Step @ speed level 4

7-10: Backwards Step @ speed level 8

-repeat this routine for minutes 10-20 and then cool down-

Terms Key: 

Normal Step = one step at a time, as you would normally walk up stairs

Double Step w/ Donkey Kick = skip a step in between and whichever leg is about to step up, kick back as high as you can twice

Side Step = turn your body as much to the side as you can and cross your bottom foot over your top

Backwards Step = turn your body completely around (180 degrees) and step backwards up the stairs

Cool Down = do a normal forward-facing step at a slow speed for 3-5 minutes to drop your heart rate (if you don't cool down after cardio, you risk passing out from lowering your heart rate too quickly)

xo AJB

The Scale: Friend or Foe?

I think the use of the scale is one of the most debated issues regarding weight loss. Should we even use one at all? And if we do how often? How do I know if I'm losing weight and reaching my goals without obsessing over every little number. It's different for everyone but I do believe you need to check in with a scale at least every couple of weeks.

I know, I know, the scale isn't the only way to assess progress. You want to LOOK good. You want your clothes to start feeling loose. You want people to say, "have you lost weight?" You want to see the infamously unattainable inner-thigh gap (sigh... and ugh). Maybe the way you know you've lost weight is when you can wave goodbye to someone and not have your arm flab flapping all over the place.

Whatever your way of knowing you lost weight is, you still need the scale. We all have our "healthy weight range" regardless of how much muscle we are putting on or how bloated we are from our periods. Yes, I just used the "p" word. If you don't know your target weight range, just ask your doctor. It's really that simple. And the only way to know when you've reached that range is to use a scale.

Okay, so now that we've all agreed that we need to use the scale, the question is: how often?

I think a happy medium is to weigh yourself once a week. If you weigh yourself too often you will honestly drive yourself crazy obsessing over it and when it doesn't go well every single day you're going to want to give up. We all have bad days or weird days where we think we were super strict but somehow gained 0.7 pounds and then we want to cry into a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream because, you know, what's the point anymore? And that's no way to build confidence in ourselves. If you weigh yourself once a week all of your bad, weird, good and great days will even out and give you a solid number of how your week went overall. And if you don't like the number, you can look back on the week and say "hmm well this and this and this probably explains why I'm not happy with the number so I'll change these variables next week." If you wait too long to weigh yourself and you're not happy with your progress, you won't be able to look back and remember the specifics of your weeks and days to figure out what is holding you back from success.

Remember, like everything in life, moderation is key.

xo AJB

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