{Motivational Monday}

Hello cupcakes!

I am trying to keep myself awake here at work. Yesterday I flew back from California & it was also daylight savings time. I lost 4 hours... it was sad. I am okay with it though! It was totally worth it. I can't wait to share all of my pictures with you! Today I am linking up with a my friend Maddie Butterfield for another edition of Motivational Monday.

Maddie shared an awesome post that explained her Get Fit Goals. I thought it would be fun to go with the theme. Maddie made this wonderful sheet:

My motivation is:

1. Increasing my self-esteem and self-confidence

2. Building strength back into my left leg, foot, and ankle since I had surgery

3. Exercise makes me happy and I want to be happy for my boyfriend, friends, and family

My goals this month are:

1. Finish BBG Pre-training (Bikini Body Guide)

2. Get in 3 LISS days a week (Low Intensity Steady State Cardio)

3. Foam roll at least 2 times a week

4. Stretch after each workout

5. Follow and track my Macros 

I also wanted to mention my meal prep at the end of this post. Last night when I got back to my apartment, I knew I had to meal prep fast so that I could get to bed at a decent time. I prepped chicken , lean ground turkey, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oatmeal, eggs, green beans, broccoli, and zucchini. 

I have gone back and forth with macro tracking, but I want to try it out again! Here is what my meals look like today:

7am- Post workout: 8oz unsweetened almond milk with 2 scoops of Nuzest Protein Powder ("ToriF" for 15% off)

9am- Breakfast: 1/2 t coconut oil, 1 egg, 100 g egg whites, 1/2 c gluten free rolled oats

12pm- Lunch: 3 oz. lean ground turkey, 150 g zucchini, 1/2 c quinoa

3pm- Snack: 16 g almond butter, 145 g banana

6pm- Dinner: 3 oz chicken breast, 4 oz sweet potato, 150 g green beans

Totals:

1192 calories 

34 g fat

106 g carbs

114 g protein

My goal is to hit these macros:

1447 Calories

48 g fat

145 g carbs

110 g protein

As you can see, I will need to eat some more carbs throughout the day to meet my macros. My hope is that by counting these macros I can stick to a plan Post Whole30. I also want to provide my body with the proper nutrition since I am starting BBG back up. Some of my fellow BBG girls have started macro tracking, so it also helps keep me motivated. 

I also found this helpful link for meal prep: {Bodybuilding Meal Prep}

If you would like to find out your macros, follow these links: 

1) BMR calculator

2) Protein Calculator

3) Other fun calculators

Everyone's Macros are going to look different. This time I am trying a 40% carbs, 30% protein, & 30% fat ratio for my macros. It's all trial and error to see how your body responds. For more information on macros, follow this link: Macro Information

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

Road to Recovery Post Surgery

Hello cupcakes,

Today I want to share my road to recovery after my foot surgery. I know others may be going through the same thing whether that is from an injury, surgery, etc. I personally know it can be tough to deal with, so I want to share my experience with you.

I had surgery on my left foot about a year and a half ago to remove an extra bone from the inside of my foot. I was born with an accessory navicular bone which is on top of the bone everyone else has called the navicular bone. The extra bone caused pain and hurt worse due to my activity level. Fast forward to December 2015... I had surgery to remove the extra bone in my right foot. I knew going into this surgery that I was going to have a long recovery ahead of me (7 weeks in a cast and on crutches followed by a walking boot and physical therapy). My goals of going into this surgery was to continue to lift weights focusing more on my triceps, biceps, shoulder, back, and abs.

The first week post surgery is always rough. The picture below was taken a week post surgery. 

This was two weeks post surgery when I was having my stitches taken out.

 The stitches are out... the swelling was worse this week & I barley had an ankle.

This was the day I got my cast off. Don't mind the hairy leg haha!

Here is a comparison of my two legs. You can see the muscle loss on my right leg.

So one of the hardest things for me about the recovery process was being okay with my body. The picture below was taken four weeks into the BBG guides. I was in great shape and I had some definition in my abs. While I was recovering, I was not able to workout to the extent I was before surgery. I was getting so down on myself because my abs were disappearing. My self-esteem, self-confidence, and self love should not be based on the appearance of my abs. One of my best friends told me something that stands out to me now. She said, "You should be proud of yourself. You are doing way more than most people would be doing post surgery." Looking back now, she was so right. Most people would probably not even workout while they are on crutches, but I continued to go to the gym and do the most I could. What I am trying to say is that I was being so negative, shaming myself, and feeling guilty for losing my fitness level. I should have been celebrating for overcoming challenges. 

I also managed to keep more muscle in my leg than I did during the previous surgery. The picture on the left was taken when I got the cast off my left leg/foot. The right picture was the most recent surgery. 

This week was my first week of pre-BBG workouts. If you have never experienced death by kayla, you won't understand how sore my legs were the day after leg day! 

Basically what I want you all to take away from this blog post is to appreciate the body you are given. When I was getting sad about not being able to workout to the extent I wanted to, I was being selfish. Some people cannot workout. Some people have to deal with these types of things on a daily basis. I should have been thankful that I could still workout. I should have been proud of myself for going to the gym and lifting weights while I was on crutches or in my walking boot. All of those things helped me progress through physical therapy super fast! The physical therapist was blown away by my progress each time. I actually got released two weeks early! 

The picture above is my right foot today, about 3 months post surgery. The picture below is my left foot about a year and a half post surgery on that foot. The scar on my left foot is barely noticeable. 

Some tips if you have an injury or surgery:

1. Find 1-3 positive things about yourself each morning

2. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do

3. Don't be so hard on yourself

4. Follow the doctor of physical therapist orders

5. Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people

6. Work on increasing strength in other body areas besides the recovering spot on your body

7. Learn to let your body heal and recover

8. Learn to listen to your body

9. Continue to eat healthy foods, this could also help you heal faster

10. Be patient

Right now my plans are to continue BBG pre-training for the full four weeks and then start the BBG and complete that in 12 weeks! I cannot wait to push and challenge myself along the way. It is truly amazing what our bodies are capable of :)

And to share a tid bit of my California Adventures this week...

This was one of my breakfasts I made. This is gluten free oats, 1 whole egg, and 3 egg whites cooked in coconut oil.

This is an awesome spot called Torrey Pines. 

I will share more pictures once I get back to Indiana. I have so many beautiful pictures on my camera. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and comment below if you would like me to explain anything further.

Has anyone ever experiences an injury or surgery? 

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

{Honey Mamas} + Discount Code

Hello cupcakes!

If you love truffles and brownies, you will love what I am about to share with you. I get so excited when I find companies that produce chocolate desserts that taste amazing and use only healthy ingredients. Things I look for when trying out new food products: 

1. Dairy Free

2. No artificial ingredients

3. No refined sugars

4. Created with customers' health in mind 

{Honey Mamas} is a company that meets my expectation! Let me share a little about this company...

"Honey Mama's is a Portland, Oregon based company with a mission to offer nourishing foods that taste out of this world delicious and naturally stimulate well being. Our flagship product is a raw, nutrient rich cacao-honey dessert. It is made from five pure ingredients that combine to offer an easy to digest treat that celebrates your health and brings a rich depth of flavor to your senses! Soy, dairy, egg, gluten, and grain free. Think truffle meets brownie and you’ve got it!"

There are six different flavors of Honey Mamas bars. 

{Dutch Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin alkalized cocoa, raw local honey, sprouted almonds, unrefined coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, and vanilla.

This flavor was a lot like hot chocolate! I love when I bite into one of these bars and the chocolate just melts in my mouth. One tip, keep these bars in the fridge or freezer. They will melt if left out. 

{Mayan Spice Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin Peruvian cacao, cayenne, Saigon cinnamon, raw local honey, sprouted almonds, unrefined coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, and vanilla. 

So to be honest, this was probably my least favorite flavor. If you are a person who likes spicy chocolate, then this would be for you. I am not a complete fan of the cayenne/chocolate combination. 

{Oregon Peppermint Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin alkalized cocoa, Oregon heirloom peppermint oil, raw local honey, coconut meat, unrefined coconut oil, and Himalayan pink salt.

This was my favorite bar by far! I am a huge sucker for the mint and chocolate combination. Imagine a thin mint girl scout cookie flavor combine into a truffle like brownie that is way healthier for you. Yep, that would be this! 

{Peruvian Raw Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin Peruvian cacao, raw local honey, sprouted almonds, unrefined coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, and vanilla.

This flavor is close to the flavor of the Dutch Cacao-Nectar Bar. There is a slight difference between the two. Personally, I think the dutch was a tad sweeter. This one tasted more like a dark chocolate bar because it is made with raw cacao! P.S. raw cacao offers more antioxidants! Score! Overall, I really enjoyed this flavor. 

{CocoNoNut Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin alkalized cocoa, raw local honey, medium shred coconut, unrefined coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, and vanilla

This flavor was pretty tasty! I love coconut and chocolate combined. The Honey Mama's Team replaced the almond with coconut meat to make this bar 100% nut free! This combination of ingredients makes this bar very smooth, delicate, and refreshing!

{Lavender Red Rose Cacao-Nectar Bar}

Ingredients: Single origin alkalized cocoa, lavender oil,  dried red rose petals, raw local honey, coconut meat, unrefined coconut oil, and Himalayan pink salt. 

Another interesting flavor combination. I was not sure about this flavor to begin with, but it started to grow on me. I love lavender tea, but I am still trying to get used to it in chocolate form. Any lavender fans out there? 

Joseph Nordqvist from the Medical Knowledge center reports, "Lavender oil is believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties which can be used to help heal minor burns and bug bites. Research has revealed that the essential oil of lavender may be useful for treating anxiety, insomnia, depression, and restlessness."

Use the code: "SWEETLIFE " to receive 10% off your order now through March 31st. Here is a link to: {Honey Mama's Shop}

How delicious do these look though!?

Let me give you the nutrition stats on one bar (they all have pretty similar stats): 

Serving Size 1 piece (24g), Servings Per Container 3, Amount Per Serving: Calories 117, Calories from Fat 75, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 5g, Sodium 42mg , Total Carbohydrate 10g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 7g, Protein 2g

To read more about how Christy started Honey Mamas, follow this link: About Honey Mamas

I can't get over how pretty these bars look. I was so excited to get some awesome pictures of Honey Mama's Bars. 

Later Taters

'It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."