Post and pre workout meals

What to eat before a workout??

What to eat after???

These are all questions I get asked a lot. Here is my personal answer to these.


I usually go to the gym in the morning not long after I wake up so my pre-workout meal is my breakfast. Lately I've been having a bowl of granola and yogurt with a piece of fruit. Other times it will be a bowl of cereal with almond milk and yes again a fruit.
 


If you are in a rush before a workout, you want to carb up and fuel your body. I tend to go for a fruit smoothie at least one hour before a workout. eating to fast, too soon before the gym is not fun...

By the time i'm done with my workout it's close to lunch time so I just end up wanting a full meal. I do make sure I get a good amount of protein in there.I could have some chicken breast with a salad or ground turkey with onion and Brussels sprouts both of which i'll have with 1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa.

 

If i'm ahead of lunch time or not ready to eat a full meal i'll have a protein shake with almond milk or if I've been good all week I'll drop by the Hyperforme and grab a small strawberry shake. They are so yummy but pack a 300 calorie count for the small, 500 for a medium and 1000!!!! calories for a large, so I won't get one too often.

I'm also in love with Quest bars! They are simply to die for and are great for on the go. They are yummiest if you put them in the microwave for 20 seconds to get them warm and gooey! I'll be posting a blog entry about all the protein products I have and love soon! stay posted!

Well, there it is. A few ideas for a pre and post workout meal.

Turkey meatloaf

I just love love love meatloaf, but recently I have not been liking the red meat so much. I wanted a meatloaf badly the other day so I looked up a few recipes and found them a bit too `granola`looking to me. It did not seem like comfort meal to me when I was reading the ingredients.

After looking for a while I just decided that I`ll make my own and hope for the best. Well turns out, it was amazing. Sadly, I did not take any pictures of it but as soon as I make another one I will post about it for sure!

Now, this is not the healthiest of my recipes but it's still better then what I use to have as a kid.

What you'll need:

1 pack of ground turkey (or ground chicken)
4-6 tbs of whole grain bread crumbs
1 whole egg ( I like to use  free range eggs but any kind will work fine)
3-4 tbs of low sodium soya sauce
3-4 tbs of ketchup
3-4 tbs of water

Make a second batch of the last three ingredients and set aside

 What you'll do:

Preheat the over at 400 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Pour mixture into a bread pan or any oven pan of your choice.
Cover with foil and place in oven for 1 hour.
After the hour is up, remove foil cover and pour the second liquid mix on top pf the loaf.
Put back in oven, uncovered for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

I served this to my parents with a side of oven roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts and some green peas.
They loved it and we all wanted the leftover plate.

Enjoy!

Forget the haters!

For what ever reason you are on a weight loss path, you will always have haters around you. Why?? Because clearly you are doing something they are jealous of. I have noticed this a lot in the gym. People will always judge. They will always look at you will "that look". It will never go away. 

Might as well get used to having haters around, they will always be there as long as you work hard. Keep your head high and your feet on the ground. Don't let the hate get to you and be humble. Remember that we were all starters at the gym once before. Don't be a hater!

Be the BEAST!

Shell salad

As some of you might know, i'm in love with pasta and always on the lookout for a healthier choice. But sometimes, good old fashion white pasta wins the battle. I found this recipes at a local groceries store, home cooked style food sections. 

What you will need:

1 cup of  the pasta of you choice

12 cherry tomatoes

1 cucumber

Vinaigrette:

2-4 tbs of olive oil

2-4 tbs vinegar

1-2 tbs of chicken broth

(note: for the vinaigrette, you can add or remove amount tbs to taste)

What you need to do:

Boil pasta for 7-8 minutes. While pasta is boiling, cut cherry tomatoes in half and dice the cucumber. Mix all vinaigrette ingredients together. Once pasta is cooked, pass under cold water until pasta is cooled. Mix everything together and serve.

Enjoy!

Be the BEAST!

Flap Jacked pancakes

I'm a big fan of pancakes. So when my boyfriend told me about these I just had to have them. As soon as I was done work that day, we drove to our local supplement store and I jumped on the first bag I saw. I took the classic Buttermilk flavor and took it home. I also took note of some other flavors but ever since I tasted then, I completely forgot about the other flavors!

These little fluffs of heaven are simple to mix and cook. They make about 6-8 thick pancake per mix batch, bag will make 3 batches. The only issue i found is that they seem to stick a bit to the pan, since i'm cheep and don't own non-stick cookware. 

Will all said and done, I am in love with this product and can't wait to try the other flavors!!

Be the BEAST!

At home countdown workout

For a bit of fun.

Are you at home? nothing to do? Bored? Did not workout today? Had a good workout this morning but could go for more?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you must give this small at home countdown workout a try.

Do these moves one after the other without any rest time. Once you have gone through them all, rest for 1 to 2 minutes and complete the circuit 2 more times.

10 Burpees

9 Squats

8 Jumping jacks

7 Star jumps

6 Mountain climbers

5 Push ups

4 Tuck jumps

3 Jump squats

2 Burpees (yes Burpees again!)

1 One minute plank hold

Have fun with it and see how fast you can get through a round. Try and beat your time for each round!

Be the BEAST!

Kale pesto pasta

Pasta is one of my favorite dishes and I'm a sucker for carbohydrates so when I came across this recipe, I just had to try it out.  It was super easy to make and takes only a few minutes to prepare.

What you need:

-Whole wheat pasta of your choice

-12 to 15 cherry tomatoes

-bunch of kale

-4 to 5 cloves of garlic

- 1/4 cup of fresh  grated Parmesan cheese

What you will need to do:

While you bring water to a boil for the pasta and while it is cooking all the prep work can be done. Chop up the kale and garlic and put into blender. Blend into a pesto like paste. Add the cheese and blend a bit more. Set aside. 

Chop in the cherry tomatoes in half. Once pasta is cooked to your liking, strain and pass under cold water until pasta temperature is cool. 

Mix the kale pesto, pasta and tomatoes ans serve!

Hope you enjoy.

Be the BEAST!

FOOD!!

For those who want to see what I eat on a regular day. Here is an example!

Note: This is fit for me and my personal needs. This is strictly and example and should not be used as a meal plan for anyone but myself.

Meal #1: 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of Natures Path's Pumpkin and flax seed granola

                One hard boiled egg

Meal #2: 12 almonds

               One Apple

               2 slices of Allegro (non-dairy) low fat cheese

Meal #3: 4-6 oz Oven cooked chicken breast

               1/2 cup of brown rice

               1 cup of sauteed veggies

Meal #4: 1/2 cup of carrots

               1/2 cup of sliced cucumber

               2 slices of low fat turkey

Meal #5: 4-6 oz ground turkey or lean beef

               1 cup of steamed veggies

               1 cup of salad (dressing on the side)

Meal #6 - Only if I had a workout after supper (Meal #5):

               Quest protein bar

Water intake: I drink 2-3 glasses of water first thing in the morning and drink one glass before each meal. Aside from those glasses I carry around a 20 oz bottle that I continuously fill up all day. I will also try to drink one or two cups of green or black tea. 

Since my bedtime is 10 pm, I will stop eating and drinking at 7 pm.

There you have it. This is what I normally eat on regular days when I workout. Some days will vary on if I have a workout or not. I will take out the carbohydrates in the evening if I did not workout that day.

Be the BEAST!

New fitness blog

I am a personal trainer on a mission to help out those who want to get healthier and live better. Just like everyone, I struggle with my diet and exercise routines and have fluctuated a lot with my weight. I'm here to share with you my ups and downs with being fit.

I will blog about food, exercises, my boot camp classes and a bit of my personal life. This will be my therapy. My place to vent, to inform and to have fun.

Hope you like it. 

Be the BEAST!