Post-Workout Hydration & Cocozia Coconut Water

DON'T FORGET to ENTER TO WIN a COOKBOOK from Peanut Butter & Co. HERE and free product coupons from HAIL MERRY HERE! 

Welcome to FITNESS FRIDAY! Today we are going to talk about a drink that is great for post-workout hydration, and WAY better for you than any sports drink... coconut water!

Coconut water has always been considered a rather "hippie" thing to drink, but recently it has been adopted by fitness gurus and athletes and the best drink for natural muscle repair after a workout. An 8 ounce serving of coconut water has 470mg of potassium (for comparison, a banana has 422mg of potassium) and 15 times more potassium than your typical sports drink. All of this potassium helps to maintain fluid balance in your body and ease possible muscle pain post-workout. 

Click HERE for more facts about coconut water. 

Another great thing is that coconut water is low in calories, which makes it great for mixing in fruit juices if you don't like the flavor of coconut water on its own. I don't love the flavor by itself, so I mix mine into other juices. 

Another great way to use coconut water is to make coconut water ice cubes! There are perfect for adding an extra health blast to orange juice, or for blending in a smoothie or shake. Or, why not make a healthy pina colada using coconut water?!

I was recently contacted by Cocozia and asked to review their coconut water. Cocozia is 100% organic and all natural.

I was sent one case (25 bottles) of the original Cocozia. As you can see from the picture above, they have a variety of other flavors as well - I'm interested to try the coffee & chocolate  varieties!

As mentioned before, I don't love coconut water. However, this was one of the best coconut waters I have tried yet. It tastes like it came straight from a fresh coconut and provides an authentic coconut flavor. I mixed mine in orange juice - it was like taking a post-workout recovery trip to the islands!

If you love coconut water, I would recommend trying this next time you grab a glass. To find out where you can buy some Cocozia in your area, check out the Cocozia website.

Tasty Tofu: 5 Yummy Ways to Include More Tofu Into Your Diet

Hey guys! Below is a guest post for you from Virginia Cunningham, all about the different ways you can ease tofu into your diet! I think she's got some pretty nifty ideas, so check it out!

When many think of tofu, they may not see it as having much personality, but it's bland appearance makes it deceptive!

Pressed curd extracted from ground soy beans, tofu has an almost endless variety of applications. It's high in protein -- more than 2 grams per ounce -- for some varieties, and contains an abundance of healthy fats. Besides the more common dishes tofu can be used in, like stir fry, it can be used in salad dressings, tacos and quesadillas, pesto, curry, marinade, desserts, smoothies and so much more! It's also an effective thickening agent, which makes it a great substitute for cream, eggs and cheese.

{Wanna learn a cool way to press tofu? Click here to see the pressed tofu I made!}

Here are some unique and simple ways to incorporate tofu into your diet:

Pumpkin Tofu Curry

I absolutely love pumpkin season and this recipe is delicious! To make this dish, saute an onion in olive oil then add 2 cups of vegetable broth, a can of coconut milk, a can of pumpkin (15 ounces), 2 tsps of both cumin and curry and pepper to taste.

Afterwards, mix up the cubed, sauteed tofu and enjoy. You can also add carrots and potatoes or any other veggie you’d like and serve over rice. Mmm delicious! This looks gorgeous, and really yummy, especially presented in an empty pumpkin shell, and it's also amazingly simple.  

Tofu Quesadillas

 No matter what time of the day it is, a warm quesadilla is a meal or snack I always crave. To make this, marinate strips of tofu for several hours (the marinade can be anything you like; I prefer to use olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, pepper and a splash of soy sauce), then broil (flipping once) until the edges are crispy. Throw them into a tortilla and add your favorite cheese, heated black beans (add some cumin and hot sauce to heat things up), then fold it all up and heat in an unoiled frying pan until the tortilla gets crispy and the cheese is melted! Absolutely delicious, and loaded with protein and fiber!  

As an alternative to marinating strips of tofu, try chopping it up into tiny tiny pieces, then saute at high temperature with onions, garlic and other spices. The consistency will end up resembling taco meat, which works incredibly well in a quesadilla or burrito.

Marinade

 Another one of my favorite ways to add tofu into my diet is to use extra firm tofu. Once you have pressed all of the water out, you can then make your own marinade with fresh pressed ginger and garlic, soy sauce, and a splash of spicy szechuan sauce. An easy way is to just pan fry it with veggies and sometimes veggie dumplings (I like the ones from Trader Joes... but will learn to make my own someday).

Tofu Fingers 

(similar to chicken fingers)

 For this snack, I use tofu that's been frozen. Once it’s thawed, slice it into triangles, rectangles or whatever shape you prefer. Next I dip them in egg, cover them with bread crumbs, cumin, garlic and onion powder, or whatever flavor I'm in the mood for, then bake them in the oven until the edges turn into a nice brown.

They taste great dipped in barbeque or honey mustard sauce or whatever you prefer. They have the texture of chicken fingers and are extremely tasty!

Salad Dressing

 This is one of the easiest ways I've found to use tofu. Purée silken tofu with basil and a clove of garlic, then drizzle on your salad and you're done!

The examples used above are great ways to incorporate this protein packed food into your diet. It absorbs the flavors of the ingredients it’s paired with, and works in a variety of cooking methods. It's amazingly versatile and adaptable nature makes it one of my favorite foods!

Virginia Cunningham is a health enthusiast and mother of three living in Southern California. As a health writer, and in collaboration with NorthWest, she loves being able to share recipes, fitness tips and educate others about their personal wellness. 

FIT FRIDAY: Fitness Schedule & Goals {PRINTABLE}

Welcome to FIT FRIDAY! 

This week, I've got a special surprise for you: a FREE fitness calendar and goals printable!

I was inspired to make this when I couldn't find a printable that was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want to print out multiple sheets so that I could write down both my goals & my exercise for the week. I just wanted one page for everything. 

So, I made one. It's blue and gold, nice and shiny for the new year!

If you like it, please share the love by pinning the image below (just mouse over the image and click the "pin it" button).

Click HERE to download the PDF!*

*The PDF looks blurry when you view it on the computer, but I PROMISE when you print it, it looks really good! For proof, I printed it, and here is what it looks like....

To use it, just write what time and date you plan on working out next to the day of the week. For example, "M" might have "Dec. 16 @ 3pm" written next to it. Then, the strength and cardio lines across from "M" might read "Ran 5 miles" next to "cardio" and "Arms, abs, thighs" next to "strength."

Then you can write goals, like "Run a mile in five minutes" at the bottom!

What do you think?!

Fitness Friday: Overcoming Holiday Weight Gain

Everyone hates the weight gain that the holidays typically bring. It's almost inevitable - there are so many gingerbread men and candy canes, and you just have to try one of every flavor...right?

This year, let's overcome holiday weight gain together. Below are five tips that I think will really help you keep off those extra pounds this holiday season!

1. Plan Your Workouts

....and STICK TO IT. 

I know, it's hard. But you can do it. If you put together your fitness schedule at the beginning of the week, you are more likely to actually get your butt off the couch and into the gym because it's now a part of your schedule. If you just say, "Well, I'll go when I feel like it"....trust me, you will NEVER feel like it. So do yourself a favor and plan ahead. 

2. Bake Vegan

Eating vegan is naturally a lot healthier for you, since that means no eggs or dairy will be in your cookies. That doesn't mean you can still eat five cookies, but it will definitely help keep your weight in check. Plus, if you've never baked vegan before, this gives you a chance to experiment! 

3. Use Alternative Sweeteners

Just make sure you use NATURAL sweeteners, like Stevia or Monk Fruit. Both are zero calories and are much better alternatives to sugar or Splenda! I also like to carry around a little squirt bottle of liquid Stevia in my purse. It's handy, and if you want zero calorie sweetened coffee, it does the trick.

4. Set A Limit

Decide how many cookies or scoops of macaroni and cheese you will allow yourself BEFORE you get to the party. That way, you already know your limit and will be less likely to overload on the crappy {yet delicious} food. Then, load up on the healthier options available - like fruit!

5. Plan Your Meals

Decide what you will eat when you aren't at a Christmas party, and then go grocery shopping so you have your supplies. The more prepared you are, the less likely you will be to stray from your plans. Make sure you plan healthy and light meals (like salads, or seared tuna steaks!) so you aren't already weighed down when you get to the party.

Hopefully those tips will help you fight the urge to overeat this holiday season!

What tips do you have?

What fitness printables would you like me to design?

Fitness Goals {Let's Make Some...Together!}

Making {and keeping} fitness goals can be challenging. 

Personally, I always make goals and then I never keep them. Most of time, these are weight goals. Lose 35 pounds. Weigh 125 pounds. And most of the time, I want these things to happen INSTANTLY. I'm not patient. When they don't happen right away, I get frustrated and I give up. 

And while goals involving your weight are fine and dandy, they definitely should NOT be the only fitness goals you have. What if you don't eve reach your weight goal because you've built a crap ton muscle while lifting weights? The numbers on the scale don't matter - the numbers on the weights do! The heavier the weights you can lift, the stronger you are becoming. 

Are you able to do more push ups this year than last year? Did you run a mile in six minutes? 

These are the numbers that matter!

I've been learning recently how to stick to my goals, and I'm going to share some of my discoveries with you. After that, I'll share some of my own fitness goals with you. I hope they help you stick to goals like they are helping me!

1. Find Your Motivation

If you don't have something that's motivating you - and I'm talking REAL motivation, not how well you will look in that swimsuit - you will never be able to stick to your goals. For me, it's fear. Fear of surgery. Fear of health problems and illnesses. Fear of pain. I don't want to end up having a heart attack and being rushed to the hospital. EVER. My dad recently had an unplanned quadruple bypass surgery, and I never want that to happen me. So I have started working out more often and eating more healthfully. 

Another thing that motivates me is being a role model to children. I have been interviewing for a position with Boosterthon, a company that serves schools by teaching kids about fitness, leadership, and character. The company has really inspired to be a better person and live how I want others to live. If I'm gonna be teaching kids about health and fitness, then I want to be living that lifestyle and being a good influence.

2. Write Them Down

Even though you think you'll remember your goals in your head....you won't. Trust me. Write them down and put them somewhere you can see them every day. That way you will remember them and strive to accomplish them!

3. Make A Gym Schedule

This is important. Don't wait until you wake up to decide when you want to go to the gym, because you will never go. Get out calendar and write down exact times when you will arrive at the gym. This means to can plan your days off, too! And these rest days are IMPORTANT. Without resting from working out, your muscles won't be able to repair and build stronger muscles. So make sure you schedule gym days, but schedule some rest days, too. 

4. Download A Fitness App For Your Phone

I find these to be really helpful. If you're a runner, check out RunKeeper. If you want to track your calorie intake, try MyFitnessPal. If you want to track how long you spend on the elliptical and how many sets of tricep dips you did, download FitList. There are a billion great health and fitness apps you can get for your phone, so search and find the one that works for you!

Those are four things that really help me stick to my fitness goals. Now, here are some goals I set for myself...

{Goals for This Year}
1. Be able to do at least one pull up
2. Be able to do ten complete, non-modified push ups
3. Have toned biceps and triceps
4. Reach my weight goal of 125 pounds (or a lean, healthy equivalent)
5. Run 3 miles without stopping

{Goals for The Future}
1. Participate in a marathon, preferable the Disney marathon
2. Participate in a half marathon
3. Run a 10k without stopping
4. Run a mile in 6 minutes or less
5. Join a CrossFit gym

Next week, I'm going to try to have a homemade GYM & FITNESS printable for you guys that you can download, print, and use to keep yourself on track. Maybe I'll make a fitness goals printable, too. <3

Now...what are YOUR fitness goals? And what other free printables would you like me to make? 

Weight Training {for women} 101

Ladies, let's talk about the elephant in the gym - weight training. 

It always seems so daunting. Especially when you are in the gym. I mean, come on. You're just doing your cardio on the treadmill, and you look over where the scary weight machines and free weights are. You think, well, someday I'll venture over there. But not today. Mostly because the men intimidate you, is my thought. At least, that's how I feel.

However, there is nothing to be scared about. And who cares if some of the beautiful, really buff men are staring at you while you try to figure out how that scary machine works? [HINT: There are directions on the side of the machine. You can read and look at the diagrams to learn how to use the machine. Easy peasy!]

Today I'm gonna give you FIVE (count 'em!) good reasons why you should take the leap and start lifting weights. But let's step back for a second and boost our self-esteem a bit, first. 

You are beautiful. 

You are strong.

You know (or you will teach yourself) exactly what you are doing. Even if you really don't know what you are doing, just act like you do. No one will notice!

You are confident. 

Okay. Now we can move on to those five reasons why you should begin lifting weights! 

Numero uno: Weight training boosts your metabolism. Like crazy.

According to the December 2013 issue of Women's Health magazine, "two months of resistance training twice a week increases resting metabolic rate by 7 percent." 

Well then. 

And that's only with two days of weight training! 

What this means [to me] is that if you weight train, you will naturally burn more calories when you are sitting around doing absolutely nothing. 

And that, my friends, is a wonderful thing. 

Numero dos: Weight training will help burn more calories. 

A pound of muscle burns FIVE TIMES more calories than a pound of fat. 

So if you want to lose weight, pumping iron is a KEY component to your workout!
{Just remember, it's better to do more reps with less weight than to strain yourself doing more weight with fewer reps}

Numero tres: Weight training builds muscle.

I've already stated this, but I think it's worth reiterating. Muscle is better than fat, and it sticks with you. Lose the fat, build the muscle. Plus, building muscle leads me to my fourth point...

Numero quatro: Weight training creates a sculpted body. 

Even though I haven't been lifting weights as often as I should be, I can already tell a difference in my arms from my brief lifting. I love looking in the mirror and flexing my meager arm muscles, watching as a small little "bump" appears where my biceps are located. And touching your muscles makes you feel really proud of what you've accomplished. 

It sounds cheesy, but it does. If you want to see the results of your lifting, all you have to do is look in the mirror and see the toned body you are creating. It feels great!

Numero cinco: Weight training makes you proud. 

This is really a continuation of my fourth point, but once you start to see results, you are immediately proud of what you've accomplished. Who wouldn't be excited about seeing ripped arms and a six pack staring back at you in the mirror?! {OK, maybe not right away, but it's a nice idea!}

Ladies, my point is this: START LIFTING WEIGHTS IN THE GYM. Even if you are intimidated. It's good for you. And if you still don't want to pursue this in the gym, then buy some weights and start working out at home. There are tons of great workout plans you can find online!

Good. Now get out there and kick some booty. 

What's your favorite workout?

WIAW #34: Fitness + Babysitting

Hey ladies and gents! Welcome to another What I Ate Wednesday! So glad to be back to the WIAW party.

Here's a look at what I ate on Tuesday... 

{BREAKFAST} Nature Valley Peanut Butter granola bar // coffee {LUNCH} Archer Farm's Raspberry Creme Brulee granola // Hard boiled egg // Fresh raspberries {SNACKS} Apple // Orange // Dark chocolate square // Half of a Hail Merry persian lime tart {DINNER} Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza // Crazy Bread

All in all, I consider that to be an okay day of eating. To be honest, I didn't really want the pizza, but it was free since I was babysitting tonight and that's what the kiddos ate. Not healthy, but I gotta take each day as it comes. Below are a few pictures - some things from today, others from earlier this week.

Speaking of falling into good habits, I'm heading back to the gym after a long hiatus. This time I think I'll actually stick with it, thanks to my dad's recent quadruple bypass surgery. I never want to end up in a hospital, let alone in surgery. And to avoid both of those things, I need to start eating right and working out consistently. So here's a look at today's trip to the gym:

{FITNESS} Ran .61 miles on treadmill // Walked on treadmill // Elliptical for 30 minutes // Weight training (thighs) 

{CALORIES BURNED} Roughly 320 cal

Also an okay day. Yesterday, I had more intense of a workout...I started working out my arms on the weight machines, which is something I haven't done in, oh, I don't know...a year. Or something ridiculous. And BOY am I STILL feeling that workout! Crazy! I also burned an intense 590 calories between walking on the treadmill and the cross trainer. Tomorrow I will be focusing on cardio + ab workouts. Yikes. Haven't worked my abs in about as long as my arms...

If you are having problems with being bored at the gym (I have this problem all the time!) I recommend that you find a great fiction book and read it. Something that makes time fly by. That's when I work my hardest! I've been reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson and it's wonderful. Also, drink coffee an hour before you work out. It makes your workout seem less challenging. No joke - I tried it today and it worked. I read about it in last month's issue of Women's Health!

Remember the kiddos I said I babysat tonight? Their names are Jameson (four years old) and Mac (two years old). Check out their adorable selves:

Cuties, right?!

So, today I am meeting up with local granola maker Christy from Whirly Bird Granola to get some samples and start on a product review! How exciting is that?! I love meeting local foodies and learning about their stuff!

That's all for now. But before I sign off, I have a couple questions for YOU...

How do you stay motivated to get to the gym? [I make a weekly gym schedule + I never want to have health problems]

What exciting plans do you have for Thanksgiving?! 

P.S. - Did you check out my new Holiday Gift Guide series?!

Product Review & Giveaway: Viva Hot Pants

About a month ago, I received a pair of Hot Pants Viva from Zaggorra in the mail to review. 

According to the website and the little user manual I received with the pants, these pants make women lose weight 4x faster when they exercise in these pants. This is because Hot Pants contain Celu-Lite technology, which uses your natural body heat to generate results. 

A study done at Brighton University found that these pants raised core body temperature (after exercising for 30 minutes) by 18%, increase energy expenditure by 7% during exercise, and calorie burn increases by 26% in the hour after exercising. Naturally, the more calories you burn, the quicker you will lose weight! 

I was excited to try these pants, mainly because of the above statements and the bright colors they come in: pink, blue, orange, green, and yellow. I received the yellow pants. The yellow color wasn't quite as bright as the picture online makes it out to be - I expected a lot brighter - and I'm not sure if I would ever wear these to the gym because of their color. If they had been blue or something a little more neutral, definitely. 

The first thing I noticed about these pants is that they fit very snuggly. This is how they are supposed to fit. The next thing I noticed was that the pants make a swishy sound when you walk around in them, which can be kind of obnoxious if you are at the gym. However, in the comfort of your own home (which is where I wear them), it doesn't really matter. They also make exercising a heck of a lot harder. I did a Jillian Michaels workout with these pants on and then did the same workout later in shorts, and let me tell you - so much easier in the shorts! My guess is that this is from the Celu-Lite fabric lining, and this is why you burn more calories when you work out. The pants add more resistance to your workout, which makes your workout harder, which in turn makes you burn more calories from working harder. 

The question remains: do they actually make you lose weight faster? I took the Hot Pants "2 Week Challenge" - wear the pants when you workout for two weeks and see what happens. So I did just that. No fancy workouts or longer workouts - just what I would have done anyways. I did mostly Jillian Michael's DVDs during this time. 

The result? I lost 5 pounds in those two weeks. So I guess they do work! 

GIVEAWAY TIME!

The people at Zaggora have offered to giveaway three pairs of their Hot Pants Viva. How awesome is that?! That means three lucky winners will win a pair! What color do you want? Here's how to enter - just a leave a separate comment for each entry. 

1. Tell me why you want to try these pants and what color you would prefer to win.

2. Subscribe to Passing Daisies by email (3 entries)

3. Follow me on GFC or Blogger 

4. Tweet about this giveaway, include a link, and tag @cityxlights13

Giveaway ends Wednesday, August 15th at 11:59PM EST. Giveaway open to readers anywhere in the world.

Much love, 

Bittersweet News for a Bittersweet Day

Guys! I have some upsetting news today. 

Today was my weekly weigh in. I gained a pound. I went from 144.6 to 145.8lbs. What happened? 

I've been monitoring my calories the same, working out, still cutting back on sweets... I'm not sure what happened. My only guess is that the weight I've gained is muscle, which is what I'm relying on. I mean, I feel like I've lost more fat this week, and I feel good about the direction I'm headed in, but I'm a little thrown but that gain. It's only a pound, yes, but I was hoping that scale would go down! 

It's time like these where I have to remember this pin: 

I'm only on week 3 of my 4 week challenge, but I can definitely see my body changing and am proud of the muscle that I can see and the flat stomach I know I will one day have. I'm halfway to the 8 week mark.

This is another good pin for me to remember.

And so is this one. I just have to keep myself motivated through all this and keep pushing as hard as I can. 

Can you guys think of any reason that there would be weight gain, or do you think it's muscle? I hope it's muscle!

In other news, today was my last day at my social media internship with Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese & Beer Flats. It's really bittersweet!

Me at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC from June 18-20, 2012

I really feel like I've done a lot to help the company expand their social media. I can only hope they feel the same way! 

While with them, we launched our new Beer Flats crackers, made with real beer!

Exciting, right?

More about the food show later. I'm off to the gym. Let me know your thoughts on the weight gain! 

Much love, 

NEW GIVEAWAY WINNER & Fitness Updates!

BECAUSE THE WINNER STILL HAS NOT RESPONDED, THERE WILL BE A NEW WINNER OF THE TWO COUPONS FOR COCONUT BLISS ICE CREAM. THE WINNER: LAUREN! CONGRATS! PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP SO I CAN GET THOSE COUPONS TO YOU!

Guys!

Thanks so much for your kind words and awesome support about my weight loss and fitness journey! I have absolutely no clue if I lost more weight this week or not, but I really hope so - I weigh myself tomorrow, so I guess we'll find out then!

I still struggle to turn down sweet treats and stay within my calorie limit - not because I'm hungry, but because I like to snack all the time for no real reason - but I've been doing very well. As long as sweets are not in the house, I don't really eat them. I don't buy them anymore because I just don't want them around me. That is the only way I've found I can stay sane.

You know the cool thing? I don't even crave sweets anymore. I only eat them because they are in front of me, not because I crave them. I think that is so great! I also love that I've been trying to eat seasonal - plums, peaches, berries, and melon are so yummy right now, so go buy a bunch and snack on them! Plus, Bob Harper says you should be eating apples and berries every day, so get to it. It's one of his 20 skinny rules.

Have you read The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper yet? Go buy it. It's great. I'm reading it right now. But more on that later - it'll be in my things I'm lovin post this week, and I don't want to spoil it!

Tomorrow is my last day at my internship with Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese as their social media intern. So sad, isn't it? I hope to make a binder filled with all the stuff I did over the summer for my boss, so she has everything in one place when she needs to refer to a list or some social media tips. Gotta love Twitter and Facebook. And who can forget Pinterest?!

Okay, that's all for now. Sorry this was short and to the point. More soon on my continued health and fitness journey, a recipe for some killer apple chips, and reviews of PB2, Zagorra HotPants, Crum Creek, KLUTCHclub, and WayFare products. See you soon!

Much love,

Giveaway Winners & Good News!

Time to announce the winners for the last two giveaways! 

Winner of two FREE product coupons for Coconut Bliss Ice Cream: GRETCHEN

Winner of a six pack of Mary Jane's brownies: FITFUNKYLIFE (by the way, I totally agree - pb&j/smores brownies would be delish!)

Congrats! Please email me with your contact info ASAP so I can get your prizes out to you!

I weighed myself on Tuesday, a day over halfway through my 30 days to 130lbs. challenge. The result? I lost 5.2 pounds! I weigh 144.4lbs. now - before weighing 149.6lbs. Pretty good for a week, right? I hope to continue down this path and plan on sticking to my 1,200 calorie diet with daily exercise. I continue to focus on my shoulders and arms when doing weights. I can't wait to weigh myself on Monday and see where I am at! 

The best part of this whole thing? Seeing results. Seeing the cuts in my thighs, the sculpting in my shoulders and biceps, the lines on my abs becoming more visible. I love that I always feel light when I eat lean, clean, and green! Even with 1,200 calories a day, I always feel full at the end of the day. I really don't need any more food than that. 

I also made my vision board! A vision board is basically an inspiration board - something that keeps you working out and eating healthfully when you start to slack off. I framed it and I can't wait to hang it up. I'm going to make another similar one and fill it with different workouts from Pinterest instead, so I can get some quick new workout ideas when I need it. 

I also enjoy reading on my Kindle when at the gym. I finished a book today! It's crazy how much I can read in one workout and how fast time flies by. 

Question: What are your favorite songs to work out to? 

Much love, 

GIVEAWAY: Mary Jane's Brownies

Have you entered to win two FREE product coupons from Coconut Bliss? Enter before 11:59 PM EST tonight!

And while you're at it, join the Things I'm Lovin' link up!

Today, I want to talk brownies. 

But before I talk brownies, a little update on my weight loss journey. Today was supposed to be my halfway weigh in, but because I spent the night at my boyfriend's last night, I didn't have a scale. So the weigh in will have to wait until tomorrow morning :(

On the bright side, I have been feeling a lot lighter. A lot happier. Healthier, too. And I definitely think I have lost weight! How much, I'm not sure, but I feel good about it. I have been trying really hard to avoid sweet things, for the most part - I tossed my entire chocolate and sweet stash, which has helped a lot. As my Tone It Up community would say, I have been trying really hard to eat lean, clean, and green! 

It's also been nice noticing my weight training progress. I've been doing weights with Jillian Michaels DVDs for a while, but now I'm starting to see some sculpting in my arms. One of my new focuses is to tone and build muscle in my shoulders - I think muscular shoulders look so awesome! I can also see lines on my abs, and I'm starting to get those... what are they called? These: 

My lines look nothing like those, by the way. But if I continue to lose fat and build muscle, I think I'm on the way to getting more defined oblique lines. Yay!

Since joining LA Fitness on Wednesday, a gym near my house, I've been able to get a lot more cardio in than normal. The cardio in Jillian Michaels DVDs only do so much. I run/walk around my neighborhood sometimes, but I like the treadmill at the gym because I can track my progress. My typical gym routine has been 20 min. on the treadmill, 30 min. on the elliptical, and 10 min. on the bike. Recently, I started exploring the arm machines, where I found the "delta fly" machine and fell in love with it. It works my shoulders in the exact area I want to work them! Love. 

My question for you today: What are your favorite shoulder and tricep workouts?

Overall, I feel good about where I am at the halfway point in my 30 days to 130 lbs. I guess we'll see tomorrow how much progress I've really made!

Now, on to my second topic: brownies. Obviously, not a diet food, but delicious nonetheless. 

Who doesn't love brownies? Only people who don't love chocolate. I can only think of two people I know who do not like chocolate, and they are crazy. (Just kidding!)

A week or two ago, I met a lovely woman named Renee. She came to Clifton, where my internship is, to drop off some of her delicious brownies for me to review. Her company, the Mary Jane Brownie Company, is still very new. The idea for the company was conceived around five years ago, but the company itself is newly launched. The company was named after her mother. They are based out of Cincinnati, OH - gotta love the locals!

Each brownie is individually wrapped in a certified biodegradable, compostable wrap. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days without refrigeration. Crazy, right?

They currently offer six flavors: Pure Cocoa, Twisted Peanut Butter, Super Funk Chocolate Chunk, Wowie Coconut Almond Crunch, Urban Bourbon Caramel Pecan, and Caramel Sea Salt Gold. Lucky me - I got to try them all!

Of course, they were all delicious. Mary Jane knows how to make an extremely fudgey and rich brownie - I love them! I was told that the Caramel Sea Salt Gold was the most popular, and for good reason. The caramel was smooth and yummy, a perfect compliment to the rich chocolate. Personal favorites were the Wowie Coconut Almond Crunch - it reminded me of an almond joy bar or girl scout's samoas cookies - and the Twisted Peanut Butter, which tasted like peanut butter fudge with chocolate. The Urban Bourbon Caramel Pecan screamed bourbon when it hit your tastebuds - in a good way! 

Is your mouth watering yet? Do you want to try these delicious brownies? Just leave a comment below telling me what your dream brownie flavor would be. Leave a separate comment for each extra entry: 

1. Follow me on Blogger or GFC. 

2. Tweet about this giveaway and tag @cityxlights13. Also include a link to the giveaway.

One lucky winner will win a box of brownies, mailed right to their house! US residents only, please. No P.O. boxes. GIVEAWAY ENDS WEDNESDAY 7/25 AT 11:59 PM EST.

Good luck! 

Much love, 

The Dreaded Weigh In

Today was the first of my dreaded weigh ins on my 30 Days to 130lbs. plan I made up. I knew the number wouldn't be good, but I thought it would be a little lower than it was. 

149.6 pounds. The number staring me blatantly in the face. 

Am I happy? No. Obviously not. I don't know if I lost any weight in the past week from working out and trying to eat less, but I'm guessing I didn't lose that much. 

This is a huge wake up call for me. I need to be really serious about this and take the next week to a level of high intensity. I need to start being serious about my health and the foods I am eating. 

The first thing I did was toss almost all of the sweets and chocolates in my food stash. This was really hard. I did keep a couple things for when I go back to school, but I stuffed them in a box underneath my bed to keep them hidden. Out of sight, out of mind - right? 

The next thing I need to do is be strict about my calorie intake. No more than 1200 calories a day. Period. I also need to make sure what I am eating is low in fat and very healthy. 

Working out is also extremely important. I have been doing really well with this the past week, and I need to now kick this up to the next level. It's really hard not having an elliptical at home - I really don't really like driving all the way to Xavier, parking a mile away, and then walking to the school gym every day. Honestly, it's a waste of gas. However, I don't feel like I'm burning enough calories with my Jillian Michael's DVDs at home. What do you guys recommend? Right now, my plan is to continue doing Jillian's Ripped in 30 DVD, Extreme Shed & Shred, and spending an hour on the elliptical at Xavier's gym. Not all at once, of course. At least with elliptical I can monitor how many calories I've burned. 

The summer I lost my most weight I was a member of a gym about five minutes from my house. Now that the gym no longer offers student summer memberships, finding an inexpensive summer gym membership is a challenge. Sigh. 

What suggestions do you guys have for me? 

I'm really feeling upset with myself for letting myself gain 10 pounds. A couple summers ago, I was down to 140. Actually, there was a time when I was 135. It's crazy thinking back to that now. I can't even imagine what that looked like. My end goal is ideally 125 pounds, but I'd be very, very happy with 130 :)

Sorry for that little rant. Quick switch over. Let's talk Chobani. Have you tried their new Chobani Champions?

Talk about scrumptious! Cho sent me a huge box of their Champions line to review, and of course, I Was more than happy to review them! They sent four flavors: Orange Vanilla, Verry Berry, Vanilla Chocolate Chunk, and Honey Nana.

As you can probably tell from the packaging, Chobani Champions are geared towards younger kids. The vibrant packaging and the kid-friendly flavors make that obvious. However, I think these are perfect for grown ups as well! Out of all four flavors, my favorite was the Honey Nana. This surprised me because I don't usually like banana flavored things. However, the banana did not taste artificial at all! It actually tasted sort of like a banana cream pie. A banana cream pie that is only 100 calories, of course. What a great substitute for a sweet tooth!

Surprisingly, my least favorite was the Vanilla Chocolate Chunk - a flavor that I thought would be my favorite. I found the vanilla to be a bit too strong for me. It overpowered my taste buds. Don't get me wrong - I love vanilla. And I think this is a good flavor - kids will probably love it. It is just a little too strong for my taste. As far as the two other flavors go - how can you go wrong with citrus and berries? They were both delicious.

Thanks, Cho, for the chance to review this line - I don't think you've ever let me down. Long live Chobani! :)

The Daisy Scale

4/5 daisies

Thanks again for listening to my little rant - any thoughts you have would be super helpful! Thanks loves and talk to you soon!

Much love, 

Journey to Health

Well, friends - it's about time I stopped eating so much junk food and got my healthy eating habits back in order.

I've been eating so much junk food recently - pasta, burgers, mexican, fries, chocolate, candy - if it's bad for you, I've probably been chowing down on it. Needless to say, it's time to eat more salads and whole foods.

I think I've also gained some unwanted pounds, so I've decided to buckle down and work to get rid of it. I'm starting something I'm calling 30 Days to 130 Lbs. - meaning I'm giving myself 30 days to work hard towards a goal weight of 130lbs. My ultimate goal is to be 125 lbs, but I think that's a bit unrealistic to do in 30 days. I even made myself a nice calendar on my wall to keep myself on track. See?

I'm hoping to workout twice a day while doing this. I want to get the best results that I can.

I'm kickstarting my journey by doing a week long juice cleanse. Today is day 2. I'm striving to drink only fruit and and vegetable juices every day for the next week - except for a small cup of protein powder and coconut milk after I work out (for protein). Ideally, I think I should be drinking a minimum of five times a day to help keep my metabolism up and running. Hopefully this juice cleanse will kickstart my weight loss journey. After this week, I will weigh myself and see where I am (I'm too nervous to weigh myself prior to starting the cleanse). I will take that weight and use it to see how much weight I lose each week following. Wish me luck!

After the juice cleanse is over, I hope to keep eating healthy, lean, clean, and green. Lean protein and lots of veggies and fruits. Lots of salad and foods that are low in fat. I'm tired of being the weight that I am and I know I can do so much better!!

So far, it has been going pretty well. Yesterday I was extremely hungry, so I ate a couple of crackers. Today I'm feeling pretty good - I think that has a lot to do with the protein I drank after doing my new kettlebell workout.

It was pretty good and definitely had me sweating - Bob has a love for squats. My legs are always extremely sore after a Bob Harper workout, and this one was no different. I also bought another Bob Harper kettlebell DVD:

I'll let you know what I think about this DVD later! 

See you guys soon - hopefully with good results from my cleanse!,

Much love,