Fitness & Food Apps That Make A Healthy Lifestyle Easy

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!! 

This morning I am going to share with you all some of the best fitness and health apps that are all FREE and can assist with your healthy lifestyle. The biggest misconception, in regards to health and fitness, is that you have to spend a ton of money to achieve your personal goals. Access to helpful resources has become way easier! There are tons of reliable websites and apps that will help you get into tip-top shape while also mastering healthier ways of eating.

1. Couch to 5K: This app creates a running schedule for you. It will set a weekly pace that will have you running 3 miles in no time.

2. Food Heaven Made Easy: Try watching Wendy & Jess as they use all natural and clean ingredients to whip up everything from vegetarian and soul food to guilt-free drinks and desserts. Their youtube channel has video tutorials and their website has printables for easy recipes.

3. Fooducale: Confused bu nutrition labels? This app will break everything down for you as soon as you scan the bar code. The best part is it will show you a healthier alternative if the item is not a good food choice. ** I will be downloading this app asap! **

4. My Fitness Pal: I use this on a regular. It's very similar to Fooducale however this keeps a log of all the food you eat during the day and helps you calculate the types of exercises as well. Keeps track of your calorie intake and you can log in with your friends, which is also cool because this helps you motivate them and keep them on track!!

5. Map My Walking: I use this a lot to be honest. This tracks how fast and far I walk or run. It also keeps track of how many calories I burned. Very similar to Nike Run!!

So with all of these websites and free apps there should be no excuse as to why anyone shouldn't be able to stay focused. Remember this healthy lifestyle starts with YOU!! 

Have a safe weekend!!!

~Wendy

Don't Quit

How Much is Too Much Working Out

Do you work out every day and worry that you're addicted? To score the most from exercise, you only need to go hard three or four times a week. The fact is, hitting the gym too often can make often can make you less fit. The benefits you want from working out, getting leaner, stronger, healthier- reverse when you don't take breaks. For starters, your muscles aren't designed to kill it 24/7. Exercise creates tiny tears in muscle fiber, and when given a chance to heal, the fibers build. But without recovery, you won't see those changes in tone or strength. 

Too much exercise can leave you exhausted. Over exercising can have a sneaky psychological drawback. It traps you into a cycle of believing that if you let a day go by without logging a workout, you'll  get fat or instantly fall out of shape. Working out should enhance your life: friends, job, body and mind.

I normally workout 5 times a week. That doesn't mean I'm in the gym everyday. I mix it up weekly. Besides the gym I add on roller-skating, swimming, taking my daughter to the park, taking a quick run downtown after work and the list goes on. Don't think you HAVE to hit the gym everyday your body needs a day of rest and you don't want to over work yourself. 

Remember Work Out, Don't Burn Out


~Wendy

Is Running Effective for Weight Loss?

Good Morning Everyone.....

Many new runners hit the pavement with hopes of losing weight.  Then, after a week or two of grueling runs they quit their program out of frustration.  They see no results on the scale, their feet hurt and their joints ache.  It leaves many dieters wondering if running is bad for weight loss. If you want to lose weight with exercise, you'll need to pay attention to the intensity, frequency and duration of your exercise sessions.  You need to exercise hard enough to burn calories but not so hard that you get injured or burned out.  Each exercise session needs to be long enough to burn fat and your sessions need to be frequent enough to create a calorie deficit over the long term. 

Alternatives to Running for Weight Loss

If you've started a running program and you're sticking to it, then don't change a thing.  The best exercise program for anyone is the one that you stick to.  But if you fall into the group of people who find running too hard on their bodies, there are good alternatives.

If you eventually want to become a runner, think about doing walk/run intervals.   These can even be structured as high intensity intervals (HIIT) if you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise.  HIIT workouts have been shown to be extremely effective for weight loss.  You can also try aqua jogging.  This activity mimics the movements of jogging, so it prepares your muscles for the sport without the initial impact of your weight on the pavement.

For instance you can always invest in a good bike or roller blades. Now don't laugh but roller blades can be fun it's just like ice skating..(hahaha). On on more serious note I personally dislike running but when I do run I always make sure I have on the right shoes first. I prefer my fast pace walk because I can burn just as many calories and it's better on my feet.

So if you are just starting out my suggestion is to start with a fast pace walk and gradually add running into the mix. Don't go out on your first day and try and conquer 6 miles!! Take it slow and more important invest in running shoes!! 

Stay Motivated and Don't Lose Focus!!

~Wendy 

Back...Stronger than ever!!!

The Summer has slowly drifted away. No more cookouts and vacations. Now the holidays are just around the corner and already many people are wondering how in the heck will they stay focused. LOL. This has been one tough year for me personally. My mother got sick and suddenly passed away in July. So with taking care of her I somewhat became distant from my healthy lifestyle. No time for blogging, working out and forget about eating right. Then one day I looked in the mirror and thought about how my mother loved when I stayed on my grind. So after a brief break....I'm back!!

July 1, 2013 my world changed forever. My mother became my Angel and I weighed 186lbs. As of today September 15, 2013 I am at 159lbs exactly. Talk about staying focused. I reverted back to how I was in 2009 when I started this journey. One meat per day. No fried food. Fresh veggies and fruits. More protein. I increased my gym time and tried new things. From swimming, to running at Federal Hill and through downtown Baltimore, walking and running around Lake Montebello & Druid Hill Park, and focusing more on my core so that I can get the toned body that I always wanted. 

So this next go round with my blog I will continue to motivate and encourage everyone but I'm going to post some of the workouts that I do and different tips to help everyone make better choices.

Like always this road is never easy but when you surround yourself with people who are in the fight with you...its a piece of cake!!!

Enjoy your Sunday and stay tuned!! The best is yet to come!!

~Wendy (BAM Jr.)

Cutting Fast Food

Good Morning.....

So one of my dear Sorority Sister's passed me this article this morning pertaining to fixing healthy food for your children..so I am going to share!!

The website the article was taken from is: www.raisingheartyboys.com

Raising hearty boys amidst our fast food culture is not as easy as a mom would hope. Our schedule often become monopolized with school programs, sports, church functions, and other extra-curricular activities. It’s just too easy to default to fast-food and other convenience foods. On top of all of that, the “nutrition advice” our government has purported that we learned from childhood has resulted in a nation of fat and sick people living a less than optimal life.

The rates of ADHD, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune diseases in children are rising. Your sons are more likely than ever to become afflicted with one of these problems while they are still a child. On top of that, it appears that the life expectancy rates are now declining. But there are things you can do to give your son an optimal start to life, lower his risk of disease, and help his body heal from any existing maladies.

What’s a Mom to Do?

Making family dietary changes can impact the health of your family more than just about anything. Don’t go out and do a total overhaul of your diet today, though.

Make one small, manageable change at a time. Stick with it. Baby steps.

If you try to do a complete overhaul, chances are you’ll get burned out and won’t stick with it. There are many people who look in on my life and wonder how we’ve moved from a diet with a decent share of convenience foods, pasta, and sugary treats to a nourishing nutrient-rich whole foods diet. It didn’t happen overnight.

Where Should I Start?

There are any number of places you can start. Start with with changes that are easy to implement. Stick with it for at least a month —make it a habit. Then, move on to the next change. Here are some ideas for small changes you can start with.

1. Find a source of farm-fresh eggs and begin using them on a regular basis. Your family won’t even miss the anemic eggs you’ve been purchasing from the store. Along with having a more robust flavor eggs from happy hens allowed access to pasture are more nutrient-dense. Your eggs purchased from a local farmer contain:

• twice as many omega-3 fatty acids
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
• 4-6 time more vitamin D

2. Increase consumption of healthy fats. Yes, increase fat consumption! It’s a myth that fat makes you fat. Fat is an excellent source of fuel. Fat nourishes the body as well as the mind. Be sure you are using natural, real fats.

When your sons don’t get enough fat it will rob their brains of the raw materials they need to function.Diets high in saturated fat have been found to be effective treatment for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and prevention of stroke.

3. Cut the sugar! I mean, really cut the sugar. Sugar is difficult to get away from, but extremely detrimental to your health.

You may even need to decrease or eliminate natural sugars from fruits for a time. Many kids (and adults) are addicted to sugar and it can be difficult to break the addiction while eating even natural sugars. You may want to begin cutting sugar back a bit at a time.

Stop buying cereal, pop tarts, and other sugary breakfast items. Replace these with eggs cooked in grass-fed butter or coconut oil, bacon, and sausage. This is great brain food and a fantastic way to start day.

When I began feeding my boys a high protein breakfast with plenty of fat they stayed full for much longer. They used to complain that they were hungry constantly and snack throughout the entire day (no wonder—their blood sugar levels were like a roller coaster). Now, my boys are satisfied with their meals and ask for snacks much less frequently.

After you tackle the sugary breakfast, work on cutting sugar throughout the rest of your boys’ day. If you are able to tackle the sugar issue, your boys will be much better for it!

Thank You

This has been a rough time for me but I just have to thank EVERYONE who has sent a prayer in regards to my mom has she battles lung cancer. I really appreciate the phone calls, texts, FB messages and just emails of prayers.

A new post will be done tomorrow...remember to stay focused and motivated.

I love you all ♥♥♥♥♥♥

Wendy