Archive for October 30, 2014

Day 9: No Sugar Challenge Update {w/ Progress Pictures!} + Funny Dog Costumes

Hey guys!

Happy *almost* Halloween!! I’m probably not dressing up this year (I haven’t in a few years), but I always love seeing all of the funny costumes people come up with (especially for their dogs and babies)! These are some of my favorites:

Dogs-Carrying-Box Top-Paw-Basketball-Player-Costume-for-VznIvT-DogsS2 Khloe-Kardashian-Dog-Costumes 100-silliest-pet-halloween-costumes-large-msg-134764278367 animalhlwn1Haha!!!! There are SO many more…but I’ll stop there.

Workouts: Week of Oct. 27th

Monday: Sprints + 20 min. HIIT on Stairmill + Legs

Tuesday: Shoulders + Abs

Wednesday: Chest/Triceps + Sprints

Thursday: Boxing (or possibly a rest day)

Friday: Sprints + Legs

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Hike?

As you can see, I’ve recently started doing sprints at the track a few days a week! I started doing it to support my friend who’s competing, but I’ve been loving it and plan to keep it up. We keep it short and sweet while we’re there. We sprint the italia-meds (100 yds) and walk the curves. We have been doing about 3 laps each time, which equates to 6 sprints.

No Added Sugar Challenge Update

Today is officially Day 10! We’re 1/3 of the way there! Here’s how it’s going:

Feel: I feel good. I’m a bit more tired lately, but I think that has more to do with my workouts than with the challenge. I definitely feel more clear-headed.

Cravings: At first, the cravings for diet soda were really strong in the evenings, which is when I would usually drink it. I think it had more to do with the habit than anything else. That has gone away for the most part and I don’t really miss diet soda. I’ve definitely been wanting “something” lately and can’t pinpoint what it is. I guess just being able to have a bite of something sweet or having Maple Almond Butter instead of plain is something I didn’t realize I would miss, but totally do! Overall, I’m handling it fine. I’m eating better than I have in a long time, and fruit is tiding me over when I’m craving something extra.

Body: I’m wayyyy less bloated and less hungry. I didn’t realize how much fake sugars were affecting me, but as I said in my last update, the extremes of hunger and fullness aren’t as extreme. Sure, I get super hungry, but it’s different. I also don’t get as full because I think my body is better able to tell when I’m truly full as opposed to just craving more.

Progress: (I’m taking photos as I go through this challenge to see what happens. I’m not changing my diet at all aside from cutting out added sugar and fake sugars, so I wanted to see what effect that would have on me.)

I can definitely see the changes between Day 1 and Day 9. I’m excited to see what I look like on Day 30!

day1 day9Well, that’s all I’ve got for now! I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! Eat some candy for me please!!!!!! :'(

Questions of the Day:

1. Do you incorporate sprints into your workouts?

2. Do you take in fake sugars? If so, in what form?

 

 

What I’m Loving Lately: Part I

1. This Leg Workout I did last night. Maybe love is the wrong word. Hate is probably more accurate, but I have a love/hate relationship with most of my workouts. 🙂

Supersets (3 sets of each)

-Sumo Deadlifts & DB Curtsy Lunges

-Reverse Lunges & Single Leg Hip Thrusts (a.k.a the death of me)

-KB Goblet Squats & DB Step Ups

2. Sweet Tango Apples

apple

3. This post by my awesome friend Gretchen. Fuck Smiling!

4. Sweater weather!! Finally getting to wear hoodies here and there. 🙂

5. Hanging with this pooch while I work

rufus2

6. Watching re-runs of The Office

7. These little Justin’s Almond Butter packets!!!

almondutter8. Iron Boxing Classes (can you spot me?!)

boxing

What are YOU loving lately?

Link up in the comments!

My Weekend + Monday Thoughts {not sugar-coated}

Hey guys!

Anyone else feel like the weekend just slipped right past them? I remember it being Friday and then all the sudden I was waking up to an alarm on Monday.

Friday night Charlie and I took a boxing class at Iron Boxing. Once again, it was a TOUGH class and I was sweating actual 12 mm bullets by the end. (Ok, so maybe I’m over exaggerating. They were more like 9mm. Also, I know nothing about guns, so 12mm might not even make any sense and that’s a-ok with me! :-))

armsMy arms are also looking extra awesome lately. I think boxing is a HUGE part of that. Anytime I’ve done boxing for an extended period of time, my arms start to shape up pretty well. They’re still a work-in-progress, but I’m happy with the changes I’m seeing!

After boxing, we decided to go get massages (genius idea, by the way) and relax for the rest of the night. The massage hurt so good. He definitely got some of my knots out, but I still feel like there are about 4,000 more. Guess I should get another one. 🙂 We spent the rest of the night watching reruns of The Office. Michael Scott for President.

michaelscottSunday, we headed over to a bar to watch the Chief’s win! Go Chiefs! After the antihistamine-meds, we did a back/biceps workout at the gym and I filmed some workout videos for Charlie’s mom.

plankI spent the rest of the day working on my new e-book that’s coming out in a few weeks! It’s completely FREE to download. It is the first of several “Missions” I’ll be releasing. This first is Mission #1: 10 Day Sexy Slimdown. A 10 day plan designed specifically to jump start your body into losing fat & inches + working out! It includes 10 days of workouts, a full 10 day meal plan, a complete shopping list, and a full exercise demonstration guide. I’m so excited to release this to you all!

sexyslimdownRandom Thoughts for your Monday            {not sugar-coated}

I say not sugar-coated because I haven’t had any added sugar in 6 days! Today is Day 7 and I wanted to give you my thoughts so far. It’s only been a week, but the changes are fo’ real.

1. I don’t feel so bloated and full. I think Splenda & Aspartame were the real culprit here. As I mentioned, I used to have 2 Splendas in my coffee (and about 2 coffees per day) + 1-2 diet soda cans with dinner. Since giving that up, I don’t feel like I get so full and my stomach feels better overall.

2. My head seems clearer. Again, I think the fake sugars were the problem. I feel much more level-headed.

3. I don’t feel the extremes of fullness and hunger as much. This sort of ties in with #1, but I feel like in addition to not feeling super full, I never feel super hungry either. Sure, if I don’t eat all day like I accidentally did last Thursday, I get HANGRY, but I don’t feel like I get so “starving” in between meals like I used to.

4. I’m drinking way more water. I drink it all day long and all evening long. The only other beverage I’ve been drinking is coffee (sans-fake sugar) and Kombucha (it has pure lemon & raspberry juice, but no added sugar).

5. I feel determined. This could just be because I’m in a good place with my workouts and nutrition, and therefore feel more determined, but I do think that giving up some of the toxins in my life has helped me to be more motivated.

So that’s how I’m feeling so far! Things are getting easier as the days go on. Saturday was tough because I did really want something with sugar in it (besides fruit), but I persevered and it went away. (Imagine that.)

I will keep updating you guys on the No Added Sugar Challenge that Charlie and I are doing. I’m so excited to see what 30 days of this does, seeing as just 6 has already been eye-opening. I’ll have Charlie check in with a post this week as well so you guys can see what changes he is noticing.

Take care guys!

Questions of the Day

1. Have you ever given up added sugar?

2. Do you use fake sugars on the regular? If so, how often?

No Sugar Challenge Update + Leg Workout!

Holy mackerel. That’s about all I can say about yesterday!

Yesterday was one of those days that I call an Unintentional Fast. Basically I was completely unprepared for the busy-ness of the day, that I didn’t eat anything for most of the day. For the record, I am NOT pleasant to be around when I haven’t eaten!

The day started innocently enough. I knew I had a bunch of things to do, but thought for sure I’d have time in between to get some eggs or something at my favorite coffee shop. Umm, no. I grabbed a coffee and a banana at around 8am and that was the last thing I ate until about 3:30pm. Can I tell you what happened in between those hours? NO. Because it was mostly a blur. I remember packaging things up, getting signatures for a boatload of documents, and hitting up a FedEx store to ship off said documents, but I’m not sure what else happened.

Lesson of the Day: FEED LIZZY.

hangry_grande

(This shirt seems appropriate)

Wednesday Glute/Ham Workout

Charlie met me at the gym on Wednesday and did a leg workout with me. We focused a lot on glutes and hamstrings in this workout. I list my weights for reference, but you know your body and strength, so choose the appropriate weights for YOU.

3 Supersets: Barbell Squats (95×12, 115×10, 11510) & DB Reverse Lunges (3 sets using 20’s x 12 per leg)

3 Supersets: Leg Extensions (drop sets: 10 reps @ 70, drop weight to 50, do 10 more reps) & Supinated  Hamstring Curls (50 x 15)

3 Sets: Thick Banded Hip Thrusts (used thick green band)

3 Sets: 45 Degree Hypers w/ 25lb plate

As always, check with a doctor before starting a new exercise program. You know yourself better than anybody, so always remember to honor your body.

Update on No Sugar for 30 Days

So Charlie and I are officially on Day 5 of 30. So far, it’s going well. I definitely miss diet soda, but it’s getting easier each day and I’m drinking way more water (score!). I also haven’t been just grabbing a protein bar on the go as a sad excuse for a meal (see above), so I’ve had to definitely plan a bit more. It’s definitely for the better, as I’m eating much more REAL food. I ate really well before with the occasional treats, but now I’m eating REALLY, REALLY freaking well. I definitely feel better overall.

How I Feel: I woke up Day 2 with a headache that reminded me of a caffeine headache. I attribute it to the fact that I hadn’t had any artificial sweeteners. Seriously, that’s crazy. I didn’t realize that my body had built up such an addiction to it, but I guess two coffees (with 2 splendas each) and 1-2 diet sodas per day will do that.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping, but I’ve been EXHAUSTED this week. That could partially be from a busy work schedule and a jam-packed weekend, but I also think there could be some withdrawals happening for me with the artificial sweeteners. As I said, I didn’t realize how much this was affecting me, but it’s becoming clear that maybe it has. I’m definitely feeling better on Day 5 than I was on Day 2!

Workouts: I’ve been kicking ass. I haven’t noticed a difference here, other than I feel more determined.

Progress: Not a huge difference here, but I feel like my stomach seems flatter. I definitely feel less bloated.

photo(18)

Wanting vs. Doing

Hey guys!

I can’t believe it’s already mid-week. Fuh-lyingggg by. I also thought it was Monday all day yesterday, so when I woke up and realized it was Wednesday, I just MAY have done a little happy dance.

excited-dog

I took a TOUGH boxing class last night at Iron Boxing Santa Monica and as I was leaving class, I started thinking about how many times I’ve wanted to skip boxing class and just go home and relax.

I know everyone thinks I’m the Energizer bunny and just want to workout all day long, but that’s far from the truth. Do I love working out? HELL YES. But that doesn’t mean I always want to do it. And I’d say that half the time (if not more!), I really would rather just go home and kick my feet up. If you asked the boxing instructors how often I walked into class feeling tired and like I’d rather be anywhere but there, they would start laughing. It happens like 75% of the time!! But I always get my butt to class. And I always stay.

metediboxThis got me thinking about Wanting vs. Doing. You don’t have to WANT to do what you’re doing, you just have to do it. That goes for so many things in life, but especially when it comes to working out. You KNOW you’re going to feel good when you’re done, and you KNOW it’s good for you. If you’re sitting around waiting for the motivation to hit, you’re wasting time. You don’t have to be motivated, you don’t have to “want” to do it, you just have to DO IT.

Some days will be easier than others. Some days you’ll be skipping into the gym (or am I the only one that still skips???), and some days you will flat out look like you want to just curl into a ball on the floor and suck your thumb. I’m not joking…I get that way…A LOT.

Yes, I love working out and YES, I love the way it makes me feel (for OH so many reasons). There is nothing quite like feeling strong, confident, and empowered. For me, the weight room makes me feel all of those things. I like to see new veins. I like to see my muscles pumped up. I like to push big weights around. THAT is what I think about when I just want to turn around and go home. I think about the results. I think about how I’ll feel afterwards. And I JUST FREAKING DO IT.

pull up picSide note: Of course, sometimes it is better to go home. Like if you’ve worked out 6 days in a row and your body feels like jello, GO HOME. But you know your body and you know the difference. If it’s just your mind not wanting to be there? Stop being a baby and just do it.

No Sugar for 30 Days + Weekly Workouts

Woah! 2 posts in one day!

Don’t get used to it. 😀 ….At least not now. Maybe someday!

I’m working away and getting ready for boxing tonight. I can’t wait! There’s nothing quite like the crack of hitting the mitts. Until then….

No Sugar for 30 Days

So Charlie read an article over the weekend about a family that stopped eating anything with added sugar for a year. They had amazing results in how they felt and Charlie said it was something he was interested in trying. When my man wants to do something healthy, I always jump on board. (I’m usually the one dragging him into this kind of thing!)

We decided that we want to test this out, so for the next 30 days, we’re going to completely give up any added sugar or fake sugar. This means natural sugar (like fruit) is okay, but any type of added sugar (sugar, corn syrup, Splenda, Sugar alcohols, etc.) is a no-go. Stevia IS allowed, but in moderation. I.e. I had a stevia in my coffee this morning, but not in my oatmeal (like I usually do). This also means I have to give up my beloved diet soda. I know, I know, that shit is terrible for you anyways, but I’m going to miss it!

So far, the first day went well. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this affects me mentally, physically, etc. I’m going to take some  pictures along the way to see if/how my body changes as well. I’ll be checking in here from time to time as well so you can see what I’ve noticed. We’ll finish up the challenge just in time for Thanksgiving so that we can fully enjoy desserts (cuz….I’m not givin’ that up!).

Anyone else feel like joining us in no sugar for 30 days? (leave a comment…we can support eachother!)

Workouts Week of Oct. 20th

Monday: 20 min. Stairmill + Shoulders/Chest

Photo on 10-20-14 at 6.40 PM #4(my shoulder pump was out of control last night!)

Tuesday: Boxing

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Boxing + Back/Biceps

Friday: 20 min. Stairmill + Shoulders/Abs

Saturday: Full Body

Sunday: REST

Questions for the Day

Have you ever given up sugar? How did it make you feel?

Santa Monica Wellness Festival & SKYDIVING {VIDEO}

Good morning!

Hope your Tuesday is off to a good start. You guys saw a glimpse into my weekend….I think I’m still recovering!

It was such a blast surprising Charlie with his family coming to town. He had NO idea they were coming and I came up with a secret plan to get him to stay home from work that day. We had a ton of fun this weekend (if you missed it, you can see our photos here), and getting back into work-mode was tough!

20141019-201059-72659861.jpgSanta Monica Wellness Festival

In the midst of family fun, I was part of the workout demo crew for two different trainers competing in the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce ‘Got Trainer?’ competition this past Saturday! It took place at the Santa Monica Wellness Festival that had a TON of vendors offering all kinds of fitness/health related items & information. I walked around for a bit and even ended up doing a bunch of pushups because I lost a challenge at one of the booths.

At around 1:30pm, it came time for the Trainer Challenge. There were 8 personal trainers competing in the challenge, and I was part of the demo for 2 of them. The segments were 5 minutes each, and of course, the two trainers I was working with went back-to-back. I basically did plyometrics, boxing, and other various exercises for 10 minutes straight. Thank goodness for adrenaline!! We didn’t win, but was SO much fun…I think I belong on a stage…working out. Is there a job like that? If not, I might have to make one…

The Iron Fitness crew.

The Iron Fitness crew.

iFly Indoor Skydiving

Speaking of jobs, unbeknownst to me, Universal City Walk has had an iFly Indoor Skydiving facility that nobody bothered to tell me about. (how rude! you’ll see why this relates to jobs later..)

Charlie’s sister got tickets to go try it, and I decided I needed to do it with them. The verdict? SOOOOO MUCHHHHHH FUNNNNN!!!!!!!

20141019-201013-72613962.jpgHere’s video of my experience…..the ending might be the funniest thing you watch today.

HAHA! Walking through that was SO HARD for me. Once I started laughing at myself, I couldn’t stop and moving was out of the question. Clearly.

Apparently when you get a job with them, you “have” to learn how to do a bunch of tricks and do a certain # of training hours. I’m thinking a career change is in order. I can sky dive for a job?!?!

This was my first time doing any form of skydiving, and I’m definitely looking into doing the real thing now. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area (or anywhere else that offers this).

Anyways, it’s back to work for me. Later today, I’ll have a post up about the 30 day No Sugar Added Challenge I’m doing….details coming soon!

Question of the Day

Have you ever gone indoor OR real skydiving? Do you love it?!

Stressful, Crazy Week!

Happy Friday peeps!

This week flew by! I’ll be honest, I was pretty exhausted and grumpy this week. I think it’s a mixture of overtraining, lack of sleep, and some work stress. It’s all good though, overall things aren’t too shabby. Sometimes, I just need to step back a little bit and that’s exactly what I did this week!

Thursday morning I was especially tired. I didn’t sleep well the night before and even my morning coffee didn’t do it for me! I got some work done and then headed home around 12:30pm to eat lunch and just collect myself a bit. This is my “I’m tired and I don’t want to work out face”.

dontwanaworkoutI headed to the gym at around 1:45 to do a leg workout. I did something a little different than usual, and it was fun to change it up.

4 Sets of the following:

-Sumo Deadlift + DB Curtsy Lunge

-Leg Extensions + Supinated Hamstring Curls

-Banded Hip Thrusts

-45* Hypers w/ 25lb Plate

When I finished my workout, I finally tried the new protein powder I told you guys about. The verdict? IT’S AMAZING. If a protein powder is good just mixed with water, IT’S GOOD. Most protein powders that I like and are even good for baking, etc. don’t taste so great on their own. I am completely sold on this stuff. MINIMAL ingredients, sweetened with stevia, and tastes good. Two thumbs up in my book! You can find their products here. (This is not a sponsored post, I just really love the product!)

slapAfterwards, I had a few meetings and also needed to rehearse for a competition I’m demoing on Saturday. The competition is to find Santa Monica’s Best Trainer and two of our personal trainers (Courage & Torri) have been nominated. I just get to be one of the workout dummies for them to train.

10428061_10152329134527540_1196942313145258660_nHere are some of the exercises I’m doing with Torri:

exercisesLOL Don’t worry…I’m not doing this topless. We just have a funny little intro planned and that’s my way of reminding me what to do. 🙂

After rehearsing, and getting a bunch of work done, I headed to a boxing class! Quite the fitness day for me! I better sleep well tonight! I went with my friend Tedi, who’s one of my favorite people to laugh with. We have fun.

metedibox2 metedibox

That’s all I’ve got folks! This weekend is looking to be quite an adventure! I’m sure I’ll be exhausted, but HEY, I’ll sleep when I die. 😀

Question of the Day:

1. What’s your favorite brand of protein powder?

2. What are some things you do to combat stressful & tiresome days/weeks?

 

Day in the Life…

I always love Day in the Life posts, so I thought it’d be fun to do one myself! Here goes….

Tuesday, October 14th

7:15am: Charlie’s alarm goes off….I open my eyes and promptly close them again.

7:30am: OK, OK, Time to gay-sauna-nice get up.

7:45am: Brush teeth, throw on clothes and stagger out the door to get some coffee w/ CW

coffee

8:00am : I go back home and open up my laptop. Check e-mails and consult with my to-do list. Post this Fit Lizzio Movement of the Day video on Instagram

http://instagram.com/p/ulzin5qhgg/

8:15am: Start writing a blog post for work….not sure what to write about…..come up with a topic and just start typing. Words are flowing today!

8:30am: Send off blog post to get proofed

8:45am: Eat an apple and get on a phone call w/ a co-worker to talk about a project

9am: Google Hangout Meeting with the boss man…we have a bad connection and it’s super duper annoying

9:15am: Eat a Fage 2% Strawberry Greek Yogurt and a Peach

fage peaches

9:20am: My brother calls me and we catch up…he updates me on my mom and we laugh about our crazy, awesome dentist

9:25am: Write a reminder that I need to go to the dentist

9:30am: See a sale on flights, start perusing flights and dates to go see family for either Thanksgiving or some other reason…

9:35am: Do 10 Squat Jumps for no reason at all other than I’m trying to decide if I want to work out before I tackle my work day

9:45am: Clearly I wasn’t ready. I start checking/responding to e-mails and doing social media work.

10:15am: OK, I’m ready to move. Even though I haven’t run in over 6 months, I decide to go for a run…and simultaneously question who I am today

runtime

10:50am: Finished with run, come back inside and take a shower.

11:15am: Grab a 2nd coffee and head to a meeting

12pm: Stop at FedEx to ask printing questions for a job that needs to be done as soon as the file is received

12:15pm: Walk around Santa Monica with a co-worker while we wait for said file to be sent. It’s a gorgeous day!

smbeach

12:45pm: File still hasn’t arrived, so I stop into Simply Salad and get a make-your-own salad. It has Romaine Lettuce, celery, cucumbers, red bell peppers, tomatoes, granny smith apples, feta cheese, double chicken, and balsamic vinegar on the side. I don’t get to eat it right away, so I take it to go.

monstersalad1

1:30pm: Back at FedEx; Wait for document to print (it’s a big job)

2:30pm: Meet w/ co-workers to go over document and have one final look before sending off

3:30pm: Head to the gym to sign some documents, catch up with co-workers there, and do a bunch of admin stuff. I eat a Justin’s Honey Peanut Butter pouch because I’m STARVING

justinspb

4pm: Head home and tackle more e-mails + edit another document for work

4:15pm: Finally eat my salad!!!

monstersalad2

4:30pm: I’m totally full. That was a monstrous salad. I read blogs, peruse Facebook, text & catch up with CW

4:45pm: Sit down to write this blog post

I plan on heading to boxing at 6:45 tonight, doing a bit more work, and then going to SLEEP. It was nice to have a lighter day today…it doesn’t happen very often!

Hope you enjoyed my day in the life post! It was fun to document my day like that. I’ll have to do it more often. 🙂

Question of the Day: 

1. Are you a runner or a weights person?

I’m most definitely a weights person, but a good run definitely has some mind-clearing capabilities that cannot be matched with anything else!

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