Fit Lizzio Fitness

woo!! It’s 1AM and I am still awake. What the hell?! So unlike me, but I just got done packing and everything so late, and I’m just SO excited for cali that I can’t sleep!!!!

Yes, I’m going there for work, but I only have 10.5 hours of work, and I will be there for 4 days 😀 THIS is why i love the fitness industry. I’m getting paid to go on vacation!!!! And the work I am doing is demoing fitness equipment. Getting paid to talk about my passion, I couldn’t ask for anything better 🙂

Not sure where I’m going with this, but I just have to talk about it. I am young, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the “professional world” in my few short years through it. I worked at  a real estate office, as a licensed commercial real estate agent for 3 years. I got my license about a week after I turned 18, and had already been interning with some of the agents. By the time I had my license, I was able to begin actually working on projects and knowing what I was doing.(Over achieve much?) I was so driven in the business sense, and I believed in my heart that i could prove to everyone that being young didn’t make a difference.(Of course this was pre-workout freak days, so I had to put all that passion into something, right?!) Well after jumping around from commercial leasing, to land sales, to commercial building sales, the company I worked for finally fell to some serious legal issues, and I knew it was time to get out. I thought about moving to other companies, but at this point, I had spent my first two years of college working 30 ish hours a week AND going to school. I was a little burnt out and had other opportunities to explore.

Enter project management. My dad was starting a business on the side of his main company, and needed someone to head up the launch. I thought this would be a great thing for me. My dad had faith in me, and we gave it a shot. I had so much fun with this. I got to organize the shoot for the infomercial, gather the data for the website, hire people for various jobs, and make sure that everything was running smoothly. I had just begun working out more seriously and it was great to be able to work on my own hours. I also got to work from home on my laptop, aside from a few meetings each week, and absolutely loved what I was doing. Due to some random issues, the company didn’t get to where it needed to be, and it eventually fell through. I also realized that working for my dad, directly, wasn’t exactly the right fit.(Working with family is not an easy thing to do.) As I started to get more and more into working out, I became more and more aware of what I wanted to do with my life. And after competing, I really knew that the corporate world was not for me. As much fun as I had, it was never my TRUE passion. After getting so involved in the fitness world, there is no doubt in my mind that this is where I’m supposed to be. The other thing I learned about myself is I like change. I like new things, and I don’t like doing the same thing over and over and over. I would prefer to have 5 part time jobs, than to have 1 full time job. It keeps me guessing and no day is ever the same.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, although if I decided to get back into commercial real estate, I could make a crap-load of money, it isn’t my true passion. I may only make enough to get by doing the various fitness related jobs that I take on, or maybe I will end up making a comfortable living out of it, I’m not quite sure yet. I do think that if you follow your heart and do what you LOVE, you can make ANYthing a successful business and your income will reflect the work you put in. If you know what you want out of something, you can make it happen. My dad always instilled in me that I could be successful and find a way to make money doing anything that I love, and maybe it has made me a little too optimistic, but I truly believe that. I’ve had people tell me I am way too optimistic about things, and that you just “can’t make that much money in this business.” Well, those people will always be sitting on the sidelines eeking out a living. If you believe you aren’t going to amount to much, well, you’re right. If you believe you can be successful in something that you are truly motivated to be successful in, I dare someone to try and stand in your way.

I plan on living my life doing the things I love, regardless of how much money I make. Of course having a comfortable income can relieve a lot of stress in many areas, but like I said, if you want to succeed in an industry, then you will.  People spend 40+ hours per week working. If you hate your job, you are losing out on a lot of happiness each week. If you aren’t happy at work, that is 40 or more hours a week of happiness that you are wasting. No amount of income can replace that.

Find what you love, and find out where you fit in. There are always options, and it’s never too late to change things. Save some of your money,  but spend it too. You won’t be able to go cliff jumping or surfing when you finally decide to spend your money on a nice vacation in the Bahamas at the age of 75(well, some 75 year olds can, but you catch my drift…). Live NOW. Don’t put off living!! If an opportunity presents itself, TAKE A RISK!! Those who take risks are the ones who get the biggest rewards. Step out of your comfort zone and take a chance on something great. You will regret the things that you DON’T do more often than the things that you DID do.

Live life now, and worry about the rest later. It is good to plan things out to an extent, but you have to remember that each minute that passes by is a minute you will never get back. Do what you want in life, and do it now. There will never be a “perfect time.” There will ALWAYS be a reason NOT to do something. That’s all 🙂

Oh yeah, my workout today!

Only did 20 minutes of cardio today because i was just not into hanging out on a machine.

My shoulder/ab workout was great though!!

Barbell press, hanging leg raises, db lateral raises, db front raises, russian twists, lying leg raise+hip up, lying rear delt pulls, plate presses, and inch-worms.

I swear, everytime I get in the gym and have a great lift, it inspires me again and again. I get so excited for my workouts. Every workout is a chance to do something I’ve never done before, and I get to experiment with my muscles. I probably sound like a crazy person(which i am) but I seriously just LOVE exercise and pushing myself beyond the limits. It’s a feeling that nobody else can achieve for you and that nobody can take away from you. Fitness is YOURS and can always be improved on. It is a never ending game and it rocks!!!

Okay I’m done now I promise. I’m going to bed 🙂

That’s what my body was begging for. I woke up on Saturday so completely exhausted. I hadn’t taken a day off from exercise since the previous Friday(besides yoga) and I could just tell my body needed some time off.

I took both yesterday(Saturday) and today (Sunday) completely off from exercise. I rarely take two days off in a row, but I tend to overtrain and I think this is a good thing for me. I’m itching to get a workout in, but I’ll put it off until tomorrow. I’m excited to kick my own ass tomorrow though 😀

I’m wrapping up week 15 and moving into week 14. Crazy how fast the time goes. I’m noticing small changes, but nothing drastic yet. I think it tends to happen that way, at least for me. If I stay doing well with my nutrition, I don’t really notice changes the first few weeks and then all of the sudden I start seeing them almost daily. Hopefully that time is coming soon 🙂

I feel like I have so much going on right now, but I’m pushing through. Trying to get as much rest as possible today so I can hit it hard this week!

Sorry for the disappearing act! Just wanted to make sure my magic skills were still up to par 😉

Workouts

Wednesday: Leg day!! My quad was kind of bugging me(nothing serious, just a little overuse) so I didn’t want to do any plyometrics and further the problem. I tried to focus mostly on hamstring-a-lings.

Stiff Legged Dead Lifts, Low Box Squats, 45* Hypers, Seated Ham Curls and possibly something else that is slipping my mind today?? I finished it off with 30 minutes on the stairway to hell stepmill.

Thursday: I boxed in the morning and Steve absolutely kicked our asses! I was shaking by the end.(Being on my 4th day low carb probably helped make it a little extra hard ;-)) Good stuff. Afterwards, as if my shoulders weren’t already fatigued enough, I did Shoulders/Abs. I am shocked that my abs aren’t sore today, because they were screaming at me. No literally, I had to tell them to just shut up.(wow. i just reached a whole new level of nerd.)

One arm Arnold Press/Hanging Leg Raise in Captain’s chair

Cable Crossovers/Decline Sit ups with 10lb plate

DB Lateral Raises/Lying leg raise to Hip up(these are what really got me)

DB Rear delt raise/ swiss ball crunch

Finished off with 30 minutes on the e-cliptical and called it a day.

I was so damn tired by this point, and it lasted ALL DAY LONG. I was not only tired but 4th day of low carbs and all I wanted was to just sleep, but I had to work. I did take a nap when I got home though from 6pm-8pm haha. Back in bed by 10pm and slept through the night.

Friday: Ahh today has been glorious 🙂 For one, I woke up feeling so refreshed! 2nd, I knew it was a CARB DAY  😀 😀 3rd, no work, nADA + pay day from all 3 jobs  and it was also a rest day. Well, at least it was supposed to be.

I woke up at 5:30am (too late for yoga :-() but knew that I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I just sat at home. So I headed to the gym. I decided on my way that I wanted to do a short and sweet conditioning workout. I did the same one I did last Sunday and it kicked my ass once again. I have been begging people at the gym to try it, but I have no takers so far…

5 min. 6.5mph 1% on the TM

15 HIGH box jumps(as in, as high as you can go for 15 without not being able to make it onto the box)

10(20 for dudes) jumping pullups to burpees.(make sure the pullup bar is high enough. it makes it much harder ;-))

sled push with 55lbs today

Repeat that 3 times.

This is definitely NOT a beginner workout, and is really tough. Unless you have done this type of training before, make sure you have someone supervise it so you don’t get injured. I don’t want to be responsible for a broken face from not making it onto the box 😉

That took me about 30ish minutes, and then I hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes to stretch out the leggies. My sister doesn’t work on Fridays and likes to go hiking, so I went with her cuz I’m a god damn good sister. 😀

Today’s food has been g-l-o-r-i-o-u-s

So far:

*1/2 cup oats, 1T Chia seeds, 1 scoop protein powder, 3 Egg whites , cinnamon

*1 scoop protein with water(post workout)

*4 oz. tilapia w/ 1 tsp coconut oil before the hike

*1 apple and 13 strawberries after the hike! 🙂 oh how i’ve missed fruit. i ate this while driving home because it had been about 3.5 hours since i’d eaten and i was STARVIN MARVIN

*1 whole sweet potato, 2 TBSP Almond butter and 6 egg whites. This. was. delicious. Pretty sure if i could have this for every meal, I would!

*Double protein shake!! 2 handfuls of ice, water, 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, 1/2tsp xanthan gum, 2tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 scoops of protein

I am totally full right now, but totally happy. I’ve got boot camp tomorrow and then maybe I will ACTUALLY rest on Sundays. Rest days are important, but I also need to get a sprint workout in this week(didn’t on Tuesday because of my quad issue). I may try to do just that Sunday morning, but we’ll see.

I leave for San Diego in 5 days!!! Can’t wait!! I will be working an expo for 2 of the days, but then I get to play the rest of the time 🙂 My schedule for march is totally crazyy! Next week alone I have:

Wednesday(possibly tuesday night): Leave for San Diego

Thursday & Friday: Work at health expo(demoing spin bikes. Pretty sure I will be spinned out after 13+ hours of spinning in two days!! Please god let us take breaks haha)

Saturday: Fly home and go straight to pre-judging of the NPC show here(tons of friends competing!!) and then my BEST friend’s older brother(who is like a brother to me) is getting married that night!!!

After that I only work 40 hours the next week and then it all starts over with more weddings, another event, fitness conference and bachelorette party. This month is going to FLYYYY by!!

Oh, and my birthday is next Wednesday! I keep forgetting because I have so much going on, so you may have to remind me 😉

Take care!

Well yesterday’s bad mood was replaced with an amazing mood today 🙂 Love it! Just goes to show, for every downside, there is an upside.

I’m currently at work right now at the gym. I was working out and my manager needed to leave, so I told him I’d work the rest of his shift. I got to finish lifting and do a half hour of cardio while working. Not too shabby 😉

This morning’s workout included 30 minutes of AM cardio before breakfast(elliptical) and then it was time for Chest and Triceps!

4 sets of each superset

Barbell Incline Press/Incline Pushups

DB Flat Bench Press/Wide Grip Pushups

Pec Dec/Bosu Pushups

Decline Pushups/Rope Pulldown

Skull Crushers/One Arm Overhead Extension/Bench Dips

I know I’ve said this a bagillion times, but pushups are my favorite thing to do on chest day. I just think it is such a great exercise for your entire body, and they always challenge me.

After that workout, I hit up the stepmill for a sweaty 30 minutes of speed intervals.

I figured I’d let you all in on some of my favorite things. These are things I swear by.

-Chia Seeds: You may already know about my obsession, but I like to call these little seeds of greatness Nature’s Redbull. They give me energy, they are the perfect ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids, and they just rock. I put them in oats, sometimes I let them soak in water and make a pudding with them using cinnamon and stevia, and sometimes I add them to shakes. These.things.rock.

Quinoa-OH yes. Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, but it is probably one of the best complex carbohydrates you can get. Quinoa has higher protein, fiber, and antioxidants than your typical brown rice, oats, etc. The flavor is kind of a nutty flavor, hard to describe, but it’s good! I also have gotten started on Quinoa flakes. These are ground down to little flakes(kind of looks like confetti lol) but I’ve used this in place of oatmeal in the mornings. It works for a sweet oatmeal, but is better as a savory “oatmeal.”

XTend: This is a powder form of your BCAA’s(Branched Chain Amino Acids.) Although there is artificial sweetener in this, it tastes great and is a good way to get your BCAA’s in. Powder form is usually a better choice than pill, and let’s face it, plain BCAA’s in powder form doesn’t taste very good. I like to mix 2 scoops of Xtend with 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder post workout. It takes on the taste of the Xtend and assures I’m getting my protein and BCAA’s right after my workout. There are tons of flavors but I like watermelon and lemon lime.(I pronounce BCAA’s like Bacaws!(think of a chicken haha. yes i am a weirdo, thanks for asking.))

Walnuts: You may have heard of these things?? 😉 Anyways, although I do love my beloved almonds, these are a nutritional superstar! Walnuts are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The texture of them is probably why I like them so much, and they are surprisingly filling for the amount you can eat at a time. They are higher in fat, and therefore much more calorie dense than almonds, but I think it’s worth it. Even loving them as much as I do, I don’t ever have a problem eating too many of them. They are very satisfying. I usually eat about 1/2 ounce at a time. It is seriously like 6 walnut halves, so not much, but oh well. 1/2 ounce is about 95 calories, so it is the perfect addition to a balanced meal.

Anyways, I have about a million other favorite things, but those are just the ones I have been going with lately. Coconut oil and avocados also top my list, but I’ll save those for a different day. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] or visit my website www.fitlizzio.com and you can contact me there as well!

 

Hola amigos.

Como esta? Okay, no more espanol. No seriously.

So I woke up today in a grumpy mood. For absolutely no reason. As I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical before breakfast at my little apartment gym, I tried to figure out what was pissing me off. Nope, nada.

I got done and headed back to my apartment and drank my protein shake. Still grumpy. I made my egg whites with spinach, mushroom, tomatos and onions. It was amaz-az-ing, and then headed to the gym.

I got in a great back/biceps workout today! My muskulls were completely failing by the end: SUCCESS.

Lat pulldowns/High cable rows

T bar rows/T rope

Straight arm pulldowns/low one arm cable rows

ez bar curls/rope hammer curl

4 sets of each superset.

I finished off the workout with 30 minutes on the stepmill. Twas shweaty.

I was STILL in a bad mood at this point, so I went outside in the perfect 75 degree, sunny weather and just hung out in the sun. I thought maybe some vit-D could shake the mood.. Nope!

At that point I just accepted that I was having one of those days and tried to look at the positive. It didn’t really change my mood, but I rolled with it anyways. I think I was just pretty tired from a just-okay night of sleep.

I worked through the afternoon and then came home and had a protein shake with green beanssss. I love me some green beans and they actually made my day a little better. Noted. 😉

I cooked and cleaned and replied to some e-mails, and then made another egg surprise: spinach, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, 1 egg, 5 whites. And of course Hot saunce! I am addicted 😀

I feel like I might be getting sick, but I am determined to not let myself get sick. It just IS NOT going to happen.(Maybe if i keep repeating that I won’t get sick?? I’m a weirdo and I actually believe in that kinda thing ;-))

Okay, off to bed to sleep this thing off!

Tomorrow’s agenda:

30 min. AM cardio

Chest/Triceps

30 minutes more cardio

worky work

Sprint workout

schooly school 😡

Lata!

So since it was raining like crazy here, I headed to the gym today. I wanted to do something different, so I put this little circuit together. It was HARD and I was a sweaty mess afterwards. I finished it off with 30 minutes of incline walking(10%, 3.5 mph – 15% 3.3.mph).

Edited to add: I also did some glute work. 3 sets each of Reverse hypers (30lbs), Quadruple Hip Extensions(30 lbs per leg), Band/Weighted Hip Thrusts(red band + 20 lbs)

This workout is a great conditioning/athletic workout:

-10 minute jog on the treadmill: 6.5mph 1% incline

-15 High Box Jumps(the height will vary from person to person, but i used about a 3 foot box…use whatever you are comfortable with, but make it hard enough that you really have to use a lot of force to jump on top. If you fall and break your skull, don’t blame me :))

-15 Pull ups to burpees(jump to pull up, and do a slow negative down, then perform a burpee. I was asked what a burpee is, and it is hard to explain, so here is a video to show you what the exercise looks like with the pull up) Maybe someday I can be hardcore and do 100 of them. I see a goal in the future 🙂

-50 pound sled drive up and back(i don’t know the distance that i do, but i would assume it’s 20-25 yds each way??)

-5 minute jog at 6.5mph 1% incline

 repeat the circuit 3 times. If you’re not sweating, you are in ridiculously good shape and need to start training on top of mount everest 😀

It was very good, and my legs were starting to give out on the last set of the high box jumps.

I will be doing this more often, you can be sure 🙂

Week 16 went great. I depleted for 6 days (carbs were 50-75g, calories were roughly 1600 per day.) I did this to kick start my 16 week journey. From here on out I’ll probably only do 2-3 low carb days at a time, followed by a high carb day.

Bring on Week 15!! To kick it off, I got my carbs today!

So far I’ve had:

Protein Shake + Fruit bowl(blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, grapes)

1/2 sweet potato + 6  egg whites

Celery+Mustard

2 small Ezekiel tortillas topped with Justin’s Almond Butter(2 TBSP), 2 TBSP Sugar free jelly, and 1 medium banana.

I’m insanely full and I need to let this food digest so I can go get a workout in at the gym. The weather here is rainy, so I’m going to get a HIIT on the treadmill and do some plyo work. Not sure exactly what yet, but I’ll let ya know 😉

After my workout, I’m planning on the other half of my sweet potato and more egg whites.

It’s funny, all i’ve really wanted today are veggies, but I know I’ll regret not eating the carbs if I wait any longer.

Week 16

Week 15 begins today! This prep is going to fly by!

I am insanely tired today, so sorry if this makes no sense!

First thank you Betty for this award 

and Jenny for for this blogger award!!

Thank you ladies!! 🙂

Today has been a rest day and such a good one. I woke up this morning and went to yoga. Good session, it really cleared my head(well..kinda..) and then I headed to the grocery store for a few things.(I was the only person shopping at 7am lol)

After I ate, I laid in bed to take a nap and had some whack-ass dreams. I could not for the life of me, pry myself out of bed. I tried 4 different times but I just wanted to sleep foreverrrrrrrr! Finally at 10am, I had to get up and shower and eat before heading to work at my newest job(supplement store.) I was still exhausted the whole time I was there, but luckily I know about the supplements so he just showed me around the store. It is a really cool, laid back place. I dig.

What cracks me up is the things that people say when they come in to buy supplements. These are just a few things I heard today(the 3 hours I was there…)

– “Hey, what kind of pill do you have that will get me in like, really good shape?”

-“I wanna get cut, do you have anything for that?”

Food for thought: A pill isn’t going to do the work for you 😉

I have perfected my protein shakes!

Best Damn Protein Shake

-Ice (i fill my magic bullet about 1/3 of the way up)

-water (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

-Liquid egg whites (1/4 cup)

-Xanthan gum (1/4 tsp)

-Unsweetened cocoa powder(1/2-1 tsp)

-1 scoop Dymatize Elite Whey-Vanilla

-1 packet stevia

Blend and devour. 🙂

So I just realized I didn’t write a post today. It’s been a long day, and I was hoping to get to bed early tonight.

I woke up early today and hit the gym for Shoulders and Abs:

-DB Military Press/ Hanging Leg Raise

-Leaning Lateral Raise/Lying Leg Raise

-DB Lateral Raise/DB Front Raise/ Decline Sit Ups

-Cable Crossovers

I finished that up in 45 minutes, and then it was time to box with J-Dizzle! He kicked my ass yet again today, and I felt like I was going to puke by the end. Great success.

Afterwards I did 30 minutes of light cardio to shake my legs out. I am sore from head to toe from this weeks workouts, and tomorrow’s yoga/rest day is much needed.

Since I am doing boot camp on Saturday and a track workout on Sunday, I am taking tomorrow off. I am going to hit up yoga(as long as I wake up without being too tired) and then just relax. I start work at another job tomorrow(in addition to the gym) at a supplement store a.k.a. heaven 😀 I am assuming all the money I make there will go towards vitamins and supplements because they are my weakness, but oh well!

I’ve been low-carbing it for the last few days, and can’t wait until Sunday to have a good carb day! It hasn’t been too bad, but I’ve been getting really tired in the late afternoon/early evening. I just keep picturing myself on stage though and it gets me through it!

Week 16 is almost done, and week 15 will be starting. This time is going to fly by I can already tell! I’m so excited, words can’t even describe!

This weekend I’m working, doing boot camp, my track workout, and then Sunday afternoon hopefully playing some v-ball with the guys! It’s been a long time, but we’re finally all able to play again with our schedules. Spring is my favorite because it means that volleyball starts, and then before I know it LAKE TIME :):) Word on the street is first week of April is when we will start our lake season. That’s still over a month away, but it will go by quickly.

March is going to be madness. I will be in San Diego demoing Keiser Spin bikes at a health expo, two weddings to go to, and Fight Night mixed in. I also have a fitness model conference to attend at the end of the month. I’m pretty sure if I blink fast enough, March will be over. Oh yeah, and my birthday is on March 10th!! I will finally be 16 and can get my driver’s license! 22 and nothing cool will happen haha.

Okay, I’m going to try to go back to sleep, round 3. Wish me luck!