I think I can, I think I can....

---

Happy Tuesday everyone! I guess I’ve been missing some blogger days here, my apologies. This weekend was full of fitness adventures! Saturday we took to the trails out here in the Coachella Valley with a group of fitness friends from the gym. Taking to the dirt we started our adventure in chilly 32 degree weather!! The beginning of the run was rough for me, inhaling the icy air; I pushed through the first incline. As we get closer to the top and out of the valleys I began to feel a lot better. Run like that is always a fun challenge. You find out where your body can go & how your mind can easily propel a weak one forward. I’m not sure the mileage on the course but I’ve been told it was 2 miles up. After our 4 mile jog we went to refuel at CoCo's. After inhaling my shrimp egg white omelet with nut grain dry pancakes we headed off to take a nap. Recharging, refueling & reflecting on the workout of the morning. It was a great Saturday. This week I challenge everyone reading this blog to try something new. Try a new trail, workout class, cardio, healthy recipe... SOMETHING. Then post your adventures here. Pictures are welcomed & encouraged. Let’s see who gets to try the craziest thing this week. I have a seminar coming up January 17th in Rancho Mirage! Stay tuned & I will post the details soon. Im excited to share some yumminess on the health front with you all.

Christmas time is here, I mean WAS here & now its almost the NEW YEAR!

Such an exciting time for everyone. The closing of a full year. The ups, downs and maybe even standstills you experienced are all in the past. What did you take from them? What did YOU learn in 2012. Its so cliche to do a New Years Resolution. Why? Why is it that everyone sees a calendar turn & gets so motivated to do something different? Hate it all you want but its a perfect time, TODAY is a perfect time to change. Leave an old habit behind, create a new one & continue improving ones already implimented.

So you go to the gym, GREAT, what about setting a new personal best? Maybe in the last few months you havent changed anything in your workout, CHANGE SOMETHING. Try a new class you used to laugh at or were to intimidated to try out. Get into some Yoga pants & bend yourself into a pretzel, try that MMA class you see at your local gym, shoot, Try CROSS fit if you feel the urge. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone & make a commitment.

Commit to changing your life for the better. My husband and I have been talking a lot lately about change. We need a change, for the better of course. WE decided to make a year long commitment to ourselves and our little Ellie to not consume alcohol in the year of 2013! We are excited to go on this venture.

A former boss of mine always had us write down our goals for the next quarter & year. It had to be so specific it got broken down TO THE DAY. What will you do on a daily basis to reach your goals. making shorter term goals not only helps keep you focused but keeps you on track to the larger goals you set for yourself.

Get out a pen & paper.

Set your mind to achieve

and get started. :) Happy Commitment SETTING ! :)

4:45am....

I woke up to my iphone alarm going off & my husband nudging  me, " Babe, are you going to go to class?"  I mumbled a "no" in response & pulled the comfotor over my face. Next thing I know, HE's out of the bed and in the bathroom getting ready. Oh no way, hes going to go, he went yesterday, todays my turn! As the conversation continued in my head, along with some reasons why I should/shouldnt go, I sprang up & went into the bathroom to grab my workout clothes.

Im very competitive, can you tell! haha... I wasnt about to let him get 3 great workouts in a row without me working out ONCE! No sireee.

I got to the gym 15 min after 5am. for some reason the clock in that gym is fast. I had already missed the running warm up but I had made it just in time for the meaty part of the workout.

50 burpess then the 20 min circut began:
5 pulls-up
10 push ups chest to the floor
15 20 in box jumps

you do this for 20 min straight & see how many sets you can complete. I got 13 in, try it tonight and post on the comments section your totals! Its kinda fun.

we then finished with 500 abs. It was an amazing way to start my day.

how do you start your day? does it start with a workout, or do you start with morning meditation? Your morning can set the pace for the entire day. Have you ever been running late and some how you end up having THE worst day ever?

I encourage you to start your morning off right tomorrow. Even if its 15 min of stretching, just get something in. I promise you will find yourself adding more and more each day. You actually burn more calories in a day if you start your day with a workout! So wake up an hour early, get yourself to the gym & get your heart moving!!

Bad Habits

Bad Habits! Everyone has one, or three. Its something that makes us all human, but it can also hold you back. I think the best thing to do about bad habits to to acknowlege they are there. No ONE is perfect, I've met a lot of fitness icons in my life & let me tell you they all have things that they do that would be considered a bad "fitness" habit.

This weekend I was noticing my bad fitness habit. I had the chance to workout, I had the time, but I choose to let my excuses win. Its usually not something where I just say, " You know Im just not in the mood." no, It goes from " Well we have to take Ellie in, or who will watch her, or I just ate some food let me let it settle & then when Im asked an hour later I say that Im tired, sore or I have another activity." Either way you get the idea. It really made me think this weekend. I put my class ahead of my own workout. My orginal plan was to get to the gym early & workout prior to teaching the class. THe daycare opens at 8am, so I would of had ample time to get in an intense workout. Instead we mosied around the house, talked to my sister in laws, made our EMERGE drinks & sat around. I got a workout in, but it was AFTER the class & it was not the level of workout I was looking for.

On Sunday, my husband wanted to do a workout with me that did not involve going into the gym, it was quick & do able but I decided to watch him instead. Why do we do that to ourselves? Tony Robins says its because our decisions are based on moving away from pain. I can agree with that. I saw something that might cause me some pain, make me sweat & my mind was set on relax.

Either way, workouts do not have to consist of 1.5 hours inside of a gym with slow moving weight training & slow moving cardio. THATS RIDICULOUS. If you dont feel like going to the gym, DONT! I know that sounds crazy, youre thinking but Brianne you are supposed to motivate me to achieve my goals & live healthier..... I Am, I want you to not feel inslaved by the concept of the gym. It can get overwhelming, trust me, I know first hand. Especially if you have kids. Youre workout window shortens, you have to incovience more people & theres more steps. I encourage you to stop stressing about your workouts and start ENJOYING THEM.

If the gym is the last thought on your mind, get outisde. If its too cold outside, throw on some music at your house & dance around for 30 min. Get your heart rate up, get your blood & body moving, DO SOMETHING,ANYTHING. Workouts are there to boost your mood, release endorphins and make your life easier and better. Please start benefiting from your workouts and stop the ball & chain gym drag. Its so 1990! Grab some resistance bands, medicine ball & yoga mat from your local store for those "ball & chain" days. Trust me, you will have them, we all do! Theres nothing wrong with them, its just time to counter them with a nother result producing idea.

Im making a promise to myself today December 17, 2012 that I will no longer give in to my excuses. I will produce results no matter the size or depth of them. I will grab some resistance bands, weights, medicine ball or even a CD & dance around my house with my child. But from here on out, I REFUSE to let myself get weak at the thought of the gym.

What bad habit do you have thats hindering you from getting in a workout? Or loosing those last 20lbs. Is it always "someone else's fault" or are you "too tired" to workout. Leave those behind! They are only causing you delay. Get off of the excuses treadmill & lets go for a jog in the outdoors.

Todays workout of the day: 100meter sprints followed by 10 burpees for 10 min straight.. ALL about speed so step it up a notch...

If after reading this blog you feel that you need more help with staying focus, contact me & I will help you start your fitness journey today. Everyone is good enough to have lean abs & nice glutes. Stop leaving the real you behind, bring him or her out. NOw is a better time if ever.

:)

Christmas is coming! Hide the scales!!

The holidays are here. They've officially been here since Thanksgiving in November, or going back further, HALLOWEEN. All that candy, over calories side dishes & the drinks, oh those drinks can pack on the pounds faster than anything. So you might have just snacked here and there, but those calories add up!
This past Thursday at Contour Dermatology I spoke to the staff in our weekly meetings about how to get the body you deserve by eating right. We took a look into how the foods we eat effect our day to day lives, body fat percentage, well being & our physical appearance. Take a look at the daily beverage calorie chart below:

That ends up totally 9590 calories over the course of a week. Since it takes roughly 3500 calories to equal 1lb of fat & burning 500 calories more than you take in a day will help you reduce that pound of fat from your body a week, what beverages could you remove to achieve that goal?

 

 

Lets take a closer look. Lets say I go to Starbucks, I order a Grande Cafe Mocha, that's 350 calories. If I were to switch that one specific drink to a skinny cafe mocha, Id be taking out 150 calories! Add 20 min of cardio to my day & I just took out 500 calories a day.

 

There are things all over the kitchen that you can substitute in your meals to help keep that holiday budge off.

 

Select leaner cuts of meat -10-15 grams of fat!

Use non-stick cooking spray instead of oils to cook - 10grams of fat!

Use spray butter & dressings instead of the real thing. You wont sacrifice flavor

So next time you think "Ugh I only lost a 1lb" take a look at this picture, 1 pound is a lot! 1 pound of fat could be that muffin top you cant squeeze into your jeans, 1 pound could be that back fat you always see poking through your bra. 1 pound is something to celebrate, because 1 pound usually turns into 3, then 5 then 10.

The holidays are here! Don't let it ruin your progress. Our next blog will be some holiday tips to help keep you on track & still enjoying the festivities.

 

 

Workout challenge of the week:

 

So my husband and myself did this the other day thanks to a friend posting it on his facebook page. ( Thanks JR) so here you guys go, try this workout sometime this week, all it takes is:

 

12-16in step or box

Dumbells or resistance bands

medicine ball or a weight

 

15 box jumps

10 overhead shoulder press

15 ball squats

 

repeat for 20min continuously. :) ENJOY THE BURN ;)

 



Wow its been over a year since I've last posted! So much has changed, and some has stayed the same. Ellie is now 18 months, walking & talking. Shes so darn cute I cannot get enough of her everyday! :) Im now working at contour dermatology & cosmetic surgery center in Rancho Mirage, CA. Im developing the nutrition portion of this business and i cannot wait to share with everyone what we have planned.

So fresh & so clean since a year ago!!

So I finally logged in to this blog after being away from it for a year. Ive logged in since Ive last posted but Ive hesitated posting everytime. Id just delete what I had written and went about my day. I guess I just didnt know what to say. Most of my posts since I started this blog were about my progression as a figure competitor. After I won the Cal last year ( my division ) I had a lot of things happen in my life. Some good & some bad. I lost my job, I got married and had a baby. What is this life I now call my own. Its totally different is what it is! In a bad way, OF COURSE NOT. Challenging... you can count on it. If you know me personally, or you just know me through the words I post on this blog site, you know, I accept challenges. I sometimes accept them with open arms, sometimes with much hesitation and procrastination but I eventually Accept them & take them over one day at a time.

Now signfies that time in my life. I feel this blog helped me when I was striving for the perfection of the stage. I noticed an old cheer buddy had her mommy blog & I thought that was cool as well. I figured I'll start back up with my blog and give an inside look at being a mom, wife & trying to get back into fitness and even work! I had no idea how difficult it was going to be, but I can do it with Gods help, I will do it!

So I got married October 10,2010 to the love of my life, Dionisio Ramirez Jr. We met at a local gym here in Indio, CA at a kickboxing class. He was actually my instructor! haha I remember those classes, working extra hard to try and impress him. IM not sure if he noticed... but Im guessing b.c I got the ring, that he did. :) Shortly before our wedding we found out that we were expecting a baby! I remember getting my dress in July sometime. Telling the lady how much weight I could loose & that we'd need to take it in a lot. Then going back for my first fitting in September& telling her, Ummm please dont cut any more b.c I just found out we were expecting! the sweet old lady jumped up and gave me a huge hug. It was really precious. It was a month before the wedding & I was so nervous to tell Dion that we were going to be parents & newlyweds all at the same time! He was happy as can be and told me not to worry.

Fast forwarding a few months... May 2nd we finally went into the hospital to deliever. It was a surreal experience to say the least. The amount of books I read, magazines I bought & people I talked to couldnt have prepared me for the month that followed. It was by far the hardest of my life. Im not sure about other moms, but I didnt fall in love with her right away. I didnt know if I was a terrible person for feeling that way or if it was normal. It was just odd. Its just like meeting a new person for the first time. You dont know how you feel about them yet, you know you need to love them b.c its your child, but you dont feel the instant love I didnt think. The first month was hard for me & I know it was hard for my husband. Your body goes through so many changes, you have your ideas of whats going to happen & its nothing like youve heard or planned. You cry for no reason & you cry often. You badly want to get back into the gym, but you havent slept in weeks. It was a whirlwind that I couldnt help but think what did I get myself into!

Fast forward another month, or month & a half. Here I am, cant take my eyes off this little miracle that God has blessed us with. Her perfect little features. The way she holds my figure when shes trying to fall asleep. The way she snuggles up real close to me when we take a nap & Oh the way she smiles and laughs at me like Im the funniest most amazing person in her world. I thought I knew what love was before, but there is nothing that can compare to the love a person will have for their own flesh and blood. The crying fades into smiles that produce happy tears. The no sleep for weeks turns into no sleep for a few hours at night & the worry about how you look, well it took awhile for that to fade, I still have moments where I want to sit and cry about it but thats when I realized:

Life is about more than the way you look. Granted being healthy & keeping fitness a major player in my life will always be there and I will gain muscle back and loose fat. Here I am, weighing the same as I did when I got pregnant. My stomachs flat, no I dont have a 6pack & yes I now have a high body fat percentage but I just had a child 2.5 months ago lol I Look great! hahaha... Im finally coming to terms with things in my life and realizing that I focused too much on the way I looked. When what I really needed to focus on was the way I felt inside. See when you focus on the way you feel everything else falls into place without a blink of an eye. But when I constantly beat myself up in my head and downgrade myself by saying such negative things I always stay in that negative mind set & my body follows.

This next chapter in my life is going to be focused on bringing God back into the center of my life. Without him, nothing is possible. Making getting lean my God only left me with feeling empty inside and I ballooned back up everytime I didnt have a competition ( ballooning to me is gaining 20lbs nothing crazy) I held myself to such a ridiculous level of expectations that I have since tore down. Im realizing that God will put everything into place once you seek him. I know without him my marriage will not last, without him, I will not be the mother I want or the woman I strive to be. After I focus on that, everything is becoming easier. I want to workout bc it makes me feel good. I no longer think I HAVE to workout to get my body back, it will come. I need to embrace and most importantly ENJOY MY LIFE!!!! Why was I spending hours and hours thinking about a tiny bit of fat here or there or thinking I had to workout 1 more hour b.c I ate 10 extra almonds that day. LIfe isnt meant to be lived like that. But I wouldnt change my past in any way shape or form. I have learned soooo much its crazy. Im happy to be where I am today. I have a wonderful man in my life after all the years I thought marriage was a joke and all men are pathetic liars. I now have a gorgeous baby girl when at one point I thought I would never have kids. I have so much mroe to learn & I cant wait to do it. Im going to experience life, appreciate all things that are given to me because God is amazing and has blessed me with another day on this earth.

If I could give one thing of advice to whoever is actually still reading this far into this post lol... I would say stop and say thanks. Say thanks for all you have now. Stop focusing on what you dont have & take a min to think about what you do. I know you will be overcome with joy once you realize how fullfilling your life already is. :)

Im going to continue to post here about my journey into motherhood, fitness, being a wife and becoming a better person. Im sure they all wont be as long lol but I will keep posting and I hope you keep reading.

:)