PASSION...

People often ask me how did you get into competing in fitness? Well, it's simple it was a dream of mine since ever since I first saw Fitness America on ESPN back in high school. I was amazed by these beautiful, strong women. But at the time didn't beleive I could ever be strong enough to do anything like that. I loved being on stage, competing in pageants, but for me to be athletic like that, I thought was way out of my reach. I played soccer and basketball, but wasn't a good runner (always the back of the pack) but still I always tried my hardest in practice to be the best I could be at the sports I played. Once I went to college I still had the dream, started to research the sport of fitness a little more and thought that maybe I could one day do something like that. I started to really workout in the gym and felt that I was actually getting some strength. It wasn't until after college though that I realized I couldn't just keep dreaming anymore. I wanted to make this dream a reality, and I was going to do everything in my power to figure out how.

I didn't know if I'd be any good, nor did I know where to start, but thankfully I stumbled upon Cathy Savage (http://www.cathysavagefitness.com/) and my dreams started to seem clearer. My goal was in sight and after meeting with her and her team at the time I made the commitment to step on stage.

Why am I telling you all this, well that was my dream to compete, however I did not know that fitness would be my lifelong PASSION until I actually stepped on stage in April of 2005.

One gift you must continuously protect and cherish is your excitement and passion! Only passions, GREAT PASSIONS, can elevate the soul to GREAT things. NOTHING GREAT in the world has been accomplished without passion and enthusiasm. SO work hard at your dreams and goals. By constantly reminding yourself of your passions, joys, thoughts and feelings torwards your goals you will achieve them.

What is your passion?

Have a fabulous week everyone :)

Spring Into Positivity!

Emotional positivity breeds happiness and good things!

Replaying past triumphs, victories and happy times in your mind is a powerful way to motivate yourself and stay positive. Staying encouraged isn’t easy, it’s a full time job. One great way to help keep you motivated is to post quotes, pictures of things you desire, happy times you’ve had etc. close by so you can always reference them and remind yourself this is where you want to be, whether it be mentally or physically.

Be careful having conversations and associations with people who are negative and can bring you down in a instant. By steering clear of negativity you will start to see yourself differently and your happiness will begin to catch on to others around you J

This week try and stay positive and see the light that will soon surround you!

Don't let Easter EAT YOU!

With Easter right around the corner everyone is thinking about what they'll be making, all the goodies they'll be eating and family they'll be visiting, but come Monday, April 13th everyone will be saying...URGH why did I eat like that and how can I get back on the wagon as beach season is closing in ;)

Easter can be a day of fun and YUM without hindering your diet or health, you just have to be prepared ahead of time. Now I'm not saying you have to eat only turkey and veggies -unless you are competing in a show within weeks -you know who you are ;) But you do have to go into the day knowing what you are willing to say no to and what you absolutely can't miss out on (Grandmas apple pie, a Cadbury egg, or those yummy mashed potatoes anyone?) but you do have to pick and choose. If you do this you won't feel like your missing out and you'll also feel GREAT about the choices you made and most likely won't have the guilty feeling come Monday morning at the office.

Below I've prepared an excellent way to start your Easter morning with a healthy breakfast to kick start your metabolism and keep you from munching on all the pre-dinner treats. After a healthy breakfast you'll feel satisfied until you're mid-day Easter meal and won't feel like you have to have huge helpings of everything available.

Some helpful hints when deciding what to eat on Easter day:
Veggies are your friends- Start by loading up your plate with veggies (salad, carrots, green beans, asparagus-whatever may be available that you like) this should fill 3/4 of your plate.
Power packed protein- Choose your protein, either ham or turkey is most popular for the Easter Holiday and if able to choose from the two, choose the Turkey- It's less fatty and lower in sodium, not to mention loaded with protein that will satisfy your hunger!
Just pick 1 or NONE- Most people will have mashed potatoes, rice and rolls at the table. You don't need all three ;) so choose your favorite. Now if you decide you'd like a piece of dessert instead, skip out on the starchy carbs all together at the dinner table and save those cals for what you really want at dessert time. You'll most likely be filled up enough with the protein and veggies you chose anyway.
Slow the pace- by eating slowly and enjoying the dinner time with family and friends you're more likely to eat less.
I hope you enjoy my recipe and tips. Pass it on :)

Janelle's Crustless Quiche

Ingredients
1 cup spinach (not cooked)
2 1/2 Cups liquid egg whites
1/4 Cup chopped onion (I prefer red onion)
1/4 Cup chopped green bell pepper
1 Tsp garlic salt
1 Tsp ground black pepper
1 Tsp Thyme
2 Tsp fresh basil (or 1 Tsp dried if fresh unavailable)
2 of Trader Joe's sun dried tomato chicken sausages, chopped *OPTIONAL

Mix all together in a bowl then pour into a round non-stick baking dish (3" deep x 9" diameter) and bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Egg Whites Encourage Creativity...

OK so maybe eggwhites don't exactly give us the brain power of oatmeal, but for some reason I was able to muster up enough creativity this am to come up with a new recipe sooo good I had to share :)

As most of you know I compete in fitness competitions and it's that time again to buckle down on the diet in order to get my physique in competition mode. For me this seems to be the time of year I come up with new fabulous recipes because I am craving certain things but my training diet might not allow them on a particular day or at all during the training process. For example today my diet didn't allow for starchy carbs (meaning no oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato etc.) SIGH :( and since I was craving oatmeal pancakes I decided to try to mix all the things I would’ve added to them minus the oatmeal and add in crushed nuts to give it some substance. and WHALA! I came up with the recipe below.

No doubt I will be taking these on the go and trying other variations of these... lemon blueberry anyone?

I hope you will try them out and let me know what you think.

ENJOY!

Nutty for Carbless Cups (still searching for a name, open to suggestions)

INGERDIENTS:
1 1/4 Cups egg whites (I use 100% liquid egg whites from the carton)
Handful almonds (1 oz), crushed
Handful walnuts (1 oz), crushed
1/2 Cup strawberries, diced
2 tsp Splenda
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Cinnamon
dash nutmeg
For a little fluffier texture add 1/4 tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS: Crush the nuts by placing in a Ziploc bag and pounding with a mallet or hard spoon) Add everything together into a bowl and mix (you may need to use a wire whisk to separate the cinnamon and whey). Line 6 baking cups on a cookie sheet (or use non stick muffin tins) and fill each cup half way with mixture.

Bake on 350 for 15-20 mins until toothpick comes out clean. They will collapse slightly once taken out- this is normal.



Makes 6 cups
Nutritional breakdown per cup:
Calories- 90
Carbs (non-starchy)-3 grams
Protein-9 grams
Fat-5 grams (from the nuts-all good fat)

Back from the Arnold Classic Sports Festival!

I just returned from the famous Arnold Classic Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. The festival featured an EXPO with 700 fitness-related booths and more than 17,000 athletes competing in 37 events, including 12 Olympic sports. All in all there was an estimated 170,000 people in attendance throughout the weekend. It was an amazing experience and I was able to meet some of the best in the business and the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger :)

Being a competitive fitness and bikini athlete, this fitness and figure shows amaze me! If you are interested in seeing the results and photos please go to: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2009arnold.htm

I encourage you to all take the trip next year as it is a weekend you will never forget!

Get over it.....

Get over it.....

When you feel down and out, get up.
When you feel like all hope is gone, get up and do something about it.
When you start to feel bad for yourself, remember the people who aren't healthy enough to even make goals like you have made.
When you feel yourself getting negative and saying negative remarks about others, remember it makes YOU the bad guy.
Staying positive and concentrating on getting "it" done will always make you a champion
-Cathy Savage

Welcome!

EXHALE... Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go!

This blog is designed to help inspire and motivate you because we all know that there are days where even the most dedicated person needs a good kick in the rear ;)

Today is the day that is. This is the day you now have. There's nothing to be gained by wishing for what might have bee today so get out there and take it on and enjoy the ride!

Stay tuned :)