How to Get a Bigger Butt

          How to Get Your Dream Butt with 5 Minute Workouts ?

The Five Minute Glute Workout is designed to help you achieve optimal glute results with just 5 minutes a day. It is perfect for those who don't have much energy or a lot of time. You can complete these exercises during your work break, before bed or before getting ready for work. NO EXCUSES !

Tips to complete this routine:

Make sure to properly stretch out your muscles to avoid any injury before attempting any workouts. For those who aren't familiar with stretching, stay tune for my next post " How to Properly Stretch Before Workouts?".

 One of my favorite fitness icons is Roca Acosta. She is very well known for her exceptional buns of steel. 

Weight Loss After Pregnancy

                    

            Mommy Fitness: How to Lose Your "Baby Weight"?

Briana, Mother of Three lost 73 Lbs in 6 Months!!!

               
                             Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful and incredible stages in a woman's life yet millions of women are left feeling hopeless and depressed about their bodies after those 9 months are over. A recent Huffinton Post study for the article  'The Realistic Skinny on Moms, Pregnancy and Weight Gain'   revealed that over 50 % of women tend to over-gain weight during pregnancy. Doctor's recommend that the average weight gain during pregnancy for a woman with a healthy BMI is from 25 to 35 lbs. Yet 1 out of every 5 women in America is obese before pregnancy and tends to gain an average of 50-90 lbs by the end of the third trimester.  Don't get discouraged, here are a few tips that can help you jump start your post-pregnancy weight loss and getting your pre-baby body back.

      Losing weight and getting in shape with a newborn or a toddler can be very difficult, but yes, it can be done. Many mothers say they are too busy to go to the gym or do not have enough money to buy home gym equipment. After doing my research I've found some great at home work-out routines which can be done without any equipment or a gym membership.  One of my favorite mommy fitness blogs is Fit Mommy Diaries, check out her amazing post-pregnancy transformation.

                                 Mommy Fitness Tips: 5 Simple Tips to Lose Weight

                                                   Tip # 1: Breastfeeding

Many scientist believe that breastfeeding can help women shed some of their baby weight rapidly because they are using extra calories to feed their infant. Doctors do not recommend extreme diets while breastfeeding because you need a healthy amount of calories in order to produce milk.  Nutritionist suggest women should consume at least 1600 calories a day during this stage. So though you may not diet, you can still eat healthy.

                                               Tip # 2: Toning Exercises 

I've looked all over the internet and found a few excellent workout routines that can be done in the comfort of your own home, with no gym equipment or experience necessary. With just 30 minutes a day you can transform your body. I absolutely recommend "Diary of a Fit Mommy's" day-by-day workout routine. Check out her site for hundreds of Mommy exercises that you can do with your child or while your child is sleeping 

For the mothers who are interested on focusing on toning their glutes this is an excellent daily routine:

 

                                                Tip # 3: Drink Water

 I know you are probably tired of hearing this by now but drinking water will help you shed the accumulated water weight gained during your pregnancy. That's just one of the thousands of benefits of drinking water. Drink a gallon a day and watch the water weight melt away .

                                         Tip #4 : Cardio; Walk your Baby

Get your stroller ready!!!!  Walking your baby 20 minutes a day is an excellent cardio routine to help you shed off the extra lbs. Take a walk around your neighborhood or a local park. 

                                       Tip #5 : Join a Mommy Fitness Group

The internet is filled with fitness mommy groups.Moms In Motion is one of the most popular meet up sites for Fitness Mommies to meet and connect. For $5 a month you can register in one of the local fitness groups in your community. They offer two programs; Fit Family gives you the opportunity to workout with your child. The FitMom program is for Moms only. By joining a fitness group you will receive support and motivation from your peers. You will meet women like YOU : Women who want to get into shape while having fun too. Being part of a group allows you to share information, make new friends, stay motivated and participate in many planned workout activities. 

Are You Pouring on the Pounds? Top 5 Worst Drinks In the World

           

  About a year ago I was walking home when I saw an eye-catching campaign titled " Are You Pouring On  The Pounds?". The ad displayed the top 10 drinks Americans consume on a daily basis and the amount of sugar each drink contains. You don't quite realize how much sugar you are consuming until you see it displayed in a form of sugar cubes or packets.  So without any further delay let's introduce you to the Top 5 Worst Drinks in the World, consume any of these drinks often and you will become obese in no time.

#1 Cold Stone PB&C

2010 Calories

131g fat (68 grams saturated)

153 Sugars

    #2 Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)

                                                                    1,498 calories

                                                             44 g fat (8 g saturated

                                                                   214 g sugars

                                    Sugar Equivalent: 20 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

                            #3. McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)

                                                                      1,160 calories

                                                       27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans)

                                                                      168 g sugars

                                         Sugar Equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot Apple Pies

        #4. Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)

                                                                  1,210 calories

                                                            19 g fat (10 g saturated)

                                                                    240 g sugars

                                                      Sugar Equivalent: 41 Oreo Cookies

    Yes my friends, that number is correct. A whopping 240 grams of sugar in one drink. Mindblowing!

#5.Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)

    980 calories

     40 g fat (36 g saturated)

              115 g sugars

                     Sugar Equivalent: 16 medium-size chocolate eclairs

            

  A lot of you are probably reading the list and saying "that's okay because I don't drink milkshakes but the truth is sugar is hidden in almost all drinks except water. Pure clean water, not those "artificial flavored waters" . Snapple's Antioxidant water contains 33 grams of sugar.

  SunKist soda has been named the worst soda in the World. One bottle of Sunkist contains 84 grams of sugar, that's the equivalent of 6 Bryers Oreo Ice Cream sandwiches. In general all sodas are bad for your health but those "fruity" sodas such as Sunkist or Fanta carry more sugar than a regular Coke or Pepsi. As for SoBe's Green Tea which is marketed to consumers as a "healthy-clean" choice contains a total of 61 grams of sugar which is equivalent to 4 slices of cherry pie.  So think twice before you buy your next sugary drink.

                           

                  Before I began my weight loss journey I was extremely addicted to sugary drinks, I would consume almost a liter of Sunkist or Pepsi per day.My favorite guilty pleasure till today are milkshakes.Yummmyyyyy! I love Baskin Robbins Praline n' Cream milkshakes with caramel and whip cream on top. Unfortunately, those shakes are drenched with nothing but pure sugar. Currently, I am looking for a replacement that is as equally as good and contains zero sugar. 

                   Weight loss is not something that comes easy, but it can be achieved with small changes to your diet. You will be surprised at the amount of weight you lose by simply starting to replace your daily bottle of soda for a glass of water. Try it and see !

REMEMBER FRIENDS, DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES 

                                                 

Benefits of Juice Fasting

          One of the most common questions I hear from a lot of my friends that are trying to lose weight is "What is the trick to losing weight?". I have mentioned before that there isn't a shortcut for losing weight, but if there was, juicing is definitely it.  I have to warn you , fasting is one of the most difficult things that you will ever do in your life. Juice fasting is only for those individuals who want to see great results in a short period of time as well as improving their health. I refer to juice fasting as my "miracle healthy diet" . There are plenty of ways to lose weight fast but this is the only healthy way.

The Top 5 Benefits of Juice Fasting

1.Weight loss - Rapid weight loss is the greatest benefit of juicing . You can lose an average 1 pound per day by juice fasting only (no exercise required ) . When your body is deprived of  solid foods it begins a process called autolysis, in which the body begins to break down stored fat and converts it into energy. When we consume more calories than our body can convert to energy is it converted and saved as fat.  The longer you fast, the more your body will continue to break down fat.

2.Detoxification-  Detoxification is defined as a " normal body process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and skin" .Those toxins found in our body come from chemically processed foods as well as our environment  and are usually stored as fat.  During a fast our body will release DDT (common toxin) through your urine and sweat.

3.Improve Immunity- Honestly many of us do not consume the correct amount of fruits and vegetables . Through juicing your body will receive more nutrients, vitamins and minerals that help improve your immune system.

4.Rest the digestive system -After cleansing for a few days the gastrointestinal system will begin to remove accumulated waste and reverse all the damage that it has endured from your unhealthy eating habits.

5.Cure bad addictions- A recent research showed that individuals that were struggling with addiction to tobacco ,alcohol or food had an easier time breaking the addiction through fasting. Why? Fasting gives you a sense of achievement, it requires your time and dedication.

   So what other benefits does juice fasting provide?

Juice fasting can improve your skin, can cure illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, increases energy, increases motivation and can increase your metabolism.

Lose 6 Lbs in 4 days Through Juice Fasting!

Current Weigh in: 153 Lbs

    Wow !!! I am still in shock, I couldn't believe the scale when I stepped on it this morning and the scale read 153 Lbs. All I can say is juice fasting is one of the most difficult things you can do, you will crave fatty foods like you have never craved them before. You will be faced with temptation. It won't be easy, but it's sure worth every single day you sacrificed.

 The first question many people ask me is :" isn't that unhealthy to go so many days without eating?" .The answer is no, juice fasting is one of the best things you can do for your body. It can be dangerous for those that do not know how to fast in a correct way. My method for fasting is very simple, I drink four large glasses of authentic vegetable and fruit juice . What do I mean by authentic? I am referring to home made all natural juice. So grab your blender or your juicer and let's get juicing . A lot of people assume the "vegetable" juices you buy at the supermarket are all natural. That's completely false, those juices tend to be filled with so much preservatives and not-so-fresh ingredients. The best time to drink your juice is within 20 minutes of making it, in some cases when you are using the proper juicer and have a good glass container you are able to store the juice for 2 days maximum before it has lost all of its nutrients. So why would you buy a juice that has been sitting in a refrigerator for weeks?

       The second most important thing about juicing is drinking plenty of water . You should always drink large amounts of water whether you are fasting or not. Water will help you feel a bit full and make the fasting process much easier.


The biggest mistake a lot of people make is not consuming protein. Protein is essential for your body. During your juice fast, you should try to consume one glass of protein shake, and I am not talking about those sugar contaminated Special K ones. I highly recommend Lean Body and Muscle Milk. If you buy the bottle version of it, split the servings into 2.

Please stay tune for my next post on the benefits of fasting. You will be shock what fasting properly can do for your body.

Day 1 of My 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge

                                                Day 1 : Weigh in at 162.6 LBS

    My current measurements are 36GG- 28 at the smallest part of my waist, 36 by the belly button and 40 inch hips. My goal is to be 140 Lbs, 34F, 26 at the smallest part of the waist and 34 inches for the hips. I also want to lose my flabby Bingo wings.. During my weight loss I was so focused on just dieting and doing cardio that I completely ignored the importance of weight lifting. Now I am paying the consequences for my actions.. I feel like I can fly if I flap my arms, my wings are simply ridiculous  I've tried hiding them with long sleeve clothing but that doesn't work during the summer time. My only option is to do something about it. I don't care if I never achieve the results of a body builder, all I need is to lose the excess dead skin beneath them. 

You can see the excess fat around my arms !

I want to get rid of the pouch and reach a flatter stomach.

The 30-Day Extreme Fitness Challenge

                                      Can You Transform Your Body in Just 30 days?

                 

        For the past 11 months I have been dancing around the finish line. I am always in the high 150's or low 160's but I have never quite reached my goal weight of 140 lbs. Every time I reach 155 lbs I start to feel comfortable and start telling my body "it's okay to have a few cheat meals and gain 5 lbs" . I have been able to maintain my body under 165 lbs for the past 11 months even though I eat soooooo many  cheat meals per day .Thanks to that 1 large glass of vegetable juice I have per day my metabolism is super fast.

Here is my breakdown of  cheat meals the last few days:

Tuesday: Honey Fried Chicken with Fries    
Wednesday: Large Domino's Bacon/Pepperoni pie , 3 bowls of Cinnamon toast crunch
Thursday: BBQ spare ribs with french fries, 1 bowl of Cinnamon toast crunch
Friday: 1 large Snickers Milkshake from Baskin Robbins
Saturday: 2 bowls of Cinnamon toast crunch, 1 large bacon cheese fries, buffalo wings, Butterfinger deluxe milkshake
Sunday: BBQ pork ribs from Pig Heaven, 2 slices of pizza, 1 bowl of cinnamon toast crunch
     
       Total Weight gain for the week: 2.1 Lbs 

   First  of all I want to say  I don't promote or suggest this type of eating to anyone. I've been eating like this for the past few months.. I eat large quantities of cheat meals, eat healthy for  2 days and lose the weight from the cheat meals instantly.  I'm tired of being so close to my goal weight and not reaching it due to my bad eating habits. Losing the first 65 lbs was the easiest because I wanted it so bad. But once you are 15 lbs away from your goal weight it becomes so difficult because you become comfortable with your new body.  I realize that in order to reach 140 lbs I am going to have to put the same amount of effort and determination that I once did when I first began this journey. This reason has led me to begin the 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge.

What is the 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge?
           I am doing my own version  of the 30-day challenge, I am not following any books,guides or particular diet plan. My fitness challenge consist of doing things that have worked for me in the past, not something that has worked for someone else....The 30 day challenge is about becoming the best you can be. Giving fitness and health a 100 % . I am really curious to see the amazing changes that can be done to my body with  eating extremely healthy and working out . So let's break down the plan just in case you want to follow it at home:

• No Sugary drinks-  I always say it's best to eat your calories than to drink your calories. A small can of soda can contain up to 48 grams of sugar. ( No store bought juice, no iced tea, lattes, milkshakes, energy drinks ) If drinking coffee for you is a must then use Splenda. In other words , You can only drink water,  skim milk or tea without any sugar.

•  Drink plenty of water- It's not only about drinking water, it's about drinking the right amount of water for you. Use the suggested water calculator to know the amount of water you should consume Water Calculator . According to the water calculator, I need to consume 81 ounces of water for weight loss
• Fruits and Vegetables - Since I don't eat fruits and vegetables in solid form I will continue juicing them. The best way to juice for weight loss is to stick to green vegetables, the greener the vegetable the better it is for you. I will use cucumber, kale,spinach ,carrots and celery  For fruits , I will only use a small amounts of fruits since I don't want to consume too much sugar, so a slice of pineapple and a green apple is enough for me. I plan on drinking a cup of my "Life" juice (my veggie/fruit juice) with lean protein for every meal. 
• Lean Meats/Fish only- Start off by throwing out your cooking oil because there won't be any frying for the next 30 days . You can broil, bake, grill or steam your protein. Nutritionist suggest eating 2 servings of lean protein per day. You can eat chicken , Fish or Turkey. Red meats such as Pork and beef should only be consumed once a week. For those that plan on doing weight lifting during their journey I suggest purchasing a good protein shake powder such as Muscle Milk Light ( if it's not light then do not consume it).  There are other plenty of other good protein products in the market just do your research.
• Avoid Salt-This is a lesson I learned the hard way. You will be surprised at all of the items in your kitchen that contain hidden salt. One day I decided to take a look at the nutrition label for some of the seasoning condiments that I was using for cooking. One of them contained 1000 milligrams of salt per teaspoon , no wonder I wasn't losing weight fast enough.  Sodium will give you that bloated look and make your body retain water. By cutting sodium from your diet you can lose up to 5 lbs of water weight.
• Low Carbohydrates- If you feel the need to eat carbs then try to stick to whole wheat .Whole wheat turkey sandwiches are very healthy and are easy to pack for work/school. 
• Healthy Snacks- It's important to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day to speed up your metabolism . Between meals you can consume fruits, low fat yogurt, protein bars , nuts or even munch on vegetables.
• Salad Dressings- One of the greatest mistakes people make when dieting is to add poison to your salad.. Yes, Poison, that's what dressing really is.  You are eating this great bowl of healthy vegetables and then you add this unnecessary excessive amount of calories and fat to your veggies. If dressing is a must for you then switch to low-fat dressings or use vinegar  If you continue pouring on the bottle of Ranch dressing to your salad you will never see results. The great thing about juicing is I don't have to worry about dressing, the juice itself is so sweet. 
• Exercise- I plan on lifting heavy weights since I am more focused on toning than losing and running 4 miles a day 4 times a week 

      Overall, my goal is to lose 22 Lbs, tone my arms and thighs as well as see "some" type of abs and a flatter stomach . 

Lose 30 Lbs in 45 days

                                 
    As I mentioned before, I had never tasted fruits or vegetables in my life so beginning a healthy lifestyle for me was extremely difficult. One day I saw a documentary " Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" , which followed an obese man with significant health problems through the journey of detoxing his body through juicing (squeezing fresh fruits and vegetables without preservatives). For 60 days he consumed only vegetable juice, by the end of his journey he had lost 80 lbs and his health problems were under control without any medications. I went online and found hundreds of success stories of people losing an insane amount of weight in a very short time through juicing.  I decided to give juicing a try and I am so glad I did because it has changed my life.

Purchasing my first juicer: I decided to purchase the same juicer used in the documentary which was the Breville JE98XL for $150. Available here . I really recommend investing in a good juicer like this one since you are going to be using it very often. The cheap ones aren't designed for daily use and will break after a few uses. I've used four different juicers before and this by far has been the best yet.

Beginning the juicing journey: After purchasing the juicer, I visited the website associated with the documentary that explain the different juicing diets as well as recipes. For more info . I chose to do the "Classic Reboot" which consists of 15 days of juicing and eating. I don't think my body can handle the "Long Weekend Reboot" program of juice only. I decided to do my own spin on their version of the program, drinking 2 cups of vegetables/fruit juice a day and eating 4 pieces of lean meat per day.

 I suggest you browse through juicing recipes and select at least five that you are willing to try. I decided to just go to the market and buy all the vegetables and fruits that caught my attention. I don't follow recipes anymore, I simply throw all of the veggies in the juicer, add an apple,pear and pineapple and that's it.












                                           
    Top Ingredients I recommend you to buy:

• Pineapple
• Green/Red apples
• Carrots (80% of the recipes require carrots due to the sweetness it adds)
• Pears
• Celery
• Spinach Leaves
• Kale
• Cucumber (not very tasty)    

      My Least Favorite Ingredients:

•   Strawberries (Don't juice very well)
• Raspberries