Thursday, September 19, 2013

detoxing.

I know that there was a large interest in the detox/cleanse that I was doing last week, so I just wanted to give you all a little post about how it went for me! Now, I am not going to give you all of the dirty details that go along with the cleanse, but if you are interested in doing it, feel free to email me at theskinnyfitgirl@gmail.com and I will send you the different options. I know that finances can be a large issue, so I created a new option for those of you who do not have or want to spend a lot of money!

Getting Started
I was lucky enough to have two friends that live nearby who were interested in doing a detox, so when I learned about this one, I had to tell them about it. They jumped right on board and it worked out really well to be able to have that support system and be going through it with someone else. We used the NutriClean 7-Day Cleansing System, plus the meal plan and foods list provided through the TLS website!


Being Prepared
We actually did not really take the time to prepare much beforehand, which is something that I definitely recommend doing for a cleanse. I mean, I knew in general what I was getting myself into and everything. I had looked up recipes a few days prior, so I knew what I was planning on making and we did all of our grocery shopping the night before. I was lucky enough to not have to work, which was a reason that I hadn't prepped the foods before, so the first day all of us spent it together, cooking and prepping our food.
  [TIP]-> The big thing that I wanted to make sure happened was that I was eating real meals everytime I ate, and not just snacking on food all day long. When you are more limited to food options, being able to still sit down and eat a meal is so important! It makes you feel more "normal" haha! So the first couple days were the hardest because of the transitioning from, virtually, anything I wanted to a strict list of foods. But each day DEFINITELY got easier!
  [TIP]-> Having a variety of options was a big deal too! After the first couple of days I started to get bored with eating the same things. And then all of a sudden, a new food that I hadn't eaten yet that week suddenly made everything seem 10 times better! Even if it was just something like asparagus or edamame, haha! Can you believe it?

The Energy Levels
By the end of the first day I was dragging more than I thought that I would, in fact we all were. I think this is where it was nice for us to be able to spend the day together and help with the support. Seeing each other go through the same thing was very helpful, as it is in a lot of aspects of life! Each day got easier though, and each day I gained more and more energy. By the end of the week my felt felt so great; I was so refreshed, energetic, and ready to take on the world.
One thing that I could not have handled this week though, working out. When you're doing something like a detox, it is suggested to avoid vigorous activity, because it is too much on your body with the way that you are fueling yourself. The first few days I did not miss it so much, because I was so occupied with making sure that I had food ready and was eating enough and all of that good stuff! By halfway through the week, though, I was eager to get back, and by the end of the week I was practically itching to get in the gym! BUT I knew better than to try and get in the gym before I was ready. I know my body and I knew that there was no way I could have done my usual kinds of workouts during the cleansing process. Walking, yoga, stretching, etc is fine and all, but my HIIT cardio and heavy lifting,  NO WAY! In fact, do you guys remember when I went golfing with my boyfriend that one day last week... climbing the hills of the gold course was wearing me out! So yeah, that was definitely an adjustment.

Staying Positive and Busy
The BIG thing about detoxing, I think, is your mentality through it. You HAVE to remain positive through the experience. It is hard, it takes determination, it takes commitment, but it is worth it. You just have to take it meal by meal, day by day and count down the days until it was over! I think the first few days were the hardest because it was like "Oh my gosh we have a whole week of this!" but by day three it was like, "Okay, we are almost halfway through. We can do this" and counting down! It also helped to eat the foods that I liked the most later in the day when it was getting harder, so that I could look forward to those things!

Being busy is also key and helps with staying positive. If you are constantly thinking about what you can't eat and what you can't do, it is bound to make the process harder for you! So by keeping yourself busy and preoccupied with other things, the time goes by faster and the whole process feels a little easier! I was hanging out with my friends, reading books, watching tv, going for walks, anything I could do to not think about food! ;)

Benefits and Results
Besides my body just feeling all-around better and having more natural energy, guess what! No cravings! Actually, even when I did try something sweet, it didn't even taste good to me or satisfy me at all! I'm not going to lie, it was actually a little weird, considering how large my sweet tooth it! But I though that was pretty awesome! I actually even texted my best friend, Leah Potosky Fitness when I tried to eat Almond Butter on Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread and hated it! WHAT!?!!?!? I'm sorry, that was like my favorite thing ever and all of a sudden it just wasn't as good! That was actually kinda horrible, but after a few days of my tastebuds adjusting I learned to love it again :)
So more energy, no cravings, what could make it any better? Weight loss. I actually ended up losing a few pounds, and could see myself tightening up a little bit every day! I totally recommend taking progress pictures on a weekly basis anyway, but when doing something like this also! Unfortunately, mine ended up being in different locations and different lightings and the last one I didn't even get to do in the same time frame as the first one, so I didn't get to have a good quality before and after picture, but I no doubt could tell the difference in myself! My friends also all lost a few pounds as well! You are getting rid of all of the crap that is in your system (so yes, be prepared to sit on the toilet a whole bunch! haha), so the weight from that plus the better food choices and fiber helps to get rid of some unwanted weight! Now this shouldn't be something that is done just as a way to lose weight and taken advantage of in a "fad diet" sense. I think a lot of detoxes and cleanses get a bad rep for being used for that. As long a you have the extra fat to lose, the detox will help you drop an initital few and then from there it is a great way to jump start a weight-loss or fitness plan by just eating healthy and making better choices!

So In Summary...
I absolutely LOVED doing this detox and am excited for the next time that I do it, especially now that I have gone through it once already. It is something that I plan on doing after the holidays too, because lord knows I will be indulging in pumpkin pie, peppermint-flavored things, and a little too much champagne. ;) I highly recommend people going a cleanse/detox a couple times a year, even if they are a healthy.clean eater. There are so many more benefits that just riding your body of toxins! Like I said in the beginning, if you are interested in doing this detox and want more information, please feel free to send me an email! Also, if you had expressed interest in the past, and still might be interested, I added an extra option that was not available before, so feel free to email me again!

Dream Big. Make It Happen. No Excuses.
xxox,
Ashley

Friday, September 6, 2013

Cacao Chip Pumpkin Cookies


I am obsesseddddddd with pumpkin and unfortunately, I won't be able to eat a lot of fun pumpkin-y things after this weekend, so I have gone on a mini baking spree! Starting with these little lovelies! and ohhhhhhh my goodness, I cannot even express how much I loved these cookies! I easily could have eaten the entire batch in one sitting!



cacao chip pumpkin cookies

*remake recipe*

Ingredients
3/4 cup oat flour
1scoop vanilla protein
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4tsp baking soda

1/2cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2cup almond butter
1/3cup honey
1tsp vanilla
1/3cup cacao chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix dry ingredients
3. Mix wet ingredients
4. Combine ingredients together, then stir in cacao chips
5. Spray a cookie sheet (I use coconut oil spray)
6. put ~1spoonful of mix on cookie (mine made 11 cookies)
7. bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden brown

Macros per cookies (for 11 cookies)
Calories: 169
Fat: 8.5g
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 10.5g
Protein: 7g

*you can find the original recipe at http://www.bestfitbody.com. she has a cream cheese frosting that I can't wait to try on them when I remake these after my shoot! pumpkin and cream cheese are basically best friends. ;)