Tips to Feel Skinnier by the End of the Day

Did you have too much of a good thing over thanksgiving?  Don’t beat yourself up.. we all did!  The best way to bounce back from a weekend of overindulging is to counteract with consuming as many fruits and veggies as possible.  Follow these simple tricks and by the end of the day you will shed some of the bloat!  

Morning: 

Start the day off with 1 glass of fresh lemon, ginger water. 

Take a shot of apple cider vinegar in the morning and before all meals.

This will balance your entire body… which after a weekend of eating bad foods, we mostly likely threw our bodies completely out of whack.  Apple cider vinegar not only has detoxing properties but it will also stimulate your digestion and suppress your appetite.  It also regulates the amount of sodium stored in the body.

For breakfast, have a green smoothie or juice (for recipe click HERE) with parsley.  If you are thinking..”ew, no way!” you wont be able to taste the parsley, I promise.  Parsley helps flush fluids from the body and encourages digestion.  Parsley also has several anti-inflammatory properties!

Snack: 

Fill up a big water bottle full of water and aloe vera juice and sip throughout the day, all day long.  The water and the aloe will flush your system.

Tea to sip on throughout the day: 

Green Tea 

Dandelion Root Tea 

Ginger Tea 

Peppermint Tea 

Apple Cider Vinegar with Hot Water 

If you hate drinking tea, you can purchase dandelion root pills.  The pills are actually more potent than the tea which help you lose water weight more quickly.    

Lunch: 

Water Weightloss Juice with Detox Salad & Lemon Dressing 

Juice Recipe: 

juice or purchase fresh, plain cranberry juice. mix with two dandelion root tea bags, lemon juice, and water.  This helps you lose water weight because it breaks down waste and fats during digestion.  

Your detox salad recipe:  2 cups of Kale, 2 cups of purple cabbage, 1/2 cup of parsley, 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of sunflower seeds, 1 tablespoons of sesame seeds, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado sliced up.  For the dressing, mix 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Mix in 2 tablespoons of garlic, a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.   

Dinner:  

For your last meal, enjoy this delicious detox quinoa & veggie salad.  click HERE for the recipe!

End your day with a relaxing Detox Bath and Smooth Move Tea. 

The bath will help pull out and remove toxins from the body.  The smooth move tea is great if you feel backed up and bloated. You can purchase smooth move tea at most health food stores!

Bath:

5 cups of epsom salt 

2 cups of baking soda 

1 cups of sea salt 

1 tbs of ground ginger 

1 cup of vinegar 

a few drops of oil (lavender, tea tree, orange peel etc.)

XoXo 

Ashley 

For daily tips and recipes, click HERE to follow me on twitter or follow me on instagram at ashleynicolemora1

Going the distance with Michael Dunn. A juicers journey to losing 90+lbs

Going the distance with Michael Dunn.  

A juicers journey to losing 90+lbs 

Hello!  Today I am sitting down with Michael Dunn, who after losing over 90lbs has gone on to complete his first 1/2 Iron distance triathlon (70.3 miles).  Michael is a single dad of two beautiful girls and participates in numerous races all year long.  His journey is nothing short of amazing and I am fortunate enough to get the inside scoop! 

Here is my interview with Michael 

Me: So Micheal, tell us when your journey began? 

MD: August 2011 after watching my father complete Pikes Peak Ascent which is the half marathon I thought it would be cool to run that race with him the following year. I was 90 pounds heavier than I am today and had absolutely NO running base. I could barely run from home plate to 1st base on the softball field. I wanted to get back in shape and just live a healthier life style and be a good role model to my daughters. My Dad and I decided to run the full marathon the following year which meant I had to run a full marathon elsewhere to qualify for pikes peak by March 1, 2012. That only gave me about 28 weeks to train and be able to complete a marathon THEN still go on to participate in pikes peak marathon after. Boy did I have my work cut out for me…..

This is where it all started.  This was me (on the right) back in 2011..

Me: Do you feel like it was more diet or exercise that contributed to your weight loss? 

MD: For the first few months I thought it was all exercise but later on learned that it is all about diet. You can exercise all you want but it you are not eating right you wont see the results you are looking for

Me: How many Races have you completed since changing your lifestyle in August of 2011? 

MD: Hmmm let see. I have never counted them! Triathlons-I have done two, 1/2 iron distance (70.3 miles), 1 olympic distance and a number of sprint distance. Running-I have done 7 marathons, 12 half marathons and a number 10ks & 5ks

This was at the finish line of my first marathon.

Me: What has been your most challenging race you have ran in? 

MD: Haha they are ALL challenging!! :) 5k-70.3 I never take any of them lightly. Pikes peak marathon is a tough race though. It climbs 8,000 feet and gets up 14,115 foot of elevation. Thats is twice the elevation gain as the La Luz trail on Sandia mountain as the Sandias “only” gain about 4,000 feet. Last year I did what is called the Pikes Peak Doubler. Its the half marathon Saturday and the full Marathon Sunday. You run to the top of pikes peak saturday and run to the top then turn around and run back down on sunday. That was a tough weekend! FUN but tough! :)

Me:  I always see your posts about running, how many miles a week do you usually run? 

MD: Oh my…. right now I am running about 35-40 miles per week

Me:  Besides running, do you do any other kind of exercising? 

MD: I am doing a lot of biking and swimming right now but I do like doing kettle bells, yoga and TONS of foam rolling! haha

Me: Let talk about your diet, I know you said when you first started running you dropped some weight and then plateaued.  What did you start doing to overcome that, and accomplish losing 90+lbs?

MD: Juicing and paleo!! Back when all of this started I changed my eating habits and started running. Within the first few months I dropped about 35 pounds and pretty much floated around there for about 2 years. For that 2 years went on a marathon and half marathon spree and kept running as many as i could. 4-5 full marathons during that time and 8 or so half marathons. I was still eating healthy (some what LOL) and running 40-45 miles per week with a couple times going over 50! I was getting plenty of exercise but was still not losing any more weight. February 2014 I ran Sedona marathon. I weighed 225 that day. I trained really hard to hit my time goal and just didn't get there. I was really bummed and knew i still needed to lose more weight and really focus on my diet if i was going to do so. The day after I got back I decided to try a 3 day juicing cleanse to jump start a change! I didn't know what specifically what my change was going to be but I had 3 days to come up with a plan to follow thru with once the cleans was over! I had been juicing randomly for about a year so i had a little experience with it but was never consistent with it. Honestly, I dreaded going 3 days with only drinking ALL day long and have a salad at night. I didn't think i could do it! I went to farmers market and bought everything needed for the 3 days and went on to do it. I was hooked by day 3 and knew what my change was going to be! From the day on I kept it up! I now juice all day every day :)

Me:  So you juice a lot! How many juices would you say you have each day?  

MD: yeah, I guess you could say that!! :) I drink 3 or 4 32oz mason jars of juice every day

Me:  What is your favorite juice recipe?  

MD: There are so many good recipes out there but I have 2 favorites right now:

1. 2 pears, 1 cucumber, 1/2 lemon and some kale

2. 3 carrots, 2 apples and a little ginger

When I make these I normally make these in batches of 5-8 though so multiply the above recipes  by 5-8, make a big pitcher then separate them all out in to mason jars. I LOVE pears!! I also love recipes with pineapples, berries & melons but with the amount I consume I try to stay away from that many sugars.

Me: And tell us, which juicer do you use and do you like it? 

MD: I have a stainless steel Jack Lalanne which works great! It has a big chute where most fruit fits in it with out needing to be cut up. Thats a must for me at my volume! Although I LOVE this juicer I am currently looking to getting another juicer. Masticating juicers process at much lower speeds and tend to get more juice out of "leafy" veggies along with many other benefits. Stay tuned for my selection!! :)

Me:  What are your personal pro’s and con’s of juicing? 

MD: Pro’s- 1. its healthy 2. I lost a lot of weight 3.I don’t feel bogged down and sluggish 3.My entire day worth of meals(except dinner) are prepared 2-3 days in advance so it saves time. 4.I have a TON of energy! 5.I get all the vitamins and minerals + some :)

       Con’s-I dont really see any Cons to doing it except for maybe the process. I go to the farmers market 2 times per week  because i can only fit 3 days or so of produce in my fridge. I go thru about 40-60 pounds per week. Twice a week i spend 30-45 minutes juicing the next 2-3 days worth of juice. I am use to it now and its totally worth it though

Me:  When you’re not juicing, what do you eat? 

MD: During the day if i get really hungry or i need more energy for training i will eat avocados or hard boiled eggs. At night i eat chicken, beef or fish along with salads. I juice during the day and paleo at night.

Me: Do you ever cheat?  And if so, what is your favorite cheat meal? 

MD: Haha sometimes shhhh!! :) I have a major sweet tooth so once in a while i have a sweet treat! As far as cheat meals I try to only have 1 a week at most. pizza, cheeseburgers yum!!

Me:  You look great!  Do you feel good?

MD: Thanks, Ashley! Yes I feel great!! My energy level is thru the roof now!! Going from a size 40 in some pants now down to a size 32 tends to boost your confidence a bit!! ;)

Me:  Now, I know you’re a single dad of 2.  How do you find the time to workout and eat healthy?

MD: I have no idea!! Lol! it is certainly tricky to balance work, kids, training all while still trying to stay healthy and avoid comfort foods :)

Me: How do you stay so disciplined? 

MD: It's much easier now than it was in the beginning. One big thing is trying to set a good example for my daughters and raise them up to not be where I was three years ago. It's a life style for me (us) now. This is not temporary. I never want to be out of shape again nor do I want my daughters that way either. It's a mindset. Everyday I strive to stay healthy and active. Getting over the change the first few weeks was tough but once you change your routine and mindset it's easy. 

Me: Losing & maintaining is far from easy, do you ever feel like giving up?

MD: Everyday! Haha Just kidding :) There are days that I just don't care and I fall off the wagon but not too often. 

Me: What motivates you to keep going?

MD: My daughters! Ashley did her first tri just a few weeks ago and Haylei is well on her way to doing her first as well! They want to follow their Dad and do these together which is so fun!  I also feed on my friends, family and other people who have followed my story and have encouraged me this entire way! I LOVE hearing of all the people that say that I have given them the hope, courage and motivation to make a healthy lifestyle change as well!

Me:  I know you’re training for an Iron Man. What goals/ plans do you have for the future?

MD: Yes, I am currently training for Ironman AZ 140.6 miles on November 16, 2014. I'm not sure what I will do after that. I love the sport and will continue to do them as long as my body will let me! Who knows, maybe I will find a special lady friend to do these with me!!  ;)

Me:  What is your message to those who might be in same place you were 3 years ago  who are intimated to start their journey? 

MD: Don't be scared. Go out of your comfort zone. Set a goal and just do it. 

You will feel amazing!

You can follow Michael on Instagram and Twitter at abqdunn.  

Thank you Michael for sharing your story with us! Looking forward to hearing from you again.  Wishing you all the best of luck in every aspect of life! We know you will do amazing things! 

Alei's Incredible Journey To Losing 30+lbs

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Alei, and this is a little insight on my health and fitness journey and how I have come to lose 30+ pounds.

When I was young, I was never very active. I was born with chronic asthma and had battled it throughout my child hood. I could never really play typical sports with my condition, so the one sport I was able to fall in love with was golf, which I played through middle school and high school.

Growing up, I always had problems with my weight. I always just told myself “Oh, it’s okay its genetics”, or “As long as I’m happy that’s all that matters!” But the truth is, it was always a problem for me. I was never bullied or made fun of; in fact I enjoyed High School and made a lot of friends in the small town I grew up in. But it was hard for me to accept the reality of just being “bigger” than my friends.

When I went off to college, everything just went downhill. I started partying all the time and drinking heavy and in what seemed like overnight, the “freshman 15” turned into the “freshman 25”. After going to a University for 2 years, I decided to come back home where my parents live to finish my Bachelor’s degree.

At my heaviest, I was 210 pounds. (Yep, I still want to cry when I hear that number!) It wasn’t until I looked back at my college pictures, that I realized how heavy I had gotten, and how out of control my weight really was.

Naturally, to anyone who doesn’t work out, a gym can be a very intimidating place. I had a friend that was a member of a gym in town and she told me she would take me in to sign up for a membership, and I can honestly say that it was that day that changed my life.

I ended up getting a personal trainer who taught me a lot about the machines and a lot of “beginner” exercises for different muscle groups. After a year trying to figure out different fitness routines and dieting tricks, I had only lost about 10 pounds. So I knew I had to find something different. 

I had multiple friends who had been on fitness programs with, who is now my trainer and coach. I knew he was tough and that his plans worked but I didn’t really know the extent of what he did until I met with him. Finding out later that he is a competitive bodybuilding coach and competitor, I was shocked! I had never really thought about this type of industry nor knew anything about it. But I was excited to see what kind of results was going to come out of this type of training.

After being on his program for just a few weeks, I could see the pounds dropping and I was ecstatic! The best part was that I was able to meet and become friends so many different people who were also training with him. We are essentially on a “team” full of competitors and non-competitors. We all just connect through social media and share our stories and lives with each other and honestly, it is the biggest support system I have ever had.

It has now been almost 6 months since I joined the team, and I can’t say enough how much it has changed my life. I am 33 pounds down with the goal of losing 20 more. I have the best coach and best teammates supporting me on a daily basis.

So, to anybody intimidated to begin their weight loss journey, DON’T BE! It will be the most rewarding and humble experience you will ever go through. Surround yourself with people who have similar stories and who you know will support what you’re doing. Whether you want to compete, or just reach a simple weight goal, all I can say is stop thinking about it, and just get out there, get out of your comfort zone and do it! You won’t regret it!!

I hope you enjoyed my story, and thank you Ashley for allowing me to be a part of such an inspiring page! If you’d like to see more of my journey, or even share yours with me, you can follow me on Instagram at aoconnell91.

Xoxo, 

Alei.