Meal Prep

 

Meal Prep = Heaven, basically.

Meal prep is going to be your best friend on your road to eating clean. Essentially, meal prep is choosing one night a week (I use Mondays because it fits best in my schedule) to do your cooking for the whole week. Then, you pre-package it to make your clean eating less of a hassle throughout the rest of the week. First, you have to calculate about how much you eat in a normal day. It should be somewhere close to five to six small meals, although I don't prep my breakfast because I usually just eat cereal or yogurt with granola. Next, add it all up to see about how much of each food group you need to cook (meat, veggies, grains). Next comes the cooking. Although you are cooking in bulk, you want to try to have as much of a variety as you can, so you don't get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. After all, the more enjoyable your food is, the more likely you are to stick with your diet. This is the first time I personally have done meal prep, but I'm two days in and going strong. The top picture is the food my gym buddy Brian and I prepared for this week.

 

Protein:

lemon pepper chicken, orange almond crusted chicken, teriyaki chicken with peppers

 and onions, and Caribbean chicken with mango salsa (all baked).

 

Veggies:

Steamed broccoli, grilled green beans, grilled zucchini, and grilled asparagus.

 

Grains:

Brown rice, Quinoa, Lentils

 

Snacks:

Fruit salad (pears, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangoes),

Cucumbers, carrots, granola, yogurt, and peanut butter.

 

The second picture shows my meals after I have portioned them out. This was enough for yesterday and today, along with my breakfasts and snacks. I spent about 3-4 hours cooking, prepping, and packaging my food on Monday, but have only spent a few minutes tops microwaving it since then. This makes healthy eating so much more convenient, and ensures that you will stick to your meal plan. I definitely recommend weekly meal prep, and will share what I whip up next week!



You Can Never Out-work a Bad Diet

 

 

 

Alright, so I'm sure you've heard something along these lines a million times, and it really is true. Today I wanted to share with you guys the importance of knowing what goes in your body, how it will affect your goal, and how to optimize your food intake.

First of all, you should find a way to keep track of what you're eating for a week or so before you try to make any changes in your diet. It's important to know how many calories, vitamins, and grams of protein you're taking in on a daily basis, because you don't want to shock your body by adjusting too quickly. You can always use a journal, a physical log, a spreadsheet- whatever works for you. My personal favorite, however, is the MyFitnessPal App (*I do not own this app*). It's free on the Apple App Store and it's the most convenient log I've across so far. You can search, store, or even scan barcodes on the foods you eat throughout the day, and this app does all the work for you. It stores complete nutritional information for everything you eat, and even shows you what you should be eating to reach your goal. You can also add fitness activity to your log, which is great because it updates your caloric needs according to what you burn! I've attached a few pictures above from my personal log yesterday, and as you can see I'm just about right on track. I'm a little over my goal in protein and under in carbs and fat, but since I'm trying to build lean muscle, that's actually ideal!

 

Second, you should familiarize yourself with how to eat properly according to your weight, height, goals, and preferences. Generally, you should eat about five to six small meals a day, or three average sized meals with complementary snacks in between. Eating smaller portions more often helps to speed up metabolism, therefore burning more fat than your body is storing. Most meals should be composed of three things- a protein (meat, eggs, beans), a vegetable (usually green or leafy have the highest nutritional value), and a grain (brown rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta). Snacks or smaller meals should also be high in nutritional values such as protein and vitamin C/D (yogurt, fruits, granola). You should also try to eliminate most, if not all, sugary drinks from your diet. The best drink for your body is water, of which you should drink at least a gallon every day.

 

A Few Pointers:

• It's not all about counting calories- too few calories is more detrimental to progress than too many.
• A good diet does not eliminate the need for a good workout, and vise versa.
• The highest meats in protein are chicken and fish.
• Meal prep will make your life 100X easier. The number one reason people eat unhealthy is convenience. Cook in bulk and store for the week. This will ensure you have healthy food on the fly.
• Take your time. Don't rush your body.
• Remember- this month's diet is next month's body. It WILL catch up to you, I promise.

 

Now that you know what you're already taking in versus what you should be taking in, start logging. It may take a few days or even weeks to get used to paying attention to what you're eating, but remember- every time you feed yourself, you should be fueling your body.

 

Eat clean,

Train mean,

Get lean!

What's with the name, brah?

 

I'm sure you've noticed the misspelling in my website's title, and a few of you have probably wondered why I chose this name. "Strong 'YZZ' the New Skinny" refers to Bodybuilding idol,

 Aziz Shavershian, commonly known as "Zyzz". Growing up as the skinny kid, Aziz looked

 up to his bodybuilding brother and chose to follow in his footsteps to impress girls.

 After becoming more and more passionate about fitness and his image, he made popular

 the term "aesthetic", which basically means pleasing to the eyes and is often used to

describe fitness gurus. Unfortunately, after his older brother was busted for illegal anabolic

steroids, people found it all too easy to attribute Zyzz's success to these substances. Zyzz denied using steroids to his grave (literally). Tragically, he passed away at age 22 of a heart attack, which was later determined to be a pre-existing condition. Obviously, it would be convenient to blame

 this on misuse of steroids, but there really is no proof to either side of the story.

 

In just the four years he spent training, Zyzz managed to produce his own supplement line,

become an online superstar, and inspire millions of people around the world- including me.

He showed us all that we can do anything we set our minds to, regardless of how unbelievable

 it may seem to others. He really is a huge inspiraion to me, and I'm choosing to pay my

 respects by naming my website after him, hoping that each and every one of you

 remember how much he has made this a possibility for you.

 

RIP, Brah.

 

"We're all gonna make it."

 

http://youtu.be/AdBoybKnzZw

 

 

Comparing Yourself to Others

Hey, guys. Today I wanted to write about the importance of not comparing yourself to others, whether you're in or out of the gym. This is something we all face as athletes, but also in our everyday lives. As humans, we naturally use comparison as a unit of growth. We compare ourselves to others, which to an extent, is completely normal. Often, this keeps us on our toes- in competition, for example. However, as naturally as it may come to us, it's not always healthy.

 

The problem occurs when we begin to compare our "start" to someone else's "middle". I remember the first time my boyfriend took me to the gym (probably about two years ago) and I experienced a traumatizing comparison moment. He insisted that I try the lying leg press without any weights at all, although I had already made up my mind that I couldn't do it. I was terrified, so naturally, I dropped it on my first rep and immediately crawled out from under it in shame. I then saw another girl put two plates on each side and nonchalantly rep out her sets. I was so embarrassed that I literally started crying on the spot. How could she get THAT much weight, and I couldn't get ANY? My boyfriend then explained to me that he was almost positive she had been in the gym for a while and had worked her way up, just like I would if I kept trying. Of course, being the stubborn female I am, I didn't believe him, so for the longest time I never stepped foot near that machine, and instead used the seated leg press, which I knew I could do. One day, a couple months later, I was teaching my friend how to work out, and she asked about the machine. Terrified, but determined, I climbed under the leg press. I mean, I had been using the other machine for months and worked my way up to about 100 lbs- so I HAD to be able to do 45 on the lying one, right? RIGHT. I did it. I had worked my way up to the "big girl leg press", as I called it (and still do :P). I was on my way to being the girl I had seen months ago, repping out 200+ like nobody's business. And now, I AM her.

 

Anyways, the moral of this story is that you never know anyone else's story. You don't know how experienced they are, or how genetically inclined they are, or anything about them. You cannot define a person by how much more or less than you they can lift. You should never be discouraged when you get on a machine and have to move the weight down; you should never feel superior when you have to move it up. Honestly, the only comparison you should make is to who you were yesterday. That's it. I know it's difficult. I got discouraged today because I was struggling to bench what someone else was getting easily. But then I reminded myself that if I keep pushing myself, I'll be there one day, too.

 

 

Infused Water

Fruit and Herb Infused Water

 

Recently, I have resolved to not drinking any soda, coffee, or artificial juices in order to conform to my new healthy lifestyle. Basically, I've only been drinking water, with the occasional lemon for taste. However, this sour addition got me thinking- what else can I add to my water, without surrendering its natural healthy benefits? After some research (and taste-testing, of course) I've come to the conclusion that you can spice up your water so easily, while actually adding to its nutritional value!

 

Above, you see my first full pitcher of infused water. This particular batch is infused with probably the most common fruits for the occasion- lemons. limes, and oranges. It tastes great, is SO refreshing, and most importantly, it's HEALTHY!

 

We've all been advised to drink at least a gallon of water a day, especially if you, like me, spend a lot of time doing physical activity. By infusing the water you already have to drink, you're only making it more enjoyable for yourself! You can infuse water with pretty much any of your favorite fruits, as well as some herbs and spices. Below I will list what I believe to be the best choices, as well as some nutritional benefits of spicing up your plain ol' water.

 

Personal Favorites:

Lemon, Lime, Orange,

Cucumber, Mint, Apple,

Cinnamon, Watermelon,

Pineapple, Strawberry

 

Nutrition:

Hydration, obviously.

Antioxidants.

Vitamin C.

Energy.

Elasticity.

Healthy skin.

Detoxification.

Less sugar than juices.

(some values may depend on the type of infuser you use, so do your research)

 

Perhaps one of the benefits of infusing your own water is how easy it is to do.

Simply fill a pitcher, jar, or even just a glass with water.

Add desired infuser.

Refrigerate for an hour or two.

*I have found that the best results come from actually squeezing the fruit into the water, then throwing the left over parts into the water to ensure you get every possible benefit.

 

I really encourage everyone to replace their sugary drinks with this equally-as-enjoyable substitute!

Let me know how you infuse :)

 

Breakfast- Protein Pancakes

Protein Pancakes with Homemade Raspberry Jelly

Makes 3-4 mini pancakes as shown

 

Ingredients:

1 scoop protein of your choice

2 egg whites

1/2 cup dry oats

1 cup skim milk (amount may vary depending on thickness of protein)

About 10 raspberries (or fruit of your choice)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

 

Directions:

Mix protein, egg whites, oats, and milk.

Cook until fluffy in skillet.

Microwave raspberries for about 15 seconds, enough so that you can mash them.

Add brown sugar to berries.

Dust with confectioners sugar, just for looks!

 

Nutrition:

About 30 g protein

About 250 calories  

About 5 g fat

 

These are the measurements and ingredients I personally use, but the fruits, protein, and oats can all be altered to taste or preference. Let me know how you enjoy them!

Intro:

Hey guys! I'll start off by introducing myself. My name is Gina (or Nina :P).

I've recently sworn myself into a healthier lifestyle. I've been working out on and off for about a year now, but with the new year, I decided to really crack down- weight training, clean eating, the whole nine yards. The past couple of months have been going pretty well, and I'm really starting to see some satisfying results. I'm creating this page to share tips, recipes, progress pictures, and anything I find inspiring or motivational. I may be a little slow to get this thing going, but it's worth a shot.

Please feel free to contact, critique, or inquire about anything I post. I'm looking for feedback, so stay in touch!