Why you need essential fatty acids......

We hear stuff all the time about fish oil, CLA, krill oil fatty acids, omega this, omega that.... etc etc etc.......

SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL????

What ARE essential fatty acids anyways???

There are two essential fatty acids that your body cannot make. And therefore that you must get from your diet or supplements. These are Alpha Linoleic Acid, (omega 3) and Linoleic Acid (omega 6).

WHAT DO EFA'S DO???

.....what a loaded question. Omega 6 fatty acids have gotten a bad rap lately, but they are ABSOLUTELY essential to our health. The problem is, with the way our American diets seem to go, loaded in oils, alot of us are getting way too many Omega 6's and not enough Omega 3's. Both Omega 6, and Omega 3 play CRUCIAL roles throughout our body including: growth and development, brain functioning, skin health, hair growth, metabolism, reproductive system health and cell membrane integrity.

WHY YOU NEED ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:

1. Omega 3's improve joint health. Studies suggest that Omega 3 decrease the breakdown of cartilage tissue, and Omega 3's may slow and reduce inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. 
2. Omega 3's may reduce pain and onset muscle soreness.
3. Omega 3's improve symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis including stiffness, tender or swollen joints, and joint pain.
4. Omega 3's may lower your heart rate during exercise. 
5. EPA and DHA are good for your heart. Your heart is our MOST IMPORTANT MUSCLE. This powerful duo is associated with a dose dependent decrease in triglycerides (fat in your blood), a slight decrease in blood pressure, and a decrease in heart attacks in those with history of heart attacks.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 

If you didn't already know this about me... I have one MESSED UP knee. I have been taking a Smart Blend of Advanced CLA, GLA, and Omega fatty acid complex..... and I kept thinking, "man, with all my kick boxing, jumping, squatting, happening, my knee sure has been doing really great....." NOW I KNOW WHY. I am living proof that these work. Our bodies are absolutely incredible, and the fact that we have been given knowledge of the things we need to eat, and supplement with to HELP our bodies perform at their best...... AMAZING. I am amazed everyday at how our bodies work. 

wanna know where I get mine..... direct link H E R E!

XOX

We all have a story.........

I'm putting it all out there.

You may look at me, look at my posts and think... hah, this girl. Judge me, and think i'm Just another girl obsessed with her workouts, her supplements, her fitness lifestyle, and keep scrolling on, but what you don't see is why I am this way, and what I've fought through to get here. Some of you may know my story, some of you may not. Today I am feeling like opening up, revisiting MY STORY, and letting you see a glimpse into WHO I am.

This is how my story and my relationship with health and fitness became my passion in life.

I always knew who I was. I always knew what I wanted out of life. I always knew what I deserved. Somewhere along the way, I got a little lost. We all do some times right? What we don't all struggle and battle with on a daily basis is some form of depression and anxiety. There are two things I have learned for certain: 1. More people battle with some form of mental illness (depression, anxiety, bi-polar, manic/depressive etc..) more than we even realize. 2. A sure fire way to set your life a blaze is to surround yourself with toxic people, and poor decisions. The combination of the two in my life, really truly 100% has made me the person I am today. I am a firm believer that it's not the situation that makes you who you are, but the way you handle such heart wrenching situations in life.

All of this is not something I ENJOY sharing with others, but it's a HUGE reason for the way I am, and the person that I am.

After high school, I found myself hanging with some rough crowds. Doing rough crowd types of things. In the struggle to find myself, I ended up losing myself. I have always battled depression and anxiety. When I ended up finding myself in some pretty dysfunctional relationships, my life continued to spiral downward, out of control almost. So did my depression and anxiety, and the way I felt about myself. Fast forward a few years, I was on my flight back to the United States from Canada, and going through my 2nd divorce. (Whooop there it is.) I had hit an all time low, rock bottom. But I knew it was time to pick up the pieces and FIGHT for a life I wanted, and DESERVED. I knew the choices I was making wouldn't bring me any happiness, and it was time to FIGHT FOR ME.  So that's exactly what I did. I was tired of running. I was tired of eating to avoid the real problem. I was tired of the sadness I felt everyday, because I KNEW I was responsible for my own happiness. I had ups and downs, good days, and sucky days. But the ONE THING that made me feel better, was being in the gym. Every. Single. Morning. at 6 am. By this time, I was finally starting to not be so sad, not be so anxious, and I was HAPPY AGAIN. Not only was this helping my mental and emotional state... I was losing weight. Like alot of weight. I managed to drop 43 pounds in about 6 months. 43 pounds of sadness, anger, and dead weight that I didn't need anymore.

I remember this picture all too well... I tried to hide the sadness, but you can't hide from your own eyes... after all, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

So, I started busting my butt, surrounding myself WITH ONLY people that truly loved and cared for me...
I was waking up at 5 am to make it to the gym PUMPED AND READY to go.. most mornings SUCKED but I RARELY missed a day.

I told myself that I didn't need a guy to make me happy... and that I was going to "do me" for a LONNGGGGGGGG time..... I don't need any one to worry about, besides myself!!! Why go on dates when you can lift weights???

Then I met Cade.

He is perfect for me.

I continued to work hard, even after we got married, and got in the best shape OF MY LIFE. I had serious abs, I was lifting massive amounts of weight, and Cade supported me ALWAYS.

Now...... we had twins. 4 months ago. My body is slightly alot different than what it used to be just a year ago. I haven't been able to workout much, and have had to get back onto some medication for my depression/anxiety. My goal is to be able to get off my medication, and to be able to manage on my own through diet and exercise. I know it can be done, because i've done it. In the worst times of my life, I DID IT. I can do it again.

When I think about what makes me feel empowered and strong, and capable of this fight of life.. I LOVE to kickbox. I used to do it all the time, and it was the ONE HOUR of the day I felt completely in control of the things in life that I knew I couldn't control. (if that makes any sense....) I love how it makes me feel. So guess what.. after all this time..... I ordered it. 

SO why does this picture mean so much to me????

BECAUSE I am ready to FIGHT for myself again. I won't run away, I will face my life head on, and be confident in knowing I CAN DO THIS! 

I want all of you reading this....... to know.... that you CAN overcome any obstacle in life. All it takes is someone to believe in you, and for you to believe in YOURSELF. I've shared my story..... I want to hear YOURS. Get a hold of me if this helped you in any way shape or form, and lets chat. <3

XOX

BIRTHDAY CAKE PROTEIN BITES

Did I ever tell you how much I love birthday cake??

It's sort of ridiculous.

Tonight I was pacing my kitchen... hungry for a treat.

Sometimes you just can't ignore it ya know????

Sooooo... I found this from the cellucor athlete, Jen Jewel.

She MAYYYYYYY love fun fetti cake more than me... which I wasn't sure was even possible. hehe. I did't have rainbow sprinkles on hand.. so they don't look as pretty as hers did. Guess I need to add sprinkles to the grocery list. I also didn't have dark chocolate, or sliced almonds.. which would have made them even better. But I made do with what I did have.. and they are BOMBDOTCOM anyways :)

Whatcha need:

1 banana, mashed
1 cup oats
1/2 cup nut butter (PB or Almond butter)
2 scoops Cellucor Cor-fetti cake batter protein OR vanilla protein (ANY of the cellucor flavors are to die for.. cor-fetti is so popular it comes and goes.. I would do this recipe with MULTIPLE flavors though.. get them here)
1/2 cup cut almonds
1/2 crushed dark chocolate
almond milk to mix

mix it all up! you'll need to add the milk just enough to mix it all together.. spoon onto a plate and put in the fridge!!! ***YOU CAN ALSO SPOON SOME ONTO A PLATE AND MICROWAVE FOR 30-40 SECONDS AND WALAH....COOKIE TIME!***

XOX

What I wish people knew about BCCA's... && MY REVIEW on MAN ISO AMINO

FIRST THINGS FIRST.....

I just got these today... I order ALL my supplements (MINUS Shakeology) from My F A V O R I T E place.. bodybuilding.com. I saw this posted from my friend, and bodybuilding.com athlete Kathleen Tesori, and I figured I would give it a try because 1. I love aminos, and need them DAILY, and 2. they had some serious cool flavors, none like I've ever seen! (that would be awesome for my sweet tooth!) I am waiting for the "sour batch" flavor to come back in stock... but until then I decided to try out the tigers blood.. because who doesn't love the classic tigers blood snowcone?! 

So here are my first thoughts:

• FREAKING POTENT. It says to mix with 8 oz of water.... I ended up having to mix it in 20 oz.... but thats more water for my intake so im okay with it!
• MAN doesn't stand for man.. but for METABOLIC AUGMENTING NUTRITION so that makes me feel less.. well manly. hahahah
• FLAVOR is on poiiiint. Tastes just like a snow cone!!! Guess I get to live it up this summer afterall! heheh
• IT'S CLEAR! which means NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS AND DYES!
• NO FACE AND LIP TINGLING like some of the others do to me. Raise the roof.
• OVERALL... I want all the other flavors... I've got my eye on "sour batch" (sour patch) and "dorks" (nerds)

so why are BCAA's so important??

Branch Chain Amino Acids are the "building blocks" of the body. They make up 35% of your muscle mass, and MUST be present for molecular growth and development to take place. 8 are essential (cannot be manufactured by the body) The rest are non-essential (can be manufactured by the body with PROPER nutrition). Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies, they are part of the enzyme and hormonal system; they build RNA and DNA and they carry oxygen through the body. More than 20 amino acids are needed to build muscle, red blood cells, and hundreds of other molecules that sustain life!! Your body can produce ALL BUT 8-10 which must be obtained through your diet or supplementation. A complete amino acid profile is needed for your body to reach your maximum fitness potential. 

So this is WHY I drink Aminos!!!!!!! I have a few FAVORITE brands and flavors... I am suuuuuper picky when it comes to my supplements, and I only want THE BEST going into my body. I will be adding more reviews SHORTLY. I've got one counter strictly dedicated to my supplements... so I guess I better start review-ing!!!

Until next time.... 

XOX 

**Breathe in. Breathe out.** Alright.. back to business.

I'm not gonna lie.... we have had one HELLUVA day. :/ but a commitment is a commitment, and i'm gonna show up. So after being barfed on, screaming babies, babies that won't eat, being pooped on... babies are back to sleep and here is that blog post I promised you!

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS 21 DAY FIX THING ANYWAYS?!

Oh you know.. just the most amazing program on this earth.... wanna know what the secret is?? Is it the workouts? although those are great, that's not it... hmm what is it then?? The answer is simple... THOSE SWEET PORTION CONTAINERS AND MEAL PLAN that comes with those awesome 30 min workouts!! (if you wanna see my PERSONAL 21 day results... head over to the transformation tab!) I have never had more success then I have had with this program. After all, 80% results is your nutrition... abs are made in the kitchen baybay! Secret number two.... SHAKEOLOGY. (I will do a separate post all on that because there is so much goodness to tell about shakeology!) There really is NOTHING that compares to how good it makes you FEEL. (you can trust me when i say that.. for those of you that know me, know I have tried nearly every shake known to mankind.)

So wait..... what's 21 day fix extreme then???
I'd like to consider this the graduate program from the original 21 day fix. Fact about me: I am HUGE into weight lifting, and was even working at getting my certification to be a personal trainer.. So you could say I know my way around the gym pretty well, and have a creative mind when it comes to workout routines... and by the second week of the original, i was getting bored, and that's ONLY because it was just too easy for me. I needed a challenge. SO I bought the program BODY BEAST and fell in love... that was what I was used to doing.... fast forward........ i just had twins..... and I am needing a challenge, and a fast paced workout, not just to PACK ON THE MUSCLE but to get shredded. I knew 21 day fix extreme was made for me!!!!! and its BECAUSE of the nutrition. I know how to build, I know how to bulk... but what I need this time is to get lean and lose this mom belly..... eeeeek! and I knew 100%, that this meal plan and type of workout would benefit me BEST.

Okay okay.... how was day 1?
uhhhmazzzing. seriously. I did the upper body dvd... (MY FAVORITE body parts to work..) and I am feeeeeeling it today! They do 3 different rounds of exercises that are repeated.... but here's the difference.... IN A DROP SET SEQUENCE. Meaning: you start off with heavy weights, and switch to lighter weights.... soooooooo good! I am feeling most of it in my chest and lats today..... which is my favorite.. no more bra back fat for this gurrrrrl!!

ALL IN ALL... I am PUMPED for this program.. because I know it works!!!! I can't wait to see what happens after serious commitment to this program......

SO WHEN ARE YOU STARTING THIS OFFICIALLY???
FIRST WEEK IN AUGUST!!! I believe in starting fresh EVERYDAY... but i love starting the month out right! Besides.. this is a NO CHEAT, NO TREAT kind of program, and with my birthday being this weekend... I already know I am going to cheat.... sooooooooooooooo if I want to put my all into this... then I need to do so from the beginning!!!!!!

I am hosting a challenge group to help rally others into feeling supported and motivated as well.... first week in August!!!!! Wait... what's a challenge group????

WATCH ME!!!

21 days is all you need to give me!!!

I'M BAAAAAAACKKK!

H E C K Y E S S S S.

So here's where I am at with things:

• I have some H O R R E N D O U S habits that I created while pregnant. Hello cookies! (sugar in freaking general. ugh.) 
• Twin pregnancy wreaked havoc on my body.. what'd you expect though Jessica, I mean, seriously.. you grew T W O humans... get over yourself.
• i'm a wimp. Carrying two car seats kicks my A $ $ and that's N O T cool. Nope. 
• The thought of chasing T W O toddlers around scares the crap out of me... because to run down the street if one ran away from me would also kick my trash. and that is also N O T cool. How embarrassing would that be....
• I'm tired of looking in the mirror and not loving how my clothes fit. I want to be confident again. 
• I miss the way working out makes me feel. 
• I am R E A D Y to change. 

Two things about me:

1. I love working out
2. and I love buying workout A N Y T H I N G 

Which is why I chose to be a Beachbody coach... how perfect is that????? I get to be a stay at home mom, and get to do what I L O V E for a job, with what I would be doing A N Y W A Y S. I also know how bad it S U C K S to be stick in your own skin that frankly, you're not comfortable in. I know how it feels to be E X H A U S T E D, scared of success. I also know how hard it is to change. Guess what else I love??? HELPING OTHERS get over those fears, and conquering THEMSELVES. So stay tuned for some E X C I T I N G things ahead for me and my business!!!!!!!!!!!

BLOG UPDATES WEEKLY!! 

now to decide which is the lucky day... tell all tuesday? followup friday?? what's up wednesday? 

stay tuned for the official decision!!! 

what's ahead????

My first challenge group postpartum is in the planning! and it's gonna be EPIC!!! i've got some fun giveaways planned for those that join! WHAT THE HECK IS A CHALLENGE GROUP??? stay tuned for our next blog post!!!

Look like a beauty, train like a BEAST.

HECK YES. I have been excited about this post for umm well.... a month or so now!!!!! I am almost in week 5 of the whole program, and in the second phase.

 I have seen quite a bit of definition in my back especially. I am just waiting or the definition in my arms to come thru.... and I am thinking it's going to happen any day now!!!

The workouts were almost EXACTLY what I do in a normal gym setting, and I felt right at home. I absolutely loved the build phase, but by the last week, I was getting ready for a change. Did you know that muscle confusion is key when it comes to getting results?? My body adapts SO QUICKLY. The workouts were 50 min, and were two body parts a day, which I love, and am used to doing, so these workouts went by so fast for me, and were the best part of my day.

The first few weeks I was literately sore every single day, for weeks at a time. I could definitely feel the changes that were taking place from the inside out. I have found myself ALWAYS HUNGRY, and am snacking all day, and downing my protein as much as I can. This is honestly my biggest struggle in this program is eating ENOUGH food. So if know me, and see that I am ALWAYS eating... now you know why!!!

But lets get down to the facts guys gals... Why YOU should be lifting weights:

1. You will lose 40 percent more fat. FORTY!!! This is because if you stick to just cardio alone, you can lose muscle, and muscle aids in burning fat and calories even at rest! So adding weight lifting to your week can help against muscle loss!!!
2. Did I mention you will burn more calories even with your butt parked on the couch?! This is because after you workout, your muscles need energy to repair their fibers. Researchers have found that When people do a total body workout with 3 big muscle moves, their metabolism was raised for 39 hours afterwards??!! (Hence why I have been so dang hungry everyday!) 
3. Your diet will improve. Exercise helps your brain stick to a diet plan, and your body actually CRAVES good food to help support what you just put it through!!
4. You handle stress better. I know this has been so apparent in my life. I am a much happier, and less stressed person because of the amount of Endorphines pumping thru my veins!!! 
5. Your bones will be stronger. There's a study out there that states that 16 weeks of resistance training increased hip bone density and elevated blood levels of Osteocalcin, a marker of bone growth, by 19 percent.
6. Your heart will be healthier. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that people that did three total body workouts a week for two months decreased their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by an average of eight points. Thats enough to reduce your risk of of a stroke by 40% and the chance of a heart attack by 15%.
7. You'll be way more productive. Researchers found that workers were 15% more productive on days that they exercised then on days that they didn't! 
8. You'll live longer. Total body strength is linked to lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer!

The more I do my homework and read about all the benefits of lifting weights, the more meaningful it is to me, rather than to just look strong! I am SO THANKFUL for my body. I am so grateful to have a strong, capable body that allows me to work it so hard so that I may be able to better my body, inside and out!!!

Do more of what makes you HAPPY! This is my life, forever and always! 

This was within 2 weeks! 2 freaking weeks and I was already seeing definition!

Week 3 baby! and the last week of the 'Build' Phase!

That was the last picture I took in phase one.. the build phase, and I am so proud of all the definition I gained in my back, and traps. I just feel STRONG. 

SOOOOO....... ALL IN ALL...... Would I recommend Body Beast? YES YES YES. To guys, Heck yeah. To girls.... DEFINITELY!!! To all the girls out there: DON'T BE AFRAID TO LIFT HEAVY!!!!!!

xoxoxox