HALF WAY THROUGH MY JOURNEY

Hey my peeps,

I am delighted to say that I have made it mid-way through my fitness journey. To celebrate, I have created this Youtube video below showing one of my routines. Hope you enjoy it to the fullest and it motivates you to do one as well.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW>>>>>

Thanks for watching again!

Regards,
Renee

PROGRESS

Hi everyone,

Here is a quick update on my progress.

-So far I have lost about 4-5 inches on my waist
-My weight is under 165lbs ( don't want to give exact figure here, wink wink)
-I am seeing less of my double chin
-arms have more definition
-legs are more defined
-diet can be better, but I have included a fruit and some veggies a day
-one sweet and or fizzy drink per day
-up to 9 glasses of water per day
-1hour of the gym for 3-4times per week
-feeling 5times better about myself and achieving my goals

Here is another pic for your perusal:

Another collaboration: Entrepreneurship and Fitness.

Hello my fitties,

Here is another collaboration with another one of my friends, Sparkle Mc Intosh from the ‘Own it project’. In this video we interview and get fitness advise from Ms. Suzan Cameron, Family Nurse Practitioner. After this interview I gained a wealth of knowledge on proper body mechanics and changed things I used to do wrong.

Hope you learn a thing or two. Do enjoy!

So now you know the right things to do when lifting, squatting, deadlifting, planking etc.

Thanks again for viewing this blog.

Regards,

Renee

A QUICK LOOK INSIDE MY GYM

Hello again my fitties,

Leaving you this quick video of me at the gym. It's a little taste of what's to come in terms of more vids. Hope you like what I call a quick fix!

Some of the moves were hard to do properly while recording. In my upcoming vids I'll try to have someone else do the recording.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel

Regards,

Renee.

FITNESS AND HAIR: TO EACH HIS OWN! COLLAB VID.

Hey guys,

Hair, I mean here is a little video I did with a friend and fellow blogger, Jameela from Kinky Coily Beautiful Curly girl, on our take on hair and fitness, and natural hair vs relaxed hair during fitness journeys. 

Click this link or the one below to view video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxbnA76XrQ8

As mentioned in the video, I decided to wear my hair relaxed because of all the challenges I faced with natural hair during my workouts. Plus, to get that 'Brazilian look' for Carnival 2016 I am going to wear extensions. Can you 'beweave' it?

Hope you all enjoyed the video!

Regards,
Renee.

SETBACKS PART 2: MY NIGHT EATING RELAPSE

Hey guys,

Remember when I told you, in one of my previous posts, that I cut out eating at nights? Well guess what? I have started back. Yes, I have relapsed and it's worst than before. But I suspect it's a mind thing. Mental sabotage, yes it's real!

It happens to the best of us, that plan 'to be committed to health and fitness'  goes down the drain in seconds after the first bite of whatever is available in the fridge after 10pm.

With about two months left before I parade the streets of Port of Spain, I need to do whatever it takes so I've made a pic of me for this year's carnival, in costume, my home screen image on my phones, my laptop, my kid's tablet and I have also printed it out. My plan is to look at it for a minute before going to the fridge and convince myself that I should look at least five times better next year.

Now, if the said plan doesn't work, I am not going to panic. I will drown my hunger in two glasses of water then go right to bed.

You see, all it takes is a little plan and me airing out my dirty diet laundry to you guys via this blog. Things should be fine now.


Here is the pic I looked at a few minutes ago to test my plan.

Regards,
Renee.

SETBACKS PART I: "I DRANK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL THAT NIGHT"

Hey my people,

While I am writing this post I can't help but be disappointed with myself for my night of alcoholic indulgence. It was a great night out with my 'homie' and a group of foreigners, who she had hosted. They drank like sailors and I was in my glee. Although I fully well know how to 'throw down' a few, that night I had overdone it.

You see, I know the side effects of alcohol, short and long term. Outside of the bad hang over, the weight gain and the disappointment  is as serious or even worse when you are on a fitness journey. Something or someone, a voice, a signal, my conscience should have told me " STOP! Your belly fat and double chin will reign supreme so don't  have more than five". But there was no one and nothing, not even a soca song reminding me of my carnival goal. Sigh!

Anyway, I am trying not to beat up myself and recover from all those empty calories I consumed that night. As the saying goes 'small thing man'. Now that that's in the past, moving forward, I plan to cut back on my carbohydrates and boost my protein intake so I can get back on track.

Below is a nice reminder of that sweet but sour night.

Regards,

Renee

Breakfast Anyone?

Okay Folks,

Normally I won't do a breakfast fit for a king, but knowing how crucial that first meal of the day is to my body transformation, I am making the extra effort.

So here is a look at one of my favorite breakfast combinations since on this journey.


Water
The first thing I drink to flush the system.  A few glasses of water is also good to help lower high blood pressure. Three glasses per serving.

Fruit
Any type of fruit is best eaten on an empty stomach to aid in peristalsis (look up this word for complete definition)

Eggs
Eggs pack protein. Once they are not over cooked you can get obtain enough protein for your day! Two eggs per serving.

Sausages (Optional)
Sausages provides the meal with more flavor. Sometimes they can be used to give the meal a little balance through it's fat content. Three breakfast size links per serving.

Biscuits
CARBOHYDRATES=ENERGY! Six Crix per serving! Enough said!

Green Tea (Minus the milk)
I am one of those people who believes that green tea speeds up your metabolism and tackles unwanted fat. It also gives you the boost of energy you need before workouts. One cup per serving.

So there you go! That's a look at what's in my belly today. I will definitely like some healthy recipes to add to my list of favorites so feel free to send them..thanks in advance!

Regards,
Renee

To take dietary supplements or not?

Dietary supplements for muscle growth/ development is a topic that a lot of fitness fanatics enjoy debating. Some say the best way to enhance/grow  muscle, outside of weight lifting and exercise, is by eating natural unprocessed foods, which contain protein, such as peas, nuts, eggs, meat and diary. While others argue that the necessary protein can be found in pharmaceutical supplements or products like pills,  protein powders, drinks and even snacks (candy, chocolate bars etc). In my opinion, a combination of the two gives a person the ultimate results, especially if he/ she has a clean diet (no junk food).

here are some of my favorite dietary supplements:

TAKING IT UP A NOTCH!

One Friday morning, while working out at the gym, I mentally slaughtered myself for my high caloric consumption during the past two days. Cake, ice cream, pizza and roti were all devoured within short intervals, one dish after the other. Every remnant, from solid to plasmic form, consumed within 48hours. Did I mention I ate a lot of cake? Well, the excuse is, I celebrated my kiddo's birthday. I over indulged and now I am paying not only the mental price but of course I gained some unwanted pounds. To date, I am pushing a little harder than usual, more cardio, heavier weights and plenty of garlic for those vampiric cravings (more vegetables).

Longer Cardio

So as you know, I don't do too much cardio since I am trying to achieve the renown Brazilian Miss Bum Bum competitor or the IFBB Wellness athlete type of look. If someone, with a healthy diet of course, does a lot of cardio exercises he/ she tends to look very lean and slender without much muscular curve. Whereas, if one does less cardio workouts with sufficient weight lifting and rest, he/ she tends to bulk up beautifully. However, I needed to move my cardio from 5 - 10 to 15 -25minutes to shreds the unnecessary fat I had gained from my two day splurge.

Heavier Weights

It's very simple, the more weight, the less repetitions the quicker you shred. There is no need for a mathematic equation here.

Increased Fibre Intake

According to scientific research, the more fruit and vegetables you eat the less you crave junk (all the good stuff). It is believed that the roughage contained in fruits and veggies keeps the body satisfied for longer periods as a result of the digestion process. I am not the biggest fan of vegetables, especially since I don't cook them as tasty as the restaurants do, but I  can attest to feeling satisfied after large servings of broccoli, carrots and spinach. Fibre, is also great to relieve bloating and constipation, so I on the fibre train!

So there you go, more insight into my roller coaster fitness journey! To sum it up, I am now running my a$$ off, pumping mad iron and making love to the royal throne more often.

Below are a few pics for you to scrutinize..enjoy!

Regards,
Renee

VACATIONING: IT CAN EITHER MAKE OR BREAK YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY!!!

Hello my fitties,

I was MIA (missing in action) for about a week or more because I have decided to take a much needed vacation. I've visited my home away from home, the place that gives a whole new meaning to the word 'tropical', South Beach Miami, Florida. I know you may be wondering 'what's going on with this journey of hers?' So, I beg of you, don't panic! I am still on my journey to achieve and maintain what I think is a fabulous body by the end of this year and throughout the T&T 2016 carnival season. Despite, the good time I had in SoBe, I was able to drop three pounds through having smaller food portions, a lot of exercise and right food choices.

Food Portioning

Normally, when I travel for vacation or business I cut myself some slack and eat all the things I can't get or is rare here in Trinidad and Tobago. With that mindset I tend to have no portion control and find myself going back for seconds and thirds. This time, knowing that I am on my 'mission possible', I avoided the foods that speaks to me in the most erotic ways. Outside of me being aware of my fitness goals, this trip was very hectic. It started off with a three hour stay at the car rental section in Miami Int'l airport before the hour long drive to the hotel. During my stay I grabbed road side and on the go food. There was no sitting and relaxing and ordering more! This definitely help with my portion intake and prompted me to drink more water that anything else.

Exercise

As you may already know, I believe in going to the gym. The gym to me is essential when it comes to  fitness and weight loss. However, while on my vacation, I jammed in some business and of course hit the parties hard so I was alway active and got little time to sit on my butt. The constant moving, walking, dancing and sweating made me feel less guilty about not seeing my gym. Although I didn't get that intense workout as my body is accustomed to, I surely felt like I burnt a lot of calories.

Healthy eating

While on previous trips, I found myself having yummy left overs for breakfast. All the cheesy fries, pasta and bar b que ribs that tasted so good the night before tasted even better to me the morning after. Lol, yes, yes, I know exactly what you are thinking! Anyway this time I had proper healthy meals for breakast which included fruit, eggs, some coffee, few sausages etc. Lunch and dinner happened to be much lighter since time was limited and ,as mentioned earlier, grab and go foods!

Although I ended up in the positive zone and was able to drop a few pounds, I am glad to be back home and back to my regularly scheduled fitness program.

Thanks again for holding my hand on this journey and please view my upcoming post for more progress

Regards
Renee

I AM NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT GIVING UP!

Hello my fitties,

Imagine, I have done fitness journeys before but none have been this hard. I am uncertain about 'why it's this difficult?' And, I can only speculate. Is it because it's being documented? Is it that age is catching up to me? Is it my obsession with food is winning the battle over self control? Is it a combination of the aforementioned reasons? What the hell is it this time? Anyway, the battle, despite how hard it is, is going to continue. Carnival 2016 will definitely see me with my 'banging Brazilian like' body. 

For the past few weeks, I have been doing everything else but hitting the gym as as regularly as I should. It has been 14 struggling days and I have been to the gym only five times during that period. School, motherhood duties, family issues, and running a small business have all taken up valuable time. However, I am not going to think about giving up. 

I am yet to pen my entire routine for the week (don't worry, I will let you guys know everything in a subsequent post) but, to give a a quick run down, I have included the following:

deadlifts

squats with free weights

hack squats

abductors

cardio (15mins max per workout)

free weight exercises for biceps/ triceps/ shoulders

leg and arm extensions

ab exercises

planking

As for my diet, I have a million excuses why I haven't kicked bad habits completely. I am not entirely worried about that since the human body needs fuel when it's involved in moderate to advance exercise. My aim is to cut down one 1 bad habit a week. 'Nighttime eating' has been the only one to date. The next one will be to abandon soda type drinks such as Coke.

I am open to diet suggestions and advice so feel free to send some fitness recipes and comments. I will definitely appreciate it!

Below are a few pics during and after last week's workout...

Regards
Renee

IN THE BEGINNING...

Hello my people,

In the beginning God said let there be light....

Okay, Okay! I don't mean to take you all to church today but I really feel enlightened, uplifted and literally lighter since I have started my fitness journey. I started my program a few days before creating this blog so now I'm going to play catch up and bring you guys up to speed.

The pics below will show you how I looked right after my workouts on the first and second day of the journey (which officially began on October 1st 2015).


Please note:

The old me used to:

-workout inconsistently (although I have been a member of a gym for approx. 12years
-eat everything in sight
-over eat, splurge, pig out, you name it and i'll eat it!
-eat late at nights
-eat a lot of cake
-drink alcohol
-get insufficient rest/ sleep
-not consume enough water
-not consume enough green leafy veggies
-be constipated
-do everything to jeopardize my fitness


The new me (as of Oct. 1st 2015) will:

-stick to my workout regime
-be selective with my food choices
-limit my caloric intake
-stop eating after 7pm
-have a slice of cake twice per month (NOT AN ENTIRE CAKE)
-limit my alcohol intake...NO MIXED DRINKS!!!!!
-get more rest/ sleep
-consume 10 full glasses of water (let me go get one now)
-increase my fibre intake
-become friends with the royal throne
-do everything in my power to be the fittest version of me


So FYI, on Oct 1st 2015 this was my gym routine:

My 2hour workout

1) 15 minutes on the elliptical machine (cardio)
 
2) 3 sets of 10's on the hip abductor machine sitting (legs)
3) 3 sets of 8's on the hip abductor machine raised (legs)
4)3 sets of 15's on the inner thigh abductor machine (legs)
5) 3 sets of 15's on calf lift machine (legs)
6) 3sets of 10's dead lifts (increased weights from 25's, 35's to 50's) (legs, lower back and hamstring)

7)4 sets 15's on row machine (upper body)
8)4 sets of 15's lat pull downs (upper body)
9) 4 sets 15's free weights shoulders (arms)

10) 30 sec plank (core)

Note:
1) "I ain't no professional eh" but after working out at the gym, over a number of years, I know a thing or two.
2) This above mentioned routine will now be done on Mondays only, from the 5th Oct.
3) I'm still working on routine for the rest of the week
4) I'm still working on my diet plan and everything in between

Thanks again for the support and hopefully results will start showing at the end of this week

Regards,
Renee

LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!

Hi Everyone,

I am about to embark on my three (3 ) plus months long fitness journey, leading up to Trinidad and Tobago's 2016 Carnival. My goal is to look as similar as possible to the pics I have posted below, by January 1st 2016. I want to thank you all in advance for accompanying me on this long road ahead... it might be rough, it might be extremely tough but hopefully we can see the results at the end of it all.

As time goes by, I will be blogging as often as possible for you to be updated, know my routines, find out about my do's and don'ts (fails) and get the 411 about my diet, and maybe, just maybe , you might be inspired to start your own 'fat to fit' journey as well.

With all that said, it's now time so 'let the journey begin'!

Regards,
Renee