Keep On Squatting On!

That is right, tomorrow is my leg day so guess what I am up to...... That's right everyone Squats! I have to admit, squats are actually one of my favorite exercises. They require no equipment, no fancy high priced trainer and best of all, they require no out of pocket expenses.  Bellow, I am going to start my week of fitness tips on how to perform certain exercises properly to help prevent injury. 

So lesson one: THE SQUAT!

     TIPS FOR THE PERFECT BODY-WEIGHT SQUAT:

1. Stand with feet about shoulder width apart

2. Try to keep your feet straight and parallel, but if you have to turn them outwards slightly that’s OK also (no more than 15 degrees).

3. With arms straight out in front at shoulder height, begin the descent by bending the knees, sticking out your bottom, and leaning forward at the waist. Pretend you are sitting back in an imaginary chair and ensure your knees remain behind your toes the entire time. Sticking out your chest and looking straight ahead will also help to maintain a neutral back as you perform the descent.

4. Your back should remain neutral throughout the motion. Squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor or to the point where you can no longer maintain a flat back.

6. Press through your HEELS to return to standing and repeat for desired number of reps. 

If I have lost you any, here is a video that takes you step by step on how to do it properly. Remember, always drink plenty of water during your workouts!

Keep On Squatting On!

Hoppy Easter!

My children woke me up this morning jumping on my bed squealing ....

It was so cute. My landlady swung by early this morning and put some eggs out for the kids along with a little hopping bunny.

They were really exited. We all went outside in the morning and read from the children's bible about the story of Easter. Then they got to go look for the low sugar suckers that sprouted over night in the yard. Then as an added bonus, we had 65 plastic colored eggs filled with color your own stickers hidden in the front and back yard. A bonus :) So we aren't blowing our diet out of the water yet :)

For today's meal we had spiral sliced ham, baked okra ( tossed in almond flour), Deviled eggs. For dinner we had Paleo Pancakes and bacon. Yummy!

The One thing I wanted to mention today is that no matter what life throws at you or how hard life gets, you always have someone that loves you. You may not know it or even know him/her, but you are loved. Like me, I know I am loved by my children, my SPA and GGS sisters, and the good lord above. Through thick and thin, you are never alone. So before you go to bed tonight, tell that special someone in your life how much you mean to them. It may be the last time you get a chance to. Goodnight everyone From Aphalicious Bliss and Have a safe and Happy Easter!

Kinda Late but never Lost!

I know I have been behind on my posts on the way I look but here I am. Catching up on week 8. It was kinda an eventful week. If it wasn't one thing it was another. Stress has been a HUGE factor for me this week. I mean I have had my nerves and stress control put to the test all week. Not in a good way either. I have even entered into over 100 giveaways to see if my luck would change and nope. Haven't won anything. I was about to just slip down into a major depressive state again. It had been that bad of a week. I have to give a special thanks to my SPA sisters for being their for me and helping me stay strong and keep my head up.

I have been trying to train a lot this past week for the Pretty Muddy Woman's Mud run. I have been super excited and counting the days till it happens. It looks awesomely fun.

With things putting my stress and body to the limit this week, my weight loss has kinda slowed down a bit but I am gonna try to boost it into over drive this next week. The awesome news is that in the 10 weeks I have been on this weight loss journey, I have lost 13 lbs :) Yeah I know If things would have been better in my eating and working out along with less stress, I would have lost more. This week I am going to try to fix that. Starting with drinking at least 125 oz of water a day, eating at least 50% of my food fresh fruits and veggies and NO SUGAR or PROCESSED FOODS! These are evil when it comes to me and my journey. All they cause is more fat on my mid-drift. The first week of April, I am taking on the no sugar challenge. Meaning for a full week, I will not eat processed foods or sugar. Focusing on the healthy eating and the better me.

I can't even begin to tell you how important it is to drink enough water. If you are trying to lose weight and you are not drinking enough water, you will end up losing weight and inches as slow as I have been. The best way to see the amount of water you are suppose to be drinking is actually a simple equation. Take your weight, divide by 2. That will equal the amount of water you need to drink. For example, if you weight 150, you will need to drink 75 oz of water a day. If you weigh 250, you will need to drink 125 oz of water a day. That is kinda my downfall. I drink between 86-135 oz a day. I am suppose to be drinking around 125oz minimum. Don't make the same mistake I make. Your body is 75% water. So it is a given you need water. Without it, your body holds on to everything to keep it hydrated. That is bad for anyone trying to lose weight.

Well here you go, My long over due week 8 picture :)

Stay strong and sweat on!

With the past week, I have fallen back onto my love of being a virtual DJ and my passion for music to pull me through and keep me strong when all seemed to fall apart. No matter what anyone says, you can surely tell a story and make you feel strong with the right mix of music. So I am gonna share a few songs that has helped me out this week.

The first song I think is for anyone who has ever been kicked to the dirt or hit rock bottom. This song is even for those who are tired of looking the way you do and are just starting on your fitness goal. You never know how good you are until you get up and try. So here iss an awesome song by Pink called Try.

This next song has made me realize that no matter how low someone puts you down, you are always gonna be a powerful person. Never let anyone tell you can't do it. If they do, look them dead in the eye and prove them wrong. You are perfect the way you are. You can do anything you want to do. So this song has been a great song to listen to when you feel all is lost and you can't go anymore. So here is Alicia Keys with Girl on Fire!

Okay I know this next one has been played a lot but you know this goes out to all the ladies out their who have ever been told that you are no good or that you could never amount to much. Well guess what, you are wonderful and are awesome. Stand up on your own 2 feet and shine like the diamond you are. Nothing says it better than Rhianna in Diamonds.

This one is an awesome tune to show you all how awesome you are. These are all awesoem tunes to workout with and to help you with any bad times you may be going through. So here you go everyone! You are golden and this song says it all. It's Gold by Britt Nicole.

Here are some songs for you ladies out their. No matter what you are going through, we women will stick together and will be their for you. No matter what. We together are each others hand up and will forever #SweatPink.
Mary J. Blige

Mary J Blige

Hope you like and remember, You are never alone. You always have a sister here who has got your back and will always give a helping hand up. Dust yourself off and get back to being you. Lots of love and hugs from Aphalicious Bliss. Enjoy the tunes :)

Long time Gone :(

I know it has been a little over a week since I have been able to post. Things have not been to well here on the home front. From computer issues to family problems. Today has been no different. My son fell off the back porch and landed on his head causing him to to go limp and quit breathing.  He was gurgling and his eyes where bugged out a bit. I have never been so scared. I started screaming for help then when I was able to get to the phone I called 911. He is okay now but it was extremely scary.

Okay now about the fitness part of it all. I have been on this fitness journey now for 2 1/2 months and the great news is, I am now 243! That is a 13 lbs loss. Talking about being super excited. I have been doing well on the food part of my diet. Eating lots of fish and chicken and avoiding processed foods. I have had a few cheat days though that I am not proud of but man those burgers were divine  *blushes*

During this time I have also come to find what my family HATES! For example, they do NOT like arugula or anything that taste like liquorish. They do however love Salmon with mushrooms and pepper sauce, home made chicken Parmesan and Turkey avocado sandwiches :) This next month is going to fab. cause I am going on a 1 week cleanse and then a 3 week power workout. Taking on a 60 day challenge to try to get in the best shape I can before June 1st when I have the honor of running in the Pretty Muddy Woman's Fun Mud Run!

Tomorrow I have to go see the doctor again and I am very nervous about it. I have been having some pain in my wrists and so Got x-rays for it. Don't know if it is from working out with the kettle bells wrong or what but it hurts. I may need to get a wrist brace for when I use it. To make sure I am not moving my wrist the wrong way.  So in the next few days, I will be doing an awesome review on the awesome new knuckle lights (these things have been wonderful to use during my evening strolls and to help me find things I dropped on the ground while running. Like my black fit bit) and I will be posting some Do's and Don't s  on formation while working out.  No one likes to get hurt while working out and heaven knows injuries always set you back. Without proper form, injury is probably gonna happen.

Work out Inspirational Wednesday Tunes!

This is for all of you who have no motivation or anyone their to root you on. Remember YOU are the MOST important person. So fight for you!



For those who love some great vocals and awesome vocals. Remember to HANG ON to your dreams and your goals.


For all my dubstep lovers out their, Here is an awesome tunage called Moments!


As a lot of you know I am a fan of dub. And this next song, the artist has a voice that just awesome. so here is some Light It


This next song I love it due to the tempo. It is awesome to time your workouts with. Can't help but Play Hard!

Week 7 Bad bad week!

This week has been a bad week. From not working out as much as I should too stress major. The good thing is, I am still eating healthy! So that is a good thing. My water intake has been cruddy this past week but I am pushing forward to fix it. This week WILL be better. I will get these inches down and I will be aiming to be at least 40 inches in my waist by the time June 1st comes around!

This week my goal is to work out 3x a day for at least 30 min each time. I know you may think that is a lot but I am going to do it! I need to release some stress and with all 3 kids at home during spring break, running is not going to happen. I will make the most of it though. I mean it isn't going to fix itself. My body that is.  I have to admit, I messed up 3x this week for not working out so, i had to add 3 IOU's to the jar. Not cool on my part. Not cool at all. Oh well, I have to work harder to earn those back :)

Today, I kinda busted up my knuckles exercising. Not good I know but I was stressed, and upset and one miss judgement and I punched the floor a little too hard. EKK. Oh well I will wrap them tomorrow during the workout and it will be all better. :)

Is what I really wanted to discuss with you guys this week is the effects that working out does to you not only physically but mentally as well.  As most of you have read in my about me. My life has never been a red of roses unless you count all the thorns then maybe It has. Well, when I started working out, I had the self- esteem of... well it wasn't very high. As I started working out and seeing a difference in my body, I noticed How happy I was and how little I was depressed. This got me wanting more. My first rest day was hard. I didn't know anything about a rest day and It showed. My depression hit me like a ton of bricks. I swore I wouldn't feel that vulnerable again.  So my rest days after haven't really been that much of a rest day but more like an easy day. Light walking, cleaning more in the house ect. Nothing major. The point I am getting at is that, working out causes your body to release things like, Endorphins, Serotonin,and Dopamine into your system giving you this euphoric feelings during and after. Meaning if you fight depression, you are less likely to suffer as bad if you are working out. I had depression bad. I mean who wouldn't if you have gone through the things I have in my life. I have only had 1, I repeat ONE spurt of depression since I started working out and eating right! This too can happen to you if you really try and get up off that couch and get going.

This weeks workout may have lacked the definition of a work out but I did notice something about myself. I wasn't really smiling all that often still. Of course when I looked in the mirror and saw how my body still looked, I wasn't too interested. I have been eating healthy and thanks to an old friend, I am smiling more. Daily encouragement, and accountability for my workouts and eating. What could be better? Well more inches of course, but you can only push your body so much without causing injury. So my goal this week is to do 30 burpees, 30 Jack knife crunches, 30 high knees, 30 butt kicks, and 30 min of cardio. On top of that, I plan to do at least 1 TABATA work out a day with exception of my rest day.  So here goes an awesome week.

Without further wait, here is week 7 picks.

MMM Yummy Faves!

Okay here are the awesome recipes I have enjoyed this week? Really hope you guys like them as much as I have :) You guys asked for them so here they are! Yummy as ever :) Gotta love the Paleo Diet!

Tuesday:

Orange Arugula Salad
4 cups arugula
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
celtic sea salt to taste

    Place arugula and oranges in a bowl
    Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with salt
    Toss and serve


Wednsday:

Salmon with Mushrooms and Red Pepper Sauce
2 large red bell peppers
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 drops stevia
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
more olive oil, for salmon
more salt, for salmon
parsley, minced
Pepper Puree

    Place peppers in a baking dish in the oven at 350°
    Roast for 10-20 minutes, until skin begins to shrivel
    Allow peppers to cool, remove stems, then slit open and remove seeds
    Place peppers, lemon juice, stevia and salt in a vitamix and puree until smooth
    Transfer pepper mixture to a small sauce pan and warm slightly

Mushroom Mixture

    Place the oil in a saute pan over medium heat
    Add the onion and saute for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms
    Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes

Salmon Preparation

    Turn oven on to 500°
    Leave the skin on the fish; rinse and pat dry with paper towel
    Place fish skin side down on a metal baking sheet
    Rub fillets liberally with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt
    Reduce oven temperature to 275°, then put sheet with salmon on lowest rack
    Roast 8 to 13 minutes –so that centers of thickest part of fillets are still translucent when cut into with a pairing knife

Assembling the Dish

    When the salmon is done place some of the red pepper puree in the center of each plate
    Place salmon on top of the puree, then spoon mushrooms onto the salmon
    Garnish with parsley
    Serve

Serves 4

Thursday:

Turkey Club Sandwich
2 thin slices Nutty Bread or Paleo Bread
smear of dijon mustard
2 slices avocado
2 pieces Romaine lettuce
2 slices roasted turkey

    Toast bread
    Smear bread with mustard and avocado
    Place lettuce on bread, then turkey slices
    Close sandwich and eat

Friday:
 Due to an appointment with a fellow runner with Mom's Run This Town, I had 6 Chick - Fil- A Chicken nuggets and a lemon water.

Saturday: (pic of before it was cooked. It was taken apart by the time I got their with the camera)

Peach Chicken
    1 whole chicken (2-3 pounds)
    ¼ cup grapeseed oil
    1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
    6 peaches, quartered
    4 shallots, halved
    6 sprigs fresh thyme

    Rinse off the chicken, pat dry, then place in a large baking dish
    Rub with oil, season with salt, then scatter peaches, shallots and thyme around the chicken
    Roast at 400° for 60 to 90 minutes.
    Serve with peaches and pan sauce

Tonight:

 Chicken Parmesan
    4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (1 to 1½ lbs total)
    2 cups blanched almond flour
    2 eggs, whisked
    6 tablespoons salted butter
    2 (7 ounce) bottles Bionaturæ Organic Tomato Paste
    2 cups water
    1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
    6 cloves garlic, sliced
    16 ounces mozzarella cheese

    Cut chicken breasts in half for thinner cutlets; pat dry
    Dip cutlets in egg, let excess run off then coat with almond flour
    Melt butter over medium heat; then sauté chicken cutlets until deep golden brown on both sides
    Remove chicken and drain on paper towel
    For tomato sauce combine tomato paste, water, Herbes de Provence and garlic in a pan; simmer for 15 minutes
    Place ½ cup tomato sauce on bottom of a 7 x 11 inch baking dish
    Spread cutlets out in a single layer; cover with remaining tomato sauce, then layer with mozzarella
    Bake at 400° for 10 minutes
Topped with Gluten Free Noodles!

NUUN Review!

This past week, I have not really been feeling well. All of us have been sick and just passing it around. So Dehydration had been wreaking havok. Well, I was hoping to be well when I tried these and reviewed, but it seems that my body had other plans.

Well, I recently received 2 tubes of NUUN and I was supper excited. Well then we all started getting ill and dehydration became a threat. Well, after downing 3 bottles of water and it still wasn't helping, I decided to try the NUUN to see if it would help. Let me tell you, it works in the hydration department! I know this stuff wasn't made for it but hey It helped us out a lot! When I first opened the tube, I could definitely smell the vitamins. (Warning, don't stick your nose close to the cube and inhale quickly. It does burn when you get the little particles in your nose quickly) *Learned this from experience*

My son particularly loved seeing it when I dropped it into the glass and it started to bubble and dance across the bottom. Which was good cause I felt horrible enough having my 3 yr old laugh at me for doing what I knew better not to do. I mean I wanted to smell it but with my nose stuffy, I stuck my nose almost into the tube to try to smell. lol.

Well that is enough about my major blonde moment their lol. The tab kinda reminded me of an alka seltzer the way it bubbles. When the tab was finished dissolving, you could smell the fruit in it. The taste was a little bit different. I thought it would be bitter with all the citrus but it wasn't. I even thought it would be super sweet like the Gatorade powder and it wasn't. It flavored the water just enough to give it a tangy fruity taste.  All in all, it did what the website said it would do. Plus some.

I do recommend this product to every one out their that works out and/ or runs and needs that extra Hydration. If it can help me while being ill, better than Gatorade ever could, then it definitely could help anyone else who needs it!

Health and Fitness GroupGiveaway!!

    I teamed up with 10 other health and fitness bloggers, and we decided to work together to put on a health and fitness themed group giveaway for you all! It's March, and I think everyone is itching for Spring. Well, we can't do much to hurry along mother nature, but why not enjoy this time between winter and spring with some health and fitness goodies? With lots of great prizes and friendly blogs to check out, this is a post you'll want to bookmark ;)                                   Jenny from Metamorfit is giving away a pair of Feetures Elite socks. Jenny had this to say about the Elite socks, "People, when I put these socks on they gripped my foot. Like a mother holding her child's hand through a busy parking lot. They grabbed on and didn't let go. It was awesome. Normally in Spinning I am always messing around with my toes in my shoes because the top of the socks bunch up, and by the end of class my socks are just drenched with sweat. I thought that was how it was supposed to be. But guess what...IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE!!"     Kelly from Leafy Not Beefy is giving away 3 Tractivity bundles. Kelly likes Tractivity because, "A small, noninterfering way to keep track of calories, steps, mileage, and more, and anyone can use it" Cheri from Fitness Shake-Up is giving away Shakeology samples, a booklet, and a blender cup. She says "*I'm a Diamond Beachbody Coach and I cannot say enough positive things about Shakeology. It's a delicious shake full of super-foods, vitamins and nutrients that you replace either breakfast or lunch with daily. It curbs your appetite, increases your energy and helps you live a healthy life."   Laura from FitRunningMama is adding a RunningDiva's grey size M long sleeved "Marathon Mom" shirt. She says, "Running Diva's is a great company that makes clothing for women who enjoy living and flaunting their active lifestyles. Their tops are all soft and extremely comfortable. (American Apparel).   Debbie from HealthyRunningMom is showering some sparkle on someone with a glittery gold headband. "An adorable gold sparkly headband 3/8" thick with adjustable band. The headband has velour inside so it won't slip while wearing. It's gold & glittery to make you feel great while wearing!"     Allison from Aphalicious Bliss is giving away some EnergyBits. She says, "They are a very healthy snack to add to your meals for added protein and after a workout. They are only 1 cal per bit."     Maralana is giving away a 2-wk supply of Body By VI shakes. "BBV is a nutritional shake that can be used to lose weight, gain weight, nutrional support and so much more. It helped me lose 65lbs this past year. We are helping to battle obesity with the 'Shake that Taste like Cake"   Joanna fom Sports Bras and Sippy Cups is contributing a $100 Vitacost.com Gift Card. "Vitacost.com is by far my favorite place to shop for supplements and even my specialty food items! They have all the top brands for discount vitamins, supplements, whole foods, health foods and sports nutrition online. With Vitacost.com, you get such a wide variety of products to choose from at super-low prices.There is no need to shop around, with Vitacost you have everything at your fingertips literally! They offer over 2,000 of the top, most-trusted natural brands, diet foods and healthy living essentials-the very best nutritional supplements, whole foods and sports nutrition-at discount prices, up to 50% off. And they deliver them right to your door for FREE if your order totals $49 or more. Otherwise, shipping is just a small, flat-rate fee of $4.99, no matter how big the box. More than just vitamins Vitacost.com has the best selection of health foods and snacks, bath and body products, natural household supplies, baby care essentials--plus, of course, discount vitamins, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition supplements and other formulas for your nutritional needs. You'll find nearly 40,000 products that help you care for yourself, your family, your pets and your home. Get up to 50% off health and beauty products, vitamins, nutritional supplements,health foods and whole food products. Be sure to check out their exclusive Vitacost brand discount vitamins, CSI skin care line and Best of All healthy snacks--featuring the same or better quality as leading brands, without the high price tags. Vitacost takes the cost out of healthy living.   Cerissa from CerissaBFit is gifting someone with the Beachbody workout program Hip Hop Abs. She describes, "Hip Hop Abs is a 30-day, dance-based in-home fitness program designed to help you burn fat and sculpt flat sexy abs with workouts built on dancing and having fun. Defining head-turning abs without a single crunch or sit-up." Jen from Marathon Mom is donating a 5k/10k 8-week training program to a lucky winner! (can upgrade to any program for 1/2 price). She says, "Working with a running coach is a great way to have extra motivation and push yourself to do more then you thought possible. I have coached 100s of runners at all levels since 2008 and am RRCA certified and NASM CPT. I want to share my love of running with others and being a coach allows me to do that."   And Melissa from Melissa Running It is giving away a $25 GoSportID gift card plus 1 Motivation Pack bands. "I love my Go Sport ID. It is a customizable bracelet that provides first responders with critical information while serving as a visual motivator to help you dig deep when you want to quit. Why is my Go Sport ID my non-negotiable item every time I head out? A few years ago, I had a friend who went out for a swim and died when she suffered a massive heart attack. It took officials a day and a half to identify her. It seems like we hear more and more about runners being hit while out on the road. I do what I can to stay safe. I usually bring my phone with me, let the hubs know where I'll be running and who I'll be with. My Go Sport ID may not keep me out of harms way, but if something were to happen, medics would know my blood type, my history of asthma, and how to reach my family. On the fun side, since you can customize your bracelet, it's great to have a phrase to focus on when you want to quit. Also, with interchangeable bands, you can match your bracelet to your outfit and they just came out with sparkly bands & a their limited edition motivation pack that you can win! A girls gotta have her priorities in order when she sweats pink, right? Run hard, but be safe."   So here are pictures of the "loot". There will be 13 winners - 1 for each prize being given away.   Rafflecopter giveaway *Must be 18 or older to enter. US only.