Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Finding what helps your body function best!

Sometimes its hard for me to believe that a piece of food can make you feel just awful. Yesterday I ate a lot more dairy than I normally eat and honestly I was anxious and I felt miserable. I made my protein smoothie with milk and yogurt and I believe that was the reason I felt so anxious. So now I am sticking to my almond milk smoothies! Here are the basics for a great smoothie that makes you feel good:

Almond Milk (unsweetened)
Bananas
Whey Powder
Frozen Strawberries, Rasberries, Blueberries, or Blackberries

Blend these together and you are sure to get a yummy treat that makes you feel good!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Creating a Healthy Body

My blog is about helping teenagers achieve a healthy lifestyle. But I am finding it's extremely hard to know what is healthy because everyone has a different opinion. And everyone has a different way of achieving a goal. Yesterday I was so super excited because I bought this book 'The Abs Diet'. And I was so happy because I was like 'Yes! A roadmap to get abs! I will have abs by the time I am in Hawaii, no problem.' But then I started to read and analyze what I was reading. I really like the author's food outline. I love having a plan and he gives you one, which is awesome. But he includes a lot of diary products which I normally don't eat as much of because my sister has a dairy intolerance. So then this made me think is this why I haven't had the exact results I wanted? But doesn't diary make you bloat? I am trying to find the most effective way to get abs, not just for me, but for everyone. I want abs without stressing myself out. As I kept reading the workouts weren't very intense. I am at a higher level than the workouts he is suggesting, so do I do his and go backwards? These are the questions that are constantly bothering me. And I don't want anyone to stress themselves out because they are questioning my knowledge. Trust me I will question myself more then any prosecuting attorney would. This week TeenSanity is going to try new things and create workouts and food plans that will be so thought out you don't have to do the questioning because I already have. It's hard to create a healthy lifestyle when you are surrounded by teenagers who would prefer to eat chips and watch television than drink V8 and go running. That's why I am here. You are not the only one trying to live a healthy life as a teenager. My goal (as lame as it may sound) is to make being healthy "cool." And this week I want to help everyone create a roadmap for them self to a healthy lifestyle and body. I am doing this too. I know it's not easy and overwhelming, but it's a lot easier when you know others are struggling too. So let's go try to get abs, I don't know what will happen, but we sure will find out. It's a journey and I don't know where we are going to end up, but I know it's going to be okay and whether it takes us months, years, or a week we are all together going to lead a healthy life no matter what struggles or bumps in the road we may face.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Update on Abs

There is so much information out there it's hard to know what to do. I really want abs, but I am honestly having trouble reaching my goal. My school is taking me to Hawaii in a month and I seriously need to take some action. I trying to figure out the best way to get abs and the fastest. For a week, I cut out nuts and peanut butter, which were a huge part of my daily foods because of their high fat content. But I realized that was a mistake because those fats were good for me and I found myself picking on things because I wasn't satisfied. Starting Monday I am going to perfect my diet and a more specific exercise plan! I will share this plan with you and you can try it if you wish! Get ready to get abs!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving Survival Guide

Tomorrow is the day where people think it's okay to overeat and stuff your face till your about to puke. I don't. Yes it is Thanksgiving, but that's not an excuse anymore. Overeating is not an option! Here are my Thanksgiving Tips:
1. Do not skip any meals. If you do you will overeat. Your body is going to be so hungry, its going to eat anything in sight!  Eat breakfast and a snack before you eat Thanksgiving dinner. I know I am going to make a protein smoothie for breakfast and eat a banana as a snack.
2. Don't overeat! I know Thanksgiving is the holiday to overeat. But that's just an excuse and you really shouldn't. Eat in moderation. Don't overstuff you plate. Take a normal serving size of each dish you feel is the healthiest. And if there is a dish that is not the healthy, but you love, just take a tasting. Pick the dishes that are packed with protein and low in fat. Turkey is a great source of protein and sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin a and have more fiber than oatmeal.
3. Skip the appetizers. Appetizers are commonly high in unhealthy fats and carbs. If you eat a bunch of appetizers and then a whole meal, that's not good. Instead if there is a vegetable platter munch on that or bring a dish that you can snack on without increasing your waistline.
4. I know the best part of Thanksgiving are the desserts. I love them too. What I am planning to do is share a dessert. I know if I don't have any dessert I won't be happy on Thanksgiving. So instead I am going to have a small dessert just to satisfy my cravings.
5. Don't skip your everyday workout. Just because it's a holiday isn't a good enough excuse to skip your workout routine. If you don't feel like getting all sweaty then take a walk with your family. Be active! Working out is essential in feeling good. Even if you can't do your full routine, try to make sometime to get some exercise!

I hope these tips help! Have a Happy and HEALTHY Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Protein Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin

 I will let you know that I am not a chef, but I try, and every once in awhile I come up with something delicious! I love chocolate, but I try not to eat too much because of the fat content. My new cooking obsession is adding protein powder to everything! This morning I made protein multigrain pancakes! Last week I was craving muffins, which normally isn't a good thing to crave. But I wanted to make a muffin into something that wasn't the worst thing for me! This is the best version I could come up with! I know it is not the healthiest, but it is better than a regular muffin! So here is my recipe:

Protein-Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins by TeenSanity

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of white sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 cup of mashed bananas
2/3 cup of canola oil
1 egg beaten
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
4 (or more) scoops of Trader Joe's Whey Chocolate Protein Powder
Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix together and Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees!

Enjoy:)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

New Favorite Fitness Equipment

GO BUY A MEDICINE BALL! I am actually having an intense burning sensation during my workout. Before I reached a point in my workouts where I thought they weren't going to get anymore intense, but now with the medicine ball my workouts have drastically changed. With a new change in my workouts, I am setting a goal for myself. In January I will be going to Hawaii and by that time my goal is to have visible abs. My favorite fitness company, Warrior Dynamics, is helping me reach this goal. Without the help of Warrior Dynamics I would not be where I am today. With Warrior Dynamics screaming in my face, today, I was able to achieve 500 crunches with an eight pound medicine ball and 150 regular crunches. If you can't have a trainer or work out with a professional fitness company, get a workout buddy. But make sure your fitness buddy actually pushes you. You don't want a workout buddy who just wants to sit around and chat. You want someone that will make you want to improve and workout really hard! I personally try to workout with people who are stronger than me and more advanced, that way I push myself to be as good as them. I highly recommend finding someone who will push you to your limits. That is why I workout with Warrior Dynamics because this company pushes me to my limits!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Update on Gluten Free

I can honestly say I tried to be gluten free for TWO WHOLE DAYS then I couldn't do it anymore. Even though some of the gluten free alternatives tasted okay. When your on a "diet" you feel like you want to rebel and that's what happened to me. So now I am back to eating healthy foods that do contain gluten. Today I am making multigrain-protein banana chocolate chip muffins that I invented. I will give you all the recipe if they taste good. I recommend people try being gluten free and see if you feel better, but if you eat  100% whole wheat and multigrain foods you still are eating healthy.  Try new healthy foods, so you don't get bored and want to rebel!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Gluten Free/ Fitness Videos

This week I am attempting a gluten free diet. I want to see if it makes me feel better then when I am eating gluten. My sister is gluten free and I wanted to try to see what it is like. So far I have found myself eating less carbs because I am honestly afraid to try some of the products. Hopefully by the end of the week I will be loving gluten free alternatives. What I have found is that a lot of the gluten free items are healthier and sometimes contain less calories. For example my brown rice pasta has only 200 calories per cup! I also wanted to mention I am attempting to make some fitness videos for the teenagers of the world! Right now I am perfecting my technique that way I teach you the correct and proper form. I also hate watching myself on film so this is slowing down the process. If there is any workouts or body parts you want to tone and you want me to show you how, just let me know! I am in the process of attempting to get abs and I hope to share with you all my tricks to getting the best abs. (hopefully this won't take too long) I will keep you all posted!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Is a chicken caesar salad wrap healthy?

This was the question I had a heated discussion with a friend on. His opinion 'yes this is healthy except for the dressing.' My opinion was 'No you can find healthier alternatives.' So I wanted to see who was right. While researching I found mixed reviews. Some thought it was healthy, but that was when the sandwich contained low-fat Kraft caesar dressing. To me that isn't healthy at all! To make the dressing 'low fat' it's made with tons of chemicals I can't pronounce. So I went to livestrong.com where I saw a diagram that showed 60% of a chicken caesar salad wrap was fat. With more than half the wrap containing fat, I decided that this was not something I will be eating. The sandwich/wrap is most likely to be made with white flour and I think everyone should eat whole wheat bread, white bread is not good for you! Whole wheat bread has a lot more fiber than white bread and we all need fiber! Instead livestrong.com listed some healthy alternatives that seemed just as yummy with less fat. Check out livestrong.com it has some really interesting food facts and recommendations!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Live and Learn

This past week I have lived and learned. I have learned how easy it is to do something incorrect in fitness and think your working out when your not. For me, I learned that I was doing crunches wrong and really the problem was I didn't want to admit I didn't have core strength. So for the past six months I tried to convince myself that I had core strength by doing crunches wrong. If I was honest with myself and admitted that I was doing it wrong, then I could have fixed the problem and have had stronger core strength by now! So here is my lesson for today: Make sure you are doing fitness exercises correctly because if you are not then you are not truly working out!