Only a few more days until we take the tape back out and measure you up! I hope you have been working on your cardio and strength, but even if you weren't as spot on as you had hoped, I encourage you to measure and test; take those pictures! Just see the difference and maybe find a little motivation to go one step further!
Today, I am posting the final ab video. Again, there are five movements, which should each be completed for 30-60 seconds five times. I apologize for lack of a full film. My phone does not allow me to upload full films, I guess. Some people had trouble watching my last one, so I went back to the explaining version. Though they are quick explanations, you can always pause the film or write each exercise down before doing the sets on your own!
A few weeks ago, my girlfriends and I went to see Katy Perry perform in Portland, Oregon. While in town, we ate at PF Chang's, my sister's favorite restaurant. We ordered the lettuce wraps, but as I looked down at the wrap, I couldn't help but notice all of the grease dripping off from the tip. Could this really be the healthiest option?
This week, I have found a healthy lettuce wrap, which is gluten- and dairy-free (celiacs, rejoice!).
1 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil, such as Canola or Vegetable
1/2 pound ground chicken breast
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
Minced fresh chilies or jalapeno – more or less depending on how hot you like it
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 lime juiced
1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce
1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated into “cups”
1 handful of cilantro & mint, cut into finally chopped
DIRECTIONS
Heat a wok (or large saute pan) over high heat. When hot, swirl 1
tablespoon of oil and add the ground chicken. Use your spatula to break
up the meat and spread out of the surface of the pan. Cook until
browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Push the ground chicken to one side of the pan and swirl the
remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. To the oil, add the shallots, red
onion, garlic, and fresh chilies and saute until fragrant, about 30-60
seconds. Add fish sauce, lime juice and gluten-free soy sauce.
Serve with lettuce cups and herbs.
Enjoy!
Welcome to week 3! You have made it this far! This is a good week to check in. Re-weigh yourself, take your measurements, get some halfway photos!
A few people requested I do the full exercise in the video, so this week, you will find 30 seconds of each movement in the video. There are only five movements, each done for 30-60 seconds. Make sure you do the exercises three times with a minute break in between!
Wednesday is the first of the month! Let's try a real challenge: For the first three days of the month (Wednesday-Friday), I challenge you to give up all processed foods and white sugar. Increase your intake of water, fruits and vegetables. If you get a really bad craving for sugar and just cannot stay strong, drink a glass of milk. This should help curb your cravings!
As always, here is the suggested recipe for the week. It is getting colder out due to the new season, so here is an incredible paleo chili recipe I made last week; honestly, it tasted phenomenal! I highly recommend you give it a try!
Heat your cooking fat in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot.
Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the
garlic and thyme and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring.
Add
the carrots and sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until gently
browned. Add the bone broth and sea salt and bring to a boil, cover and
then simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a skillet until thoroughly cooked throughout and browned. Set aside.
When
the vegetables are finished, add the ground beef and stir to combine.
Continue cooking for another 15 minutes covered at a simmer. Serve each
bowl garnished with avocado slices and fresh parsley.
One week done! Onto week 2. I hope you are all feeling terrific and really focusing on what you are putting into your body and how you are promoting strong abdominals in your activities of daily life.
I have new exercises for you this week. Last week, a few people came to me and commented that they didn't know how they were supposed to perform the last group of exercises. In the video, to keep it short, I show you each movement and the basics of how to do them. After you know what you are doing, pause the video and perform one set of each of the movements for 30-60seconds/movement. It should take between 2:30-5 minutes total. After you finish, rest for thirty seconds and repeat the set. Please remember: This is your workout. Only perform the movement for the amount of time that you can keep proper form. Also, take breaks and grab water if you need it. If you want to make it more challenging, come to a class! If you have pain associated with any of these exercises, either modify or substitute for another exercise. Sometimes, it is difficult to find an exercise that works the same muscles if you need to substitute. Feel free to email me and I can send you some suggestions: pureawesomenesspilates@gmail.com.
Try to add 10-15 additional minutes of cardio to your current activity every day. Remember, always strive to improve!
Food wise: Did you know that almonds help decrease belly fat? They fill you up with healthy fats that help burn flab and build muscle! Here's a recipe from Self.com that helps promote flat abs. This specific recipe only makes one serving, so if you are making it for more than yourself, be sure to multiply the recipe.
Black Bean and Almond Pesto Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup packed fresh basil
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons canned black beans
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons extra light olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 oz)
1/2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup cooked brown rice (left over from Tuesday's dinner)
PREPARATION
In a mini-chopper, blend basil, almonds, beans,
garlic, 1 tsp oil and 1/8 tsp salt until mixture is combined but chunky.
Heat oven to 400°. Heat a small ovensafe skillet over high heat. Add
remaining1 tsp oil. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/8 tsp salt. Cook
chicken until it browns, 2 to 3 minutes. Move chicken to one side; add
zucchini and tomatoes. Top chicken and vegetables with pesto. Cover and
bake until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool 5 minutes,
then slice chicken. Place rice in an airtight container; top with
chicken and vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready
to eat, microwave on high 2 to 3 minutes.
As most of my friends and family were dreaming of Candy Land and boxes full of kittens, I lay staring up at my ceiling thinking of the leg underneath my cast, throbbing so hard that I swore the cast would soon break off from the force of the swelling. I needed to take my mind off of the pain, so I decided to give into social media and get a Twitter account.*https://twitter.com/ashtrisharder
I don't like clutter, so I was picky when choosing who to follow. After settling on my sister, a few friends and a slew of triathletes I admire, I decided I would also follow a few health and exercise sites, since that is my profession. Soon after deciding to follow Men's Health, they posted an article titled: 100 Hottest Women of All Time (http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/hottest-women-all-time). I began to wonder to myself, "What do men consider to be beautiful?" I expected to see women like Heidi Klum and Natalie Portman, but was also surprised by many names on the list. Some women were classic beauties, other names I had never heard of. As I scrolled through the photos, it came to my attention that none of these women could fit into one definition of the word beauty. Each was so uniquely beautiful in her own way. Cameron Diaz and her legs. Shakira and her hips. Audrey Hepburn and her poise. Jennifer Aniston and her hair. Kim Novak and her mystery.
So often, women are told they must look a certain way or wear a certain product to be considered beautiful. When single, often women assume it's because men don't find them physically attractive, so they get makeovers or work extra hard to curl their hair just right. Mamma and Pappa will always find their daughter to be beautiful, but will anyone else? Are some women just blessed in other ways so they miss out on the Barbie figure and clear complexion?
In my final year of college, I was sick and tired of my butt. My entire life, I had dragged this ghetto booty around on a white girl's body. It was a thorn in my side and I was embarrassed by it. I would try to draw attention away from it and would always wear board shorts to the beach or swimming pool. For 22 years, I despised my bottom half. Once after a hard day of classes, I walked up the stairs to my dorm room and noticed some flowers outside of my door with a letter pinned to them. It was from my boyfriend Jonah.
Jonah adored me and he reminded me daily of how beautiful I was. Every time he would shower me with a compliment, I would take out a huge rifle and shoot it down. "You have an amazing body, Ash," or "I love your smile," were some of the compliments he would pay me.
"No, my butt is huge," or "But I have this crooked tooth," I would say back.
He was sick of hearing me complain about my "imperfections" and we got in a big fight about it, after which, he drove away angry and I was left in my bed crying. I was not surprised to see the flowers when I returned home the next evening. Jonah always went above and beyond to make me feel special after an argument. I opened the envelope and read the card. He was pleading me to recognize my stunning beauty and be confidant in who I was. He claimed it hurt him when I would not accept compliments and thought I was too fat or not good enough.
Inside the card was taped an ad from an airline magazine. Two shots of the same woman in tight jeans stood on each half of the torn out paper. On the left, the woman had a flat butt, however on the right, she had inserted a butt implant which had lifted and shaped her gluteal region. It was undeniable that the woman looked much better after the implant than she did before. Underneath, Jonah had scrawled, "See? Women pay hundreds of dollars to have a butt like you already have."
I cannot say that was a defining moment for me, where I realized my own beauty and never was ashamed of my badonkadonk again; however, I can say that I posted the magazine ad on my chalkboard and gradually began to appreciate the roundness of my behind.
We were beautifully and wonderfully knit together in our mother's womb. We are all exceptionally gorgeous individuals. Maybe we don't have Cameron's legs, Shakira's hips, Audrey's poise, Jennifer's smile or Kim's mystery, but we have our own legs, hips, poise, smile and mystery. Even though you may not look like Grace Kelly and may never catch the eye of Adam Levine, you have your own individual charm and will attract the perfect man's eye at the right time.
Not everyone will think you are beautiful; I have had men and women tell me I do not match their definition of beauty. There is one actress who several men have dubbed their perfect woman who I do not find attractive in the slightest. Do not be discouraged when someone tries to push you down for being too skinny or having bug eyes. One day, someone is going to love you for that exact characteristic. Be proud of the woman who you are, respect your body and hold yourself with confidence and poise. I promise you, at this very moment, someone is sitting dreaming of how beautiful you are.
