What To Do With Your Exercise Ball

Did you buy one of those exercise balls thinking you would use it all the time? Let me guess, it is probably sitting in the closet.  Well it's time to take it out and put it to good use to get your six pack abs! Read this article!  Here is the link:

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/how-to-use-an-exercise-ball-to-get-six-pack-abs

Low Calorie Chocolate Recipe

Here is an awesome low calorie chocolate recipe! Yes these do exist!  One serving of this is 3/4 of a cup and only has 220 calories.  The key here is to measure out the exact serving size because it will be easy to eat more!  To make sure you don't have any extra, my recommendation is to measure it out and put it in snack bags.  This way when you go to eat it, just grab a bag and know you can only have that much! 

Here is the recipe for "Chocolate Crunch"

Crunchy wheat cereal, pretzels and almonds coated in bittersweet chocolate makes an addictive sweet-salty snack.

 



Makes: 4 servings, about 3/4 cup each

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat Chex cereal, (2 ounces)

1 cup pretzel sticks broken in half, (2 ounces)

1/4 cup roasted almonds, (2 1/2 ounces)

3 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

 

Preparation:

Combine Chex, pretzels and almonds in a medium bowl. Drizzle with melted chocolate; stir to combine. Spread the mixture on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tip: To melt chocolate: Microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium in 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Or place in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.

How to Lose That Unwanted Back Fat!

Have you been trying to lose your back fat for a long time and just don't know what will do the trick?  Read this article and take this advice! I bet you will see the results you want! 

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/how-to-lose-back-fat-quick

What to Eat Before and After a Workout

You've probably heard a million different stories as to what you should be eating before and after your workout.  Maybe you're not even eating before your workout at all!  Read my article and see what you should be doing!

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/what-to-eat-before-and-after-a-pageant-workout

Why You Should Be Drinking More Water

Want to know why you should be drinking more water? Read my article!!

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/why-you-should-be-drinking-water-when-preparing-for-swimsuit

(I know it talks about pageant girls and their swimsuit competition, but it is for EVERYONE!!)

This article talks about why you should be drinking more water, how much to drink, and the health benefits of water. 

Scroll down to my name and photo at the bottom of the page of my article and click my posts and see all of the other articles I have written about fitness and nutrition! 

Exercises to Tone Your Thighs!

Here is another article that I wrote for my internship with The Pageant Planet!  Like I said before, even though these are on a pageant website, they are for EVERYONE to read!  Do these exercises at home! 

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/how-to-tone-thighs-so-they-are-swimsuit-ready

Yoga Exercises!

For the last 2 weeks I have been going to something called "hot yoga" classes.  Hot yoga is just a regular yoga class, but the room is between 80 and 90 degrees!  It is definitely a great workout.  If you aren't able to make it to a yoga class but would like to do a relaxing workout, put on some yoga music from itunes or even nature and ocean sounds while doing these moves!  Here is the link to my article on 5 basic yoga moves!

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/5-basic-yoga-moves-to-help-you-win-your-next-pageant

Easy Ab Exercises!

As many of you know, I am an intern for The Pageant Planet!  I am the "Queen of Fitness" and am so honored to be writing about healthy diets and exercises for not only pageant girls, but EVERYONE!  I would like to share the articles I write on this blog as well!  Here are some easy ab exercises that mainly target your lower abs.  Be sure to try them!

Here is the link to my article:

http://www.thepageantplanet.com/the-5-easiest-ab-exercises-to-get-pageant-ready

Last Live Healthy America Class!

Unfortunately this past week was the last Live Healthy America class.  My students were so sad and so was I.  I looked back and realized how much these children have learned, and I smiled because I was the one that taught them all of this amazing information.  I can only hope that they will continue to cook and eat healthy because of this program.  We spent the class reflecting on each lesson we had learned over the year.  I asked students to tell me key points from each lesson and why they enjoyed the lesson.  To celebrate the last class, we made chili.  This was a huge hit with all of the students! The recipe is posted below!

 

 

 

Each student wrote me a card as a way to say goodbye and thank you.  I read each and everyone of these and appreciated them so much!  I had noticed that a lot of them said I was "cool" and "smart" and that I had helped them learn a lot.  It was so amazing to know that these students had truly enjoyed my presence each and every week.  One last thing that will stay with me forever was when I was teaching, I asked the students if they were sad that our Live Healthy America classes were ending.  One of my students said, "I am sad that you are leaving, we will always remember this stuff but we won't always have you."  I tried not to tear up as I heard her say that.  It felt so great to know that I had made a difference in their life and that I was able to be a role model to them.  After that, when I was passing out our food, all of the students kept telling me that they thought I was "so cool" and that they would miss me.  I am crying as I write this because I truly miss them as well.  All of the classes I taught will forever be a part of my life and there will not be a day where I don't think about all the amazing students that have touched my life.

As for the end of this program and graduation from Ohio University, I will still continue my Live Healthy America lessons, just in a different way.  This summer I will be teaching lessons to people of all ages.  Girl scout groups to Lions Club meetings are on my agenda to speak about my personal platform and teach people how to live healthy lives!

Live Healthy America- Mexico!

My students loved learning about Mexico this week!  Many of them said they have eaten at Mexican restaurants lately and were excited to make our recipe!  We pointed out Mexico on the map and then learned facts about Mexico.  Chili peppers are popular there and protect against bacterial infections common in hot climates.  The active ingredient kills harmful germs/ bacteria in the intestines.  Corn tortillas are an important part of the Mexican diet and are traditionally eaten with rice and beans.  Guacamole is a popular way to serve avocados.  A mexican cooking tool is a tortillera.  A tortilla is made when a ball of dough is pressed between the two plates of the tortillera.  We also learned about Los Dias de los Muertos, also known as the day of the dead.  It is a Mexican celebration to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have passed away.  This is a very happy holiday and is celebrated with remembrance and joy.  On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decoration of papel picado (paper decorations) and flowers, candy calaveras (skeletons and skulls) and parades.  The recipe we made was frijoles and tortillas.  Enjoy!