Monthly Archives: March 2019

Friday fitness – week 2! Pickin’ up sticks

Posted on March 29, 2019 by erikamae82

How’d the stairs treat ya… better yet, how did you treat the stairs? Hopefully it got your heart rate up and your legs a little wobbly. More than anything, I would love to know that it kick started the fitness wheel for you and now it’s rolling!

This week I’m introducing one of my favorite tricks to sneak in a few extra moments that burns calories and maintains strength. Like any other activity, it only works if you do it!

I used pop-cycle sticks, you can find these in the art section of any store that has an art section. Note: I don’t suggest going to the freezer aisle and buying a jumbo pack of fudge-cycles to eat and save the sticks, it made me sick.

Feel free to change the number amount of each movement to better suit your fitness level.

There’s 2 ways I find this little dandy works best for me.

1. On a day off around the house or while you’re getting ready for work, set a timer for every 30 (or 15 or 45) minutes. Every time it sounds, grab a stick or 3 and have at it! This dilutes the overwhelming task and doesn’t consume your entire morning or evening.

2. Set a timer for 30 minutes (or 15 or an hour) and plow through as many sticks as you can!

Another idea (that I rarely do but love it when I do) is to partner up! Find a friend and take turns pulling sticks. A bit more entertaining when you’re either wishing for an easy one or watching your partner endure a hard one!

Write this down and prop it up next to your stick jar!

-“everyone works out when they want to, determined people do it even when they don’t want to“!

Last week we practiced portion control by being more aware of the nutrition facts and quantity suggested per serving. Continuing on that track, this week start by looking at the ingredients. If there are more than 6 ingredients or anything you can’t pronounce (properly) then don’t even waste your time with the serving size… just put it back and find something else.

Let’s try keeping our food intake as close to its natural state as possible. If you’re in a hurry and starving at a gas station, reach for the bag of nuts or fruit verses the yogurt covered pretzels, “baked” chips or trail mix. Sure those options sound healthier than a Butterfinger, but look at the ingredients, it can be so deceiving!

This weeks homework:

1. Create your collection of sticks with a variety of workouts and use them!

2. Read the ingredients before looking at the nutrition facts. Less is more!

Wrapping up our lifestyle changes so far:

1. Use the stairs every chance you get!

2. Stick to the single serving amount or less.

3. Play with pop-cycle sticks and actually use them!

4. Consume products that are closest to their original state!

Have you taken your original starting picture? I hope so because next week we take another one!

I’ll have to admit this past week has been a struggle for me with family in town and a thousand mile road trip to see more family! Here’s a sneak preview of the love Shanti has been surrounded with! Next post, family adventures!

Categories: Edibles!, Fitness, Fitness Friday’s!, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fitness Friday – week 1!

Posted on March 17, 2019 by erikamae82

I walked into the gym feeling the way maybe a 30 year old would feel on the first day back to school – collage, teacher, desk, notebook… got it. Gym, treadmill, weights, machines… got it, now what? I’ll have to admit I was ready to post this first workout like a champ from the fitness center, but something changed the moment I walked into the gym. For what it’s worth I laughed when I did an about face. I didn’t even fake like I left something in my car or got a sudden stomach bug, I just laughed like I had lost my mind and walked out.

Needless to say this lead me to the perfect beginning place, a quiet empty space in which I had nowhere to go but up, literally. The stairwell! We’re currently living in a 19 story high-rise building that has a small gym and also an inviting set of steps that has become my new best friend.

Reasons I love stairs

1. You’re going somewhere (no thanks to you treadmills).

2. It’s super for the legs without destroying your knees or lower back.

3. You can vary the workout! I’ll sprint up one flight for cardio, skip a step with slow movements for a butt burn or stay on my toes for a calf tightening.

4. Nobody is standing there waiting for you to finish so they can do it.

So this week my physical challenge to you is to find stairs. The local school stadium, a nearby hotel, the mall, the park, etc. they’re out there, just look! If you live in a cow town and the only steps you have are the 6 leading up to the library, use them! I’ve also taken every chance to use stairs even when there’s an escalator or elevator available. If you want an extra challenge, incorporate some movements at the bottom or top of the climb. I did this in an airport back in Da Nang, Vietnam (while waiting for my flight to Ho Chi Minh) .

Food, we gotta eat! This subject is tricky since it seems these day there are uncountable amounts of diets, ideas and theories. None of that, too much of this, avoid those, eat that but only if it’s prepared this way…. it’s endless! I’m going to keep it general this week and invite you into the world of portion control. No matter what your diet might be, let’s pay attention to the quantity.

Just because they’re organic, whole grain, sugar free and tasteless (not a typo) doesn’t mean you should eat them by the buckets. If it’s 100 calories per serving and 10 pieces is a serving and there’s 6 servings per container, guess what… if you sit and watch Netflix while finishing the box of your “healthy” snack, you’ve consumed a solid amount of your daily caloric intake. A trainer once told me, “just because it’s a gluten free donut doesn’t mean it’s not a donut”. (This was after I was trying to justify my dairy free frozen treat).

Here’s a prime example – I found an “all natural vanilla” because it appears innocent and sounds like a decent choice (I know ice cream shouldn’t really be in a “diet” but for those of you who like your desserts, this is for you). Let’s look at the label:

Without even analyzing the actual “nutrition facts”, start by looking at the serving size. It’s an itty bitty 1/2 cup. Not a bowl, not even a coffee cup size but a half of a measured cup. If you’re not a baker, go get a real measuring device and see what your serving of ice cream really looks like. Then look at the label again, 12 servings!! So if you finish this dandy container over the weekend, you’ve consumed 1,560 calories – 720 of those are from fat and 168 grams of sugar! Thats 6x the amount of sugar you’re generally supposed to max out at per day… total! (You should gasp in disbelief here).

Point is, be aware of what you’re eating. Put a proper portion (or less) on your plate, then enjoy. Don’t invite the temptation for just a few more. This especially includes eating out. Try ordering your meal with a to-go box. If you feel like a nerd doing this, just remind yourself that whoever is judging you is either A- jealous that they don’t have the willpower or B- impressed that you do. When the dish comes, keep a healthy portion on your plate and put the rest in the box for later. DO NOT go for the doggy bag while in the restaurant, you’re not starving nor will your leftovers dissolve before getting to finish them. You can do it!

This weeks HOMEWORK:

1. Snap a photo of your beautiful self. This will be the “starting” photo of our journey. In a swimsuit, your undies, a mini dress, a speedo, birthday suit, whatever… this is for you!

2. Take 3 minutes of your day (today) and record the following. We will use this as a simple guide to gage improvement. Every 2 weeks, we’ll do it again to see how amazing our endurance can increase with a little effort.

Set a timer for 1 minute and count how many pushups you can do. Then again for squats and burpees. Even if you do 4 and the rest for 30 seconds and do 4 more, just keep attempting for the entire 2 minutes. Write it down and store away with that glorious photo you just took.

3. Embrace full awareness of everything that goes into your mouth… No handfuls, quick bites or food straight from the container. Please measure, save leftovers and consume only what’s needed.

This week I’ll be repeating these two phrases when I feel tempted to either skip a workout or eat just a little more:

-everyone works out when they want to, determined people do it even when they don’t want to!

-a moment on the lips is a month on the hips 😬

Have a super week!

Please note, I am not a doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer, life coach or any other label that would give the idea that I’ve been properly trained in the world of food and fitness. I’m just a girl who loves both subjects that’s willing to share my ideas along the journey.

Categories: Edibles!, Fitness, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

First “Friday Fitness” post!

Posted on March 4, 2019 by erikamae82

JOIN ME! I’ll be posting every Friday on our journey to a healthier state of mind, body and reaching personal best! There’ll be realistic weekly goals to challenge ourselves with and tools to help accomplish them! I’ll be sharing my voyage with recipes, workout ideas, struggles, successes and (the dreaded) transitional before/after photos.

It’s time. I’ve previously shared about my journey through the health and fitness world primarily through posts about healthy food choices and workouts while traveling. Some of my favorite memories bring me back to a race in Barbados , yoga in Panama, Paddle boarding and a hike in Tobago, and amazing treks of Machu Picchu. These were all incredible times during my peak in fitness and now I’ve come full circle back into a wonderful world of new challenges. Let me quickly explain from the beginning.

I was born a lovable 8 lb ball of happiness and sprouted into a round head balanced on top of a set of thighs.

Fast forward through the adolescent years and I developed into the “healthy” or “big boned” cousin (a term used to describe chunky kids who aren’t built to be naturally thin). Although some thoughts would cross my mind after comments made, I never really concerned myself with the issue. I liked food, especially ice cream, as well as playing outside, giggling with my friends and making a mess with art and crafts. I was a kid.

Teenage years brought boys, school challenges and a variety of other things to distract me from self-image issues. Even though I’d still compare my body to other girls (who didn’t?!) it was nothing of extreme or enough to break my focus of surviving the teen years of school. It’s hard enough just being human with new hormones stuck in a few buildings with a thousand other irrational, emotionally driven pre-adult creatures.

Between 18-21 I truly didn’t feel the shift (captured in the first 3 photos from the collage below). It was like I had the opposite body image than most girls. I was gorgeous! I was also gaining a solid 15 pounds a year without even realizing it. 45 pounds heavier than healthy, I began to take a closer a look at this human suit I had to carry around. It wasn’t so much of how I looked in a swimsuit or what guys would like, as much as it was me needing to change my habits. I had watched a majority of my family members yo-yo diet my entire life and I wasn’t about to follow in their footsteps.

I started to slowly lose weight due to small diet changes and a walk every morning, it felt amazing! This was all done slowly and properly in regards to mainstream options. No diet pills, no eating disorders, no obsessive physical training, just a transition in lifestyle.

Once I achieved a consistent routine, my body settled into its comfort zone, “it’s” comfort zone, not mine. This is when I went to the local gym and spent a portion of my savings to get a trainer. “Teach me everything!”… and so they did. I dove in head first to the length of dedication that Zack, best coach ever, finally suggested I branch out on my own as I’ve exceeded the need for his assistance. And so I did.

Here’s a glimpse at the 40lb transition. Going from 30% fat to 18%

My new life was amazing! I felt unstoppable and ready to take on the world. Ironically, in my own little way, that’s what I did. This is when herhappytrails.com began and my big blue backpack took flight for the first time.

During the 6 year journey around the world my body naturally transformed according to my current behavior. I ranged from super strong while trekking parts of South America I shriveled down to nothing while recovering from a parasite in Malaysia , fluffed back up in Europe during the pints-o-beer at Oktoberfest then lost it all once landing in Japan. Needless to say, I returned to the states and the weight just seemed to fall into place. Some “places” I didn’t enjoy, but it was all necessary.

During my tiny days, my female cycle had completely vanished and I was told by several doctors (both western and homeopathic) that the chances of me ever carrying a child full term, let alone getting pregnant, was slim to none. For 8 years I held this belief with me. To be honest, it didn’t really bother me. I was single, traveling the world, loving life and had no time for things such as marriage and babies.

Enter Matt Stone.

I met my husband on a trip back to the states while visiting my mom. If you’ve been following the blog, you’ve seen that journey unfold. The reason I bring it up is because during this time, I started to involuntarily put on (necessary) fat that produced more estrogen. It started my cycle back up! It was like my body knew what was ahead.

This all brings me to the point of this entire post. First comes love, then comes marriage , then comes baby in the baby carriage! I hope at least half of you have chanted that on a playground somewhere.I was going to be the cutest, most fit and active prego I could be, I’m sure like most of us dream of being, that was until I was put on bed rest. After denial, refusal and my own little pity party, my world switched focus from selfish body image choices to health and protection of me and our unborn baby. No running, no working out, not even a walk beyond the mailbox. I’m still amazed I kept my sanity while losing strength and gaining cushion.

Now we have the little light of our lives and the current reason (excuse) I have adorable love handles with squishy arms to match. No more bedrest! Of course I wouldn’t trade my post prego body for the beautiful addition to our family and bla bla bla… but let’s be real, this fluff has has got to go (as well as this robe I’ve been living in!)

Confession: I’m using this blog and your attention to hold myself accountable while hopefully inspiring one, two or a hundred of you to do the same. If it’s the last 5 pounds you’re after, the first 50 or simply the ability to finally run without sounding like an excited pug, I truly hope you’ll find some encouragement here. I plan to be real, raw and transparent through it all. So authentic that I’m not even going to post a present pic today. So there. Na-ner Na-ner.

Lets ease into this week with your first challenge, JOIN ME! See that cute little button that says “follow” on the bottom of the screen? All you have to do is enter your email… no payments, no rights to your first born, no advertisements, just an address that can be notified when a new post has been published. Then you can comment, ask questions and help me pleasantly plow through this chapter of life. I thank you in advance!

Categories: Baby Talk, Fitness, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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