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@whatislefttolose
Natasha’s Guide to Living Healthy and Losing Weight
Hello! My name is Natasha, and I’m a certified personal trainer who has lost ~80 pounds since 2011. I get asked most of the same questions daily - “how do I lose weight?” “how do I get healthy?” “what’s your secret?”. Well, I’m here to finally answer all of those questions, and more, in detail. This is pretty much going to be everything you wanted to know about being fit but were afraid to ask. So let’s begin!
Eating Healthy
You’ve heard the phrase that weight loss and fitness is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s true. You will get nowhere without proper nutrition. Keep in mind though, IT IS NOT A DIET. The word ‘diet’ indicates that it would be temporary. Nope, this is a lifestyle change! This is why fad diets (Atkins diet, ABC/Military/7 Day diets) won’t work. Yes, you might lose weight with those things, but as soon as you go back to eating regularly, you’ll gain it all back. Not to mention, they’re incredibly unhealthy and even dangerous! Now, there are different lifestyles that people chose to follow, and you need to find what works for you. They include, but are not limited to: vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, etc. Do not start one of these lifestyles in an attempt to just lose weight. If you plan on eating a certain way, like I said, keep it up for life! You have to find what works for you. Whatever lifestyle you choose to follow, here are some basics to keep in mind.
Eating enough. BMR. RMR. TDEE. IIFYM. Starvation mode. What does it all mean? I personally choose to go by TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. You can calculate your TDEE (and BMR) here. TDEE is the amount of calories your body burns in 24 hours - including your resting, sleeping, working, playing and digesting food. If you eat right at your TDEE, you will maintain your weight. If you eat over, you will gain weight. If you eat under, you will lose weight! Simple, right? If not, let me give you an example. I put in my stats - female, 22, 5’1 and ~120 pounds. My BMR is 1243 and my TDEE is 1872. You should NEVER eat under your BMR - that’s your Basal Metabolic Rate AKA how many calories your body would burn if you were in a coma. Everyone hears about the magical number 1200, and if you eat below this, your body will go into starvation mode. “But Natasha,” some people say, “My BMR is below 1200! Should I eat that much?” The answer is NO. Again, your BMR is what your body would be burning if you were laying in a coma, unable to move AT ALL. YOUR BODY NEEDS NUTRIENTS. YOUR BODY NEEDS CALORIES. CALORIES ARE ENERGY. Starvation mode, or rather, the starvation response is something that your body does when it isn’t receiving the nutrients, food and energy it needs. Click here to read more about it. So what does this all mean? Numbers do play a part in losing weight. One pound is 3500 calories. That means, to lose a pound, you need to cut out 3500 calories. So let’s go back to my TDEE, which is 1872 calories. If I were to cut out 200 calories a day from my food, which would make it 1672, then burn 300 calories from working out, that would bring it down to 1372. Voila, that’s cutting out 500 calories a day - eating healthy and not starving yourself! Also, keep in mind if you are doing insane workouts and burning 500+ calories per workout, you need to eat AT LEAST half of those calories back.
What do I eat? A phrase you’ll hear all over tumblr is “clean eating”. And you’re probably thinking, “what the hell does that even mean?” Clean eating is essentially cutting out processed junk foods, and eating organic, natural, healthy and whole foods. Here is Clean Eating 101 and the 10 Rules to Eating Clean to help you out. A few of the main tips I can give you for eating well are: cut out all soda, juices, etc. - diet or otherwise, cut out fast food, cut out junk food (chips, frozen dinners, etc). I’m going to give you some examples of healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.
Breakfast: oatmeal topped with nuts, nut butter, and any fruit. fruit smoothies and/or green smoothies. smoothie bowls. yogurt with granola and fruit. eggs (my fave is scrambling 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites, adding baby spinach, tomatoes and spices). turkey bacon. any kind of fruit. granola. whole wheat toast (top it with avocado/guacamole and pepper, it’s A+). there are a ton of other options/foods, but these are a few to get you started.
Lunch: salad (try to amp up your salads with spinach and kale, hardboiled eggs, chicken breast, tons of veggies, limit your dressing if any), baked chicken breast with brown rice and veggies, healthy pizza (whole wheat and/or cauliflower crust, fat-free and/or organic cheese, top with massive amounts of veggies), eggs (i have breakfast for lunch a lot), a healthy sandwich (chicken breast or turkey breast, avocado, veggies, no mayo - try to make it yourself and make every part organic, NOT SUBWAY). again, these are just a few options. there are a ton of healthy meals for you to make.
Dinner: similar to your lunch options - I personally stick to baked chicken breast, veggies and brown rice/quinoa most days. I like to prep my dinners on sunday so I have them available to me and I don’t have to make anything as I work in the evenings. Read more on meal prepping here.
Snacks: any nuts, fruits, or veggies. whole grain toast with peanut butter and bananas. greek yogurt. veggies with hummus. quest/lara/KIND/pure bars. green and/or fruit smoothies. popcorn (not the kind caked with butter, obviously. trader joe’s has some good organic options).
Water. Cut out the soda, diet or otherwise. No juice unless it’s organic and from fruit only (no added sugars). Green tea is great too, but you want to make sure you drink AT LEAST 60 ounces of water a day. Getting the right amount of water every day will help clear up your skin, lose water weight, reduce bloat, and stay hydrated (obviously). Read more on the benefits of getting enough water here.
Cheat days/meals. Part of healthy living is moderation, and sometimes you need to take a break. You don’t want to deprive yourself too much, and we all love food. I personally either have one cheat meal a week, or two full splurge days a month. This does not mean you can’t have sweets or any kind of cheat day to day. Have a handful of chocolate chips every night or a piece of dark chocolate. One cookie never killed anyone or hindered their progress. But remember, MODERATION.
Here are some additional links to help you out! Healthy recipes. Food inspiration. Healthy snacks 1. Healthy snacks 2. Healthy snacks 3. Garden of Vegan. 10 Healthy Food Blogs. How to eat healthy on a budget. How to eat healthy in college. How to eat healthy when dining out. How to talk to your parents about buying healthy food. Big list of healthy recipes.
Working Out
Yes, fitness is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. THAT DOESN’T MEAN EXERCISE ISN’T IMPORTANT. Forget the weight loss. Forget losing fat. Exercise is important for your body and your mind. You need both cardio and strength training in your workout routine for the best results and optimal fitness. I personally recommend to my clients at least 5 days a week of cardio (if you’re trying to lose weight. if you’re maintaining, trying to build muscle or just trying to be healthy, 3 days a week is fine) for 30 minutes to an hour, and at least 3 days a week of strength. If building muscle is your main goal, reverse those numbers (3 days a week cardio, 5 days a week strength). There are hundreds of different ways to workout, and just like with your nutrition, you need to find what works for you. Whether it’s running, the elliptical, Zumba, yoga, weight lifting, WHATEVER. Your body needs it. And like I said, your mind does too! Hello, endorphins! I’m going to go over cardio, strength, weight training for beginners, and yoga.
Cardio: I know, we all hate it. I have a love/hate relationship with it. But unfortunately, we need it. Cardio, also know as cardiovascular exercise, is basically anything that gets your heart rate going. It’s good for your heart, your body and mind in general, weight loss, and stress management. Cardio is one of the main ways to burn fat. You want to try to get your heart rate into your target heart rate zone, which you can calculate here and monitor with a heart rate monitor/fitbit/etc. Cardio can be done hundreds of different ways, here are just a few: running, the elliptical, cycling/exercise bike, hiking, Zumba, fitness classes, some variations of yoga, swimming, HIIT, Insanity, Jillian Michaels and other workout DVDs, Pilates, and there are literally a bazillion other ways to do cardio. Just get your heart rate going! Like I said before, ideally you want to get 3-5 days a week, for 30 minutes to an hour of cardio.
Strength Training: Do you even lift, bro? I feel like a lot of people just think ‘heavy lifting’ when they think strength training. While that is a very popular and awesome way to gain muscle, there are other ways as well! There are a ton of body weight exercises that will help you gain muscle and burn fat, here is a list of body weight exercises you can do anywhere! Try to target a different body part every day, ie. one day do arms, another day do abs, another day do legs. You can do full body workouts every day as well, if that’s your thing. You can also use handweights/dumbbells, and work your way up to heavier weights. Another way to build muscle is yoga! I’m going to go over yoga and weight training/heavy lifting in depth. Strength training, in any form, is necessary to build muscle, which in turn will help burn fat.
Yoga: Ahhh yoga. My new favorite thing. I work at a yoga studio and will hopefully be doing my yoga teacher training soon. Anywho. There are a zillion different styles of yoga but my personal favorite is vinyasa flow. It’s cardio and strength, and you so get your heart rate up. Hot yoga is great too! You can do yoga at home, go to a studio, watch a video on Youtube, etc. Yoga is for everyone! I feel like a lot of people think it’s for super fit or super skinny people only. It’s not! Everyone can do it! I will have some helpful links, videos, and tips for you at the bottom of the workout section.
Weight Training: I think by now we all know that lifting heavy does NOT make you bulky. It makes you super hot, muscular and toned. The key to weight training and lifting heavy is FORM. Do not sacrifice your form just so you can lift more. I would recommend starting with lighter weight/hand weights, to build up your strength, and then move on to weight machines, squat racks, Crossfit, etc. Here is a guide to weight training for beginners.
Rest Days: You need at least one full rest day a week. Your body needs to rest, heal and build muscle. Yup, BUILD MUSCLE. Here’s the thing. When you’re working out, you’re actually tearing your muscles. It’s the rest and proper nutrition that builds them up.
Here are some additional links to help you out: A Beginner’s Guide to Home Workouts. 30 Plank Exercises to Shock Your Body. Giant Yoga Master Post. Youtube Fitness Channels. HIIT Workouts. Blogilates Printable Workouts. Strength Training 101. How to Build Muscle. Workout Basics.
The Mental Side of Fitness
Fitness is a state of mind. Losing weight takes a certain mentality. I get asked all the time about where I found my motivation, how I stayed motivated, etc. The number one tip that I can give you is, if you don’t have one already, START A FITNESS BLOG. A fitness specific blog. Having people that are on the same journey as you and a place to log your progress and stay on track helps so much. I would not have done it if I hadn’t started this blog. Another issue a lot of people have is balance. How do you balance between eating too much, and eating too little? What if you have/develop an eating disorder? Unfortunately, it happens. I’m going to provide you all with a lot of links and resources for motivation, happiness, mental and eating disorders, and general life advice. Losing weight will not make your life perfect. You have to work for that mentally. Losing weight will not make you love yourself or your body. It is a daily journey. Fitness is a lifestyle.
Ways to Stay Motivated to Lose Weight.
Make a Weight Loss Inspiration Board.
Start a Dietbet with Friends.
Weekly Meal Planner Worksheet.
Weekly Food and Exercise Recorder.
My Workout Playlist.
How to Beat a Plateau.
Bad Day Remedies.
Binge Eating Recovery Plan.
Eating Disorder Hotline and Chat.
Self Harm Alternatives.
Ways to Deal with Depression/Stress.
De-Stress Yoga.
Apps You Need in Your Life.
No Gym? No Problem.
Learning Self Love.
Welp, I think that’s it! If you have any questions, my ask box is always open (keep in mind, I get thousands of questions a day but I try to answer as many as I can). I also do meal/workout plans online, and in person training. You can check out my personal training information here and email me at [email protected] if you’re interested! Just remember: if I can do it, ANYONE CAN. I went from being the most sedentary unhealthy person, to a personal trainer. It is possible. Remember to believe in yourself, and JUST DO IT. No one can do it for your or want it for you. You have to want it for yourself. And above all, STAY HEALTHY. Get healthy, and weight loss will follow. Thank you for reading this! I hope it helped! Thank you all for your continued support and love. Hopefully this will help you guys reach your goals!
Good luck, have fun, get fit. Namaste.
(banner by the lovely rhianna!)
A very good resource!
I just need somebody to believe in me.
Alrighty, guys! After the success of the fundraiser/raffle that I did for my surgery, I’m finally able to pay it forward! The Color Me Rad 5k contacted me about wanting to sponsor a giveaway on my blog - so of course I had to say yes! They also let me choose a charity to raise money for, and I chose the Wright Way Rescue, which is the rescue that my boyfriend and I adopted our dog Fozzi from! This is going to be a pretty amazing fundraiser for a pretty amazing cause. I’m hoping to raise at least $5000, if not more! All the proceeds will go directly to the Wright Way Rescue, minus around $800-$1000 to purchase the prizes for the giveaway that the Color Me Rad 5k is not supplying. You can speak to two of my previous giveaway winners here and here, this is not fake or a scam! I always make good on my giveaways!
Color Me Rad is a 5K that fires off in a blaze of color bombs, color cannons, color mortars, and multi-toned courses that guarantee your outlook will be brighter, your boyfriend will be more affectionate, your boss will finally remember your name, the hair on your head will grow back and the hair on your back will fall out, and your gray outlook will turn green like a spring morning.
Wright-Way Rescue is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Their mission is to reduce the number of homeless pets euthanized in the Midwest each year through an adoption program, community education, promotion of spaying and neutering, and a veterinary medicine program. They continue to save pets from rural animal control facilities where they are at a high risk of euthanasia, and instead offer them a second chance at a loving home in the Chicagoland area. Wright-Way places more dogs in adoptive homes than any other no-kill rescue in the State of Illinois on just 10% of the budget. Wright Way Rescue also suffered a tragedy last October when a school bus crashed into their facilities and destroyed their adoption center. You can read more about the incident here. They have been at a temporary facility ever since and need help rebuilding!
HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL RULES:
Must be following me, the Color Me Rad official tumblr, and my yoga blog.
If you have instagram, follow me at natashaxjade (reblog with your insta username if you do)
ONE REBLOG ONLY. Like do not count either.
TO GET EXTRA ENTRIES, donate! Here is the donation page for the Wright Way Rescue. One dollar equals one extra entry.
I will ship internationally - check the Color Me Rad website to see if there is a race near you!
6 winners will be chosen! One grand prize winner that will take everything, and 5 other winners who will get a free registration to the Color Me Rad 5k near them!
Winner will be chosen using random.org.
HERE ARE THE PRIZES!
6 Registrations to the Color Me Rad 5k. One will go to the grand prize winner, and 5 will go to other winners picked at random!
Color Me Rad merch! A sweatshirt, t-shirt or tank top, shorts, headband, sunglasses, and color packets!
Workout clothes! I will be your personal shopper, head on over to Dick’s Sporting Goods and you tell me your size, favorite colors, favorite brand and I will buy you an outfit! Top, bottom, and sports bra.
Workout equipment (not pictured): 5 lb hand weights, jump rope, yoga block, Nike spots/workout bag, Yurbud Headphones, water bottle from Victoria’s Secret, resistance bands, workout/lifting gloves.
Portioned food containers for meal prep.
1 pair of Nike Free Runs in your size.
Fitbit Flex.
$50 Victoria’s Secret gift card
$50 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card
$50 Whole Foods gift card
4 shirts of your choice from lookhuman.com
1 Lululemon yoga mat
2 boxes of Quest Bars in whatever flavor you prefer.
Bootcamp plan made by yours truly.
Shirt from the Wright Way Rescue
More to be added/freebies to be thrown in!
This ends September 30th! So you have three full months to enter and donate! Go go go!
Food prep. Egg omelette muffins, turkey meatballs, cheeseburger stuffed peppers, breakfast burritos. It looks all the same color. I had a cheeseburger wrap for lunch with the stuffing from the peppers, so that’s happening this week. Needs pickles. I have shredded buffalo chicken from last week, having that in a salad again and making buffalo chicken Mac and cheese. Pulled pork. Asiago crusted chicken tenders. My food has been on point and by my standards clean, maybe not the literal sense? Now if I could move my ass.
My motivation and determination has been taken over by self doubt and fear of judgement.
I was having some major anxiety about hitting the road to tonight on national running day so I decided to run the field out back! A farm field. Where they just planted hay or grass or oats or something. I'll just let it slip my mind that it's been pouring non stop and they literally just leveled it like a week ago? First of all I suck at running. Second of all I felt like I was in quick sand and was working up a sweat at a 21 minute per mile pace. There was no running. Except for when I saw a fox! Screamed like a bitch, the fox didn't move so I started making noises and it wasn't moving! So I turned around and started running looking over my shoulder And I was as fast as the wind ( maybe 20 minute pace!) thinking don't break my ankle. What does the fox say you ask? It says nothing, it just stands it's incredible small body right there and tells you. F you fox, f you and all your ten pound manliness. F you running, go you for being hard for fat people.
Ongoing feelings.
Love this song, and it is definitely a military song!!
I just started trying to run and of course I got injured.
Too much internet research had led me to believe I had a stress fracture, but close to a week of rest ad I think I am almost good.
Being fat and running is awful. I am going to start cross training to hopefully aid in getting myself a bit more endurance.
Food. Enemy.
Since my running bitchfest and inability to accomplish a mile without almost dying, despite my planning saying run yesterday and today i haven't. I got fitted for running shoes like two months ago and I have loved them. (brooks dyad 7) I know I have aches and pains just from being fat and working out but I've having really nagging constant pain in my left foot. Specifically top of foot bottom of shin, where it flexes. I've considered my options, it's literally just going to hurt because I am putting a lot of pressure on my joints. Also, from the uneven pavement of the road? It's on my left side, I run against traffic and in the sloping road. Or did I injury myself? Shouldn't get refitted? Ah. I was pumped from all the encouragement and ready to give it a go but now I'm scared. I'm trying to give it time. In other news, I am hoping to go hiking this weekend. Running still sucks. And I can't do it.
My goodness. So I’m still sticking to me training plan!
I haven’t put any serious miles in since before this past winter so I had Tuesday off and decide why not?
I set my happy ass out to do the loop around my house which is nearly 6 miles. I hated every second, it was seriously so hard. I…
Add 3 portions of salads in your day (lunch, early dinner, late dinner) and make them healthy, but add them to your nutrition, dot make them a replacement. Find a training plan like 5k in 8 weeks. Do strength exercises for your feet and calves. Good luck!!! It should take no more than 2 hours per day with food, running and strengthing. Probably try swimming if there is too much weight.
Thank you. 😄
I walked a half marathon last August and am doing one again this August. I just started a training plan for my half so I can attempt to to run some of it and PR! Thank you.
whatislefttolose keep your chin up
Thank you ❤️