So from one Momma to another: Be gentle with yourself. It will all get finished. Give yourself grace. Love yourself and embrace your talents. Even if the talent of the day is making the best pbj your children have ever seen!
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Stretching not breaking...
How many women out there can relate to the idea that you can only be stretched so far before unavoidably your head pops right off? The thing is that the rest of the world doesn't recognize this as FACT! I'm not anti feminism or against women's movements or anything but honestly whoever decided that we as Momma's and Wives should be superwoman should have their head examined! I mean, I don't know about you but I'm doing well most days to be sure that everyone is fed at least one item that is whole and pure.... I know, I know we all have our good days and our bad days. Sunday, my friends is one of my BAD days. I don't know why but the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother came to a catapulting head today. Mess after mess was cleaned up. Item after item was placed back in the appropriate area. Went to the grocery only to leave the deli purchases at the pick up area. What was supposed to be my day to get all laundry washed and put away slipped right on by with one load completely done and 76 more to go! Haha. I can't even celebrate that. But then it hit me as I was lying down to fall asleep (significantly later than everyone else in my home) I love my mess. I love my life. I often place unexpected rigid goals on my daily life. I make list after list and forget that life is full of challenges. I'd i approach my family life in the same way that I do my fitness life, then WHOA! I think I would be 1000 times happier.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Weight Training versus Cardio
I posted about this on my Facebook page so I wanted to share it on here as well.
So, we have all read the stories, articles, viewed the memes, quotes, etc about how much better for our bodies and all around health weight training is compared to cardio alone. I wholeheartedly believe this but I thought I would do a little experiment. So, last week I did my weight training workout for about 45 minutes and decided to do cardio at the end. I personally do LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Cardio) 2-3 times a week for about 20-25 min as well as go for runs outside 1-2 times a week or take a Zumba class or go for a bike ride. This definitely varies for me as I am very busy with work and life in general. This particular day was an LISS day. So, I get on the treadmill and I use my heart monitor to be sure my heart rate stays in the range that works for me. The thing is I couldn't get my heart rate down to where it needed to be! Even walking at 3.2 on the treadmill! It was insane. My heart rate stayed between 125-145 the whole time with hardly any exertion from me. That may not seem high to some but my resting heart rate is 45. so, moral of this post, weight training raises your heart rate and burns calories for a long time after you lift. Cardio only burns calories and raises your heart rate while you do it.
LIFT MORE. CARDIO LESS.
(FYI - this does not apply to those that have large amounts of weight to lose or those in competition prep. Those are different cases altogether)
GO OUT AND LIFT!!!
Get some!
Monica
So, we have all read the stories, articles, viewed the memes, quotes, etc about how much better for our bodies and all around health weight training is compared to cardio alone. I wholeheartedly believe this but I thought I would do a little experiment. So, last week I did my weight training workout for about 45 minutes and decided to do cardio at the end. I personally do LISS (Low Intensity Steady State Cardio) 2-3 times a week for about 20-25 min as well as go for runs outside 1-2 times a week or take a Zumba class or go for a bike ride. This definitely varies for me as I am very busy with work and life in general. This particular day was an LISS day. So, I get on the treadmill and I use my heart monitor to be sure my heart rate stays in the range that works for me. The thing is I couldn't get my heart rate down to where it needed to be! Even walking at 3.2 on the treadmill! It was insane. My heart rate stayed between 125-145 the whole time with hardly any exertion from me. That may not seem high to some but my resting heart rate is 45. so, moral of this post, weight training raises your heart rate and burns calories for a long time after you lift. Cardio only burns calories and raises your heart rate while you do it.
LIFT MORE. CARDIO LESS.
(FYI - this does not apply to those that have large amounts of weight to lose or those in competition prep. Those are different cases altogether)
GO OUT AND LIFT!!!
Get some!
Monica
Friday, July 25, 2014
Meal Prep
I have been thinking about this for a long time now, so I finally decided to actually blog about it. I think for most women that are seeking a healthier lifestyle, it isn't the exercise area that we fall short in. It is with FOOD! I have heard time and again from Mommas that I speak with that they are more than active enough but that they have a hard time getting ample nutrition or the right types. They struggle with the idea of how can they eat to obtain their goals while still being sure that they are feeding their families properly.
There is more than one way to handle this problem. Food prep can be extensive and require a lot of time from your family to do, however I have learned a few tricks along the way that I am happy to share with everyone. I do not make all of my food for the week ahead of schedule. Instead of I have 2 separate days that do use to create a stock pile of food that I can choose from during the week to be sure that I have my meals in and my macros followed.
One way that I do this is by making a menu of sorts for the week for my family, this allows me to know ahead of time when I am able to eat the same things for dinner that my family is having. It also allows me to prepare for the nights that I need to eat something else. My family has a couple of health issues that we are battling that could arise in the future as well as one very odd one that we battle daily (My 9 1/2 year old has high cholesterol, even though she is not overweight and is very active. It is genetic unfortunately) . I will definitely blog about that one another time. As a result we limit the amount of red meat that we eat as well as the amount of processed foods that we eat. My family eats more chicken, fish, turkey and lean pork. We also grow a garden every year and can things such as green beans, homemade salsa and freeze other veggies to use later. We also raise our own chickens for eggs so we know exactly what our eggs contain.
The first item that I prepare on Sunday is eggs. I will hard boil 1-2 dozen of them at a time. I eat 4 egg whites every morning so use these every day. I prepare them by washing and peeling so that they are ready for me to grab and go when I need them in the morning. These are also a great snack for my kiddos as we are heading out to practice or archery.
Secondly, I use the crock pot A LOT! I buy organic, free range, anti biotic free chicken in bulk so I separate it out before I freeze it into 1-2 pound packages. I will put one of these packages into the crock pot with water and fajita seasoning over night on any day of the week and it allows me to have my staple protein source for 4-8 meals depending on the size. I also do this with 99% lean ground turkey 1-2 times a week. I can use the turkey for my meals as well as a starter for tacos, fajitas, taco soup, chili, etc.
Another way that I save time is by making extra when I do cook something. For instance with the warm weather, I like to grill out most nights. So, when I do, I add extra chicken or turkey burgers to the grill. Cool them and wrap them up and throw them in the fridge. This allows me to have an ample supply of protein sources for my meals each week. I also do this with my complex carb sources. If I make brown rice for dinner one night, I always make an extra couple of servings to use over the next few days. The same goes for grilling sweet potatoes or quinoa.
Hope these tips help you save time and keep you on track with your fitness goals!
Happy Prepping!
FitForLifeMommyandWife
There is more than one way to handle this problem. Food prep can be extensive and require a lot of time from your family to do, however I have learned a few tricks along the way that I am happy to share with everyone. I do not make all of my food for the week ahead of schedule. Instead of I have 2 separate days that do use to create a stock pile of food that I can choose from during the week to be sure that I have my meals in and my macros followed.
One way that I do this is by making a menu of sorts for the week for my family, this allows me to know ahead of time when I am able to eat the same things for dinner that my family is having. It also allows me to prepare for the nights that I need to eat something else. My family has a couple of health issues that we are battling that could arise in the future as well as one very odd one that we battle daily (My 9 1/2 year old has high cholesterol, even though she is not overweight and is very active. It is genetic unfortunately) . I will definitely blog about that one another time. As a result we limit the amount of red meat that we eat as well as the amount of processed foods that we eat. My family eats more chicken, fish, turkey and lean pork. We also grow a garden every year and can things such as green beans, homemade salsa and freeze other veggies to use later. We also raise our own chickens for eggs so we know exactly what our eggs contain.
The first item that I prepare on Sunday is eggs. I will hard boil 1-2 dozen of them at a time. I eat 4 egg whites every morning so use these every day. I prepare them by washing and peeling so that they are ready for me to grab and go when I need them in the morning. These are also a great snack for my kiddos as we are heading out to practice or archery.
Secondly, I use the crock pot A LOT! I buy organic, free range, anti biotic free chicken in bulk so I separate it out before I freeze it into 1-2 pound packages. I will put one of these packages into the crock pot with water and fajita seasoning over night on any day of the week and it allows me to have my staple protein source for 4-8 meals depending on the size. I also do this with 99% lean ground turkey 1-2 times a week. I can use the turkey for my meals as well as a starter for tacos, fajitas, taco soup, chili, etc.
Another way that I save time is by making extra when I do cook something. For instance with the warm weather, I like to grill out most nights. So, when I do, I add extra chicken or turkey burgers to the grill. Cool them and wrap them up and throw them in the fridge. This allows me to have an ample supply of protein sources for my meals each week. I also do this with my complex carb sources. If I make brown rice for dinner one night, I always make an extra couple of servings to use over the next few days. The same goes for grilling sweet potatoes or quinoa.
Hope these tips help you save time and keep you on track with your fitness goals!
Happy Prepping!
FitForLifeMommyandWife
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Check out my Facebook page for more up to date meal plan information, fitness motivation and to keep up with my promotions and competitions!
www.facebook.com/MonicaMarieStanley
Give up the gimmicks!
Hello everyone!
I just returned from a wonderful 11 day vacation with my family in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. One of the best things about this trip was of course the food, but also the fitness center that was on the ship that we were on. I was able to workout as much as I wanted which was good because it was hard to not partake in all the great food! As a result I came home from vacation with only a couple pound weight gain! This is amazing for me as I really like to eat and I promise I didn't miss a meal. :) Or a dessert for that matter.
One of the things that I thought about while I was on vacation was how different cultures view the female body and especially what is deemed as attractive in one culture compared to another. It was truly an eye opener to see so many different types of women proudly displaying their bodies of all shapes and sizes in bikinis. Now I don't want to start a debate about how unhealthy it is to be overweight, that is a subject for another day. More I want to focus on women finding beauty in themselves no matter where they are in their fitness journey. As women it is important that we accept who we are and love ourselves. If you are a woman that is overweight and you are truly happy then don't worry about what others think. Let me preface this with, you need to be sure that you level with your doctor and make certain that you are healthy and not at risk for long term effects as a result of your weight. However if you are like so many other women that struggle with your weight and as a result you feel terrible about yourself, then a change needs to be made.
See I have never truly been over weight but I have experienced unwanted weight gain at times through out my life and I have struggled with the darkness that comes from having an eating disorder. Those are very real issues that plague many women. I am proud to say that I work very hard to not only be fit but to also be healthy. Truth is that I weigh more now than I ever did (besides being pregnant with my kiddos), however the difference is that I have gained muscle mass from consistent workouts and clean eating. This didn't happen over night. It is still a work in progress. I hope that all women can stop following the fad diets, believing in the false claims of MLM companies and find that getting back to the basics of calories in and calories out as well as healthy exercise are the way to get the desired shape you want.
So back to my original thought, I think that it is important for women to feel good about themselves no matter what, but I do know that I have seen the gleam return to a woman's eyes when she is fit and proud. I have seen a glow return to a woman's face when she can wear clothing that only fit when she was first married and didn't have children. The first step to feeling great and changing your body is your nutrition. Anyone that has worked out for any length of time knows that being fit is 80-90% nutrition and 10-20% working out. You simply CANNOT out train a bad diet. It will not work in your favor to eat unhealthy foods while killing it in the gym.
Nutrition is my passion and as a result I have begun helping many other women with their goals. If you are a woman that is reading this and truly wants to change their lifestyle and feel better about yourself, then believe me when I say stop the yo-yo dieting and weight loss gimmicks. They are designed to make you fail. Otherwise these companies would be out of business. Get it?
Stay tuned for more posts about how to begin a journey to a healthier you! I will be posting workouts, recipes, sample meal plans and much more in the coming weeks.
My husband and I after a day of riding ATVs & sea doos in St. Croix
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The beautiful Pitons in St. Lucia
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Hope you are enjoying your Summer,
Fit for life Momma and Wife
I just returned from a wonderful 11 day vacation with my family in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. One of the best things about this trip was of course the food, but also the fitness center that was on the ship that we were on. I was able to workout as much as I wanted which was good because it was hard to not partake in all the great food! As a result I came home from vacation with only a couple pound weight gain! This is amazing for me as I really like to eat and I promise I didn't miss a meal. :) Or a dessert for that matter.
One of the things that I thought about while I was on vacation was how different cultures view the female body and especially what is deemed as attractive in one culture compared to another. It was truly an eye opener to see so many different types of women proudly displaying their bodies of all shapes and sizes in bikinis. Now I don't want to start a debate about how unhealthy it is to be overweight, that is a subject for another day. More I want to focus on women finding beauty in themselves no matter where they are in their fitness journey. As women it is important that we accept who we are and love ourselves. If you are a woman that is overweight and you are truly happy then don't worry about what others think. Let me preface this with, you need to be sure that you level with your doctor and make certain that you are healthy and not at risk for long term effects as a result of your weight. However if you are like so many other women that struggle with your weight and as a result you feel terrible about yourself, then a change needs to be made.
See I have never truly been over weight but I have experienced unwanted weight gain at times through out my life and I have struggled with the darkness that comes from having an eating disorder. Those are very real issues that plague many women. I am proud to say that I work very hard to not only be fit but to also be healthy. Truth is that I weigh more now than I ever did (besides being pregnant with my kiddos), however the difference is that I have gained muscle mass from consistent workouts and clean eating. This didn't happen over night. It is still a work in progress. I hope that all women can stop following the fad diets, believing in the false claims of MLM companies and find that getting back to the basics of calories in and calories out as well as healthy exercise are the way to get the desired shape you want.
So back to my original thought, I think that it is important for women to feel good about themselves no matter what, but I do know that I have seen the gleam return to a woman's eyes when she is fit and proud. I have seen a glow return to a woman's face when she can wear clothing that only fit when she was first married and didn't have children. The first step to feeling great and changing your body is your nutrition. Anyone that has worked out for any length of time knows that being fit is 80-90% nutrition and 10-20% working out. You simply CANNOT out train a bad diet. It will not work in your favor to eat unhealthy foods while killing it in the gym.
Nutrition is my passion and as a result I have begun helping many other women with their goals. If you are a woman that is reading this and truly wants to change their lifestyle and feel better about yourself, then believe me when I say stop the yo-yo dieting and weight loss gimmicks. They are designed to make you fail. Otherwise these companies would be out of business. Get it?
Stay tuned for more posts about how to begin a journey to a healthier you! I will be posting workouts, recipes, sample meal plans and much more in the coming weeks.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Fit for life Momma and Wife
Thursday, January 30, 2014
My attempt at a Protein Powder Microwave Mug Cake
I am not prepping for a competition so sweets aren't off limits for me however I practice clean eating as my lifestyle NOT just when prepping for a competition.
This is my mug cake after it was cooked! Yummy!!
I made my family a nice dinner tonight which included a cake for dessert. I do make healthy meals but I don't expect my family to eat as strict as I do. Also I have a gluten allergy so I almost always have to prepare some different foods.
So any, I was really in the mood for something sweet and didn't want to drink a protein shake so I came up with this recipe:
Ingredients:
1-1 1/2 scoop(s) UMP protein powder any flavor (I used Rocky Road) I used a digital food scale = 45 grams
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp sugar or sugar substitute (I used Equal)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg white
1 tbsp peanut butter
Add water until reaches a batter consistency.
Instructions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a mug (protein powder, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt) with a fork until well blended and there are no clumps. Add in the egg and water and mix until smooth. Drop the peanut butter into the center of the chocolate mixture and press down to submerge. Microwave for around 1-2.5 minutes on high (give or take some time depending on your microwave), but watch it! It will start to bubble over the top. If this happens, stop microwaving, press batter back into mug with fork, and continue microwaving. When finished, cake should be cooked but still very moist. It is okay if not all the batter has cooked!
Very yummy and a nice clean treat!!
Happy Eating!
Monica
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
What does the bible say about being fit?
I've been a Christian since I was 6. I've been closer to God than I've ever imagined yet at times strayed away. Never once did The Lord leave me. I chose to live apart from Him. God always seeks us out. Longs for us to spend time with Him. He loves us even when we aren't lovable.
Over the years of my life, as I've grown and gone through different stages, I've always wondered if God supported different choices that I made. Never has that been more true than when I began modeling and then later competing in NPC Bikini competitions.
The bible is filled with scripture that tells us that God desires for us to be healthy.
Proverbs 31:17 ESV
She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
The one above is a favorite of mine as of late. Mostly because I'm working on growing my biceps!
1Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
What is your favorite scripture that talks about health or fitness?
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