Home
Once again I sit here listening to music getting into the mindset of writing my thoughts, when a particular song comes to mind. Home by Phillip Phillips. In this song the lyrics are “Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone. Cause I’m gonna make this place your home. “
I have been doing the Body By Fadi Fast Track program now for an incredible 9 months. In those 9 months my coach Fadi Malouf has has taken me from a world of the unknown to a world of Health Nutrition and Fitness and made me feel very much at home. I have been sober for nine months now. Free of smoking for three months. I am so far from that person I was just 9 short months ago.
Back in September if someone told me I would be having a complete home gym in my home I would have said that would be awesome. But 9 months ago if someone told me I would be at a gym working along side the same people who scared me, I would have assumed you were drinking heavily at that moment. But that is exactly what I am doing. When I wrote a blog here 6 months ago I was so afraid of walking into a gym. I joined one and after several “I can do this” to myself. I Love it. Using the Virtual Trainer is fun and easy. Yep! Easy!!!! I track my progress with every exercise Fadi assigns. This virtual trainer is one cool phone app.
Fadi has taken this once under achiever in life and shown through this amazing Body By Fadi Fast Track program. Anything is possible. Goals can be and will be met. I started this program weighing in at 129 lbs. with a goal of making it to 150lbs with his nutritional guidance I achieved that. Eating healthy clean foods. No fast foods, no junk foods, no chips or sodas or anything processed. I struggled along the way but never once gave up. I was going to get there. Now that I am there I still have high goals to reach.
One of my biggest enemies was myself, my self-esteem, my self-worth, always targets by “haters” trying to burst my bubble along the way. Fadi, the big brother type made sure I never lost belief in myself, by keeping me motivated with Facebook posts. His own words of encouragement and making sure no matter what was happening, no matter how hard things were, I was never going to be left alone to lose sight of the “big picture.”
Along with helping me understand fitness and nutrition, Fadi has shown me a path I of all people never saw coming. The want to help others who were in the same boat as I am (or was at some point) in. I am now enrolled in getting my sports nutrition certification. To teach others what I was taught. Simply eating right is the ONE factor (of many) you can control in staying healthy and fit. It’s all a matter of knowing whats going in your body. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients there’s a pretty good chance your body won’t make due with it. I hope to be working along side Fadi after this process is done.
So you see now why this Song “Home” is so fitting to me and the Body By Fadi Fast Track Program. This Amazing man has shown me a home that I was once afraid of. A lifestyle to which I have become so accustomed to. He has made me know I have to fight off the demons of the way I was. All I have to do is look forward and know I have come such a long way and fought through so much. His words that’s started it all ” You can go back to the way you were, or move forward and never look back,” is still standing strong in my mind.
One last thing. If a year long program seems a bit long. Trust me in 9 months from now you’ll be saying “Dang only 3 months left but I am having too much fun”
Thank You for listening and well WELCOME HOME!
JayBird 🙂
Exercise Less To Be More Fit
Exercise Less To Be More Fit
Sounds too good to be true, right? A recent study showed that the amount of exercise is what matters not the frequency. The study involved over 2,000 participants who were asked to wear accelerometers to track their physical activity. The findings indicated participants who exercised for a total of 150 minutes over a day or two versus participants who spread their 150 minutes out over a week’s time received the same health benefits of the workouts.
This is good food for thought. New “evidence” is constantly surfacing about the latest in health and nutrition. Its hard to know whats accurate. Six out of seven days of the week, you’ll find me up at 5:30 am getting ready for my workouts which last 45-60 minutes. How is it even possible to cram that much exercise into a day or two? And even if it was possible, it doesn’t seem realistic it would produce the same health benefits. Surely, I would collapse from exhaustion before I was even halfway through; that doesn’t sound very healthy. I may not ever find out the answer to that, but I have a couple guesses. When reading studies like these, you’ve got to take into consideration what isn’t being said as much as what is being said. For instance, the author defines “health benefits” as a decrease in risk factors such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. A health benefit to me is those things plus a leaner body with less fat and more muscle. However, the study doesn’t mention taking it to that level. In that case, a participant who didn’t exercise at all and then started exercising 150 a minutes a week within the time frame of a couple of days, of course, would receive those health benefits.
Common sense is our friend. I love staying up to date on current health and nutrition news, but I take it all with a grain of pink himalayan salt. I have to consider the source, the context, and most importantly, what works for me. Working out six days a week works for me. I’m a nicer person when I work out, I feel more prepared for chasing around two small children, and I like having that time at the beginning of the day all to myself while the rest of the world sleeps peacefully. All in all, I don’t think I’ll be testing out this theory anytime soon. What about you?
References:
Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Low-Calorie And Quick Salad
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Have you noticed a theme yet? If its quick and easy and if it can be turned into a salad, I’m all over it. Another salad creation here that’s perfect for summertime. And this is probably the easiest one yet, because some of the ingredients (dare I say it?) are canned. I don’t normally use canned ingredients, but sometimes you’re just in a hurry and its better than nothing (also better than falling prey to a fast food place). I just look for the no sodium/low sodium version of whatever it is I need. A lot of canned items have a ton of added salt. Why let someone else determine how you season your food? If its beans, I rinse really well before using. Enough about that, though, here’s your dinner for tonight and get ready for lots of pictures.
Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, chopped
5 mini cucumbers (or 1 regular), sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium avocado, chopped
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
1 container of low sodium albacore tuna
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. evoo
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
dash of black pepper
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
Preparation:
In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado, and red onion.
Add the tuna and garbanzo beans. Stir to combine. Then drizzle with evoo and balsamic vinegar. Add pepper and toss to coat.
Finally, top with cilantro and you’re done! Enjoy!
Macros per one out of four servings: 233k cals, 9.3g fat (1.1g sat, .9g poly, 5g mono), 29.9g carbs (9.4g fiber, 5.5g sugar), 16g protein, 12.5mg cholesterol, 357.4mg sodium, 478.3mg potassium
References:
Tania Funduk – Food and Fitness Guru
Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
