Day 8: Les Mills #2

Hey NeverEver's!

I know I am doing back to back posts. Sorry! But I really wanted to get that Snack of the Day post out since I haven't done it in so long...and of course I HAVE to do my Daily Stats.

Daily Stats for me are extremely important. It is my way of showing the world that I either succeeded, failed, or did so-so. There is no way I can actually lie on these posts (I do not have photoshop...every one of these pics is done in Paint...Yes I am a ballin Paint user) and I do what to show my progress from NeverEverBeenSkinny to NeverEverUnHealthyAgain!

So as some of you read before I started a new job today. Now while that is an interesting experience in itself, there is nothing like the first day of anything, I had to get back to the Les Mills Body Pump class at my 24 Hour Fitness Compton Sport!

As the survivor of 2, yes 2, classes I can happily report that this class was easier then the first one. I still had to take my breaks, and I still hate those push-ups, but it didn't hurt my arm as much when we had to lift the barbell to the 'meaty' part of our backs. I was also able to remember the moves so I didn't have to take the whole class with my neck in a weird position watching the instructor! However, I did feel that position in my wrists...which means I need to keep them straight. I will keep working on that!

So without further talking here is my Daily Stats for Day 8:

I would have never believed days like this could have existed!

This is the type of day that I want to remember for when I don't want to workout! This feeling of accomplishment!

So NeverEver's this is my day stats. How did you do today? Are you happy as well?

Snack of the Day! Protein & Smoothies

Hello NeverEver's! 

How was your Tuesday? I hope it was as great as mine. The new job went great and I am looking forward to turning that office upside down and sideways to get it organized!

Anyways, I wanted to share with you my Snack of the Day. I find these at Ralphs, and I am not sure if it is available in other grocery stores. You can of course get it at Jamba Juice...but I think its awesome to make it at home. Besides, this is a perfect after the gym, you need to get something in your system but can't think you can take a bite of anything drink! 

Well this drink and the other flavors as well. So you gotta try them all! (if anyone got that you get internet karma!)

My 2 favorite flavors!

Okay so I also add something extra to the Jamba Juice smoothies home edition. Its my Protein Powder. This is the one I use;

Now to tell the truth I wasn't sure about how I would feel using 'Protein Powder'. I mean I didn't want to bulk up, and I was happy not using in. In fact, I got it as a hand me down from my parents, it sat in my kitchen for MONTHS! But, I finally got tired of looking at it and decided to do some research. 

So I found that I didn't mind the taste, at least not in these smoothies, and although it doesn't replace a major meal (not one for that), it does feel me up so I don't crash before lunch if I have it for Breakfast or it satisfies me after a workout. 

By the way, all of this is only 433 calories and 25 protein. Not a bad way to get that in!

That is todays Snack of the Day NeverEver's! Are you gonna try it?  

Day 7: A Zumba Workout and Weigh In Day

Hey NeverEver's!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend and an even better Manic Monday! So as it is Monday I want to do 2 things especially today.

First, I want to thank everyone who is reading this blog. So far it has been 1 week of writing and working out! It has been amazing see the stats go up and figuring out how and what to write. Thank each and everyone of you!

Second, today is my Weigh In Day! So as you all know I started off at 213 and with my weigh in today I am at...I wish I could add drum rolls to this as a sound track, but anyways...211.5! I am so happy that I went over my expected 1 pound a week and went to 1.5!

Okay so my workout today was Zumba Fitness at 24 HourFitness Compton Sport. Let me say...they just don't dance in there. They MOVE! I do plan to do a post ALL about Zumba and how it took the fitness world by storm not to long ago. But for now...I will say that I will be feeling this cardio workout for a while! I also can't wait to do it again.
Also, before my Zumba class started, I had to get there an hour early just to reserve a spot, I went to do some Weights. Just working my arms with the machines and dumbbells. So today was an awesome day with a perfect cardio burn and some weights.

So here is my stats for today;

Zumba really kicked my Calorie Burn WAYYY Up!

I am sure you can see why I am happy with today's workout and stats!

Just as an update on my personal life. I am starting a new job tomorrow, Tuesday, but I see no reason for it to effect this blog. In fact I see myself working out more because less then a mile from where I work, Huntington Beach, is a 24 Hour Fitness!

Okay NeverEver's...when was your best day ever on a workout? or Healthy Eating? Did it make you want to do the same thing the next day? Or did you push yourself to hard that day that you just couldn't get up the next? I really want to hear from you!

Night all NeverEver's!

Workout of the Day: Olympic Training 2

Hey NeverEver's!

So since there are so many different Olympic sports out there...and even more wonderful athletes to follow. I decided that during the Olympic season each of my workouts would have something that has been taken from these healthy people!

Here is the article Sarah Haskin's

And don't forget to cheer for you team / country for the London Olympics 2012! Of course I am full TeamUSA but I did have to cheer for TeamRussia on the Gymnastics last night. 

Okay NeverEver's so get out there and move. Try some of these moves or your old favorites. Doesn't matter the more you move the less you are sitting down!

Day 6: Gym and Walk

Hey NeverEver's!

How was your Sunday? I hope some of you were watching the Olympics 2012. I loved watching the Team USA Woman's Beach Volleyball. Man did they look awesome and play an even better game. It made me want to head out to the beach, and I am NOT a beach person!

Okay so I am REALLY proud of myself today and what I have been able to do. As you know yesterday I was out all night at the Oban Festival and then to a friends house to play some video games, yes yes I play video games. But I went home at a not so decent time just to make sure I would wake up for my Gym Date and head to the Downtown L.A 24Hour Fitness.

So I get to the gym and he pushes me and I push him...until we get to the final cardio...20 minutes on a Stationary Bike. We choose this because the rowers are for once taken and we want to see the 400m Swimming on NBC Olympics 2012. Let me say this...those 20 minutes were hell on my @ss! I am only 4'11" and the seat was ALL the way down for my short legs and it still wasn't right. I should have never stayed on it...but since I was on...well I was going to finish that last 20 minutes!

After the gym I head home, work on this wonderful blog a little bit, played some Zelda Skyward Sword with the Hubby, ate some Subway...and felt like I had so much energy! After thinking about it...and EVEN considering going to the gym for a 2nd time today...I decided that I wanted to go walk!

And here is the result of everything I did today!

Very Proud of myself today!

So NeverEver's are you happy with how your Sunday went? Is there something you will be doing better next time? Something you want to do again?

That is it for now NeverEver's!

Workout of the Day: Walking VS Jogging

Hey NeverEver's!

Okay so I will admit...I don't like jogging...or running for that matter. I like walking for long distances at a steady pace! So it got me wondering, in the long term which is better for the body...walking or jogging.

Here is what I came up with:

1. If you are prone to injury, i.e falling or tripping, or have a knee / back issue Walking is probably better for you.
1. Walking +1
2. You 'should' burn more calories in a shorter amount of time while Jogging then if you did the same time while Walking
1. Jogging +1
3. Walkers weigh much less then non-walkers, according to a Harvard 15-year study. 
1. Walking +1
4. Jogging is good for you in terms of 'Cardio-Respiratory Fitness', this is the 'ability of your heart to pump stronger and more efficiently and your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. (Non Medical Meaning? Basically that you are gonna help your heart keep pumping for a longer time!)
1. Jogging +1

So Walking or Jogging shoes today?

It seems pretty even doesn't it. An even 2 & 2. So I think it all comes down to how well you can 'jog' and if it feels right to you. If you don't like jogging, join the club, then go for a walk. Just know that you do need to walk for a longer period of time to have the same burn that joggers get in a shorter time. 

Oh and one other thing NeverEver's! Distance is important. If you can't do 1 mile yet work your way up to it! You can take several walk/jogs during the day, or do an interval, which some say is the best way to lose weight, walk, then jog, then walk again. 

What is important is to just get out there and MOVE!! 

Here is what I found on the internet that is a good read on this subject!

Walking VS Jogging 1

Walking VS Jogging 2

Walking VS Jogging 3

Walking VS Jogging 4

Health Officials on 'Cardio-Respiratory Fitness'

Day 6: Oban Festival

Hey NeverEver's!

Hope you didn't miss me to much ^_^. Saturday is my day off from posting, usually because I am out and away from my computer the whole day!

So I am a little late but here is the stats from yesterday! Also some pictures of the Oban Festival and don't forget to Read about the Festival! They had some pretty awesome, and intricate, dance steps. And the woman were in FULL Kimono's! Which if you have ever worn one you know it doesn't allow you to move at all. If you haven't worn one think of a 'Fishtail / Mermaid' style prom dress. There is just no moving in it.

Doggy styled Kimono! Way to cute!

What I have to say one of the best things about the festival was the food. Yummy traditional food. I had the Udon for lunch, which is really thick noodles with some meat on the top.

Udon about 140 - 200 calories a serving

Okay so here is my stats for yesterday! 

Need to work on that calorie intake!

I did go over my calorie intake. And even though I burned more then I consumed, it is still very important to stay within your calorie  limit. Mine is 1500! Something that I will be working on!

So NeverEver's what is something that you want to still work on? 

Day 5: Opening of the Olympics - No Work Out

Hey NeverEvers!

Good Evening! I hope that a good portion of you were watching the Opening Ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic Games. I felt that it had so much heart in it...I couldn't look away.

Okay so Today (Friday) is my day off from working out. However, that doesn't mean its a 'break' day from my healthy living!

Here is my stats. You can totally see the lack of 'workout' but I only went over my calories by 103, it was my Strawberry Fruitista from Taco Bell.

I need to get more sleep!

As it stands my NeverEver's for a day with no exercise I am quite proud of today! Is this a day you would be proud of? If you could change anything would you?

Have a Good Night NeverEvers, sleep tight, and what the Olympics 2012

Snack of the Day: Cottage with a Peach

Hey NeverEver's!

So today's snack of the day has to be extremely healthy yet filling...because I was a genius and forgot my lunch at home! Thank goodness I left this snack here from yesterday at work.

Not mine...but doesn't it look yummy?!?

I really am not centered today, because not only do I forget my lunch at home...but before I can take a picture of my snack, it wasn't as nice as the one above, I eat all of the delicious snack. So here is where the picture comes from Here!

Now I use 2% cottage cheese. I never really use any other. For 1 cup, which is A LOT, it is only 194 calories. Of course a peach, great water fruit, is only 59 calories.

So for a yummy, cooling, healthy snack, unless your lactose intolerant, have some Cottage Cheese and a Peach!

Workout of the Day: Olympic Training

Good Afternoon NeverEver's,

As I am sure ALL you know today is the opening ceremonies for 2012 Olympics. Not sure how the United Kingdoms is going to beat what China did in the last Olympics but they say they can do it!

So during all this Olympic fever, I thought might as well try out some Olympic style workouts!

Here is one from the Hopeful Gymnastic Alicia Sacramone!

Here is the article Alicia Sacramone

Workout of the Day: Friends Day

Hey NeverEver's!

As you know I went to have dinner with a friend...but he is also my gym buddy! So before dinner we kicked our larger then life @sses at 24 Hour Fitness!

So because my Muscles are still recovering from my major Body Pump exercise on Tuesday, we did some hardcore cardio today.

• 20 minutes on the Rowing Machine

followed by

• 45 minutes on the elliptical 

I would like to point out that without my Darling there at the gym with me...I never would have survived, or thought I could survive, a 45 minute elliptical session! So if you can NeverEver's take a buddy with you to the gym! They push you harder then you thought you could go!


Here is the stats:

Even with my dinner still burning in excess of 890!

 So NeverEver's go out and get a buddy to exercise with! Its easier when you are having fun!

Dinner with Friends

Hey NeverEvers,

So I just recently faced an issue that we have all faced once or twice before. The dreaded, yet we always want, dinner with friends.

We want to go out, we want to have a good time, yet we also do not want to derail ALL the great things we did in the past just for one night. And we want to avoid...at ALL costs the dreaded 'Thoughts of Shame'

You know those thoughts, the ones where "Oh I should have gotten water" or "Why did I need to eat that". Well I am not at all perfect in this, but I just accomplished a wonderful dinner with a friend, we even shared a desert, that was only 718 calories at the end of it!

Dinner with Friends and still LOVE yourself in the morning! 

So here is what I had at TGI Fridays!

• Appetizer: The Tuscan Spinach Dip. 
• How did I save it? We split it and talked. The more we talked the less we ate and before we knew it we had only 1/2 of it between the both of us and the nice waitress took the rest of it away
• Total Calories - 278
• Main Entree: Petite Sirloin Streak (pictured above) with Non-Buttered Corn on the Cobb and Steamed Broccoli
•  How did I make this one work? Well first the petite steak is only 370 by itself, which isn't bad, but I made sure to eat my vegetables first. By the time I was done with them I could only eat about 1/4 of the steak. The other 3/4 is for lunch! 
• Total Calories - 201
• Drink: Beer. 
• I just made sure to order the 16oz and have at least 1 glass of water with it so I wouldn't want another beer. 
• Total Calories - 153
• Dessert: Salted Caramel Cake
• This one was tough, or would have been if I wasn't already fully with my veggies and steak. So by the end of it, we again shared and I only had the ice cream. 
• Total Calories - 86

So this all added up to a yummy, yet I won't yell at myself in the morning, dinner of only 718! Now that is what I call good times!

So NeverEver's go out and eat with your friends and don't forget to live a little!

Muscle Soreness

So as I keep writing this NeverEver's it is getting easier. Plus these page views are giving me a huge boost to keep writing!

So today I am going through some Muscle Soreness and I wanted to look into it. Here is 10 thing that I found

1. Muscle Soreness is technically a muscle injury. So once it repairs itself it is stronger then before! 
2. If your soreness is rated 1-4 out of 10, then feel free to still work it out, just take a few less reps or be sure to use it as a Secondary muscle. 
3. If its a 5-10 soreness, yet you still feel like you need to work out, concentrate on working out Other parts of your body. Like if your biceps hurt don't do arm curls but do squats or leg presses. 
4. Usually your body doesn't start feeling the 'real soreness' until 48-72 hours later. This is called 'Delayed onset muscle soreness'.
5. So do you ice it or heat the soreness up? Experts say; First use 'Indirect Ice: placing a icepack wrapped up in a towel' is best of immediate relief. Then to use heat a little while later.
6.  Did you know if you use the 'Indirect Ice' right when you are feeling some soreness, it reduces inflammation.
7. Heat actually feels really good on your sore muscles because heat increases the blood flow to that area of soreness.
8. Keeping your muscles warmed up, i.e, doing cardio, also helps to keep the blood flowing and can help recovery time from that muscle soreness.
9. If you have a loved one or bestie try convincing them to give you a rub down in the area that it hurts. Although a massage doesn't have any impact, so far studies are still being done, on muscle strength, it does help with muscle soreness.
10. And finally, if you need to use Over the Counter Medicine, please make sure you check with your Medical Doctor FIRST, but here are what you can use and what they can do for you.
1. acetaminophen (Tylenol)
2. nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
3. naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin 

 I hope this list will help you if you come into some muscle soreness. Just remember, we are actually making the muscle stronger!! You can read more about Muscle Soreness at the references below!


Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3

Till next time NeverEvers!

Workout of the Day: Walk in the Park

Hello Again NeverEver's!

So as you know yesterday I went to 24 hour fitness Les Mills Body Pump and it kicked my slight larger then average ass. So when I woke up this morning, I was feeling sore. So I decided that I would take it a little easier today and go walking!

Well walking turned into slow jogging! So it turned into a bigger workout then it was originally going to be. I took a pic with my iTouch, sorry that it looks a little blurry.

Pretty Yellow Sunset @ The Lynwood Park

So of course I will be posting my daily results. I am very satisfied with today's results!

So NeverEver's today was a hit day for me! How was yours? 

Snack of the Day: All that was needed was wine!

Welcome back NeverEver's!

Today's post is Snack of the Day! This time it is some more yummy fruit with some cheese!

• 1 cup of Green Grapes
• Mini Babybel Light Cheese

Grapes with Mini Baybel Cheese! Only 154 Calories!

Now I love to eat these by having 1 grape and a small bite of the cheese.

Workout of the Day: Les Mills Body Pump Edition!

NeverEverBeenSkinny @ss kicking workout!

So I just got out of one of the many classes that are offered by 24 Hour Fitness. Today was Les Mills Body Pump class. Its basically a weight class that hits your legs, back and arms at different intervals and not allowing more then a 10-30 second break between sets. 

I will say this...I was sweating. Which means something was being done right. hardest part of the workout was when we were doing the Behind the Head Press. Apparently my arms haven't been bent in that direction in a while so it was challenging. 

As always here is my stats today from BodyMedia! 

As you can see I didn't hit my 'Steps Taken' quota nor my 'Calories Burned' but I have more calories out then in and that is what is important! 

That is it for today NeverEvers! 

Snack of the Day: Crackers with Oranges

NeverEverBeenSkinny Snack of the Day

Here is what I am snacking on for the day! 

• Crackers are Triscuit Rye Whole n' Wheat Rye Wafers 
• Cheese is Laughing Cow Low Fat Cheese 
• Orange

A Yummy 217 Calorie Snack! 

BodyMedia Edition

NeverEverBeenSkinny Welcomes You! 

I am finding that writing this 2nd post wasn't at all as easy as I thought it would be. Seems that it is harder then the 1st post, but this shall be done!

Today I wanted to introduce everyone to 'BodyMedia' or as my friends like to call it the 'parole bracelet'. 

BodyMedia is an amazing device that sits on your left forearm and keeps track of your heart rate, how many steps you take, and how well you are sleeping tonight. 

This unique tool is how I am recording my calories in / calories out. I am planning to post my Activity Manager Results with you at the end of each day. Here was yesterdays stats. 

As you can see I didn't get to my calories consumed quota. Not because I am trying to starve myself...but because I was running around all day, interviewing, and was able to eat low in calorie but high in fiber or protein snacks to keep my hunger away. 

I have found that like most of everything in the Exercise World, BodyMedia only works when it is used. However, when used properly, i.e after a gym class or jogging around the neighborhood,  you can look closely to see if you are working out as hard as you thought you were. 

Well this is it for upselling the BodyMedia for now. Will be posting my exercise later on!