Unexpected Finds

So in my internet browsing I stumbled across this hilarious and informative website ThugKitchen.com The author is a healthy living home cook who attempts to make vegan eating a tad more "gangsta". The author states that he is not vegan but that he believes we should enjoy a more natural diet to ensure a long life free of preventable health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes.  He gives recipes and tips for healthy eating  in a hilarious yet interesting way. Imagine Suge Knight explaining why swiss chard is great for your blood sugar levels or how tomatoes can prevent testicular cancer. In his own words:

“what is thug kitchen?”

THIS SITE IS HERE TO HELP YOUR NARROW DIETARY MINDED ASS EXPLORE SOME FUCKING OPTIONS SO THAT YOU CAN LOOK AND FEEL LIKE A FUCKING CHAMP.

Stay away if you are squeamish about strong language or not interested in changing your lifestyle. This is a great laugh and informative. 

There's nothing like a new toy!

No matter how old you get there is still that same excitement when you get something new. This week I got a Nutri-Bullet. I was so excited to try it out and now I have to admit that I can't stop using it. It's so simple and fast that I juice daily in order to try out new recipes. I go shopping specifically to buy new fruits and veggies to try. Green juices are currently my favorite. The one pictured below is spinach, romaine, 1 granny smith apple, 1 banana, and a few almonds. Yummy!

Rumor has it that green juice helps clear your skin (I will let you all know if I notice any benefits like that as I continue my daily green juice breakfast). I have noticed that it does provide a great morning pick me up. My energy in the morning is through the roof and I love it!

Cinnamon Spice Leads to Something Nice

As many of my friends know, I love to run. I don’t do it competitively or anything because I’m not that fast. But I love it. It’s exhilarating and provides me with a moment of clear thinking. It’s definitely the closest thing I can get towards existentialism. Aside from the semi-spiritualism that running brings me, it keeps me in pretty good shape because I am big hungry; I love food! But even the longest run cannot make up for my strong appetite. I need something extra to boost my metabolism. Enter my natural secret weapons: cinnamon, honey and good old hot water. For years, colds, diarrhea, constipation, and all other ailments were met with natural herbs. Of course, for serious problems, I was sent to the doctor’s office, but my mother, paternal grandmother, and great aunts worked hard to limit my consumption of prescription pills. That being said, cinnamon was used often. And as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate its well-documented benefits.

Every night, I have a cup of cinnamon tea and honey before I go to bed. I boil the water and mix it with a teaspoon of cinnamon. I let it steep for about 20-30 minutes and then I add a tablespoon of honey. I let it steep for that long because it helps to cool off the water. My grandmother always told us never to add honey to hot water because it does something to the enzymes so that the benefits of the honey basically become non-existent.

The benefits of this little tea have been great. First off, I never have morning breath. Like ever. Even if I forget to brush my teeth before bed. Secondly, whenever I pick back up the habit of drinking the tea, my immune system is amazing. I’m hardly ever sick. And if I am, it never lasts long. Thirdly, I have way more energy. Perhaps the most important benefit has to be the fact that my metabolism is pretty great. Even when I eat the heaviest of heavy meals, I don’t feel so heavy because the food gets broken down pretty easily. In other words, I don’t get the “Itis” that often.

I don’t usually endorse things that concern other people’s eating habits or bodies because I don’t like to make people feel like I’m preaching to them about their lifestyles. But this tea is so easy to make and the ingredients are so easily accessible that I felt like I had to share it (actually my mom suggested that I share it). If you want to speed up your metabolism, lose a few inches, improve your digestive tract, or pick up a little extra energy to add a pep to your step, give this tea a try. Even if you don’t want to drink it every day, having it a few times a week will definitely make a difference. 

No excuses November fitness challenge

Here at PGSD we are all about *diddy voice* preserving our sexy. We believe in being the best you possible be that a size 2 or a size 24, but its all about being healthy. There is no reason to put off improving your health until next Monday or the beginning of the month. Start it today! It is now No Excuses November meaning there is absolutely no reason for you to put down the chicken wing (delicious as it may be) and making a conscious effort to care about your health.

 I don't believe in diets I believe in lifestyle changes. The first step is changing the way you eat. You cannot exercise away bad eating. Keep a food journal. Write down every bite you eat. This makes you more aware of what and how much you are eating a day.It feels much better to see an orange in your journal at snack time than a poptart. Also, increase your water intake. Water is good for you and I don't understand people who say they don't drink it. Guess what I'm sure your piss smells like ammonia and your face looks like a chinese checker board. Water is a key ingredient to your body's health. a great idea is to get a gallon jug and label it in two hour increments. This will help you to stay hydrated and monitor your water intake. It takes time to break old habits especially when it comes to food. NO EXCUSES!

Healthy food does not have to be boring. This delicious, quick, yet balanced meal consist of spinach, aparagus, shrimp, broccoli, and quinoa with sauteed peppers and onions. Everything is baked or grilled and damn delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Portion control is also key. Even if its good for you overeating leaves you uncomfortable and gassy. That is not apart of Mission: Walking Sex God.

Exercise is a major key in changing your life. Your body wants to move! You don't have to be some juice head who spends 20 hours a day in the gym shrinking his dick into oblivion, but you can get your ass off the couch. Just by taking a few small steps you can see a change in your body. Start out with:

*10 jumping jacks
*10 squats
*10 crunches
*jumping rope for 30 seconds
* 15 second plank

This plan is a starting point  for someone who does not work out at all. If you know you can start out with bigger quantities do it! Each day add 5-10 more to each set. So if you do 10 jumping jacks  on Monday do 15-20 on Tuesday. You will see a change in your body and your endurance in a few short weeks. Don't say you don't have time, this wont take more than 15 minutes. 15 minutes won't kill you, but diabetes might.

Don't wait until the New Year to take charge and change your life. Look amazing before then and start off the year at your best. NO EXCUSES!

Chipotle was served at the Last Supper

Look. These are my beliefs. Deal. 

I started my weight loss journey OFFICIALLY about a month ago. In that time, I have gone through many different fads/diets/apps to help me lose weight. Needless to say none of them worked as I Popeyes Drive-Thru'd my way to the largest I have ever been. To be perfectly honest, its nothing unmanageable. Just a clear combination of laziness and access to too much fast food. 

However, I have over the past month made the conscious decision to do better, not just for my waistline, but to FEEL better. So far I am down 15 lbs! *pause for 2 Chainz dance break* Its not that much and I am honestly probably the only person, besides my scale, that can tell, but knowing that gives me an extra skip in my step. I want all of you, our readers, to feel that way. So I have compiled my recipe for 'How to lose 15 pounds'

Elliptical-30 Minutes

Treadmill-30 Minutes

Ab Crunch-5 reps of 10

Arm Press-5 reps of 10

Leg Curl-5 reps of 10

Now it is important to note that muscle confusion is the key to workout weight loss. That is why I only recommend this for the first 10 pound loss. Get creative, and add reps as you go along in your journey. Since I am still losing, I am still working on the second steps. Make sure throughout the workout to drink half your body weight in ounces daily, and keep your eyes on the prize! Hopefully this simple workout routine will give you the pep to continue on. 

Salmon and Broccoli

Broiled Honey-Mustard Salmon with Broccoli Parmesan is a very tasty but healthy meal I would recommend to anyone. Not only is this meal delicious it is extremely easy (although if you cant cook I would not advise you to remove the skin of the salmon by yourself unless you like visiting the emergency room) and fast.

I never knew how to flavor a piece of salmon well enough to always want to eat it until now. Not only is the salmon flavorful the broccoli does not fall short either. The lemon adds something to the broccoli that when paired with the Parmesan encourages your taste buds to do a couple of jigs. I actually make the broccoli for an afternoon snack sometimes because while being healthy it still tames my cheese cravings.

Broccoli Parmesan (116 calories 8g protein)

6 cups of fresh broccoli

1 tablespoon of olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

8 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat 400°F

In a large bowl toss the broccoli with oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange broccoli in a single layer on nonstick cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top and back for an additional 10 minutes.

Broiled Honey-Mustard Salmon (281 calories 29g protein)

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 4-ounce wild dalmon fillet, skin removed

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

Preheat Broiler

Combine mustard and honey in a bowl and set aside. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with pepper and then lightly coat one side of the fillet with the honey mustard. Place the fillet honey side up oon a nonstick baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes on each side until salmon is light pink. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.

Turkey Tomato Penne

Its dinner time once again! Today I tried Turkey Tomato Penne. It’s really easy and very tasty! Stop making excuses as to why you stopped through the drive thru of your favorite fast food joint because the longest part of this recipe is waiting for the penne to cook. It’s like spaghetti without the spaghetti LOL. I promise this will become a favorite for you to cook and if not, my bad. It’s officially a favorite of mine now. Enjoy!

362 calories 31g protein

12 ounces ground turkey
2 tsp chopped fresh basil (per serving)
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 (16 ounce) can tomato pasta sauce
1 cup uncooked whole wheat penne pasta (per serving)

Cook turkey, basil, and oregano until cooked through. drain fat. Add tomato sauce and let simmer, covered, over low heat.
Cook pasta. Drain. Toss pasta and sauce together. Serve.

Jillian Michaels Can Kiss My Ass

As I write this I am gasping for air. I decided to start on the Jillian Michaels 30 Shred and I am kicking myself in my fat ass. I typically hit the gym about 3-4 times a week focusing on cardio and strength training. Due to my hectic work schedule I decided to try something at home. Everyone in the exercise world had spoken quite highly of this workout series and I being the ever curious adventurer decided to try it for myself. I have tried P90x and Insanity so I halfway thought I knew what to expect. Wrong wrong wrong wrong.

After moving back home and being subjected to my mother’s delicious home cooked food I noticed a definite increase in my weight. I am comfortable with myself at any size, but knew things could get quickly out of hand when there is baked chicken and from scratch cakes involved.  After an exhausting day I knew I needed to get my muscles moving after having neglected my gym visits so I decided to try the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1. I watched a few minutes beforehand to get an idea and thought it seemed rather lax. How was this supposed to get me shredded and ripped in 30 days. It reminded me of the warm ups I had done in karate several years prior which I never thought of as the intense part of the workout. I guess when you have someone swinging their foot at your face jumping jacks and hip rotations seem tame, but meanwhile back at the ranch I was not initially impressed.

Once I finally put down the pita chips and hummus I was eating and actually started the workout my world view changed. I now know why the caged bird sings and it is because of this DVD. I can do two hours in the gym easily and feel great; I’m guessing because it is a self guided workout. This is designed to get as many muscles moving as possible while pushing you to your limit.  It combines cardio with weights, and strength training to get you as lean and strong as quickly as possible.

First of all I haven’t done a jumping jack in years. Once my bras had more D’s on them than Chief Keef’s report card I gave up on the idea of flying through the air. Then there are the push ups. G.I. Jane I am not. My hour long elliptical sessions have nothing on what I experienced with this. Rather than counting off reps Jillian leads you through 30 second circuits of each exercise. You quickly realize 30 seconds is actually equivalent to an eternity. A child has been born, the stock market has dropped, Keri Hilson has washed another car in the time span it has taken you to suffer through squats. Jillan encourages you not to stop for more than five seconds during each cycle which proved to be impossible. Me and my three pound weights eventually laid on the floor. Her voice is so commanding that I could practically feel her looming over me as I gasped for air. By the end muscles I didn’t know existed felt like jello, but I knew that I had actually received a rewarding workout.

I would definitely recommend this to any ambitious girls seeking an intense workout. I know that I won’t be doing this everyday just yet, but I do feel a difference in my endurance as I progress each day. It’s a great workout of you can’t make it to the gym or are looking for something more intense than just a run of the mill cycling class. The videos are available free on YouTube in addition to her yoga and fat burning workout.