Official #FitFluential Ambassador

It's official.
I'm a #FitFluential Ambassador!

Check out my bio on their website!

I'm so excited to be part of a wonderful group of people.

They are so supportive and encouraging.

:)

I want to do my best to inspire others to enjoy fitness and be as healthy as they can be!

Blogger turned RAPPER?!?!?

Okay. So... yall know how I'm doing this whole student teaching thing??? Well, I decided to share a little sneak peak of my first placement and...

A RAP VIDEO that I made to teach my students about Fact and Opinion!

Hope you enjoy!
:)

Life Lately..

Last night, I went to the APSU basketball game. I snagged a FREE T-SHIRT! whoop whoop! I loveeeeee free shirts! My first year in college, I scored 22 free t-shirts! OHHHHH YEAHHH!!!
:)
I always get super excited when I get a new one. It doesn't take much to make this gal happy!

(sporting one of my new "professional" outfits)

I'm really enjoying student teaching. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful mentor teacher to guide me through this process.

Unfortunately, it's not all fun and games. We are required to do a big TPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) while we student teach. It's a lot of writing, videotaping, and reflecting over our teaching. I have already started mine because I like to get things done wayyyyyy before they're due. We have until March 11 to turn it in, but I want to get it done ASAP so I don't have to worry about it anymore!

This song says it all...

My friend showed this to me and I laughed. I'm not that far into the assignment yet, but I hope it doesn't get too rough... haha
This is another reason why I decided to get a jumpstart on it...My goal is to do a little bit at a time, that way I'm not overwhelmed.

Hope it works out!!!

Hope you all will sign up for my giveaway if you haven't yet. It's awesome and there will be TEN WINNERS, so you have a great shot!
:)

Flush the Fat Talk

I heard a song come up on my iPod when I put it on shuffle during my workout the other day and it inspired me to write this post.

I have posted before about my eating and body image issues in middle school on this post.
I would be lying if I said those negative thoughts never came across my mind. But, now that I am stronger and healthier, I can do a better job of ignoring them.

Like the song says, "There can NEVER be a more beautiful YOU!"
God created us all to be UNIQUE. If we were all the same, it would be BORING.

Fat Talk is not beneficial to anyone. It is something that a lot of women (and men) struggle with on a regular basis. I want to start a new habit of flushing the fat talk! Will you join me?

Anytime you have a negative thought cross your mind, remember that it's just a thought and it's NOT TRUE. THERE CAN NEVER BE A MORE BEAUTIFUL YOU!!!!

There's nothing better than just dancing away your worries and LAUGHING.

I love being able to motivate and uplift other people when they're having a rough day. It makes ME feel better as well. A new goal I have for myself is to compliment at least ONE PERSON daily. If we all talk to each other kindly, our minds will be so full of positive thoughts that there will be NO ROOM for those negative thoughts!

So... whatcha say? Will you join me?

THINK THIN REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!

ThinkThin was so awesome and sent me their BRAND NEW Crunch bars! (Cranberry Apple, Cherry, and Blueberry were the flavors) I loved ALL of these bars. They were the perfect combination of fruity flavor and the nuts packed a punch of protein! I enjoyed these as my after school snack!
(Student teaching makes you hungry! These were the perfect fuel to hold me over until I could get home and cook dinner)

ThinkWellness is the theme of this giveaway. I ThinkWellness every single day. I like to eat healthy foods and make exercise a priority. Even when that means getting up at the BUTT CRACK of dawn to workout before school! I feel good when I eat healthy foods and get my sweat on.

Want to win some of these yummy bars for yourself? Well, I have some good news!!! For this awesome giveaway, there will be TEN WINNERS!!!!! Yes, that's right...TEN WINNERS!!!!

Giveaway Prize:

Each of the ten (10) winners will receive one (1) Weight Wellness Sampler - 2 thinkThin® Protein Bars & 2 thinkThin® Crunch Bars

Mandatory Entry:

1) You MUST like Think Products on FB
http://www.facebook.com/thinkproducts
and follow @thinkproducts on twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/thinkproducts

and answer this question:
"How do you create Wellness in your life?”

Additional Entries:
2) Follow me on Twitter - @Christianqt07

3) Subscribe to my blog

4) Tweet this link:
"@Christianqt07 is having a @thinkproducts giveaway with 10 winners! click here to enter: http://fitnessfanatic007.blogspot.com/2012/01/think-thin-review-and-giveaway.html"

Please leave me a comment for EACH entry stating what you did and your email address.

Giveaway closes on Saturday, February 4th.

GOOD LUCK!!

P28 High Protein Bread

I was SUPER EXCITED when I found this box waiting on my doorstep...

P28 High Protein Bread!!!

P28 was kind enough to send me this box of bread and bagels to try and review on my blog.


OH MY GOSH. I CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS HOW AMAZING THE BREAD AND BAGELS TASTED.
But, I will try my best for the review... ;)

Bread: 11/10! The texture was so soft and chewy. It was by far the best wheat bread I have ever had. Oh, and did I mention that the slices were GIGANTIC for only 130 calories and 14g of PROTEIN?!?? It was so delicious and filling!!!

Bagels: 12/10! I absolutely loved the bagels. They were also delicious. They were definitely the best wheat bagels I have ever eaten. These were also HUGE and only had 260 calories and 28g, yes, I said 28 GRAMS OF PROTEIN PER BAGEL!

These are perfect for helping me build lean muscle. They kept me full and gave me the energy I needed to get through my workouts and my crazy days while I'm student teaching! ;)


******************************************************************
Here is a little information about P28 from their website:

The Bread:

P28 High Protein Bread is 100% Natural. P28 makes it easy to get a perfect balance of protein and carbs in every meal. 28 grams of protein in two slices. P28 is made with 100% Whole Wheat, Whey Protein Isolate, Oats, Flaxseed, Sunflower Seed and Millet. P28 contains important Omega 3's, and is a rich source of 8 essential Amino Acids. This product also is cholesterol free and a good source of fiber. P28 makes a great pre-post workout snack when nutrition is the most important. Don't have time to prepare a meal and need to get to the gym? Just add two tablespoons peanut butter and you have a healthy snack jam packed with protein.

• 28 grams of Protein per two slices
• 100% Natural
• 100% Whole Wheat - Made with Oat, Flax Seed, Sunflower Seed, and Millet
• Made with 100% Whey Isolate - The highest quality source of protein
• A rich source of 8 essential Amino Acids that your body needs for growth, energy, and vibrant health
• Cholesterol Free
• A Good source of Fiber
• Contains Omega 3's
• Excellent for people who are trying to build muscle and/or lose body fat.

The Bagels

We are pleased to present to you our brand new P28 High Protein Bagels. They are 100% Natural, 100% Whole Wheat, and jam packed with 28 grams of protein. Each bagel is carefully formulated to provide you with the highest quality ingredients possible. Each bagel is made with the highest quality source of whey isolate protein, Oats, Flaxseed, Sunflower Seed and Millet. Our P28 Bagels also contain important Omega 3's, and is a rich source of 8 essential Amino Acids. This product also is cholesterol free and a good source of fiber.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start your day off right by grabbing a P28 Bagel and enjoying your favorite breakfast sandwich. Hit the day running strong and feeling great!

Grabbing a quick snack? Don't rely on fast food that just ends up slowing you down. Grab a P28 Bagel, satisfy your hunger and fuel your body!

P28 High Protein bagels makes a great pre-post workout snack when nutrition is the most important. Don't have time to prepare a meal and need to get to the gym? Just add two tablespoons peanut butter and you have a healthy snack jam packed with protein.

• 28 grams of Protein per Bagel
• 100% Natural
• 100% Whole Wheat - Made with Oat, Flax Seed, Sunflower Seed, and Millet
• Made with Whey Isolate - The highest quality source of protein
• A rich source of 8 essential Amino Acids that your body needs for growth, energy, and vibrant health
• Cholesterol Free
• A Good source of Fiber
• Contains Omega 3's
• Excellent for people who are trying to build muscle and/or lose body fat.

**********************************************************


PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AND ORDER SOME FOR YOURSELF!
YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

https://www.highproteinbread.com/

Q & A Round 2

1) This Q & A was floating around the blog world, so I decided to join in on the fun!

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

· DANCE IT OUT in the morning is a given.

· Take my time showering and getting all pretty.

· Hanging out with friends.

· Going to a basketball game.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.

• Modern Family
• Glee
• The Office

and The Bachelor because I my friend, Kacie B. is on it this season!!!

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?

In them with other people. I like to remember the fun I was having with others! J

4) Why do you blog?

I blog because I love it. I love being able to express my feelings and hopefully motivate at least ONE person out there. I think the blogging community is super supportive and I’ve gotten so many ideas from other blogs!

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blogs
• Hotmail
• Pandora

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

@Italktofood - BUT, only if she was cooking! ;) her recipes look absolutely incredible and I would love to try them!!!

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

• HONEYCRISP APPLES
• carrots
• Fiber One Bars – Peanut Butter and Caramel are the bomb.com!
• Cereal
• Popcorn
• Yogurt Messes

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

Nope.

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

• my laptop
• my phone
• my iPod

10) What’s your favorite drink?

• Diet Dr. Pepper

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

I love it! I also love trying new recipes! Please share some with me J

12) Do you have children?

None of my own; but, I have a TON of kiddos that I babysit and love them all!

13) What are your favorite hobbies?

• blogging (obviously)
• reading (does that even count?)
• working out
• bowling

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?

Definitely outgoing! I’m not shy at all and don’t get embarrassed easily.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

My need to worry about myself and things I do being perfect all the time.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

I absolutely adore Jennifer Aniston and Kevin James cracks me up!

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

I started STUDENT TEACHING!!! I’ve had a blast so far!

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

Near! My parents live about 10 minutes away. My brother lives about 10 minutes in the other direction. I’m right in the middle.

19) List three of your talents.

• Cheering people up and being positive and smiley J
• Working well with kids, aka “Professional Babysitter” ;)
• Singing at the top of my lungs in my car!

20) What is your greatest attribute?

I like to think that it would be my love for Jesus Christ, and that I try my best to be the best witness that I can, although I do FAIL many times. I am a sinner like everyone else, and so grateful for God’s unending grace!

Question: Answer one of the above for yourself!

Mixing it Up!!

I know I've talked about all my favorite group fitness classes that involve cardio on a previous post, but today I wanted to talk about STRENGTH TRAINING!

It's all about mixing it up and avoiding muscle memory!
When you do the SAME moves over and over again, your muscles get used to it and don't have to work as hard.

I recently started trying 2 new toning classes. Sculpt and Body Flow.
I'm SO glad I decided to try them.
I felt sore in muscles that I didn't even know I had! Yes, I am one of those people who ENJOYS feeling sore because that means I got a good workout and surprised my muscles with something different!

Here is one of my favorite moves from Body Flow:
The Crow Pose

I definitely fell quite a few times before I mastered this pose. It's all about BALANCE, which I don't have. haha. I told my instructor I was going to practice and the next day at Dance It Out I did it and she congratulated me. WIN!
:)

Click Here for step by step instructions if you want to give it a whirl...


Taking these new classes inspired me to finally try moving up to the 20lb weights for my arm exercises. I started out doing ONE of my sets of 15 reps with the 20lb weights. Then, after a few weeks like that, I did ALL of them with the 20lb weights. I'm proud of my accomplishment. It may seem like a small change, but it makes me feel good!

What are your thoughts?
Do you like to mix it up and shock your muscles?

My Food Staples

I thought today I would share my food staples with you.
These are the things that you will almost 99% of the time find in my kitchen.

Fridge:

• CARROTS - I love to munch on these while I'm cooking a meal! Great little snack for when I'm SUPER HUNGRY and can't wait til the food finishes cooking. haha

• Apples- I usually eat one every day. I love 'em! My favorite is HoneyCrisp, with Fuji in a close second place.

• Yogurt- I loveeeeeee making yogurt messes! (just mix yogurt and cereal and can add in fruit or granola or whatever you feel like) I HATE milk, but for some reason I love yogurt!

• Egg Beaters- My favorite thing to whip up is an omelette! Easy and delicious!

Pantry:

• CEREAL- I have at least 4 different kinds at one time. haha I love cereal. It's great for my yogurt messes, but I also just like to eat it dry as a movie snack or whatever. YUM!

• Whole Wheat Tortillas/Flatouts- These are SO good, have lots of good-for-you fiber, and are perfect for lunches on the go!

• PEANUT BUTTER- do I really need to say more? ;)

• Cinnamon- I love adding cinnamon to lots of things, so I always have some!

What are YOUR food staples?

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Bake

So, I'm doing really good with my "Try at least one new recipe per month" goal for 2012!
This is my 3rd new recipe :)

I LOVE my Baked Banana Oatmeal, so I decided to experiment with one of my other favorites, Sweet Potato Oats! The experiment was a success! I'll share it with you:

Sweet Potato Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients:
1 Pack of Instant Oatmeal (I used Raisin, Apple, Walnut flavor)
1 sweet potato
cinnamon (sprinkle to your liking)
pinch of baking powder

Directions:
Boil Water.
Pour oatmeal and baking powder into mini-loaf pan.
Microwave sweet potato for about 3 minutes or so...
Pour boiling water into oatmeal mix.
Mash sweet potato and add to oatmeal mix.
Stir until it is evenly spread in the pan.
Bake at 375* for about 15 minutes.
I like to broil it for another 2 minutes to make the edges crispy!

This has a bread-like texture. It is SUPER YUMMY!

:)

I'm curious...do you like your oatmeal the regular way, or do you like to experiment with it?

ActiveWearUSA review

ActiveWearUSA was kind enough to send me some awesome workout clothes to try and review!

Here are the links to the pieces I got from their website:

Bluefish Sports Bra

Tiempo Libre Long Mesh Top

"ActivewearUSA.com was founded with the goal of providing the best yoga activewear and fitness clothing on the market, to encourage women to look and feel their best while enhancing their life through fitness."

These were SUPER COMFORTABLE! While the top was mesh material, I wouldn't wear this to the gym, but it would be perfect for an at-home workout (like when I get stuck inside because of a snow day and like to do a dance/fitness tape) or for the runners out there, this would be perfect for a run in those hot summer months!

Please check out their website for yourself! There are TONS of clothes. I'm sure you can find something that strikes your fancy!
:)

http://www.activewearusa.com/

Vixibar Review

Vixibar was kind enough to send me some of their bars to try and review on my blog.

Here's some info about Vixibar from their website:
The VixiBar team is an active & lively bunch - we know first-hand that eating pure, delicious food our bodies can use leads to the extraordinary ability to do...anything!

Kate Criswell - Founder & CEO
Kate is a passionate athlete, nutrition consultant and certified personal trainer. Kate founded her successful company, Xceed Fitness, to help people achieve their individual health and fitness goals. Her customer-focused philosophy of tailoring programs to meet individual needs has led to remarkable customer loyalty, with many clients still with her after 5 years. Kate is the heart and soul of VixiBar - her drive, passion and intimate knowledge of health and nutrition are critical to the success & credibility of the brand.

VixiBar™ is on a mission to let everyone know that they can have a natural food
bar with both a functional benefit AND great taste - a bar without compromise

***********************************************************************

Now, for my review:

PB & J – 10/10! This tasted just like a good ol’ PB & J! I thought it looked a little small, but it was pretty filling! These were great as a pre-workout snack, or just a tasty snack in general! Of course, I can’t deny that I love the fact that they have 12 g of protein!

Cherry Biscotti – 10/10! This bar was nice and sweet. It tasted like dessert to me. I loved it!

Apple Crisp- 10/10! This tasted just like apple pie. I think this was my favorite flavor! YUM!

:)

These bars were great! Please visit their website and try some for yourself!
http://vixibar.com/index.html

Taking an extra rest day...

today, I decided to have an extra rest day.
and you know what?
that is OKAY.

(the most comfortable blanket and couch ever)


I want to listen to MY body and take care of it.
If it's in need of some extra rest, why shouldn't I listen and give it what it wants?

I tried another new class on Friday, called Body Flow, and it worked muscles that I don't use frequently. I really enjoyed the class. I'm gonna do a post on that later ;)

I think so many times people try to go too hard and they overwork themselves. It adds a lot of stress and that's not healthy either.

so, today, I'm listening to my body.
I'm resting.

I'm gonna watch some GLEE, hangout with my friend Krissy, paint my nails with my snazzy new color, babysit, and oh yeah, get everything ready to go for my FIRST DAY OF STUDENT TEACHING TOMORROW!!!!!!
:)

I'm so excited!!!



What are your thoughts on taking an extra rest day? Do YOU listen to your body?

Sunday Somethings...

Well, my LAST semester of college has begun. I won't be able to post as frequently as I did over break, but here is a little update on life lately.

I went SHOPPING for my "professional wardrobe." I got 6 tops, 2 pairs of earrings, a pair of brown dress shoes, and a new purse! I am SO EXCITED to start STUDENT TEACHING on Tuesday!
:)

While I was shopping, I took a snack break and found this (new to me) flavor of lifewater.
Strawberry Dragonfruit!
It's gotta be my new favorite!
DELICIOUS!

I watch the kiddos in the playroom every Sunday at church. We have fun playing with blocks, coloring, and just hanging out. I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful church.

Every Monday night, I do childcare for one of my church's small groups. Here's a little glimpse. We usually have 10 kids every time. Don't worry, there is another girl who watches the kiddos with me, just fyi :)

So, what's something that's happened to you lately?