Tips to Increase Your Metabolic Rate

     Here is an excellent article I read today from musclespro.com.  It shares 3 nutrition tips to boost metabolic rate, which is something the majority of us try to achieve.  I found these tips to be very helpful and I hope that you do as well!

3 Nutrition Tips to Boost Your Metabolic Rate

As always, LiveFit.

<3 Keli

Why I Train

I cannot begin to count the many times that I have been asked that question… “Why do you train? Why do you spend so much time at the gym?”  Typically I will give a vague, quick answer and not really give it much thought.  However, lately I have been thinking about this and here is what I have found.  Last year, I spent over 300 days and approximately 450 hours training.  This does not even include recreational activities that I enjoy, such as mountain biking and hiking.  Why would I devote so much of my time to throwing iron around a gym?  I’ve narrowed my answer down to three major reasons.

1.      Tangible Goals and Absolute Improvement

I am a very goal-oriented person.  I love the feeling of setting a goal and achieving it.  Lifting weights is something that when done correctly, will always produce tangible results.  If I break a new PR, there is no doubt that I have improved.  If I lower my body fat percentage, I have gotten better.  Numbers don’t lie. So many of the activities that I have been involved in are left to someone’s personal opinion of whether or not I did it well.  If I performed a classical art song for a vocal competition it was up to me to learn the music and give my best interpretation of the piece, however it was up to the judges whether or not I interpreted it in the way that they believed to be correct.  Then, it was also up to the judges whether or not they found the tone of my voice to be pleasing.  While I find music to be extremely rewarding and I could never give it up, it does not satisfy my need for absolute improvement. 

2.     Mental Toughness

Training, whether in the gym or outside, is so much more about mental strength than physical strength.  My workouts are extremely influenced by my current state of mind.  To train the mind to overcome pain or whatever mental obstacles you are facing at that point in time is a skill that can and should be developed.  My goals do not care about my excuses.  My goals do not care if I am tired.  My goals do not care if I don’t have time.  My goals do not care about ANY excuses.  If I let my excuses keep me from training, I will never reach my goal.  Period.  The human body is capable of so much more than most of us will ever even come close to touching.  As Americans, most of us spend the majority of our time at a desk or in front of a screen of some sort.  Our bodies were designed for so much more!  Think about it….before this technology era began, people had to walk everywhere they wanted to go, they had to grow or hunt their food, and they made their own clothes.  Technology has made our everyday lifestyle become so sedentary and we don’t even realize it!  I type this as I am sitting on my bed.  

Point made.

3. One Chance

     We are only given one body.  This is the only chance I have to take care of it and see what it is capable of doing.  I want to do everything I can to avoid becoming that person that needs help getting in and out of the car.  I realize that there are some things that are out of my control, however I am going to make sure that I am taking care of the things that I can control.  I have been blessed with a healthy body and I am doing my best to maintain that through clean eating and consistent training.  Lastly, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says “Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit…”, that being the case, I’m going to make sure that I keep it in the best condition possible.  

So there you have it, that's why I train.

And to be a beast.  :)

     
     <3 Keli

Workout #1-Legs & Glutes

I have had some requests for specific workout examples so here is the first example!  Now ladies out there, don't you dare skip on the back squat! Squats are the key to getting your rear to look like those lovely girls on Pinterest! :) You will notice on this workout that the number of reps is not very specific (Ex: 12-20 reps).  That is for a reason!  On each set like this, I want you to perform at LEAST 12 reps, but if you get to 12 and you can keep going, DO!!  I want you to perform these sets to the maximum number of reps that you can get, however if you can do more than 20 reps, you should increase your weight.


-Dynamic Warm-Up-included lunges, body-weight squats, hip-ups, jump rope, groiners
-Compound movement:
     3x12-20 Back squat **Really focus on squeezing those glutes as you power up
     3x12-20 Incline leg press (superset with GHR below)
-Target: Glutes/Hamstrings
     3x12-20 Glute-Ham Raises (GHR)
-Target: Quadriceps
     3x12-20 Leg extensions
-Target: Glutes
     3x12-20 Butt Blaster
-Target: Glutes/Hamstrings
     3x12-20 Balance Touches (Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift with plate or barbell)
     3x12-20 Stability ball planked leg lifts w/ cable
-Target: Hip Abductors/Adductors
     3x12-20 Hip Ab
     3x12-20 Hip Ad
-Target: Calves
     5x12-20 Calf raises (weighted)

  STRETCH AND RE-FUEL!!! :)

<3 Keli

Sweet Potato Protein Muffins!

Happy Saturday!!
     As you know, I am a HUGE fan of easy, portable, but most importantly nutritious foods!  These delicious sweet potato muffins definitely fit my standards.  They can be easily frozen so that you can just pop one out of the freezer whenever you are ready for it.  This recipe yields 6 regular size muffins.
Nutritional Info/Muffin:
62 Calories
0.5 g Fat
8.3 g Carbohydrates
6.9 g Protein
Ingredients:
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 cup Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Pumpkin
3 oz Sweet Potato w/ skin (baked)
3 Egg Whites
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
*Cinnamon
*Cloves
*Ginger
     *to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin w/ cups
and spray with baking spray.  Blend oats in a food processor or blender, then add oats to protein powder and baking powder in a medium size bowl.

Next, blend baked sweet potato with skin, pumpkin, egg whites, vanilla and honey in the food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add sweet potato mixture to bowl with dry ingredients and add spices to taste.  Blend together until well-incorporated.

Now spoon into muffin tin.  Tip:  Use an ice cream scoop to spoon into muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and brought out clean.

I enjoyed a sweet potato protein muffin this morning for breakfast with 1/2 cup of organic plain Greek yogurt and scrambled eggs with peppers and onions (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites). Yummy!!

Nutritional breakdown for the whole meal:

256.5 Calories, 5.5 g Fat, 15.05 g Carbohydrates, 33.9 g Protein

<3 Keli

Contest Prep is on! (+ an update on a recipe) :)

     Contest prep has officially begun.  I am 10 weeks out from my chosen competition, the NPC Midwest Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.  I have taken my diet to a more lean stage where my macronutrient ratios are 50% protein, 30% carbohydrate and 20% fat.  Hopefully I will maintain these ratios up to contest, however adjustments may be needed as time progresses.

     Today was a meal prep day, meaning I prepped my meals for the next several days this afternoon.  This makes dieting so much easier, as I don't have to worry about cooking the rest of the week and I have no excuse for straying from my diet.  I grilled my meats, cooked my vegetables and divided them into Tupperware to be stored in the freezer and the refrigerator.  I also  cooked a large pot of Mexican Quinoa Stew and made a few minor changes to the original recipe.   Enjoy and always, LiveFit!

<3 Keli

Mexican Quinoa Stew
Makes 12 servings
1 cup/serving
Nutritional Info/Serving
133.17 Calories
3.43 g Fat
15.13 g Carbohydrates
11.05 g Protein
Ingredients
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 Small Onion (diced)
1 Medium Zucchini (chopped)
2 Medium Peppers (I prefer red and yellow, but choose your favorite!)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning (reduced sodium)
15 oz Pinto Beans (canned)
15 oz Black Beans (canned)
10 oz Diced Tomatoes with Chili's (canned)
14 oz Beef Broth 99% Fat Free (can use chicken or veggie if preferred)
1 Cup Quinoa (uncooked)
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
Cooking Spray (Canola or Olive Oil)
Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese (not included on nutritional info)
**On all canned vegetables, choose reduced sodium.
Directions

     First, you will dice all of your vegetables (red pepper, yellow pepper, zucchini, onion) into small pieces.  Tip** Before dicing the onions, light a candle or two. This will help reduce the tear flow. :)

     Next, spray a large pot with Olive Oil cooking spray.  Brown the ground turkey and onions over medium heat.  Add taco seasoning (reduced sodium), zucchini and peppers.  Stir until the seasoning is well incorporated.  

     Now add the pinto beans, black beans, broth, diced tomatoes and quinoa to the pot.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  

     After a rolling boil is achieved, reduce heat to low/med-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked. The quinoa will absorb much of the liquid. Add lime juice and top with fat-free cheddar cheese, if desired.  

Merry Christmas!!!

It is the holiday season! No doubt, this is a hard time to stick with your training and healthy living habits. However, don't be one of the many that fall away from their goals, you must keep your goals in mind throughout this time of year! For me, I have found that if I prepare my meals for several days, even a week at a time, it is so much easier to stick with my clean eating habits. That's not to say that you cannot enjoy Christmas dinner with your family, but you must keep your goals in mind! For instance, if you want to eat Christmas dinner with your family, plan your other meals so that at the end of the day, you have not varied far from your typical daily intake of calories and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fat) ratios. It's also essential that you continue to eat at your regular times, for me that is every 2-3 hours. That is how I keep my body in its anabolic state so that it does not enter a fat-storing mode. In order to keep my calories and macronutrient ratios in place, I know that I must also keep my portions small. Good luck to you during this holiday season and I pray that you have a blessed Christmas as you continue toward your goals!

<3 Keli

New Recipe and New Photos!!!

     I have just added some photos from  my shoot last week to Photo Gallery 1 AND I have a new recipe for you!  Thanks to Mark Jesse and Bill Powers for an awesome shoot!
     The new recipe is called Oatmeal Muffins...I know, quite the original name.  Nonetheless, these muffins are delicious and highly nutritious!  They are made of completely natural, whole foods with no added sweeteners and are great for an "on-the-go" snack.  The original recipe is not very high in protein, however if you are wanting to increase your protein intake, I think it would work great to just add a few scoops of vanilla protein powder to the ingredients.  I have not tried that yet, so let me know if you do!
     Remember, just because it's getting cold outside is no excuse to slack off on your training!  What you do in your off-season (or just none-swimsuit-season) WILL be reflected when competition and warm-weather months roll around!

<3 Keli


Oatmeal Muffins
Makes 24 Muffins
1 Muffin/serving
Nutritional Info/Serving:
110 Calories
2.4 g Protein
15 g Carbohydrates
2.8 g Fat
Ingredients:
4 Ripe Bananas
3 Cups Whole Grain Rolled Oats
1 Cup Quinoa (cooked)
3 Egg Whites, beaten
1/4 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate (unsweetened)
1 tsp Orange Extract
1/4 Cup Walnuts
1/4 Cup Macadamia Nuts
1/4 Cup White Raisins
1/4 Cup Dates
1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Flaxseed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Mash bananas thoroughly in a large bowl.  Combine all moist ingredients and add oats.  Combine all dry ingredients and fold into the oat mixture.  Pour into muffin pan, sprayed with baking spray.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until browned as desired.