Happy New Years Eve

Today is going to be a fun one. We have invited a family to hang out with us tonight. I really enjoy having friends over but we definitely do not do it enough.

With company coming I will be spending a good portion of today getting the house cleaned up and some yummy snacks made. I don’t know why get togethers always have to involved food that can clog arteries. So, I am going against the grain and putting a healthy spread out for the people I care about. They are planning on eating dinner before they come so I am just making snack foods.

My New Years Eve spread will include:

yummy vegetable tray antipasto style
whole grain crackers with real cheese not that manmade gooey junk
fresh fruit salad
turkey breast meatballs with a homemade barbeque sauce
some baked lumpia (a filipino favorite that I am attempting to revamp with phyllo dough. I’ll let you know how it goes)

I know my girlfriend is bringing some chocolate chip cookies for a little naughtiness and I will probably make a sinful dessert to share. I haven’t decided yet what I will be making but there will only be enough servings for everyone to have one slice. In fact, this is the time to enjoy those delectable desserts because you are sharing it with many and less likely to eat more than you are supposed to.

Happy New Years everyone!

12 Week Transformation Challenge

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Quick Christmas Workout

I have been quite busy here in Ramos land.  I enjoyed the visit we had with my husband’s mom and sister.  It was sad to see them leave.  Since their visit we have been working diligently on getting our homemade gifts for each other finished.  Every year we always make a gift for each other rather than spend too much money on gifts that are soon forgotten.  We still purchase a few gifts, but we try to keep it to one or two gifts. 

Because we are so busy it is easy to get off track with workouts and nutrition so I keep up with my menu planning and perform quick workouts.  This way I have more time to focus on the kids without feeling guilty.   With that in mind, I have included a workout from my transformation guide that will be launched quite soon. 

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Grilled Banana Split Recipe

Our Christmas Menu

It’s Saturday and we are celebrating Christmas with the in-laws today. I am cooking up a Christmas feast for an early dinner and we’ll open some gifts. They are leaving on Monday so we had to have an early one for them. It should be fun.

Even though there are a few favorite items on the menu that are not quite on plan, I still make sure the majority of foods eaten are of a healthier nature. So I thought I would share today what is on our Christmas feast menu to give you a little idea of how to eat well while celebrating with picky family. Read more

Christmas Fitness Gift Guide for 2008

Before you head out to your local sports store to purchase that expensive treadmill or recumbent bike, take a look at my fitness gift guide and see how you can use inexpensive equipment to get in the best shape of your life. 

I’ve put together a list of things that I and my clients use.  There are no machines whatsoever in our programs.  It’s simple and it gets the job done fast! Plus, you won’t have huge equipment hogging up space in your house which means more room for bookshelves!  Always a plus for homeschool moms.

Here is a  list of my favorite equipment to create your at home gym. Read more

Choosing a Workout Partner

We had quite a busy weekend. The girls were in our church Christmas musical and performed three times. We watched two of the three and enjoyed them immensely. It was really nice to sit back and watch this year rather than perform. Performing arts seems to run in the family. We’re all just a bunch of hams I guess.

Although we have had company, my husband and I have been very consistent with our kettlebell workouts each day. It’s fun having him home. He’s my best friend. He’s also the best workout partner ever! He was the one who got me up at 5:30 am every morning when I began my transformation and never let me talk myself out of it. Some mornings he literally pulled me by the legs to get me up. I was always thankful AFTER the workout. Read more

Fitness Plan 101 - Setting Your Goals

Yesterday was a scary and busy day for my family. My husband’s mom and sister were flying in from California so we took the day off from school to get all the last minute cleaning done. I had to take my 11 year old to an orthodontist for a consultation while my 16 year old drove to the train station to pick up my husband. What was supposed to be a simple task, turned into something rather scary! Read more

Feeling Stressed This Holiday Season?

Can you believe it’s December already? Where has this year flown?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had planned on getting away for the holiday by driving down state a few hours and staying in a hotel with a heated pool and spa. Due to my tailbone injury we ended up staying home and having a wonderful time regardless.

It is very common for the stress of the holidays to cause many to put aside thoughts of fitness and become victims of tradition. Fitness Coach said what?! Let me ask you this. How many of your holiday traditions center around food? Elaborate meals; endless cookies of all flavors, shapes and sizes; parties with numerous friends that center around food; decorations made of food (gingerbread house); gifts for friends made of food. I could go on but I’ll stop. Read more

Recovery From Tailbone Injury

Well, if you’ve been following my story, I have been enduring a severly bruised tailbone. I am not 100% better, but I have been able to do a lot more than usual.

I took all of last week off from exercises because it was very painful. I am taking today off as well since it is still very sore. Saturday afternoon I stopped at Sam’s Club to get some water and I made my left glute hurt from using that muscle to lift the bottles into the back of the van. Ugh! I need more rest. Read more