Use these pics for inspiration to be the best YOU possible!

I love that.

Be the best version of YOU.  That will be amazing!  Have a great Friday, friends

We completed 5.5 miles in 52 minutes, so it was actually pretty fast considering Mav was with me!  He normally likes a 10-11 minute mile.  Woohoo go Mav!  I guess we were both enjoying the weather so much we just felt good in the pace we had.  He was happy to lay down on the cool kitchen floor afterwards…

Gosh I just love that face.

Music

Some songs of note from my run:

• I Can Only Imagine by David Guetta ft. Chris Brown & Lil Wayne
• Wild Ones by Flo Rida ft. Sia
• Where Do We Go by Pitbull ft. Jamie Foxx
• The Fame by Lady GaGa
• Glad You Came by The Wanted
• Feel So Close (Extended Mix) by Calvin Harris—>love it!

Post-run I showered and went to the grocery store.  We’ve been in pretty bad need of restocking the food in our place so I finally accomplished that tonight.  I love having stocked shelves  I couldn’t find kale anywhere but I did find baby kale!  I figured since I always tear the kale up into little pieces anyways that this actually helped me do less work while preparing my food!

My dinner was a baby kale salad with olive oil, sprouts, and a veggie burger patty.

Delicious.  Totally my fave. I will probably be having this for lunch tomorrow and dinner many times in the future.

And my favorite healthy dessert…raspberry Chobani greek yogurt with a few dark chocolate chips!

Yummy.  Now I’m going to relax on the couch for a little while before bedtime.  I hope you are having a nice night!

What is your favorite healthy dinner & dessert combo??

The steps in pictures:

And the end result:

These are a great filling little snack, post-meal treat, or pre-workout fuel!  They are just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth but don’t leave me wanting more and more like some foods do and make me feel gross after.  I’m talking to you, chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy the healthier treat!  Let me know how you like them if you try them out

I woke up this morning to complete a lil’ leg circuit I made up in my head before I went to sleep last night.  The whole thing took around 30 minutes.  I did it while I was watching SportsCenter (the only good thing on TV at 6am I think) and this is what it looked like:

Pic look familiar?

I am already feeling the effects of all the squats and lunges…my quads were not happy to be walking up the stairs after this.  I plan on getting a run in with Mav this afternoon so hopefully my legs aren’t too tired!

My breakfast at my desk was a CORE foods Warrior Meal Raw Almond Raisin bar with a sliced banana alongside a cup of black coffee.

I really love the CORE foods products.  I highly recommend!

11s Giveaway Winner

The winner of the 11s Giveaway is #9 hmgastardi!

Congrats!  Send me an email (bessbefit@gmail.com) and we will get you your 11s Wear product

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PS: I got a little creative in the kitchen last night and have a fun recipe to share later this afternoon so be sure to check it out.  Be back soon. Have a great day friends!

Like I was contemplating earlier, I did go to the gym and get 40 minutes of high resistance elliptical in after my Physique 57 workout.  I was working later tonight than usual so I went into work a little later, which left me time to do both of those workouts this morning and not have to get up at the crack of dawn.  I enjoyed the extra sweat from the cardio sesh!

My eating schedule was a little off due to the different work schedule so my lunch/afternoon snack was a combo of baked lentil chips, an entire bag of baby carrots (seriously, the entire bag), and this delicious cucumber & tomato salad:

A few hours later I got pretty hungry again but didn’t want to really eat a lot because I knew I’d have dinner soon so I walked to grab a lil smoothie.  I got my second smoothie of the day: a strawberry, banana, and mango smoothie and I loved the slightly sour taste that the mango added!

I worked a few hours after that then met Mike at a local diner for some breakfast-for-dinner!  Although yesterday was National Pancake Day, I didn’t celebrate accordingly so I decided that since I hadn’t had much to eat and was starving that I’d enjoy some delicious whole grain pancakes with strawberries.  Apparently today is National Margarita Day…I may celebrate that this weekend.

Hit the spot but wasn’t overwhelming!  Sometimes pancakes for dinner are just the best things ever.

Lent

So today is Ash Wednesday (I wasn’t able to make it to Mass since I worked late) and the start of Lent.  I know people like to give things up for Lent and I am one of those people.  In the past I have given up things like sweets and cereal, and this year I will be giving up meat.  FYI I personally do not consider fish a meat so I will still be eating fish.  However I also like the idea of adding in something positive, which is my online personal training!

So just an update, no more meat til after Easter!

Do you like breakfast for dinner meals?

What is your favorite smoothie? I think I am going to need to add in mango from now on!

Giving up or adding anything in for Lent?

It seemed like a good deal and there is a 30-day free trial so I figured if I hated it I could always send it back!  I love knowing that I’m not going to be wasting the money on something I don’t like.  However, I did the first workout this morning and I don’t think I’ll be sending it back…I need to keep the booty-boosting & body-slimming effects this workout brings.

I was sweating and feeling the burn way more than I had anticipated that I would!  It’s an upbeat workout, too…the instructor is lively and pretty funny.  Helps keep it interesting!

Here is some info about Physique 57 from their website:

Physique 57 is an innovative workout program that combines isometric exercises and orthopedic stretches to systematically lengthen and sculpt your muscles and create a beautiful, lean body. Our process is similar to interval training, but we’ve taken that concept to the next level to make it even more effective.

Physique 57’s interval sets use your body’s own weight as resistance, and through dynamic exercises, your muscles are targeted and overloaded to the point of fatigue, then stretched for relief. We call this groundbreaking process Interval Overload which includes muscle-defining arm exercises, intense thigh and seat sequences, waist-chiseling ab moves and fluid stretches.

The benefits of the Physique 57 technique include:

• A sculpted physique
• Strong core muscles
• Cardiovascular health
• Long and lean muscles
• Lifted seat
• Strength and endurance
• Flexibility
• Improved body alignment
• Increased bone density

I was not given this product to try out or anything like that, I simply wanted to try it and I’m sharing my initial thoughts on it and why I liked it!  I am sure Pure Barre is equally as fun & challenging, and I believe they are similar in that they are the ballet-type workouts, but for the price of these DVDs I couldn’t turn it down. I’d still like to attend a Pure Barre class sometime and I’m sure I will once I build up some of these ballet-muscles!

I think I still may hit up the gym for some cardio later, I have not been eating great since the weekend and really need to reset my body with solid exercise and good food!  My Superfood Smoothie will help with that:

In the smoothie mix was:

• 1 handful blueberries
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop Superfood

Have a great day!

Have you ever tried a ballet-type workout?  I have heard of Physique 57, Pure Barre, and the Bar Method….any others?  What did you think?  Would you want to try it?

11′s Wear Inc contacted me to try out some of their stuff…and I love new fun clothes and accessories so was in!  The company is just starting out and want to get more attention about their stuff.

What is An 11 you ask?

There are lights, cameras, and action as we walk through the door. Everyone in the room looks at us. They see incomparable style and savoir. Suddenly, envy becomes the new flavour of the room. The calm confidence and overwhelming presence imprints the question, “Who are they?” We are unique, part of an elite society.  We are the life of every party. Everywhere we go, everyone we meet, they all have one secret desire, an inclination – to be like us. We hear clicks and see flashes shimmering all around us, as people rush to have their pictures with us. Our persona is enticing, our style distinctive. We go for what we want and never settle for second best. In this city there are many 10’s and few 11’s. We are invincible, we sense it. We are 11’s.

I like the apparel because it can be worn for casual activities or for working out!

I especially liked the sunglasses and received a couple of pairs to try out…

One winner will get to choose which piece of clothing they receive.  To enter the contest, go to 11′s website and tell me which product you would like…you can only choose from t-shirts, tanks, and sunglasses (men or women) and leave me a comment below.

Also, go “like” 11′s Wear Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

That’s all you have to do to enter…I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning!

“I would do some sick, sick sh*t to get out of this conditioning session” …that’s me in the nutshell.

And walking up the stairs…oh yeah.  I remember I joined a Facebook group freshman year called “I’m a D1 Athlete and get Winded Walking Up Stairs”, its so true. It really is.

Since moving to New Jersey and working in Marketing & Communications, I have been away from personal training for a while and I miss it.  My life clearly revolves around health & fitness and it is a true passion of mine, so I’ve decided after some deliberation that I am ready to bring training back.  This means that I will be offering Online Personal Training again!  I am so excited to be helping others achieve their fitness goals again…it’s such a rewarding and fun process!

Take a look at the Online Personal Training tab above for more information!

That’s all for now…thanks so much for the support!  I will be back with another post later on

In the mix was oats, almond milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, blueberries, and bananas.  With a side of black coffee, likely cup #1 of at least a few more.

Now to announce the winner of the month’s supply of popchips!

#15 Celeste!!  Please email me bessbefit@gmail.com with your shipping address and I will pass it along to popchips to get your supply out to ya!  Congrats!

I have another giveaway for tomorrow…and this time its not a food giveaway, but an apparel one!  Lots to check off my to-do list today but don’t worry….my other post with my special little announcement is coming later I promise.

Also, Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Anyone doing anything fun?  Unfortunately I am not really doing anything for Mardi Gras per say, but Mike and I are going out on a lil dinner & movie date tonight…but random fun fact…I was Mardi Gras Queen of my Catholic elementary/middle school in 4th grade.  Oh yeah!