Eating Clean

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret:
If you want to see a change in your body you have to eat healthy. That's right--EAT HEALTHY!

As much as I would love to tell you that by working out you can eat whatever you want and still look and feel great, that's just not the truth. As a rule, I like to remind myself that what I do in the gym is shown in the kitchen. Let me explain this by using the following example...

 There's this common misconception that doing crunches from sunrise to sunset seven days a week will give you six pack abs. I'm here to tell you that this is not the case. You will never see those muscles if they're hiding behind a layer of fat. In order to achieve the looking you're longing for you must:

 a) do cardio at least 3 days a week,

and more importantly, in my opinion...

 b) eat clean, healthy meals.

The basic concept of clean eating is simple: eat fresh food. Don't fill up on processed food that you buy from a fast-food establishment or convenient store. Don't eat food that is deep fried or has a bunch of butter slathered on it. Instead, eat fresh fruits and veggies, foods with clean fats (like ones from almonds and small amounts of lean meats such as fish and chicken), and low fat dairy products.

Another important part of eating clean is remembering to eat small meals throughout the day. Remember that old rule about eating three large meals a day? --Kick that habit! Eat small meals and snack every couple of hours. Spreading out your meals helps jump start and speed up your metabolism, not to mention you will feel full throughout the entire day. It is also important to get a good night's sleep. Staying up till 2 A.M. won't do you any favors in terms of midnight snacking.

Despite the idea of clean eating appearing seemingly straight forward, I realize that at first it might be a bit baffling for some people to make the transition. That's perfectly alright! There are plenty of tools out there to help you start out. Look for recipes on the internet, or go to your local library and look for books on clean eating. I also recommend purchasing a cookbook from amazon or another online source. I also urge you all to purchase the following book to start out.

 This book gives you a bit of background on how the eat-clean movement started, and over 50 recipes to help you start building your healthy cookbook. Plus, the author, Tosca Reno, is a really great guide. She talks about her own struggles with being over weight and then under weight, and then finally, at the age of 42, challenging herself to make some changes and compete in her very first bodybuilding competition. For me, it's these anecdotes that make this book so valuable. Her own struggles and personal barriers make the narrative real forcing the reader to realize that she is an actual person and someone we can all relate to.

One last thing. A lot of people are intimidate by the term "eat-clean diet". The important thing to remember is that it isn't a diet it's a change in your lifestyle. I promise you will feel happier and healthier after you make the transition! :)

Get Yer' Arse in Gear!

So here's a link to a  video I came across that I love to add into my routine once a week during my leg day or whenever I can't make it to the gym. Its a 15 min workout for Glutes and Thighs. Fifteen minutes may not seem like a lot--but trust me, you'll feel the burn!

Click here for an awesome workout!

Open-faced Veggie Omlete Recipe

 Who says eating healthy can't be both delicious and nutritious? 

Granted I'm not a professional food photographer, but if you like the look of this veggie omelet-- keep reading!

Pictured above is everything that you need to make this omelet.
Ingredients include the following:


1/2 c. red peppers
1/2 c. fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. broccoli
1/2 c. frozen spinach
1/4 c. cilantro (optional)
6 tbsp. egg beaters (I really like the Florentine kind, but you can use regular)
1/4 c. fat free cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4tbsp. salsa
Pam cooking Spray (not pictured)

Fill a small cooking pot about half way full with water, and bring to a boil.
Place 1/2 c. spinach in pot to boil for about 3 mins. (or whatever the package recommends)
Cut up all vegetables and set aside.
Spray small skillet with cooking spray, heat on low for about 45 second, then pour 6 tbsp. egg beaters into pan. Let set until eggs are cooked enough to flip (about 3-5 mins), flip to other side and cook for a few more minutes until eggs are done.
In another small skillet pour 2 tbsp.  extra virgin olive oil and veggies.  Cook veggies approx. 4 mins. or until tender or are the desired texture.
Strain spinach (use spatula to press water out of spinach, as you don't want a watery omelet)

Place eggs on plate, spinach on top of the eggs, and then veggies. Sprinkle cheese on top of vegetables, spoon  on salsa, then top with cilantro leaves...and VIOLA!--a tasty and extremely healthy omelet.

I like this recipe because it is extremely filling, lacks fat and grease, and is incredibly tasty. Depending on the diet you choose you may also add a bit of chicken. Remember, you can feel free to substitute some of the vegetables with others. I realize that not everyone is a fan of mushrooms. Also keep in mind that organic ingredients are the best, but it's alright to do what you can with what you have. Happy feasting!

Attention Beginner Runners!

I just purchased Kara Goucher's book "Running for Women".
So far, it has been excellent and I recommend it to any one who is starting out with running and is looking for some pointers. Don't be intimidated by the content of the book because of it's size or because the author is an Olympic runner. Kara does an excellent job of keeping each chapter interesting and to the point, and helps you understand that with some work you too can be a great runner.

  This is an informative book for both beginner and advanced runners-- and everyone in between.  A must read for anyone who is interested in picking up some helpful information about where to start out, what gear to purchase, or how to improve their runs without the time commitment that most books require to read. Pick it up at your local B&N or look for it on Amazon.
As an extra bonus, you get to learn about a successful local!

Intrinsic Motivation

I love this quote. It helped me run my first 5k with confidence, and it has helped me at the gym over the past month.
 I think  this quote is important for women in particular  because we're motivated more by comparison. It's somewhat of an internal competitiveness that roots from how we size up to other people. As a result, we tend to beat ourselves up by comparing ourselves to others, while guys tend to be more outwardly competitive as a driving motivation. Both approaches are fine as long as you go about them in a healthy way.
  Still, there's something to say for being intrinsically motivated. Try to make yourself your only competition if being outwardly competitive is making you uncomfortable or causing you to lose confidence. Being your own competition, in my opinion, is better than striving to be someone else. The point is to be the best you, not to magically transform into someone else! Be happy with who you are and work on making yourself as healthy as possible.
For me, I know I'm not the best runner because that's not my purpose for running-- My goal is to be fit, not to make it to the Olympics! It's easier for me to push myself when I'm doing something for myself and because I enjoy doing it, rather than trying to prove myself to someone else.  Go ahead, try this approach. You may be surprised.

What this blog is about

Welcome, everyone!

This blog was primarily created out of my own self interest, and is to keep me on track with my personal goals. It's a brainchild of mine resulting from my latest New Years resolution. My goal is to get active, stay active, eat healthy, and have fun. If you would like to join me along the way--great! I will offer some healthy recipes, share some links to some websites that I find helpful, and record my progress and goals.

If you are reading this you're probably one of my friends, or you're someone who has completely stumbled upon my page. Either way, I hope that by sharing my goals with you and the ways in which I work to achieve them, you will find the motivation and inspiration to set your own goals and work toward them.

I think by knowing that I am a real person, with real goals, that lives a real life outside of working out and eating healthy you will find this blog to be particularly helpful. If I can do it, so can you!


So a few things to start off...

A disclaimer of a sort:  I am documenting what is working for me in terms of daily work outs, food, etc. I will be making some suggestions to you, but know that what works for you and your body might be different than what works for me.  I prefer if you use my blog as a guide and not your personal fitness bible. I think that you will be happier with your results if you alter your routine to your specific needs. :)

Alright, that aside.. 

So, what's with the weird blog URL name?

Good question.

It's actually a word I made up by combining words from two different languages--Slavic and Finnish--both of which make up a good portion of my heritage.

The Finnish word Sisu means determination, perserverance, or grit, while moĉ means strength in the Slovanian language. By combining them I was hoping to make a powerful and inspirational term, and I think I've achieved that. Besides, I think "SISUMOČ!" has a nice ring to it. It means be strong and adopt the ability to sustain an action against the odds. Just do it--no excuses!

The title of the blog 'Though she be but little, she is fierce'  is a quote from Shakespeare from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I decided to use this quote because it's sort of how people have described me my entire life. I'm little but I can pack a punch. I "walk big" for how small I am. I carry myself like I'm a giant. Plus, I'm a English buff it's doubly appropriate.

Alright, all that aside, are you ready to get fit? Let's do this!