My large hispanic family shrinks shudders cringes at the thought of talking anything related to health, fitness, sex, partnerships, politics, love, life, and pretty much any topic with opposing views. 

But, what can we all agree on?

FOOD! <— Click here for some food PRON!


That’s right, who would’ve thought that Hispanics are foodies? 
{eye-roll}

Yes, most of us are foodies. Actually, I’ve never met a Latina/Latino who doesn’t practically worship good food (what type of biped can’t appreciate some yummy nummies?). The problem is, just like with the rest of our America, people like to stuff their gobs, but don’t want to work those glutes! 
The worst thing about Latin genetics? We gain love handles and boobs! The upped boobage is quite nice, the side rolls for extra butter pats….not so great.

On top of being of Hispanic heritage, I also work an office job at the moment. We lead these unhealthy lives where we eat up everything in the office breakfast bars (for the fancy places that pay for their employees’ brekky) and then sit in a chair all day, clicking away on our mice and clackitty keyboards…never realizing that our arses are swelling. 

How sad, right?

(BTW – get yourselves an exercise ball if you have a desk job. It’s bouncy, helps with balance and strengthens your lower back…PLUS! You can act like Tigger all day, because bouncing’s a wonderful thing!) 

Sometimes I even buy breakfast for my office peeps, like I did yesterday. While they were eating muffins, bagels and frosted goodness….I ate 2 cups of black grapes and half a cup of cottage cheese. Guess what? I lurved my breakfast, but all I could think about was how evil I was being for fueling their bad habits. And yet…





As funny (and wishful) as that is, please don’t do this:


Being judgy toward someone else is not cool. Get off your high horse. 
Remember that eating pizza or ice cream or chocolate or pie, every now and then will keep your sweet tooth happy, and keep you on track. Denying yourself any and all of life’s little food temptations can sometimes lead to binge-eating, which will set you back – and you don’t want that!

Moral of this story?
Encourage others to be healthy and make good food choices, don’t be a Judgy Janice just because you’re cravings are on lock-down. Rude!



Eating one cupcake, ok.
Snarfing all the cupcakes in a 10 mile radius….not cool dude.


Did I catch your attention?
AWESOME!

 

I have a few fun ideas to help get you motivated!
{Stay with me, now! I promise, you’ll LOVE these!}

You see, we’re getting closer and closer to the holidays. They’re creeping up on us and while we’re worried about Thanksgiving plans, who’s baking what and what presents we need to buy….we’re forgetting to keep our healthy habits in check. 

As much as we love to have Auntie Anne shove sugar-coated pretzels (a.k.a. – warm pieces of love-nuggets — OR a mini delivery package to clog my arteries),  we need to remember that moderation is key. 
Also, that sample pretzel, will cost about 250 calories and that’s about 2.5 miles worth of running to get rid of that damn delicious pretzel. 


So, without further ado…here are my ideas:


1. Work out with your husband/wife/significant other/sexbuddy 
(Yes, it must be someone you’re intimately involved with.)

WHY?

Well, if you motivate each other to work out, then your treat can be some steamy shower action after your dirty/grimy workout. What better treat after a hard workout than a nice massage in the shower? You are more than welcome to add in your own post-workout coital activities. BUT…you only get the cookie, if you actually put the work in – so don’t phone in your workout! Really push yourself and your partner. 
Now, I’m not saying you can’t workout with a friend or bestie, but if you’re attracted to them, then you need to ask for permission (and be granted it) BEFORE you jump their bones, ok?


2. Earn an ooey-gooey healthy treat!
There are some very yummy treats to be found on several healthy-fit sites. A few of my favorites can be found here:

Tara’s Treats!   <—– Some seriously delicious oatmeal and breakfast recipes. YUM!
Fit Foodies. Get some!  <— I really want to try the Paleo Pumpkin Bars, ASAP! 
Baking Goodies!  <— I sometimes have to tweak these recipes, but I <3 this cute blog!


Now that you have some treat ideas…work your butt off and then come back home to a healthy sweet (and good for your abs!) delight. You’ll still get toned while you get to eat some yummy stuff (and it’s healthy for you!). Remember, everything in moderation. We’re trying to get INTO shape (preferably a sexy hourglass, IMO), not STAY a round shape. Agreed?

Every minute, every inch, every bit of effort counts.
Put all you have into this and you’ll get the results you want.


3.  Earn Moo-LAH!

Set a monetary goal for yourself. Right now, I want to lose 50 more pounds. So I am setting aside $50 for every 10lbs I lose. Feel free to set an amount per pound, if you’d like. As a college student on a tight budget, any steeper and I’d go for broke. 🙁
Either way, I’m motivated for an awesome (whatever I decide to buy) gift to myself at the end of this journey. 

Don’t worry about the sweat, that’s just fat crying.





4. Running into the “Ex”

What an ASS-HAT!
If he/she broke up with you for a few pounds, then you really need to bust your hump and get to your ideal “sexy.”
ASAP!

There is truly very little worse than running into an ex-boyfriend and realizing that he’s gotten better looking, while you’re now the “XXX”- large gf. UGH. How embarrassing. 
So, every time you think that you just can’t go running today (because you’re being a lazy-bum!) or you start listing the “I think I’m kinda sore, maybe, maybe, blah, blah, blah!…remember how good it will feel to run into your ex, looking every inch the sexy beast that he or she doesn’t have anymore. 

[Insert evil laugh HERE]



5. Make it FUN!

I run with my beau (who also happens to be my bestie and trainer), so we race each other through our three miles and joke through a portion of our workout. 
I’m thinking that the next time we decide to go biking, I’ll do something like this:

You jelly?

Think up ways to change up your routine. Maybe take a different route, or make a game out of the workout. Our office has a challenge going to keep everyone on a healthy track over the holidays. We all put in some cash and the person who loses the largest percentage of weight, wins a majority of the $$$. Who doesn’t like money?
My wallet definitely wants me to stay motivated!


What say you?



Lastly – always, always, ALWAYS remember that:

True Story.




Alright…now that you all have the motivation…get your butt in gear!

Have an awesome workout today.

<3