It's so hard to say no...

It happens, once a month. And then the cravings get a little out of control. I crave cake, ice cream, cookies, and more than anything chocolate. On most days it's easy to say no, that my desire to be fit is so much greater than the temporary satisfaction of my sweet tooth. But then there's time where I give in, it's not always planned and it certainly doesn't fit into my meal plan. & then the regret! It doesn't have to be this way though, by trial & error I think I've found my fix! The best way to cure a sweet tooth is with fruit, they are full of natural sugar & do the trick every time for me. With fruit a decent serving is under 100 calories and filling. That goes without saying that I still miss chocolate & cookies and I will probably never get ride of my sweet tooth but I have to realize that doesn't get me to my goals. I want to beach ready all year round, which is so acceptable in Florida! The biggest struggle is not having vegetables, fruits, lean protein on hand. I preach it but sometimes I fall short, some weeks my work gets in between me & my love affair with the grocery store. I need to remember where my priorities lie...grocery shopping, meal prepping, & meal planning set me up for success while not planning leads me down the road of failure. For the last couple of days, I haven't planned, & in my eyes let myself down. Not horrible but none the less processed & they weren't vegetables...double negative! My metabolism is going all day and I'm hungry all the time but without packing my foods or even eating those food I seriously will eat anything in sight. Well, and then I get hangry! Lol I just can't stress enough how very important it is to plan ahead, but even more important is following through.

The rest of this post is for my dear friend Amber, she has just started her journey & I am so excited that she reached out to me with questions! Once again, I am no expert just a girl trying to get fit & sharing what works for me :)

Q:I don't know when to eat at night do I eat before or after working out?
A: Pre-workout fuel is the answer! I usually eat a small banana, 2 egg whites, an apple with almond butter, edamame, or a veggie snack. Just something healthy that gives me fuel to push through my workout!

Q: So what do I eat after working out?
A: Lean protein & steamed veggies :)

Q: I don't know exactly what else to be doing besides cardio either!
A: Definitely want to incorporate some strength training & if possible staying in your fat burning heart rate target so that you maximize fat burn. Light weights &
high reps with get you off to a great start

Q: What supplements do you use:
A: Advocare, Advocare, and more advocare! This is my lifeline! Spark for energy, thermoplus as my thermogenic, catalyst for muscle preservation, & a cleanse every 90 days to help my body become newly receptive to nutrients!

Q: What motivates you?
A: Cute neon workout clothes, new shoes, & results! But I'm constantly motivated by the idea that I don't want to be the "fat bride or the "fat" mom! & my health, that's so important!

Life is full of lessons!

I've learned to surround myself with only those who positively impact my life and even though at times it is hard, dismiss those that bring me down. I am extremely social, my circle of friends vary from cities and different parts of my life. Carlos laughs at me all the time because friends I haven't talk to in years will contact me so we can hang out while they are in Orlando! I love it because I feel like we never missed a day. While on my trip to Dallas, I was able to catch up with 2 of my greatest friends, Angel & Marcus! They have always supported me on this journey & are two of the most determined people I know. I was so excited when both of them told me I have motivated them recently to live healthier lifestyles and continue working on their degrees. Often times we don't realize how we truly impact those around us and how in return they impact us, they can influence decisions and indirectly motivate you! It's been a long couple weeks
to say the very least. I've learned alot about myself; I've cried, I've grieved, I've laughed, I've loved, & I've made memories. But today I'm a new person, I've learned that life isn't about minutes or completing a degree or partying it's about whatever makes you genuinely happy. Health, fitting in a beautiful dress, and motivating people I love is what makes me happiest! I haven't and will never take a second for granted! My grandfather lived 93 long and beautiful years but who am I to say how long I have to live so I will continue to make my wildest dreams a reality, love those who love me with every inch of my body, travel, & encourage those who are at their lowest. My challenge for you today is to reach out to someone, someone who you don't talk to everyday, and let them know that they have a friend in you. Be kind, be passionate, & don't let anyone dim your shine!

I turn to you!

For as long as I can remember I've been blessed with a wonderful support system but I know how it feels to go without. I support others because I know how motivating it feels. I encourage because I know how vital it is to success. I love because I know what it is to hate. I have challenged myself more mentally than physically. In my eyes, the greatest obstacle is overcoming your thoughts. From the outside looking in, I had it made growing up my parents were well off, I come from a fruitful family, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university, I've been blessed to drive a brand new car, live on my own, and at 21 I pretty much have my life together. But I was so broken inside, because I was so unhappy with myself. It took a lot of breaking until one day Carlos sat me down, questioned me, and the second I noticed I was broken I found my motivation. He knew exactly how to get through to me, as he always does. But the battle had just began and at this time still continues. Today, I believe in myself and continuously push myself. I am no stranger to defeat, there are many days I turn to Carlos for my strength or my advocare loves or even my followers. It's crazy to think that someone else can push you when your in a slump but it is indeed the truth and I accept it. The reality is that to be successful you have to understand what works for you. Your support system, your workout of choice, your diet, and your will see results. Everyone is different, what works for me may or may not work for your body! Stay focused on what matters, make your dreams a reality!

XOXO,

Kristina Aguilera

ig: kristina_monique
kmonique.aguilera@gmail.com

#shredtheholidays challenge!

I am so excited to share this challenge, with the holiday season slowly approaching one of my good fitness friends & Advocare coach came up with a wonderful solution to our worries! In an effort to stay accountable & earn some cashhh for getting fit I challenge you to join in!

Below is all the info :)

1. Start date: November 12th, 2012. End date: December 31st, 2012. (7 weeks) [i know this is short notice so I will accept new people until Nov. 19th]
2. Buy in is $20. Winner takes 100% of it! I will send out the money via PayPal on January 1st, 2013.
3. To pay the buy in please send it to me via PayPal. The email attached to it is brittgetsfit@gmail.com (NOTE: send it as a gift so it doesn't charge me and I can send out the full money pot) AFTER, you send the money please email me to confirm as well as give me your name so I can keep track of your progress :)
4. On or before the start date (11/12/12), you need to send a picture of you in an outfit you are comfortable with. It can be fully clothed, in a bathing suit, sports bra and shorts, whatever you feel best in. ALSO, you need to send in a picture of the scale showing the weight with a paper next to it with the date. I advise pictures in the morning it is the most accurate weight. We can do this via email. :)
5. The winner will be based off how how much weight percentage one has lost fully. So if someone who is 200 lbs loses 10 lbs their percentage will be 5% down. This gives everyone an equal chance.
6. Every Monday we will do check ins. You will send a picture of yourself as well as one of the scale with a paper showing the date. You have until Tuesday evening to get them to me.
7. Every Wednesday I will send out the rankings. Rankings for biggest losers of the week as well as standings for the whole contest.

If you have an Instagram and want to share it with the other people in the challenge, please send me your name on it and I will send it out to everyone! Our hashtag on Instagram will be #shedtheholidays!

P.S. I do promote living a healthy life. I do not support starving oneself or binge eating. So please do this the healthy way.

Brittney from britgetsfitandfab.blogspot.com


I hope you are as excited to join in, please let me know if you have any questions! If anyone else is interested during the #shredtheholidays challenge Britt will be doing Advocare 24 day challenge, If any of you are interested in amazing results I encourage you to ask away!


XOXO,

Kristina Aguilera

ig: kristina_monique
kmonique.aguilera@gmail.com

Let's take it from the top!

I've been contemplating this blog for a while but now that's it's finally up and going I am so excited about where it'll take me! And you! I can't wait to get feedback, share stories, and more than anything have some accountability. For starters, My names Kristina Aguilera! I'm 21, a full-time insurance agent, student, food connoisseur, amateur fitness junkie, girlfriend, and a furbaby's mother. I live in the sunshine state and I come from a huge Cuban & Venezuelan family full of crazies, no seriously! I'll introduce my cast, how fancy, in a future post.

It's quite simple how I got this way! I love food, I use to honestly live to eat. Not anymore and boy am I thankful, on the track I was going I would of tip the scale at 300 in no time. My life revolved around meals, unhealthy ones that is. I seriously would get overly excited for meals or restaurants, it was undeniably ridiculous. I've always been the biggest; biggest of my friends, biggest of my family, biggest in the room most of the time. I gained most of my weight after high school, who would of thunk? ha! But seriously, then college and then a move to Orlando finished me off! Slowly but surely they added up one my one, and since I had never hit 200 I was okay with it. People never believe me when I would tell them how much I weighed and I was thankful, it was embarrassing being this big. And then it hit me, I was at my breaking point! I would take hours to get dressed because I felt uncomfortable in my own clothes, I'd wear cover ups even when it was 100 degrees outside, I'd cry...it was pathetic! I thought about everything, what an ugly bride I would make and a horrible mother I would be because I wouldn't be able to keep up with my kids. One day, after telling my boyfriend everyday how insecure I was in my own body. I did something! I started shopping at our local farmer's market, working out, pushing myself, and in time started seeing results. I'm thankful that chapter is behind me now, I have so much more I want to do! Although I'm no where near my goal, I am 100% dedicated to making this my life. It honestly has influenced every part of my life, my plans revolve around it.

My future plans are made up of over 1000 things I'd love to do in the upcoming years! Run a 5k, half marathons, run for a cause, kayak, and the list goes on. For now I am focused on building and shaping my body! Working out, burning calories, occasional runs, & turbo fire which is indeed my soul mate! Today, is day 2 of my 24 day challenge with Advocare and I am excited to see what my results will be. Only on day 2 and so glad I have joined this movement! From the bottom of my heart I want to thank my wonderful boyfriend, family, friends, and my advocare coach Brittney (from http://brittgetsfitnfab.blogspot.com/, seriously she's amazing and has lost 50 pounds already) for their undying support!


Please join me on this beautiful journey!




XOXO,

Kristina Aguilera

ig: kristina_monique
kmonique.aguilera@gmail.com