The Start To My Journey

Growing up in a Mexican household eating healthy was not talked about. Steamed asparagus?...Grilled chicken?..Baked fish?... Que es eso??("What's that" for those of you who don't speak Spanish). Greasy tamales..Why yes of course!! Enchiladas... HELL YES PLEASE!! Fajita Tacos... Can I get 4 of those?? So that's a little glimpse of what it was like for me growing up. I was chubby, yet active. I can't say I experienced the "bullying" in school for being chubby but none the less, I was chubby. The weight finally fell off for me when I got into middle school. Puberty happened and I was a size 0... THANK YOU JESUS!!! All through high school I was active. I was involved in dance and soccer so fitness is no stranger in my life. I remained pretty fit after graduating high school. I didn't gain the freshman 20 but that was probably because I wanted to remain cute for the boys..lol



When I went back to college the second time around; I was working and going to school full time. Now it was all about convenience. What can I pick up on the way to class and on the way home? Fast food now was a thing of the present and no longer a thing of the past. I slowly began to gain weight and next thing I knew I went from a size 4 to a size 12. Naturally I felt insecure. As I look back at pictures, I notice that I'm hiding behind someone to avoid showing my body. I would hear about others who would feel insecure about their weight, but I never thought I would experience that emotion. Regardless of the weight gain, I tried to get some sort of exercise when I could. I went from being involved with dance, boxing and jiu jitsu to almost NO EXERCISE. Strangely after graduating college, my body began to lose weight on it's own. It was almost as though my body was saying "thank you for not putting any more poison in me!" I started to slowly get back into my regular routine but now the stress of job searching was on my plate. I'm not the type to turn to food when I'm under stress but I am one to not eat which being overweight and not eating don't go hand and hand.



In 2010, my aunt decided to open a gym. Because of my dance and fitness background, she asked if I would be interested in becoming a Zumba Instructor. I immediately said NO! I'd seen the classes at the gym and they were so cheesy. After much convincing, I agreed to become certified in 2010. I didn’t know what to expect, I wasn’t in the best shape myself. I started my first class with about 8 people and then our class grew so big we couldn’t move. From an instructors stand point, it’s a great feeling. From a student’s stand point, it was annoying not to be able to move. I knew that I had to set an example. No one wants an instructor who is out of shape so I started to watch what I ate. I started to educate myself on proper eating, portion control and exercising. It’s all common sense but it has to come from within to really want to change. I started to see progress and I LOVED IT!! I loved it so much that I added on my bucket list  “bikini competition” by the age of 35.In 2014, I reviewed my list and realized that 35 was around the corner. I made the conscious decision to start training and instead of competing once, I now want to compete multiple times. So in 2015, I plan to at least compete in three different shows. It's not going to be easy but I'm ready for the challenge.
 

 I didn’t know what all was involved in getting “competition” ready. Of course I’d seen plenty of youtube videos, isn’t that what we all do when we want to learn about something?? Or wait, is that google? Either way, it wasn't enough information to do it on my own. I officially have a prep coach and to my surprise he said my body type is not “bikini”. Which is and isn’t a compliment. My legs are too muscular and my back is too wide so I've been moved up to the next level of competition which is figure. Don't worry guys, I'm not gonna get manly but I'm definitely going to be LEAN and CUT! Competition day is July 25th, I officially started my meal/workout plan as of 2/9. I have 164 days to go and I'm only on day 3!! The goal is to get to 112-115 pounds of lean muscle. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL... HERE I GO!!!

Happy New Year!! It's Meal Prepping Season 😳

Happy New Year!!! Have you started working on your resolutions yet?? I'm two weeks into mine and boy has it been a lot of work! 

I'm now on week two of meal prepping and I'm already wondering how bikini competitors manage?? It's time consuming and tons of work, not to mention a bit expensive. I still don't understand why eating clean is far more expensive than crappy foods. Go figure! Just to give you an example of how long it took me to meal prep this Sunday.... I started at noon and stopped at 7:00pm. Did I mention all that work was only to prep for two days! But I don't give up easily and I'm determined to make this a lifestyle.

For those of you who know me, competing has been on my bucket list for a while. I said I would compete at least once before the age of 35. In 2014, I turned 33 which doesn't leave much time to cross it off my list. So now, in 2015, I've made it a goal to compete in as many bikini competitions before 35. Win or lose, I want to see my body transform. I will say, these last two weeks haven't been easy. Eating on schedule, making sure I pack all my food and not to mention tracking my workouts. I lack the macro tracking which I know it's something important but I'm using the month of January as my "trial and error".

My mom doesn't get why I'm doing this. She thinks I'm "thin" already but a mother has rose colored glasses for their child. However, she is supportive and thinks this whole process is still crazy. 

I have no idea what I'm getting myself into but I know it's something I want. It's not going to be easy but I have supportive people around me which helps A LOT!! 

I wanted to share how I started my meal prepping process since so many of you have asked. Here are 10 things that can help get you started...

1. dollar store Tupperware ( you can use whatever you already have or if you wanna get fancy, then get fancy!!) 😁

2. Lucky for me I got a sixpack backpack for my birthday but any lunch bag will do

3. Frozen vegetables (of ur choice but obviously none that have some sort of gravy) If you prefer fresh, that works just as good.

4. Lean meat- I was vegetarian for a while so eating red meat or any meat is hard for me. However, I found that bison, buffalo and veal are my new choice of meat. A little pricey but so worth it!

5. Fish- I LOVE fish so this is what I eat most of. Make sure when you purchase fish that it's wild caught and not farm raised. My choice of fish is tilapia or salmon

6. Food scale- it doesn't have to be a fancy one but I would make sure that it's semi decent. I found mine at TJ Maxx for $19.99. This will help measure your meat or any food, really.

7. Measuring cup- I use this to measure my rice,veggies and oatmeal(oh yea! Oatmeal is my new bestfriend)

8. Ziplock bags- I use these to put my snacks in. 

9. Water, Water and MORE WATER!!

10. Prepare everything Sunday night. This will help you stay on track and will avoid you reaching for bad food. If it's prepared and ready to heat up you will stay focused.(at least it keeps me focused)

I hope this helped. Please share your meal prep photos with me. Here is a pic of my two day, slaving in the kitchen, meal prep 

Disclaimer : I'm in no way or form an expert. I'm not a personal trainer, nutritionist or health guru. I'm just a person who is trying to eat clean for a competition I'm wanting to WIN!

Day 2

Why is my alarm going off already!?? I feel like I just closed my eyes and it's already time for me to get ready for my first class of the day! 

First up, belly dance. I don't include this much in our routines but it's time I do. Too bad it was a lot of basic moves BUT great combos. This will be coming soon with a great song!

I took a quick marketing class... How to attract more students to your class. Well it seems I already do all of what they advise except I lack the blogging. Crazy thing is that I decided to blog my first day here and then I attend the workshop and they suggest to blog at least once a week.. I know! I know!! I suck at it but I promise to get back at it. One more thing to add on my "to do list"! 

Break time!!... FINALLY!! I'm super excited there is no line at the outlet but I notice not much to chose from this year. Oh wait! It could be because someone stole the Zumba trailer full of merchandise!! They found the trailer truck but no merchandise! Awful! Just awful!! So let's just say it sort of was a good thing because I spend too much money when I'm in there!

Now it's time for some MERENGUE & SALSA! Willy Diaz is one of my favorite presenters and he always delivers! Got some amazing new moves. I even learned a little boogaloo! That may or may not get added to my playlist but overall it was great! Lucky for y'all, the moves aren't complicated but FUN for sure! 

My day is finally coming to an end but not before attending the Zumba fitness concert with special guest, Wisin(formally known as Wisin and Yandel). The concert is awesome, a GAZILION people just dancing! Imagine that! People are cheering, dancing and having a good time!  You would think that after all that training people would want to rest but it's the total opposite. A great way to end my night. Here is a little slide show for y'all to enjoy. Miss you guys! 

http://flipagram.com/f/H5QTj5Dj1V

Day 1- Zumba Convention 2014

Every year around this time, over five thousand Zumba Instructors from all over the world get together and enjoy what I like to call... 4 days of PURO PARTY!! Each ZIN signs up for classes of their choice, gets amazing new choreo, by amazing presenters and then we bring it to y'all! My third year here and it never gets old!

It's 9pm(Orlando time) and I just finished my last class. My feet hurt, I'm hungry and I'm ready for a shower! Six hours of non-stop dance. As I sit here waiting for my ride, I'm mentally trying to choreograph a routine from all the steps I learned today!

 My first class was a dancehall mash-up and y'all know how much I love dancehall( incase y'all don't know what dancehall is, it's our last fast song in my routine. U know the REALLY high impact one ... Up! Up! Goooo😳). Get ready!! Got something good coming when I get back.

 Second class... Bachata. Oh bachata! how I love you(I know I say that about all music..lol)!! But really, I love bachata and guess what?? Got some new moves for y'all!! I'm super exited!!

Last session of the night was a Masterclass with  Alena Groopman, a jammer from California, who is totally my style! Day 1 down 3 more to go! 

Tweaking Recipes

I know I said I would blog more often and again I'm failing to do so but I'm making it up by posting an old recipe with a few tweaks. As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of Jamie Eason....my recipes come from her website but I add/change things to my liking. However, I give all the credit to this woman for having such creative ideas!

Some of you had the opportunity to taste the Carrot Banana and Walnut Protein Cupcakes(that was a mouthful) I made for Valentine's day. The question you all had was,... "How did you get them so moist?" When I first made this recipe, I think I failed to list that the recipe required water(it says optional and I opt not to add..lol)..Eek! My bad :( This time around in addition to water I added a banana and walnuts. Although the cupcakes weren't too bad without water, I will say this tweak made it 10 times better.

 Another thing I changed was the type of flour I used. The one listed in the recipe calls for oat flour. There is nothing wrong with oat flour but I found that wheat bran had less carbs and calories.

VS

(Wheat bran has less calories,less carbs and more fiber.) I prefer Bob's Red Mill. You can find this brand at Krogers, HEB and some Wal-Marts may carry it as well.

I don't know if it was just me but I found that the wheat bran also made the cupcakes a bit more fluffy. I expiremented with wheat bran and discovered you can make all sorts of stuff, even healthy pancakes(recipe coming soon). 

Here is a pic of my cupcakes

 I hope those who had a chance to taste them, enjoyed them. Now it's your turn to make your own. Don't forget to tag me when you try making the recipe. I want to see your turn out... Happy cooking!

JAMIE EASON'S CARROT CAKE PROTEIN BARS 

Ingredients

  *   1 cup oat flour (wheat bran optional)

• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein or your choice of protein. (I use ViSalus protein. If you're interested in buying a bag,let me know and I can sell you you one) If you're a male or making these for a male, you may want to add more protein.
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
• 8 oz baby food carrots
• 4 oz water
• 1/2-1 cup of walnuts (depending on the amount of cupcakes your are making-also optional)
• 1/2 -1 banana (depending on the size of your batch)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg whites, Splenda, baby food carrots, mashed banana and water (optional) in a bowl. -although it says "optional" for water, I found that it helps with keeping the cupcakes moist. Also, I used raw stevia instead of Splenda (too much garbage in Splenda) or you can also use Xylitol
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray. -I made cupcakes...better for portion control and less messy
6. Pour ingredients into dish.
7. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Makes 16 cupcakes

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 2 squares

Amount per serving

Calories 94

Total Fat1.25g

Total Carb10g

Protein10g

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Happy New Year

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Now it's time to set our resolutions for 2014. How many of us wrote..."Lose 40 pounds" or "Be more healthy" on the list? I think we have all set these type of resolutions a time or two. But how often do we fail at keeping our weight loss resolutions? For some staying focused is a piece of cake but for others it's a challenge. We aren't all strong and at times we may find ourselves discouraged because the weight is not falling off fast enough. Does this sound like something that has happened to you? Let's make 2014 the year that makes you that strong fit person you want to be; not for vanity reasons but for health reasons. Let's jump start the year with this recipe. 

I love fish and although there are all sorts of pros and cons about eating fish; it's my preferred meat. Fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Well, depending on where your fish comes from, you might be getting a side of antibiotics or PCBs that you're unaware of.  So what type of fish should you buy? Farm raised or wild caught? There are all sorts of articles on which is better but here is a little info on the difference. 

Farm Raised- Consists of raising fish commercially in tanks, enclosures and controlled pens across the country usually in lakes, ponds, rivers and oceans.  Due to their compact living situations and feed, they tend to have more diseases, toxins, artificial dyes, antibiotics and contain more fat then compared to their wild caught versions. 

Wild Caught - These fish tend to be higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, protein and contain very low levels of disease as well as being free from antibiotics, pesticides & artificial dyes. Wild caught are obviously free to roam about the ocean and find their own food which results in them containing less fat then the farm raised versions.  While mercury can be an issue with wild caught, it can be just as much of an issue with farm raised fish that are raised in the ocean. The only down side is that wild caught fish tend to cost 3-4 times more than farm raised fish. 

So there you have it.... Wild caught it is. Now let's make our first healthy meal of the year. I don't have a name for this dish. I cook fish with any vegetable so for this blog's sake we'll call it...

Fish & Asparagus w/a side of white rice 

What you will need:

10x12 pan 

Aluminum foil (cut into big enough squares to wrap the fish and asparagus)

1-2 bags of wild caught salmon 

Depending on how many ppl you're cooking for will depend on how many bags you need. I use 2 b/c I make enough for a few days. However, you can also buy fresh wild caught fish but as you read, it will be a bit pricey. These bags come with 4 sealed wild caught salmon

Seasonings of your choice (in the picture you can see the seasonings I used)

Frozen bag of Asparagus (NO CANS- either a frozen bag or make fresh)

Lemon or lime whichever you have available

* I like to add shrimp as well

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Place the bag of asparagus in the microwave for 2 minutes (if frozen, if fresh you can place in the aluminum)

Next squeeze lemon on fish,shrimp and asparagus and season to your liking. I like to use Salsa Herdez (if I have time I will make homemade salsa) on top of my fish for flavor and a little spice. 

See below ⬇️

After you season place in aluminum and close. Continue to do the same until you finish packing all your pieces. You can place as many asparagus spears as you want w/the fish and shrimp. 

Place pan in oven and cook for 25-30 min (each oven is different so if you have one of those super ovens then check on it at 20 min and so forth). 

While your fish is cooking you can start cooking your rice (follow instructions on package). I like to use jasmine rice but you can use whatever white rice you prefer. For an even healthier choice, you can cook Quinoa (following instructions on package for cooking). The choice is yours.

And vualaaahhh your meal is ready! 

We have this thing at home where we like to rate the meals I cook. This one got an overal score of 8.2. If you try this recipe, I ask that you share any changes or add ons you made. We can all work together in cooking our way into a healthier lifestyle.

One the count of 3, healthy lifestyle. Are we ready?? 1,2,3... HEALTHY LIFESTYLE 

Zumba love,

Marisol 

Zumba Convention 2013

The one training I look forward to every year is the Zumba Convention. The awesome trainings, amazing concerts, parties and people from all over the world make for a life time experience. I'm always amazed at how Zumba brings total strangers together. You don't even have to speak the same language, the connection is there. For example, I have a Zumba Instructor friend who I only know via Facebook, while I was ordering coffee she turns to ask me a question when at the same time we both yell.. Me: "Omg! Zumba Annette" Her: "Omg! Zumba Marisol"..... We were both happy to finally meet in person 

(Annette and I meeting for the first time)

And that's how new friendships are developed... All because of Zumba. Then of course you also bump into instructors you may have met at a training and then you get to talking and you end up hanging out with them for the entire 4 days. Yep! That's exactly what happened in my case. A fellow instructor recognized me from our Basic 2 training and the rest is history... Good times, great convos and amazing classes together. Glad she remembered me :) 

(Mykle,pronounced Michael-yes, like the male name..lol) and I before the Sean Paul concert.)

Our "bump-in" happened while waiting in the crazy Zumba outlet line. It's not your normal line. People start to form a line at 5am and the store opens at noon. Go figure! Are the sales that great you ask? For us Instructors it is! The prices are worth it. Now I'm not sure if others think waiting in line 2 hours is worth it but evidently I did since I stood in it .... See pics below

(Ppl waiting yet the doors haven't opened)

(The line circled the entire lobby area of the Hilton hotel)

(As if standing in the line outside wasn't enough, this was the line inside to get into the actual store)

(Making memories while standing in line)

According to my friend Mykle, we burned 971 calories by standing in line and shopping. The pic below shows the madness ....

Yep, that's the outlet. People trying on clothes everywhere. Some folks are going through piles on the floor in hopes of finding their size. It wasn't easy but we made it! Then came checking out. If you thought getting in was crazy, you should see what it was like checking out....

This was another 2 hour wait. All for some discounted Zumba wear...lol

I hate to admit it but I missed my first class standing in this line. But I made it to many other great classes. The one most special to me was the masterclass with Marcie Gil. She's one of my favorite ZES(Zumba Education Specialist). Why was it so special? Well.... I was able to get on stage and JAM OUT with her! 

That was the highlight of my day until Beto (Zumba creator) came into my Zumba Core masterclass and I was able to take a pic with him... We took a selfie

I've managed to get a pic with him each time I've attended a Zumba conference or a convention. Hoping to keep my little tradition going.... 

There were tons of evening activities. It's not all exercising. Zumba Convention is worth every dime, EXPENSIVE, but worth it! This year our theme party was Soirée.... Elves, Fairies and anything fantasy related. Our celebrity guest was Sean Paul(my husband but he doesn't know we're married..lol) I was trying my best to get a pic with him but it didn't happen. This is as good as it got (see below)

Don't laugh, it was all I could get!..lol The concert was amazing and of course his performance was OUT OF THIS WORLD! I'm so glad Zumba brought him out this year. Our theme party was great as well. People go all out and get super creative. I can't say I go all out, I leave space in my suitcase for Zumba wear..lol

Two fairies and a Unicorn :) posing in the photo booth.....

Four days of pure fun and great memories! I can't wait until January for the conference! Not as long and not as intense but still FUN! Here are some more pics of me with Zumba Celebrities. I was acting like a groupie...lol

Beto's dancer, presenter and Zumba wear model

My fav Zumba gal, Marcie Gil! (Check out her abs...RIPPED)

Gina Grant... Beto's #1 girl for Zumba

Dahrio Wonder-Zumba singer and song writer

J Perry- Zumba singer and song writer

Stay tuned for next week's post for a slide show of pics!

Zumba love,

Marisol