HOW I'M GETTING FIT IN BETWEEN THE HOLIDAYS

Notice how I didn't title this "staying fit"...that's right, GETTING FIT. 

We're in between holidays and I think I have my diet together more than I have in months. I don't know why but that's just the way it is. 

I feel like this is usually what happens for me...I'm on my A game from about January to May, mainly because there's nothing going on. JUNE, JULY and AUGUST are summer festivities and my birthday so I tend to enjoy more margaritas than usual and of course eat more chips and salsa. Like gallons, but whatever.

September and October and pretty okay because I'm getting ready for halloween or getting ready to travel.

After that I kind of shoot down to a "D Game". I'm puffy and bloated from alcohol and traveling, I'm cold because I'm a California baby and I end up staying in bed a little longer, I want warm comfort foods and it's the holidays so I'm drinking sangria like it's my job.

It's only been about 1 week since Thanksgiving and I'm already noticing A LOT OF GOODNESS HAPPENING this time around.

I made some commitments to myself and it's making me SUPER happy to feel TIGHT, see my stomach de bloating and feeling constantly energized. 

A lot of the things I'm doing are part of my 8 Tummy Tips which you get when you sign up for my newsletter so feel free to grab that while you're here:)

So basically I'm committing to this until Christmas so it's just about a month. Do it with me!

1. DRINKING MAS WATER

Especially now that it's winter, we need to keep our skin hydrated. If you feel like your lips are dry or your skin feels tight then it's probably a sign that you're dehydrated. 

After that I fill up one of my 24-ounce cups with a lid and straw and fill it up with water throughout the day. Even when I'm at work, I make sure that I have water handy throughout my entire shift. 

You'll run to the bathroom more but be happy about it! That means that your bod is properly hydrated and is willing to let some water go.

Have you ever noticed when you're hungover and you drink like 6 water bottles and still don't have to pee? That's because your body is scared that you're going to dehydrate it again so it holds on to as much water as possible. This is why we get puffy when we drink. 

So DRINK WATER. It also helps reduce cravings and appetite. 

2. WORK OUT 6 TIMES A WEEK

I recently showed you guys how I'm scheduling my workouts in this blog and I'm still sticking to it! I also bought a groupon deal for Bar Method which has been nice for days that I don't want to go to the gym OR for days that I go to the gym in the morning and feel like working out at night. 

Staying consistent with my workout schedule makes me more motivated to eat clean which in turn makes me motivated to work out so it's a win win. 

3. HEALTHY [AF] SNACKS

A lot of the time I don't HAVE TIME to make a meal before I leave the house. I'm also more of a snack person though so I noticed that when I would get hungry and be in a hurry, I would eat some crackers really quick or grab a bag of flax seed chips and bolt to my car. 

This isn't the worst but I knew it would make a difference if I made some changes. 

For example, when I last drove down to San Diego, I was in a rush and didn't feel like cooking anything. I grabbed an old grocery bag, threw in an apple, 3 tangerines, and a bag of each veggie I had. 

I ate all of it on the way to SD and felt full without ever feeling stuffed or bloated.

This has also been especially helpful at work because normally I would go on break and dabble into a tiny bit of pasta (covered in oil), a tiny but of tuna (covered in mayo), and a salad with a tiny bit of ranch (no bueno) and then EVERY SINGE TIME no mattter how much I ate, I would be bloated afterwards.

Lately I've been bringing a bag of almonds from Whole Foods with my everywhere including work, along with these chocolate energy bars and a bag of tea.

I tell myself that if I eat that and I'm still hungry then sure, have some work food but as tempting as those other options are, I've been LEGIT FULL.

And not bloated!

4. NO DRINKING.

Gaaahd, I love a good whisky sour during the winter time, or some glasses of wine with a friend but for this little 4 week break...no drinking. 

It really is the one thing that will let me lose weight, puffiness and bloating almost instantly. 

When I'm drinking I notice my love handles start to creep back, some really sexy form of what I like to call an Iphone Double Chin starts creeping in which is where you start to get a double chin jusssst as you tilt your head down to look at your phone or computer. So that's fun. 

I think my ankles even get smaller when I'm detoxing so, lots of benefits going on. 

Like I said, it's only been 1 week of these habits and I'm noticing differences. 

5. SMALL MEALS

Remember the blog I wrote about eating clean while you have a boyfriend? Well this kind of goes back to the roots of that. When you're first in a relationship you eat smaller meals throughout the day because you never want to be too full. Then once you start dating for a while you start ordering the same thing as your boyfriend and drink dark beers with it and then lifes just over. 

So SMALL MEALS. I eat until I'm satisfied and then eat again in 2-3 hours. This can be kind of hard if you're running around all day which is why you NEED to keep small healthy snacks in your purse and car. This way you eat though out the day and keep your metabolism going. 

When you go all day without eating then you're starved by 4 pm and end up eating everything everywhere. No No NO.

Alrighy lovies, that's all for now. I need to go have my apple and almond butter snack and get ready for work. My spaghetti squash is already in small tupperware ready for me to take to work :)

WHY L-CARNITINE IS MY NEW TONE UP WEAPON

So kind of forever ago, I trained for a fitness body competition and my trainer had me doing a lot of things to help me lean out, gain muscle and burn fat.

Some of those things I still do today like lift heavy to build muscles and get lean (especially the booty) & drink a protein shake after working out. Other things I STOPPED doing, like eating pounds of turkey and chicken every single day. (For me, I found that not eating meat helped my stomach to stop hurting all the time.)

Then there was THIS little supplement that I totally forgot he had me buying on the reg. 

If you can stick with my through an old school science lesson real quick, it will help you understand what it does & why it's so vital. 

Science version: L-carnitine is critical for energy production in every cell of your body. It carries fat, in the form of fatty acids, to the mitochondrial inner membrane where energy is produced. Without L-carnitine, the normal burning of fat cannot take place.

Real Person Version: It basically squeezes the fat out of your cells and makes it the main source of fuel that your body can use for energy, thus torching your fat! 

Have a tablespoon of L-Carnitine about 30 minutes before you work out to make sure that you end up using fat as your main energy source rather than your body burning off your muscles in order to get some energy. 

I took a tablespoon the other day on an empty stomach just so i could really feel the effects of it and everything was spot on.

I was sweating like a psycho in my class, i wasn't hungry for a while after working out (although i did have my protein smoothie!) and i was like cracked on energy - but not in a jittery way. 

This is because L-Carnitine also gives you energy and suppresses your appetite. 

Other benefits? 

+ It helps improve your endurance during a workout - Yesterday, for example, I took Barry'sBootcamp "Booty and Legs Class". This guy had us doing 3-minute intervals on the treadmill, with sprinting and jogging and uphill sprinting....IT WAS MADNESS. And then he would have us rush over to the mats and do ridiculous squats, lunges, and step ups with weights and bands. No break, one hour. 

At the end of class, my friend and I were drenched in sweat but looked at each other and said, "that wasn't that bad". The L-Carnitine had us burning a lot of fat rather than sugar like it normally does.

When your body runs out of it's sugar storage (glucose) while you're working out, that's when you start to feel fatigued and then your body starts getting fuel from eating your hard earned muscles which is what we DON'T want. 

+ It also assists in muscle recovery and muscle soreness which is amazing!! Even with how much water I drink I didn't think I'd be able to move today after that class and I actually feel okay. And this class was hard AF you guys haha.

+ It aids in brain health by helping to either benefiting or delaying age-related things like memory or mood. 

+ Our heart gets 70% of it's metabolic energy from fatty acids SO L-Carnitine is stocked in that area and it has been shown to support the cardiovascular system which if healthy, would help to prevent things like heart failure and irregular heartbeats. 

So basically I'm in love. Try it out and see what you think but I think you're going to love it too. The taste isn't actually AMAZING like the bottle says. It's actually pretty disgusting. But it's one tablespoon. You take more in a shot of tequilla, which actually tastes better in my opinion haha but ce la vie. 

Have you guys tried this before? If you have, let me know what you think!

xoxo Chelsey

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MY FAVORITE TEAS FOR ENERGY AND WEIGHT LOSS

Okay so there's clearly been a huge push lately about promoting tea & now there's like a million to choose from. Whether or not the people that swear by them are doing it because they really DO or just because they're getting paid...ehh hard to say.

Here's my deal. I've been asked with a TON of tea companies and I've tried a few. Some are seriously gross which is why I don't promote them. Team-i Blends hit me up and let me try their skinny tea and their colon tea. I like them both but I especially LOVEEEEE the colon tea. Now I'm not doing this just to promote them, I truly do LOVE their stuff. I think I get like 3 dollars, maybe even less actually...I don't even know, every time someone uses my code to buy their tea. Half the time people spell my name wrong and I think it still works and then it doesn't even go thru me haha but I don't care.

I like it so I use it and then tell you guys about it, that's it. Now it works VERY WELL but it can be really intense. Like wakes you up in the middle of the night intense if you let it steep too long but I don't mind because that makes me feel like it's really working. 

Since it is so intense I only use it like once every 1-2 weeks. 

NOW. As a less aggressive detox tea I use the Triple Leaf SUPER SLIMMING tea which you can get pretty much anywhere (I get mine at Ralphs). This one you can have any time, the other one you definitely only want to have at night haha.

As for energy, the Bigelow Vanilla Chai (also sold at Ralphs) is my jam! Black tea has the most caffeine and I love chai so it's perfect. I mix a packet of the chai with the super slimming tea in the morning with some organic honey and I've noticed that it definitely gives me lasting energy, reduces my cravings, and sorta suppresses my appetite. 

If you do want to try the detox tea from Team I blends, my promo code is CHELSEYROSE and you'll get 10% off, or just buy it without my code. WHATEVER. It's just soo good. (Disclaimer: Don't have it if you plan on hanging out with your boyfriend the next morning. Or anyone for that matter. lol. Weird? true.) 

If you get any of these, let me know what you think in the comments below :)

WHEN YOU HAVE 3 DAYS TO GET YOUR BOD RIGHT AND TIGHT

I literally never know what day it is. ALL DAY yesterday i thought it was Monday and it was THURSDAY. Like not even close. So it doesn't surprise me that i looked at my calendar today and realized that I actually only have three days until my first fitness shoot...not 8 like I originally thought for some unknown reason.  

First of all, lets talk about this shoot real quick. So yes it's going to be my FIRST fitness shoot for Chelsey Rose Health & I am SO excited. I did a few shoots with W3livehealthy but this will be my first one on my own. (For those of you who followed W3livehealthy, if you haven't noticed...we all talked and decided that we wanted to go on a little but of different paths so that's why you won't see the three of us on there together anymore but we're all SO EXCITED for what's to come!)

The main idea behind the shoot is MOTIVATION. Motivation for me to get more posts out to you guys about workout tips and tricks (Since Iv'e been focusing more on the nutrition side of things) which in turn might motivate you to try something new or set some new workout goals! It's not just to have the picture on instagram or to get dolled up for a day (even though it's gunna be fun..!) It's to provide you guys with more information and tools and resources so it's definitely a little project that i'm excited about.

At then end of the day though IT IS A PHOTO SHOOT haha and I think it's in every girls genetics make up to want to do SOMETHING to feel like we're getting ready for the shots SO I wanted to fill you in on what I'm doing over the next three days to get prepped and who knows, maybe it will give you some guidelines for the next time you're in a crunch to slim down, and tone up. 

1. Less Carbs

Notice how I didn't say NO CARBS. Best belieeeve I'm going to be working out over these next few days (as usual) and I need my carbs to fuel me. I'm just going to do a little bit less. At lunch time before I work out I will have 1/3 cup quinoa or cous cous with A TON of arugula and some some chopped baby carrots. (No croutons :( - salty). Normally I have a few because I live in moderation but I can hold off for the next few days.

No carbs at night though. Not that it's a huge deal but if there's somewhere I can cut down it would be there. I'll stick to lettuce wrapped tuna, salmon salads with lemon dressing and lots of veggies, and  FA SHO.

2. Lots Of Fat Burning Water

A gallon a day at least. If I carry around a one gallon jug with me then I tend to go through a lot more! (You run to the bathroom a lot but you're flushing out TONS of toxins, reducing cravings by A LOT and reducing all that bloating and puffiness that comes with alcohol & salty foods, YAAAS).

For one gallon:

+ Squeeze or Juice 2 organic lemons

+ 2 Teaspoons Organic Cayenne Pepper

+ 1 Gallon ALKALINE WATER. (I mentioned in my snap the other day (chelseyrose - add me!) that you can find places around you that will sell you GALLONS of alkaline water for SUPER CHEAP!! Just google "ALKALINE WATER STORES IN your city) and you should get a map of some. You just have to purchase the 5 gallon jug when you get there and then they will fill it up for you for 5-7 dollars! (1 gallon at the store is like 3.50 so it's a great deal). The jug is about 30.00 dollars or so but it's a great investment that you only need to purchase once. Also - get a little one gallon jug to carry around with you while you're there if they have them!!)

3. Detox Tea

Detox tea is the shit. No pun intended? Haha gross anyways.

Seriously though detox tea is SO NECESSARY for every day life but especially when you're wanting to slim down pretty quick. This is what I use because it's the best tea I've found for detoxing with the colon cleanse and sustained energy with the Skinny Tea. 

This is my go to, i HIGHLY recommend it. The colon cleanse can be a little intense your first couple of times so I suggest only steeping it for about 5 minutes. I steep mine for like 15 haha. 

Get 10% off your purchases from Teami BLends with my discount code CHELSEY. Make sure you put a "Y" not an "A" .

4. Sweat and Tone

Definitely want to sweat to reduce puffiness and eliminate toxins from my body and I want to tone up! I'll probably do a spin class because i sweat my ass off in those classes, sit in the sauna for about 30 minutes one night (LOVE THAT) and do two barre classes because that's about all I have time for ! haha. Barre is AMAZING for toning quickly and plumping you up in all the right places. i suggest looking online at Groupon Barre Class Discounts and trying it!

5. Protein Smoothie

Another one of those things that you've probably seen a trillion times if you follow me on snap. I FREAKING LOVE THIS SMOOTHIE! It's filling, SUPER HEALTHY and plant protein based. I have been having one or breakfast and then I've been making one after my workout as well. This helps keep me full and satisfied and helps rebuild my muscles! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BULK UP. If you want to that plump feeling in your ass after a workout to last longer than the next day you NEED to refuel with protein. Or else you're just "living off the pump" and your ass will go back down in 24 hours. Get it right get it tight my friends. 

So whether you're getting ready for a shoot or getting ready for Coachella, these tips will definitely give you some quick results! Stay tuned for the shoot & more tips via snap!

xoxo

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HOW TO PREVENT YOURSELF FROM OVER EATING

Uhhhh why do we eat until we can’t stand sometimes? I DONT KNOW EITHERRRRRRRRR

Give me some popcorn at a movie theater and make sure you say BYE to it because it’s gone forever once I get it. I’m also finding (kind of surprisingly) that MOST girls I talk to tell me that they usually over eat, and wish they wouldn’t. Sometimes when it’s a scheduled break time at school or work I've also noticed that we tend to overeat because we almost feel like we have to. Whether it’s because it’s the highlight of our day depending on how class or work is going or because we’re forced to break early and won’t be able to eat for the next 6 hours…(how do they make that legal…….still wondering)

Other times we over eat simply because we’re bored, or because we don’t understand what our body is really telling us so instead, we just eat, thinking that it’s telling us that it’s hungry.

Other time we suffer from FOWLO…fear of wasted left overs, and save it and then end up eating it only because it’s about to go bad…..God forbid it goes into the trash can, lets use our body as a trash can instead! yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa no.

Or how about those hangover hungers? I think pretty much everyone  I know finds it acceptable to eat the world on hangover days. But filling yourself up with every piece of junk food isn’t going to make you feel much better. Keep it to one cheat hangover meal.

I want to teach you about the times when you think you’re hungry but you’re not, and tips to seriously minimizing the meals you over eat!

1. Ever notice how sometimes you wake up and you’re first thought is, whyyyyy the F am I soooo hungry already?? Well sometimes if we wake up too early or on too little of sleep, our bodies aren’t done processing all the acids that it takes care of while we sleep. If we wake up in the middle of this it feels like we haven’t eaten in 12 hours but it’s actually just stomach acid. Let it pass.

2. At night when you’re really tired do you notice that you also start to feel hungry - sweets specifically? When we force ourselves to stay awake our bodies start to reach for energy sources. Whats the fastest? Sugar. You don’t have a random late night craving, you’re just tired. When this happens to me I go for a glass of almond milk mixed with some alkalizing chocolate greens!

3. Eat Slow - when we eat too fast we don’t give our bodies enough time to absorb all the nutrients which will eventually let us know that we are full. By the time we feel full, we’ve already stuffed down more food bringing on the SUUUUUPER FULL FEELING.

4. Go for Colored Plates and Bowls - Studies show that when we use colored plates and bowls we tend to grab less food.

5. Stand up - We tend to eat less when were not so comfortable. Standing up also gives us a sense of how long we’ve been eating. You can sit comfortably on a couch for 45 minutes eating chips but it’s unlikely that you’ll do the same standing. 

6. Have A Craving? - Go for a 10 minute walk. Just try it, it works. Every time I wake up from a nap I CRAVVVVE something. I don’t know why. I’m never actually hungry. So instead of falling into that trap I tell myself to get out of the house for 10 mins and 9 times out of 10 my weird nap craving goes away.

7. Eat Protein ! - This is major when it comes to preventing yourself from over eating. Protein actually sends a signal to our brains that we’re full. Without it, were just eating machinas. I don’t know about you but i could sit and eat an entire bag of chips if i wanted to - no prob byyyye…but imagine if each chip was a piece of sashimi….You’ll be full pronto.

8. Up Your Fiber Intake - This will get you full, and keep you full for longer without having the uncomfortable tooo full feeling.

10 TIPS FOR DETOX

Our bodies are exposed to toxins everyday through water, food, air, pharmaceutical drugs and of course the poison that comes along with any alcohol you may have consumed.

I want to give you 10 ways to detox today ! This includes detoxing both the mind and body naturally so that it can flush out anything in your body that may be unhealthy and slowing you down!

1. Lemon water - Start the day with a glass of water and fresh lemon. This just helps to flush out the toxins and alkalize the body. I personally juice 2 lemons first thing in the morning, add some cayenne pepper and 1 packet of stevia then put it in a 32 oz glass jar and fill the rest with water!

2. Fresh made Green Juice - Try to have a fresh one daily filled with all sorts of greens! I like to make a batch in the morning using lemon, green apple, ginger, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumber and pineapple - then i add chia seeds to stay full ! 

3. Trade out your bad oils for healthy oils - This mean ditch the canola oil, vegetable, peanut and sunflower oils and swap them for coconut, hemp, flaxseed or avocado oil.

4. Drink Herbal Teas - These teas help to detoxify your body naturally while hydrating you and giving you energy

5. Eat RAW - This means uncooked! Primarily fruits, vegetables and herbs. These foods help grab on to toxins in your body and pull them out. They also don’t leave any toxins in your body after consumption!  

6. Minimize or eliminate white sugar - This means white rice, white potatoes, white bread, white sugar, white flour get the idea? These foods just rev up your blood levels aka your energy and then they shoot it down 15 minutes later leaving you tired and bloated.

 7. Take a Probiotic - Or eat foods like have like cultures in them! My favorite way to get my probiotics is through non fat Plain Greek yogurt. The probiotics kill off bacteria and yeast thats hanging out in your body and strengthen the lining of your stomach aiding in good healthy digestion.  

8. Minimize or eliminate meat consumption - You don’t even want to know how long it takes for your body to digest meat. Meaning that you eat it, then a couple DAYS down the line your body will be able to dispose of some of it. yikes. That means it just sits inside of you, mind you our body temperature runs at about 98 degrees. So it’s kinda just cooking in there for a few days. Imagine how weightless you would feel if you stopped that cycle for a while ay??

 9. Start a journal - What? Yes, journal. This is for your mental detox. Anything getting clogged up in your brain needs to come out and lets do it in a positive healthy way! Plus its fun to read through later.

10. Exercise - If you’re exercising and getting your blood moving then you are sweating and helping your entire body detox and get rid of anything that it doesn’t need. Ever notice how after a night of drinking if you can manage to get to the gym you kiiiinda smell like a bar? That all that alcohol leaving your body! Thank God.