LYP Fitness x The A Team Talk Show: The Body Goals Workout

For me, 2016 will be the year of 25th birthday trips to Cancun, Jamaica, Barbados, and anywhere else with warm, exotic scenery that warrants a banging body and when I picture myself on all these cool 25-year-old vacations, I can't help but think about the work I'll need to put in to reach my Body Goal. They say summer bodies are made in the winter, so, I have 2-3 months left to reach my 2016 Body Goals.

At one point in time, I was able to run 2 miles a day on a hilly New Jersey street, now, I'm lucky if I can lightly jog a mile on a treadmill without collapsing. Since I'm pretty much back at square one now, I had to make sure my body goal wasn't too intimidating, over ambitious, or unrealistic. Today, a lot of people's "body goals" mimick the hour glass, "what waist", vixen-esque body type that dominates pop culture, which is cool for women who inherently have that shape but every woman is different. Slim waists and big butts aren't in my genes (no pun intended) so I'd literally be killing myself trying to mold my body into a shape that I don't have. Part of determining my body goal was understanding my own body and in searching for a comfortable end result,  I've come to know myself as a top-heavy woman (duh) with a killer set of legs.

Based on that information, I've adopted Claire Sulmers, Editor In Cheif of Fashion Bomb Daily as my official Body goals. Her legs are EVERYTHING and she carries being top-heavy very well. I think with some motivation and hard work, I can definitely achieve my body goals.

 

 

Speaking of hard work and motivation, I've decided that one of the ways to help me stick to achieving my body goals, is to get other people in on it! I've already made a standing Saturday workout appointment with my friend Jessica, and now I've convinced our host Ambrea to workout with me on Sunday evenings. Now, i'm all about being in shape and getting fit but I am by no means a fitness expert. That's why we've enlisted the personal training/ fitness motivational Serves of LuLu + You Fitness!  As a Certified Fitness Trainer, Lulu healed her mind, body, and spirit through changing her diet, detoxing and cleansing, and prayer.

This past Sunday was The A Team Talk Show's first session with LuLu. After we sent her our weight goals, target areas etc. she designed this Body Goal workout for us:

20 Plate Swings

 30 second jump ropes

 10 floor chest presses

10 chest to ground push-ups

 30 second battle ropes

25 ball toss with squats

 20 jump floor taps

 and 20 downward dogs

Each exercise was done 2 times.

 

To go along with our Body Goals workout, we also received the  Lulu + You Fitness 7 day Jumpstart and meal diary with detox meal instructions, and the LPY (at home) Burn workout. 

Tune in to Move It Monday on the The A Team Talk Show every Monday to keep up with our fitness progress.

Walking the Joe Louis Arena Stairs...Day 1

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By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes (IG: @all_dat_hair)

I let my mom convince me to hit the Joe Louis Arena steps with her and a group of ladies at 7:30am on a Saturday. I can’t believe I agreed to it but she didn’t even have to do much convincing after she offered to treat me to a (healthy) breakfast after each workout. Since I had been getting little reminders all day about how much I’ve been slacking on my workouts, and with my 24^th birthday just four months away, and plans for two trips out of the country next year, I figured I shouldn’t pass up any opportunities to get a jump start on my 2016 beach body… or a free breakfast.

I’ll admit, I AM SO OUT OF SHAPE!!!! I went from running two miles a day to struggling through a 10-minute jog. Every now and again I went to the gym but I was inconsistent and I let myself get extremely lazy. Beginning this Saturday work out regiment at the Joe Steps will be a test of my will for a couple of reasons: one—I am NOT a morning person. I’d much rather workout in the evenings but I’m striving to achieve a new level of discipline and changing my habits is one of the first steps. The early bird gets the worm, right? Two—I haven’t been working out consistently and shaking off laziness is a hard thing to do, but my plan is to turn on my headphones, zone out and push through. Mind over matter!

I want to show you guys my progress from day one so
if you’d like to follow my journey, follow The A Team Talk Show on Periscope and tune in this Saturday at 7:30am to The A Team Talk Show’s live stream. I’ll also be live streaming my “Healthy Breakfast Hunt” with my mom so make sure you follow and stay tuned for a recap on the blog!

**The A Team Talk Show is on Periscope! @theAteamtalksho  **

Bedtime Snack 101

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes 

I’ve heard from fitness experts, friends and family that a great way to lose weight is to not eat after a certain time. But if you’re a food lover like me, then this sounds like sheer torture! I LOVE a good bedtime snack and I’ve tried (and failed) to resist my urge to binge at bedtime many times. Trying not to eat AGAIN after dinner probably means you do one of these 3 things:

1.          SNACK SEARCH! You leave no cabinet unturned searching for the perfect snack especially for something sweet or salty, which can be satisfying to the pallet but let’s face it; we usually go for the unhealthy choices like cakes, cookies and chips.

2.          HANGRY! You let yourself get so hungry that you’re angry and become irritated with not getting to eat more. You just give up on finding something to eat and just go to sleep with a loud, angry tummy.

3.          MORNING MUNCHIES! You wake up starving with no energy start your day let alone to exercise – or worse, you wake up to a rumbling stomach at 3am that wont let you rest until you feed it!

I definitely have gone through each of these Nighttime No No’s and if we’re all on the same page, then we must agree that it’s plain crazy to deprive yourself of food just to avoid eating anything at night! If you’re hungry, EAT! But you must feed your body smart foods that wont counteract your fitness goals. 

How do I choose the right bedtime snack?

 It’s easy to feel guilty eating a late snack feeling like you’re about to cancel out all your good food choices for the day or that every bite is going to be stored as fat and end up in the wrong place. As long as you eat the right things, snacks before bed wont do any harm (but don’t get carried away).

·      If you’re trying to lose weight, avoid eating carbs at night. Since you won’t be burning off any carbs while you’re sleeping, your body is more likely to store these as fat.

·      If you’re working out first thing in the morning, some carbs will help give you energy for your workout. Carbs give you energy, but since you’re not working out until the morning, you have to give them to your body the night before rather than the morning of.

·      Eating healthy fats at night is a great way to feel satisfied. You won’t wake up in the middle of the night starving.

·      Protein of any sort is always a good late night snack choice. Gentlemen, this is great if you’re trying to buff up or slim down and keep the build.

Remember, food is fuel! Acts 27:34a  ^“Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength…”

Now that you have all your info, here are some quick and easy bedtime snack that are good for you and good to you.

I’m usually sweet snacker, but if you like more savory snacks, then an egg is a great last minute mini meal. They have both protein and fat to keep you full through the night. 

If you like to crunch and munch, try whole-grain crackers instead. They’re high in carbs, but they are also believed to help prevent insomnia. Pair them with something high in protein or calcium like a serving of string cheese. 

Popcorn is actually not that bad for you! The whole grain kind is pretty satisfying and since popcorn is a snack that takes a while to eat you’ll feel fuller over time.

It’s as simple as bread and butter. A slice of whole-grain bread topped with a tablespoon of almond butter since almonds which promote muscle relaxation. To add a twist to this classic treat, substitute bread for an English muffin and butter for yogurt cheese spread or peanut butter and fruit.

Top Greek yogurt with some fruit, a crumbled nut (of your choice) and cinnamon and it’s your own personal parfait. Or spread it over cucumber rounds or Rice Crackers to cool you off for the night.

Trade yogurt or cool whip for cottage cheese topped with a fruit of your choice. Cottage cheese will keep you full and rebuild your muscles through the night.

Milkshake! More like a protein shake but you can dress it up real nice and pretend it’s a milkshake if you want! You can add toppings like cocoa powder or nut butter to give it that milkshake vibe.

Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? Especially a bowl of cereal! A bowl of whole grain cereal and chilled milk will ease you right into a good night’s sleep with no guilt.

Cherries have the good carbohydrates and they're one of the only natural sources of melatonin. Each cup is just 100 calories (for all the calorie counters out there).

Last, but not least; STAY AWAY from these foods at night:

• Caffeine products (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate)
• Sugary products
• Nicotine
• Alcohol
• Food high in fat or too much protein (anything hard for the body to digest)
• Spicy Food or Big portions (to avoid heartburn)
  

To make the most of your Bedtime treat, snack 45 minutes to 1 hour before bedtime and keep the snack small!  Don’t try to sneak in a whole meal, just a snack to tackle that midnight munchie feeling. Give your body enough time for the food to settle and don’t over feed it.  If you make healthy food choices at night, you’ll get better sleep, which adds to being in good health! 

-Ayana