How to drink without ruining your DIET!

First things clients ask when going on their new weight loss program... "So...am I allowed to drink on this program?". While I usually advise against it when trying to lose weight, I realize that socializing and enjoying life are a priority as well (or at least I would hope so). So here are the ways you can drink and still stick with your diet or at least not worry about packing on the extra pounds!

Drink and Lose Weight

Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Protein Balls! (Under 75 calories per serving)

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, packed full of complex carbs/lean proteins/fall flavor, and takes under 10 minutes to create!

You can use these delicious snacks for a pre or post workout treat, as a party dish, or as a dessert and no one will even know that they're healthy for you because they taste that amazing!

Here's how you make the Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Protein Balls!

Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Protein Balls

3 spices that help with weight loss!

3 Spices that help you lose weight! If you are going to be eating clean and working out you might as well throw in some of these spices not just to add flavor to your meals, but to help with your weight loss and fitness efforts! These 3 spices have been shown time and time again to help aid in weight loss and they taste pretty amazing too!

FIND OUT WHAT THOSE 3 ARE HERE!

Fat Burning Spices

High Protein Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal!

I love Fall time and I love healthy recipes so pretty much all the way through fall the majority of my posts will be healthy fall flavors!!! Here's what was for breakfast this morning! If you are obsessed with Fall like me then go ahead and join my mailing list and I will keep these recipes coming right to ya!

 

THIS RECIPE is incredibly delicious, high protein, full of antioxidants, healthy carbs and some FALL FLAVORS! :) Check it out :)

Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

No Gym Workouts!

Alright guys, this one actually will be short and sweet because I am back at the airport this morning flying out to New York City. I have gotten a few emails from people who are currently travel or have moved to an area where the nearest gym is 45 minutes away wanting to know how to get an effective fat burning workout done without having any gym equipment. Great questions and I totally understand because I experience the same dilemma when I sometimes travel to hotels that do not have gyms or all they have are a few pieces of cardio equipment.

While I am in NYC for the next few days, I will be doing these kinds of workouts the whole time not just because I don't feel like finding a gym but also I'll be a little strapped for time so I don't to just get the workout done as fast as possible while still reaping the benefits!

So here is a No Gym Body Weight Workout you can do anywhere!

P.s. are we friends on FaceBook yet?

Why you still aren't getting any results!

I recently did a post on FaceBook about my workout buddy and how she makes the world of difference with my fitness and with my every day life. We do not workout together every day and we actually don’t see each other every day, but having someone to hold you accountable with your goals in business, fitness, relationships, whatever it may is incredibly important and can be the exact reason why you aren’t getting anywhere with your goals. We all have our ego and we all want to “do it on our own” showing how strong and independent we are, which is awesome because ultimately you only have yourself to hold responsible if you do not have the life you want, but at the same time we all also experience ups and downs where it is important for those who know us can help pick us up and remind us that we can do this and anything is possible! I work out on my own 3-4 days a week and workout with a partner 2-3 days a week and I enjoy both times because sometimes I don’t even realize that I am being lazy in my own workouts or in my business until my workout partner or business coach shows up and give me the “What are you doing!? Come on, quit wasting time lets get this done! You can do more!”.


So here’s a few tips to help you tell if you have gotten a little comfortable in your workouts

4 Minute Fat Loss!

While I was in Vegas this past week, I had the pleasure of meeting fitness experts from all over the world (literally). Some were from Norway, the UK, and some were here in the states. I was amazed at how much knowledge and expertise there was in one room and have never learned so much about fitness in my life…and I’m a trainer!

One of the guys I met is named Mike Whitefield…you may have heard of him in another one of my emails or seen him on the internet, but basically he used to be 105lbs heavier then he is now and got tired of feeling tired pretty much! Through his research and experimenting with his own physique he found a way that he dropped the 105lbs and kept it off without using cardio equipment at all! So I was informed that what he does is just Finishes his workouts with 4 minutes of cardio. What?! 4 minutes?! Yea, I wasn’t buying it either because on my low days I do AT LEAST 20 minutes!

After trying out these workout finishers though...I fully believe it!

Workout Finishers

How to eat carbs and still have a flat belly!

I LOVE CARBS! We all love carbs and I have never had to give up carbs to get abs or to flatten my stomach so if anyone tells you that you do they are trying to get you on some yo-yo diet or unhealthy eating plan to give you fast results that won't last the second you start putting carbs back in your diet.

There are a lot of different ways to enjoy healthy carbs and still have a flat stomach including pasta! Here are a few tips to help you understand how to enjoy the foods you love while still having a flat stomach!

Eat carbs with a flat belly!

Maybe YOU are the problem...

“There are no limits. There are only plateaus,
and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”-Bruce Lee

Me and Craig

I am finishing up my stay here at the Aria in Las Vegas this morning typing away and reviewing everything from yesterday’s Mastermind meeting and I had a some time before checking out so I figured I’d come down here to Starbucks to do some writing, emails aka work (it’s 6am) and low and behold I run into the infamous Mike Whitefield from Workout Finishers who is also sitting here at Starbucks doing the exact same thing! It kind of made me laugh because not too often do you find other people who fly out to Vegas to wake up early to do business, but in this industry you do…and it’s so much fun! I spent yesterday meeting tons of people, learning so many different stories, and then learning from the best of the best Craig Ballantyne and Bedros Keuillian about the fitness industry. (If you don’t know who they are just google any of those names and you’ll get hundreds of hits). One of the main things that every single one of these guys emphasizes is that your business, your idea, your focus needs to be how you can help other people…what can you help them with that they are missing right now? Regardless of your industry, whether it’s fitness, real estate, makeup, interior design, computers, it doesn’t matter….I completely understood all of this from a fitness aspect. I want to help people get the look and body they want so they can feel better about themselves, boost their confidence that will translate into other areas of their life, help them overcome their biggest eating and workout obstacles, and help them achieve their goals in every aspect of life. However, it wasn’t until after leaving the meetings last night that something clicked that it’s not just about that. I think we all genuinely want to help people and make a difference, but sometimes we always think that it is putting ourselves in a service environment….

Maybe You are the problem and YOU NEED TO HELP YOURSELF.....

How to travel, eat clean and still workout!!

I am writing this to you from Las Vegas as I am meeting with some awesome fitness people in a couple hours and I was trying to think of what one of the main struggles people experience in regards to health and fitness and for me…well it’s figuring out how to eat healthy and get in workouts while I’m traveling without my home gym! I spent all day yesterday in airports (literally for about 9 hours between layovers and flying time) and I haven’t been in my gym at Powerhouse downtown since last Friday for any workout sessions! Holy moly that’s not ok because I am a firm believer in exercising a good 5-6 days a week. So what do you do when you can’t go to your gym and you are pretty much limited to quick food and restaurants you aren’t familiar with? Here are some tips that I have figured out on my own and that I am incorporating as I travel here in Vegas!

Here are all the eating and workout tips for traveling!
P.s. if you enjoy this post then join my mailing list so I can keep em' coming straight to ya!!

Serious Shoulder Workout to Burn Fat and Build Strength!

I recently switched up m y lifting routine and am now going with heavier weights, lower reps with more sets. I usually superset a lot of my lifting and stick with a high rep range, but for the next few weeks I’ll be following this format with most of my lifting days. All of the exercises in this video were performed in a 5×5 format meaning I chose a weight that I could perform 5 reps of for 5 sets with 1:00 rest in between sets. When choosing your weight, as always the last 2 reps should be a struggle for you to push out to make sure you are challenging your muscles. The ONLY exercise I did not do the 5×5 format is with the Push Press at the end. I did 6 sets of 3 reps with about 45 seconds rest in between (rest time will vary with each person, you want to rest long enough that you can perform the next set with proper form while still challenging yourself). I demonstrated each exercise and my workout in this video so you guys can try it out on your own! *If you are lifting heavier then normal make sure you have a spot so you do not injure yourself!!

Here is the Workout Video and Description!

When S*** ....hits the fan....!!!!

So I am writing this to you from the airport terminal in Tampa waiting to board a flight to vegas to meet with some of the top fitness entrepreneurs in the industry! Sounds awesome right? I am incredibly excited and seriously can’t wait for all the amazing opportunities and relationships to be built from this….however, yesterday I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have anything to take to Vegas to even present or learn from these awesome people and wasn’t sure if I as going to mentally be able to deal with it!
Here’s a brief synopsis of my day yesterday and a little story of how important a strong support team is….:
I woke up nice and early with a large to-do list in my mind while driving to my morning clients…on the way there I get a few texts from orbitz reminding me I need to check in for my trip, a text from my video guy about our meeting to finalize some stuff for YouTube, my gas light comes on, I’m running slightly behind, anddddddd my computer completely crashed! Not like oh it’s running slow…but oh look at that I can’t click anything, type anything, do anything, but turn it on and off and I am leaving tomorrow to present my products and basically learn everything there is about an ONLINE business. One problem I needed to be able to be ONLINE.

Keep reading HERE

Cookies, Bars and Weight Loss!

I posted this on my website yesterday and forgot to share with all of you on here...but here it is: (see if you were on my mailing list you would have gotten this already...if you aren't on there then go ahead and join in case I forget to post in here again)

So last night was girl’s night for me with some of my amazing friends and I won’t even pretend like I did not totally cheat on my nutrition. I can’t help it at girl’s night…I mean what else is that night for then to have an awesome time sharing laughs, great food and delicious wine with good friends!?   At the same time, it’s critically important for my own training that I immediately get back on track (as I’m sure you probably feel the same after your cheat day)with your nutrition plan today, otherwise one little cheat day or cheat weekend can easily spiral into WEEKS of dietary deviance!

How I jump back on track after my cheat meal or cheat weekend....

JUST DO IT ALREADY!!!

Put on your big girl/boy undies and JUST DO IT!

The other day I posted something that said “I am the average of the people I spend the most time with. Others around myself determine how I think, how I act, and ultimately how successful I will be.”  I am sure we have all heard this before that you become like those you surround yourself with, but none of us want to truly believe that right? Your best friend from childhood or college who is still in the exact same spot in their life that they were 5 years ago can’t possibly have anything to do with why you have been stagnant in moving forward in your life and your career, right? Your friend (s) who always insist on going out Friday and Saturday night having a few too many drinks eating a few too many calories that you “accidentally” indulged in can’t have anything to do with why you aren’t reaching your health and fitness goals because they are your friends and you make your own choices and you aren’t influenced by those around you, right?

You can keep reading at Ashley Drummonds Here.....

Q & A Wednesday! Belly Fat, Cardio, Supplements....and Divorce??

http://ashleydrummonds.com/q-a-wednesday-cardio-supplements-belly-fat-divorce/

 Q & A

HERE IT IS!

Are you really a leader? Or maybe you just think you are....

Are you really a leader or do you just think you are?

I grew up playing sports and always involved in group or team activities. Somewhere along the lines I remember the idea being thrown out there in games, in school, with friends about how “you need to be a leader”….and quite honestly I knew the definition of a leader, but I never really understood what in the world that had to do with life or how to supposedly be a leader. Throughout sports I actually had very little confidence in games and practices…my coaches knew that if I made an error or messed up in a competition they didn’t need to say anything because I was telling myself how disappointed I was much worse then they ever could (we all are our own worst critics). Pep talks before/after games and even all through business school in college I heard it over and over about being a leader and being different and I listened of course, but never actually thought about what any of it means or maybe I just didn’t care because I was more interested in a game or just getting out of school.

I’m sure at some point in your life you have been told you are a leader or heard that phrase “some of you need to step up and be the leader on the team” (even if you didn’t play sports I’m sure you have heard it in school or work at some point), but did you really get what that meant? To me, I just assumed a leader was someone who delegated tasks and in a way just made sure everyone was doing their job and if they weren’t then you let them know, right? Make sure everyone is in the right place at the right time, duties are taken care of, phone calls are made, sales are made, game plans are clearly explained, everyone was paid on time, vacation schedule is set, the work schedule is perfect, and finances are in order….that’s a leader right? Take charge and tell everyone how to do it then make sure it gets done!

Keep reading HERE

Post Labor Day Fat LOSS Workout! P.S. No equipment necessary!

I was at the gym yesterday (labor day) and was surprised to see it slammed pack full of people when usually at the time I go there’s hardly anyone in there. I figured everyone was off at the beach, pool or barbecue’s for labor day and then it hit me that it was still morning and that’s probably exactly where they were going after which is why they were busting their butt in the gym before to make sure they could eat all the food, desserts and drink all the alcohol they wanted to guilt free! (No shame in doing that, we have all been there…created a calorie deficit before completely consuming the entire menu at a restaurant or party) However, now it’s Tuesday and the parties are all over…all you are thinking about is all the crap you at this weekend and that you aren’t going to eat for the next few days because you feel so bloated and gross right!? Well while you can’t erase everything from this weekend you can do a few things to help get your body back to normal FASTER…by sweating out all that extra salt, toxins, and alcohol with an intense workout.
HERE IS THE WORKOUT!

Eat what you want without worrying!?? How!??

In  a previous article we talked about your body’s #1 fat-burning hormone, leptin, and how it more or less controls every other fat loss hormone in your body and your ability to lose weight as a whole.
Today, we’re going to teach you how you can use today’s Labor Day holiday appetizers, snacks, BBQ, AND dessert to actually help you BOOST your leptin levels and and fat-burning next week.  Ready?

Find out HERE