7 Recipes to Try at Your Next Cookout

I love food that has been grilled! But we all know that sometimes cookouts or barbecues have a lot of unhealthy and fattening foods. Grilled chicken, turkey burgers and salmon are typically my go to choices, but let's mix it up this season!

Here are 7 recipes that I plan to try this summer....

1. Grilled vegetables are my favorite! Try this recipe from  Eat Real Food.

2. A Hint of Honey has a delicious looking recipe for grilled sweet potato & vegetable skewers! 

3. If you love sweet potatoes as much as I do Life as a Plate has these grilled sweet potatoes that sound delicious. The recipe includes butter, but don't fret! It's not much & it won't kill you. 

4. I have never had salmon on kabobs, but I will soon with this recipe from Eat, Live, Run. 

5. This recipe is the first on my list to try! The Gunny Sack's Spicy Pineapple Chicken Kabobs sound amazing & the recipe isn't complicated at all! 

6. The chicken & vegetable kabobs from My Recipes are simple, but healthy and sound good. 

7. Don't want you to miss dessert! Try these grilled fruit skewers from Kim's Healthy Eats to satisfy your sweet tooth!

This list should help you get started! You can also check out my personal Pinterest board where I save recipes for the grill for more ideas!

For workouts & meal plans please email spandex.sportsbras@gmail.com. 

Be sure to follow @Spandex_and_Sportsbras on Instagram and Spandex & Sports Bras on Facebook!

Figure out WHY you want to make a change & 5 questions to get you started

A Beginners Guide to a Healthier Lifestyle

Week One: Figure out WHY you want to make a change & 5 questions to get you started

When I first began my journey to a healthier lifestyle, I just wanted to feel comfortable and attractive in clothes. That was my motivation for awhile, but eventually that wore off because I started feeling better about myself as I lost weight. Then I wanted to make sure that I never had to take medicine for weight related illnesses. That wore off because it was no longer a tangible concern.

 When I signed up for my first personal trainer I told him that I wanted to lose weight so that when I decided to start having children I could lose the baby weight easier. True story. I was about 22 and not anticipating children anytime soon, but it worked.

Now, my motivation is accomplishing a longterm goal of mine to compete in a figure competition and to push my body to new limits. My motivation is also wanting to lead by example. I'd love to be able to tell people that I used to weigh at least 220lbs and I changed my lifestyle. 

So what’s my point? You need a reason. You need a “why.” What’s going to keep you going? What will keep you from giving up when it gets hard? And it WILL get hard! When it does, you'll want something to keep you going & to keep you motivated. 

As you start your fitness journey find your “why.” That’s the first and most important thing to figure out. It’s ok if it changes over time. Mine did! And it’s ok if you feel like your reasons are shallow or not “deep” enough. Whatever works for YOU.

Need help? Here are some things to ask yourself:

11.  How will you know you have met your goal?

22.  What are you looking forward to (the most) on this journey?

33.  Are there any upcoming events or dates that you want to use as a short-term goal?

44.  Is your health a concern?

55.  Do you have loved ones that you want/need to be around for?

Spend some time this week figuring out why you want to be healthier and/or lose weight. That will help you focus during the next few weeks when it gets challenging and your motivation starts to wan.

I'd love to hear your "why" or your motivation! Comment below. Feel free to share this post with someone who's just getting started on their journey. 

Until next time my loves! 

My next BIG fitness goal

I have been planning to write this post for awhile now, but I kept trying to figure out how to do the "perfect post." I haven't figured out what a perfect post would say, so instead of trying to be perfect I'll just say it.

I'm training to compete in my first figure competition.

What's that? It's this.....

And this...

I have been successful losing weight & building muscle already. And I could very well maintain my progress where I am, but this has been a goal of mine for YEARS, so I'm going for it.

2010...                    2012...                      2015...

I'm a few months out, but in order to get ready I have a lot of prep to do.

So, this means I'll be spending the next few months training harder, dialing in my nutrition and getting my body in the best shape it's been in.

I'll be writing updates pretty regularly, so stay tuned!

I'm not perfect & you don't have to be either!

If you follow me on Instagram (@spandex_and_sportsbras) or Facebook, then you know that I work out & practice clean eating. It's my lifestyle. I generally stick to sharing my highs and tend to shy away from sharing my lows. Or my fears.

Why? It's hard!

Sometimes I feel pressure to be perfect because I know that people look to me as a fitness role model.  But perfect isn't realistic. And I'm essentially lying to you when I keep my shortcomings a secret.

So, I am committing to sharing my highs and my lows. My good days and my bad.

It's become important to me to share my journey with you all because I want to be a legitimate inspiration for my followers. I don't want to discourage anyone because they don't think they can be as "perfect" as I appear to be.

The truth is - I don't always have perfect nutrition days. I don't always want to work out. Every workout isn't great. I'm not always pleased with my results. Some days, I am hard on myself. Some days I am down right discouraged with the whole process.

And all that is normal!

So if you're ever not perfect, and I'm going to assume that is the case from time to time, don't beat yourself up! None of us are!

But, while I am committing to sharing my less glorious moments, I am also committing to giving you strategies and tips to push through these moments. You are not defined by what you do in any given day, but instead you are the sum of your choices and your actions.

Together, we can and we will figure this thing out. Please follow me for my journey & share your journey with me!

As always, I'm willing & available to help you with your fitness journey. 

Send your questions, comments and concerns to jamar.paige@gmail.com. 

3 Weight Loss Myths... BUSTED!

As a health coach I talk to a lot of people about their weight loss/healthy living efforts and I see a lot of the same misconceptions. Some of this misinformation is sabotaging weight loss and some of the misinformation is making people miserable unnecessarily. I don't believe that you have to be unhappy in order to be healthy.

So let's clear some things up right now.

Carbs are not all bad. 
Carbs have gotten a bad reputation. They've been vilified, but all carbs aren't bad! In fact, your body needs them for energy. I know there are some successful diets in which carbs are restricted, but the problem isn't carbs themselves. The problem is the type of carbs that people are eating.

Instead of processed carbs- white breads, most pastas, candy, sugary drinks, desserts etc - choose whole grains, natural fruits and vegetables. Whole wheat or whole grain breads, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, vegetables and fruit are all good choices.

More about carbs and a healthy diet diet...


You don't have to give up meat. 
I don't really know why, but some people think meat is bad and giving up meat is the key to losing weight.

The truth is that meats provide your body with a lot of protein and protein is essential for developing and maintaining muscle. It also helps with fat loss and keeps you full.

So what kinds of meats should you eat? Lean meats that don't have a lot of visible fat.

You have to eat in order to lose weight 
I know. It doesn't make sense. But let me break it down to you.

If you don't eat, your body worries that it won't get enough fuel and it needs fuel to perform every day tasks. So, instead of burning what it has - it holds on to it, just in case.

Think about it like money. If you have a limited amount of money and you don't know when you are going to have more coming in, you don't spend it unnecessarily. Right? Your body is the same way.

So, if you want your body to "spend" more freely - you have to eat so it doesn't feel the need to be stingy.

Hope that cleared some things up for you. If you have questions let me know! As always, I'd love to hear from you all and would love to work with you on your fitness journey.

Send your questions, comments and concerns to jamar.paige@gmail.com. 

Quiche for Christmas Breakfast (Recipe Included)

My mom used to make quiche (key-shh) when I was little. It was always one of my favorite meals. So when I started cooking as an adult I asked her to tell me how to make one. It became part of my mental cookbook. At some point I made it for my God-mom and she became an instant fan. Now EVERY time I go visit her she has me make one. And even though it is a fairly simple recipe, she can never remember it. Maybe she will save this blog post :-)

So anyway, we came to visit her for Christmas this year and I knew I had to make them. I always have to make 2 because she like onions, but my God-sister doesn't.

I should probably do a quick disclaimer. A lot of my recipes are "clean" and super healthy. The pie crust makes this recipe a little less healthy & keeps it from being 100% clean. But in general quiche has a lot of healthy ingredients (protein and veggies). And in comparison to other meals that you may make to serve groups for breakfast - it is much healthier.

So on to the recipe.

Making a quiche is pretty simple. First, I chop my veggies and mix them with whatever meat I am going to use. I used shrimp, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach and onions in this one, but you can use whatever meats and vegetables you want. The veggies can be fresh or frozen. Typically I have about 2 cups of these ingredients.

I always use the deep dish pie crusts because, well... they can hold more. I generally use 6-7 eggs, a splash of milk and a couple handfuls of cheese. Mix all that with the other ingredients & pour into the pie crusts. 

Definitely put it on a pan because it may cook over if you have filled the pie crust too much. Better safe than sorry! I typically bake it on 375-400 degrees fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes. Check the middle to make sure it's done. Bake until it is no longer runny. No one likes a runny quiche. 

Or if you just want the recipe..... 

Q&A: How can I eat healthy while traveling?

Q: How can I eat healthy while traveling?

A: Good question! Especially this time of year. Here are my 3 tips -
(1) Pack healthy snacks before you go! This will help keep you from buying junk food while you're out on the road or in the airport. And you can pack things you want to eat. Take a small cooler if you have foods that need to stay cool.
(2) Look for healthy restaurants or at least healthy options on restaurant menus. Also, ask for the restaurants to make healthy changes to your meal. A lot of people use eating out as an excuse to indulge, when in fact, it is usually a choice.
(3) Workout before your travel starts. This signifies to your brain that you're still focused on your goals and still serious about your health.

Traveling doesn't have to be unhealthy, but you have to make a conscious decision to stick to your healthy lifestyle.