Ramblings & Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven

Just got home from work! It was a pretty easy day, well pretty much every day is easy for me so I really shouldn't complain. I basically am a receptionist at a company, although I am technically a security officer. I answer phones, watch cameras, sort the mail, let people in and out of the facility. Then, the rest of the time I am playing my 3DS, reading, or messing around on my phone (Instagram addiction). I had posted a photo on Instagram today of my back and also posted that people could ask me some questions if they want. I really like talking to people on there and being able to provide any input and encouragement that I can offer. I adore everyone who follows me and talks to me because I find it to be such an amazing and supportive fitness community. So, here are the answers of the questions I received:

What is your back workout? Do I train it with other muscles or alone?

I split up my muscle groups while lifting as follows:
Cheast/Triceps/*Core
Legs/Glutes/*Core
Biceps/Back/*Core
Shoulders/Calves/*Core

* I really can do core any day. I sometimes do it once a week, other times I may do it every day I go. It really depends. I do core a lot to strengthen my lower back, abs are made in the kitchen. I hit legs once, maybe twice a week. That is my heaviest lifting day. One day I week I do strict cardio.

Some back exercises I do are: Assisted pull-ups, lateral pull-down, seated cable row, dumbbell row, barbell row, and back hypertensions.

What are some shoulder exercises that you do?
Military press, delt raises, weighted shoulder shrugs, lateral raises, upright row with dumbbells, shoulder press

What is your daily calorie intake?
To maintain my weight, I can eat around 1750 calories a day. I exercises every day but one a week. I try to eat at least my maintaining calorie number, plus 200-300 calories. So, I eat at least 1750 daily or that is what I aim for.

Are you a student or working?
 I graduated from college with a BA in Criminal Justice and Corrections. I currently work full time as a security officer.

What made you want to be healthy and active?
Well, I used to cheer in high school, then I was pretty active. But, once I graduated I gained some weight. Friends insisted that I wasn't "fat" or "chubby". I know I wasn't grossly overweight, but I did not like myself. I struggled a lot throughout my life with weight and self-esteem issues. Naturally, I struggled with my relationship with food as a result. I decided that in 2012, I was going to be different. I took little steps in order to make myself healthier at first. Then, I went all out. I knew I wasn't seeing the progress I wanted, so I busted my ass. Made some mistakes, learned a lot and now I am on the right track and seeing so much progress and finally happy with myself. I hated looking in the mirror. I hated the way clothes fit, so I did something about it and fell in love with it.

What is your height and weight and how much are you trying to lose or gain?
 I am 5'8"-5'9" and currently weigh, as of today, 123 lbs. I would like to go up to 130-135 in lean muscle mass.

When did you start eating clean and working out?
At the end of 2011 I started making conscious changes and exercising, I have been eating clean for about 3-4 months. Not exactly sure on the timing.

What is my favorite part of the body to work out?
Legs! Also, I like biceps a lot too.

What is your favorite meal?
I love chicken teriyaki with brown rice and broccoli.

What was your build like prior to gaining more muscle? Have you always been naturally slender and petite? 
 Before my muscle gain I was way too skinny and boney. I never would ever have thought of myself as petite. It's actually very flattering to hear now, but I am a pretty tall girl. I have wide shoulders like my Dad does, so I was always pretty "big". This is a photo of me from before I started this lifestyle:

This is a photo of me from Halloween 2011 with my boyfriend, Dylan. It astounds me how much my body has changed. I am so happy that it has.

Thanks for those who were interested in getting to know me a bit better. I think that's awesome.







On to the amazing dessert/final meal I ate yesterday. I was really craving something that was like chocolate hazelnut ice cream. So, I made this beautiful creation:

Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven

• 1/2 a cup non-fat plain Chobani greek yogurt 
•  1/2 a scoop of chocolate whey protein 

Mix the above ingredients well, and freeze for an hour or more. I usually make something like this 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I plan on having it. After an hour I took it out and topped it with 
1/4 of a pint of Chocolate Arctic Zero (this stuff is amazing, seriously, try it), 1/8 of a cup of chopped hazelnuts, and 1 tablespoon of Justin's All Natural Hazelnut Butter. I put mine back in the freezer for about another half an hour. When I took it out and ate it I felt like I was eating a bowl of Ferrero Rocher. I seriously urge everyone to try this. It was such an amazing thing to be able to eat, guilt free!