Instagram story viewer> @mona_artlab> Tagged

Mona

@mona_artlab

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

I’ve never been a fan of ever creating nutrition plans for my clients that are filled with bland or flavorless taste. That’s just setting my client up for complete failure. After all, my job is to create and instill a healthy lifestyle for long term sustainability. I’m sure most of my clients aren’t just trying to stay fit for a a short period of time and then lose all their hard earned gains and go back to their old bad habits.

Besides helping me become a much better and well rounded cook by making me explore and try new recipes that I’ve never seen or heard of before, the greatest and most rewarding skill I’ve obtained becoming a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been to increase my level of creativity to find healthy alternatives to an otherwise unhealthy meal or snack and still keep great and delicious flavor in a diet and be able to share it with my clients, friends, and family.

This is a delicious and very healthy snack recipe I want to share that not only looks but tastes incredible 🤤

Baked Sweet Potato and Shrimp with Avocado Spread

1 cup sweet potatoes: 114 calories
100 g of avocado: 160 calories
4 oz of shrimp: 112 calories
1 cup raw cilantro: 4 calories

Total calories: 390 Calories 😱🔥🙏

WANT EVEN LESS CALORIES? Substitute the 1 cup of sweet potato for 1 cup of cucumber instead

Cucumber and Shrimp with Avocado Spread

1 cup Cucumber: 16 calories
100 g of avocado: 160 calories
4 oz of shrimp: 112 calories
1 cup raw cilantro: 4 calories

Total Calories: 292 Calories 😱🔥🙏

#fitnessnutrition #sweetpotatoshrimpandavocadospread #nutritioncoach #nutritiontips #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

43

0

What does the stairmaster do for you and why is it best not to hold on to the rails? 🤔🤓🎓

Besided the obvious cardiorespiratory conditioning benefits from the stairmaster, there are a few other benefits that will have a huge impact in your results in the gym including lower body development. Compared to the treadmill, bike, or elliptical, the stairmaster by far requires much more musculoskeletal work performed by the hamstrings, glutes, and quads BUT more importantly your stabilizer muscles the Abductors and Adductor muscles. Stabilizer muscle development is crucial not just for safety and create a strong foundation to your lower body to avoid injuries but they are foundational to increasing overall strength. Without stabilizer muscle development you can forget about increasing your squat max from 225lbs to 315lbs without a high risk of injury, movement compensation, and struggle.

Besides that fact, stabilizer muscles will help you have an easier time coping with the stability portion of unilateral workouts such as lunges, split squats, etc...

Now, regarding holding the rails on the stairmaster? Besides developing bad posture from hunching over and rounding your back, you strip the lower body stabilizer muscles of their work which is to STABILIZE. Holding on to the rails also reduces the intensity of work on the legs which is split and transferred to some parts of the upper body reducing the efficiency and effectiveness of the workout.

It is ok to experience shaking at the beginning and it is ok to start off at low levels in the stairmaster until you get the hang of it. The shaking that is occurring during the movement is caused by the stabilizer muscles not synchronized and trained to work together and they are all firing at different times for contraction or activation. Once the lower body stabilizer have had enough innervation or stimulation via experience, they will lesrn to work together and synchronize in harmony and the shaking will be gone or reduced. At this point it is a true sign of musculoskeletal adaptation and you are ready to move on up and increase intensity via increasing level on the stairs or time.

#fitnessprofessional

75

3

Officially 7 weeks away from today!!! 🤯😱

Definitely starting to feel better about how I look this time around. I was freaking out a bit 😅

What i would give for some sushi right now 😔😣😭 but if I want to be at my best and really show up this time around, these sacrifices need to be made and i have to trust the process.

One of the things i am very grateful for during these times is really learning a lot about yourself besides the fact of proving your will power.

I really must give a shoutout to ALL of my clients not just my competitors because whether they realize it or not, their commitment, efforts, and success motivates me to inspire them even more each new day. Thank you guys for all of your hard work and dedication. Looking forward to many more of your success stories. You're gonna realize it's all worth it in the end and hopefully one day you ALL see fitness in the same way i do 😎💪🏆🥇

#teamlagunas #myteamworksharderthanyours #noonetrainslikeus #fitnessprofessional #nationalacademyofsportsmedicine #specialistinbodybuilding #internationalsportssciencesassociation #americansportsfitnessassociation #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise #functionalmovementsystems #bsbiology

55

0

HOW MANY PEOPLE SKIP BREAKFAST BECAUSE THEY ARE ALWAYS IN A RUSH TO GET TO WORK?

BANANA OATMEAL EGG WHITE MUFFINS

No more excuses!!! These baked Banana Oatmeal egg white cups are an extremely easy grab and go breakfast that tastes absolutely amazing. Made with oats, almond milk, banana, egg whites, and cinnamon. You can also top your oatmeal muffins off with ALL clean and no sugar greek yogurt and organic fresh fruit such as blueberries or strawberries for a wholesome and filling meal! Get all your healthy carbs and proteins in completely in one 😎💪🥧🥚🫐🍓🍌

I’m always looking for quick breakfast options for my clients that don't have the time to a lot in the kitchen in the morning or that are running late and these baked oatmeal cups can be easily prepped for a full week and stored in the freezer, reheat beautifully, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, RETAIN ALL THE DELICIOUS FLAVOR AS IF IT WERE EATEN FRESHLY MADE EVERYTIME.

Just like all your other meals prepped for the week, this baked oatmeal recipe is a good go-to breakfast.

The best part is, YOU CAN EAT YOUR OATMEAL CUPS WARM OR COLD. So, if your job requires you to be on the streets sitting in a car for a long period of time, then taking these on the road are ideal to keep those calories up. To warm them up from the fridge, just pop them into the microwave for about twenty seconds.

Recipe:

1) Steel cut oats
2) Almond milk
3) Egg whites (you can also add the yolk IF you're looking to purposely add a little more calories
4) Banana
5) Cinnamon
6) olive or Canola oil spray ( for muffin pan)
7) Blueberries or strawberries(optional)
8) Greek Yogurt - No fat or artificial sugars added (optional)

Directions:

1) Pre heat oven to 350°.
2) Mix all 5 first ingredients together in a mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed.
3) add mixing into each muffin pan until top of each pan is filled.
4) Heat in oven for 15 min or until edges are brown
5) Wait till muffins cool then serve with Greek Yogurt and/or fresh fruit
6) Store prepped muffins in freezer after cooling for easy go to breakfast eaten warm (microwaved) or cold for the next days.

ENJOY!!!

#fitnessnutrition #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

31

10

This one im sure many will appreciate and i was skeptical about the flavor at first but man this is incredible 🤤🤤🤤

EGG WHITE TORTILLA SHRIMP TACOS 🦐🌮🍅🌶🧅🥬

1 egg white tortilla: 25 calories
4 shrimp pieces: 40 calories
1/4 cup pico de gallo: 20 calories
1/8 avocado: 40 calories

Total calories: 125 calories 😱😱😱

#fitnessnutritiontips #fitnessprofessional #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

18

3

This is one of my favorite options for a light meal or snack

MEXICAN CEVICHE

4 oz shrimp (cooked): 112 calories

1 cup of pico de gallo (cilantro, tomato, yellow or white onion, jalapeño, natural lemon juice, and salt, : 80 calories

Total calories: 192 calories 😱😱😱

#fitnesstips #fitnessnutrition #eatsmart #stayhealthy #choices #fitnessprofessional #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

70

1

Meal prepping is not easy but the benefits by far outweigh the cost. I've compiled 7 tips to follow to help you with your meal prep success every week.

Meal prep 101

1) Meal prep on your day off (usually Sundays, the day before the start of your week). Meal prepping takes time and energy (about 3 hours for me). You want to have a fresh mind and be well rested to avoid putting off prepping for the week.

2) Strictly set aside time for meal prepping in the kitchen and purchasing all your food. Make sure there's nothing that's going to impede you from doing this.

3) Know your total calorie limit along with your total macro count to divide your portions evenly throughout the day. Besides choosing better food options, you need to know HOW MUCH to consume.

4) 5 to 6 meals split through the day is better to maintain energy levels constant throughout the day and maintain your metabolism active that will help you burn off more body fat % and increase the repair and reconstruction process of worn out muscle tissue in the body.

5) Own a small food scale. Guessing or trying to estimate quantities of food without a scale will most definitely lead to either overconsumption or under consumption and therefore hinder goal progress.

6) Add flavor to your food to keep you from being sick of it every day but be cautious to not keep adding unnecessary amounts of calories. ALWAYS add individual seasonings not combined seasonings since many of those mixed seasonings have things in the ingredients that are not so healthy for your fitness goals.

7) When grocery shopping, make a plan of what you need to purchase prior. Getting there without a list may lead to buying things that are not necessarily part of the plan and having a plan can help you keep you within a budget.

Advantages of meal prepping
- Saving money (a lot of it).

- Keeps you from eating junk food since you know you have food prepared.

- Convenient when you have a very busy schedule and don't have the luxury to leave your office or job to pick up a meal while at work.

#fitnesstips #mealprepping101 #plansmartforsuccess #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

40

4

Ab progress as of 09/10/21

Making this a tradition now. "FLEX AB FRIDAY"

I realize not everyone has abs, but im hoping this will motivate and inspire my clients, friends, and family to work hard on their strenght training, cardio, and nutrition goals in the week and share their progress every week, keeping themselves accountable and showing off their hard work.

Tag me everytime you post a "FLEX AB FRIDAY" progress pic 😎💪🔥

@juliogarciav @ky_leggo I expect even more from you two as upcoming competitors.

#flexabfriday #fitnessprofessional #nationalacademyofsportsmedicine #specialistinbodybuilding #internationalsportssciencesassociation #americansportsfitnessassociation #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise #functionalmovementsystems #bsbiology

56

5

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON THE BODY WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR EXERCISE GOALS?

ANSWER:

Alcohol in small quantities does not make a large impact on exercise. The problem is many do not just stop at 1 to 2 drinks while going out which is the limit to prevent alcohol from starting to affect you negatively and be become detrimental to your results in the gym.

Besides the HUGE AND WELL KNOWN FACT that alcohol dehydrates you and gives you a very large feeling of lethargy the next day, there are other things at work that many don't know about.

ALCOHOL IN EXCESS (PASSING 2 DRINKS FOR MALES USUALLY) WILL PREVENT THE BODY FROM EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY ABSORBING PROTEIN EVEN IF YOU CONSUME ADEQUATE AMOUNTS OF IT THROUGH THE DAY AND SYNTHESIS OF MUSCLE TISSUE IS DRASTICALLY REDUCED WITH THE MORE ALCOHOL YOU CONSUME.

ANOTHER MAJOR THING IS THAT ALCOHOL IN EXCESS WILL CAUSE TEMPORARY HORMONAL IMBALANCES IN THE BODY THAT DECREASE METABOLISM AND DECREASE THE BODIES ABILITY TO USE THE NORMAL MECHANISMS TO BURN OFF BODY FAT.

THINK ABOUT THIS NEXT TIME YOU ARE OUT DRINKING AND ASK YOURSELVES IF ITS WORTH LOSING THE GAINS IN THE GYM OR COMPROMISING PROGRESS.

I advice anyone to look more in depth into this as it will help you steer from wanting to abuse how many drinks you have for the night to keep you on track and help you reach your fitness goals.

#nutritiontip #fitnessprofessional #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

21

6

Myth: Eating healthy means i have to starve or eat flavorless food.

Fact: There are plenty of healthy options that can keep you full and satisfied. All it takes is a little effort and knowledge in the kitchen.

This is how you reach your goals 🔥😎

6 ounces of Swai fish: 105 calories

1 large cucumber: 10 calories

TOTAL CALORIES: 115 CALORIES 😱😱😱

#fitnessmealtip #fitnessprofessional #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

12

0

Do you get insane cravings for high calorie food or sugar at night time?

As a competitor this is one of the secrets and best life hacks I use to keep my body from overconsuming calories and keep my body highly satisfied with something NATURALLY sweet.

Here is a very convenient, easy to make, low calorie and absolutely delicious snack that you can make at home that is for sure to keep you full and satisfied at night.

ORGANIC rice cake (35 calories)

ORGANIC peanut butter (90 calories per tablespoon)

banana slices, blueberries, or strawberries (20-30 calories)

TOTAL CALORIES: 145 -155 CALORIES 😱😱😱

Very effective way for satiety (feel full) and keep you from overeating at night.

Try it!!!

25

3

Here's a delicious healthy breakfast option to make at home that's under 200 calories.

Whole wheat English muffin - 60 calories
Avocado spread - 25 calories (1 tbsp)
1 large egg (over easy) - 35 calories
Smoked salmon - 33 calories (1 oz)

Total = 189 calories

Compare to these other popular options. ITS ALL ABOUT MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES 🙏😁 #healthyeating #fitnessprofessional #fitnessnutritionspecialist #americancouncilonexercise

22

0