Truluck's Seafood, Steak, and Crab House Dallas, TX

Hi readers, for those of you who don't know I'm a huge foodie at heart and have a dream to do nothing but eat and travel one day. So since I'm always on the look out for the the best eats , I wanted you to come on this journey with me.  I will be showcasing my meals and locations with my likes and dislikes about the food and restaurant.  I will also be posting a workout with every post to ensure that you burn off the extra calories.

First stop,  Trulucks in Dallas, Texas off Mckinney Ave. $$$

Justin and I arrived at 7:00pm without reservations and quickly found a seat at the bar #lucky, the place was packed. Justin and I always split our meals and it was the perfect amount. I absolutely loved this restaurant, the set up is great and the live music was just a plus. A perfect date night spot.

What we ordered:

Drinks:
Me: House Pinot Noir
Justin: Dirty Martini

please with both..

Whats on the menu:

Appetizers:
Calamari: came with two dipping sauces and sweet and savory, nice portion, loved it

 Corn and Crab Chowder: very rich, more corn and potatoes than crab.

Main Course:
Steak Dynamite with mashed potatoes: a must have, the steak was very tender and perfectly seasoning. huge chunks of lobster, and the sauce was spicy but a perfect addition to the potatoes. This was a split portion, too and it was just enough for me.

Dessert:(The reason I chose Truluck's) award winning Carrot Cake, by looking at the pictures you can tell how incredible this dessert is. When the waiter brought it out the entire bars topped at looked #showstopper

Now to burn off all the calories:

All you need is a weighted ball, a single dumbbell will work here too. I love to use complex movements so that you can burn twice as many calories, twice as fast.  Repeat this circuit 4x 1 minute each exercise. Wearing Ravish Sands Sports Bra use code hopebeel for $99 sportswear

1. stagnant lunge with shoulder press, bring knee stagy down and putt all weight in your front heel, press straight up and squeeze at your ears.  

 2. plie' squat with front raise while on toes, keep chest up and bring the ball as close to the ground as possible while pushing your butt back, bring the ball straight up to your chest while squeezing on your toes.

 3. Narrow squat with curl, keep feet and knees together while chest stays up, slow squat down, while at the bottom curl the ball up trying to squeeze elbows together.

Meal Prep 101

Okay, so you see all the fit gurus talk about meal prepping and trust me its not just a 'thing' its real and its important.  I highly suggest meal prepping to all my clients. Why is it so important you ask?

1. Be prepared-if you're like me, you will justify anything when you're hungry. this way you have no excuses and always have your food with you.
2. Stay on track -the best way to get results is to not miss meals, and when you're busy its tough to remember when to eat, or find the time to get food.
3. Save money-lets face it, you can easy spend over $40.00 a day on eating out. Buy your groceries in bulk from a wholesale store like Costco or Sams.

Typical meal prep
protein, complex carb, and green veggie.

I like to stick to whole foods and I cook in bulk.

Example of Meal prep-Prep Time 40 minutes
8 large chicken breast grilled
4 cups cous cous
5 cups of cooked green beans

This is just one example, I typically make a menu f 4 or 5 meals and 3 different snack ideas for the week so that I have options.

For more meal prep ideas join one of my challenges by emailing me @getfitwithhope@gmail.com
or by visiting my site www.hopebeel.com 

The Importance of Stretching

Lets talk about stretching, I know it may not sound like an important topic, but it really is and I know that I personally neglect it from time to time. I also know that once i stay consistent with it, i’m not as sore from my workouts and have more range of motion.

Top 3 reasons why it is important
-blood flow to the muscles which help reduce soreness.
-decrease to injury by gradually elongating your muscles
-posture, funny story I was getting a massage one day and my masses told me that if i didn’t start stretching and getting massages regularly that I would eventually have a hump back, needless to say, i get massages regularly now and i also stretch so that this doesn’t happen.

Do you stretch before of after your workouts?
I suggest to SKIP pre workouts stretch, ALWAYS warm up to get your muscles warm but focus on stretching in between sets and afterwards.

Things to try
Yoga,helps release tensions mentally and physically. I personally love Bikram Yoga its a 90 minute class that includes 26 postures to work your body inside and out.

Foam Rolling Helps massage muscles and release tension on trigger points.