Falling off the wagon..and brushing yourself off

Let's face it when we start a fitness program we don't expect to fail, we work hard and do everything that we are supposed to do. We go to the grocery store and get all the right foods, we get a gym membership or a new program to try until we don't.

They say that 21 days you can create a habit, but I don't believe that. I have worked out 21 days in a row and then I miss a day and then two and then pretty soon a week goes by and I know when I go back to my routine I will be sore and barely able to walk.

What separates people from being quitters and people who fall down and brush themselves off and keep going?

There are a few things I think that keep people going.

1. Knowing your "why"
1. I say this because when you are tempted with a piece of cake and a baggie of carrots your "why" will help you make the right choice. It will keep you on course.
2. Accountability group (People who believe in you)
1. If you have people who have the same goal as you, you are more likely to keep going. From day 1 I have been part of a challenge group, I won't lie I have had days where I don't do so good, I have had weeks where I don't workout, but I know I have a group of ladies who are always there for me and keep me motivated.

Day 1 of the 3 Day ReFresh

So I have really been on the line about this 3 day Refresh thing since Beachbody introduced it, but decided that it might be good to try after Thanksgiving. I love my Thanksgiving meal, but I know it’s really hard to stay on track as well, so it was the perfect time! If you know nothing about the 3 day refresh he is a little break down.

General Day

• 1.       Wake-Up: Drink 8-12 oz. of water
• 2.       Breakfast: (within an hour of waking up)Shakeology shake plus Fruit option
• 3.       Mid-Morning: Fiber Sweep (digestive health drink)
• 4.       Lunch: Vanilla Fresh (high-protein, hunger-satisfying shake)
• a.       Plus options from the Fruit, Vegetable, and Healthy Fats list
• 5.       Afternoon Snack: From the Fruit, Vegetable, or Juice Option lists
• 6.       Dinner: Vanilla Fresh plus a meal made from our Dinner Recipes list

Fruit Options Consist of the below:

• ·         Apple:1/2 medium
• ·         Apricots: 3 small or ½ cup sliced
• ·         Banana: ½ medium
• ·         Blackberries 2/3 cup
• ·         Blueberries 2/3 cup
• ·         Cantaloupe: 1 cup diced
• ·         Cherries: 2/3 cups pitted
• ·         Grapefuit: ½ large
• ·         Grapes: ½ cup
• ·         Honeydew melon: ¾ diced
• ·         Kiwifruit: 1 fruit
• ·         Mango: ½ cup sliced
• ·         Orange: ½ large
• ·         Peaches: 1 medium or ¾ cup sliced
• ·         Pear: ½ medium
• ·         Pineapple: ½ cup chunks
• ·         Plums: 2 small
• ·         Raspberries: ¾ cup
• ·         Strawberries: 12 medium
• ·         Watermelon: 1 cup diced

Vegetable options Consist of the below:

• ·         Artichoke: ½ small
• ·         Asparagus: 5 medium spears
• ·         Beets* 1 cup sliced
• ·         Bok choy*: 1 cup chopped
• ·         Broccoli: ¾ cup florets
• ·         Brussel sprouts: 2 medium
• ·         Cabbage: ¾ cup shredded
• ·         Carrots: ½ large or 4-5 baby carrots
• ·         Cauliflower: ¾ cup florets
• ·         Celery: 2 medium stalks
• ·         Collard greens*: ¼ cup chopped
• ·         Cucumber*: 1 cup sliced
• ·         Eggplant*: ¾ cup cubed
• ·         Green beans*: 12 beans
• ·         Jicama*: 1/3 cup sliced
• ·         Kale*: ½ cup chopped
• ·         Lettuce*: 3 cups
• ·         Mushrooms: 1 cup sliced
• ·         Okra*: 4 pods
• ·         Onions: 1/3 cup sliced
• ·         Pepper(red)*: 1 small
• ·         Snow peas*: 10 pods
• ·         Spinach*: 2 cups
• ·         Summer squash*: 1 small
• ·         Swiss chard*: 2 cups chopped
• ·         Tomato*: 1 medium

*Options followed by an asterisk tend to be easier to digest/low gas-producing vegetables.

Healthy Fats include:

• ·         Hummus: 2 tbsp.
• ·         Avocado: 2 tbsp. mashed
• ·         Coconut oil, virgin, unrefined: 1 tsp.
• ·         Olive, extra-virgin: 1 tsp.
• ·         Almond butter, no sugar added: 1 ½ tsp.

I’ll post the dinner recipes in the recipe section.

So here is a little how day 1 went down.

T25: Total Body Circuit

Morning: Woke up and had my 12 oz. of water and then my Shakeology and a cutie. At this point I am good, I usually have Shakeology anyways.

Mid-Morning: When I had my mid-morning snack (Fiber Sweep), it started off good. It tastes citrus-y. I would highly recommend drinking this fast. I took my time and by the time I got to bottom, the fiber was thickening up. The drink wasn’t bad, but just a little tip.

Lunch: The Vanilla Fresh shake was not bad either. To me, it tasted like a birthday cake…just my opinion. I had another cutie and 5 baby carrots. At this point, I was a little nervous

Afternoon snack: For my snack I had another cutie and 5 more baby carrots. It was delicious!!!

Dinner: I had another vanilla fresh shake and the asparagus meal from the dinner recipes list. I don’t know if it was the lack of food, but the asparagus was delicious!!! I ate them slowly and savored the taste.

Overall: I also did do the T25: Total Body Circuit workout, but I followed the moderator the whole time. I didn’t want to push myself too hard with the low calorie intake. There were times when I felt a little hungry, but I would drink 8 oz. of water anytime, I felt the hunger and that did the job! Can’t wait to see my results in Day 2!!!

Back on track

Its been a while since I've written. Ive recently recommited myself and will be doing T25 and Piyo. This first week hasn't been bad. Definitely sore! My eating hasn't been on key, but will begin Monday with my meals prepped and I will start introducing one new clean eating recipe into my meal plan. This is usually the time of year where I gain my weight. It gets cold and I feel like eating things that make me feel nice and comfortable. There's candy everywhere for Halloween and people are preparing for Thanksgivings and Christmas and all I can think about is all the good food that I'll be eating. This year will be different. I will not be gaining my holiday 15 and I will be watching my portion control and finding recipes for the holidays that are clean and will help me reach my goal and not ending me in the other direction. 

Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

These are a favorite in my house! I know you are going to love it too. I made a bunch of them and had them for a few lunches during the week. I also topped it with avocado. Yum!

Ingredients :

• 
  
• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can corn, or 1.5 cups frozen corn, rinsed and patted dry
• Salt, to taste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed
• 6 Tablespoons shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to set until cool enough to handle.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the corn in a dry heavy skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle with salt, cumin, chili powder and Mexican oregano. Cook until the corn is roasted and browned (about 7 to 10 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.

Wipe the skillet clean and heat the Tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and cook until just tender. Transfer to the bowl with the corn. Add the black beans and cilantro to the onion and corn. Gently stir to evenly mix.

When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh, into a large mixing bowl, leaving the skins intact. (Try leaving a thin layer of potato to help the skin hold together.)

Add greek yogurt, chipotle pepper(s) and salt to the mixing bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or blender to desired texture. Gently stir in the roasted corn, onions, black beans and cilantro mix.

Preheat the broiler. Fill each potato skin with the mashed potato mixture*, topping each with 1 Tablespoon of cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and hot. Serve immediately with a dollop of home made guacamole or just plan ol' avocado!!

 

Clean Eating Turkey Meatballs

These are prefect to bring to a party, use in speghetti with whole grain noodles, or cut up and throw in a pita for lunch. These are so good and easy to make.

Ingredients:1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey or chicken.
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup oat bran or wholewheat breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh parsely, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, passed through a garlic press
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl place egg and breadcrumbs or oat bran. Add spices and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Using an ice cream scoop make meatballs and place on prepared cookie sheet. Place in hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

I am going to make these for lunch with a whole grain pita, some low sodium tomato sauce, a tiny sprinkle of low fat mozzarella cheese and some lettuce!!!


Calories 170, Calories from fat 24, Protein 30 g, Carbs 11g, Fiber 2g, Sugar .8, Fat 2g, Sodium 327 mg.

Week 1 & 2 of 21 day Fix

I am going to go ahead and admit it. This is my 3rd time starting 21 day fix! This time I have decided to commit the whole 21 days to following the workouts and eating according to the program. I had just finished the P90X3 and received amazing results but for some reason I couldn't stick with the program. I had gone a week without working out and I can't believe how weak I got in that time period. I decided if I was going to do this, I was going to give my all.

Below you will see my meal plan. It is color coded based off the food I was going to get for that day/week. I was excited because there was some options in this meal plan that I had removed from my clean eating meal plan. Things like turkey bacon. Love, love, love turkey bacon and now I can have it again. I also get to eat olives! I know that sounds silly, but I love them.

 

So I don't ever starve myself. Usually as long as I prep all my food for the day, I never go hungry and I still lose weight.

So week two is coming to an end and I can seriously say this time I will finish this program strong. I didn't eat so good the first week and I could definitely tell in my lack of results, but week 2 I am feeling the changes in my body.

Yes I have a life, I work full time, but I find time to do all the things that our required of me. I am not perfect, but I aim to be. When living this lifestyle, the #1 tip I can provide to anyone is meal prepping. If you have all meals prepped and ready to go you have no excuse to not eat good.

Stay tuned for week 3 results for the 21 day Fix!

Get Fit and Stay Fit: 10 traits of fit People

I am not perfect. I still cave into my cravings sometimes, but I wake everyday and try to do my best. Here are 10 tips I put together of  fit people.

1. Exercise Even if you only have 10 minutes. Exercise is exercise no matter how you look at it.
2. Mix up your routine. I found if I don't mix it up, I get bord.
3. Instead of skipping your workout, focus on how it will make you feel afterwards.
4. Don't wait for a special occassion. Fitness is a lifestyle. Waiting on a wedding or a reunion will give you unrealistic expectations and make you feel unsuccessful even through you have made progress.
5. Eat REAL food and in moderation. Nothing processed.
6. Exercise even when you are sore. No heavy lifting, but light cardio will help with the soreness.
7. Focus on how you want to feel, rather than how you wan to look.
8. Get enough sleep, proper amount of sleep will cause you not to meet your goal.
9. Drink plenty of water.
10. Celebrate progress and don't beat yourself up when you have more work to do. Fitness is about journey, it is not about perfection.