Meal Prepping made easy

You’ve been asking for it and HERE  it is!!!!
I’m hosting an AMAZING 6 DAY Meal Planning & Meal Prepping WORKSHOP!!
Planning my menu and prepping my meals for the week has helped TREMENDOUSLY to keep me on track and set myself up for a successful healthy week! I cannot stress enough how important this positive habit is! Are you wanting to learn more about meal planning? Don’t know where to start? Just feel overwhelmed with the entire process? Needs some motivation and tips to get you started? Ideas on where to look for recipes? Accountability to get you going? I will also be doing a live Q&A at the end to help answers all your questions and address your biggest struggles when it comes to planning and prepping. I AM here for YOU.
PLEASE JOIN ME!! I’m super excited to HELP teach you what I’ve learned in hopes that it’ll make this journey much easier for you! Are you ready to take control of your health and incorporate food prep into the mix? Comment below if YOU ARE IN! I absolutely cannot wait!

Do you want to change how you feel...

I love this saying..IT'S TRUTH. If we were to look around and see how we've been down sliding in health since the pioneers. We would realize that processed food is crap!! I am not saying you can never enjoy a doughnut, hamburger, or fires. I am saying you can not do it all the time and expect for your body to run at it's best. God gave us the earth, which allows us to grow more then chemicals. Use the whole food sources such as fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean meat. Avoid the sugar crash, the unhappiness, the health care problems, and so much more. My next challenge group starts Oct. 20th. I have a few spots left if you feel up to learning more about fueling your body with the good stuff. Send me a message!

What is your first thought....

I have found through working with my clients that nutrition is the hardest and scariest thing to change.  I can totally relate and understand. It's a big step out of our comfort zone. People generally don't know where to start, or what to think about it. Clean eating isn't easy or convenient, but what is??  There are so many diets and advice out there. How do you know what works for you??  Is fueling your body with the best nutrition you can find, worth it to you?? If you were a fancy sports car would you fill your car with the lowest grade of gas to keep it running in it's best condition?? These are all questions that you should ask yourself if you feel like you are not performing at your best. Chances are it's how you are fueling your bodies.  

 

What do theses words mean to you????

The journey is about striving to be better, not perfect

Set your goals high and aim to be your best, not perfect.  We are all on a journey towards a goal/destination.  The road might be bumpy and rocky at times, keeping your eyes on the goal and believing in yourself will help you stay on when times get rocky.  Don't ever think that your worth or goal isn't worth the fight. You are either fighting to stay the same or fighting to improve and be better at what you've set out to achieve.  Take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and one moment at a time. Nothing is impossible with belief!

Contact me if you want more personal coaching on nutrition or personal training.

Taking things one step at a time

I love this time of year. The blossoms starting to bud and bloom on the trees. Weather and the sun starting to change, and good old out door hill runs. Where I live there is no such thing as a flat run. Its up or it's down, and when you go down you have to come back up :). When I first started running I would look at the long stretch of a hill and want to cry and quit. Now, I take it one step at a time...one breath at a time and somehow make it to the top.

With all of our goals in life we need to do the same, otherwise we can get overwhelmed and quit. Trust me I've been on both sides. What helps me is to sit back, take a deep breath, and focus on what is most important. That's how I set up my to-do list for each day...tasks in order of urgency. My workouts are an urgency. They allow me to take time for myself and to keep my body healthy and strong to keep up with my life as a wife, mom, group fitness instructor, and personal trainer. Some days are better then others, and I gobble up the good days and make the most of the messy days :). Take time for yourself to reflect and ponder on what you really want, and what is most important to you and then go for it.

TABATA hill running
(warm-up)
20 sec. sprint
10 sec jog
20 sec. sprint
10 sec jog
20 sec sprint
10 sec jog
2 minute steady pace (pace you can breath comfortable at)
Repeat 5 times or until you get to the top of your hill

Happy Running my friends xx

Good Tips...

I saw this video a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I am not a fitness competitor, I am 6 months pregnant and found Gina's tips to be very useful in every day life. It is all about finding balance for you and where you are at right now in life. Click here to check it out.

Also, I have an amazing friend that is competing in the Jay Cutler Classic this next weekend. She posted this saying last week, and I loved it!! How many times have we held onto something negative that we have done?? The hardest part for me is to forgive myself for not being as perfect as I would like to be. No one is PERFECT so why do I think I should be?? Learn to have patience with your goals in life, and enjoy where you are at this moment. Life is too precious to not enjoy the whole journey.

Here is my friend's blog. Click here to check it out.

I love my fitness journal...

In honor of the month of February...LOVE MONTH! I am going to share the things I love. My favorite supplements, fitness apparel, workouts, website, recipes, shoes, you name it, and I will share it. I love reading about the things people are loving out there right now. So here is my FIRST LOVE.

MY FITNESS JOURNAL...

Some might think I am OCD, but it is important to me to right down my daily goals, what I did that day, what I am thankful for, what I ate, how I felt, etc. It is relaxing and rejuvenating to me. The oxygen journal I use has motivational quotes.

Here is one of my favorites right now

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."- Og Mandino

Such a great a powerful quote. Each day is a gift and a new day. When I wake up in the morning before I get out of bed I think of what an awesome opportunity it is to start a BRAND NEW DAY. A chance to be a better mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter, teacher, and motivator. I am so grateful for having that opportunity.

Until my next love...make today great!!

Goals

Happy New Year!! I hope you are excited for an amazing year ahead of you!! 2012 IS THE YEAR FOR YOUR DREAMS TO COME ALIVE!! Whether you have set goals, stayed motivated, slipped up, or wondered why even bother with any New Years resolution. You can achieve anything you put your mind and heart too.

Greg Anderson says it perfectly "When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life."

So true!! For 2012 please put yourself first and ask "what will get me closer to my ultimate goal/dream?" If it is taking the stairs at work, saying no to the snacks in the break room, or taking a relaxing bubble bath at the end of the day....just do it!! Focus on the things you can do, and you will be amazed at what lies ahead!!

Stay tuned for..dinner make over with the help of a handsome 4 year old cheif :)

A saying I came across

Kind words and encouragement are much more effective than criticism.

So true!! I have seen a lot of people writing/posting each day what they are grateful for in the month of November. It is a great time to reflect on the blessings we have in our lives daily. This may seem cheesy to you. I promise you it works. When we are grateful for our everyday life, and the small things. Life is brighter all around.

My challenge for myself and you is to write one thing down that you are grateful for over the next 30 days. Who's in???

Get to know me..

In honor of 9/11 I've been able to reflect on life and realize how truly blessed I am. Despite the trials that I have faced. I always seem to come out on top a little better then I was before.

For sometime now I have felt to share a story about the "real me". I learned today at church when you have impressions, you should follow through with them (as long as they are good :-)

In seventh grade I weighed a 175lb and wore my mom's fat clothes. Talk about depressing. When I turned 14 something clicked and I decided to start eating healthier and workout. I began to grow interest in health and wellness. I did my mom's Jane Fonda videos and later became a Billy Blanks fan. Over the past 15 years I have battled my weight issues like a roller coaster. I'm an emotional eater and I use to think that's ok, I'm a woman...it's what we do. I would gain weight and lose weight over and over. This past year I have had a lot of first for me. I lost some loved ones, spent nights in hospital, yearned for another baby, and working on eating better. Through all of this I realized I would ease my emotions, whatever they may be with comfort food and retail therapy occasionally. This would bring me up for a half hour maybe and then I would start beating myself up for making poor choices. Doesn't that sound like a vicious cycle (nod your head yes)?

We all have to hit that brick wall to realize where we are and where we want to go. I've had slips and falls, but I learned along time ago it's what we do when we get back up. I'm a big believer in keeping a journal about your life, food, workouts, and emotions. For me it is therapeutic to get it out there on the line (reason why I am telling you my life story). It helps you see how you can get over that hump. My family and my religion are huge saving grace as I overcome my weaknesses. A quote I love "The one thing you need to worry about is striving to be the best you can be. And how do you do that? You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life, and you move towards them STEP BY STEP." - Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Do we let this annoying thing define you???

Today while I was swimming with my kids at a community pool. I was blessed to see a teenage boy that was paralyzed from the waist down. This sort of trial didn't stop him from enjoying the summer festivities at the swimming pool. He would get him self over to the deeper part of the pool, then over to go down the slide. It was amazing to watch him embrace his life and have a smile on his face. I loved watching the kids as they tried to help him, it was if time stood still and the world was at peace.

As I sat there I realized how blessed I am with my overall health. I'm able to use my whole body, I can run and play with my kids, I can keep up with my daily life. I have so much to be grateful for. I may not be a bikini model, or a marathon runner, but I am a mom who tries to inspire my children and the people I associate with. The number on the scale shouldn't tell us how great we are, it is just a number. Our overall health and wellness is far more important then the number on the scale. Embrace each breath and step you take. Life has so much to offer to us each every day.

P.S. It is my dream to take a sledge hammer to a scale one day...I realize it has a purpose, but I personally think it needs to go.

Article from Men's Health

"Your Belly-off Attack Plan" by the Editors of Men's Health.

How many times have you started a new way of eating and it only lasted a few days, few weeks, few months?? Did you lose weight?? Did you gain it back once you went back to your old ways???

According to Don Chao (165 pounds, down from 208) says, "Calling it a diet never worked. I called it a lifestyle change." Whether you are agreeing with me or rolling your eyes at me. The truth is you have to make clean eating part of your life to have energy and the weight loss success that you want. It's much harder mentally then it is physically. There are ways to make the foods you enjoy healthier, and I'm not just saying that!!

You can Cheat (A Little), but plan for it and know exactly what you are going to eat and how much. "Cheat a little if you need to on the weekend," says Young. "Once you start to see results, you'll be more motivated to stay on your program." For starters try steak instead of your white fish or chicken. Have a scoop of ice cream or popcorn without butter at the movies.

Last night I want on a date night with my husband. This doesn't happen very often. We went to Grimaldi's Pizzeria for some amazing pizza and salad. I enjoyed on slice of pizza with some Mediterranean salad. I worked out and my cheat was in control. This allowed me to stay on target for my goal. Make sure you workout and keep your cheat in control so you can stay on target and not get frustrated with yourself.

This Article Sums it all UP......

"5 Motivation Myths Debunked"

Click Fitbe to read.

Find peace with hip tension...

(Click for more benefits)

After being out for 10 days with a psoas injury. I found great comfort and help in yoga. As I practiced I was able to inventory on my body....

What did it want??

Where was I tight??

How could I better myself??

It was wonderful to have the time to reconnect and become grounded again. So many times we think that we need to pound out our weaknesses to get results. When really we need to take the time to reflect and listen to our bodies. The body really knows what is best!

Motivating Quotes....

In two of the fitness books I'm currently reading they talk about posting motivational quotes every where you can see them. They will give you the boost you need when you might not feel your best.

The two quotes I've relied on lately are:

"If you only look at what it is, you might never attain what could be." - author unkown

"The only thing you need to worry about is striving to be the best you can be. And how do you do that? You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life, and you move towards them step by step." -Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Sometimes I get wrapped up on the long term goal and it seems like it's A GIANT GOAL. Then I remind myself I've got two options: give up or suck it up and try to do my best with each step I take.

The other day I took my kids (3.5 yrs old and 23 months old) to the park. My 23 month old is always trying to keep up with her older brother. She wanted to play on the big toys, not the small ones. And of course that made me nervous... Anyway she was trying to climb up one of the tubes and every time she would almost get to the top she would lose her grip and slide back down to the bottom. I tried to get her to come out, but she wouldn't. She was determined to get to the top and climb out of the tube. Well, after about 10 tries she finally did it.

At that moment I realized with determination anything is truly possible. Let's not limit ourselves on our goals. Set up baby steps. If you slip, brush it off and get back in the game. Allow your self to dream. Create a vision board of goals that you want to achieve the next 6 months.

Let's go get em'!!

I'd love to know your favorite quotes...

"If you can imagine it, you can do it."

You Never Know...
(Beware-I'm not a professional writer)

Every January people seem to be more motivated to eat better, spend less, workout more, etc. Well, every January comes for me and it seems to be the opposite with eating and spending. I don't really know why, but it can be frustrating.
A couple weeks ago I got a groupon for Barnes and Noble and I bought the book below.

You can get it on Amazon for $10.97

I've learned so much from Tosca Reno, and she's an amazing woman for turning her life around for the better at age 40. It's never to late to change something your really want to change. Tosca says "If you can imagine it, you can do it." Since I was a youngster I've battle with eating disorders and mentally abusing myself (wow, I just got personal). Any way from abusing my body I now have created new problems with my health (don't worry nothing major). Over the past few days I've wanted to just give in and not try to fix these problems. It seems much easier that way. And then I remembered "anything worth having, is worth working for (I don't know where I heard this quote)."

Well, with some help from a greater power, a supportive husband, and a good friend. I'm going to commit to fix them once and for all. Putting a band aid over it the past 16 years has only brought me back to ground zero, time after time. It always seems easier to just let the problem be, but if it makes you feel anxious inside...it's time to change it.

I've wanted to blog for sometime about how my passion for health and wellness started. I would like for my readers to really know me. This post kind of came out of the blue. In fact, I had no intention of posting this until I started writing. This isn't for you to pity me, it's for to know me and where I come from. We aren't perfect, crazy I know!! Life is a journey, and we need to enjoy it's ups and downs.

The past week or so I've run across some awesome readings that will help you get on track if you are trying to clean up your eating, or if you want to take the processed sugar out of your diet.

I found a great break down from Kori's blog (posted below). Kori an awesome blog. Click here for other great ideas.

Beginner level: Take out all refined sugars including corn syrup and white sugar. Also remove all white flour from your diet, as it’s also very sugar forming.You will need to read labels carefully when buying prepackaged foods. Instead use natural, more unrefined sugars such as rapadura, coconut sugar, honey, stevia.

Moderate Level: Remove all natural sweeteners as well, and only use fruit to sweet foods. Consider removing other starchy foods that can also feed yeast, or make you crave sugar more.

Advanced Level: Take out all sugar forming foods, including most grains, starchy root vegetables like potatoes , and fruits. Buckwheat, Quinoa, Millet are non-starchy grains that are generally acceptable on yeast free diets. Please, beware, if you have a yeast issue, taking out the foods that feed it may make you detox and have a die-off effect (which can make you feel sick and miserable). If you have any illness or health issue, you should consult your health provider before trying a anti-yeast diet.

Tips from Tosca Reno. Click here for her website.

1. Adjust your plan. If you find you're having trouble sticking to the steps you've outlined in your plan to achieve your goals, you need to assess what is hindering you. Reflect on which parts of your plan are not working and adjust them accordingly.

2. Celebrate the little victories, too. Have you lost five pounds of the 20 you aim to lose? Did you run one kilometer of the five you want to run by the end of next month? Those are big strides on the way to your larger goal and you should be proud of yourself! Recognize that you're doing well and use that to stay inspired!

3. Choose wholesome rewards. Instead of celebrating your achievements with unhealthy treats, give yourself a gift that helps you stick to your resolution. Buy yourself a new water bottle, borrow a new book from the library, take a hot bubble bath or go for a coffee - you earned it!

4. You are worthy. Remind yourself that you deserve to achieve your goals! Next time you find yourself making excuses for not staying on track with your resolutions, remind yourself that you are worth making the effort to follow through.

5. Take it day by day. You will encounter false starts and challenges. But you will also experience progress and triumphs. Don't give up on the big goal because you aren't seeing immediate results or you've slipped up a few times. As long as you remain consistent, you don't have to be perfect. Patience and the ability to pick yourself up and dust yourself off will eventually bring you to your goal. Remember, resolutions are difficult by nature. If they were easy, you wouldn't have to work so hard at sticking to them. Each day that you stick to your resolutions is one more step towards making them a lifestyle!

Happy Learning!! Enjoy your week.

Post Run Yoga

This looks amazing!!

Post-Run Yoga Routine to Restore Your Legs | Active.com

I've really been trying to add more yoga/pilates into my routine. Your body will appreciate it, and so will your mind. Give it a try!!

If you are happy and you know it....

"5 to Rules of Happiness"

-Jose Silva and Burt Goldman

"Stress is not caused by problems. It is your attitude toward the problem that causes stress. The question is not how can I rid myself of stress, but how can I change my attitude toward work, events, disappointments, fears, and people?"

The 5 RULES:

1. If you like something, enjoy it.
2. If you don't like something, avoid it.
3. If you don't like something and can't avoid it, change it.
4. If you can't or choose not to (important distinction here!) avoid or change something you don't like, then accept it.
5. You accept something by changing your perception of it.

January is almost over. How are you doing on the goals you've set? Think about what you've accomplished so far. Just by setting the goal you are headed in the right direction. Don't quit when you might slip. Learn from it and accept it's okay to not be perfect (that will just create insanity).

Look at the beautiful water Lilies. They are refreshing and beautiful to look at. We can feel the same when we've accomplished our goal.

As Nike says "just do it!" Make it happen for you!!

P.S. (I shared this with you last year. )

What's your purpose for 2011.....

Each day we have a chance to do better then we did the day before. Every year as December comes to a close and January approaches we have high hopes of making a difference from the year before. How many of us FAIL to truly commit to our goals?? I know I do!! I get all fired up and ready to go, and then I begin to slip. For 2011 it's a chance to create a NEW YOU!! Who's in?? START NOW...

Tips from Tosca Reno author of "The Eat Clean Diet."

1. Choose and define your goals.
Pick your goals and define each goal in one sentence. Make the sentence clear and concise. Putting your goals into words will help you visualize your path toward the target.

2. Make a detailed plan for each goal.
Set schedules, create positive incentives for yourself, identify which resources (such as time, space and money) you will need and, finally, define how you will maintain discipline in your plan. When I first started on my fitness journey I blocked off dates and times for the gym and made sure the kids had someone to look after them while I was working out. I created the time and space I needed to achieve the goals I had set for myself.

3. Set a reasonable time frame.
You’re much more likely to achieve your goal if you set out a reasonable time period. This goes especially for weight-loss or fitness goals – the more suitable your time frame, the more sustainable and maintainable the results will be. At first, I wanted to see instant results from the adjustments I had made in my life. Instead of weighing myself down with unrealistic expectations, I learned to be patient and satisfied with the results I did earn.

4. Post your goals where you’ll see them.
Put your goals in your wallet, on the bathroom mirror or in your office at work. Read them every day, reflect on them and don’t let them out of your mind. Awareness of your goals will help you stick to them when you’re facing a moment of weakness.

5. Reflect and reassess your plans (if need be).
Sometimes our original plan doesn’t go as we expected or is no longer effective. Regularly reflect on your goals and assess whether or not your game plan is helping you achieve them. If it's not, then figure out what you need to change.

6. Share your goals with someone you trust.
Having someone else in on your goals will help you reach them – you can never have too much support! Your confidante can offer you advice and motivation, or simply be there if you need to talk about your plan for the year. Once my kids understood my goals, they became my greatest cheerleaders and were able to support me through my journey. That type of support is priceless and it propelled me through the days when I felt like giving up.

7. Believe in your ability to achieve your goals!
Trust your capacity to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself. I know that if you follow the steps I’ve outlined in this newsletter and have faith in yourself, you will achieve everything you put your mind to!

Holiday Eating Tips

Cheat to Win - Weight Control in the Holiday Season
Thursday, April 08, 2010 by dotFIT experts (Neil)

Be free to indulge in holiday cheer without sacrificing your fitness goals. Believe it or not, you can start the New Year in BETTER shape than you are now while still enjoying parties and seasonal foods during the holidays.

"Control the CALORIES so you can cheat when you want to. Consistently controlling appetite during the holiday season is difficult at best, so I don’t even try when confronted with any holiday party – especially because I don’t want to. In fact, people always ask me, “how does anyone control themselves at parties?” and I simply say “don’t”. My advice has always been the same since my bodybuilding days: first, set a small weight/fat loss goal starting in early November. Next, cast aside all previous “dieting knowledge,” books, friends’ well-intended but generally bad advice. Stick with the undisputable truth, which is the fact that any calorie burned cancels any calorie consumed, period. And the reverse is true: any calorie NOT consumed is one that won’t need to be burned, which forces your body to burn its stored calories or fat. In other words, when it comes to weight management it’s not WHEN or WHAT you eat and do, but HOW MUCH you eat and move over any given time frame."

"Control the AVERAGE daily deficit. There is a certain daily caloric deficit a person must average in order to lose a specific amount of body fat in a designated time frame. Your average weekly weight change, quantified as pounds and/or body fat percentage, validates the size of your deficit regardless of what you think you ate or recorded."

"The key during the holidays is to focus on the average deficit rather than your daily deficit. This is because you most likely will not be able to reach your goal deficit on the “party days,” but you can compensate on other days in order to remain perfectly on target."

What I get from this wonderful article is:
1. EAT CLEAN most days of the week (5+ days)
2. Get your water in 2 liters at least (help flush out the toxins)
3.. Hit your workouts hard (park the car futher away from the gym or the store and take a few extra steps.)
4. Don't beat yourself up on slips you may have (it only makes it worse).
5. Enjoy the Holiday season in MODERATION!!

HAVE a Health junkie Happy Holiday Season!!

Check out rippedusa.dotfit.com for more awesome tips