Saturday, September 29, 2012

I'VE MOVED!!!!!

Hello fellow blogger peeps!  I've moved...follow me on over to my new site:
 



www.fitjourneyforlife.com




Saturday, September 1, 2012

Saturday Morning Laugh

Good morning people!  It's the first day of SEPTEMBER!  The kids have started back to school, vacations are over and some people are now able to get back into more stable routines!  I thought I'd start the weekend off on a very light note!  I have read this story multiple times, and I laugh every time I read it...so why not share it with y'all!



A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM...as told to her Diary!

Dear Diary,

 For my birthday this year, my husband purchased for me a week of personal training at the local health club. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.
 I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.
Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started, and the club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.
 ________________________________
 MONDAY:
 Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god-- with blond hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!
 Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines.. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!
 Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around.
 This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!
 ________________________________
 TUESDAY:
 I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air...then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.
 _______________________________
 WEDNESDAY:
 The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.
 Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.
 My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster. Why the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crap too.
 _______________________________
 THURSDAY:
The jerk was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being half an hour late-- it took me that long to tie my shoes.
 He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny broad to find me.
 Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine-- which I sank.
 _________________________________
 FRIDAY:
 I hate that moron Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.
 Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the blasted barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.
 The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?
 ________________________________
 SATURDAY:
 Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel..
 ________________________________
 SUNDAY:
 I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun-- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

I hope you all have a marvelous Labor Day weekend!  Make it count...YOU ARE WORTH IT!



Friday, August 3, 2012

Relax About The Food Already!



Do you stress about your food choices?  Is that crazy or what?  We are not here in this life, on this journey to STRESS!  We're here to get healthier, to get fit, to look and feel better!  I highly doubt STRESS is going to help us attain those goals!

I get questions and comments all the time about eating healthy or eating clean. How many different "diets" do you hear about every day?  Hundreds probably!  There's people going veggie, or vegan, There are fighter diets, paleo diets, and high protein/low carb diets. There's Adkins, South Beach, Nutri System, Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers. There is sooooo much information out there, sometimes it's just plain confusing! 

I'd like to know how everyone seems to have "the best" way?  Last time I checked in with Mr. Webster the definition of "best" was: 1. excelling all others   2. most productive of good : offering or producing the greatest advantage, utility, or satisfaction   3. most, largest!  



I can understand that we worry because we love certain things and don't want to give them up.  I've got two words for you:  Re Lax!!! 

The key is to eat less, and eat balanced. One thing I learned when I first started on this journey, was learning what a TRUE portion size was. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I learned that I was literally eating two or more of everything. I quickly learned to read labels and look at calories. Just because it says light or low fat, doesn't mean it is low cal. You have to find a basic balance between carbs, proteins, and fats. It's really not that hard, and the best part is most of the food I love, I still eat, just not as often or as much.

Over the past couple of years, I have learned how to eat (and what to eat) to become more healthy, but it didn't take radical change, it took MODERATION. Yeah, those who know me, have often heard my favorite saying, "It's moderation, not deprivation"!  I guess what I am trying to say is we tend to over think, over worry, and over react when we "cheat". Don't stress people!  There is no need to give up all you love if you pay attention to all you need. They say only 30% of weight loss happens in the gym, that leaves 70% of the work, where? ON YOUR PLATE! Read labels, choose wisely, eat the right amount for you...success will happen.

 Eat, enjoy, and relax!




Monday, July 30, 2012

Last Day to "try it before you buy it"!

Can you believe there is only one day left for you to get in on a free trial of P90X, TurboFire, or Brazil Butt Lift, along with Shakeology?  Beachbody made this incredible offer to let you try 3 of their challenge packs for just $14.95* for a limited time only! Yep, it all ends tomorrow night at 11:59 PST!

I've had the opportunity over the past couple of years to try each of these programs! Every one of them has been effective in helping me lose weight and tone up.  Shakeology became my breakfast of choice, and has helped me with several stomach issues I had.  I'm a firm believer in it! 

I encourage you to give one of these challenge packs a try, especially while you can "try it before you buy it"!  What have you got to lose?  Well, besides pounds and inches!

Email me or go here to order by clicking on the SHOP tab and choosing Trial Offers to choose your program!






Tuesday, July 17, 2012

WHO IS GOING TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE?



It's time to be HONEST with ourselves. One thing I've learned, and it wasn't even about an "aha" moment, was that I always DREAMED of things that were possible, but I didn't BELIEVE they were.

I used to tell myself. If I could just get lipo, and get thin.. then I'd eat salads forever to stay that way. Or If I could magically make myself a size 6, then I'd workout really hard all the time to stay that way. But the reality is that it wouldn't happen that way. Even if by magic we could be thin, our lifestyles wouldn't let us stay that way. The key to permanent change is not becoming a thinner version of ourselves, but a DIFFERENT version of ourselves.

The thinner version of ourselves would gain all that weight back. The different version of ourselves would be a completely different, BETTER person. That is what is happening with me. I live completely different than I used to. And it's not just about deciding to eat oatmeal or drink Shakeology instead of muffins for breakfast. It's about EDUCATING ourselves about what foods our bodies need, and WHY we crave certain foods, and how to handle it, and what to feed ourselves instead, so that we don't crave at all.

Oh...and don't think it will happen tomorrow...It takes time and it takes patience to learn all these things (it's an ongoing process). I've been trying to eat cleaner for over a year and still slip up all the time. It's about learning a new way to view your life, and then go forward with it, and just TRY. We deserve to feel good about ourselves, and we need to love our life.

It's time to quit dreaming it and start living it peeps! YOU have it in you. YOU are the only one that can make the change. YOU have to want it for yourself. YOU are worth it and YOU deserve it. It's inside of YOU; and only YOU can execute a new YOU.

Make your dreams come alive and continue on with this clean eating and getting fit path because THIS is the way to make your new body happen. THIS works for anyone and YOU will make it work. Your fit and healthy life is right here in front of YOU.

We ARE doing this and we ARE making this happen for ourselves. Never give up, just keep pushing forward...one (healthy) step at the time! YOU ARE WORTH IT!




Thursday, July 12, 2012

Clean Lean Protein Pizza Frittata

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE FOOD!!!  And when I find an especially good and healthy recipe, I love to share it...so here is one for you to try out!

This is a recipe that I came across a couple years ago. It looks AMAZING!!! She called it The Clean Lean Protein Pizza Frittata!!! You can go here to find the original recipe. Here is a little bit of what she wrote about it:

It tasted, looked and smelled like a pizza, only it's clean, lean, and loaded with protein! I added a slice of whole wheat bread cut into cubes for a crunchy, crust effect, but you can leave it out if you're trying to avoid bread carbs. Also, feel free to drizzle tomato sauce on the top, although I didn't really find it necessary because this baby is flavorful! Next time your kids (okay, you!) want pizza for breakfast, whip this one up minus the guilt.



Doesn't it look just like a pizza!?
The Clean Lean Protein Pizza Frittata
 serves 2

 INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 organic hot Italian chicken sausage
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • Handful button mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup egg whites (or 8 egg whites)
  • 1/8 tsp dry mustard
  • Garlic powder, sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1-oz slice whole-wheat bread, crust removed and discarded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, optional
  • 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Remove the casings from the sausages and pull filling apart. Place in a large non-stick pan and cook over medium heat. When the sausage is almost done, add the bell pepper and mushrooms. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down as low as possible (or remove from stove if using electric). With a whisk (or handheld mixer), beat the egg whites with the dry mustard and spices. Don't overdo it and make a meringue, just incorporate the flavors with the eggs, and lighten them up a little.
4. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the sausage mixture in the pan. If using, distribute the bread cubes evenly over the cheese, and then pour egg white mixture evenly on top. Turn the stove back on to medium-low to medium.
5. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the frittata. Once the egg whites start to set and turn opaque, place the pan in the oven. NOTE: make sure your non-stick cookware is oven safe!
6. Bake frittata until cheese on the top browns and bubbles, about 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate to slice. Trick everyone around you into thinking you're chowing down on pizza yet still looking amazing!!

This is what mine looked like:

When I make it, I use Turkey sausage & Turkey bacon(lower sodium) instead of the italian chicken sausage & Mrs. Dash for seasoning....so for those ingredients, here's the nutrition info: (According to the recipe it makes 2 servings)

Calories: 199
Fat: 6

Carbs: 12
Protein: 21
Fiber: 3

Sodium: 171




  •  By subbing the Turkey Bacon and Sausage for the Italian Chicken you cut 65 calories, same fat, cut 2 carbs, and get this...you cut 770 g of SODIUM! but you do lose 13 on the Protein in the entire recipe!



  • Customize your pizza frittata! Add all the veggies you want! Season it up anyway you want, but be mindful of your sodium! This is one that you can have tons of fun with at any meal!

    Leave comments if you make it!!





    Sunday, July 8, 2012

    Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

    How often have you heard the saying “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ?  I know I have heard it, said it, and posted it many times.  Why?  Because it's true!

    When you say "I want to lose 15 pounds." and someone says, "oh, that's great; how are you going to do that?", and you have no plan in place to do it, you may as well be saying, "I wish I could lose some weight"!

    The solution:  Set a GOAL!  Write it down!  Post it so you see it everyday!  Tell others about your goal to be held accountable!  And not just any goal...a S.M.A.R.T. goal!


    I've seen several different variations of the acronym SMART, but pretty much all of them are great for goal setting:

    S - specific, significant
         (it should be a clearly defined and mean alot to you ... if it's a vague goal, you will have a harder      time staying focused on it.-example:  I will lose 10 pounds in 30 days, NOT I want to lose weight)

    M - measurable, meaningful, motivational
          (measurable: meaning you can assess your progress along the way to insure you are headed in the right direction.)

    A - action-oriented; attainable, achievable
         (what actions, within your reach in your present situation, are you going to take to get to your goal?)

    R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
         (the actions you need to take to achieve your goal are things you can actually do and control in a specific time frame; goals need to be meaningful and significant in order to make a difference in your life.)

    T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable
         (set a deadline, a time limit, finishing point ... Goals without a time limit tend to be put off until another day!  "I'll start tomorrow" comes to mind here!)

    Always write your goals down!  Put them where you'll be reminded of them constantly!  You can download a simple S.M.A.R.T. goal worksheet here to help you plan your goal and then keep you on track!

    If you need help with your fitness plan, I'm here to help you! Sign up for free coaching and let's work together to help you achieve all of your fitness goals!