True Picture of Health - Matters of the Heart

I have kept quiet on the subject of what healthy looks like for a long time, but I just have to get these thoughts off my chest. Health is a very specific and unique circumstance to each person, and not something that you can or should judge based solely on outward appearance.  I am not writing this with any negative intention, just to express my viewpoint on the subject. God has blessed us with a body, mind and soul - it is up to each of how we choose to feed these things. When it comes to the body there are always potential or current health circumstances that may promote the switch to a healthy lifestyle. To say that a person is obsessed when they exercise and eat healthy regularly is a misused term. The dedication and mental perseverance it takes to stick to a program and improve your overall health is a hard battle, and should be something that is celebrated. To insinuate that someone who does such things is unhealthy, possibly has an eating disorder or appears under nourished is an unjust accusation.


Health, is not based solely by the number on the scale or the size of your clothes - it involves many factors. Some of these factors can be broken down for you at a doctors office, but the true transformation of health starts with how you are feeding your mind and soul, not your body. Sometimes the emotional things you are dealing with are so heavy laden, that it may be best to focus on that before you focus on the health of your body. I have worked with challengers who are going through extremely difficult emotional circumstances, that sometimes may motivate them on the fitness front or other times may make it so that they are unable to continue the program.  Ever had a day where you cannot get out of bed or off the couch to save your life? Ever felt so mentally burdened by something that it is literally life consuming? Do I consider these situations as failures? Not even close - people in these situations deserve all the credit in the world for deciding to work on their heart and mind. The workouts will always be there when you are ready to pick them up - life begins when you do. For me - when I find myself in these situations, I have to re-direct my focus on my faith and allow God to lead. My mental and spiritual health needs to come first and foremost - the external and physical aspects will come in later.

When I hear someone say that they are depressed because of their weight or appearance, that indicates to me that there are matters of the heart that need to be addressed. I have found myself saying and thinking this. Our worth in this life is not based on appearance, but how you can pursue and lead a life of passion and positivity. This is something I need to work on and remind myself of everyday.  I have been seeing a therapist for several months now, working on understanding my habits and thought processes. I have been taking what I am learning about myself and applying that to my faith and daily regimen. Why, because we can always better ourselves in several areas of our lives. The journey that God has for me is unique to me. The picture of health for you, is unique to you. When I post before and after photos or pictures and results of challengers - it is simply to encourage and motivate others, not as a definite statement of 'this is what you need to look like'. God has created beauty in each of us, regardless of outward appearance.

So, in conclusion - please do not judge others based on how they look on the outside - it is matters of the heart that count and words can be extremely hurtful. Be mindful of others, but focus on your own development and own heart. Be authentic, take ownership of where you are and live life to the fullest - no room for negativity!

How to Meal Prep - 21 Day Fix Example

 Meal planning and prepping is essential for success. Why, because when you are not prepared or have to grab something in a hurry - you are prone to go to the drive-thru or eat junk food. I usually meal prep on Sundays and will plan out meals for myself and my husband (when he is up to it - he is a picky eater!).  The number one excuse I hear from people who are adverse to eating clean is, that it is expensive and time consuming. Well, I am here to show you that with just a few hours of your weekend you can prepare great meals that will allow you more time with your family and friends throughout the week.



The first step, before I do any of the shopping, is to fill out a meal plan and make a shopping list. Going to the store with a list is essential if you are watching your wallet. When I go without a plan and list in hand I find that I spend a lot more money, because I just grab a lot of things that sound good but don't necessarily equate to meals. Another tip to save money at the store is to make sure you eat before you go. When I shop hungry I put a lot more snacks and junk food in the cart!

Here is my meal plan for this coming week. I will be doing the 21 Day Fix and a workout hybrid with P90X3:

It took me about 45 minutes to plan out my meals and figure out the recipes that I wanted to make. For those of you who cook often, you know that this step can vary in time depending on how much research goes into deciding the meals. When you are planning for a family, this can get tricky - but what I have heard my challengers say is that they have been cooking their families the same food and found that they eat and enjoy it more than they would have ever thought. 

I opt to go to Sprouts or Whole Foods (when my budget allows) because they have a lot of fresh produce and good meat selection. Today, I went to Sprouts - I love to shop in their bulk section for my nuts and to use the freshly ground nut butters they also have. This is perfect when you are planning out for one week and do not need a $7-$10 bag of nuts or an entire jar of nut butter. It's great for someone who is cooking for 1 or 2. 

Grocery List:

8 Eggs

Nitrite Free Turkey Slices

Ezekiel 12 Inch Tortillas

Loose Spinach

3 Peppers (assorted colors)

1.5 lbs of Ground Turkey (99% FF)

Brown Rice

1 Sweet Onion

1 Garlic

1 Head of Cabbage

1 16 oz can diced Tomatoes

1 Can Tomato Paste

1 Cantaloupe

Strawberries

Watermelon

Blueberries

Cashews

Almonds

Grilled Chicken

Quinoa Pasta

EVOO

Coconut Oil

Greek Yogurt

Sweet Potatoes

Cucumber

Grated Parmesan

Almond Milk

Peanut Butter

TOTAL COST: $49.57

Total time spent at store: 30 minutes

I like to put two meals that require cooking on my meal plan and two that are simple - that I can throw together in about 10 minutes, so it does not need to be cooked now. This week I needed to make pasta with grilled chicken and a cabbage dish with ground turkey. I put some of the cooked ground turkey to the side, to use on my sweet potato lunch. I used a lot of the same veggies in both dishes so it was a lot simpler. I also bought the pre-minced garlic and the pre-shredded bag of cabbage to save on cutting time. I cut up the cantaloupe and divided out the nuts as well. I also opted to make a quick cucumber salad that would be a good addition to my sweet potato meal. To cook both meals simultaneously and clean up took me about an hours time. 

Then I portioned out the meals into tupperware containers, so that I can just grab them and go.  

Now, all I have to do is open my fridge and all of my lunches and dinners are ready for me to eat or make in less than 10 minutes. 

So,  total time spent including prepping and shopping was 2 1/2 hours and I spent just under $50. Now, I have almost all of my meals readily available to me, which will be HUGE for my success at following the plan this week. 

So, let me breakdown the cost:

$50 in groceries

+ 

$28 in Shakeology for the week 

= $78. 

$78

Divided by

21 meals

= $3.71 a meal

The cost of each meal is only $3.71 - for natural, whole, healthy foods that are nutritious. Not a double cheeseburger, fries and a drink that would run me more money and add no health or value to my body. 

So, what's your excuse? I have challengers who have small children, large families, who work full-time and have very busy lives - just like the rest of us. They have made this lifestyle a habit, incorporated it into their homes and families and are seeing the benefits! Not only are they healthier, their families are eating healthier, they are losing weight, inches and are able to devote time to working out and exercising, because all the meals are planned ahead. If you are scared of the time and money that clean-eating takes - don't be! You can make this work for any budget and any lifestyle. If you are interested in joining a Clean-Eating Challenge Group, send me a message via the Contact Me Tab at the bottom of this page. 

Happy Sunday! Happy Planning!

What's With All This Talk About Coconuts?

Okay, is it just me or has the topic of coconuts been coming up everywhere!? Oil pulling, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut oil and now I just discovered the mecca of it all MCT Oil.  I have heard of the benefits of adding coconut oil to my food last Summer, but this concept has really started to explode, so I wanted to sum of the common uses and benefits to this amazing 'superfood'!

So,  coconut oil can be used for many things:

1. For cooking
2. As a skin moisturizer
3. As a hair pomade
4. For oil pulling (I will talk about this a little later)
5. As a make-up remover
6. As a sweetener substitute

The benefits go on and on, but here are the major ones:

1. Maintain your SKIN/COMPLEXION
2. May promote HEALTHY BRAIN FUNCTION, in fact there was a recent study that suggests it may help with Alzheimers (Newport, Alzheimer's Disease: What if There Was a Cure?)
3. Great for supporting the THYROID
4. Great for your HEART
5. Can aid in WEIGHT LOSS and
6. Can help speed up your METABOLISM

Not to get too detailed on this, but the reason why coconut oil is so amazing is that it contains Lauric Acid and MCT's. Lauric acid is converted once in your body and can potentially destroy viruses, flu and even herpes and HIV. The MCT's assist in reducing body fat, which helps with weight loss. They also help mitigate insulin and glucose sensitivities. Which brings me to my newest discovery, MCT Oil. I purchased a bottle of this oil from my local Vitamin Cottage, it is 100% pure Medium Chain Triglycerides that are found in coconut oil. It is suggested that this oil increases your energy and lowers fat storage in the body. I have started adding a tablespoon to my Shakeology each morning to put it to the test. I will do a blog report on this in about 30 days to see if I notice a difference. The bottle I bought was around $18 and has 63 tablespoons in it, so about .29 cents a serving. Worth every penny given the potential benefits!

Now, onto a topic that makes me a little queasy to think about, but people have been raving about - Oil Pulling. Essentially what this is taking a tablespoon of coconut  oil and swishing it in your mouth for 20 minutes. Then spitting it out. If you do this everyday it is supposed to help with your breath and improve your overall oral hygiene. I have not gotten the courage to try this yet, because I am a total consistency and texture girl, so I am a little fearful. Planning on giving this a try and will report my results!

If you looking for way to incorporate coconut into your daily diet, you can purchase butters, water, milk, and oil from almost any grocery store. There are some great ways to incorporate it into your recipes, but here is one of my all time favorites it super simple and perfect for hot days in the Spring and Summer - the kids will love it too!

Coco-Berry Sorbet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp coconut butter
1 tbsp coconut milk













Steps:
1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender
2. Enjoy!

*Recipe and some info derived from BetterNutrition Magazine

21 Day Fix FINAL Results!

I do not define success in my challenge groups by the number on the scale that is achieved, there are many other factors far more important that are considered.  The fact that challengers have found confidence, joy and motivation - that is what I am most excited about! The challengers have sent in and announced their final results and they BLEW ME AWAY! When I first got The 21 Day Fix in the mail and looked at the meal plan, I was honestly very confused and a little overwhelmed.  After going through the program, understanding and mastering the meal plan, I figured out that their is a SCIENCE behind the color coordinated containers. Its not only about portion control, but about pairing up the best foods that will feed your hunger, satisfy and even boost your metabolism.





In the final week of the program we doubled up on workouts - this was optional, but most of us ended up doing this. With each video only being 30 minutes, this just meant an hour of exercise a day, which was completely attainable. 21 Days really flew by, compared to other programs that take 60 or 90 days - this one is short and packs a real punch. Most of the challengers are jumping straight into another round. When you look at a goal and divide that into 3 week increments it really helps you stay focused. Now I understand why this program SOLD OUT and continues to be on back order. It takes 21 days to develop a habit, anyone can devote and fully jump in for a 3 week period (its not overwhelming) and if you do - with this program, you will see amazing results!






I have been beyond excited to post the final results of this group and the amount of joy I have gotten seeing and hearing about the transformations from my challengers is hard to put into words. So, lets just get to this!

-Challenger 1: Finally broke her plateau, LOST 5 LBS & 4.7 INCHES overall!

-Challenger 2: Went down a pant size, shirts are now loose, LOST 4 INCHES overall

-Challenger 3: LOST 6 LBS & 7 INCHES overall!

-Challenger 4: Lost 3 percentage points on BODY FAT, LOST 6 LBS & 3 INCHES.

-Challenger 5: Lost 1.5% body fat, LOST 4 LBS & 5.5 INCHES!

-Challenger 6: LOST 7 LBS & 12.5 INCHES!! 

-This challenger posted her results and was featured on the 21 Day Fix Facebook page, she LOST 7 LBS & 7 INCHES

- This challenger LOST 10 LBS & 5.4 INCHES IN THE WAIST, 4.8 INCHES IN THE CHEST, & 2.5 INCHES OFF HER HIPS!!!

Challenger 9: Nicole, who for those of you who have been following my blogs, started her weight loss and health journey early this year and had seen a 4 lb weight loss in 2 months. Before she started The Fix she had been stagnant for weeks and was becoming very frustrated. On top of all this, she learned that she had hypothyroid, which meant losing weight was going to be an even greater challenge for her. Nicole, put her whole heart and effort into this 21 days and it shows! She inspired me and was even leading workout sessions at her office. She is determined, she has proven that with the right intention and mindset, NOTHING can stand in your way. WOHOO NICOLE!!

Nicole LOST 7.2 LBS!

She LOST 9.5 INCHES TOTAL!

3 of which were off her CHEST,  and 2.5 off her WAIST!

She went down a pant size and two shirt sizes:

 You can see in her before and after photos that she just basically SHRUNK everywhere, with the most noticeable difference in her mid-section and stomach:

 Before                               After

Check out this side profile difference! WOW!!!:

Before                          After

No matter your age, your current medical diagnosis or current weight - each small step helps and you can start improving your life and health today! It is crazy what you can achieve when you set your mind to something. If you are interested in ordering The 21 Day Fix and want to be a part of a challenge group then please fill out this application to be considered for my April group. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE.

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P90X3 Progress - 60 Day Results!

Persistence and dedication truly pay off. Now that we have hit the 60 day mark all I keep hearing from the challengers is how a healthy lifestyle has become second nature - which is the true goal of a Challenge Group. Also, meal planning has become less tedious and time consuming along with meal prep and cooking. Once you do something consistently for 60 days it really becomes ingrained in your daily routine. Challengers have traveled, taken vacations, cooked for little ones and picky eaters, attended parties and gone out to the bars - and have learned how to make healthy choices in the process. I think a common misconception is that you have to DIET, count calories and deprive yourself of entire food groups to lose weight and see results - FALSE. You can incorporate small changes and eventually it will become your day-to-day.


The 60 day results are incredible. The tone, inches and non-scale victories are so inspiring.

Female: 

Goodbye to 7 lbs!

Goodbye to 8.5 inches!

Mandy has been persistent and her results and they are.....INCREDIBLE. Cannot wait to see her final pictures:

Goodbye to 15 lbs!

Goodbye to 17.5 inches

Female:

Goodbye to 5 lbs!

Goodbye to 10.5 inches - with 4 inches off the hips!

Female, mother of 3, full time business owner and entrepreneur:

Goodbye to 8 lbs!

Goodbye to 7 inches!

Non-scale victories: I am seeing the results of all the small choices finally. I am more attentive to my body and what it needs I am motivated to finish strong and keep setting more goals.

Female, traveled 3 out of the last 4 months:

Goodbye to 15 lbs!



Female, mother, full-time worker:

Goodbye 6 lbs!

Goodbye 2 inches from waist!



Last, but not least is Kim. Here results speak for themselves.......

She has lost 8 lbs!

Lost 12 3/4!

On top of all of this the non-scale victories Kim has experienced are incredible:

DID I MENTION....SHE IS 51 YEARS OLD?!!! Amazing Kim!:

30 more days on this journey. We will be done just in time for bikini season and wedding season.

If you are interested in purchasing P90X3 CLICK HERE!

21 Day Fix Week 2 Progress

When it comes to figuring out what the best plan of action is for you in regard to your health, it is important to remember that you are unique, so your plan has to be unique. Too often people compare themselves to others that often have unrealistic results and expectations. 


I had an appointment with my therapist today and she asked me a question that stumped me. She asked me what the difference is between expectations and expectancy. After thinking for a minute or so I fumbled over some words, but really had no idea. Expectations are opinions or ideas that you place on yourself or others as to what path you believe they should or should not be on. Expectancy is a term that involves doing your best with what you have or with what situation you have been dealt. Everyone is different and unique, you cannot compare your results or expectations to those you see in others. It is easy to get frustrated when you're results are not comparable to someone else's. Your body may let go of weight at a slower or faster rate, or it may hold onto weight for weeks before you start seeing results. The important thing to think about is how you feel, what you are learning about nutrition and that you are never alone in those struggles.

Challengers showed up with some amazing numbers and results Week 1, which is typical in any new health and nutrition plan. Some challengers began being discouraged in Week 2, because they did not see as big of a difference in their weight and measurements. However, there were a lot of non-scale victories that occurred this week. Here is some direct feedback from challengers in the Test Group:

- 'I have more energy and more desire to workout and eat healthier than I ever had previously. I would also like to thank all you ladies for making me accountable and everyone constantly giving each other support. It means a ton especially when my mom found out today what I was doing and rolled her eyes and basically said that I was wasting my time. I'm using the next two weeks to jump start a continuous lifestyle to prove her wrong.'

- 'Not hungry and have plenty of energy to get through my day'

- 'Still learning how my body reacts to "good" food, little carbs and Shakeology. But it's more than I have been doing and I'm feeling great!'

- 'Feel good, I'm toning, I don't have digestive issues anymore, it's awesome  woohoo'

- 'I felt really busy taking time for all my meals and doing the workout. I feel amazing that I stuck with everything today. One huge accomplishment for me is that I have eliminated creamer in my coffee for the past two days. Never thought I could give that up woot!!!'

- 'Fit into a size 4 again today! It's been about 5 years and 7 months since that happened'

- 'I am really tempted to jump on the scale. But I won't. I have been clean eating for a week. My pants fit loose now. I followed my meal plan to a T. I am not snacking anymore. I have not had sugar (except the one in fruits) in 3 weeks! I feel full of energy. I love the workouts. So, that is a huge progress for me. I really do not need the number on the scale.'

- 'Today was a great day! Had my 3 year olds birthday party and all I ate was the fruit cup which I made with grapes, pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries and a veggie cup with carrots, broccoli, and celery! I tried on some old pants before the party and I fit back into my size 6! Everyone was complimenting me on the wt I've lost! I'm 7 lbs under pre-pregnancy wt and my newest is only 4 1/2 months old! Thank you'

- 'I'm sleeping better, I've got more energy throughout the day, I'm not craving the carbs at night and even my boyfriend has noticed my waist is shrinking and my face is thinner! Ladies if you feel discouraged, don't give up! I never thought I'd get results and feel good while getting healthy!'

- 'My belt had to cinch tighter and my shirts are baggy around my mid section.'

-'Finally a program that works and makes me keep with it!'

The challengers continue to lose weight and inches as we round our way into the final week of this program. 21 Days really does fly by so quickly! I am so proud of the my challengers and what they have accomplished, here a few of the results so far - I do not want to share them all because we are almost to the finale!!!

- One female challenger started at 134.5 lbs and is now at 128.6 = 5.9 LBS LOST


- One female challenger, fell off the wagon by got back on this week, she has lost 2 lbs this week and her clothes are fitting looser. 


- Another female challenger has lost 7 lbs 

- A husband and wife who are doing this together have lost a total of 15 lbs! The female has lost 4, and the male has lost 11 lbs!

- A female challenger just this week alone - not including her loss from last week:

LOST 1 1/2 inches on hips!
LOST 2 inches on waist!
LOST 1 1/2 inches on chest!
WOWZA

This last challenger has blown me away with her results. She has hypothyroid, has been eating healthy and working out since the birth of her last child a year and a half ago and was very frustrated at the lack of progress she was seeing. She is a busy mom and has to cook for herself and extended family every night. I spoke with her today and since starting this program just 2 weeks ago she is....

DOWN 6 LBS!!
DOWN 7 INCHES!!
INCREDIBLE!



I am astounded at the determination and consistency of the challengers. All of their hard work is paying off. They push 'play' and get their workouts in for 30 minutes a day and follow the program and are seeing amazing results! 

I am going to be starting another test group program in mid-March, if you are interested in joining please you the contact tab at the bottom of the page. I would love to help you reach your fitness goals!

Cannot wait to share the final results next week!!!! 

Happy Sunday. Godspeed!