Do it even when you don't feel like it

When my alarm went off at 5:45 I really did not want to get out of bed.  In my head I was thinking "I have to teach 2 classes tonight.  One hour of HIIT and one hour of PiYo so I don't need to do my workout this morning." I was right I didn't need to do it because I am going to burn enough calories and get a good workout tonight BUT....I set a goal for myself to complete Insanity Max30.  So I got up drank my E&E and got to work. And like always I am so glad I did!

Today's workout was Cardio Challenge.  This is the third time I have done this workout and I felt physically and mentally stronger.  There were 3 times I wanted to stop before I actually did.  I finally maxed out at 8:29 when I was beginning to feel like I might throw up. LOL...that's a good workout!

Don't let that scare you though! One of the many reasons I love this program is that you push yourself as hard as you can. So you can stop and take a break at any time! You don't have to push to the point of feeling a little sick but today I did push myself that hard because I am just a little crazy!

As if Cardio Challenge wasn't enough I also did Ab Attack and this is where I am really getting stronger.  Last time I did it I maxed out at 1:28 or something like that.  Today my max out time was 4:11.  Woot, woot those abs are getting stronger!!!

Another reason I am loving Insanity Max30.  I can see and feel the results already and I've only been doing it for two weeks!  It make all the hard work worth it to see results happening so quickly! I can't wait to see what I can do in 60 days!

So what are you waiting for??? Max out with me!  Click here to apply :)

Maple Glazed Chicken with Brussels sprout slaw

Ingredients

8 chicken tenders

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

15-20 Brussels sprouts 

1 medium apple, cut into small pieces and peeled

1 pear, cut and peeled

Preparation

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook on each side until done. Remove from pan. Add 3 tablespoons vinegar and syrup to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with glaze.
2. Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise. Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add Brussels sprouts, pear and apple; toss to combine. Serve slaw with chicken.

I actually used Blackberry Ginger vinegar and Toasted sesame oil for my slaw.  I get mine at Red Wing Olive Oils and Vinegars but not sure where else they may be available. It hit the spot and brought me down from my carb high I had from Christmas :)  ENJOY!

Adapted from: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/maple-glazed-chicken

Staying consistent.....

As you may know I am doing Insanity Max30.  It's a 5 day per week program that I am doing at home.  I have been doing the workouts Mon-Friday following the calender that is provided.

Obviously you don't HAVE to do Monday-Friday.  Any consecutive 5 days in the week will work just fine.  But what happens when Christmas falls on a Thursday??? 

I had good intentions to workout Christmas morning.  It's only 30 minutes and can be done at home.  I thought I would be able to sneak away while the kids were playing with their gifts from Santa.  But of course, toys needed batteries, my son needed assistance with his new origami set and the homemade cinnamon rolls weren't going to make themselves.  So I chose time with my family over getting my workout in that morning.  Then we went to my parents house 1 hour away and celebrated Christmas again.

At parents I did not get get in my fruits and veggies and basically binged on carbs, fats and salty proteins.  This left me feeling quite lethargic and the last thing I wanted to do when I we got home at 8PM was workout!  So I did not get my Tabata Power done like my calender told me to. OH NO! I should just give up, start over next week because I messed up right?

WRONG!  Today I woke up and did my Tabata power and tomorrow I will do my Friday Fight and be right back on track for my workouts.  The world won't end because I modified the calender a bit and the fat won't know the difference :)

I am writing about this because for 2 reasons. One is to let you know I am not perfect and would never claim to be. The other reason is I hear from people all the time that they are going to start over or worse yet give up all together when they slip up or miss a workout (or two!).  This is a vicious cycle that hinders success!  It's time to switch your thought process and rather than always starting over just pick up where you left off and KEEP GOING!

So I have my plan for getting back on track for my workouts but what about nutrition?  It was terrible yesterday.  I could run with it and be like "well may as well binge all weekend and start over on Monday"  NO, NO, NO!!! That will I at set me back even further!

Today my focus will be on getting as many fruits, veggies and lean protiens as possible and drinking LOTS of water to help my body get out of it's carb coma.  

I didn't weigh myself this morning because what good would it do?? There would be 2 possibilities
1. I step on the scale and the weight didn't change making me think OK well I guess I'll have some more cookies today.
2. I gained 3 or more pounds I feel terrible about that, get mad at myself, start having negative self talk and start my downward spiral.

I will not step on the scale until next Monday. Because that will give me a more accurate picture of what my weight is than I will get today.

I hope you have found this post helpful and it motivates you to keep going no matter how the last couple days have gone for you!  Health and fitness is a journey with no start or stop.  The goal is to keep making progress. As long as you are doing that you are doing AWESOME!!!

FOOD GUILT

I posted this picture on my FB page last night.

This bottle of wine has a lesson/story. More tomorrow.

So here's the story.  

I went to my extended family Christmas last night and guess what?!?! I drank that entire bottle of wine (except for a tiny glass I gave my aunt to try), ate Cheesecake and too much cream based soup!

Did I go over my calories for the day? FOR SURE

Did I eat too many carbs? YOU BET

Did I feel bad about it? NO WAY

I hear people saying all the time "I had a cookie.  I feel so bad about that." or "I was naughty today and ate (insert food here)"  

Stop feeling bad about what you eat!!!  If you spend most of your time eating a balanced, nutrient dense diet ONE cookie or soda is not going to make you gain weight!  

I get it, you want to lose weight.  But by having this thought process in your head that any time you eat anything that is not a fruit or vegetable is "bad" is not healthy.  The people I have worked with who think this way have a really hard time being successful with weight loss.  I think it's because they arealways  starting over. I ate a cookie today so I'll start over tomorrow.  Then they get frustrated because they keep having to start over.

A better plan is eating those nutirent dense foods 80% of the time and the other 20% is all those less nutrient dense foods.  Does this mean I have a little notebook where I claculate percentages? No.  But after last night I was more aware of what I ate today and made sure to get in my fruits and veggies and skip the wine after supper.  So I am not depriving myself, because if I do I will inevitably binge.

Right now is the perfect time to talk about this because Christmas is this week.  It wil be IMPOSSIBLE to be "perfect"  So have a plan!  If you know you have a party at night eat all your fruits and veggies before you go if you know those will be limited at the event.  Then go and HAVE fun!  If you eat too many pieces of bread or too many glasses of wine that's OK.  

You can make it through this week and keep your goals in mind without spending the entire week feeling bad.

Day 3: Insanity Max30

 

Today was Sweat Intervals.  What can I say about sweat intervals....it's sweaty and it's sweaty.  Have you ever done Insanity?  Well sweat Intervals is like that without as many breaks and in only 30 minutes which is why there are less breaks!  I maxed out at 7:45 and I wanted to max out a lot sooner (actually during the "warm up" but kept pushing myself).  And I am certain that sweat intervals is going to make my abs stronger without ever doing a single crunch.

There were two quotes from this workout that stuck with me.

At one point one of the girls is panting and trying to drink water and Shaun T comes up to her and asks how she is doing.  Her response "When I think I can't do one more, I do three."  That right there is the attitude you HAVE to have to be successful at this program. You have to challenge yourself to KEEP GOING.  You're at home by yourself so it would be very easy to stop and just turn off the TV and just say I'm done.  But you can't do that if you want results.  And seriously the feeling I have when that timer beeps and the 30 minutes are done...pure bliss, joy, accomplishment and relief.  I love that feeling!  You know the runner's high, well there is an Insanity Max30 high and I am definitely on it!

The other quote was directly from the man himself "I know it's crazy, that's why it's Insanity Max 30!" There is nothing else to add to that.....  

I also did the 10 minute Ab Attack today.  I didn't even make it a minute!  I am sure part of the reason is because my abs and the rest of my body were already dying from sweat intervals.  But my abs are always a weak point for me so I am sure I would not have made it the full 10 minutes even if that is all I had done.  I liked ab attack. It wasn't  just a bunch of crunches,  I never have good form with crunches and my neck always hurts if I do too many (because my form is bad.) The moves were all in a plank or c sit position for the most part.  I took many breaks and am sure my abs will be sore tomorrow!

What questions do you have about Insanity Max30?  Post them below or message me on FB!

Does reading about my journey inspire you to start your own?  Click here to be in my next online weight loss challenge group.  I look forward to helping you reach your goals!

Pineapple Chicken Salad Lightened up

Today I am sharing one of the recipes we are using in my free five day meal plan group. I've had this for lunch the last two days. It's so good!

Pineapple Chicken Salad Wraps

Yields 4 servings

2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast, chopped

1 can (8 oz) of crushed pineapple in 100% juice, drained

¼ pomegranate aerils 

¼ cup scallions, finely chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

4 whole wheat tortillas

In a large sized bowl, combine chopped chicken, pineapple,  aerils, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder salt, and black pepper. 

Add equal parts of chicken salad, about 1/3 cup, to the center of each tortilla, roll and fold each wrap tightly.

My 21 day fix Journey-Round 2

I did a round of the 21 day fix when it was first released and had great results.  I had already lost 20 pounds using T25 and was looking for something different. The 21 day fix was exactly what I needed. I was able to lose another 9 pounds and 7.5 inches.  As you can see there is a significant difference in my midsection.

Since the program worked so well the first time I have tried on 3 separate occasions to complete another round.  I was never successful.  Because I was OK with my current weight and the way my body looked I just could not commit!  I went into maintenance mode and spent WAY too long there.  Finally, right before Thanksgiving I decided I was ready to really commit to losing my last 10-15 pounds.  Since I know nutrition is my biggest battle the 21 Day Fix was an obvious choice for me.  This time I decided to really test out the nutrition plan. The 21 day fix comes with great 30 minute workouts and a calender to follow so you know exactly what to do each day.  But I wanted to see if my results would be similar following ONLY the nutrition part. I did my own workouts that I feel are a pretty balanced mix:  Cardio 3 days per week, weight training 2 days per week and PiYo 2 days per week.

I was NOT perfect on my 2nd round.  There were 2 nights I had cheese curds and a burger while skiing.  I drank way too much wine on Thanksgiving.  I gave into late night snacking too often.  But I did not give up.  I kept pushing through and tried to make up for my slip ups by decreasing my containers the next day.  I was able to lose 8 pounds in 18 days.  Obviously not all that was fat, I lost a lot of water as well.

Because I was so focused on the nutrition component I also did the 3 day quick fix for the last 3 days. I did not do this the first time I completed the 21 day fix.  The plan looks like this.

Yes I really ate only that for 3 days. I was so proud of myself! I am always saying "I don't have the willpower to resist tempting foods." Now I know I do and that was just an excuse! I went out to eat 2 times over the 2 days,went skiing and spent countless hours baking holiday goodies but NEVER cheated, not even a little bit.  The other surprise was I was not hungry at all.  I thought for sure I would be starving, but 6 servings of protein really fills you up!  Actually I couldn't even eat my 6th meal on any of the days.  I ate a lot of chicken because I am not a big fish or ground turkey fan.  I did have salmon once and attempted a tuna steak but could not choke it down.  I really liked the coconut oil.  I was eating it solid off the spoon by the end of day 1 (maybe that makes me a little nutty)

So now my results!  I lost 10 pounds and 8 inches in 21 days following only the nutrition component. It's very obvious in the picture below that I lost some of my belly and have more abs.  So it is true, abs are made in the kitchen!  I still have some body fat to lose and have moved on to a different program to help me with that.

Ok so now to my larger point.  I talk with people all the time about weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle.  They are so focused on the exercise part.  Don't get me wrong exercise is important, but if we all just focused more on our nutrition (myself included! But I really enjoy exercise.) we would not have to work so hard on the exercise piece!  You need BOTH to be successful and I see way too many people only focusing on the exercise component. This is why I love BeachBody programs so much.  They don't just give you the workouts, they give you a meal plan too! They understand the importance of nutrition to reach your goals!

So there it is, my bare belly out for the whole world to see :o.  Have a great night and thanks for reading!

Have my results inspired you to start your own weight loss journey?  Join my next online challenge group click here so I can learn more about you and your goals!

Get Lean in 2015 with my help!

The new year will be here soon! Many people have resolutions to lose weight and get healthy. This year let me help you stick to that resolution!  I will be running an online accountability group beginning in January!

There will be a meal plan provided, workouts based on your goals and interests when it comes to exercise and an easy to follow workout calender!

That's how I lost my weight over a year ago and you can do it too!

 BEFORE the group

AFTER :)

With my help you will RULE your resolution!!  

Want more info?  Click here and complete the form so I can learn more about you!  I can't want to work with you!!

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