Disney Princess Half Recap

My Princess weekend started on Saturday! I was really nervous, I didn't really properly train for my half marathon because I am a running diva! I do not run in the cold, rain, or ice. It's just not for me and I am pretty sure it is a result of me being in the Army and finally having control. I was also reading on Facebook that people were having a horrible time at the Expo which was necessary for us to attend in order to pick up our bib and goodie bag. So I get in the car try to relax and bit and enjoy the ride. 

We get there, we check into our hotel at The Pop Century Resort at Disney. We chose that last minute because the bus would transport us to the race without us having to fight traffic to park (FYI there are 23,000 people racing). 

It was a cute hotel but we didn't even go there when we checked in LOL. We got there at three so right to the Expo we went. Let me tell you, if you aren't doing any of the other races for the Princess than GO LATER there wasn't a line when I went to pick up my bib and goody bag. We were there for 30 minutes and most of that was me looking at the merch. Seriously the people that were complaining must have been the first in the door. I will tell you that my procrastination paid off this time for REAL! ha ha! After the expo we went out to eat dinner and then hung out in the hotel room. 

2:30 AM came quick and I set 4 alarms and so did my son so that we wouldn't miss the race. We got up I tried to do my hair in pig tail buns but I was so frustrated I just put it in a high bun ha ha. I was off to the buses and let me tell you they have like 10 of them lined up ready to take us to the race which was really awesome there was AGAIN no waiting. I was like WOW this is a flawless experience for me anyway ha! I am loving this! So we get there early they have a DJ playing music and they call us to go to our corrals. I was Corral F which was pretty lame because even though I wasn't trying to PR I wanted to run. 

So we get to the race line and the fireworks go off and we are running. I knew the first mile was going to stink as far as getting to go so I was already ready for that. I just steadied myself and weaved around the people as best I could, sometimes I got stuck behind a wall of walkers which was really not cool but I was patient. That's pretty much how the run went, I weaved around people and was looking at all the scenery and texting my husband at every mile which made things go by faster for me. Mile 5-6 was VERY narrow you could not get around people if you wanted to! It was seriously a line of people looking like they were moving but really going no where it was pretty cool to see all of us doing the same exact thing. I found myself getting lost in the people, reading their shirts and seeing that they were running for a cause or trying to put some humor in the back of their shirts. One of them said I sure hope that there is at least one person behind me reading this ha ha! It was pretty funny. Mile 9 I felt the blister on the bottom of my foot and I thought I was doomed but it never popped Thank You Jesus! I don't know what I would have done if it did pop. Well I do now my A** would have run through that finish line CRYING ha ha ha! I wasn't going to walk through that even if it killed me. 

The rest of the race was pretty much a blur until the end because you get that antsy feeling that you are done but you are SO FAR away from being done which is a crap situation to be in but in the end was where most people were running which was good for me I improved my time and picked up the pace. I wish I had not gotten my husband to be in charge of the camera because we let it in Mass :( so I have crap cell phone pictures but I do have some of them that I am going to purchase later and get them printed out. Once I get them I will post them here so you can see them. 

I would seriously do the race again but this time I would bring a camera and stop to take pictures with the people at the race. I am mad that I didn't get all the pictures that I wanted to but it's ok I have the memories and I have the 13.1 magnet for my car to prove it LOL. It was a great experience and it was totally worth the $150 registration fee. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had a blast!!!!! I love love loved it. Here are some of my crap cell phone pictures :) 

The medals at the end of the race

Getting ready to run around and then through the castle!

Salad Tips

Les Mills Pump and Insanity Hybrid

If you are looking for a hybrid here is one for you to try and follow for 30 days and see how you like it. This hybrid is more focused on the Les Mills over Insanity.


Week 1

1 Pump Challenge
2 Rest Day
3 Pump Challenge
4 Plyo Cardio Circuit
5 Pump Challenge
6 Cardio Power and Resistance
7 Rest Day


Week 2:

1. Pump and Burn
2. Cardio Power and Resistance
3. Pump Challenge/Hard Core Abs
4. Flow
5. Pump and Burn
6. Pure Cardio
7. Rest Day

Week 3:

1. Hardcore Abs/Plyo cardio circuit
2. Pump and Burn
3. Pure Cardio
4. Pump and Burn
5. Flow/Hardcore Abs
6. Pump and Burn
7. Rest

Week 4:

1. Pump and Burn
2. Pure Cardio
3. Pump and Burn
4. Plymetric Cardio Circuit
5.Pump and Burn
6. Pure Cardio/Cardio Abs
7. Rest

Transformation Friday! Melissa P90X

This is Melissa, she has finished P90X and I asked her to guest blog about her experience and why she chose to go with a Beachbody program.  I am so partial to P90X because even though it is a TOUGH workout (there is no doubt about that!) P90X does wonders for a woman's body it is unreal, I love it and plan on doing another round after Body Beast. Happy Friday and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What made you want to do a Beachbody program and P90x?

Rewind to 3 years ago, I was overweight and miserable. I used to be super skinny in high school and then gained the freshman 30 in college. (I'm pretty sure I gained all that because my metabolism slowed down and I still ate junk food and never once worked out.) I got to a point where none of my clothes fit and I had to go buy bigger sizes (this was NOT fun). I hated the way my body looked and I got tired of trying to hide my muffin top through baggy clothing. I missed the days where I could get away with wearing tight pants and not worry about there being any fat on me. One day a light bulb clicked on inside my head. I could get rid of this weight, I could finally be happy in my own skin again, if I took action. I read somewhere online that you could work your way up (working out wise.) So i started slowly working out 10 mins at a time. Before I knew it I started to work out an hour at a time! And doing it 5-6 times a week! I ended up losing 40 lbs on my own!! Fast forward 3 years, I kept most of the weight off, but 12 lbs crept on since the holidays hit (this was in January of last year, 2012). Unhappy and ready to change FOR GOOD this time, I told myself to start over. I started doing 10 min trainer 2 times a week, then added some power 90 cardio, then eventually added free weights. 5 months later I started adding p90x videos to my workout (to take the guess work out). I found it was so much easier to have someone tell me what all of my weight routines were instead of having to come up with them all the time. (Side note: I actually had p90x for a while (my dad gave it to me) and was always too scared to do it. For the longest time I thought it looked way too intense and too challenging for me to ever try.) I saw that yes, they were challenging workouts but I was READY to tackle the program as a whole. My first month was brutal, I admit I cried at some of the workouts, I couldn't do some of the moves but I never gave up. I ended up completing the first round but wanted MORE. So I started over, and then started over again (round 2, and round 3 complete!). Now i'm currently on my 4th round! I'm so glad I found p90x, it is now my "work out routine" of choice. I have to say, I'm ADDICTED!

2. What was your biggest struggle during your transformation?

I can't list just one. The actual workouts were SO HARD. And pushing through them. Also, just getting up and making myself do the workouts EVEN when i didn't feel like it. Either I was TOO TIRED, TOO SORE, TOO BUSY, and so forth.The nutrition part was hard too...i'm not gonna lie I still have trouble sometimes! Eating clean is NO JOKE. I struggled making sure I ate enough, and with my fat %, carb %, and protein %'s.

3. How did you overcome that?

 Just doing the workouts anyway, through the exhaustion ,through the pain, through the craziness. 

Also, once I started tracking my calories, fat %, carb %, and protein % I found that to get MUCH easier. 

4. How have you changed since you completed P90X?

Oh my gosh, my whole LIFE has changed! I now have NEW habits-every night when I get home from work I make sure to get my workout in-when before I'd wait til tomorrow (and the day after that, and so forth lol.) If I was too tired I'd give into it and go to bed. Now I work out even when I am EXHAUSTED. It's my #1 priority! I schedule my life around my workouts-when before my life came before and I'd never get to my workouts. I have cleaned up my diet, I used to not get enough protein, now I get MORE than enough. I have so much more ENERGY, and have started motivating others to get active as well! Now after all that I've been through and the CRAZY results I've gotten, I want to help other people get the same results (because trust me, I've been there, it's HARD to get started!) I now am a Beachbody Coach and I help people get in the BEST shape of their lives! And to train them to help others as well! I love my job and I love the people I get to meet and help. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm SO GLAD to be a part of it! :)

5. What were your results?

3 years ago, I weighed 170 lbs and my body fat was at or around 33%. NOW I weigh 120 and my body fat is 19%!! That's 50 LBS weight LOST! This program WORKS people!!! If you want to CHANGE your life and get CRAZY mind blowing results-p90x is FOR YOU. Tony Horton makes it FUN and is HILARIOUS! I do have to warn ya, it is a VERY challenging intense workout. Make sure you are READY for it by doing an easier program FIRST! Work your way up! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get started, TODAY! Your future self will thank you for it. ;)

My newest "thing" I want to try

I am hanging out in Florida with kids and family and finally found some time to blog. I am getting really excited about the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday and I am really nervous about it too. I can't wait to do it but at the same time since I did not train properly 13.1 miles seems like a trek for me. I am not the kind of person that likes to give up so I know that I will make it through and run the whole time but in the same respect I don't want to "fail" either. I am really excited to take pictures and all of that and be able to share my experience with you all.

Well I finished reading The Beauty Detox Diet and it was a good book with plenty of excellent references mainly The China Study, but overall it had a lot of good points. She seems to suggest going to a plant based diet which is something that I have heard before but what I like about her approach is that she isn't pushy about it. Even though she had great principles she didn't really do great with the examples and the menu plan was only for a week and she suggests for the plans to be for months......I think a month long plan would have been sufficient even if she was going to alternate two weeks. She is coming out with a cookbook I suppose it is to support the phases that she has in the book. There are recipes for each thing that she wants you to eat which is also a plus. What Kimberly Snyder is more famous for is the Glowing Green Smoothie. She suggests that you should use a Vitamix blender but all of us can't afford that so use what you have I suppose. I am very eager to try the smoothie so when I go make I go home I will let you know how it tastes and if it makes a difference in my diet or if I notice any changes with using the smoothie. It is supposed to be a meal replacement so we shall see. The recipe is below.

If you try it out before I am able to post my review of it let me know what you think of it. I saw in Hoda and Kathy Lee in the morning show that they have and they said that it was good too so, I can't wait to try it when I get home.

Body Beast

So Body Beast came in the mail on Saturday while we were on the road. I am not officially starting until March 4th but I wanted to get started on reading and figuring out how were were going to eat. Since this is a body building program eating is essential to any workout but if you are trying to gain mass it appears that you will be eating more than working out it seems LOL. Yesterday I calculated my body fat percentage at 22 percent but I don't really know if that is accurate or not because of the fact that it seems like a lot but I want to check with my calipers when I get home. My calorie adjustment it 2800 calories, I guess that seems like a whole lot to me because I eat between 1600 and 2000 per day depending on what I eat so it seems like I am going to be gaining some serious weight but I will trust the process and see how it goes. 

So we got home yesterday evening and it was so nice to be home. As much as I like being in the Coast Guard there is nothing like the feeling that I get when I come home. I know where everything is, I can just relax and my Mom does everything so it is just nice to be able to enjoy my children. I came in the house yesterday and my son B was like Mom look! I got you something for Valentines Day! and THIS is what I came home to. 

I love them and I couldn't be happier that he chose ME to be his Valentine :) I love my little man so much he is the sweetest guy ever. He makes me so proud every day! 

Later today we are going to do our family photo session this afternoon, lets hope that my boys cooperate :) Well off I go to enjoy more family time, I hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday!
 

Ultimate Reset

 I am not the biggest fan of this thing called cleansing but I was reading a book called The Beauty Detox Solution and I have also watched Fork Over Knives and these principles have been nagging me since I first saw the movie. I can't really explain it but it makes so much sense. Some of you may think that it's all hogwash and that is totally ok I understand where you are coming from because I was once there. 

 

In the book Kimberly Snyder talks about our body holding onto fat because the body keeps it around to block the organs from the totoxicity that we put into your bodies. She also talks about how we are very similar to monkeys and gorillas which makes sense too and how are bodies and intestines are similar to theirs and they are vegetarian animals which rings off sirens in my head too. I mean what if we were MEANT to be vegetarians! How crazy would that be? I am not totally sold on the book but I have read numerous research articles on the subject and it all makes sense. Think about it.......why do we drink milk? Cows make it for their babies while we make our own milk for our babies so why would we drink cow baby milk? It just makes sense if you REALLY think about it. Anyway.....I have been toying with the idea of doing the Ultimate Reset. It is based off of the principle of transitioning to going vegan and it is a 21 day cleanse. I am even more curious to see how it works now that I am reading this book and recently saw Forks Over Knives......I am not through reading the book but I will post a review on it when I have finished it to let you know. For now, it is a very informational read that has plenty of references for me to check out and do research on my own. 

 

If you are wondering what the Reset is check out below and there is information on the phases and what it is meant to do for your body. I have also attached a small video for you to check out in the mean time.

 

How It Works: The 21-day Reset Occurs in Three Phases.

• Balance Body Chemistry

  Constant consumption of preservatives and chemical-laden foods along with exposure to toxins and pollution impair normal body processes. During Phase 1, you'll balance your body chemistry with four of the six supplements in order to optimize its systems. This will also reduce cravings or dependencies on items such as sugar or caffeine.*
  

• Remove Toxins & Reset Digestion

  In Phase 2, you'll be reversing the effects of poor habits, unhealthy foods, and environmental toxins. You'll modify your diet so that your digestive system won't have to struggle, and digestive problems you may have experienced before such as bloating and indigestion will be significantly reduced as your gasotrointestinal tract is cleansed.*
  

• Rejuvenate Your Health

  When you reach Phase 3, you will experience a profound positive change in your mood and energy level. During the final week, you'll eat foods of high-nutritional value whose nutrients are easily absorbed and return healthy bacteria to your freshly scrubbed digestive tract with pre- and probiotics. This will set you on the path to long-term healthy living.*
  

Recipe: Southwestern Black Beans

I got this recipe from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and I am in LOVE with it and eat if often! It is so yummy delicious I even make it for dinner at times. You can serve this with eggs and toast for a balanced meal.


1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of salt (to taste)

Throw all of the above items on a pan on low/medium heat and cook until they are throughly warmed up.


You can put this on the side with a "fried" egg, slice of avocado, and fruit for a balanced breakfast.

Ever feel like this?

I felt like this before I started P90X. I had been to the gym and did great workouts and then I just plateaued. I got really tired and knew that I had to do better and to get better I needed to change things up. The problem was I didn't really know how. Like you maybe I bought P90X after my son and then let it sit in the closet for almost 3 years before I even glanced at it. 

I said "It's too hard." "It's scary" "I will never look like that." "I don't want to get too bulky." Well, one night before I went to bed I got all caught up on YouTube, I mean who doesn't right? ha ha ha and before I knew it I was looking up P90X transformations (I LOVE watching any kind of weight loss transformation) and I saw a girls on there who had a similar body frame to mine. I watched the video a few times and out of the blue contacted her and told her that her video motivated me and that I was going to start doing it. By looking at her video and her body frame I now had an idea of what I was possibl going to look like at the end of all this....so there I went on my journey. Did I mention that I work full time, my husband was deployed for 4 months, so that left me as a single Momma. The journey began I was going to look like the girl on YouTube and surprise my husband with a new body when he got back from Japan. 

Let me tell you that shhh was not EASY! It was hard and I skipped like 3 workouts, and Yoga was the darn Devil! No kidding. I skipped meals, I over ate sometimes, but I knew that I had a goal in mind and I was going to get there. I did it P90X for three whole months. Some days I hated Tony Horton and other days he was my boyfriend and I loved what he was doing for my body. I didn't have a support group like the ones that I am running now and I seriously wish that I did because I wouldn't have skipped the workouts and I would have done WAY better with Yoga if I had someone to keep accountable to. SO the 90 days came and they went and I was down from a sz 8-10 to a sz 4 and I lost 10 inches and 10 pounds from the whole 90 days. Yes, it can be done! 

Throughout the whole thing I became a coach and now I want to pay it forward and help you on your journey and be the support that you need in order to get to your goals.  

Getting ready to run Disney Princess Half

This weekend I am going to Florida to visit my son and family. I couldn't be more excited! It is winter, and snowy, and cold here. There is an expected 3-6 inches of snow getting ready to come in and let me tell you SUNNY FLORIDA sounds amazing to me right now! The reason we are going to Florida is because I am getting prepped to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon on the 24th. I am really nervous about this because to be honest the last time I ran a long run was in December.......I have been running 30 minutes a few times a week but nothing like a long run and it sure hasn't been outside. The next week that I am there I am going to be running my tail off (not really) and doing atleast a 9 mile run before this race on Saturday just to see if I can do it. I am not sure how many people are going to be doing this race but I am sure that it is a BUNCH!

In all seriousness I am excited for the adventure but I am so glad that it is going to be over soon because now I can get the "training" or lack thereof out of my head and start concentrating on doing Body Beast and getting back to a routine that doesn't include stressing over the fact that I have to run a certain amount of miles.

This week  and last week was horrible for me. I did 2 workouts!!!! Which is totally not like me at all and last week I think I did 3 workouts.....FAIL. Maybe I needed the break mentally to transition for getting out of compeition head but I am realizing that the very reason that I wanted to compete is showing now. I am EATING and EATING like a crazy woman! Sheesh yesterday we had steak slathered in butter and mashed potatoes, today we had Chinese food for lunch. Since we have been out of power we bought minimal food and since we had steak our chicken went bad and let's just say it was piss poor planning on my part. Needless to say I am ready to get back onto my routine and start the de-bloat process.

I want to show/tell you that even I have bad days still and while I am in my maintence phase of my life I can indulge too much and get out of hand. I am not perfect and I have bad days and I go a week without working out sometimes and that is okay. Life happens just like what happened to use here in the North East! Silly Blizzard.....I don't know why they called it Nemo because none of us wanted to find him. Just sayin'. Things happen life gets in the way, we get sick it happens but as long as you know that you are committed to this lifestyle than nothing can take you away from it but yourself. You just have to pick up where you left off. Anyway I digressed like BIG time! :)

I will keep you posted on my trip and HOPEFULLY have a gazillion pictures for you to flip through :)

My daily diet

I often get asked what I eat and how I stay so slim. Now that I have been in maintence for over a year I feel that I can properly answer that question. I eat mostly the same things all the time and every few weeks add something new to the mix that I enjoy eating. I guess I go through phases but over all my dynamic is pretty much the same. So here is my daily TYPICAL diet.

Morning: 1 cup of coffee, non dairy creamer, 1 tsp organic sugar 2-3 egg whites, 1 turkey sausage patty with peppers, 1 slice of Ezekiel bread, 1 banana

Mid morning : Chicken, spinach salad, 1 banana, 1/2 c black beans

Lunch : Same sometimes a sandwich from my favorite deli

Mid-afternoon: Chicken, vegetable, rice and apple with peanut butter

Dinner : Chicken with broccoli with reduced sodium soy sauce

PM snack: Chocolate Vegan Shakeology. I typically crave LOADS of sugar at night for some reason and this is my cure all :)

Well there you have it my boring meal day! On the weekend I am more adventurous because I have the kitchen at my disposal but there you have it. I do not count calories I think that it is a waste of time and it is not accurate anyway, this plan here keeps me full and not hungry through out the day and my body responds well to it. I don't feel deprived and some days during the week I add snacks like pretzels and hummus and what not. i am not afraid of carbs and I eat them every day :)

If you have any questions or would like to join one of my Eat Clean Challenges I host monthly please let me know. Email me or facebook friend request me

jeannettealverio@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com/jeannette.alverio

Inspiration

I love a good motivational quote to bring me back done to my level so I am sharing ones that inspire me with you and hope that they inspire you too. My favorite all time quote came from my Dad. He told me that I could do whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it and that still rings true today!

I have been blessed beyond measure and there are so many days where I can look back and see the blessings that have been bestowed upon me and I am in amazement. If you keep trying you will succeed don't ever give up on whatever you do and your hard work will be rewarded!

I hope you are all having a great day before the weekend!


Jeannette

Are you up for a challenge?

I Have THE best news EVER! Are you ready for a CHALLENGE?

I love challenges and I love being in competition with other people! It makes me strive for better within myself. Typically, I work harder and know that I am working FOR something and WINNING is the best part! I mean who doesn't like to WIN?! I know that I do! ha ha ha! So here it is. I have decided to REVAMP things up a little bit here and do 30 day challenges!

If you are ready for the challenge here it is for you!

I am going to host a 30 day Brazil Butt Lift Challenge and a 30 day Turbofire Challenge, both of them running in March you get to pick which one you would like to do! Both of them do not require you to buy any additional equipment so that's definitely a plus! 

So how does this work?

1. You have to purchase either a Brazil Butt Lift or Turbofire Challenge pack.
2. Included in the challenge pack is your workout, Shakeology, 30 days to the Team Beachbody Membership and myself as your coach.
3. I add you to a private Facebook group for 30 days.
4. I give you a meal plan and tips on how to get the most out of your nutrition and your workout.
5. You will have daily accountability assignments so you are able to engage and learn more about yourself and your dietary habits.

Ok so if this is a challenge is there a prize?

YES! There sure is! If you are the "Biggest Winner" than you will receive a $50 Visa Gift Card so that you can start to buy yourself your new wardrobe! This is the first time that I have ever offered this and certainly wouldn't be the last.

To sign up please email me or leave a comment below and we can get you started on your Bikini Body!!!!

This is only open to 5 challengers per group, my spots go fast!!!

Jeannettealverio@yahoo.com
www.facebook.com/jeannette.alverio

Recipe: My favorite salad

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

I love eating a salad for lunch. I know that it sounds typical and what not for those people that are on a "diet" but I really do. I love the idea of throwing everything into a bowl and just chowing down. I am addicted to my crock pot and use it often on the weekends since I spend most of my time running around the house getting my chores done and getting everything ready for the start of a new week.

Typically I batch cook my chicken for a day or two so that way I can do things like this or throw the chicken in a pan with some peppers and make some super easy fajitas! OLE lol. Well here is the recipe I hope you enjoy!!!!

 

8 cups chopped spinach (1 bag)
1 cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
1/2 cup corn (frozen, canned, or cut off the cob)
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large avocado, sliced
1/2 c black beans (optional)

DRESSING:
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place spinach in a large salad bowl. add remaining salad ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss (a little at a time... as much dressing as you desire).

Why it has to come to an end

Being at my challenge group training this weekend really opened my eyes to a lot of things. Since I have started training for a competition a number of things have happened.

I started training in December and it was really on a whim, I am a girl that totally does these things. Act now deal with the consequences later, yup that would be me. Ever since I have started in December the Money Monster has come and bit me in the rear end. With competiting I knew that there was money involved I just didn't realize how much! Long story short I have been dead broke and giving my money away to competition. My grocery bill also went up to about double because I have been eating out my fridge every week which is a good thing but one thing at a time you know?

I have been praying for God to give me direction on where I wanted to go with my life. I wanted to know if Beachbody, Photography, or just the Guard was my answer I was ready and willing to take whatever he gave me. So in the past thirty days my business has been booming and I can't be any happier. I am a true beliver that God will work in a way that he sends you signs and you just have to be willing to see them. My sign was this YOUARE BROKE AND YOUR BUSINESS IS STARTING TO TAKE OFF. I made it to Pittsburg in the midst of a blizzard and made it back home in time for work. It dawned on me the morning after I got to Pittsburg. The reason I am there is the way that I need to go. Some of you may think it's crazy but here's the thing I believe it and that is all that matters.

In December I also made a vision board and as you can see a fitness competition was NOT even on my vision board.....it's not something that I REALLY wanted to do. I wanted to take this year to travel with my husband and to see family and to save the money to do that.

So where am I going with this? Well, I am going to quit the competition because it doesn't align with my goals or my wallet. Competing has a heft price tag that I am not willing to give away. I have other things that I want to do with my time and money. In addition to that while the CSF meal plan is AMAZING I found myself getting overly obsessive about the food I ate and felt bad if I ate some popcorn in the evening and was always left with guilt. It was not something that was worth me worrying over. I am truly happy with my size and my weight and love being in "maintenence" mode. NOW wanna hear something crazy and which is another SIGN that was shown to me;

While I was at Kati's house this weekend she told me that Body Beast (a Beachbody workout) was hosting a fitness competition in Las Vegas and it is 1.) Free and 2.) I don't have to buy an expensive $200 bathing suit to participate. All I have to do is pay for airfare and a hotel room for the evening. If that isn't a sign.......wait a minute Jesus you are telling me that I can prosper in my business, use own of my products that cost me $68 for three months versus $79/ month plus $1500-$2000 to compete and do it for about $400 total......I think I am going to think about this. In the mean time I am going to order Body Beast and keep competition on the side burner and see what happens, if I don't compete at least I can look like a competition girl for less money and on my terms.......

Why it works!

I have been drinking this stuff called Shakeology for over a year now and I can say nothing bad about it! I love it so much and so glad that it is part of my daily life! I don't have cravings anymore, I have been able to maintain my weight, I don't get bloated and best of all I know that I am giving my body all natrual ingredients to keep it running at top performance. Another great thing is that I HAVE NOT BEEN SICK this winter or the one prior to that! I know that with out it I would have to supplement my body with so much more. I don't have to worry about OMEGA-3's fish oil and a multi-vitamin it's all in there! Can't beat that! :) See for yourself.

Tips on healthy eating

I am currently running a 30 day eat clean challenge on Facebook for friends of mine that currently want to learn how to better eat healthy and how to decrease their grocery budget. So far it has been a HIT and there are so many people that are gaining clarity on what a healthy lifestyle is. It truly warms my heart when people tell me about their changes toward a healthier lifestyle! I digress, I apologize I am just SO happy for my challengers!

I know that there are many people that don't understand this "lifestyle" and I wanted to share my 2 cents on what it really is and how it is not a diet. So I created a little tip list that I have used to help me out and now I pass it along to you :)

Start building every meal with a lean protein- eggs, turkey breast, chicken breast, lean red meat, bison, game meats, fish, shellfish. You can have protein drinks and I would limit them to no more than 2 times per day.

Eat your veggies - Eat at least 5-6 servings of vegetables (non-starchy carbs). One for every meal or snack or two different vegetables for each meal. Refer to the food list in the tabbed section of the blog. 

Eat at least 2 fruits per day

Eat whole grain carbohydrates but keep them at a minimum. If you work out a lot than you can have more but keeping them at a minimum in your daily diet is ideal.

Eat mostly foods that are natural. Did this food come from a tree, farm, plant, ground, did it walk fly or swim? Then you can have it, if not then you shouldn't. Same goes with labels if you cannot pronounce the name of the foods than it is PROCESSED.

Eat 5-6 times a day with a meal or snack every two to four hours.

Follow the 90/10 rule. Keep your good nutrition 90% of the time while the other 10 gives you room to indulge and keep this lifestyle

Epiphany!

Wow! What a weekend! We had a major snow storm and we have been out of power for some time and I have a LIST of blog posts that I want to share with you all. I am currently at work writing this in the hopes that when I get back home I will be able to post this on the blogger site. We have been out of power since Friday night and have about 1-1/2 feet of snow on the ground. Our area was affected by the snow storm the worst as about 80% of the area is still without power. One of the perks of being in the military is that we get power first because we are mission essential which is pretty darn amazing! :) I am ready to get back home into my house and to sleep on my own bed. I cannot wait but if the power isn't back by Tuesday night we are going to see if we can take off to go to Florida. I was going to go there anyway because I have the half marathon to run/walk on the 24th of this month! I am kind of hoping that we can leave early but in the same I want my home back!!! I am sure you can relate. 

Despite the snow storm in the Massachusetts area I went to Pittsburg for a Beachbody Challenge training. I have to say that it was pretty amazing. Not so much the training which had amazing information, but I was able to sit in a room with fellow coaches which was AMAZING for me! I had never attended any of the Beachbody events and was so happy that I attended this one. I flew in Friday morning and met my upline coach Kati Heifner. She is just as cute and bubbly as she appears to be online. She is just the sweetest thing! I adore her and her hospitality was AMAZING! I have nothing but good things to say about her. I met Emily and Jess whom were sisters and Alyssa and Christine. I know you don't know them but WOW what a great bunch of people. It wasn't weird or awkward or anything just total ease. We shared tips and motivated each other to progress into our businesses which was pretty amazing!!!! I had come to a few epiphanies during the whole process and being mentored is exactly what I needed and put me back on the right track! I can say that there will be changes coming in the future with myself and this blog.

You will be able to find more recipes and nutrition help and workout reviews. I will also have my own YouTube channel so that way I can interact with my readers and those that enjoy a good video. I can't wait for all of you reading to watch me grow! It is something that I am scared and curious of!

Until next time!

The BEST chili ever!

This is usually my go to recipe when I am feeling lazy and don't want to do anyting in regards to my kitchen. I can cook this on the pot and seriously I don't have to do anything but stir! Open up the cans and what not and pour and go! Can we say FAST FOOD! Seriously!!! I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I am thankful to Chalene Johnson's husband for making it! Ha ha!

Quick tip: Freeze whatever you have left over and eat later or use your Tupperware and eat for lunch the next day!

Serves 4




Turbo Fire Chili Recipe1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
8oz whole kernel corn, canned
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
8oz black beans, canned
8oz pinto, chili, or kidney beans, canned
1tbsp tomato paste
1 pkg Lawrey's Chili seasoning
4 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional)


Brown turkey. Drain and discard any fat. Place all ingredients except cheese into a slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on low, or 2 hours on high. Top with 1 oz. cheese, if desired. 

You can also cook on the stove top for 30-45 minutes when all flavors have come together.

My favorite salad dressing

When I went to Cathy Savage Camp I was so excited when I ordered my lunches and dinner. I mean who doesn't want healthy cooked for them. I know that I didn't want to worry about a meal plan when I went there all I wanted to do was to learn the whole competition process! I was so glad with my decision because I found THE best salad dressing recipe!

I am currently obsessed with my salad too which I will post below!

Dressing

1/3 c white balsamic
1/3 olive oil
3 TBS dijon mustard more if you'd like
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
dash of lemon juice
4 tbs honey

Mix it all together and enjoy you can adjust any portion of this to make it more to your liking but I would keep the vinegar and the oil the same :)

My salad:

4 oz chicken seasoned with garlic, pepper, and a little salt
1 cup spinach
cucumbers
1/2 avocado
1 plum tomato

Mix all of that with the dressing above and you have one of the BEST meals EVER!!!

Enjoy

Superbowl Salsa

I love the Superbowl but not really for the game. More for the commercials, kickoff, half time show and the FOOD. I am competing and I think my days of cheats are over :( SO I am going to go out with a bang because tomorrow starts my prep, but hey the sooner I get it done the sooner I can go back to my normal healthy life. I know that many are going to use this as their cheat day too and that's ok I mean come on who isn't going to eat wings or some healthy version of them! Ha! Anyway I decided that I am going to post my favorite salsa recipe along with my veggie pizza recipe but I will post that later once I am able to grab some pictures of it. Here is the recipe. This is more like the salsa that you would see at a traditional Mexican restaurant.

1 can crushed tomato
1 cup cilantro
1 onion
2 jalapenos you can also use the canned ones and make sure to add some of the juices into it.
3 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp salt (to taste start slow and add more as necessary)

Blend all of these ingredients into a food processor and chill for about an hour before serving.

Enjoy!!!!

1 Full Month of CSF

Well the month of Jan it done and over and I have been on the CSF program for about 6 weeks now and I am really seeing some serious changes in my body. I can totally attribute that to my diet. I am seriously eating a BUNCH more than I ever have in my life. I seriously thought that my portions were good and they were I was just indulging too much. Everything is slimming out and I have not cut anything out of my diet.

I have eaten chicken wings and my microwave popcorn that I love so much but I have it in LESS moderation than I was having it before. I think one day I ate 4 bags in a sitting because I was watching television and it just tasted so good. Anyway I have learned even more about portion control and the true meaning of Clean Eating! I can really say that I am happy about that and the more I learn the more well rounded of a person I become. I have started a FB challenge for Clean Eating and I am totally excited about it. It has grocery lists recipes and everything it's going to be pretty cool! The best part is that I have the most challengers ever and it's FREE so I know people are eating that up! I love love love it when people want to get healthy! It makes me so happy and even if it doesn't click the first time around most people that come across my path eventually get it and create their own way with it which pleases me and gives me such a sense of warmth inside. That's really what it is all about taking in the information and making it your own and doing what works for you :). I only have my experience to what works but have tons of general information that you can plug into and make your own.

So I digressed BIG time there. This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining the Cathy Savage Camp where we learned a TON about competitions. How to pose, walk, eat, what to do, when to do it and we got an assessment from Cathy herself which was really awesome! It was totally worth the money and I was able to hang out with some super awesome people. I mean you would think (well me being me) that you are going to COMPETE against these women and it should be ugly because this one won a world title or that one placed in her show but it wasn't catty AT ALL. I have met some of the SWEETEST women in one place. The girls weren't even this nice in the Army or the Coast Guard, but living with people is a totally different monster to tackle lol (benefit of the doubt). If you want discipline and don't want to do a beachbody program because you are more into the gym I would totally say that this is the way to go :) Well here are my end of the month progress pic. Enjoy!