Love yourself

Recently I came across a blog talking about Loving yourself. If you want to read it you can find it HERE. This post really hit home with me and left me stumped for a few days. All I did was think and think about loving myself. 

What does that mean? I am living in here in this body.....I should love myself of course I love myself I feed me and bathe me etc. The thing is, is that I totally find myself criticizing myself and looking at what I need to fix rather than looking at WHO I am and ACCEPTING that. I was looking at all of the negative and not so much of the positive in me. As always there is room for improvement in any area of life but at the core of me and you we should all love ourselves. I don't love me the same way I love my husband, he is perfect to me and his flaws are just fine with me so why can't I be like that with myself?

My childhood and my life before where I am not is not pretty and it left me with some serious self doubt about who I was as a person and it left me not loving myself instead I completely lost myself. I didn't know who I was and I still don't really know that answer but I am more conscious in figuring who I am and what it really means to love myself.

I am going to start with doing things that I like instead of following the crowd. I am going to start looking at myself and noticing the beautiful me and compliment myself at how well I am doing and being constructive with myself. I am going to start treating my body right so that I can also be at optimal health and finally showing the beauty that I have inside me to others. By that I mean treating those with respect and as I would want to be treated. Finally, I will be caring more about my appearance, I only have this one life to live and I need to let that girly side out every once in awhile. 

I am very excited about the epiphany that has been brought to me and I am excited that I was able to share it. 

Take care and be well! 

 
 

Going Veg

I don't know if I had mentioned it before but I saw the movie Vegucated and it really touched my heart at how cruel our food industry is. I guess in the end there is no real "humane" way to kill anything if you really think about it but I don't know what this move has done to me but man it changed so much! Anyway I made a deal in my head that I would give up caffeine and start eating a less meat diet and I have been doing it for 2 days now. I am also weaning myself off of meat because next month I am doing the Ultimate Reset and I HATE feeling sick and I hear that it is a symptom of detoxing so I want to alleviate that before I go into it all. I hate being addicted to things and I don't want any holds on me anymore.

Yesterday I had a GGS (Glowing Green Smoothie), pancakes, quinoa and black beans, chicken with tomato I only had 2 oz of chicken and some pita chips and hummus along with my shakeology. I didn't eat as many vegetables that I thought I would but I felt great!

Today I had a bowl of cereal, popcorn, vegan chili with beans the recipe that I posted for meatless Monday and a GGS. With my chili I had avocado and bread, that meal didn't have veggies either...seems I need to work on that huh? I also had made some sweet potato gnocci and eww I didn't like it so I ate my ground turkey with pea and tomato with potato with asparagus. Anyway day 2 without caffeine. I had 2 cups of green tea I am TIRED now. My eyeballs are burning and I feel SO full I blame that on the gnocci though it was really super dense.

For some reason this time is harder than the last to go meatless, maybe it is because I am thinking too much about it but tomorrow will be Meatless Monday and I have my meals all planned and ready to take them with me so I am excited about that. I am taking this thing one day at a time and know that it is a process and a marathon type of thing. Maybe I gave up too much at one time but to be honest caffeine is what I want to kick the most at the moment because I was drinking a cup of coffee and a Red Bull every day. It was starting to get pretty expensive lol.

I shall let you know how Meatless Monday goes. I have duty so what I bring with me is what I have to eat so I think I will be just fine, if I find myself frustrated than I'll head down to the gym and run on the treadmill :)

Meatless Monday Meal Plan & Grocery List

Sorry this is later than my scheduled post my son had strep and was not himself all weekend. Than God is he fine now :) 


I am going to make this first meal plan easy because I am all about simplicity. I am not high maintenance and literally take 5-30 minutes to get out of the house on a regular day, need I say more?

Breakfast :

Whole grain cereal like Kashi with almond milk and a banana with berries.

Snack:

Apple with almonds

Lunch:

Vegetarian Chili with spinach salad (recipe will follow)

Snack:

Glowing green smoothie OR Avocado toast

Dinner:

Spaghetti and sauce with steamed green beans or veggie of choice


Grocery List: (this is all inclusive take out what you don't need)

Whole grain cereal                    Chili powder
Almond milk                             brown sugar
bananas                                      cayenne pepper
berries                                        bay leaves
apples                                         whole grain or gluten free noodles
almonds
romaine
pears
spinach
2 cans diced tomato
1 can black beans
1 can any type of bean you would like
salsa verde
jalapenos
avocado
Ezekiel toast
marinara pasta sauce
green beans
tomato paste
onion
bell pepper
veggie broth
garlic
cumin

Vegetarian Chili thekindlife.com   http://thekindlife.com/blog/post/hot-damn-vegan-meatless-chili

2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes (preferably no salt added)
2 15-oz cans of beans (at least one black bean with options of black, pinto, or kidney for the other)
½ medium onion, minced
1 bell pepper, minced—it’s best to use the food processor to retain the liquid from the pepper (green or red; if you use red it can eliminate the need to use sugar, depending on taste)
1-2 jalapeños diced (depending on desired level of spice), seeds removed (or leave in 3-5 seeds for more of a kick)
½ cup salsa verde
1 cup “not chicken” broth or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp +1/2 tps cumin (or more, to taste)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
½ tsp pepper, or more to taste
2 bay leaves

1. Start by pouring half of the can of black beans with some of the juice from the can into a food processor or blender. Puree. Empty the remainder of the can and the additional can of beans into a colander and rinse. Set aside.

2. Sautee onions and garlic in a large pot until the onion becomes translucent.

3. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño, and salsa verde and cook for about three minutes with the lid on. Then add all other ingredients and cover.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low-medium heat and let simmer for at least 40 minutes.

Meatless Monday

I have heard of Meatless Monday for awhile now but never really thought too much about it until recently. I have been playing with the idea of not eating meat for a few weeks now and as time passes it becomes more and more prevalent in my life.

www.meatlessmonday.com

 

It is not something that you can totally change in one day and as a matter of fact I have been having trouble inside my mind with it because of how "new" it all still is. I know that I battle with being tired all the time, acne on my face, among a few other things and this is really calling to me. Not to mention the long lasting effects of it when I get older. I don't know for sure if I will want to go full vegetarian or vegan right now but all I know today is that I want to play around with more vegetable ladden meals.

I am going to start a weekly blog post on Monday's for Meatless Monday. I will find different sources and creat a meal plan every week for Meatless Monday. You can join in if you want to and you can totally read this and say negative things or not care and that's fine too it is a free country :) I will also post a grocery list of the things that you may need for Monday in order to make your Meatless Monday a success. This meal plan is not going to be counting calories or anything it is just going to be a good simple edible meals that pique my interest and hopefully pique yours as well.

I will post all meal plans and recipes on Friday or Saturday and that will leave you any of those days to go grocery shopping :)

I hope you participate! How awesome will that be?

I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Jeannette

Personal thoughts......

Today is not going to be fitness or nutrition related. More about my life in general.

My life is unlike others because it is mine. No one knows what is going on in my head and the closest that anyone has and ever will be to me are a few close friends and my husband and children.

I have thought about this post for a few days now and I was thinking well....how can I say this without that and what not but here it goes.

I just finished my last class for my Bachelors Degree and I am a second time college graduate! I mean how amazing is that? It is something that a few years ago I really truly only dreamed of. 

I grew up in a childhood where my Dad was the bread winner and my Mom stayed at home with us while we were going to school. My Fathers side of the family had all gone to college and were very successful, my Mothers side of the family...well not so much. We now have a few high school and college graduates but not like my Dad's side. I knew that college was something that we couldn't afford and I didn't know anything about financial aid so I went to the Army but I had wanted to do that because my Dad and Brother were in the military and I wanted to be like them. I waited until I was in 11th grade signed up and bam 2 weeks after I graduated I was off to boot camp. College wasn't an option for me because I didn't care about it because I couldn't afford it and didn't really see the value in it. I later got out of the military and my ex and I were pregnant and lived with both of our parents and I ended up going to college until he decided that he was going to get into the Army and off to Germany we went. Online school wasn't really so much of a big deal back then and University Of Phoenix was around but it seemed fake but they are the pioneers in online school now. Any how I gave college up went to work odd and end jobs then stayed at home with our son B. To make a long story short we were broke as HELL and we could barley keep our head above water and there were so many things that as I grew up I knew I wanted but couldn't have them because we couldn't afford it. On that list was being a Personal Trainer, getting my degree in criminal justice and getting a D-SLR camera. They didn't all happen at the same time often times I would revisit the ideas and then let them go. My ex-husband didn't tell me NO but he didn't really support the fact that I wanted to do something with myself either. 

Fast forward.......I got divorced and I was in the Coast Guard. I became empowered by the fact that I was divorced and no one can no longer tell me NO. I had lost myself in my previous marriage and I needed to do something so I got all of these titles. I became a personal trainer like I always wanted to but never did anything with it, I got my Associates degree and signed up for my Bachelors Degree and now those are done and I initially did it for Officer Candidate School that I no longer have the desire to attend, I became certified in nutrition so I could have credentials and I did get my D-SLR thank to my Rockstar AMAZING Hubs and now I am learning how to master the art of photography. My point is I have spent the past 4 years trying to prove that I could do all of these things and now that I know that I can I don't really know where to go from here..........

I have goals but they aren't ME. I am left thinking now what do I REALLY want for ME. Where am I going to go from here and what does the Man Upstairs really have planned for me because I am done proving that I can to those people that frankly don't care what I do.

Right now I know that I do not want to be tied down by schedules and deadlines and I just want to have fun with my family and that is what I shall do, for now. I need to get some deep thought and some things are becoming clear.  

1. I don't want to follow a workout routine. I will workout everyday but to what I feel like working out too 5-6 days a week.
2. I want to study to make the next rank in my career.
3. I am comfortable with my body and I like it exactly where it is.
4. I love my family and I can't wait to have fun with them.
5. I want to explore my photography more.

Maybe for right now that is all I need......maybe it is time for me to take it slow and not think too much into what's next and just go with the voice in my head that shows me what I want to do at a given time.

What's the value???

I became a Beachbody Coach to help other people lose weight and to get fit. Of course that is what everyone who is a Coach will tell you, but there is always more to that isn't it? I know how hard it is to lose weight I tried all the fad diets that Dr. Oz talks about with the exception of those "crazy" cleanses. I just never relaly had an interest. I did the pill thing, the bar thing, the shake thing, the South Beach Diet thing and none of those really worked out for me. Why?? Because it never taught me what moderation was, it never taught me that to lose weight I had to EAT RIGHT? But what does that mean?? To eat from the 4 food groups to know that I was going to mess up but that I didn't need an extremeist all or nothing mentality about it.

I mean think about it for a second please............When you open one of these diet books you have to change everything and whether we like it or not food is our lives. We probably eat more and think about food more than maybe sleep and how we don't get enough of that either. This book that has the REVOLUTION on getting YOU skinny or in shape tells you to drop EVERYTHING that tastes good to you and clear out your whole entire pantry of everything because its WRONG and it'll make you FAT and will keep you the way you are. Well how is that for a confidence booster???

My whole take on Coaching is to get you to where you want to be by helping YOU transform into the person that YOU want to me. Not what anyone else tells you that you need to be. What YOU need to be for YOU! I want what is best for you by introducing new things to you and helping you create new habits when YOU are ready for them, not when I think that you are ready for them. There is the food and there is the exercise as well.

I used to be a personal trainer but I can't physically be there for everyone who wants my help or even thinks to give me a shot at helping them, and it's why I found Coaching to be the next best thing to having me there with you. Beachbody programs ARE the whole package and I want to break down to you why.

As a personal trainer I was able to charge $50 a 1 hour session. You would see me 1-3 times a week so let's make this that you want to see me three times a week for the first month and then twice a week for month 2&3.

$1400 is what that would cost you for 3 times a week and then 2.
$600 if you wanted to see me once a week for 3 months.
Sometimes you get deals at gyms where it's $99/month but then you are still talking $300 a month.

PLUS your gym membership which can be anywhere from $25-79/month  
 **$75-$237 for three months** 

Grand total using the most expensive

$1637.00 for 3 months  (high) first trainer example at $79/month gym free
$777.00 for 3 months    (Meduim) $59/month with seeing me once a week
$375 for three months  (Low) $99 trainer deal in addition to $25/month membership fee
**You buy your supplements on your own dime**



Beachbody programs are a deal because you can have a beginner, intermediate, and advanced workout with Shakeology for up to $140 - $180/month and you pay no more than that for the three months if you order one month of Shakeology.

Shakeology will cost you $119 additional per month and $89 if you sign up for a discount (after the first month)

With Beachbody programs
you get the trainer, you learn proper form,
you can do it at your own time, and
your  home is your gym so your membership fees are FREE.

In addition to all of that you get put into a challenge group and you get a coach and hopefully you will get lucky and find one like me who actually cares about how you are doing and will go off the deep end to ensure that you get the most for your money because even though Beachbody programs are cheaper than hiring and trainer and paying a gym membership it is a lot of money to just hand off.

Don't get me wrong you have to put in the work but I go out of my way to make sure you are meeting all of your goals and if not finding a way to better help you out.

I know that there are some people that love the gym and do the "gym rat" thing. I do it too, I have moments where being in the gym enviornment fuels me and makes me work out that much harder and I love the atmosphere that is there. I also love the fact that I can workout at home and not have to travel to the gym when it is cold outside or I just wanna workout in my pajamas......YES I do it when I get up at 5AM. One thing isn't going to work for everyone but at the same time if cost is keeping you from getting a Beachbody program maybe you want to re-think it a little bit and maybe I have put things into perspective for you.

IF throwing a whole $140 and up is what is scaring you save the $$ for a few months like I did when I started out. Now that I am a coach I get my 25% discount and it has paid me back ten-fold in being able to afford more of the workouts that I love. I thought about buying P90X for 3 months before I actually went for it so trust me I understand especially if you don't know anyone that has done it because I too thought the commericals were bogus.

I love Beachbody and what it has done for my life but I am not going to sit on a pedestal and tell you that I just LOVED it as soon as I saw it HA nope!!!!! I was skeptical about Shakeology and thought it was just another gimmick and was seriously going to return it after I had a few shakes because I "KNEW" that it was going to be the same as every other shake out there, now I am hooked. I just took the plunge and went for it and hopefully this puts things into perspecitve to do something too :)

Have a wonderful Friday Eve!!!!!!!

Nutribullet Review

I recently ordered the NutriBullet for myself. I was initially looking into a Vitamix but my budget was not liking that idea since I have been trying to get out of debt. That is more important to me right now so I opted for the 6 payments of 19.95 to lessen the blow and keep it within my $200 bi-weekly have fun money. Anyway I am not really sure that you wanted to know all about my finances, and I digress :)

I ordered the Nutribullet while I was at home in Florida and it was waiting for me to arrive at the door on Saturday when we got home from our long long long and adventurous drive back to Plymouth. I used it on Sunday to make my first Glowing Green Smoothie. I was a little bit intimidated at first. I mean I have had a green drink before but I stared at the thing for about an hour before I drank it because I had no clue if that ugly green juice was going to be yummy or not. Pretty much the expectations that I had with Coconut water and that was a disaster I must say. YUCK anyway, I made my green smoothie and was a bit worried about the taste and the consistency of it but overall it was really good.

The NutriBullet was able to break everything down and make everything as smooth as smooth can be. The Green Smoothie taste a bit like leaves but I attribute that to not having enough fruit in it but overall it was yummy and I have made one every day since them and enjoy them. I feel like they give me a boost of evergy when I do drink them and I am totally happy about that. I really like the thing and it has not given me any problems. It did leak yesterday but that was my own fault I loaded it with too much green ;) it is what it is and I was expecting it to happen and it did LOL.

So far I am enjoying it and I am very happy with my purchase and don't regret it at all. I can't wait to make more stuff in it but I have to wait for my GGS ingredients to run out before I go out and buy more. I don't plan on following the transition plan that comes with the book, I just wanted it to juice or blend my vegetables without having to spend over $400 on a blender contraption :)

P.S. I was not paid for this review I just wanted to throw one out there for those of you that are reading and wanted a clue as to how/if I liked it and there it is :)

Life

It has been some time since I have been on here and I feel like I have so much to say! 

I guess I will start with my workout! LOL I am on Body Beast Day 2 and I am already feeling the sore from my triceps and the workout this morning which was legs. I hear it is brutal I guess more to come on that update huh? I have been eating pretty well but I feel so fluffy and I think it is because of the influx of carbs that I have been eating the past few days. It has been all pasta based dished for the past three days and I seriously think it is time to change it up! 

I am doing eMeals (no I am not endorsing) and all of the meals for the plan weren't that great and were in fact all pasta or turkey burger type dishes.....I am kicking myself for that one now but I didn't alternate like I should have I suppose. It also may be because I have been messing around with the Glowing Green Smoothie that Kimberly Snyder has out there that I have been trying but maybe that's what it's from ha ha. I don't know. Back to Body Beast though I really like the program! I have been getting up at 5 AM to get the workout done and out of the way and I can say that it has been a blessing to get it done and over with and not have to worry about anything else through out the day. You would think by looking at the workout sheets that the program isn't going to be brutal but that's just a lie because man it is brutal when you are done lol. It is a great workout and I seriously would not be intimidated by it at all if you are a woman and wanting to get into shape. 

I will show you progress pictures through out the program so that you can see that you won't BULK up or anything like that if you are a woman looking into a quick weight lifting workout. I lvoe it because it is between 35 and 45 minutes which is ideal for me as I don't really have that much time through out the day to get the workout done unless it's during my lunch time but I would have to use the gym for that and I am not all that comfortable with the workouts yet to do them off memory or just by the name. 

Well that is all for now. I hope that you all have had a wonderful day!!!!
 

It's kind of how I feel about my belly right now lol