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What's Working?

 First, I try and start my day with Shakeology.  Not because I always want to, but because it's what I have time for.  I've been using it for over 4 months and I haven't stopped yet.  It's good stuff with a good purpose.  It's quick and easy to throw in the blender or a shaker cup with some milk or coffee, add a little PB2 if I have time.  It starts my day off right, gives me energy, makes me feel full, curbs cravings and if I start my day off right, I tend to follow through better.  Why ruin lunch if I already have done good half the day?!

GOALS
I have them and I like having them.  If you don't have goals, what do you have to work towards?  What's going to make you the best you that you can be?  I have goals and I find it helps me to do things when I otherwise might not.  They keep me on track to having a better future.  They keep me working on me and focusing on what I want.  Every decision I make focuses on what do I want and how does this play into the big picture.

I make grocery lists and don't shop when I'm hungry.  Somehow I manage and my kids want things like apples.  I'd like to think I have something to do with that, but my kids make healthier food choices than I ever have.  They live for peanut butter on chocolate rice cakes topped with bananas.  Their snacks are things like apples and fruit snacks.  And, they have Halloween candy from last year!  We keep good food in the house and I always cut up veggies when I bring them home.  It makes healthy options convenient and an easier option than making cookies or brownies.

I also try and eat at home.  It's easier to make good food choices at home.  Eating out throws me off track every time, but I'm getting better at ordering a salad or something grilled, getting a half order and getting the veggies instead of fries or at least a baked potato.

WATER.  I drink it.  You should too.  Not tea, not soda, not juice, not beer, not wine, just plain, clear, healthy, clean WATER.

EXERCISE- It makes it happen.  It gets endorphins flowing and makes me feel good every time I do it!  Not only that, it helps burn fat, gain muscle and get rid of that handful of M&Ms I couldn't help but grab from the cabinet.

 Plank.  It works everything, everywhere, all at the same time.  It works the core, it works the legs, it works the arms and all those muscles you didn't really know you have.  Start planking.  I did.


Staying active.  It's not hard with a 18 month old, a 3 year old and a puppy.  But, I have my lazy days.  I just have to pull myself out of the chair I'm snuggling my kiddos in and get on my feet.  Once in motion, it's so much easier.  An added Turbo Fire workout here and there helps too.  And, I've been swimming laps and doing water aerobics while the local swimming pool is open.

Party Snacks!

How awesome are these party snacks!?
Thank you to Jessica Lambert for this one!

Choices.

We all have that day when we wake up and decide we need to make a change for the better.  It's after that moment, that realization, that you can either make that change temporary or permanent.  Permanent change takes dedication, commitment, time, energy, effort, devotion.  You have to make the choice each and every time you have a decision to make.  There's two choices, one for the old and one for the new.  You just have to decide what you want more.  It takes 21 days to make or break a habit.  So, start making great habits every day and they'll stick for a lifetime.  The choices that are hard, get easier and the choices that are easy become habit.  I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying that if it's something you desire to have in your life, or not have in your life, you can make the changes required to make it happen.  Change your activity level, change your nutrition, change your body.  So, keep going, keep working, keep trying to be the you that you yearn to be.

ANNOUNCING: Shake It! September

 Ever wanted to slim your waistline?  Take off those extra 10 pounds?  Look great in those skinny jeans?

 Choose your path today for your health.

 Can you commit to 30 days for your health?  Can you give yourself a month to make better decisions, live healthier, eat healthier and LOVE it!?

Shakeology has helped me and so many people reach their health goals.

30 Days
30 Shakes
30 Workouts of your choice

Get active in your life and health today and make the change!

Once you make the decision to make changes in your life, you'll see just how easy it can be to make small changes that add up to a HUGE overall picture in life and how one positive thing can spew over into other areas of your life.

 Shakeology comes in 3 flavors:

Chocolate

Greenberry

Tropical Strawberry

Advertise products

You could take all these supplements, or just drink a yummy shake!

Order your challenge pack here!

Getting Closer...

In my health and fitness goals, I'm getting closer all the time.  I've lost enough fat that my husband actually told me to buy new clothes.  So, I got online to order some clothes only to have no idea what size to order.  So, measurements are what I had to go off of.  In taking my measurements, I realized in the last month I've taken another 2 inches off my waist!  What a great feeling to work hard at fitness and nutrition for months and be able to see such a difference.

What am I doing to make this difference? 

Shakeology, for 120 days, I've been drinking it faithfully.  It's not a miracle shake that makes you lose weight....or is it?  In drinking it faithfully, it has cleansed my body, shrank my stomach, kept me from getting hungry, given me the energy I need to keep up with my boys (18 months and 3 years) and a puppy, curbed cravings, kicked a nasty cup-a-day coffee habit AND best of all, it tastes good!

Staying active.  Whether it's P90X before the kids get up, swimming laps through the lunch hour, H2O aerobics in the evening, chasing 2 kids and a puppy or just getting out and enjoying the nice weather, I have been more active in the last 120 days than I have in the last few years.  Even though my boys sleep through the night, I have a puppy that needs let out.  So, for those moms out there that think they can't do this because they don't have the energy, try the Shakeology.  It helps!

Eating right.  I'm working with the 80/20 rule.  Shakeology helps, I get one solid, great, nutritionally sound meal in that.  Snacks thoughout the day and fruits and veggies help curb snacking on the bad stuff.  And, WATER.  Lots and lots of water!

Choose Control

Pushing Your Goals and Your Push Goal

I've said how much I admire Chalene Johnson before.  She's amazing.  She's been in over 150 fitness videos, is a fitness coach, an expert on fitness, a work/life balance expert, and she helps people change their lives from the ground up!   What's not to love?  Okay.  I get it, only in case of jealousy and envy can you actually hate her.  But, once you read her and work out with her, she'll change your life.  Check her out at http://www.chalenejohnson.com and get up to speed.   Read her book, Push.  You can thank me for suggesting it later.

Chalene raves about her smart phone and how it changed her life.  After reading Push, and breaking my phone, I finally joined the smartphone revolution and bought my first smartphone, the Motorola Electrify.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  Do I enjoy having everything in one place?  More than I could have imagined.  Has it enhanced my life? I'll go out on a limb and say yes.  But, it has helped me get a little more organized and stopped me from running around in circles looking for that grocery list I misplace and the to-do list that I forgot the last item on.

To have goals, you have to decide what's important to you.  What's the one thing you wish you could improve on?  What's the one area of your life you're unhappy with?  What thing about yourself would you change if you had the power or willpower to?  These questions and more can get you to your goals and help you set them.  Beyond setting goals, you have to have action steps to reach them.  Ok, so you want to lose 10 lbs, now how are you going to do that?  Workouts? Meal replacement? Increased activity level? Better Nutrition?  Only you can make those choices.  Now, after you have decided your goals, what's the one goal that would change your life the most?  What goal aligns with your happiness so much that it's the ultimate goal?  That's your push goal!  Ideas like these are exactly what Chalene talks about in Push.  She goes way beyond these simple, basics of smart phone use and goals.  But, it all goes along with streamlining your life into what's important to you and forgetting the rest!  It changes your life in more ways than you could dream.

Such A Great Feeling!

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone!

Read Labels

 If you know the nutritional values of your food, it's easier to know what you have and don't have daily.  It seems daunting at first, I know.  But, it becomes second nature after a while.  If you're getting enough vitamins, but lacking on minerals like Iron, Zinc and Potassium, you're more likely to meet your nutritional needs long before symptoms of lacking in those minerals appear. Head off nutritional deficiencies before they become real problems!

Fitness For Busy Moms

Look less like this

And more like this

Isn't that every mom's goal?  Juggle everything and still have your sanity, healthy happy children and all your work done!  I'm right there with you.  It takes a lot of time and effort to raise children, work, keep the house clean, have a nutritious meal on the table and not only find time for a workout, but have the energy too!

First, you have to decide it's a priority to eat healthy and make time for your workouts.  If you can't get there, don't give up.  It gets easier the more you do it.  Just set aside 1 hour.  I know, you're thinking, 1 hour?!  I don't have 1 minute, let alone a whole hour?!  Been there.  Made the time.  I guarantee you can do it too.  Just stick with it.  Yes, you'll be tired.  Yes, it's hard.  Yes, you can do it.

Second, you have to not only decide it's a priority for you to do things for you.  You have to treat it like a commitment.  You don't sign your kids up for swimming lessons, pay the money and not commit to it, do you?  If you do, you're wasting your money!  Once you decide to make something a priority and commit to it.  Commit to it fully and do it.  Don't procrastinate.  Schedule a time for you, for your health, for your sanity, for you, you and you only.  Yep, you need a full hour.  Even if you do a 30 minute workout, you still need a shower!  So, don't press yourself for time.  Schedule it.

Third, keep doing it.  Workout, shower, have a glass of water and a deep breath.  Then congratulate yourself on a job well done and look forward to your one hour of your time for you and you only.

I refuse to pay a babysitter to work out.  You with me?  I fit it in.  Get up an hour early to go for a run, naptime,  my kid's favorite tv show, lunch when Daddy's home, while doing dishes and folding laundry, an evening workout class.  I get there.  I have faith you can find the time too if you just get creative with it.  Here's some other times I fit in a little mini-workout all day long:

• 25 crunches after changing a squirmy toddler's diaper (I'm already on the floor!)
• 50 calf raises while washing pans
• lunges while putting away dishes and laundry
• Jumping Jacks while waiting for something in the microwave
• Squats while folding laundry
• Stretch while blogging
• kid lifts - they love it!
• race the kids around the house
• take a walk with the stroller
• push-ups after bathtime - I let the kids crawl on me for added weight BONUS!
• Yoga Anywhere!

Focus on your nutrition.  You'll lose more weight and generally be healthier if you focus on correct nutrition.  Eat clean and clean the crap out of your house.  No chips, cookies, baked goods, processed foods.  What's left?  Clean eating. You'll never out exercise a diet of CRAP, so get with it and eat right.  I know it's easy to grab some cookies or chips in a hurry, but grapes and apples are just as quick and easy!  Take the Fridge Challenge and get a good start on healthy nutrition.

The Scarriness Of A Racing Heart

What They Learned From Divers

My heart raced for 2 hours one night. After spending 2 hours scared and certain I was dying, I got out of bed went to my computer and typed into a google search "how to make a racing heart stop". I came across an interesting article (link above) about what has been learned from divers....I quickly got a very cold rag layed down in bed and placed the rag on my face and neck. Within seconds the racing heartbeat stopped! I couldn't believe it and finally fell quickly asleep for the rest of the night.

Lift Weights!

There's not one fit person out there that got that way by sitting on the couch.  That said, if you're wanting to lose weight or gain weight, strength training should be in your life, it will change your body.  You're not going to put on superhero muscles just because you lift weights.  Small amount of weight with lots of repetitions goes a LONG way.  It causes a raise in metabolism, strengthens your bones, increases endurance, improves coordination and balance and raises self-esteem and confidence.  I'd say the benefits are huge!

Where do you start?

Overload your muscles.  Pick a small amount of weight, for example 3 pounds.  Do 25 repetitions.  Pick it up, put it down.  Then do it differently.  Again. And Again. And Again. (The Again and Again and Again are called "sets")

Now, when that 3 pounds get too easy, Add Intensity, or add 2 more pounds.  Then when that gets too easy add more and so on.

Target all major muscle groups and specific muscles.  For example, leg raises: do them to the back, side and front in a variety of large and small to target all muscles.  For arms, same concept.  Don't forget core muscles too!  They're the most important for stability and balance.  As we get older, stability and balance are our biggest problems as bi-pods.
1000+ Workout Routines!

Rest and Recovery is also important to give your muscles time to recover.  Don't focus on the same muscle groups 2 days in a row.  Do arms, then legs, then arms and core, then legs, then arms, then legs and core....you get the point.


To avoid injury make sure to stretch, breathe, warm up and stand up straight!
 5 Common Strength Training Mistakes


Try This! Body Weight Workout (Modified if Needed):
15 Jump Squats
20 Push Ups
15 Pull Ups
15 Walking Lunges
15 Tricep Dips
15 Inverted Pull Ups

Having a Fit Life

Healthy activities and clean eating will get you farther than anything else in life.  Statistics show that people who are more fit have a higher chance of getting the job they want, they're just more dedicated in their lives and it takes them farther than those who don't.  So, when you look at your life and what your dedications are.....maybe you have none.  Life is about the choices you make and the choices you make habit.  If you put in the time, you'll be happier and more successful than if you don't, just out of pure habit.  So, be active, treat your body right and make life what it should be!  Have a fit life.

Nutrition, The Key to A Successful Diet

Keeping proper nutrition while eating healthy can be tough for some people. I've written about it before in Nutrition, the Key that Unlocks Healthy.  Choosing healthy foods rather than reaching for comfort foods is something you have to teach yourself to do over time. When begin to consume health foods you will not longer want to eat foods that are bad. You then let nutrition lead your decisions, not your emotions.

Take the Fridge Challenge!

Nutritionists now recommend replacing much of the beef, poultry and pork we eat with extra servings of fish. Fish contains optimum levels of nutrients that are essential for a heart healthy lifestyle. Fish is a very broad category of foods; they come in a large variety of textures and flavors.  It will boost your Omegas too!

Read up on Nutrient Maximization.  Eggplant is packed full of nutrients, give it a try instead of noodles in lasagna, I just LOVE it that way! If you are looking for a purchase that will help in your nutrition quest, buy a good blender to prepare nutritious fruit smoothies. Ice cream can be traded in for a new comfort food, that will be just as satisfying. Make a fruit smoothie with milk, fruit and some yogurt; this is a great substitute for ice cream.  Best decision I ever made was to buy a new blender!  I use it all the time to make shakes and smoothies.  It replace my toaster and coffee pot, which now I hardly use.  Here's some healthy snack ideas.

Eat clean.  It's the best advice I have.  Eat unprocessed foods, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, meats from the meat counter, not the deli isle, dairy, nuts and beans.  Add condiments that are low in salt and sugar and high in protein. And, tada.  Sounds easy huh!  It's easier said than done.  But, you can train yourself to eat however you want to eat.  And, if healthy is on your menu, it'll have positive effects on your life and health.  Here's some protein rich superfoods to bust cravings too.

Don't skip the multivitamin!  It'll help make up for anything you've missed.  And, write it all down including portion sizes.  Use a smaller plate and measure everything!

Hydration plays an important roll in nutrition, keeping your body in homeostasis and promoting a healthy body.  Drink plenty of water!

Eat Clean, Eat Healthy

Tasty Tuesday

Great Butt Workout!

Give this workout a try!

Lap 'Em!

Hip Hop Abs

Hip Hop Abs is a great workout.  Even the 15 minute one gets you moving and gives you a great ab workout!  And, where there's a will, there's a way.  You'll get the results you're wanting and target those core muscles!

My Faves of Fitness Blogs & Sites

Livestrong.org is my go to for a lot of information!

Miss Fit - There are a few out there and they're all great women!

Miss Fit
Miss Fit Complete
Ms. Fitness
Mizz Fit




Chalene Johnson - LOVE her, her workouts (BeachBody's TurboJam, ChaLean Extreme, Turbo Fire) , her blog, her book.  Read her, she'll motivate you!  She has her own fitness classes, is a fitness GOD and has the power to motivate people all over the globe.

http://www.stumptuous.com/

http://skwigg.tripod.com/blog/

http://maggiewang.com/

Weekends

LOVING Turbo Fire!

Check out Turbo Fire!  I LOVE these workouts.  It comes with resistance bands and a nutrition plan to get your body well on its way to FIT!

Yum Food

Intense Cardio: Kangoos!

Kardashians use Kangoos for cardio.

Kangoos are low impact, rebound sport shoes originally developed in Switzerland for joggers and now designed for all ages and fitness levels. They're  safe on your joints and versatile for exercise. They're currently used for power walking, cross-country jogging & running, group fitness, athletic training, rehabilitation & injury prevention, dance and children's recreation.  The Shake Weight and 3 Minute Legs have turned fitness gadgets and inventions into fodder for SNL skits. It's a shame because Kangoo Jumps inspire fitness with intrigue and recreation. They help people with running ailments experience injury-free running that can strengthen shins, weak spines and bad knees and just look at that ankle support!

Kangoo Jumps reportedly burn 20% more calories than running. I'm sure if you consistently use them for exercise they'll aid in weight loss as well as toned thighs and calves. 20%?!  Yep, that's crazy.  20% more fat burn, 20% more weight loss, 20% more muscle use.  How can you beat that?

Fitness isn't just about lifting weights and intense cardio workouts, it's about engaging in physical activity that generates good vibes.  Laughing burns calories! We all need to take a day off from our posh gyms and celebrity workouts to try something bizarre and ridiculous. It's easy to get bored with our workout routines. You have to mix it up to keep yourself motivated. Add some laughter and humility to your fitness lifestyle and don't be afraid to embrace trends like Kangoo Jumps.

Get yourself a pair at Kangoo Jumps