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Charlie Sheen is Doing It…You Should Too!

winningWhat on earth is Charlie Sheen doing that YOU should be doing, too? WINNING! We should all be winning every day! Because winning feels good! Just ask Charlie!

Don’t you remember when you were a kid how winning made you feel? Getting a blue ribbon, celebrating a big victory at a little league game, hoisting the team trophy, winning a game of checkers, even just racing a friend across the playground…you wanted to WIN! Now compare that with our adult lives…what do we win? Cleaning the dirtiest toilet best? Cooking dinner that most of your family will eat? Maybe…

In 2004 I ran my first marathon and quickly re-discovered what it feels like to ‘win’ again. Of course…I didn’t win the marathon, not even close. I think I finished in the top half though…so around 15,000th place! LOL! But you couldn’t have convinced me that I hadn’t won! As I turned the corner toward the finish line, and reflected on the last 4 months of training, and the 26 miles I had just run….I remembered all the early morning runs, the heat, the blisters, and leg cramps. In the last two tenths of the race I might as well have been all alone, running toward the tape. I was sobbing, in disbelief of what I had just accomplished. When my foot crossed the line, I WON! That’s how it felt. Even writing about it makes me well-up. It was an emotional as well as a physical achievement. And that feeling is most definitely the reason that so many people repeat the whole process again and again. I have run 4 marathons since then and ‘won’ them all! It feels good to win!

Of course the only person I won against, was me. The me that never thought I could do such a thing. The me that would rather sleep in on a Saturday than lace up, fuel up, gear up and go run for 3 hours. I beat the crap outta that me. She never even saw it coming!

I haven’t run a marathon since 2010, but I win all the time. Every time I start a new 90 day program, and see it through to the final day…I win! Heck, every day I choose my workout over an extra hour of sleep, or a t.v. show…I win! Every time (like this morning) that I take an extra 10 minutes to pack up my lunch and snacks for the day instead of feeling the temptation to stop for fast, convenient, junk food…I win! And I celebrate every little victory. It’s usually a quiet celebration: a smile, a sigh of relief, a skip in my step…but it still feels pretty damn good. In my head I’m spiking the football, doing a victory lap, pumping my fist and screaming at the top of my lungs…I DID IT! 😀 “In your face Old Me!” I’m a much more gracious winner now, than I was when I was a kid. I guess then I was a little more like Charlie Sheen.

*A side note: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend winning in the sense that Charlie was winning. Cause on the outside it looked a lot more like losing. But at least he felt good about being the best loser he could be! So in a sense…he WAS winning!

In short…find victory in the little contests of life. We face multiple battles every day, often with ourselves. Show You who’s boss. Put your game face on and be a winner! And celebrate your victories…it feels good! 🙂

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Another Meal Plan! Is it Sunday Already?!

This weekend, in a nutshell, was AWESOME! Super Saturday was 10 tons of fun! I got in killer workout with my childhood BFF Jenelle Summers. And after that workout, we all got to do a preview of Shaun T’s new program, coming out this summer, Focus T-25! It was simple yet intense! Basic moves are combined to create a heart-pumping cardio workout for the full 25 minutes…no breaks! The craziest move was 1-armed burpees! Not a surprise from the creator of Insanity, I guess! 🙂 I give it 2 thumbs up! If you’d like to be notified when it comes out and is available to purchase, provide your email below and I’ll let you know!

So without further ado…here is this weeks meal plan.

meal_4-14
Click here to print and link to recipes.
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Wrinkles Shmrinkles!

derm_CollageI am super excited about my wrinkles! Because I can make them disappear! (Actually…I HATE THEIR GUTS!) Beachbody has a line of anti-aging products called Derm Exclusive. Have you seen the infomercial with Minnie Driver? Well…I decided to give it a try. I typically have VERY little faith in products like these, so I was skeptical. But, BUT, BUT…much to my surprise, it seems to work! Keep in mind, I have only used it twice! And these pictures were taken before and after my FIRST application (only 15 minutes apart)! If you look closely at the before/after pics, you can see that some of those fine lines are less noticeable! These totally UN-flattering pictures are obviously with NO makeup, and I wouldn’t know how to Photo-Shop, so it’s the real deal! I will keep you posted and take some more pics after 30 days, but I was excited to share this now, after only ONE day! I love the way the products feel and smell! There are several products available. I decided to test most of them, in order to get a real feel for the entire line. I imagined that I would eliminate some of them, anticipating that they wouldn’t work, but so far…I love them all! The real winner seems to the ‘Fill and Freeze Wrinkle Treatment”. It’s like a magic wrinkle-disappearing wand! You use it both AM and PM, and can even spot-treat during the day over your make-up! The effects are supposed to last about 8 hours.

If you want to check out all of the products that are available, or want to watch a quick video about it, click the “Beachbody” tab at the top of this page, then “Shop”, and “Derm Exclusive”.

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Guacamole Hummus

guacamole_hummus

I posted this on Facebook recently, but wanted to add it to my blog for easier access! This is SO good! Use it for a condiment, a dip, whatever you like!

Do you like guacamole? Do you like hummus? Then VOILA! You have to try this!

1.5 C (one can) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 C fresh spinach
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Half a large ripe avocado
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions: Toss it all into a food processor or blender and you’re done!

*I added a little water when I blended mine to get the right consistency.
94 calories/serving (Makes 7-8 servings)

 

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Meal Plan and Happy Thought

First my happy thought: I’m so lucky to have such an awesome family! I got to hang out with some cool aunts, uncles and cousins today, when we all got together to celebrate my Grandma’s 85th birthday! Several of them joined me right after the new year, in a challenge group. They are still going strong, working out, eating healthy foods and reporting daily. And I finally saw them IN PERSON today, for the first time since Christmas! Although now they are down 15-25 pounds and dozens of inches EACH! Better than that were the smiles on their faces when they talked about their progress and how happy they are with what they’ve accomplished! What fun! I’ve been smiling all day! 😀

And now my meal plan for the week. This is helping me be accountable so much! I’m hoping that it helps some of you, too! 🙂

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Click here to print and view recipe links.
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This is Only a Test

thisisonlyatest

When you see this:

~ps431.tmp

What do you say to yourself? “Oh…I’m dieting, I can’t have that.” or “I want that so bad, but I shouldn’t.” Think about it for a minute, because I think what you say to yourself in this situation says a lot about your mindset, which translates directly to the kind of results you can expect. So while you’re stirring that around for a minute…let me tell you a little about WHY I’m thinking about this.

I posted something on Facebook and Instagram a couple of days ago about changing your mind before you can change your body. We all agree on this right? I feel like I’ve written at length about how health and fitness is so much more of a mental than a physical struggle. I made a comment that if you haven’t changed your mindset, than you’re just going through the motions. I firmly believe that. Sure you might be working out, and you might be eating some healthy foods, but if health/fitness doesn’t guide almost every decision you make…you’re not quite there.

I don’t mean that in an obsessive kind of way at all. I know to some it might sound that way. How could health/fitness guide every decision? Well, honestly, if you put yourself first…that’s it! What about you? What about your goals, hopes, desires? If that is in the front of your mind as you go throughout your day, you will almost always make the right decisions for YOU! In other words, don’t forget what you want, and what you wish for yourself. If it’s important to you, if it’s in the front of your mind at all times, than you’ll find the ways to achieve it.

So when someone asks me HOW? “How can I stop going through the motions, and be ALL in?” My answer is sadly: I don’t know. Not helpful at all right!? I’m sorry…but it is different for everyone. Your needs and wants are different from mine. We’re all waiting for the CLICK! The click is when you just get it. The choices are clear. The decisions are easy. Once you’ve experienced the click, you’re turned on and tuned in to what you want. And then it’s easy. I can’t create the click for you, nor can anyone else for that matter. However, I can tell you where to start. Just try. Yep, that’s it…try. Because here is what could happen: That conscious decision to try could lead you to make better choices. You might decide to set some goals. Maybe you’ll put together a plan of action. You might stick with your plan long enough to reach some of your goals. Maybe you won’t get frustrated with setbacks and impatient with slow results. Maybe you’ll start to feel better. Perhaps your mindset will start to change and then…CLICK! Now you’re on your way to real changes. It will be contagious. People around you will begin to notice and EXPECT you to make the right choices for yourself. They’ll say, “I wish I could do that.” Or “I wish I had that kind of will power.” …and that’s a beautiful thing!

And then one day, you’ll be approached with THIS.

cheeseburger_fries

And do you know what you’ll say…

I CAN have it, but I don’t WANT it!

And that is when you will truly have the power over every decision you make. You can do anything you want. You get to decide! When faced with the choice to do your scheduled workout, you COULD choose to skip, but you won’t WANT to. Your mind is made up. CLICK!

Did you pass the test?

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Put Down the Chocolate!

chocolate_factoryAnother holiday weekend is in the books. I made it through relatively unscathed. I’m not gonna lie though, those little Robin Eggs are a delicious little candy-coated temptation. Why do I even buy them? I LOVE malt balls, always have. I’ll admit that while I was preparing Easter baskets, one or two might have fallen out of the bag and directly into my hand which then accidentally put them into my mouth! 😉 I’m human; these things happen. Other than that…and a little piece of the carrot cake I made for Easter dinner (with applesauce in place of MOST of the oil!) I was pretty darn good! Got my workouts in and everything! I am happy however to approach a new week, with a new plan, albeit a little late. Here it is:

mealplan3_31
Click to print and link to recipes.
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What Could you Do in 25 Minutes?

ShaunT_25

Well…let’s see…

You could

  • ALMOST watch a whole Sponge Bob episode.
  • Take a shower.
  • Eat lunch.
  • Go through your junk mail.
  • Hit the snooze button a few times.
  • Play 25 games of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook.
  • Fold a load of laundry.
  • Do a sink-full of dishes.
  • Look at all of the pictures in a magazine.
  • Wait for a pot of coffee to brew.
  • Drive to the mall.
  • Pick out just the right Birthday card.
  • Look for a kid’s ‘favorite thing in the whole wide world’.

OR!!!!

Coming this summer, to a DVD player near you….Shaun T’s New Fitness Program: FOCUS T25!

Insanity is, well…insane!!  insanitylogo     Insanity Asylum_onwhite-lowres

Insanity the Asylum is…CRAZY!

And they are both so effective!

BUT…would it be helpful to have an INTENSE workout to give you results in just 25 minutes a day!?!? Umm, yes please! If you work SMART and FOCUSED and you eat right, you’ll be AMAZED at the results you can see with just 25 minutes a day! As far as I know, it’ll be available FIRST in limited quantities to coaches, then available to order for all!

Are you interested in what is sure to be the next big Shaun T. craze!? If you aren’t a coach and don’t have a coach, please sign up below to receive my newsletter and I’ll make sure, one way or another, that you know as soon as it’s available! 🙂

 

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Whole Grain Waffles

 

waffleJust a quick how d’ya do and a waffle recipe. After I posted this picture on Facebook and Instagram today, I was asked by a few people how I made them. As with many of my recipes, I start with a recipe that I’ve found on-line somewhere and then clean it up and change a few ingredients, depending on what I have in my pantry. I would imagine you could do the very same thing with this and still come up with something even deliciouser! To ‘health’ it up even more…use all applesauce. I’m sure it would work just fine. The kids LOVED them and would never have suspected that they were good for them! So here you go:

*Makes 6-8 waffles

1/3 C. egg whites
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oatmeal (grind in a food processor or blender)
1/4 cup wheat germ
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat flour, ground oatmeal, wheat germ, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

Made this way, 1 waffle = 184 calories

Made with all applesauce (no oil), 1 waffle = 127 calories