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It!

What_is_itDo you have IT? Do you want IT? What is IT?

IT is what pushes you, what drives you forward. IT is different for you than it is for me. There are no words for IT. IT just is. IT comes and goes throughout your life. IT changes from time to time. You can lose IT, but you can also find IT again. IT might not be where you thought it was and IT might not look the same as it used to, but IT is always there.  IT can feel like a fire in your belly. IT can look like confidence and success.

So what the heck am I talking about? It’s so hard to explain, because it’s an abstract idea. There is just something, that makes people who they are. There is something that creates drive and passion in all of us. If you can harness this ‘something’, it can take you anywhere! I mean that! It is what turns your “I wonder if’s…” into “I can’s…” and “I did’s”!

You have to find it and believe in it, with all of your heart. You need to feel it and give legs to it! What do I mean by ‘legs’? Put it in motion. Apply it to your goals, your desires, your passions, your “I wonder if’s”. Make a plan, and GO!

I know there have been times in my life when I had lost it and life keeps moving. But without IT…you become a passenger, rather than a driver. Be a driver! When you have it, or rediscover it, or find it…you are in control of where you’re going! And you can go anywhere if you believe in IT! Set your mind to IT and JUST do IT!

You can see when someone has IT! They know they can, they can feel IT. IT changes how they approach each new day, and IT takes them exactly where they want to go. You can see their determination and their belief in themselves. They are taking IT to the next level. And they know that there is no limit to where IT can take them. I have participants in my challenge groups that have IT! I am inspired by them every day, and I’m sure that anyone who comes into contact with them is inspired, too. You can’t help but be inspired by someone who has IT. IT is a magical and sometimes contagious thing. You can catch IT!

Here’s the kicker though. I can’t tell you what IT is. Only you know. IT is SO much and SO little. IT is everything, and the ONE thing! Make sense? 😉

Do you have IT? I highly recommend IT! IT can change your life. 🙂

*Offer: If you have IT, and want to take IT to the next level OR, if you want IT and need IT, than consider joining my next 30 day challenge and put IT to the test! Click “30 Day Challenge” at the top of this page for more information.

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White Chicken Chili, a Family-Pleaser!

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This is SO tasty. The kids liked it as is, but you could spice it up a little more by adding some diced jalapenos, and/or a little more cayenne pepper. This is very satisfying and very healthy. Each serving will be about 285 calories. Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked & diced)
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and 2 cans of the white beans. Puree the 3rd can of beans with a little of the broth from the chili. Add to the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Optional: Before serving, top w/diced avocado, light sour cream, reduced fat cheese, cilantro, etc…

For the salad: I made a tossed salad with a Honey Lime Vinaigrette Dressing.

Salad for 3-4

1 T. olive oil

juice of 1 lime

1 t. honey

1 crushed garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Wisk, toss and enjoy!

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Try This! Kale Quinoa Salad

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I made this salad today for lunch, and it was SO good! I highly recommend that you try it. Even my six year old couldn’t resist the yummy smells coming out of the kitchen, and enjoyed a bowl of the finished product with her lunch. Not sure you like quinoa? Do you like rice? I think it really has the same texture as rice, but it’s so much more nutritious, and high in protein, too! BONUS! Not sure you like kale? I found a giant bag of ‘baby’ kale at Costco, and it’s much more tender and mild. Good for adding to salads, or sautes…quite nice.

Anyway, back to my salad. It’s a New Year! If you’re working on a New You…then you’ll want to incorporate some New Foods! 😀

Kale & Quinoa Salad (makes 6 servings)

2 Cups of water

1 Cup of quinoa

6-8 loosely-packed cups of kale

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 garlic clove (minced)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 C. Almond pieces or slivers

3/4 C. dried cranberries

1/2 C. reduced fat feta cheese

Directions

  1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
  2. Put kale in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl until oil emulsifies into the mixture; drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, almonds, cranberries, and feta cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.

 Nutritional Information: 297 calories, 12 g. fat, 11 g. protein per serving

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Top Ten Reasons You Should Find a Workout Buddy

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Having a workout/healthy-living buddy is SO helpful in SO many ways! If you are married, or have a significant other, you’ve already got a prospective partner. Do they need some convincing…get on it! Maybe you have a best friend or sibling that has similar goals…get them on board! How about a neighbor? Talk about convenience! Develop a plan, share a babysitter and make it happen!

Here are 10 reasons you should find a buddy:

1. Having a reliable workout buddy increases the chances of sticking with your program. It’s never a good feeling to let someone down.

2. You’ll have your own personal cheerleader; someone to push you when it gets hard. How often do we give up when something seems too difficult? Your partner can “spot” you when you struggle and pat you on the back when you pushed through it!

3. Time flies with a friend. You’ll be chatting and laughing and so busy sharing your workout time, that it’ll be done before you know it!

4. You can coordinate your busy schedules. You can sit down with your pal and figure out where your windows of opportunity are and then schedule your workout times! You’ll be more likely to stick to it, if someone else is relying on you.

5. You’ll be less likely to cancel. Again, if someone else took the time to fit it in, you will too!

6. You’ll have a talking mirror. Sometimes it’s hard to see and appreciate your own progress. A buddy will remind you that you couldn’t lift that weight last week, and look at you now! Or tell you that your clothes are looking a little baggy, or that you seem to have an extra ‘bounce’ in your step. 🙂

7. You’ll have an additional challenge; a little healthy competition! It’s ok to let someone else drive you to do more! You’ll want to match their intensity, and you’ll push yourself harder to keep up!

8. You’ll get a fresh new perspective and new ideas! You’ll get a chance to see how someone else does it. Maybe they do something a little differently than you do, and it’s easier, or more effective.

9. You’ll be paired up with a ‘fit’ friend; a positive influence you’ll want emulate more than someone else who doesn’t make their health a priority. If your friend orders a salad, it’s easier to do the same.

10. You can celebrate your successes together! What’s better than accomplishing your goals? Doing it with a friend/spouse/buddy that can celebrate with you!

Final thought: If you need a little extra help, grab your buddy and join one of my 30 Day Challenge groups! Find a program you love, a diet plan you can stick to, and the support you’ll need to get it done! 😀

*This post was inspired by a friend that seems to inspire a LOT of my posts. She is a trooper, a tryer and a never-give-upper! I’m one of her biggest fans! 😀

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To Do, Or NOT To Do…

resolutionNew Year’s Eve is just around the corner. The next day is the new year! 2013! What does the new year have in store for you? Have you given it much thought yet? Maybe it’s not a big deal. Maybe it’s just another day, a continuation of the same routine. But, I like to think of it as a new beginning! A new chance to make some little or BIG changes in your life! Whether you intend to or not, you’re making a resolution that day. You’re either going to make a FIRM decision to DO or NOT to do something.

I bet very few people will roll out of bed that day and think to themselves “I’m NOT going to do anything to make my life better this year”. However, the passive act of NOT thinking about it, is your decision, which becomes your resolution. You will have resolved to do nothing.

Instead, start thinking about it NOW. Lay the groundwork to be actively resolved and determined to make 2013 a better year! So that when you roll out of bed on January 1, 2013 you have a plan of action. Maybe that means that you make a list of the problems or things that you need to change, and start thinking about the solutions! For me, it’s time management. I have been actively pursuing solutions to this problem already. I’m formulating plans, trying different methods, looking at all the possible solutions. I am determined to make 2013 a year that I bring it all together. I plan to continue working toward my health and fitness goals, developing as a coach and work at home mom, and organizing my days so that my family experiences the best ME I can be!

So everyone is making a resolution. It’ll be a firm decision either way. So ask yourself this: Am I firmly resolved to do nothing to change my life, or something to make it better? Even if it’s just something small, make a little tweak here and there, but have a plan. Start thinking about it now. Act with determination ‘to DO’! Don’t let your resolution passively default to ‘NOT to do’.

*If health and fitness are part of your firm decision for the new year, consider joining my 30 day challenge. We’ll start on January 7! You’ve got until January 2 to sign up, but why not be resolved enough to do it NOW! Get yourself signed up, and FIRM up your resolution today. See the “30 Day Challenge” link at the top of this page to get started. 🙂 And have a HAPPY HEALTHY New Year!

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Are You Going to START or Make it Last?!

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It’s mid-December, hard to believe right? But you know what that means…January is just around the corner. And you know what that means, right? A new year is approaching! And you know what that means, right? Time to make your resolutions a reality! As we prepare for Christmas and do all of the cooking and baking and eating and running around like crazy chickens without our heads…we should take a minute and think about what we want for 2013. What do you want? Is it going to be the year of YOU?!

January is always such a big time for STARTING! It’s a new beginning, a new chance to get it right. The trick is to MAKE IT LAST! A good start begins with a solid plan. Do you have a plan? Consider this: I have a new challenge group starting up on January 7. This gives you about a week to recover from the holidays, formulate a plan, get organized and then CRUSH IT for 30 days! We’ll focus on health, fitness, eating clean and accountability: this is the key ingredient! We report in daily, and let the group know what we’re doing and how we’re doing. Are we sticking to our workout schedule? Are we eating the food that will help us achieve our goals? We’ll talk about our struggles and our achievements! You’ll take your before measurements, set realistic goals, and check your progress weekly. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish in 30 days if you stick with it! After that, you’ll have the momentum and motivation you’ll need to carry on and MAKE IT LAST!

If you know you’re ready, than let’s get you set for the 7th NOW! You can contact me through the “30 Day Challenge” link at the top of this page. We’ll talk about your individual goals and formulate a plan that will work best for you. Get ready, get excited, and then let’s get started! 😀

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A Public Service Announcement

warning

Unless you WANT your husband to get buff, healthy and totally hot…forget about getting fit! This is a warning to women everywhere. The following events will happen, and it’ll be your fault!

Here’s how: First, you’ll start working out with HIS weights! Not to be outdone, he’ll work in a couple sets of his own, and ask you to “spot” him, which means…”Look how STRONG I am”! Then, you’ll take the dog out for a few runs, and suddenly he’ll be dusting off his running shoes and “testing” them out to see if they still feel good. You’ll inevitably start cooking and eating healthier foods. He’ll  begrudgingly take one bite, and then he’ll clean his plate, get a second helping, but save enough of the leftovers to take for lunch the next day.  You see where this is going. Go ahead…get healthy…see what happens!

Here’s the truly discouraging thing about this phenomenon. Your husband will ‘decide’ to get fit, and the next day…he’ll be down 10 pounds!  Just deciding seems to work up enough of a burn to accomplish this feat…overnight! Before you know it, his pants won’t stay up, he’ll need new belts and you won’t be able to pry him away from the mirrors in your house. 🙂  It’ll happen. Trust me.

It won’t stop with your husband either…nope. Your mom will be calling you and wanting to know what healthy recipes you’re making for dinner this week. She’ll want to start working out with the latest and greatest programs available and taught be women half her age! 😉 She’ll be leading a revolution in her own house and then guess who’s next…yep…your dad! (See above for how that’s going to turn out)

Don’t even get me started on your kids! They are going to be running downstairs to follow along with your workout video. Your 5-year-old might even decide that he is strong enough to pick up your 15 pound dumbbell after you explained to him at least a dozen times that he should not pick it up because he’ll likely drop it, it’ll land on his foot, and he’ll break a toe! But he won’t listen to you. He’ll pick it up anyway, drop it on his foot and break a toe! Your six-year-old might be learning how to read all of the big words in the world around her, but pay special attention to food labels and words like: calories, sugar grams, high fructose corn syrup, etc. She’ll point out again and again what ingredients are in the foods you’re all eating and make dinner time a real learning experience for everyone.

So you can see…this is not a decision to take lightly. Are you ready for the consequences of your actions? If so, I suggest you buy men’s pants on sale, get more mirrors, some protective foot coverings for your children and a dictionary. Then, you might be prepared to take on this new healthy lifestyle, and all that comes with it! Good luck! 😀

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What is this “Clean Eating” you Speak of?

veggiesDid you know that you don’t have to diet anymore? Dieting is SO last decade. Seriously though…just eat clean, whole foods and combine it with some phyical activity at least 3-5 times/week, and that’s IT! So easy!

Want to know what I’m always talking about when I say “clean eating” this and “eat clean” that? Watch this quick little video that I made to get an idea of how to eat, without dieting, and still get the results you want.

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TEN Steps to Get BACK on TRACK!

Did you get off track a little over the holiday weekend? It is such a challenge when you’re traveling, visiting friends and family, and eating food that you wouldn’t normally eat. On top of that, maybe you were away from your fitness gear, your gym and your routines. Luckily, it just takes a Monday to get back at it.

I went shopping last night…Costco, where else? My refrigerator is FULL of fresh fruits and veggies for the week. My pantry is stocked with whole grains and organic staples. I love that Costco has such a huge variety of organic, clean-eating foods! The last thing you should do is starve yourself in an attempt to make up for overdoing it. You have to feed yourself the right foods (5-6 small meals per day) to give your body the nutrients it needs to power your workouts, help you recover and especially to keep your metabolism going strong! Starvation DOESN’T work, in fact it can have the opposite effect! Your body can start storing fat! NOOOO!!!! We don’t want that. 😉

I’ve got my workouts scheduled for the week. It always helps me to see them, know what’s coming, and check them off as I go. Every little bit helps. Give yourself movement opportunities whenever possible. Too busy? Break up your workouts if you have to! If you don’t have a solid hour to commit, than try two 30 minute sessions sometime during your day. One hour is 4% of your day. No excuses.

You indulged over the weekend…SO WHAT! You’ve got the plan to get back on track, put it into action today! And if you’d like a little more accountability and help from me in December, join me on Facebook for a 30 Day Challenge  www.facebook.com/angieinprogress. We’ll workout, eat healthy foods and keep each other accountable, all via a private Facebook group. It’s AMAZING how much better you’ll eat and the kind of results you can get in this type of challenge. 😀 You can do this, and I can help!

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I’m Rubber,You’re Glue

A few days ago our son approached us about a friend who had called him “fat”, and said that it hurt his feelings and he wondered what he should have said or done. Now, this is almost as ridiculous as it is mean. This particular son of mine just happens to be in about the 25th percentile in weight for his age. So…you can see why maybe this particular insult was misinformed. But, it hurt his feelings just the same. So we chatted about kids and how sometimes they can say and do things that make us feel bad. We taught him some good old-fashioned comebacks…just for fun: sticks and stones, rubber and glue, pants on fire, etc…they all still apply. The sad thing is…adults are just as guilty of this bad behavior as kids.

In one of my challenge groups we were talking about the nay-sayers we face in our own families and circles of friends. You know, the ones who would mock, make fun of and belittle someone’s health and nutrition efforts. Why would anyone do that? Well, my explanation to my son about his friend was that sometimes a person doesn’t feel very good about themselves. Rather than changing what they don’t like, they attempt to build themselves up by tearing other people down. I think the same holds true for us grown-ups. Shame on us!

When we see someone pouring themselves into something we don’t quite understand, we should ask questions, express interest, or keep quiet.  We should not insult or belittle. What could be better than someone trying to be their best self, inside and out (to borrow a phrase from my friend Carrie)? But I get the eye-rolls, and the comments, too: “I would only run if someone was chasing me”. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one! “Do you enjoy that bird food you eat?” Actually I do! Because it makes me feel good! You would never hear me mocking someone’s lack of exercise or greasy cheeseburger “value” meal! But what if I did? I could say something like, “Wow, looks like you haven’t worked out in a while!” or “Hey, I see you don’t give a crap about what you eat. Think there’s enough grease in your meal to clog ALL your arteries? ”. Nope, I wouldn’t do that. So why would anyone feel that it is ok to mock healthy lifestyle choices? I don’t get it.

Here’s my public service announcement: Choose your words wisely. Don’t insult what you don’t understand…yet! Ask questions. Express interest. Learn more about people! The more we learn about each other, the more we understand, experience and GROW! If you cannot act your age and refrain from negativity, than bite your tongue and listen. You might learn something without even trying. We’re all on our own journeys in life. We’re finding our ways, learning about the kinds of people we want to be. We tell our kids to be nice to each other:  “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”, right? Let’s practice what we preach. Teach by example. Be excellent to each other. 😀