I have been ignoring my blog these past few weeks because
I have been using up all of my ideas in my
Summer is Coming Challenge Group.
I came up with a brilliant idea though:
Why not multitask and share those posts here on my blog?!?!
Hopefully, you can find something useful, motivating, or inspiring!
SET A GOAL!!!
People that set goals and write it down are 50% more likely to succeed.
When I first started running, a mile seemed like forever. I started by running from one light pole to the next and then walking the next interval and repeating. The next time I ran I was able to go one pole length longer. It didn't take overnight, but eventually I was able to run that mile without stopping, then I ran 2 , and so on until I was able to run a marathon. This took years, but I didn't give up. I thought that a marathon seemed like an impossible task at first. That's why I started out with a smaller task and then I took it one light pole at a time.
Your goal might not be to run a marathon. It might be to go without potato chips or to learn how to cook. It might be to love yourself, to OWN IT!!! Or it might be to help someone else to be more healthy or fit. I'm sure that it seems impossible and scary, but YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Today's challenge: Write down the answer to these question and keep it somewhere as a daily reminder. If you feel comfortable, take a picture of your goals and post it in the comments.
1. What is your ultimate overall goal?
2. What goal would you like to achieve in the next week?
3. What goal would you like to achieve in one month?
4. What goal would you like to achieve in one year?
2. What goal would you like to achieve in the next week?
3. What goal would you like to achieve in one month?
4. What goal would you like to achieve in one year?
Then next week, reevaluate your answers and change them as needed. This will allow you to celebrate small victories, while also keeping you on track to achieve the bigger goal!!!
Happy Mother's Day!!!
The other day while I was holding a plank and reading my Oxygen magazine, yes I'm coordinated like that, I read an article that I want to discuss.
STRONG IS THE NEW SKINNY
Ok, this is a move in the right direction, BUT still . . . What about just being strong? Not just physical strength, but also having humility, courage, integrity, kindness, charity, goodness. These are qualities that I want to instill in my children and that I want to personify.
I spend so much of my day looking in the mirror, hating what I see. I have never had a flat stomach. I remember someone asked me (when I was about 16 years old) why I didn't suck my stomach in. RUDE!!! These are the things that I think about when I walk by the mirror. My eyes don't go to my good qualities, but to those that I feel are less than desirable.
WHY?!?! Why do I punish myself like this? Why can't I love my body? Why don't I look at myself like I look at all of you? I see each of you as a beautiful person, that wants to be healthy, strong, and enjoy life fully.
Today's Challenge: Today is Mother's Day, so I want you to give yourself the gift of acceptance. Accept yourself for all of your good and bad, all your perfections and imperfections. You are an amazing person, inside and out. You are worth a million bucks and then some more. Give yourself permission to change. Give yourself permission to be different. Give yourself permission to be you.
Eat Living Foods!
Eat foods that are as close to their natural source as possible. Chef Boyardee, Hamburger Helper, and Twinkies are the furthest thing from "natural sources."
Living foods are goods that have been pulled from the ground, tree or bush, fished out of the water, or laid in a nest. These foods have the highest nutritional content.
Some tips on obtaining living foods:
1. Grow your own.
2. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.
3. Buy frozen, but check your ingredients. Some frozen fruits have added sugar and vegetables may have preservatives or additives. Make sure that if you are buying frozen blueberries that the only ingredient is blueberries.
4. The same goes for your dairy, meat, and eggs. I quit buying the individually frozen chicken tenders and breast because of the additives. Sometimes cheaper isn't healthier. Watch for sales when purchasing your meat and then freezing it for later.
1. Grow your own.
2. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season.
3. Buy frozen, but check your ingredients. Some frozen fruits have added sugar and vegetables may have preservatives or additives. Make sure that if you are buying frozen blueberries that the only ingredient is blueberries.
4. The same goes for your dairy, meat, and eggs. I quit buying the individually frozen chicken tenders and breast because of the additives. Sometimes cheaper isn't healthier. Watch for sales when purchasing your meat and then freezing it for later.
Today's Challenge:
Please share with the group a processed food that you have replaced with a "living food."
Please share with the group a processed food that you have replaced with a "living food."
Some things that I have done:
Replace any vegetable oils (like canola) with coconut, avocado, or olive oil. Instead of microwave popcorn, pop your own and top with coconut oil and sea salt. I traded Jif/Skippy for fresh ground peanuts or almonds.
Replace any vegetable oils (like canola) with coconut, avocado, or olive oil. Instead of microwave popcorn, pop your own and top with coconut oil and sea salt. I traded Jif/Skippy for fresh ground peanuts or almonds.
Fletcherize and swallow
What the what??? Fletcherizing is defined as reducing food to tiny particles by prolonged chewing.
Have you ever sat down to a meal (perhaps in front of the TV), only to realize that your plate is empty, but you don't remember tasting it? Have you ever eaten with someone and noticed that their fork races from their plate to the their lips at a rate similar to a table-tennis match? Are you that person?
What's wrong with these scenarios?
-poor dinnertime conversations
-eating too much
-vulnerable to choking
-often finish meals feeling bloated and unsettled
-poor dinnertime conversations
-eating too much
-vulnerable to choking
-often finish meals feeling bloated and unsettled
It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full. Give your stomach the opportunity to digest food properly by slowing down and fletcherizing.
Here are some tips to help you slow down:
1. Chew each food morsel 20-30 times before you swallow.
2. Remind yourself to slow down.
3. Take a break between bites: chat, take a sip of water.
4. Enjoy and savor your meal and the company.
5. Eat sitting down at a table, not in front of the TV or over the sink.
1. Chew each food morsel 20-30 times before you swallow.
2. Remind yourself to slow down.
3. Take a break between bites: chat, take a sip of water.
4. Enjoy and savor your meal and the company.
5. Eat sitting down at a table, not in front of the TV or over the sink.
Today's challenge: follow tips 1-5 for all your meals today. If you have any other tips, please comment!
Break the fast
A nutritious, delicious breakfast sets the tone for optimal performance and nutrition for the rest of the day. I have included a post (you will see this post again because we will be discussing meal prep and planning later) that has some breakfast ideas. These are what I eat for breakfast. Just make sure that you are eating about 15-20 grams of protein for breakfast. Some examples include 1 scoop of Shakeology, 2 eggs, 1 cup of Greek Yogurt or 1/2 cup cottage cheese.
Today's Challenge: Share what you had for breakfast this morning. If you have a delicious recipe that isn't already included, please share it!!!
Food labels
When I first started Clean Eating, my weekly shopping trip went from 45 min to taking nearly 90 min to an hour. I looked at EVERY label. It takes time! I had so much to learn.
These are some of the keys points that I have learned:
1. If it's made in a lab, don't eat it.
2. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.
3. Stay away from food products that have more than 5 ingredients.
4. 1 ingredients items are the best: apple, banana, broccoli, chicken, beef, eggs, oats (you get the point)
5. Sugar doesn't always mean added sugars. Lots of whole foods have natural sugars, like tomatoes, beans, oats, and on. Read the ingredients, if sugar is listed then it is added.
6. Preservatives, dyes, additives, and artificial sweeteners are not good for your body. If they are listed in the ingredients, put it down and back away.
7. Food is not just food, sometimes food is actually "non-food." Such as Twinkies and cinnamon bears.
8. Steer clear of the SUITS: Did the person that "made" this wear a lab jacket or a flannel shirt. Meaning, was this made in a lab or grown by a farmer. Just a thought.
1. If it's made in a lab, don't eat it.
2. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.
3. Stay away from food products that have more than 5 ingredients.
4. 1 ingredients items are the best: apple, banana, broccoli, chicken, beef, eggs, oats (you get the point)
5. Sugar doesn't always mean added sugars. Lots of whole foods have natural sugars, like tomatoes, beans, oats, and on. Read the ingredients, if sugar is listed then it is added.
6. Preservatives, dyes, additives, and artificial sweeteners are not good for your body. If they are listed in the ingredients, put it down and back away.
7. Food is not just food, sometimes food is actually "non-food." Such as Twinkies and cinnamon bears.
8. Steer clear of the SUITS: Did the person that "made" this wear a lab jacket or a flannel shirt. Meaning, was this made in a lab or grown by a farmer. Just a thought.
It's the weekend!!!!
Today's challenge is all about FITNESS. Last year I had the opportunity of participating in 6 Figures with Gold's Gym and KPVI More. There were 6 participants (they were all my best buddies). We each had a trainer and totally different goals. My goal was to PR at the Utah Valley Marathon. Melissa, Clayn, and Libby were fairly new to the gym scene and had not ever worked with a trainer. Each of them were challenged to try new workouts. It was interesting to see how Libby, who said that she hated to workout, actually found that she liked some of the classes like Zumba. The other participant of the challenge was Sarah. She is in this group, so she can share her experience if she wants.
The point is that all of us were required to try new things that we wouldn't have done on our own. We found things that we liked and were good at and we found things that we hated and weren't so good at.
In order to be consistent with exercise, you need to
*find something that you like
*schedule it into your day
*make it IMPORTANT
*Inform your family that you do things for them ALL day long, and this is something that you are doing for yourself.
*Involve your family when you can: go for walks, bike rides, swimming, jump on the trampoline.
*find moments to exercise: at the park while your kids are playing you can do step ups on the bench, hop overs, run stairs, calf raises, pull ups on the monkey bars, push ups, lunges, squats, etc.
*JUST DO IT
*DON'T MAKE EXCUSES
*find something that you like
*schedule it into your day
*make it IMPORTANT
*Inform your family that you do things for them ALL day long, and this is something that you are doing for yourself.
*Involve your family when you can: go for walks, bike rides, swimming, jump on the trampoline.
*find moments to exercise: at the park while your kids are playing you can do step ups on the bench, hop overs, run stairs, calf raises, pull ups on the monkey bars, push ups, lunges, squats, etc.
*JUST DO IT
*DON'T MAKE EXCUSES
Today's challenge: TRY OUT SOMETHING NEW!
I have included the link to my blog. On the bottom left is a link to my YouTube Videos. You could try out one of these videos, try out a different class or cardio machine at the gym, or just dust off your bike, roller blades, or swim suit. Just do something new and post about it.
I have included the link to my blog. On the bottom left is a link to my YouTube Videos. You could try out one of these videos, try out a different class or cardio machine at the gym, or just dust off your bike, roller blades, or swim suit. Just do something new and post about it.
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