Shauna's Thoughts: A guide to a Summer BBQ

 

Would you believe that it is already July?  Summer will be gone before we know it.  Not only is
Independence day quickly approaching, it is on a Saturday of all days.  I don't know about you but Saturday's I usually reserve for my cheat meal day. Yes it sometimes turns into an entire day, but I have goals you see, and I can't just keep taking cheat days. It is a delicate balance of life that I am trying to achieve.  I feel as thought every weekend since May has been loaded with events, family get together, catching up with friends, carnivals, parades, BBQ's and birthdays.  Have I maintained a steady results with my progress so far? Yes. Could I have achieved more if I would have tightened up the reigns a bit? Yes. So you see, I have to go into this Saturday with a plan of attack in order for me to stay on track.  I have created a list of tips for myself to help me make good choices for the 4th, while still being able to enjoy the festivities and company of friends and family.

 

Before I get to my list, I have a few things I really wanted to share!  First I want to officially announce that Jenni and I were asked to be Coaches for the Summer Session at our Farrell's location!  I will be coaching 4:30, and Jenni will be coaching 5:30.  Jenni and I are so excited to start, we have already started planning challenges, and trying to incorporate challenges between our class times!  I am personally  honored and blessed to be given the opportunity to lead a new group of 10 weekers.  Again, I have to thank my husband for pushing me into this journey.  I have been able to turn myself into a butterfly, not only physically, but mentally as well.  If it weren't for that push I wouldn't have found something I am truly passionate about.  Now I get to further my journey at FXB and spread my enthusiasm, passion, and help someone else grow into a butterfly! So get ready 4:30 we have big things  planned for the Summer Session.

The Second thing I wanted to share was my progress pictures thus far.  

I cannot wait to see what the next 10 weeks brings.  

 

 

 Here are 5 tips I am going to use this 4th of July weekend to help me stay on track.

 

1) Exercise:  I am going to get my fitness on in the morning to start my day off right.  Do at least 30 - 45 min of Cardio to get that body off to a good start.  Even if its just talking  a walk around the neighborhood, do something!  Get up and get that body moving!

 

 

2) Hydration: Water, water, water... drink up buttercups.  If you plan to have a few alcoholic beverages later on in the day, you will want to add some extra ounces of water to your daily intake.

3) Food: The hardest thing for me to do on the weekends is log my food.  Have a plan for the day and log it out. That way you will know where you might be able to spare a few carbs/proteins here and there to incorporate your special holiday meal.

 

4) Portion Size:  I love BBQ's because there are always tons of different foods that I don't eat very often.  My first instinct is to load my plate up with as much as I can.  Think SMALLER PORTIONS!  By getting smaller portions of all the goodies, you will be able to try more of them without feeling bloated and guilty for overindulging.  

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

5) Alcohol:  Know what you are drinking.  There are so many hidden calories, carbs, and sugars in those yummy delicious alcoholic beverages. This is why planning ahead and logging your food will help determine a good option for your day. Another good tip is to drink water between your alcoholic beverage choice.  It will help you stay hydrated, keep you full, and slow the drinking down! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Make memories, share stories, have fun, fuel your bodies, and be safe.  Leave a comment and share some tips that you do to keep yourself on track during a holiday get together, I would love more ideas. 

 

Keep Inspiring ~Shauna~

Shauna's Thoughts: Back To Basics

May has turned out to be a very crazy month for myself. First my Grandmother went into the hospital and I am really the only one here to help visit and bring her clothes and necessities she may need.  Then my husband and I made the decision to move into my Grandma's house in order to prepare her home for her return.  She will also need assistance once she is finally release. Trying to plan and execute my sons 4th birthday party, and try to settle him into the new house. Plus trying to balance my work and Farrell's schedules around all of this has really put my nutrition into a bit a jumble. My weigh-ins at Max Muscle have still been really good even in the chaos, but I know that my nutrition is starting to slip. I have been down this road too many times before, and I don't plan to continue going toward this dark path. So, as life is starting to settle back into normalcy, I am grabbing my ticket to getting back to basics. NUTRITION will be the key!  You can spend hours exercising and working out, but if you don't have your nutrition locked down you will never make progress.

Everyone has bad days, that turn into bad weekends, that turn into bad weeks, or even possibly turn into bad months.  That's life and it happens. We can't beat ourselves up for being human. What we can do is think about how far we have come and get back on track. I'll say it again,  let's get back to basics.  Write down your goals for the next month, break it down into weeks if that helps. Post it somewhere you will see it everyday. Plan your meals for the day or better yet the week! Water water water...this is something I have not been doing enough of. Grab a friend to workout with, friends that sweat together stay together.  Now that it is getting nicer outside get off the couch and do something fun outside with the family!  Do not let one bad meal, one bad weekend, or even one bad week keep you down. You have come to far to let something so tiny smolder your flame. 

Last weeks goals!

So, who is with me? I challenge everyone to write down their goals for the next month. They don't need to be crazy goals, make the goals something you can achieve in a month. Then you won't feel pressured or discouraged and give up.  Some examples could be: Drinking at least 80oz of water a day. Cut back alcohol to one drink a week (better yet no alcohol for 30 days).  Same for soda. Do you have a sweet tooth? Use fruits to satisfy your cravings.  Be dedicated to using your food log... You get the point.  These small little changes  will make a big impact over time!  Make posters, collages, or keep a journal for inspiration. I finally had a few minutes last night to catch up on my Fitness Smash Book.  It helped me gain some much needed motivation by looking at all the progress I have already made.  So remember, if you slipped up or fell off the wagon and you're looking for a sign to get back on track....THIS IS IT! This is your sign.  I will not let you fail, you can do anything you put your mind to. How bad do you want it?

Keep Inspiring  ~Shauna~
 

Food & Fitness: Abdominals

This week we are shaping up our abs just in time for summer!  It's true abs are made in the kitchen!  Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. We are going to give you some delicious recipes to try, and a killer abdominal workout to go with it.   

The challenge we are going to share is one that we have been doing at our Farrell's locations for a few weeks. Between our 10 week sessions our team needed a little something extra  Thanks to one of our awesome coaches (thanks Jenn) she shared the 300 Abs challenge with us. It's supposed to be the same workout that the cast from the movie 300 did to chisel out their amazing abs...so let's get to it.

  

Some of these are new exercises, so I have pictures on how to execute them...

*I have provided two versions of the Hip lift or Hip dip.  Either way is killer :)

Toe Touch Reverse

Hip lift orHip dips

Russian twistside V-ups

Pictures provided by: workoutlabs.com, hellawella.com, leanitup.com, & womenshealth.com

I challenge everyone to try this abs series every other day for a week and see how you feel! Even better, try to keep it going the entire month! You will be sore, but keep going you CAN DO IT!

You can do all the ab work you want to but unless you have that NUTRITION on point you are basically doing all that work for nothing.  

 

I am often asked "what do you eat in a day"?

As Shauna and I have both mentioned what works for the both of us is eating 6 small meals a day.  I really do my very best to make sure that I eat every three hours.  (I have even set myself a timer on days I know I will be super busy). After a while your body will get used to your schedule and will NEED to eat on that schedule.  So below is an example of what my "food log" might look like for one day.  I do prepare my food/meals and log the night before and try to really stick to what I have planned.  Now Farrell's has given me a good guideline of nutrition numbers to follow.  These numbers have been calculated specifically for me so depending on your size, and body fat percentage yours might be slightly different. Farrell's has some crazy scientific formula that's pretty perfect. :) The guideline I use is 35 carbs per meal and 20 protein per meal.

 

Meal 1: Whey Protein Shake

              Banana

(200 calories, 29g carbohydrates, 21g protein, 1.5g fat)

 

Meal 2: Special K Protein

              Skim Milk

(160 calories, 30g carbohydrates, 18g protein, 2g fat)

 

Meal 3: Chicken Breast (sliced in strips)

              Whole Grain Tortillia

               Lettuce

               Light Mayo

               (With these first four I make a yummy and filling wrap)

               Fresh Green Beans (which I honestly don't put in my count)

               Natural Applesauce (unsweetened)

(311 Calories, 36g of carbohydrates, 24g of protein, 8g of fat)

Meal 4: Quest Bar (My fave is the chocolate peanutbutter)

              V-8 Fustion Drink

(240 Calories, 38g carbohydrates, 20g of protein, 8g of fat)

 

Meal 5: Coconut Chicken Tenders (click on for link to recipe)

              Lettuce Salad with light Italian Dressing (Wishbone)

              1/2 piece of pita bread

(327 calories,  30.7g of Carbohydrates, 30g protein, 9.4g Fat)

 

Meal 6: 2- skim milk cheese sticks

             Triscuits

              12- Raw Almonds

(280 Calories, 26 Carbohydrates, 18g Protein, 15g Fat)

 

This is pretty much what my day looks like, especially a day at work.  Its a very simple and quick combination of food.  To be honest I eat just about the same thing everyday.  Just makes life easier. Of course this isn't perfect.  As you can see some of my meals are missing a few carbs or have too many.  I am still trying to learn the balance myself.  But with these meals and my 80oz of water I am seriously NEVER hungry or really ever crave anything else. 

 

Also, Here is a great Post workout snack (you know, after you get done doing the killer 300 ab workout)

 

These No Bake energy bites are perfect to give you a nice re-boost and satisfy that chocolate craving!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extrct

Directions:

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.
2. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
3. Makes about 20-25 balls.

(231 Calories, 14.1g fat, 24.6g Carbohydrates, 4.5g protein)

 

 

 

 Enjoy!!! We'd love to hear what you think! Leave a comment or subscribe to our blog down at the bottom of this page.

Our page views have been pretty overwhelming.  Shauna and I are so unbelievably thankful that you take a few minutes to read our post. Thanks for all your support!!

              

 

 

Excuses are like ...

Yep, its true! Excuses are like a@&holes, everyone has one. I know, I know, its sounds harsh, but its so true. I, however, am proclaiming myself the queen of excuses! Really! I can come up with some pretty good ones.  I was talking with a coworker the other day about all the excuses I have come up with and I have heard to not eat healthy, to not go to the gym, to not find a fitness program.  Honestly, most the "excuses" are pretty good and valid.  When I invite someone to the try out my program and they tell me the list of things they have going on that day I don't judge them one bit, infact I get exhausted for them.  I completely get it! I think I mentioned in my first post I finally got fed up with myself, I got mad! I finally decided I wasn't going to let myself make one more excuse as to why I chose the large value meal at the fast food joint vs. the chicken breast (without the bread) and a salad. I wanted to feel better more than I wanted the French fries. I wasn't going to let working a 12 hour day stop me from finding time to go to the gym because I was tired.  I wanted to feel better more than I wanted to sleep an extra hour.  I got mad.  I got determined. 
My typical day starts at 3:30am. I get up and get ready for my day (yes, hair and makeup before the gym. Crazy, I know, but makes my morning a bit easier.  Still trying to figure out the best way with all that). My husband and I are at the gym by 4:45am for the 5am class. (Our older son is home with the younger ones while we are gone, in that way we are very lucky that we can do this together)  Our class lasts 45min.  Afterwards, I stay at the gym and try to clean myself up enough to go to work while my husband goes home and gets all our kids up and ready for school.  (God Bless Him, He's pretty great!) I then head to work at 7am for a 12 hour day at the hospital.  I get home about 7:30ish pm.  (I'll talk about my meals at work here in a second) I spend some time catching up with my kids about their day, get them ready for bed and tuck them in.  Then my husband and I do our meal planning for the next day together, pack our lunches up. I shower and go to bed.  I do this routine three times a week (I work 3 - 12's). On the days I don't work obviously my schedule is way easier. No, its not ideal, but it is necessary.  There are so many times I would love to sleep just a bit longer, but I know, for me, if I get out of a routine of going to the gym every day then I will eventually miss two days, then three, then won't go at all.  For now, since this is all still new to me, I guess I just go everyday until I can trust myself to maybe go 5 days a week or even 4.  I don't know.  For now, I make this work.  So, I guess when someone says to me.  I have no time to go to the gym.  I have to take the kids here and there, I have work, I have this commitment and that commitment.  I completely understand (remember I have 4 kids running different directions as well).  There are several 24 hour gyms.  (some I'm not so sure I'd recommend, but they are better than nothing) So when someone says I just don't have time, I always ask, well what are you doing at 4:00am? There really is time. If you want it enough. There is time.  I promise :)
Ok so food... I often get asked what do you eat? I always say "a lot" ,cause seriously I do.  The program that I do suggests that you eat 6 small meals a day.  And so far this has really worked for me.  I seriously am never hungry. I have more energy than I ever have, and I feel great all day long (and some days its a really long day). I know I have a lot of improving to do on my food.  I hate that I am such a picky eater.  I wish that I liked more foods than I do, but I am really trying to change that.  My goal through out my day is to eat as healthy and clean as I can.  The less ingredients on a package the better... The other thing I do is plan my meals.  A lot of my "fit" friends will plan out their week, I sadly, haven't gotten that good yet.  I do mine daily.  Every night, my husband and I figure out our meals for the next day.  What we plan, is what we eat. No more. No less. Farrell's has some crazy scientific formula that individually calculates how much protein and carbs a meal you should have.  I don't know what that formula is, or how they came up with it, or really how even scientific it is, but it works for me and gives me a good guideline.  So, for me, each of my meals contain 35g of carbs and 20g of protein.  I try really hard to eat every 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours (with work it can be tricky sometimes). I do use whey protein shakes and a protein bar almost daily, but my husband doesn't use either.  So, that is pretty much it.  I can get detailed about every meal if you'd like and I have to honest I eat pretty much the same things every day.  Its pretty boring.  But as I said in my first post I now look at food as fuel, not as pleasure.  With this thinking I have found that things taste so much better, because when I do have "cheat" meal (which of course I do) I savor and love each and every bite of that meal.  It tastes so much better and I appreciate it way more than I ever did before because I know it will be awhile before I taste it again. ;)
So, its not easy.  Especially with how crazy life is daily.  But, it is possible to be healthy.  You have to start somewhere.  Shauna sent out a quote one time that said  "Its not easy, Its going to hurt, You are going to want to give up, but you wont! NOT THIS TIME, you are a FIGHTER" I love that.  It is so true.  :)

Shauna's Thoughts: Nutrition

To explain a bit about the blog, Jenni and I have decided that we will be starting off with four posts per week.  

Monday- Motivation Monday

Wednesday - Thoughts by Shauna

Saturday - Food & Fitness

Sunday - Thoughts by Jenni

I wanted to start my first Thoughts segment with a topic I get asked about daily.  "What are you doing to lose weight?"  It's really a two part answer.  I work out 6 days a week, and most importantly I follow my nutrition plan.  In this segment were are going to focus on the Nutrition part.

The reason why I kept going through the vicious weight gain / weight loss cycle is because I had an unhealthy relationship with food.  In my experience I would probably call it a Food Addiction.  It got to the point that I was hiding food and binging.  It would be my day off of work and I would be ready for lunch, so I would just start driving around.  What did I taste for today? I would pull into a fast food place drive around the parking lot with guilt because I knew I shouldn't be doing this.  It didn't matter though, I needed my "drug".  So, I would pull up to  the drive thru and I would order what seemed to be everything.  Just the small size? NOPE I needed the largest of the largest size.  Was one fry enough? NOPE I needed two. Would I like desssert with that? Of course I did, I'll take the order of three cookies (because it really was a deal).  Then I would park the car and I would consume all of the food. I felt like I needed to hide what I was doing.  I would dispose of all the wrappers, cups, and packaging like it was evidence. After my taste buds were satisfied, and my belly was extremely full (sometimes to the point of puking) I would fall into an euphoric state.  This high wouldn't last forever though.  After I snapped back to reality, the guilt would set in all over again.  Why did I just do that?  Why couldn't I just say NO? Why am I hiding what I'm eating? It was seriously like a drug addiction.  

I would compare an addiction to food to any other type of drug/alcohol addicition.  Except, when you have a drug/alcohol addiction they will put you into re-hab, and completely seperate you from your addiction.  You have people there to monitor and watch you, give you medicine to help with withdrawls, give you steps to live by, and offer support.  When you leave re-hab, they will even put you into a sober house to help you further transition into "normal" life.  Once you are done, you have the power to cut off ties yo your past life and make a new life for yourself.  A food addiction however is just plain torture.  Food is something we will use 4 - 6 times a day.  It is on every street corner, in every home, and every store.  We raise it, grow it, sell it, and consume it. Don't you see? We cannot survive without it. 

So how can we even begin this journey with all this temptation around us?  You have to want it.  You have to have the power to say no.  You have to open your eyes to the world of healthy, nutritious food.  You have to find a balance.  Farrell's helped me with this.  They provided me with information based off of my body weight and body fat percentage, then gave me carb and protein numbers to plan my meals.  They didn't provide me with the meal plan it's self, they just gave me the tools to build one.  I had to put the work into it. If I bit it, nibbled it, or drank it, I wrote it down.  I portioned, weighed, and prepped my meals for each week. I knew what I was going to be putting into my body, and I prepared myself for the day.  Even though I work in a restaurant, I took my snacks and lunch to work.  I still had my cheat day...and sometimes it ran into two days, but I was able to get back to the daily grind after the weekend was over.  WHY? Because, it was working.  I was starting to feel better.  I had more energy.  I saw changes in my body, my clothes started fitting again.  Then people started noticing a difference in my apperance.  It wasn't a vicious cycle anymore...I was finally on the right path to a lifestyle change.   

I am not a nutritionist, and I can't give you the carb and protien numbers you should eat for the day, again it's all based off your body.  I would recomend you see a nutritionist or registered dietitian if you are looking for help.  They can provide you with so much information about the why's and how to's of eating healthy and properly for your body. Here are a few changes that worked for me so maybe they can work for you:

1) Make small changes to your diet such as cutting out soda.  Try to limit how many cans or bottles you consume in a week.  Cut back on the fancy coffee drinks (O.K. this one was the hardest for me.  I love Scooter's Coffee so much that I should probably own a building by now because I've spent so much on their delicious coffee concoctions).  Cut out fast food, or make healthier options when you go out for example a side salad instead of fries or no bun on the burger.  Most restaurants carry a nutrition guide for their menus that way you can plan ahead.

2) Start trying new "healthier" foods such as quinoa, sweet potatoes, or ground turkey meat.  I mean seriously you can replace ground turkey for ground beef in any dish. 

3) Drink at least 80 ounces of water each day!  Stay hydrated and full at the same time :)

4) Plan for your day, and keep a food log!  A food log will help you see exactly what you are eating.  Write everything down no matter what it is.  My fitness pal is a great app. to use and keep track of your food.  

5) Try to eat smaller meals thoughout the day to keep your blood sugars from spiking.  I usually eat 5 - 6 meals a day.  This was the hardest thing for me to start, but now I don't even have to think about it.  

6) Read food lables, watch portion sizes, and measure everything you are eating.  You will be amazing at what you think a 1/2 cup of something is vs. what it actually is.  If something is given in a weight then measure the weight first, 1 measured cup of rice can weight very different depending on how much rice you pack into the cup. I have a food scale, measure cups, and table spoons ready at all times.

7) Alcohol = the devil.  Don't do it. Not. Even. Once.

8) Switch out white starches with whole grains and wheat. This is a preference of mine but it fits my new lifestyle plus I like the way it tastes.

9) Eat a good healthy breakfast. ( Dough-nuts do not count as healthy) Take the time in the morning to cook some eggs or some oatmeal. You will appreciate having the fuel to start off the morning and so will your body.

10) Get some sleep.  You body needs proper time to digest, re-charge, and repair itself. Most of us stay up late and watch our shows, I am guilty myself. Just turn off the TV and go to bed. You have plenty of time to catch up on Greys or Nashville some other time.

So thoes are some of my tips that have helped me along my journey, maybe they can help you to.  Like I said before I am not a nutritionist and I haven't researched or read every article, I experiemented and found the right mix to help me fit my new lifestyle.  This isn't a fad diet, this is my new diet. I eat, sleep, and live this new healthy life. I made the changes and so can you.

Best in Health,
Shauna