21 Day Fix Update & Shakeology French Toast

It's been quite a while since I've done a blog post. However, I just started a new round of 21 Day Fix so I thought I'd write a new post. Since March, I've completed 2 full rounds of 21 Day Fix. I lost about 6 lbs from that, 3 inches off my waist and many inches off various places on my body. I started to have some issues with my knees so I ordered Piyo and started doing that, along with other various workouts on Beachboy On Demand. I lost another 4-5 lbs from that, however I've been at a standstill for about a month now and I've gotten complacent. SO, I decided that needed to change! I started up a new round of 21 Day Fix and I have a new workout partner this time- my husband! We are both victims of post-marriage weight gain, so I'm happy to have him joining me this time around.

Tonight, I was thinking about what to make for my last meal. I had a protein, two carbs and half a fruit leftover so I figured it would be a great time to try out a recipe I came across- Protein French Toast! Here is my adaptation of the recipes (the original can be found here http://www.bodyrock.tv/food/peanut-butter-protein-french-toast/)

Shakeology Protein French Toast 

(Please don't mind the bite out of it! Haha, I just couldn't wait!)

Recipe

2 Slices of Whole Grain Bread

1 whole egg

3 tablespoons of egg whites 

1 tablespoon of organic powdered peanut butter

1/2 scoop of vanilla Shakeology 

1 large dash of cinnamon 

A little bit of water to thin it out 

Combine all the ingredients, excluding the water. Shakeology tends to thicken up easily, so add enough water to make it a batter-type consistency. Soak your bread, cook in a pan and eat it up!! 

You can top it with whatever you like- peanut butter, coconut butter or a little bit of pure maple syrup. I made a little compote out of blueberries, water and stevia. 

For 21 Day Fix, this counts as 2 yellows, 1 red and 1 tsp, plus whatever you put on top (1/2 a purple for me). 

The best part of this recipe is I ate it and now I'm very satisfied! I usually can eat many pieces of french toast and still feel hungry since its just carbs. The protein in this recipe really makes these filling. I will definitely be making again! 

Enjoy!! 

The benefits of exercise on your ticker!

As a CCU nurse, I see many, many obese, out of shape individuals roll through our doors. Some have just had a heart attack, some have just discovered they need to have a quadruple bypass and some are barely hanging on by a thread after their heart stopped and they were revived with CPR. A trend that has become apparent is that the age of patients who are requiring these interventions is becoming younger and younger. Heart disease is now the number one killer of both men and women in America and inactivity is the number one risk factor.

Some of my patient will come in from cath lab after getting their stent, drinking a coke and eating a candy bar. People who just had open heart surgery will be eating cheeseburgers the very next day. It makes me cringe! How on earth can someone do this to their body?? Don't they understand they only have one heart?!

I think people fall into two categories: people really don't understand and people who really don't care. There isn't much we can do for the people who don't care, people need to be motivated to change, you can't make them. But there is a lot we can do for the people who just don't understand. The CDC has found that people with heart disease can decrease their risk of heart attack, the need for open heart surgery and their risk of death from heart disease all with exercise.

Here's three HUGE reasons you should exercise to improve your heart health: 

• Get you off your blood pressure meds
• One study showed that of people who began moderate-intensity exercise program, 50% of them had decreased their blood pressure so much, they were able to stop taking meds!
• Get you off your cholesterol meds
• Exercise reduces your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raises your HDL (good cholesterol). Again, this can mean the difference between taking meds or not. Popular cholesterol medication such as Lipitor have a lot of nasty side effects, including muscle weakness. Getting off these meds can make a huge difference in your quality of life 
• Getting rid of weight related diabetes 
• You might think diabetes doesn't have much to do with your heart, but you're wrong! People with diabetes are 2-4x more likely to have heart disease. Controlling your weight with exercise lowers your blood sugar and can even eliminate your type 2 diabetes! No more meds, finger pokes or insulin shots. Doesn't that sound great?

There is so many more reasons exercise is good for your health, I could go on and on. Overall, you should shoot for 30 minutes a day (or at least most days) of moderate intensity exercise. A beach body program like 21 Day Fix is the perfect way to incorporate this into your life. The 30 minute videos are easy to fit into your daily schedule. Think about it, 30 minutes is only 2% of your whole day. Just 2% of your day can provide all the heath benefits I listed above and many, many more. If you are ready to make a change and take a step towards heart health, let's chat! I can help you come up with a plan to improve your life. Email Me!

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/exercise-statistics#2

http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/physical-activity/exercise's-effects-on-the-heart.html

http://www.heart.org

First round of 21 Day Fix & Erin Condren Life Planner

Last week I finished off my first round of 21 Day Fix. While I didn't get the amazing transformation that I was hoping for, the results were definitely there. I lost about 3 lbs, 2 inches off my belly, 1/2 an inch of each leg and 1/4 inch of each arm. Nothing earth shattering but I know that one pound of weight loss a week is a normal, healthy amount. Possibly more importantly, my scrubs are fitting better, I'm able to squeeze into some jeans that I wasn't previously able to wear, and I look and feel less bloated and uncomfortable. I started up my second round on Monday after taking 3 days off. I weighed myself today and I've already lost 1.6 lbs! I have a feeling this round will be more successful for me. I know that when you start a workout program that your body isn't used to, your body released a stress hormone called cortisol. This can cause your body to hold onto your weight and excess water to fuel your muscles. Eventually, your body will hit it's stride and the weight will start coming off. I know it will come so I'm just going to keep pressing play, eating right and I'm confident the results will follow!

I'd like to share a tool that I use to track my food with 21 Day Fix, my beloved Erin Condren planner! A friend of mine introduced me to Erin Condren in November of last year. Erin makes personalized organizational items such as planners and address books, as well as stationary and much more! The planner features weekly and monthly spreads and  a "keep it together" pocket in the back that holds various loose papers, cards and such. It also comes with a ziploc bag type case for pens and other items that don't fit in the pocket, as well as a loose perpetual calender that you can use to record yearly events such as birthdays which you can then move to next years planner when the time comes. There are tons of blog posts and youtube videos about the planner so I won't get too indepth on its features. Instead I want to showcase how I use it for the 21 day fix!

This is the weekly spread in the planner. I purchased stickers from this etsy shop. She makes them for all different calorie ranges and also for T25. The stickers feature the workout of the day and fit perfectly into one of the squares on the planner. I also recorded when I started my challenge group! This is a really great tool to keep track of your meals. It displays it in a cute way, the adorable design of the planner makes me want to write in it! I use colorful pens to make it even more fun. Before I got my stickers, I just took my pens in colors that coordinated with the containers and drew little boxes that I checked off. The bottom picture shows my personalized cover, as well as my personalized carry all clutch which holds the planner. She also sends everything in adorable packaging which is a nice touch!

In short, I highly recommend this planner! If you are interested, these planners are currently marked down 40% off to $30! You also get $10 off your first order with this link., bringing your final cost to $20. Also, the covers are removable and interchangeable so you can reuse it next year when the 2016 planner comes out. This really is a great deal since you can still get good use out the planner for the rest of the year.

Click Here To Get $10 Off Your First Order!

Nurse Struggles & Fabletics Review

I haven't written a blog post in about a week and there's a decent reason why. As a nurse, I work 12 hour shifts in the CCU and I like to group my days together to have more off in a row, but usually 5 consecutive days is usually my limit. Somehow this week I managed to sign myself up for 6 in a row and let me tell you, it was a challenge. When I work long stretches, usually all I do is work and sleep. This time I had to fit in working out! I'm proud to say I worked out every day! The fact that the workouts are only 30 minutes made it pretty doable. On day 5, I did have to switch out the pilates fix that I was supposed to do for the 10 minute abs video since I woke up too late. It was challenging, on day 6 not a single cell in my body wanted to workout but I did it!

The other challenge I ran into working was food prep. I really only woke up about 45 mins earlier than usual- just enough time to workout and make my shakeology.  Not really any extra time for cooking. The food I had prepped on my days off only lasted me until about day 3. I managed to find some salads to eat in our crapeteria and I got jimmy johns one day. Overall, I didn't do too bad, I avoided cake, cookies and candy that were all at work. I was going to split a Coke Life (sweetened with cane sugar and stevia) with a friend but I honestly took a few sips and threw it away! It just didn't taste good anymore, which is strange since I used to be a huge pop fan! Two thumbs up for Shakeology and its craving crushing abilities!

As a reward for working out while working, I ordered an outfit from Fabletics! I've seen this company advertized, they offer a complete workout outfit for $25 (kind of). When you sign up for the VIP club, which is a monthly subscription just like Just Fab, your first outfit is 50% off of the normal VIP prices, which start at $49.95. I didn't really love any of the cheaper ones, so I picked a 2-peice outfit that had a VIP price of $69.95, bringing my cost to about $35. My order arrived just a few days later (fast shipping!) I was nervous about the sizing, but everything was pretty true to size. I ordered a large and both piece fit well. The jacket is a very cute stretchy black zip-up. The zipper is on an angle, creating a unique asymmetrical style. It has zipper pockets on the sides and holes in the sleeves for your thumbs. It's very comfortable and flattering! The yoga capris are also very comfy! The material is very soft and stretchy. They feel nice and thick- no see-through problems here! The back of the pants have a zipper pocket that would be great for a house key while going on runs. 

 My Fabletics Outfit (Don't mind the dog toys in the background!)

I've hear the quality of the pants are comparable to lululemon which I've never owned because of the outrageous price. They do feel like much better quality than the Victoria Secret Pink yoga pants I usually buy. Overall, I love the outfit I got! I've worn the jacket to work twice now and its very comfy. The value was great, especially with the 50% discount. A pair of VS yoga pants alone usually cost around $40-$50 and these are nicer quality. I'm not sure that I will order something every month. They allow you to skip any month for no charge. As cute as the outfits are, I don't really need to spend $50 on workout clothes every month. I do think its a great way non-food reward for sticking to 21 Day Fix and I will order again.

If you wanna check Fabletics out, here's a link!

21 Day Fix Approved Pizza!

I have to share my yummy lunch!!

I took a light italian Flatout (one yellow), spread a red container of organic ricotta cheese on first, topped it with some tomato sauce, then one green full of diced tomatoes, frozen onion and frozen green pepper. I wasn't sure how long to really bake it for so I did 8 minutes at 350 F to start and ended up doing a total of 12 minutes. I cooked mine on our beloved pizza stone, but I'm sure a cookie sheet would do just fine. Next time I'll probably bake it for about 15 minutes to hopefully get it a little crispier. The picture was taken before I baked it, I was too excited to eat it when it came out, I forgot to take another! Haha. I had to eat it with a knife and fork but overall, It was really good! I love that 21 Day Fix gives you the flexibility to come up with concoctions like this and it still falls within the meal plan. When I was doing the Paleo diet, the Flatout and the ricotta would not have been allowed. You can see how no dairy and no grains does not allow for much flexibility.

In other news, I just finished up Dirty 30. Another great workout from Autumn! This one was heavy on the free weights and lunges. It wasn't the most challenging but I worked up a sweat. This week I've been following Kat the modifier for most things. My goal is that over time I'll build strength and follow the regular moves exclusively. I mixed up another shakeology after my workout. This one was 1 vanilla shakeo packet, 1/2 a banana, a dash of coconut extract, 2 tsp of almond butter, water and ice. Delish! 

Day 5 of 21 Day Fix

Today was day 5 of 21DF!  It was a good day! I got on the scale this morning and I've lost 0.6 lbs. Not bad for 4 days of the program. I'm just happy to see my weight going down. Cardio fix was a tough workout, I definitely worked up a good sweat. Those burpees and mountain climbers killed me! After I was done, I went to make my shakeology. I have been wanting to try the Thin Mint recipe that's been going around Pinterest and I thought I had all the ingredients. Turns out I  had coconut extract in my pantry not mint extract so I decided to improvise. Heres what I came up with!

Chocolate Cocobanana Shakeology 

1 packet of chocolate shakeology

12 oz of water

1/2 of a banana

A dash of vanilla extract

A dash of coconut extract

Fill the rest of the cup with ice and blend! 

I also made a very yummy breakfast burrito!  It contained:

1 red of egg whites

1/2 green of diced tomato

1/2 blue of shredded cheddar cheese 

1 light italian Flatout (worth 1 yellow) 

I sprinkled some lemon pepper Mrs. Dash on my eggs and ate it up!

I'd highly recommend either of these recipes. Very yummy, flavorful and full of nutrients. I love that shakeology is so versatile. You have the option to add in unlimited combinations of extracts and frozen fruit. Tomorrow I'm going to try a packet of Vegan Tropical Strawberry that my coach gave me, I've heard good things about this flavor and I'm excited to try it!

Shakeology: My New Love!

I have to admit, I was very reluctant to dish out $130 for a bag of what I thought was just protein powder. I have known about shakeology for years now but it wasn't until my friend and now coach started using shakeology that I gave it any real thought. Working night shift, I always want to stop for a bagel or something similar for breakfast after I leave work. Looking back, I realize eating simple carbs right before bed was SO bad!! Not only was this an unhealthy habit, it was expensive. I spent $4-$7 every day on breakfast at fast food places. So, my thought originally was, if I can replace my fast food breakfast with shakeology every day, I'll probably spend the same, if not less, and it will be healthier. The first few days after I got my shakeology, I didn't pack any other food for lunch. I ended up drinking my shakeology around 3am because the "food" I got from our crapeteria at midnight didn't keep me full for long. By the time I left work at 8am, I was starting to get hungry again and still stopped for food. FAIL! At the time, I was mixing the powder with water and I thought it tasted decent. I also wasn't working out at the time.

Over the past week, I have been off work (perks of only working three 12 hour shifts a week) and I officially started following 21 Day Fix. I have discovered the magic that is blended shakeology!! Like I said, shakeology shaken with water is decent but shakeology blended with some frozen fruit is AMAZING! The first day, I made chocolate with frozen strawberries and OMG it was just like dessert! I seriously felt like I was cheating on the meal plan. I've also made vanilla with mixed berries and strawberry with mango, both of which were delish! Just like a smoothie you'd get from the mall but WAY healthier. Right now, I'm drinking my shakeology after my 21 Day Fix workouts. I'm kind of undecided as to if I'm going to keep doing it this way when I go back to work on Thursday or if I should revert back to the original plan of drinking after work. I'll probably do a mix of the two, but most importantly I'll be packing plenty of other healthy foods that will keep me satisfied all night. No more fast food for me!

I've found that pairing shakeology with the excellent nutrition I'm getting following the 21 Day Fix plan makes a huge difference! I feel completely satisfied, not hungry at all and little to no cravings for things like bagels and fast food- and that says a lot for me! I love love dessert and I usually I have to have something every day, whether it be cookies or ice cream, or I'll go crazy. On previous diets, I've always found loopholes to fit sweets into my diet. I'm proud to say I've been cheat free for the past 4 days (yay for small victories!). I did trade one of my yellows in today for 6 dark chocolate covered almonds, which is part of the plan. They were good, but I honestly feel like I could have skipped them and ate a more filling grain instead. What tasted really good was the 1/2 of a sweet potato I had! I really feel like it has to be the shakeology making the difference and squashing my cravings. Nothing else really explains it!

You can officially add me to the long list of people who love shakeology!

If you've been thinking about trying shakeology, I urge you to take the leap of faith and give it a try! There are sampler packs you can get but really, you're best off just ordering a full months supply. Beachbody has a bottom of the bag guarantee so if after 29 days you decide you actually hate it (which I'm pretty sure you wont!), you get your money back! What do you have to loose?? You can order directly through me and receive free coaching using the link below!

Click here to Order Shakeology!