A slow way to make changes - Michi's Ladder

Food choices always surprise me. I will admit, I am a woman I have cravings and somedays you just have to follow them.  If you deny yourself forever you will always be hungry. It is interesting though that as I have been eating cleaner my body craves different things now.  I used to crave cheese and don't as much anymore and now consider sushi a treat. Yesterday I had to stop at my favorite place and grab a roll.

Michi's Ladder has food in Tiers. The healthier the food, the higher up it is. This is a great way to make slow changes one item at a time.  A lot of people who count macros (IIFYM) follow Micha's ladder.

I challenge you to see what you eat off tier 4 or  5 and see if you can give it up for a week, swap it for something on tier 3. After that how about tier 2?

On a different note I have found a happy running place again. I am not pushing it as much and trying to run for fun. These are short, interval runs (3-5 miles). I think what gave me the biggest boost is a new iTunes playlist and a new veto playlist. Let's face it, we already have negative wind chills here, and snow. Outdoor running has already become icy and injuries are never fun. I am hoping to keep finding new music, it always makes run so much more enjoyable.

Making Changes

I was watching a video someone posted from the Coaches Summit this last summer when Shaun T was talking. He was talking about how you have to accept yourself before anyone else can.

Everyone always thinks, "I will be happier when I am 10lbs lighter". The issue with this is how much happier could you be now knowing you are making big changes that will affect your life and those around you?

I know I have always been the above person. I know I still have 10lbs to go since my adrenal fatigue and deficiencies made my body go wonky last year.  BUT I have so much more than last year! I am strong, I can lift now more than before (should my kitchen ever light on fire again I know I can lift my 4 year olds and run). I have lost inches but not weight which tells me I have gained muscle. I am helping reduce my chances of osteoporosis, my bursitis in my hip is improving, my running is better, I am eating SO much cleaner, my kids are too. I have helped impact other people to think about their health and make healthier choices.

So sometimes we all need to take a step back. Accept ourselves for the great things we can and are doing. Not what we want to do.

I love a great Peanut Sauce!

So I love Peanut Sauce. What I don't like is everything added in that I have no idea what is really in there. For me eating clean is about making what I eat and knowing what goes in my food.  To top it off I like things spicy.  Most peanut sauces are a bit of a let down. Making my own with this recipe I love to add extra garlic siracha.  I will say if you make the recipe the garlic siracha is way better than just a regular old siracha.

I tend to make this and stir a bit into quinoa with chickpeas ( or shelled edamame) and tomatoes. It is so good, yet healthy. Who doesn't love tasty food! So give it a try and let me know what you think. It is super easy, vegan, and usually most of these items are in the house.

#PinoftheDay
#Fit4Fun13
#beachbody

Quinoa, tomatoes, edamae, peanut Sauce

Thai Peanut Sauce

My #21 Day Fix Favorite

I have a few favorites that seem to always make me realize I am eating great food, but it's healthy!

On a cold rainy day like today I am really craving something warm.  This always hits the spot for me. A split chicken breast, cooked in my dutch oven with TONS of veggies and 1 cup no sodium broth and 1 cup water. I have found over the year it is always the celery that flavors things.

One of my favorite treats I have found on the 21 Day fix is sliced strawberries with 1 tsp of chocolate chips and 1 tsp of natural coconut. It is such a great treat when warmed up, it has that sweet, warm flavor for a cold day.

Team Beachbody Super Sunday in MN

I had the amazing chance to lead the Insanity portion of the workout at the #TeamBeachbodySuperSaturday

It is so amazing to stand up in from of 60 people and lead them.  Watching people be synchronized with movements and having them live for water breaks is a great feeling. Knowing that I was helping people workout, even if the movements wet modified, there is no way to describe it.

I know people find things that change their life, BeachBody was it for me. The 21 day fix started it all, but attending and becoming certified to teach Insanity, and then teaching it, WOW.

I love my kids dearly but after 4-5 years of only taking care of others it was time to take care of me and do something for me. I miss working in the real world, but I don't miss having to let people go.  On top of that I want to be able to be present for my kids. Teaching Insanity allows me to do something for myself while they are at school having fun with their friends.  I feel like I have found a great balance.

So thank you to my fellow coaches and Beachbody for helping me find my way.

Rocked it!

Sometimes you have a workout where at the end you feel like you rocked it, better yet owned it!  These are rare occasions that I embrace. 

This happened to me yesterday. Recently, I have become certified to teach Piyo and Insanity. I love Insanity and am working with two studios to teach at this winter. I have my first audition coming up on Tuesday so I did a full out practice run again. Just by memory. It reminded me how much I memorized routines for dance and it's the same. 

After I had so much energy and felt like I could jump it went so good. Here is to hoping the interview goes well. 1 more day to do another full out practice. 

Ready for fall

I almost feel bad saying I am ready for summer to be over. I feel as though we were cheated. It wasn't a hot, or even warm summer. Sure we had some nice days but not enough to warm up the lake. Heck the 4th of July was cold!

I always struggle running in humidity and this year it wasn't hot but it was humid. Finding out I have asthma from allergies and exercise does not help. Hence fall running. The cool weather is so much easier for me. The allergies are lower so the asthma doesn't flare up. Take today. It was 46 degrees when I went for a run. I cut 5 minutes off my time. I wasn't trying and I was running slow. The big thing was I didn't have to walk from my asthma. I literally walked for 1 minute after 15 minutes if running. 

I will admit I totally fear what this means for snowfall and temperatures this winter. I cannot handle 68+ days below 0 again. I guess it is a give and take. For now, I will take my enjoyable asthma free runs. 

How strong are you?

I don't mean how much weight can you lift. I mean what do you have to do everyday to be strong and persevere?

Most of my friends who know me, know that I struggle with endometrosis and have since I was a teenager.  This has always caused issues with exercising. I love to run, but I literally have been stopped on the side of the road at times doubled over.  People always ask why I still run?

Answer? Because I will not let this control my life. This is my life and if I make excuses this crap wins. I will admit the past 3 days have been awful, to the point I have been woken up at night, and it just disrupted my run (I still got 4 miles in).

I CHOOSE every day to live as healthy as possible. I have noticed that a clean diet, little to no sugar, no caffeine has helped to make a difference.  Being that I am out of medical options I need to look at lifestyle options that are not hard on my body. I have a family to take care of.

So I leave you with this today.  What issue do you wake up to every morning and what is your choice? It is a choice. If you are healthy as a horse, count your blessings.

August already?

That moment when you realize that half of the year has flown by and you sit back and look to see where you want to head. 

I have made some choices and decisions. One of them is that I love all of the beachbody programs. The second is that running is still not cooperating with my leg (I am at physical therapy for the second time in 7 days). It may be time to really back off the running. I love my cardio but need to find other ways, or just focus on all easy runs. 

To help I am doing insanity with my Body Beast program. I have also decided to get Insanity certified and I will be Piyo certified soon also. I love teaching and used to choreography dances (back in the day) so this ties in well. 

If the rumors are true that there may be a new Body Beast I will order that so fast! 

Bring on the beast!

I decided to order a DVD pack that was on sale through BeachBody, Body Beast. 

I love lifting. Not just light weight. No I love heavy lifting. The complaint I often hear from women is the concern that they will get bulky. We can build muscle but we will never bulk up like guys as we lack the testerone to make that happen. 

This program is what I have been missing! Just a good heavy lifting session! The reps are doable as you choose your own weight and as always there are modifiers. I even watched as one guy in the video had to put down the weights to finish his reps. Totally made me feel better.  

If you want a good deal check it out. The DVDs are marked down to $39.90 and the challenge pack with shakeology is $160. It's a good deal to get lean and build muscle. 

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/gacgirl13. 

It's a good thing I can do dvd's

I learned to run 2 years ago. I say learned as it was a process. I have always has allergies but the past few years they have really gotten bad, to the point I now get allergy shots.

Yesterday brought something new to the table. Asthma from my allergies while running. This actually made me miss winter for running in the cold. I never thought I would miss winter again adlfter this last horrible winter.   

I think until the allergies get to a low point again I will stick to my weights and DVDs. I really don't feel like using an inhaler. 

I did go out and run a race today and it went ok. Not my best time but it was fun running with about 20 other twin and triplet moms. One mom ever took 3rd out. Of 2,500 runners! Now that is a superpower mom. 

 

Health is more than eating and exercise

It is also about making sure you get the routine check ups necessary.  My heart is just racing a little as I made my mammogram appointment.  I usually have to convince doctors as my mom was just over the age cutoff for me to start early screening.

That being said I know of way to many ladies my age who have been diagnosed or passed away in the last year from stage 2-3 breast cancer (my cousin passed away from breast cancer at 43).  It is a small thing and I will always do it.

So next Tuesday I will be nervous for the results, but either way I will have them. I will be able to move forward for another year.

Medifast, the consequences and how it led me to Beachbody

The backstory to the start of this post is that my dad had his first heart attack at 32 and passed away at 53.  After that I vowed I would lead a better life and not follow in his footsteps. It worked. I ate better and worked out more, but I know now that I was really not eating that good.

Fast forward in life and I had kids.  Kids take a toll on you and we love them dearly but find me a mom who doesn’t want to shed the pregnancy pounds.  When the kids were a year old I started weight training but couldn’t drop the pounds.  I decided to try and move it along with Medifast.  I had no idea how bad this would be for me.

I went to Medifast, paid the fees and I followed it.  I did drop all of that pesky weight and was super fit.  However, looking back now I know that a 900-calorie a diet is NEVER sustainable, healthy, or should be an option for anyone! In addition to so few calories I was training for half marathons so I was burning all 900 plus some more calories.  I did eat extra protein but I know now it was never enough by what they told me.

Fast-forward again a year later. I had maintained my weight loss but was still eating some of their products every day.  I did feel that they really did not teach me portion control or healthy eating. I was just a number to make them money. An odd thing happened. I started gaining weight, FAST! In a matter of 6 months I put on 30lbs. I was working out the same if not more, and had switched to eating more whole foods.  This led me through quite a few tests, doctor appointments, and so many blood draws. 

Here is what I learned. I was severely vitamin D deficient (this is MN so a 9 is still really low), I had adrenal fatigue, and no one should ever eat the quantities of Soy Protein that is found in Medifast as it is linked to adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues.  Insert a shocked face here! This is an endocrinologist who told me this.  He told me if I didn’t change everything, I might need a weight loss drug to reset my metabolism as it was now so messed up from Medifast.

Adrenal fatigue releases cortisol into your body and it just don’t stop. It keeps you in the flight mode and explains a lot of the issues I had been having for about a year and a half. I could not sleep between 11-3 am (second wind), I could hardly get up in the morning no matter how much sleep I got, I was so dead tired in the afternoon I would always try and sleep or supplement with more coffee. 

This led me to Beachbody.  I was told I had to stop running to let me body heal and I needed to eat whole.  I had been eating whole foods, but when I found the 21-Day Fix I realized I had still been overeating!  I made the choice to change. I cut out all caffeine, I began doing work out dvd’s instead of running (T25, 21 Day Fix, p90x3, and Piyo are my favorites), I began to look at what was in supplements, I took supplements that were whole, I began to drink Shakeology, and I sleep again. The best part I realized is that with the 21-Day fix nothing is off limits for food.  With Medifast everything was off limits. 

I am glad I found my cure, Beachbody (specifically Autumn Calabrese and the 21-Dayfix)! In the last 4 months I have dropped 15lbs, kept it off, and my family eats whole now. If I can learn to eat whole, make 2- 4 year olds eat better and still find 30 minutes a day to work out I think this is a no brainer! Everyone  who struggles should look at the 21-Day Fix.  It is truly the only program I have ever seen teach people about real portion control vs. perceived sizes. 

I have run into many people who have done Medifast and have adrenal fatigue issues or thyroid problems. I now tell people to avoid Medifast and eat whole real foods. 

This picture is some of my favorite whole foods.

3 day refresh

I am trying something new. I am not very good at cleanses as I like to eat. I finally found something through beachbody that is a cleanse but I can eat!!

The 3 day refresh has you use shakeology and whole food eating. My body is used to both of those things. I just need to cut the meat as the supplements have tons of protein! I can wait to see my results. I will keep everyone in the loop. 

A fun 4th and a Fresh Start

The 4th of July is always a huge holiday for our family.  There are 5 July birthday and we all celebrate on the 4th.  I mean, who doesn't want fireworks to celebrate!

That being said, there may have been salty brats, veggies WITH dip, and a birthday cupcake.  Can I say ugh.

I start my challenge group on Monday and cannot wait. I will also be kickstarting it with the 3 day refresh.  The refresh is a great way to reset your body but not do a crazy cleanse. I actually get to eat on it.  Yes please! If anyone wants more information please email me.

A long overdue start

I started a new journey in March. I had been running for quite come time but due  to nagging injuries, adrenal fatigue, and stress I ended up gaining weight. 

I decided to try a new program. All of my favorite trainers had left the gym and I needed to try things on my own again. Time had become a commodity! 

I ventured to Beachbody when I saw someone post about the 21 day fix.  

I had been eating whole, but I learned you can still overeat even on whole foods. 

When the containers arrived I fully expected to starve. That never happened. Instead I lost 11 lbs, 7 inches, broke my caffeine addiction and learned so much. 

I have since journeyed into becoming a beachbody coach. I still enjoy my runs, but I have learned to listen to my body and not risk the injury and push so hard. 

Summer, lakes, camp, & play dates.

I can tell that these will be the themes. Now that we have done the massive hurdles of changing from toddlers to preschoolers (wow!) I have two very opinionated kids. They have their ideas about what they want to do, wear, eat, and just about everything!

I think the biggest change has been seeing them read! We spent a lot if time over the last year on letters sounding them out and putting them together. It has totally paid off. The kids can read and always fall asleep with their books. 

It's funny. I always thought as kids became older parents got more free time. Not so right now as we are always out doing something but I love watching them with friends and checking out new adventures. 

It's going to be a busy and fun summer! Always chasing two In opposite directions. 

2013 Resolutions Done. Now to think about 2014

2013 Resolutions for myself and the kids

For me

•    Complete my 13 in 2013 Challenge  Done!

•    Run 1 half marathon  Ran 3!

•    Spend more time outside this summer with the kids (they love playgrounds now that they are taller)  That was easy!

•    Spend more time with my mom outside this summer and anytime

•    Spend more time at my moms lake house. The kids love the water  They love the beach and it makes it fun now.

•    Get out kayaking again at the lake – never got the kayak out

•    Call my grandparents twice a month. Now that grandma has Alzheimer's that is progressing it really makes me sad and miss the time I should have spent more with her. Thanks to facetime the kids now talk to great grandma and grandpa

•    Finish school I never want to take another class again.

For the kids

•    Potty training Done 7/1/13

•    Big kid beds  Done for Sara in January and Danyal in March

•    get both kids drinking out of regular cups  June 4the all sippys hit the trash

•    swimming lessons again They are really loving swimming now. As am I since I don’t have to get in the water anymore

•    counting to 20 in all 4 languages (we are halfway there 2 languages down) I have no idea where to go from here

Spend more time with each kid one on one  hard to do but I figure a few minutes a day works towards it

Now I just need to think about the goals for this year. I have a few but need to think a bit more.  All I know is I want to run pain free, and get back to running for fun.