21 Day Challenge: Lesson Learned: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation...

So, my blog coverage of the 21 Day NTHS Challenge was not the first time I failed to follow through with a plan (nor the last).  Unfortunately, life is full of times when there just isn't enough time or energy to do all we want, and I think it's important to get up, dust off, and try once more.

I made it almost 18 days without sugars and sweeteners (with a couple of cheat meals or snacks), and I can tell my palate is greatly changed.  Hopefully, all the holiday indulgence hasn't reversed too much of that change...

The biggest lesson I learned from the challenge was the importance of preparation.  I knew going into it that I would have to be prepared for finding appropriate snacks on the go and getting the week's food bought and partially prepared on Sunday.  Still, I wasn't ready for the daily amount of work required when you're cooking every meal from whole ingredients.  I also wasn't ready for the time it would have taken to keep everyone updated through the blog as I was going through the challenge.  I know now that for future challenges, it will be best to pre-write as much as possible and schedule a time each day to work on the blog.

I hope a few people were able to benefit from the workout schedule and week 1 meal plan.  I really enjoyed mixing up my workouts and found it to be a pretty refreshing schedule.  I tried Zumba for the first time - kind of loved it and plan to add it to my regular workouts.  Maybe this coming year I can encourage you to try something outside your comfort zone?!  I've been busily pinning tons of workouts to review for you.  In 2014, I'd love to bring you at least 2 new (free) routines each month.

Speaking of the new year, I want to share with you some of my personal resolutions (yes, I'm one of those eternally hopeful fools):
- Eat MORE fresh, raw fruits and veggies
- Cook MORE dinners with my husband
- Life MORE weights with my husband
- Pay MORE attention to how exercise makes me feel
- Get MORE sleep
- Spend MORE on products that I really need and love (forget the rest)
- Donate MORE stuff to people who need it
- Give away MORE hugs and kisses to the people I love
- Call my parents MORE
- Enjoy MORE time outside
- Write MORE blog posts ;-)

I know resolutions can feel like you're just asking for disappointment, but as someone much more insightful that me once pointed out, the attempt alone is progress and every year you come a little closer... The important part is to avoid words like "failure" or "give up" when you realize that life has once again become bigger than your desire to be perfect.  Resolutions can be a way to reflect on where you are now and to refocus on your health and happiness.  If you make them, don't let them be a burden.

Well, that's about all I've got for now.  I hope everyone enjoys their remaining holidays and has a happy, fun and safe New Years Eve!




Just to tempt you into trying to go 21 days without added sugars, I'll share some delicious images from my kitchen:

NTHS 21 Day Challenge : Day 2

Happy TWOsday!
(get it...because Day 2?)

So excited to be one day down!  And what better way to celebrate the end of day 1 than with that delicious Mexi-Meatloaf.  The portions were HUGE and we still have plenty for lunch today (which I am definitely looking forward to).

Well, today started much like yesterday, with a yummy Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffin (that I topped with avocado and some extra Frank's) and a cuppa tea.  Yesterday I discovered that unsweetened coffee with whole milk is surprisingly palatable, color me impressed :)

Tuesday means Strength Training, and the hubby and I are headed to the gym for real weights BUT I didn't want to leave you hangin' so here's a No Equipment Leg Toning Routine courtesy of Self Mag.

You're going to do 3 sets of each move or go straight through the circuit 3 times.



1. Rear Reshaper: start on all fours, knees under hips, hands slightly in front of shoulders. Lift right knee to side at hip level; trace 12 large circles clockwise (as shown), then 12 the other way. Switch legs; repeat.

2. Butt Lifter: Lie face-up, knees bent, feet flat. Extend right leg toward ceiling, toes pointed. Squeeze glutes and lift hips to form a straight diagonal from left knee to shoulders (as shown). Raise hips higher, then lower to floor for 1 rep. Do 15 reps. Switch legs; repeat.

3. Calf Carver: Raise right knee to hip level, toes pointed, hands behind head. Contract abs as you lift left heel as high as you can off floor, balancing on ball of foot (as shown). Hold for 3 seconds, then lower heel for 1 rep. Do 15 reps. Switch legs; repeat.

4. Twisting Toner: Step right leg into a lunge, arms out to sides, rotating upper body to right until arms align with right thigh (as shown). Rotate to center, stepping right leg back to meet left. Repeat on opposite side for 1 rep. Do 12 reps.

5. Ass Kicker: Start on all fours, knees under hips, hands slightly in front of shoulders. Lift and extend right leg as high as you can, toes pointed (as shown). Keeping leg straight, cross right leg over left leg and tap toes to floor, then swing right leg up as high as you can and across to right, again tapping toes, for 1 rep. Do 15 reps. Switch legs; repeat.

6. Leaping Firmer: Stand with feet together, hands clasped in front of chest. Step left leg into a forward lunge. Push off floor immediately, jumping as high as you can (as shown). Land in a lunge with right leg forward for 1 rep. Do 15 reps as quickly as possible.

Good luck with the rest of your day and stay awesome!

bgt

NTHS 21 Day Challenge : Day 1

Good morning!

Today marks the beginning of our 21 day journey to getting healthier this holiday season.  If you're following the meal plan, chances are this is what your breakfast looked like:

Today also marks our first Cardio HIIT workout - keep it under 30 minutes and follow some interval arrangement (from 20 seconds on, 10 off to 2 minutes on, 1 minute off).

If you're at a loss, try this basic gym class-inspired routine:

    - 5 minute warm-up with jogging in place, butt kicks, jumping jacks, high knees, low switch kicks

    - 3 minute stretch (don't over-stretch)

   Circuit A

    - Shuttle runs (think about running to pick up that eraser and back to start) x 45 second

    - Rest 15 seconds

    - Situps (fast) x 45 seconds

    - Rest 15 seconds

    - High Jump (high as your can, arms way up over head) x 45 seconds

    - Rest 15 seconds

   Repeat Circuit A x 2 (total 3 times)
   Circuit B
    - "100 yard dash" (sprint in place) x 45 seconds
    - Rest 15 seconds
    - Push ups x 45 seconds
    - Rest 15 seconds
    - Long jump (jump as far as possible from standing) x 45 seconds
   Repeat Circuit B x 2 (total 3 times)
    - 5 minute cool down and stretch

As a side note, I want to encourage you to take a minute to reflect on how you feel about your fitness and diet up to now.  Have you been eating foods that nourish your body?  Have you found a way to have fun with exercise?  Write down where you are today and where you hope to be at the end of the challenge.  What are your longterm goals?  Taking time to write them down on paper can help you visualize and give you that little push to start making the right steps.

Good luck with the rest of your Day 1!  Feel free to check in here, in the comments, with your questions and concerns :)

bgt

NTHS 21 Day Challenge : All the Deets : Workout Plan

Alright, now that we've got the eating plan figured out, let's get down to the fun part.  Seriously, because unlike the food situation, the next three weeks of workouts will be all about having a good time and discovering new moves!

Download the image and print to keep track of your progress during the challenge!

Above is very generic calendar for you to follow for the 21 day challenge.
Cardio HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training (30 min or less of all-out interval training)
Strength Training = No gym required! I'll try to find unique, free at-home options
Something NEW = Something you've never tried (dance, spinning, kickboxing, basketball)
Cardio Endurance = Do your favorite cardio for 45 min or more at a mostly steady pace
Something FUN = Your favorite activity (walking the dog, soccer with friends, bench-press competition with your husband)
Stretch/Rest = Active recovery with pilates, yoga, or any low-intensity movement (or sleeping late)

Along the way, I'll post workouts that I find to be fun and unique.  Feel free to reach out for advice :)

You ready for this?!  I am!

(If you haven't already, be sure to check out my post about the Food portion of the NTHS 21 Day Challenge!  You'll want to be nice and prepared for Monday.)

bgt

NTHS 21 Day Challenge : All the Deets : Food

"Not This Holiday Season!"
Unfortunately, that phrase is the all-too-familiar battle cry that falls quiet once I've sedated my enthusiasm with piles of cake, stuffing, gravy, cookies, candy, hot chocolate...
I spoke yesterday about the importance of forgiving ourselves for the holiday indulgences, but that doesn't mean we can't be proactive about preventing holiday weight-gain.

So in that spirit, I'm challenging myself - and by extension you - to 21 days of no-sugar-added paleo and mixing up my workout routine.  We start December 2nd, so we'll be wrapping up the challenge days before Christmas.  Hopefully this'll give us all a bit of wiggle room in our Santa pajamas for plenty of hot cocoa and cookies on Christmas Eve.

The challenge has two parts: Eat + Move
This post will outline the first part, and a second post will talk a bit about the workout plan.

FOOD
If you're like me, the thought of 21 days without added sugars or sweeteners seems nearly impossible.  Preparation gives you the best chance for success, so clear out your fridge and stock up for the next 3 weeks based on the foods listed below:

Eat Me
Beverages: almond milk, coconut milk, coffee, tea, seltzer
All meat, seafood, eggs
Full fat dairy
Green Veggies, Squash, Cabbage, Leafy greens, Tomatoes, etc (basically all veggies)
Fruit: lemon/lime, avocado
All nuts and nut butters except peanuts and cashews
Other: cocoa, chia, coconut flour, seeds, coconut oil, broth, mustard, yeast, spices, herbs, vinegar

Limit Me
Veggies: acorn squash, beets, butternut squash, green peas, pumpkin
Fruit: green bananas, grapefruit, green apples
Grains/Legumes: Amaranth, beans and chickpeas,  Quinoa, Rice
Coconut water/juice

Don't Eat Me
Breads, brownies, cakes, candy, cereal, granola, chips, couscous, crackers, oats, orzo, pasta, pita, rice cakes, popcorn, tortillas, corn, plantains, soy beans, sweet potatoes, barley, flour (spelt, wheat, etc), sweet fruit, cashews and peanuts, condiments/canned stuff
Aaaaand, the real kicker: no alcohol

Now, you can use the lists above to create your own meals based around the foods you love, but if you need some specific ideas, here are links to recipes created by the 21DSD author (click the picture):

Breakfast

 

Beef, Pork, Lamb

 

Poultry

Miscellaneous

That about covers the food portion.  I'll follow-up with some ideas for easy and quick meals.  I'm a little overwhelmed with the meal plan and recipes that accompany the 21DSD book, so I know I'll be making some stripped-down versions.

Here's a sample meal plan for Week 1:
M:  Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins (make ahead on Sunday, freeze extra)
       Chicken (bake extra from making muffins) salad with favorite veggies, dressed with oil + vinegar
       Mexi-Meatloaf with brussels sprouts
T:   Leftover meatloaf crumbled into omelet with 1 or 2 eggs
       Chicken and leftover brussels sprouts
       Salmon Cakes and green salad
W:  Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffin
       Leftover salmon cake, sliced avocado
       Leftover Mexi-Meatloaf crumbled over salad greens with Avocado Ranch
R:   Sausage and scrambled eggs with sliced green apple
       Turkey and Bacon Cobb Salad
       Spaghetti Squash with the 21DSD Spaghetti Sauce and crumbled sausage
F:   Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffin
       Leftover spaghetti sauce and sausage over steamed veggies
       Smoky Mexican Tortilla-less Soup
Sa:  Zucchini Pancakes
       Leftover soup
       Steak and Veggie Kabobs with garlic butter mashed cauliflower
Su:  Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffin or leftover pancakes, sausage, etc
        Leftover luncheon (clean out the fridge)
        Slow Cooker Roast Chicken and green veggies

Snacks: Throughout the week, keep some seasoned, roasted nuts (no sugar), jerky or green apples handy for between-meal snacking.

Let me know if you have any questions about this post.  Keep an eye out for a post detailing the exercise portion of the "Not This Holiday Season" 21 Day Challenge!

bgt

Your Health: Goals, Disappointment, and Forgiveness

Well, it's Black Friday...a day for shopping and digesting.  If you're like me, you may be feeling a bit of the "why did I eat all that pie?" tummy doldrums.  Today is like an annual walk-of-shame after a day of near-painful gluttony.  It can be tough to fight the urge to step on the scale and assess the damage or to give yourself some leeway if you're out trying on clothes in the madness of shopping today's sales.  So let's all spend a minute taking a couple deep breaths and letting go of all that emotion.  Yesterday was great, wasn't it?  You got to see your family and friends.  You got the day off work.  You took some time to nourish your soul.  You also got to enjoy some great food!  There is no reason to feel guilty for the indulgence.

I'd like to start a discussion on why we put so much emotion into our eating, our fitness, our lifestyle.  It seems like each of these areas has become yet another arena in which we can Fail.  And Failure is inevitable because we set perfection as our goal.  And when we believe we have Failed, it becomes another opportunity to feel Less.  But really, food, fitness and lifestyle should be opportunities to feel good about who we are and to allow ourselves the freedom to experience new things.  Not being perfect should be an opportunity to practice forgiving ourselves.

I'll try to recruit your input for a series of posts about these issues.

I want to talk about #Fitspiration.  I want to talk about health and fitness magazines who employ fitness models with 10% body fat.  I want to talk about how we've moved from idealizing bodies that look like Kate Moss to trying to emulate bodies that look like they never take a day off from the gym.  I want to talk about the promotion of total self-control and junk-food abstinence as some kind of ultimate virtue.  And most importantly I want to listen to what you have to say about striving for health in today's "Health & Fitness" environment.

Really? Still looks like <15% body fat to me...

I'm sure this reflects a totally, 100% healthy attitude about fitness...

If you don't see any harm in the above, I encourage you to read this post.

Now, for those of you who are interested in joining me for 21 days of breaking the sugar habit and exploring new and exciting workouts - keep an eye out for a post tomorrow that'll walk you through some necessary prep!

Go enjoy your leftovers :-)
bgt

The Skinny on Supplements

I am sitting in the locker room at my gym getting ready to unleash a day’s frustration of work out on the unexpecting dumbbells waiting for me.  While trying to separate my work thoughts and get ready to enjoy working out, I can’t help but over hear a guy, younger than me, talk about his laundry list of supplements he takes.  Like most people he has forgotten the definition of the word supplement.  As he talks he lists of small meals with insane amounts of supplements in which he hopes to use to become captain swoll.

Since listening in on this conversation, I have been paying more and more attention to the supplement industry and all the items they offer and their results; or “possible” results.  I love nothing more than when I flick through social media to see some Arnold Schwarzenegger look alike that is advertising a pill can make you big and strong and 0% body fat.  In the wise words of Arnold, “you cannot get muscle from a little pill”.

The supplement industry is booming.  Make me bigger, smaller, thinner, wider, etc.  I am not going to stand in front of the class and tell you which supplements you should take and how much/often.  Supplements are meant to SUPPLEMENT your diet.  For example, I generally have trouble reaching my desired protein intake and thus utilize whey protein twice a day.  I also can preach about a multi vitamin as well as the benefits of fish oil and creatine, but I won’t and many references online can do a much better job.  As you well know, everybody is different, as well as their workout routines and nutrition, so a person’s supplement usage should also differ.  It is important to base your supplements around your personal nutrition plan which should be setup to maximize your gains and/or loss.  Don’t go dropping tons of money into the supplement industry without at least taking the time to understand each supplement and their benefits.  No matter what supplements you are taking, chances are you won’t be able to out-do your horrible diet.  So wise up in the kitchen before splashing the cash on supplements.