3 basics for losing fat and building muscle

Hello!!  Today is a gorgeous FALL day!!  This morning we went on our favorite trail run!  I set my timer.  Each week I want to get faster and be able to keep up with my friends.  I hope the weather holds for as long as possible.  The leaves are perfect right now!  We made it up in 42:42 and down in 30.10.  Next week, 40 and 29 (:  Great way to start the week and day!!

Well, my Oxygen Challenge ended and I’m a little upset at myself because I didn’t eat the way I should have!  I saw my normal results when I go strict for a short time.  I need to work on maintaining my strict bod for longer (:  My friends and I decided to do NO SUGAR OR WHITE FLOUR for 30 days!  Surprise surprise!  We talked again about how nutrition is about 80% of the results.  Soooooo, starting today until November 10th.  I’m on.  It’s more fun to do it with friends!

This will be an amazing 30 days.  I’m still sticking to my 12 week weight lifting program.  I decided to do Amanda’s Month 2 workout for the first 4 weeks and then hop over to Jamie Eason’s for the last 8 weeks.  The next 4 weeks will look like this, but not necessarily in this order.

Monday: Lower Body

Tuesday: Shoulders, biceps, triceps, cardio

Wednesday: Amanda’s better-booty workout

Thursday: Lower body, abs

Friday: Back, chest, HIIT

Another thing I’m going to work on that I’m not too consistent with is taking supplements.  I read an article from Samantha Ann Leete on bodybuilding.com about supplements.  I like what she recommended.

This might look like a lot of craziness, but I’m going to experiment and see if it makes a difference.  This is what I’ll be taking on a regular basis.

Multi-Vitamin

Vitamin C

Calcium

Glutamine

Krill or Fish Oil

CLA

Protein Powder

BCAA’s

Emerge

In a nutshell, most of these supplements will assist in fat loss, support a healthy cardiovascular system, increase immunity, support brain function and nervous system, provide joint support, help manage inflammation, preserve muscle, reduce body fat, and help build, sustain, and recover.  Whew!  Miracle workers pretty much.  I purchase these at Max Muscle, GNC, or bodybuilding.com

I’m set!  The top 3 basics for losing fat and building muscle are: Nutrition goals, workout plan, and supplements.  I’ll keep up with my posts on how I look and feel.  As always I love a challenge and setting goals.  Now get to work work!!  (:

Running, Amazing Shoes, and a 12 week keep the holiday weight off fitness plan

Hello!  Happy October!!  Love this month.  O.K.  it has almost been a week now since my latest 1/2 marathon!  Sorry for the delayed report.  I was slightly nervous for this run because of my injury and I felt like I wasn’t in the best running shape.  The  weekend turned out perfect except for I could have been about 18 minutes faster (:  I finished in 2:00!  The course was beautiful, weather was perfect, and I loved finishing!  I was a little sore for a couple days, but I jumped right back into my normal workout routine on Monday and I feel great!

This week I started running with my 14 year old daughter!!  I’m so happy about this.  We ran 3.2 miles.  We want (or I should say I want us) to run two days a week!  I also ran my favorite trail with my friends!  One thing that’s good about me is I’m stubborn and ultra committed.  I’m going to take one of my runs every week to be my improvement run.  I’ll do the same distance faster each week (:  I also want to work on hills more.  Here are the photos from my latest runs!

Next up!!  My favorite shoe to report on!  I stubbled across this shoe from someone else who bought it.  I did a little research and noticed people were raving about it.  The best part is you can buy it on Amazon for as low as $28.00 right now.  Click HERE to see all the color selections!! It’s called the PUMA Women’s Pulse XT Geo Cross-training shoe.  I do a lot of high intensity jumping and moving laterally and these are the comfiest shoes with the perfect amount of stability and cushioning.  I’ve already bought two pair!  Here I am looking rather sporty in them (:

Well!  My 12 week Oxygen Challenge is coming to an end so normally I say to myself, What’s next!  Well, major improvements is what’s next!  I was good with the workouts, but the eating was another story!  I follow and read about so many different workouts and fitness that it can get overwhelming in my brain at times.  As with everything, I need to simplify!  Here is the official 12 week plan!!

Start Date: Monday, October 12.  I’m not off the wagon right now, I’m just starting it on the 12th because that is 12 weeks till the end of the year!

Diet: Healthy, clean eating.  Small portions.  Fruits/Vegetables.  Protein.  Supplements.  Tons of water.  No white flour or white sugar.  Once in awhile I’ll eat a little white flour.  I’m reading labels and nothing over 6-7 grams of sugar per serving.  No eating after 8:00 p.m.  I’ve done all this before (: nothing new.  Here is the NEW twist!!  I’ll eat this way 9 out of 10 days.  I’ll pick 1 day in 10 where I can eat treats!!  Only on this day will I eat whatever I want guilt free and then the next day, I’m back on 100%.  The rewards are definitely worth it!!

Exercise: Throughout the Oxy Challenge I kept looking at Jamie Eason’s 12 week Show Me The Weigh program.  It’s on bodybuilding.com HERE.  The best thing is she posts every exercise in video on Instagram!!  Like this:

So, I’ll start with week 1 and not miss a day (:  I’m going to keep track of weight and measurements once a week too.  The biggest thing I want to stay true to is the 9 on 1 off eating approach.  100%  I’ll keep you updated!

Well, I gotta get going!  Time to run with my daughter and her motivation is waning!  To end, I follow this girl on Instagram.  Her bod will be my goal (:  She leaves motivational quotes all the time too.  This one is good, but my favorite one she said recently was, “A lot of people wake up on Mondays with a sense of I have GOT to get myself together.  By Wednesday, they can’t wait for the weekend to engage in the things that made them hate Monday!  Don’t let this week own the rights to your motivation!  You dictate the terms!!  Have a GREAT one!!  WORK HARD FOREVER!

Nutrition Tips from Arnold

HOWDY!!  I’m doing good here.  Can I just say that I love the first of weeks!  I have tons more energy and I like the routine.  I can’t believe I like to lift weights like I do.  When I was in college, I never set foot in the weight room and now it’s one of my favorite things to do!

Yesterday I was at the gym with my cutie pie friend that just ran a 100 miler!  Here we are AFTER the race!  Can you believe she looks like this!

We had to take a picture because it was Monday morning after her Saturday 100 miler and here she was at the gym!  We of course did upper body and abs (:  I laughed when I saw this picture because my arms look crazy Arnold size!  I promise I wasn’t even flexing, just holding the bar!

So, here’s my ARM shot and a normal pic of me the next day.  Interesting (:  Must be the lighting!

I like having a body that doesn’t look crazy muscley, but when you want to flex, there really is something there.  Like this picture here of a fit chick I follow on Instagram.  Love it!

OK!  Speaking of ARNOLD, I read a great article about his 13 nutrition tips!  Here is a summary of them.  You can read the details at Bodybuilding.com right HERE!

1-Up your nutrition knowledge.  The most successful bodybuilders are those who study and understand nutrition and actively seek out cutting-edge information.

2-Prioritize protein.  The importance of protein for a hard-training lifter can’t be overstated.

3-Calculate your protein intake.  He goes with the 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily.  Simple.

4-Don’t trash your yolks.  The yolk contains almost as much protein as the egg white, as well as a majority of an egg’s vitamins and minerals.

5-Don’t fall for fat-free.  Get about 10-15 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat sources, including beef, poultry, dairy, and eggs.

6-Supplement with protein.  Easy to use and whey is an incredibly high-quality protein source.

7-Grab a multi.  If you train hard it’s easy to become deficient in one or more micronutrients.  Take a multivitamin daily.

8-SACK SUGAR.  IF I COULD ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE JUST ONE DIETARY CHANGE, IT WOULD BE TO ELIMINATE SUGARY FOODS.

9-Pick your foods carefully.  Today, you hear a number of fitness pros say you can’t out-train a bad diet, and that’s absolutely correct.

10-Make your post-workout meal count.  If you’re training twice a day, it’s especially important to get quick nutrients into your system after a workout.

11-Eat more for mass.  If your training is on point and your diet is clean but you’re still struggling to gain weight, consider adding an extra snack worth 350-500 calories.  (not my problem!)

12-Ditch dessert.  Eat big, but eat smart.  Fill up on protein rich foods instead of sugar.  Again!!

13-Eyeball your portions.  One of the biggest mistakes a bodybuilder can make is never learning how to eyeball a given amount of food.

There you have it!  All the nutrition you need to know.  I gotta go get carpool.  Train hard, work hard, play hard.  SMILE (:

Workouts for injuries, biking, and MORE

Hey there!  I missed last Friday so I have a few thoughts from life to share!  I have a new workout plan for 3 weeks that is great for someone with a foot injury (that would be me) or anyone who wants low impact, but kick your trash workout!  First off, I have a picture of my beautiful bike that I LOVE so much!!!

I might look like I know something about biking, but really I don’t!  I’ve gone about 7 times now.  I live in a pretty hilly neighborhood and HOLY COW I think biking a hill is harder than running it!  I LOVE it!  My friends are already planning a race to do together in AUGUST.  I need to learn a little bit more biker lingo and etiquette.

Biking will be my cardio of choice for at least 3 weeks while I heal a STRESS FRACTURE!! I finally went to the doc.  Wish I went 3 weeks ago, but it’s good to know that it is a stress fracture and if I wear this beautiful STORM TROOPER boot for 3 weeks I will be healed!!  I try not to think about how it felt to RUN or do my HIGH FITNESS classes.  I’m hoping to come back even stronger.  Summer injuries are especially not fun!  ANYWAY!!!  HERE I am with my boot!  Everyone tells me how cute my purple running shoes are.  Before the boot that’s all I was wearing because it felt good on my foot.

The other day I was at the gym and I LOVED my workout.  I found it from a fitness girl I follow and yes she’s doing a 12 week training program too.  Awww dang, too many workouts to choose from I can’t decide!

I changed it up a bit to fit my needs right now.

WARM UP

5 minute row machine

5 minute eliptical

5 minute spin bike

3 X

15 Push ups

10 Pull ups (that would be assisted for me!)

20 Thigh Adductor (inner thigh machine)

20 Leg Extensions

3 minute bike

3X

20 Alternating biceps

20 Weighted sit ups

20 Tricep Extension

20 Thigh Abductor (outer thigh machine)

20 Lying ham curls

I usually move at a fairly quick pace through each exercise.  Yesterday, I thought of workouts I could do over the next 3 weeks.  This is what I’ll be doing!

Bike 3-4 days a week

Strength Train 3 days a week:

Back Biceps Abs

Chest Triceps Abs

Shoulders Legs Abs

I’m not sure of the days yet and all the exercises involved.  I’ll be putting that together tonight so I can bike to the gym and  lift on Saturday!  Here’s a fitness tip to remember!  I’ll be o.k. if I can’t run or do a crazy amount of cardio!

I’m loving SUMMER and the warm weather and relaxed FUN schedule!!  Last weekend we went boating with friends.  Here’s a pic. with my daughter.  She’s been working hard with a musical she’s involved in.  She’ll play Gabriella in High School Musical this weekend!!  Can’t wait to see her!  Have a GREAT sunny weekend.  Enjoy the outdoors.  (: Smile

Get fitter and healthier this summer!

Hello and Happy First Day of Summer!!!

Today was a successful and accomplished day!  I’m writing this between 2 baseball games so I’ll be quick!

Last weekend our family went camping for 2 days with my brother and his family.  When I say camping I mean 40 minutes away up a beautiful canyon sleeping in tent trailers and having my brother and his wife cook for us!  I love camping so much! (:  I did contribute the SMORES which I have to admit I went a little overboard!!  I really need to kick the habit of pigging out on the weekend.  This is the funniest thing!  One of my healthy challenge participants emailed me her weight loss success on her Garmin!!  It’s FANTASTIC!!

Now take a look at mine!

What the heck is wrong with me!?  That giant spike is 3 days!  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (:  I have to say though I don’t believe it’s all REAL weight, whatever that means, because when I get home I lose about a pound a day for a few days!  SOOOO my new goal for the rest of the year is… to only have 3 TREAT days a month!  I have officially murdered my New Year’s Goals so now that I’m half way through the year I’m only going to work on this ONE goal!  I think that was my problem, I had too many goals!  What I really want to work on is recording EVERYTHING in MY FITNESS PAL.  When I want to eat too much of everything, I don’t record it (:  I don’t think I could handle seeing 5000 calories on one day!  I have also been ULTRA diligent with my Jamie Eason weight workouts.  Haven’t missed a day in 3 weeks except for last Saturday when we were hiking!  And once again after a strict clean diet, weightlifting is where it’s at!  I really need to cut out cardio next week because my stupid achilles pain flares up every time I do cardio!  I sat down and mapped out my SUMMER WORKOUT SCHEDULE!  This is like Christmas for me (:  Some days I’m sure it won’t be this exactly.

MONDAY: Track weight workout/High Fitness

TUESDAY: Weights/High Fitness

WEDNESDAY: RUN/Weights

THURSDAY: High Fitness/Weights

FRIDAY: Weights/High Fitness

SATURDAY: RUN/Weights

On some of those non running days I will add 20-30 minutes of interval sprints on the treadmill.  When I say weights, I work a different muscle group every day.

This is an example:

Monday:Biceps/Triceps/Abs

Tuesday:Legs

Wednesday: Chest/Abs

Thursday: Shoulders

Friday: Legs

Saturday: Back/Rear Delts

O.K.  Summer is much easier for me to workout since I don’t have to worry about my 6 year old.  He has brothers and sisters galore to play with him.  I thought of something so PROFOUND the other day.  I discovered that when I start to crave something that is not very healthy to eat, it is because I AM HUNGRY!!  Amazing!  So!!  What do I do?  I stop what I’m doing a grab some food out of the fridge and eat yummy healthy food!  After that I am fine and I forget about my cravings!  So, EAT!!  Just for fun, here is what I ate today from My Fitness Pal!

My Dinner!

I only have one small body fat percentage point I want to lose!  I’ll post the whole page of this body composition deal they do at the gym!  It’s interesting and motivating!

Well, I need to be off!  I’ll end with pics from the trip!!  So FUN!!  We especially LOVED the hike to Lake Mary and were surprised by all the snow!!  Ha Ha!!

Healthy food staples for losing weight and feeling great!

I’ve been trying extra hard to eat healthy this week and I love it!  I told myself no grains and no eating past 8:00 p.m.  I’m on day 5 and I haven’t messed up once!  It’s the fuel for my fire.  Fire being exercise!  I said in the last post I worked out for at least an hour and 1/2 each day, but TWO days this week I only exercised ONE HOUR!  That’s funny when I have to do less exercise for it to be an accomplishment for me.  I know it’s easy to get out of balance and exercise can be an addiction just like anything else.  CONTROL MYSELF (: is my mantra!  I’m extra hyper active when I have more on my plate.  The school play is my #1 moving force right now.  Always always doing something for that.  Luckily, I’ve LOVED putting it together.  The kids make it all worth it!

O.K.  Since I’ve been eating so wonderfully this week, I thought I’d talk about my dietary staples that I have almost daily!  Here is what I can’t live without, food wise:

SPINACH, PROTEIN POWDER, FRUIT (BANANAS, APPLES, ORANGES, BERRIES, PEARS), EGGS, VEGETABLES (BROCCOLI, CELERY, PEPPERS, MUSHROOMS, GREEN ONIONS, CARROTS, CUCUMBERS), PROTEIN BARS, MEAT (CRAB SALAD, TUNA, TURKEY, CHICKEN), SALAD, LOTS O’ WATER, MUSCLE MILK, and NUTS.  I also have sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, and soup when I get bored with the above combinations.  I’m not much of a dairy fan, but I’ll eat a little bit of cheese and a yogurt now and again!!  

I usually work out in the morning with a few evening classes if I can swing it.  Last night, BOTH my cute daughters came to HIGH FITNESS!!  I loved it.  They were so cute and very red faced afterwards!

The gym has been so crazy busy with the new year that I’ve been going to a few boot camp classes.  My cute instructor friend snapped this picture of me during her class last week.  LOVE WEIGHTS!!

Alrighty, I’m glad I have a weekend to look forward to!  Skiing, friends, and a birthday dinner with my SIS!!!  Keep working hard and NEVER EVER give up!  Enjoy the journey! I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow until…6:10 a.m. (:

 

 

 

Bring it on! Goals, workouts, discipline.

Hello and happy last post of 2014!!!

Today and tomorrow are my days to get things done!!  Thanks to my MOM, she has instilled a superstition within me!  Whatever you leave unfinished in the old year, you’ll be behind at through the new year.  So….laundry, cleaning, errands…the list continues.  I guess I should thank my Grandma!  So, this will be quick since I gotta get crackin’.  I am so very excited to start 2015.  I thrive on challenges and goal setting.  This last Sunday we heard a talk in church about goals and New Year’s Resolutions.  Everyone laughs a little as the statistics are presented.  Why set goals, if you aren’t going to keep them?   Why set yourself up for failure?  WHY???  Blah. Blah. Blah.  Not my kind of attitude.  M. Russell Ballard said:

“I believe you can train yourself to become a positive thinker, but you must cultivate a desire to develop the skill of setting personal worthy and realistic goals.  Let me tell you something about goal setting. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

I LOVE this!!  To reach my full potential is what I strive for.  This is why I set goals.  And if I don’t keep them, I make new ones!  I’m usually pretty good with the New Year’s Goal.  Last year, I didn’t have candy all year!  And I didn’t, minus homemade Christmas candies!  And, ya know what?  I’m not going to have candy again this year.  I need to update one of my goals I posted in the last post!!  I talked about not having white flour and white sugar.  Well, I’m already not going to have that 6 days a week so my new mini goal is to eat within the first hour of waking up and every 3 hours.  Here’s the updated list:

2015 #1 GOAL

Healthy eating 6 days a week!

6 MINI GOALS

JAN-FEB: One treat day a month.

MAR-APR: Keep a food journal.

MAY-JUNE: Eat first hour of waking up and every 3 hours.

JUL-AUG: Daily vitamins and 80 oz. of water daily.

SEP-OCT: No eating past 8:00 p.m.

NOV-DEC: 6 days a week of Jamie Eason Live Fit.  

I always start JAN. 1 regardless of what day of the week it lands on!  This year it’s a Thursday.  I think I’ll do a little detoxing for 4 days with smoothies and soups!  Several Christmas presents this year will motivate me to stay on track!!!  I got a treadmill and some new workout clothes, one can never have too many!  I got two new books!  One is used to track weight workouts.  I’m excited about this.  I’ve always wanted to be better at keeping record of my sets, reps, and weight.  The second is a body part I’ve been wanting to improve (:  The funny thing is that half of the book is about how and what to eat!!  So true!!

 I also found a new workout I’d like to try for the next 60 days.  It’s posted on MUSCLE AND FITNESS.   It’s called 60 DAYS TO FIT.

I liked it because it’s 4 weight workouts I week.  I’m always doing extra classes so this works perfect!

Shoulders/Traps

Back/Biceps/Forearms

Chest/Triceps

Legs

You can download the whole program that includes nutrition at Muscle and Fitness.  He uses the theory of having light and heavy lifting days.  On the other days I’ll be doing boot camp, HIGH fitness, combat, or running.  Can’t wait!!

O.K.  I’m set for the new year!  I’m going to try and be better at posting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Monday will be food related, Wednesday is for workouts, and Friday is fashion and fun!

Keep working hard and loving life.  Get after it and believe in yourself.  See you next year!!

Weight lifting 101 and 4 workouts

O.K!  I stayed up a little late last night and put together 4 workouts for a couple of my friends.  I suggest lifting weights 3-4 days a week.  These workouts are full body workouts with abs and cardio as well.  First off, I have a little bit to say about lifting weights.  To get seriously lean and toned , you MUST eat clean FIRST and LIFT WEIGHTS second.  And I’m not talking 5 lb. dumbbells.  For best results, you should follow a routine where you lift 8-12 reps of an exercise for 3 sets.  You NEED to lift heavy enough that the last 2 reps you can barely lift!!!!  THIS IS KEY!!!  

GET RID OF THESE WEIGHTS!!!!!

LIFT HEAVY to BE LEAN and BURN more FAT!

I did workout #4 with my friends this morning.  It’s probably the hardest with the most cardio.  On the first three workouts, do the 3 exercises together one after the other and do them 3 times before moving on to the next set of three.  This is called a triple set.  Rest 30-60 seconds after each set.  HAVE FUN!!

4 Full Body Workouts

 #1

 Dumbbell squat 3×12 

Dumbbell bench press 3×12

Mountain Climbers 40

 

One Arm Dumbbell Row 3×12

Standing dumbbell curl 3×12

Bicycle crunches 40

 

Tricep Extensions 3×12

Push ups 3×12

Snow boarders 40

 

Dumbbell Deadlift 3×12

Lateral raises 3×12

V-ups 40

 #2

 Dumbbell Step Ups 3×12

Dumbbell stiff leg deadlift 3×12

Jump squats 40

 

Overhead press 3×12

High Sumos 3×12

Dumbbell side bends 40

 

Bicep curls 3×12

Bent over rear delts 3×12

Side to side lunges 40

 

Tricep pushup 3×12

Burpees 3×12

Planks 3×1 minute

 

#3

 Dumbbell lunges 3×12

Dumbbell chest press 3×12

High knees 40

 

Renegade rows 3×12

Front raises 3×12

Leg lifts holding weights 40

 

Hammer curls 3×12

Skull crushers 3×12

Ab jump overs 40

 

Hip Raises 3×12

Tricep extensions 3×12

Full sit ups 40

 

 #4 

30-25-20-15 workout.  Start with 30 reps of each exercise.  Then do 25, 20, and 15 of each exercise.  Complete each set of 4 exercises 4 times before going to the next one.

Hand release pushups

Thrusters

V-ups

High Knees

 

Chair dips

Step ups

Dumbbell side bends

Mountain climbers

 

Side to side pushups

High Sumos

Full Sit ups

Burpees

I should put a few pictures for examples on some of these.  If you don’t know what a term is, google it in images and you’ll see!  Here is some motivation to eat your VEGES too!!  Strive for Undefeated Motivation to Move More!!! (:

 

 

Personal Training 101

Happy Monday!!!  Besides discussing the menu of the week and music, I’m going to add a MAP!!  Today, my aunt is coming over to be personal trained by me!  So, I had to have a MAP or plan!  I searched some ideas on the internet to get organized.  I found some great things.  First off, I want to list the websites that helped me out.  They were GREAT!!!!

healthifulbalance.com

livestrong.com

fitsugar.com

aworkoutroutine.com

greatist.com

So far in my introduction to health and wellness binder, I have a medical history and general history form I downloaded from NASM.  Then, I have a page on benefits of weight lifting, the seven most effective exercises, a couple beginner workouts, and 6 steps to eating clean.  I want to add a few more pages, specifically one on goal setting.  I have to be organized to get this rolling!  Here are some of the handouts I’d like to use:

  The Seven Most Effective Exercises

 According to Web MD, these are the seven most effective exercises.

• Walking. It is convenient, easy and so beneficial and it can be considered cardiovascular. One hour of brisk walking can burn up to 500 calories.
• Interval training. Adding interval training to your cardiovascular workout will boost your fitness level and help you lose weight, since varying your pace throughout the exercise session stimulates the aerobic system to adapt. Push your intensity or pace for a minute or two, then back off for anywhere from two to ten minutes.
• Squats. Strength training is essential and this exercise works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  Talk about multi-tasking, those are three large muscle groups working at once.
• Lunges. Like squats this move works all the major muscles of the lower body. Plus, they mimic everyday life – after all they are just over exaggerated walking.
• Push-ups. When done correctly they not only strengthen the arms and chest but engage the core as well. You can do push-ups at any level of fitness. Start out at the wall or a kitchen counter, progress to your hands and knees and then to the full plank push-up. This progression might take a while but persistence pays off.
• Abdominal Crunches. You can’t burn the fat off your belly, but you can definitely tone this area. A stronger center makes everything in life easier. It is important to work all of the abs.
• Bent over Row. Great exercise that gets all of the muscles of the upper back (which can get seriously weak in sedentary computer users) as well as the biceps.

6 steps to Eating Clean

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
2. Choose lean proteins, including plenty of plant-based sources of protein.  Examples are: eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, poultry, fish, lean beef.
3. Eat whole grains which includes whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, wheat germ, flaxseed, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, bulgur, quinoa, bran flakes cereal, and popcorn.
4. Avoid processed food (anything that has an ingredient list a mile long, is in a box or wrapper, and has a forever shelf life).
5. Drink lots of water.  Avoid soda and sugary juices.  Water is your best choice!
6. Avoid white flour and white sugar.  Choose healthy snacks such as, whole fruit, nuts, raw vegetables, unbuttered popcorn, whole-grain crackers, low-fat milk, or yogurt.

After all this talk of exercise and eating healthy, I decided I need to practice what I preach!!  For the most part, I’m pretty self-motivated to stay on track.  I do fall off the wagon and let bad habits take control of me sometimes!  Mondays are my days to reevaluate my goals.  This week, I’m going to make dinner at least 3 times!!  We’re going out of town near the end of the week, so that’s all I need.  Here is my menu for the week:

Beef Stroganoff and Caesar Salad

Brown Rice with Stir Fry Vegetables and Fruit

Turkey Burgers and Grilled Vegetables (make sure you add mozzarella cheese and artichoke hearts!)

Here is a GREAT turkey burger recipe that I love from Our Best Bites!

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers 
Recipe from Jeff O’Neill, Mar-a-Lago Club

*Note this recipe makes 8 half-pound burgers.  A half-pound burger is very large!  You can easily half the recipe and get 6 good sized burgers.  I cut the recipe down to work with one 20 oz package of turkey and it yielded 6 large sliders.

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used butter)
1/2 C finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced (I grated my apples)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 lbs ground turkey breast (I used 85/15 ground turkey)
2  tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed (I think pureeing is unnecessary)

Saute the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender.  Let cool.  Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.  Add sauteed items and the remaining ingredients.  Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.  Place on preheated, lightly oiled grill.  Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve on your favorite toasted bread, pita, or hamburger bun.

*The recipe calls for a side of this chutney to spread on top of the burgers.  I skipped that step and just used straight Major Grey’s from the jar.  I make an easy spread using a 50/50 mix of Major Grey’s Chutney and Mayo.  Play around with it and you might like just plain chutney instead of mayo, or mostly mayo with a touch of chutney.  I like it 50/50.  I also topped it with a crisp lettuce leaf and a slice of juicy tomato.

Try it with a side of Sweet Potato Fries, or some Grilled Corn on the Cob for a great (and healthy!) summer meal.

Sorry this post is an earful!  It takes planning and stick-to-it-ness to keep going.  My next post needs to be on addiction.  As humans, we have addictive tendencies.  We get stuck in our same routines and it’s hard to change.  Addiction is seen as negative, so we need to change unhealthy addictions to better lifestyle changes!!  One way I’ve heard to do this is to stick with a plan for 21 DAYS!  After that it’s supposed to be a habit!  Try not eating past 9:00 or 9:15ish for 21 days.  Everyone is different in how we stay motivated.  Sometimes we just have to Smile and Run!!!  How about in this beautiful field in England!  

Something is missing from the DIET food list!

You know the song that goes something like, “Your love, your love is my drug?”  I have a few drugs in my life * that bring me euphoria!  And…don’t be surprised, one of them is EXERCISE!!!!!!  Today was a day to get things done.  It was also the day to review all the things that have not worked properly or have broken at our house in the last little while!  To add to that list, the washing machine went out and the water softener fix it man said our water softener is 25 yrs. old and we should really get a new one ):

The 5:00 o’clock hour rolled around and I hadn’t worked out either.  Usually at that time of night I don’t even want to go, but I got myself together and went to the gym.  I did bi’s, tri’s, abs, and sprints.  I felt better and better as every sweaty minute rolled by.  As I was driving home the song came to me, “Your love, your love, your love is my drug,”  Hence, the gym is my drug!

O.k. and to top the evening off even better I made the BEST, soft, white, french bread ever!!!!  I think it needs to be added to the SUPER FOODS list!  White bread is FOR SURE never on the “food to eat” list.  I hate that!  Oh well, a couple of slices of homemade white bread and a protein shake isn’t that bad for dinner?

Thankfully, my fastie friends want to run 15 miles tomorrow 0:!!  You’d think they were training for Boston or something!  I’ll try to hang with them as long as possible and maybe burn off the white bread!  I’m hearing rumors though that we’re getting 2 feet of snow tomorrow. Hmmm…I might need to get some snow shoes and take off up this trail.  Actually, I see snow mobile tracks.  That would be even more fun!

Lastly, my house thoughts for the day!  I found a chandelier for above my stairs!  It’s at Pottery Barn!  I love the lantern look.  So pretty~

Next, I’m thinking of this accent chair for my great room.  What do you think?  It’s from West Elm.

We’re also thinking of new bedding and I’ve changed my mind (that happens often) to this from Pottery Barn!  So cozy!  I need to go to bed!

Have a beautiful Saturday!  Dream of Warm, Happy, Outstanding, and Summery thoughts *