Be Unstoppable!

This is going to potentially be information overload day! But, this is something I've wanted to do for a while now! I want to share one of my favorite forms of personal development and information sharing. Podcasting.

On my Resources page, I list a bunch of blogs, websites and materials that I LOVE. And a number of those at the bottom are Podcasts! Today, I'm going to focus on one specifically that is my go-to for some amazing content! But before I get into it, I want to introduce this podcast host a little bit...

Have you heard of Chalene Johnson?  Those of you that have any familiarity with Beachbody may just know her as a fitness expert. She's the trainer in hit fitness programs like TurboFire, ChaLEAN Extreme, and PiYo (All program names are links to the programs themselves). But really she is SO MUCH MORE than that!

Now - let me ask you this. How many of you have heard of "The Chalene Show"? I am an avid listener! So today, I wanted to share with you some of my very favorites of Chalene's podcasts! She covers all sorts of topics - from business building, to personal development, to subjects more in the realm of health and nutrition. Some of these are oldies, but their amazing and I reference them all the time in my challenge groups!

So let's get started on covering my FAVE "The Chalene Show" podcasts!

**Note that ALL of the Podcast Titles in this post are links to that blog post on Chalene Johnson's website**

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

 I originally had these podcasts ordered in the opposite order, with the fitness and nutrition podcasts first. But that just didn't feel right because frankly personal development is the tipping point in my opinion. Doing personal development is where results come from. It makes you mentally strong and persistent, helps you identify your passions and wants in life so you have direction, and your excuses so that you can navigate obstacles. I do a lot of personal development! Plus...if I order them this way, then I can start off with my absolute favorite Chalene Show podcast...

"Crazy Confidence" (27m 02s): This episode changed my life. Like no joke, I go back to it all the time! I think I've put it as an assignment in ALL of my challenge groups since I've discovered it. This is an amazing podcast.  Confidence is a tremendous problem for everyone! I mean, how often do you have issues with self-confidence, or self-image that hinder you in your life? How often do you feel like you're being judged, only to realize that the judgement was self-invented? Chalene talks about some things you can do to build your confidence, for example...
-Steps to change your inner voice
-How to attract people that lift you up
-How to overcome self-doubt
-How to understand that experience builds confidence, and you have to start by overcoming fears
-Small daily actions to improve confidence

"Introvert or Extrovert?" (29m 12s): I was stoked when I found this episode, because I feel like there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be an Introvert or Extrovert! For example, outwardly 75% of people would think that I'm an extrovert. But I'm not! I identify myself as an introvert! Why? Because I get drained, completely exhausted when I'm around large groups of people for an extended period of time! I am an outgoing introvert because I am loud, talkative, and friendly. But I draw my energy and recharge my batteries when I'm alone! That's the big difference! So, in this episode, Chalene addresses...
-the difference between introverts and extroverts
-How that differs from being shy or outgoing
-How to build social confidence and self-awareness
-Among other often tidbits, including her wonderful club which I've recently joined--The Courageous Confidence Club

"Creating Your Best Year Ever" (37m 02s): This one features the awesome Michael Hyatt! What I really enjoyed about this episode was how they tackle the idea of goal-setting! People have this big misconception that based on what they do or who they are that they don't need to set goals, but that's not true! If you want to avoid stagnating in your life, you need to set yourself some goals! In this episode, Chalene and Michael address that misconception and give us strategies for tackling our goals by addressing ways to deal with a goal you're afraid you won't meet, the idea of a PUSH goal (Chalene's 30 day push inspired this subject), and the importance of advancing yourself by pushing outside your comfort zone! It's a goodie! Totally check it out!|


FITNESS, NUTRITION and WEIGHT LOSS:

 "Weekend Weight Loss" (10m 2s): This is a great podcast about ways to really focus on our weight loss OVER THE WEEKEND. The weekend's for me are a struggle. I'm off my schedule, there's social events that tempt me, etc.  Chalene throw's out some awesome tips for things that you can do to really take advantage of your weekend. For example
- Don't drink over the weekend
-15 minute HIIT (high-intensity interval training) on two days
-Eat 1 cup of raw veggies before lunch and dinner! 
Check out the podcast for the rest of the tips!


"Breaking a Weight Loss or Fitness Plateau" (25m 42s): How many of you have hit a plateau in an otherwise super successful weight loss journey? It's really frustrating, right? Well, here Chalene gives some VERY simple tips to help you combat that. Some of these tips include -- Looking at your nutrition, changing up your workout routine, sleep more, OR take a week OFF of exercise!

"Sugar Addiction" (36m 10s): Sugar addiction is something I've never heard of before...and the nutrition nerd in me was FREAKING OUT while I was listening to this! She has a sugar addiction and nutrition expert, JJ Virgin on the show as a guest for this one and it's awesome to hear her incredible insight. Some takeaways... - Fruit is NOT the same VEGGIES! Switching them out in your diet will not yield the same results.
- Sugar addiction is a real thing! Fatigue, bloating, and inconsistent energy levels are a side effect of sugar addiction and high sugar intake.
-And sugar is hidden in tons of foods that we think are "safe"... like balsamic vinegar for example

"Sleep Off Your Fat" (22m36s): Keith Harris in the house! I think this is when he starts to show up a log in her podcasts, but anywho. This is one of her longer fit tip episodes, but still super interesting!! We all spend so much time thinking about how our fitness and nutrition affect our waistline, and they do! But we don't spend enough time thinking about how sleep affects us!  In this episode, they discuss sleep topics such as... how much sleep to get, how important consistency in your sleeping patterns is, how to fall asleep faster, the best sleep environments etc!

"Paleo Primal Diet" (40m30s): What a FASCINATING podcast! In this one, Chalene invites Mark Sisson to her show and they talk about the work he does educating people about the "Primal" diet, which is very close to paleo! I love this episode because it addresses a lot of the misconceptions about nutrition! He has some weird daily habits, that I'm admittedly still trying to wrap my brain around. But this is a GOODY! Some of the nuggest of wisdom...
-Most of us are sugar burners...but to be really lean, you have to teach your body to burn FAT!
-Basics of the Primal Diet Lifestyle (rich in healthy fats, low in processed carbs, and high protein)
-Guidelines for the best LEAN protein shakes!


Basically...here's the takeaway...

I podcast to learn. To improve my life and my knowledge about things that I would otherwise be exposed to! And there are lots of podcasts and audiobooks that I listen to on my commute.

But, you know what...

Chalene Johnson is my fave and if I introduce one person to "The Chalene Show" through this word vomit of a post, all this typing will TOTALLY be worth it!!
Holidays and visiting people can be tough! Not only the travelling part, but once you get there, there are so many temptations and disruptions to your normal schedule! There's a lot of planning and participation in the meal preparation that is necessary for making it through visits and holidays unscathed. 
I managed to make it through the holidays this year not only without gaining weight, but with actually losing weight! In my life, that is completely unheard of. So, I'm going to tell you what I did to help ensure myself that. 

Nothing crazy. Just small changes, and conscious activities that made my recent trip home more survivable.

First things first...

Don't make excuses before your vacation starts. What do I mean by that?

PLAN AHEAD - Pre-airport workout
I didn't leave for the airport until 1:30 pm before my holiday started.  I could VERY easily have lounged around all day, lazing away my last afternoon before I flew home. But instead...I got my workout in! Not just one workout, but two! Insanity Max 30 and Dirty 30... It burned sooooo good!! haha

Next, the airport...

We all know that there are abundant temptations at the airport! You could very easily enjoy some fast food, a burger, too many drinks...etc. But, instead, you could continue your healthy trend! 

I believe that if you're consciously looking for healthy options for yourself, then you will find them. No matter where you are! Including the airport!  I got this delicious greek salad with grilled chicken and tons of vegetables at a SPORTS BAR.  Do you see what I mean? I found the options that had grilled meat, chose the salad that had the least amount of unhealthy add-ons, and had a vinaigrette dressing that I asked for on the side! I ate the whole thing and it held me over for the rest of my travel day! Talk about healthy eats! :-)
Greek salad at the aiport
When I finally arrived at my parents house for the holidays, one of the first things I did was ask my mom when she was going grocery shopping. Now, my parents eat pretty fricken healthy and they're very supportive of the new lifestyle I have adopted. I totally understand that sometimes it's not that easy for people, but you can make every effort to ensure that you have the healthiest possible things available to you. So, I helped my mom write the grocery list and then went shopping with her! We got tons of yummy things that fit right into my eating plan and diet, and...I threw in a little treat for them too...which I'll get to in a bit.
Mom and my trip to the grocery store the day after I got back from school!
Something else you can do...either by yourself or with a fellow active friend...is to get outside and do something active! Instead of meeting up for drinks or dinner ever single time you meet up with someone, get outside!

I was able to spend a lot of time this holiday with a good friend of mine from high school--Rachel! And she took me on one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on to Rattlesnake Ridge! I don't know if I can really put into words how amazing this was, other than to just show you some pictures!

At the first viewpoint
My awesome hiking buddy
Lookout from third viewpoint--Sooo beautiful!
Fit Friends are the best! Thanks again, Rachel!


Now Christmas inevitably means lots of goodies, snacking, treats, and BIG DINNERS. Now, I'm not about to tell you don't enjoy these things.  I certainly did. But one thing you can do to put yourself in a good position is to portion your dinner properly! Check this out - I snapped a pic of my Christmas Eve dinner because I was SUPER proud of myself! Not only was the dinner healthy (bravo mom and grandma), but I loaded my plate up with vegetables, and ate less of the carbs! I even went back for seconds on the salad! I call that a win!
Christmas Eve dinner meant lots of SALAD, wild rice, cornish game hens, and family to open presents with!
Now, I kind of teased you before with what extra little things you can do to really help yourself maintain healthy habits. Do you know what that is?? COOK! Cooking for your family is not only a great way to maintain your healthy lifestyle, but it also introduces them to the lifestyle and takes a little bit of the cooking pressure off of them! Sweet deal, right?!

We're a super Italian family - so my dad and I made our family favorite kashkatelles! Not the healthiest thing in the world, but AMAZING!
Family favorite - Kaskatelles from Great Grandma Noni's cookbook
I also had my parents help me pick out two recipes that they wanted to try! Basically, I let them choose from a number. But ultimately they ended up choosing some of my absolute favorites that I'm sure you recognize!

First time I cooked, we made Paleo Phad Thai, which you know I've featured before! My parents had actually never had spaghetti squash, so not only was this a great opportunity to make them one of my favorite recipes, but also to introduce them to a new food! 

And I don't know everyone...I don't know if they liked it...haha
Paleo Phad Thai - my parents devoured this recipe! :-) This is just the chicken with the cabbage mixture (I use cole slaw mix)
I also made another recipe, which I'll share in the next post! :-)

The holidays, and trips home on vacation, are totally survivable from the perspective of maintaining your progress! Make small switches...and be consistent in those things! Don't get lazy and continue to be conscious and as healthy as possible on your next trip or over your next holiday and I promise you'll maintain what you've worked so hard for!

Until next time,

I generated this list of tips and tricks for my December Challenge group, and it just seemed like too useful of a list to not share! So, here you go my friends! Try some of these out! And feel free to comment below if you've got any other good tips that have worked for you.

 Don’t skip meals. In an attempt to make room (and save calories) for that Holiday party later, you might skip lunch. But you’ll probably only end up eating more because you’re starving! Some tips? Have a small snack of vegetables before you head out to the party. Or, even better, try eating 4-6 SMALLER but more frequent meals during the day.

Survey party buffets before filling your plate. That way you can be more selective of what foods you have! Have some of your favorites and maybe skip over those snacks that you are less enthusiastic about!

Bring your own healthy dish to a Holiday get together. That way you can be SURE that there is at least something healthy for you to indulge in!
Avoid hovering by the appetizer table. My friend posted this on Facebook the other day and it has stuck with me. A person was observed lingering near an appetizer table two hours before the meal began, and in that two hours over 1200 calories worth of appetizers! Before the meal! So, choose to mingle away from the appetizer table and you’ll save on calories
Chew some gum. Chewing gum actually tricks your body into thinking you’re eating. So, chew some 15 minutes before hitting up the appetizers to cut down on appetizer intake!
Plan to exercise. This might seem obvious but if you don’t PLAN WHEN you’re going to exercise, you’re probably NOT going to exercise! FAIL TO PLAN AND YOU PLAN TO FAIL!
Bring snacks everywhere. Long hours of Christmas shopping means that you WILL inevitably get hungry! So, bring some snacks with you! Apples, carrots, celery, and nuts are all great, portable options!
Treat that meal as your reward. Organize an active activity, like a Holiday Run, OR a group Beachbody workout. Then you can all reward yourself with a delicious meal, WITHOUT the guilt!
Eat slower. One of the biggest reasons why we all overeat is because we’re eating too quickly for our brain to relay the “I’m full” signal, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes. So, eat slower and stop when you’re satisfied, not stuffed!
Hydrate. Have a water bottle with you all the time, and DRINK UP BUTTERCUP! Most of the time we mistake “thirsty” signals for “hungry” signals. So quench that thirst with water, and you’ll avoid overeating too!
Stock your  freezer. Either pre-made or recipes you’ve whipped up and frozen—stocking your freezer full of healthy meals is a GREAT way to ensure healthy eating during the busy holiday season!
Organize fun activities, instead of ones that revolve around eating! Try sledding, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, OR just walking and looking at Christmas lights! Get our and get active!
 BE REALISTIC! You’re probably not going to lose tons of weight over the holidays, but it definitely is realistic to maintain, and maybe even lose a couple if you’re dedicated! Focus on maintaining your healthy lifestyle!


If you're looking for an image of all of these to share, you're in luck! I generated one to share with my family and friends on facebook!

Happy Holidays everyone! I know it's a struggle, but let's try to stay HEALTHY this Holiday Season! 
I have been tremendously frustrated lately. I tweaked my knee a few weeks ago. It was minor, and I was recovering quickly from it and excited to get back into my normal working out scheme. Then, a nagging soreness in my hamstring from my double header soccer game last week turned into a sharp pain. I thought it was just a fluke - frankly. I've never had muscle issues, which is actually amazing considering my short stocky legs are programmed for muscle tightness. It's hard to stretch out such short muscles because no amount of stretching ever seems to be enough, but for the most part, I've been lucky on the muscle injury front.

This was different thought. I hoped it would just go away, but when I tried to play in my soccer game last night it didn't. I couldn't even run. Couldn't shoot. Couldn't take goal kicks. I ended up playing goalie because it was one of the only things I could do.  I felt terrible for my team, ya. But, I also was tremendously frustrated! Why am I seemingly always injured??

This sort of seems like a new development too. Back home, I had old nagging injuries, but they were more like dull aches after a hard fought game and didn't give me trouble day-to-day. Now, ever since I've moved out here, I'm constantly injured.  I blame the humidity....so not a fan....

 I had another game tonight. It was for the department and I'm one of the few on the team that's played soccer before, so I kind of feel like they're counting on me to contribute more. And tonight, I did my best, but there were plays after the fact where it was all I could do to not cry. Muscle injuries suck. I would rather deal with my knee.

I'm frustrated because since I've gotten here, my good habits have waxed and waned with my health status. When I'm healthy, I do great. I run, I lift, I get fantastic workouts in, make great meals, and generally do a phenomenal job at staying healthy and being mentally strong. When I'm unhealthy and am restricted in my workouts, everything snowballs.  I drink more, cook less, eat more crap, am less productive, become negative, etc.  It's like fighting a raging uphill battle and I don't exactly know how to combat it.

This is one of my biggest struggles in life. I know if I really sit down and reflect, I'm competing against myself. I let my attitude and my frustrations seep into every aspect of my life, and when something goes bad, I allow that bad, I permit that negativity to get into every part of my life.  I allow a bump in the road to turn into a mountain that I have to climb.  I allow a pothole to become a chasm.  I allow myself to be buried alive when I'm really only waist deep.  This is something I've been battling with for a while, mentally, and I'm working on it.  I'm hoping the recognition is a good start.


As for my health, I'm in desperate need of some time off from soccer, I think. That hurts. A friend here told me - "Ellyn doesn't play soccer. She lives soccer." And it fits me to the "t".  I love this sport so much. And I'm good at it, which makes it so much more enjoyable. The idea of stopping playing it is frankly upsetting, and I'm not willing to admit that my body is getting older and can't quite take the abuse I put it through in high school anymore.  But, I do need to find something else - some other enjoyable form of physical activity that maybe won't take the place of soccer, but will at least serve as a viable, lower-intensity alternative.

Maybe I'll try rockclimbing.

My friend has been trying to get me to start for a month or so now!

Anyone have any thoughts of things I can try??

RICEing my pulled hamstring tonight. So strange that it's not one of my many surgeried joints! Even stranger was having the other team say "good game keeper" to me after the game yesterday! Ahh!!
Coming from a competitive sports background, it has always been really hard for me to admit that I'm tired or injured or can't do something athletic. This is a particular problem for me because, as I mentioned, I'm more than a little bit injury prone.  

 I mentioned a few posts ago that I recently experienced a minor knee injury in my persistently bad knee.  Now, just some background, I injured this knee the first time (ya - there's been multiple times) when I was in high school playing Varsity soccer. I blew my knee out when we were playing our rival high school.  I tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which, for those of you that aren't too familiar with knee anatomy, is one of 3 very major ligaments in the knee, and is arguably the most important ligament that runs down the center of your knee. It's really important for stability.  So, I tore that, and I tore meniscus (the cartilage that pads your knee joint) on both the inside and outside of my knee. I got surgery, and rehabbed for the next 8 months before I could play soccer again. This time with a fatty knee brace - which I liked to call my bionic leg.  See how awesome it is! 

High school soccer - knee brace!
Since then, I injured it again two years later in a more minor injury, but one that still needed surgery to remove a large chunk of meniscus that was interfering with my ability to run.  This was followed by the more recent injury that I mentioned. This most recent injury was very minor in comparison. I don't have a lot of meniscus left in my knee to cushion the joint when it experiences an instance of extremely high impact, so when that happens my upper and lower knee bones hit each other inside of my knee joint, resulting in what's called a bone contusion.  Relatively minor, but very painful.

 So, why I am writing this post? Because I just finished my summer league of soccer, which consisted of playing a lot more soccer than my body is used to last week, since we got into playoffs and ended up playing a round robin tournament on Friday night.  Now, I thought I would have some time to rest and recuperate before fall league started, but it actually starts on Tuesday.  So, I decided to stop beating myself up, and take it a little bit easier this weekend to give my knee a chance to relax.

Usually on the weekend I do the following workouts - 
Saturday - CrossFit WOD
-Run 1.5 mi
-100 Push Ups (Knees if necessary), 100 squats, 100 sit-ups (Do this in whatever form you need - 20 per circuit for 5 circuits, 33 per circuit for 3, etc. - just do 100 each)
-Run 1.5 mi
Stretch

 Sunday - Longer run 
-As I mentioned, I've been injured, so I'm only back up to about 2 miles, but before my injury I tried to do at least 3-6 miles on Sunday

 Now, if I was feeling strong, healthy, with no pain or discomfort, I'd go ahead and do this - no problem. But, my knee has been bothering me. I feel it a lot when I go up and down stairs. Not necessarily pain, but discomfort, like it is just exhausted.  So, this weekend, I switched it up a little bit.

Lighter weekend workout:
Saturday - Arms and Abs
Daily HIIT Reps workout
http://www.dailyhiit.com/videos/toned-lean-arms-workout-hiitreps-16
I love this workout! My arms feel like jello when I'm done. I did just this workout about 3x a week while I was injured and my arms feel so much stronger and I can see the difference.
Jillian Michaels - No More Trouble Zones abs (I believe it's the third circuit in this video) - ~15 reps for 2 circuits of 1) crunch + chest press, 2) leg lifts +chest fly, 3) bicycles, 4) squirms, 5) push-ups

 Sunday - Yoga
Daily HIIT has some yoga videos. I've never tried them, because I usually like to do stuff more high intensity than yoga, but I'm going to try today.
If you have access to P90X videos, I really like the P90x yoga video. It's really long (about 90min), but it's great and really challenging.  
Stretch and ice my knee.
**Important - notice that I'm still working out. I didn't just stop working out. I'm doing lighter alternatives, instead of my usual, high-intensity workouts!

 So the moral of the story is listen to your body. If you've been pushing yourself really hard or are suffering from an injury, give yourself a break.  If you have any sort of competitive streak, we all are so inclined to say "No I'm fine! I'm fine!" because we don't want to admit, to ourselves or other people, that we are injured. Nobody wants to feel weak.  I'm totally guilty of this. But I've come to the realization that I'm not doing myself any favors by thinking this way. So I'm giving my body a break this weekend before I pick things up again.

Until next time! Have a good Sunday everyone!

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