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 have referenced before how important it is to have daily routine, which I discuss more in this blog post. But I don't think I've talked about this as much in reference to food!

So today, I want to talk about the importance of establishing a routine with your food. Not only is scheduling time to meal prep super important, which I've discussed in previous blog posts (which you can find here), but it's also important to establish some consistency in patterns in not only when you eat, but what you eat.

I've started to call this my Daily Eats...
If you talk to a bunch of people who are fit, gym rats, or bodybuilders...you'll probably find that these people eat very similar things for the most part from day-to-day! In fact, most other people tend to do the same...without even meaning to! They don't even notice that they're doing it, but they're day to day is pretty repetitive...

So, this is an example of what I eat day to day! It's very simple!

I start off my morning with a cup of coffee, pre-workout!

Then, about an hour or so later, after my shower, I have my Shakeology for breakfast.

I usually get into work around 8 am. So, I'll have my first snack of the day around 9:30-10 am. That's usually fruit. I've tried having a veggie snack in the morning. I don't like. Vegetables to me just aren't a morning food!

Then, around 11:30-12, I have lunch! Lunch is always a salad for me! Usually it's Kale, but not all the time! I have grown to REALLY love my lunch time salads. Salads are my favorite way to get my vegetables in! And this lunch salad just fits into my day so well.

Then, in the afternoon, around 2-ish, I have my afternoon snack. I love veggies and hummus!! I tend to stick with celery or cucumbers. I prefer cucumbers actually! But, recently the cucumbers haven't been very fresh so I've switched back to celery!

Then - dinner! I usually have dinner around 5pm when I get home from work! This is by far my heartiest meal of the day! And varies the most in my day-to-day eating. My dinner recipes are the things that I feature in my MOTW  and budget MOTW posts! These tend to be things like quinoa mac n' cheese, crock pot chili, etc. I REALLY like my dinner to be a single dish that encompasses all of my food groups! Those are my favorite meals, because they simplify everything for me!

Occasionally, I'll have an evening snack if I'm still hungry! I really like greek yogurt for that because it seems like I'm eating ice cream!! :-) Yummy!

So, that's it for today! Just a simple post, but if I've found anything other than meal prepping to be really effective in my healthy lifestyle journey, it's the consistency I've developed in eating habits!

 Have a great week!!
 Today I want to emphasize the The Importance of Meal Prep! If you want to maintain and promote your own healthy lifestyle, you MUST prepare yourself in every way possible!

My Beachbody coach loves to say all the time....

FAIL TO PREPARE AND YOU PREPARE TO FAIL!

 Of course, this is super applicable to life, but my favorite way to apply that statement is to your nutrition! So today, I want to focus on meal prep! Last Sunday and again this weekend, I will be doing some serious meal prep, because it's just the ONLY way to really guarantee myself success in my nutrition by making all my snacks, meals, etc. accessible, easy, and a of course healthy! This is especially true when I'm doing 21 day fix! If you're going to be successful on this program - you NEED TO PLAN AHEAD!!!

 So here's an idea of what my meal prep looks like!

Saturday - Recipe selection and grocery shopping. I will usually go on pinterest or online and hunt for recipes, OR I will go to my already absurd amount of collected recipes and choose from some of my favorites, like Paleo Phad Thai and these other 21 Day Fix Approved options.
Sunday - MEAL PREP DAY! Last weekend was a great example! Instead of vegging out all day watching football, which is how I wanted to spend my Sunday, I multi-tasked! I put football on in the background and got all my meal prepping and house work done in the meantime!

 But now you might be asking - okay I understand planning ahead but what exactly do you do to prepare yourself?

 Basically - I prepare absolutely everything I can ahead of time! So, first things first, I CHOP EVERYTHING UP!!!!

 One of the ways I get my greens in during 21 day fix is by eating cucumbers (which I LOVE) and celery with hummus as snacks!  So, to make it as easy as possible for me to do this (which after all is the point of meal-prepping), I chop and bag EVERYTHING ahead of time!  I cut cucumbers up and celery up into small pieces and measure them out using the 21 day fix green container. Once I fill the green container, I dumb those pre-cut, pre-portioned cucumbers or celery into a ziploc bag and continue until I have cut up all the celery and cucumbers! What I'm left with is a tupperware full of pre-portioned, ready snacks that I can just GRAB in the morning to take with me to work.

This same strategy is used in my preparation of my fruit and greens! For example here, I had a cantaloupe that I wanted to use for my 21 day fix purples! So I chopped it up and kept it ready in a tupperware for the week! I could have pre-portioned these out just like I did for the cucumbers/celery but I ran out of ziploc bags! So, I just left these in the larger tupperware and filled a purple 21 day fix container before I left to go to work in the morning.

For my greens, I love to have a salad for lunch! I get creative with my salads! Kale with sweet potato and hard boiled egg/chicken with a lemon olive oil dressing, kale with grapes and almonds and lemon olive oil vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar or lemon! Yum! But the biggest reason I can do that is there's no need for me to rip up greens in the morning because I've already done that on Sunday! I rip up and throw all of my kale into a very larger tupperware container! I then throw a larger handful into a tupperware for lunch that day and top it with whatever ingredients I'm feeling for that days salads!

 I also prepare all my protein ahead of time! I hard boil all my eggs (as shown below) and cook all my protein! This week it was chicken! I cooked about a pound and a half of chicken breast tenders (which I love because about 2 of them are equivalent to one 21 day fix red container), which I seasoned with whatever seasoning I was feeling that day! Coffee BBQ seasoning, cajun, italian seasonings, etc. It kind of depends on what I'm going to put the chicken in that week! This week was taco salads and taco bowls, so I seasoning them with a chili powder, Mexican blend!  That way your protein is ready to just throw into your meal or eat as a snack, with NO PREP NEEDED!!!

 Also not pictured - I prepped and baked sweet potatoes as one of my starches for the week and also soaked and cooked a bunch of beans as my other starch, both of which I threw onto salads or into taco bowls during the week!

And that's it! It was a tedious task, but you know what? If you take a couple hours on a Sunday morning/afternoon while you're watching football or doing house chores, etc. you will save yourself SO MUCH TIME during the week and make eating health SO MUCH EASIER!!

 I highly recommend meal prepping and I hope that some of these tips helped you with your own meal prepping adventures!!!

Until next time, stay healthy my busy friends! ;-)



I've recently gotten obsessed with smoothies! My drinking Shakeology definitely has something to do with it, but it's so nice in the morning instead of making some labor intensive or boring breakfast to just through some good ingredients in a blender and whip yourself up a delicious, portable breakfast! Overall, it takes less time for me to make a smoothie purely because I can bring it with me when I travel to lab in the morning!  Having cereal or a yogurt isn't nearly as convenient, especially when I'm trying to rush out in the morning after my workout!

So, I thought I would share what I've found works really well for me for making my morning smoothie, which I even have on the weekends nowadays!  This post in particular is about making a green smoothie! It can me so much trickier to get that nice, smooth texture once you start adding in greens, like spinach! The first few times I made my smoothies, they tasted great, but there were these unsightly and unappetizing chunks and strings of spinach that did everything but add to my enjoyment of drinking my smoothie! So, below I have compiled a lit of things to know to make a really good smoothie! I've also included a recipe that I stole from my upline Beachbody coach! :-)

Things to Know:
-Get a Blender!  The higher power of blender you have, the better your smoothie will be blended! These usually range from $50-$100 and even as much as $400, with the lower power (but still fully functional) blenders costing more in the range from $30-$70.  So if you're not in the market for a new blender, that is totally fine! You'll just need to do some other things to make your smoothie smooth, which I've highlighted below!
-Liquid component first. This allows for the liquid to form a vortex and pull the other, solid ingredients into it so that they can be better combined.  It's a good idea to do this for both low and high powered blenders, but particularly for low powered blenders!
-Chop up your greens! This is especially important if you don't have a higher powered blender (like me!)
-Add your frozen component last! This might be just ice, or maybe you're using frozen fruit! I personally love frozen bananas to add a little bit of creaminess to your smoothie as well as a subtle, tropical flavor!  This is also a good idea because it pushes down your lighter ingredients, like your greens, closer to the blade so that they'll get better combined!
-Lastly, once you've gotten all your ingredients in, pulse the blender a few times before turning it on all the way. I usually use my ice crush button to do this! This starts to get your other ingredients pulled toward the bottom so that they'll get nice and chopped up instead of pushed away from the blender blade!  Once you've done that, start you blender on LOW and then crank it up to HIGH after a bit to really get those last few chunks of ice and greens blended down smooth!

 That's really it! It's super easy! Then throw your shake it a portable container--I love my Shakeology bottle--and voila! You've got a delicious, portable breakfast to start your day off right! :-)

I've included some recipes below (one to start off with, and I plan to add more later!):

 Recipes to Try:

 Greenberry Coffee Kickstart
-1C of drip Coffee (at whatever strength you desire)
-1/2 C of nut milk (I like Almond and coconut milk)
-Handful of chopped spinach (You can use other greens if you wish, but I like spinach because it's softer and it blends well)
-1 scoop of Greenberry Shakeology
-1 tsp of PB2 powdered peanut butter
-7-8 large ice cubes
Blend and Enjoy!

 Berry Delicious ShakeO:
-1.5C of almond milk
-Handful of chopped greens
-1 scoop of Strawberry Shakeology
-a handful of frozen mixed berries - add more of these for a thicker, fruitier shake
-2-3 large ice cubes
Blend and Enjoy!

Other Shakeology/Smoothie Recipes! These ones don't have green but you can totally add greens to them if you desire!

Mocha Frappuccino ShakeO:
-0.75C Almong Milk (I also have been using a delicious Almond-Coconut Milk Blend)
-1C Brewed coffee (refrigerated)
-1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
-Half a frozen banana *Optional, but adds a great creaminess to your smoothie
-1tsp of PB2 powdered peanut butter* Optional
-3-4 ice cubes
** With the colder weather I have been cutting back on the ice in my smoothie. I only add enough to make it a little bit frothy and not like a full-blown smoothie

 Peppermint Mocha Shakeology:
-12 oz of STRONG peppermint tea
-4-6oz of coffee
-a dash of almond milk just to get some creaminess
-Scoop of chocolate shakeology
-4 ice cubes if you desire
Blend and enjoy!

 Chai Tea Latte Shakeology
Same idea as the Peppermint Mocha but a little different
-12 oz of STRONG Chai Tea
-**Optional coffee if desired - I don't think this one needs it**
-4-8 oz of almong milk
-Scoop of VANILLA Shakeology
-4 ice cubes
BLEND AND ENJOY THE DELICIOUSNESS


Happy Blending!


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