7 Tips and Tricks on How to Get Started ( and keep going)

First of all, thanks for stopping by and taking your time to read the blog. I read and try to respond to every comment, message, and post! I get asked sometimes, "How did you get started?" and I think Wow, its really easy to get started... I mean, you go out, buy cute workout clothes and some new sneakers and maybe a DVD program buuuuut then what. 

The hardest part is to KEEP GOING. Thankfully, I've learned a lot in that department from IG weightloss stories and Beach Body. I'm not a professional but I can tell you what I am telling myself EVERY DAY and whats been working for me.....

1. Find a Support System- This was the first tip that popped into my mind because it is SO IMPORTANT. When I first started Beachbody and Piyo, I had my Coach and a big support system in the form of a Facebook Challenge Group. These were Challengers like me who were doing the program with me. Every day we checked in, talked about our workout, nutrition, etc. It gave me a sense of accountability and motivation to keep going! Right now, I'm working with a small group of my closest friends to complete a 6 week challenge. We check in and send pics every day. I also post daily on Instragram because I find the support so uplifting! There are people out there doing WORK every day and its AWESOME to see !! 

2. Break up with the Scale - Ok so this one fights all logic because it seems like your weight would be the only concrete way to monitor progress right?? WRONG ... Wrong Wroong Wroooong (I'm singing this). I'm a stubborn person (noooo) and like facts but the fact is, ones weight can fluctuate up to 5 pounds in a day depending on what time, food  and water intake, and bathroom habits the weigh in happens. DONT DO IT. Haha ok now that I think I've got my point across, my experience has been my weightloss is not always reflected on the scale. If you notice in my pic in my first Blog (after Piyo) my pounds loss is so minimal, but the inches are not! A pound of fat takes up much more space than a pound of muscle so as you change and tone your body the scale may not reflect that right away! My suggestion is to do a weight-in in the AM and revisit the scale biweekly at the most IF YOU MUST :) Instead, take body measurements. I googled body measurement chart, printed it, and completed it. Boom, Done, Easy, your hard work will show on their instead!!  

3. You're not drinking enough Water - Its amazing how much water your body needs. If you are not drinking enough, your body doesn't know when it will get more water, and retains it. Camel style. Water weight is not what you want, so be sure to drink enough water! The new rule of thumb is to drink half of your weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 200lbs, you should be drinking 100 ounces of water daily. There are some great ways to monitor your water intake including phone apps like MyFitnessPal, or you can mark your water bottle like this, make it fun!! 

4. Nutrition trumps workouts - I learned how to eat better by following the PIYO suggested diets and 21 day fix. But then, cheese and bacon is delicious, so you go extra hard at the gym right? WROOOONGO, unfortunately, these do not equal out. The sayings "Abs are made in the kitchen" and "Nutrition is 80% Exercise 20% really are accurate.... Its so important to follow an eating plan and keep yourself accountable. I'll talk about this more in the next point, but its an important caveat here to say I also live by "Everything in moderation" and we are ALL human and treat ourselves. Do not restrict your diet- you will eventually fall of the wagon, get a case of the Fuckits, and go face first in a Chicken bucket or something. Then you'll feel crappy about the bucket and give up. Restriction does this, so dont. I really believe this is a life style change, not a diet, so its a balancing act. Remember no matter what, you are Human, your gonna have cheat meals, slip up, fall down, congrats tomorrow is another day. 

5. Be Kind to Yourself- Wow, I can't say this enough...Be kind to yourself, mentally, physically, spiritually. I believe in a mind body connection, so the thoughts you think in your head will manifest in your body. Be positive! Love your body at its highest weight and be its biggest cheerleader to its goal weight. Do this by taking before pictures and measurements. Note things that you like about your body and praise yourself for this journey. Don't enter a weightloss journey as a battle against your body, nobody will win :) 

6. Have a Goal in Sight- Most programs suggest a measurable, obtainable short term goal and a long term goal. Examples of this would be - Short term - lose 1-2 pounds per week, drink my xx ounces of water daily, improve my plank time from 10 seconds to 30 seconds in a month... you get the idea. Long term would be fitting into a specific outfit, losing a pant size, and whatever that MaGiCaL number is that you want to see on the scale (merf). 

7. HAVE A PLAN- Ok, last one... No matter what program, what your goal, what your starting at... HAVE A PLAN. When I was in school, I had a Planet Fitness membership and would go in there (with my super cute new sneakers/capris/water bottle/ whatever) and would just walk around willy nilly.... maybe do the treadmill.. maybe do the elliptical.. nah this is boring I'll go to the circuit thing. NOTHING HAPPENED. Guess why? I wasn't committed, I didn't know what I was doing, and I was uninspired. Nothing against PF, but I later joined Golds Gym and found some real inspiration doing Spin classes, Zumba, and Running in the Cardio Cinema. This took me a year to figure out, save yourself some time and have a plan. Yes, I'm a Beachbody coach, and yes I believe in the program, hence why I've been inspired on this journey but thats not why I'm saying this.... What Beachbody offers is a comprehensive program - nutrition and exercise- follow a plan and get results. Whatever plan, program, exercise you choose study it, understand it, and follow it!! Currently, I'm doing a 6 week Butts and Gutts Challenge and Beach body Turbo Fire. I do a daily shakeology, workout 4-5 days a week, and try to make 1 spin class a week. I save large water bottles and take them to work with me daily and try to drink the entire thing. I meal prep on Sundays and  I make my meals veggie and protein focused and get enough sleep at night. 

Best of luck on your journey! Specific Questions comment below :) 

Veggie Packed & Budget Friendly Recipes ! Happy New Year

Hello everyone and HAPPY 2015! The holidays were busy and brutal to my workout and clean eating attempts and I thought now would be a great time to share some of my favorite recipes. I have been working hard over the past year or so to trick myself into eating vegetables, sneaking them here and there, making them carb replacements. I can finally say that I LIKE what I'm eating and I'm enjoying it guilt-free. Heres what I'm going to share with you today - A super easy crock pot Steel Cut Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Egg and Spinach Breakfast Puffs, Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti, and a Zucchini Alfredo in that order. Total Disclaimer - I cook like a grandma with no precise measuring or recipes but I will do what I can to explain these as concisely as possible.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients: 2 Apples, 1 cup steel-cut oats, 1 1/2 cup Almond Milk, 1 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional), 1 t. cinnamon, sweetener of your choice - I like Brown sugar or honey. You can also throw in other nuts, raisins, frozen berries (instead of apples). 

Spray your slow cooker with a non stick cooking spray. Add all the ingredients, stir, cover and cook on Low overnight. All slow cooker temps vary so the first time I made this I made during the day and just kept an eye on it. 

This recipe yields about 5 cup servings that I individually portion out and freeze if needed. I dont focus too much on calories but I know this is roughly 150 calories a serving depending on toppings and less if using almond milk :) Enjoy!

Next yummy breakfast is Egg & Spinach Puffs

Ok this recipe really doesn't get any easier and it is a VERY budget friendly option. 

First - Choose your egg option. Some people prefer an egg white substitute while others want the real deal of whites and yolks in their diet. This recipe can adapt to whatever, mix it up! For this one I used a dozen eggs with the yolks.

Next Choose a leafy green! Yummm Choose from Spinach, Kale, Arugula, maybe small chops of Broccoli. Go Crazy

Finally - Some shredded cheese, if desired and a protein of choice. I've seen this done with Canadian ham, Turkey Bacon, Bacon.. for this batch I went Sans Meat. 

Take all your ingredients and mix them in a mixing bowl with some salt and pepper or other spices as desired. Preheat the oven to 350f and spray a muffin pan with the non-stick spray. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. As you can see in this pic, I overfilled them a bit which just means the puffs will larger on top. 

Dont you feel healthier already just looking at those green veggies! Throw this muffin tin in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. You'll wanna pull these out of the oven when they are light golden brown. You dont want to overcook these bc they will taste like the overdone bites of scrambled eggs.. unless thats your thing. Than cook them how you like! 

 Oh my they are just so pretty! I let them cool and they easily pop out of the tin. I then seal them in a ziploc bag and then every morning before work I take them out of the bag, put them on a paper towel and reheat for 40-50 seconds and eat them on the way to work. They are seriously the easiest and total mess free eating in the car :) YAY

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

(or anything else you want to make with Spaghetti Sqash, its a great pasta substitute)

So like many people that I talk to, I was intimidated by the idea of cooking spaghetti squash. Here's how I conquered it. Cut the squash length-wise and remove all seeds. You can remove these with a spoon or cut the seed area away with a knife. I then drizzle it with Olive Oil and sprinkle with spices, for me its usually garlic salt and pepper. Sit the squash FACE DOWN in a casserole dish and roast for 30-45 minutes until soft.  Again, time depends on oven and size of squash so just use common sense. You'll want to be able to spoon the flesh away from the skin, if you cant, its not done. As you can see in the pic, scraping the squash top to bottom creates noodle-like strings.

While the squash is cooking, I will brown ground turkey with an onion and add my fav sauce just like you would regular spaghetti. Combine the two and enjoy. 

** I've found that more large grocery carriers are now carrying all kinds of squash so this should not be too hard to find :)

Ok guys, one more! This is another recipe chocked full of veggies as carb substitute. For this one, I'll be making zucchini noodles for a Shrimp Alfredo Alternative. This recipe is a loose interpretation of a Weight Wathchers Zucchini Alfredo recipe and I HIGHLY recommend looking that up and trying it (and to get more exact measurements haha)

Ingredients needed: 2-3 Zucchini, half and half, parm cheese, frozen shrimp, sprinkle of flour to make a rue and veggie of choice. for this one I used steamed brusselsprouts and mushrooms. 

First I start a rue by adding flour to about a cup of half and half. Add salt and pepper and desired spices. Keep this on a simmer and add water until the sauce is the desired texture. I take the ends of a zucchini and remove the peel. I then take a veggie peeler and julienne the zucchini into thin strips. 

I add the Zucchini into the cream sauce with the Parmesan. The noodles will cook rather quick so I add the veggies and frozen shrimp. Whenever the shrimp is cooked, my meal is done. This dish takes little time at all and is far less complicated than it seems. Its also good reheated!  Sorry that I didn't take a pic of the finished product, clearly it was delish and I ate it allll up.

My goal is to provide new ideas to create old recipes in yummy and budget-friendly ways! Hope that these have been helpful in giving you new ways to sneak veggies into your diet! 

xoxo Kristen