I hate to cook

Ok, I admit it. I hate to cook. You know why I hate to cook, I hate the process of figuring out what to eat. Have you ever asked your family, what do you want for dinner. I ask my husband that and get I dunno, or I don't care, or something similar to that all the time. It drives me crazy. So, then I hit the grocery store after work and wonder around going, what am I going to make.

Now, if you know me, my cooking skills are fairly limited. I'm kind of boring. If you ask me to pick something up for dinner, normally it would be chicken or fish, add a veggie and because I dunno what else, I would add in rice or pasta. But, you also know that I like to watch what I eat. And carbs for dinner at night was typically not on my menu. So, that meant no pasta or rice for me and a very boring dinner!

I have to say, Beachbody has revised their meal plan. Their menu has been totally expanded. I am beginning to fall in love with this! Here is why.

First, for those who don't know how to eat or how much to eat or what kind of diet they should follow, they give you a way to determine which will best suit your needs. I choose a 1500 calorie slim down as my typically planner. It fits, plus I know I can up/lower the calories a little based on what I did for the day. This makes it simple for those just getting started, because we all know a good healthy diet is hard to figure out! But, it's also the most important step.

Ok, so now I am in my diet, I go to the various meals and pick them out. I still may not follow the whole meal plan exactly as written. Like, I don't eat bacon, so bacon and eggs not going to happen. For me, I'd up modifying this meal to replace the bacon. (I know with the program you can save/modify meals and keep them as favorites for later, I still haven't gotten that far into using it yet.)

But, the other day I picked out 2 of the meals for the weekend. I wanted to try the Pesto Chicken Artichoke Wrap for lunch and the Scrumptious Salmon Cakes for dinner. I absolutely loved that I could just quickly print the meal, all the ingredients, and the how to cook instructions so that I could take it to the store with me then also keep on the counter to cook. Plus, when I printed it out, it was an entire meal. The salmon cakes meal had a pasta penne side dish with cheese and sun dried tomatoes! (yes, I did eat my pasta, but substituted whole wheat pasta in, so felt ok about it) and for dessert raspberries! I loved that I did not have to search through a cookbook, then right a list, then leave my book on the counter to get all messy (yes, I am also a messy cook, ask my hubby what the kitchen looks like when I'm done. )

I also loved that I could log on to the meal plan from my iphone. It was perfect to check while I was in the store trying pick up stuff for a healthy snack option that I decided on while there not pre-thinking like I should have done! I will use this the next time I stop at the grocery store on the fly home. I can quickly look up a meal, pull up the ingredient list and shop!

Anyway, I made the pesto chicken wrap for lunch. I chopped up the chicken in my Magic Bullet blender! HA, that thing can make more then Shakeology or protein shakes! This wrap was so easy. I loved the flavor of the pesto and the artichoke. It was a perfect light summer meal that I will make again! I also doubled the recipe so I could have enough for my husband. I think we ended up making at least 4 wraps from it! There was no need to really double it, but now I had lunch for the next day too!

Then last night I made the Salmon Cakes. Being from Maryland, I love crab cakes, but hate all the filling they throw into it, so was a little concerned at first how these would turn out. I have to say, these were really easy to make. I did swap out corn flakes with a little bread crumbs (don't worry, it's not a lot that you throw in, only like 2 spoonfuls or so). I also made the pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese. I used blackberries for dessert since I couldn't find the raspberries. I'm also concerned that my husband will hate my "healthy" cooking. Mainly because as I noted above, I try to cook healthy, but that usually lead to boring and bland! Well, I got the seal of approval from Michael! I can cook! And knowing that I can do it a little easier with the right tools, I may just do more of it! (Yes, in this terrible economy, going out to dinner is way to expensive. So, we need to change. Plus, it will help me stay on track with reaching my goals)

I will definitely be using more of the club meal planner. I may let it just print the entire shopping list for my entire week and just follow it one day! Why spend time re-creating it when it will do it for me. (And, yes, you can take out meals you don't like and replace them with some of your favorites. Time is so limited these days, I need an assistant! This meal plan is my personal assistant to a healthy menu! Ok, it would still be nice if I had a personal chef, but this will have to do for now!

If your like me and you hate to cook or don't know what to cook, but are looking for a healthy way to stay on track. I really recommend you check out the new Beachbody Meal Planner. Yes, it costs $2.99 a week, but for it to give you endless meals, your entire week planned out to your meal plan requirements, a shopping list,... it makes it so worth it (plus all the other club tools you get!)

You can learn more about the club meal plan on my website at http://www.HeathersFitnessSpot.com, go to the Join tab. Or you can join today and download your recipe for tonight's dinner at http://preview.tinyurl.com/BeAClubMember

Ok, now maybe I can say - I like to cook!

Have a great day!

Heather

Visit my website to find a workout program that will get you results!: Heather's Fitness Spot

Join me on Facebook for more fitness tips and motivation: Heather's Fitness Spot

Eat Clean Challenge

My friend, Barbie is stepping up her fitness program by doing an eating clean challenge for her and her friends. If you want to jump start your weight loss, or you want to get serious with your program, then this plan is for you! Follow it and you will get results. Here are the rules/details.

Dates: Feb. 22 to March 12.

It seems a lot of folks are READY FOR CHANGE. It's time to step it up with your eating starting MONDAY.

If you adhere to these guidelines, you will see big changes. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF little slips here and there. But if you fall, pick yourself up again. It's consistency and not perfection that gets you to your ideal body!

PART I of III:

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. You PRESS PLAY Five or Six Times a week, depending on your program. If you miss a workout, you're out of the challenge.

If you are not doing a Beachbody workout, you should aim to do 3 resistance days and 2-3 cardio days. If you need a workout program, make sure to visit my website at http://www.HeathersFitnessSpot.com and find one that works best for you. If you have any questions, please email me at HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com

2. You EAT CLEAN six times a week. YOU GET ONE CHEAT MEAL PER WEEK, NOTTTT a CHEAT DAY.

3. No additional cheat snacks. ONE CHEAT MEAL PER WEEK. PERIOD. NO ALCOHOL DURING CHALLENGE PERIOD. YUP!

4. You MUST report daily for the preceding day on my Facebook page (The Fitness Spot). Feel free to post comments, questions, struggles, triumphs here. :) We're in this together!

5. You must take your measurements AND pictures. You don't have to post them, but you do have to take them. A lot of times you won't lose pounds, but your body will change. Don't miss that event!

THE PRIZE: A NEW FIT YOU! Are you ready?

PART II of III:

EATING CLEAN DEFINED:

RULE 1: You eat 4 to 6 small meals per day, ideally breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. That means that you are eating every 2 to 3 hours. Your body needs to be fueled. Eating only breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not okay.

RULE 2: You eat at least 1250 calories (unless you are less than 5 feet tall). I am putting this down because this challenge is about eating clean and being healthy, not about starving yourself.

A few people have asked me if I eat very low calories. For the record, I eat about 1800 to 2000 calories per day these days!

RULE 3: This is more like a guideline than a rule. You follow something close to a 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat diet. For those of you doing carb manipulation or following a special plan for diabetics, that's fine, too. Again, I just don't want folks to think they are eating clean if they eat 4 bowls of cereal per day. Your meals have to be balanced.

If you are Beachbody Club Member, you can print one out. IF you are not a Club Member, I strongly recommend you join. It's $2.99 a week. You can join here -http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/WhyWait

It's up to you to substitute foods from Michi's Ladder. I'm super busy guys, so please don't ask me to figure this stuff out for you. (Here is a link to Michi's Ladder -http://teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder)

RULE 4: This is the real challenge part: YOU EAT ONLY FROM THE TOP 2 TIERS of MICHI'S LADDER 6 DAYS A WEEK. That means that you cannot have bagels for breakfast nor frozen yogurt for a snack. Top 2 tiers. Period. I see that bagels are now in the top two tiers. I would stay away from them, but if they are in the top two tiers you can have it.

To See Michi's Ladder, sign on to your teambeachbody account. Go to EAT SMART Tab and you'll find it there. If you are not a FREE BeachBody community member, go tohttps://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=9987 to join so you can have access to Michi's Ladder. I will also become your FREE coach.

NOTE: When I first came up with this challenge, I was afraid that it would be too restrictive. But, our results speak for themselves. That said, this is the challenge and these are the rules.

If you accept to enter it, then you also accept to enter the NO WHINING ZONE! Are you ready?

Bring it! Barbie, PhD

**** ADDENDUM: Shakeology, Recovery drink, protein supplements, coffee, natural almond/peanut butter, and almond milk are ALLOWED. *******

For women, and this is MY PERSONAL OPINION, who are trying to lose weight, I would stay clear of the recovery drink. After resistance workouts I have a meal replacement shake. It can be Shakeology or another kind of meal replacement.

PART III of III:

Barbie's PERSONAL Meal Plan.

I've been getting LOTS of emails asking me to list what I eat.

Note: What I don't eat:

Dairy

Alcohol

Sauces

Actually, there are other things I don't eat...see below.

Basically, if it's not on my menu listed here, I don't eat it. So, while almond milk is good for you and so is whole grain cereal, I just don't eat it. It works for me and it doesn't mean you have to or should do that. If you eat from the top two tiers of Michi's Ladder, you're good to go. If you want to achieve elite fitness, then, yea, MAYBE you have to give up certain things. Again, this is what works for ME. I do not feel deprived. I'm a pretty boring person who doesn't mind repetition. :)

I do allow myself one cheat meal per week. That means that I do eat dairy, but ONLY during that cheat meal. I gave up alcohol altogether.

Barbie's Meal Plan: (about 1700 to 1900 calories, more or less. I haven't counted lately)

Cardio, one hour in the morning,

If it's very early, I will have a meal replacement shake or

Breakfast:

1/2 cup oats 6 egg whites

Snack: 2 hours later 2 brown rice cakes 1 tsp almond butter on each (no salt on rice cakes and raw almond butter)

scoop of BB whey protein with water. Yum!

Lunch:

veggies protein:

6 ounces of chicken, fish, eggs.

Here is where you need to vary it up. Try different veggies, different fish, spices, etc.

Snack:

2 tablespoons of hummus cup or two of veggies

scoop of protein and

water

dinner:

1 or 2 cup of veggies and

protein (Again, vary it up!) about 6 ounces

dinner 2: (about two hours later)

1-2 cups of veggies and

protein (about 6 ounces)

Before bed:

1 scoop of whey protein with Casein in it. Available at GNC. 1 scoop of creatine.

AFTER RESISTANCE WORKOUT, usually in the afternoon, I have my shakeology or meal replacement.

I hope this helps!

Bring it!

Barbie, PhD

Now, you have all the tools. Why not join this challenge. Remember to POST on the board for accountability!

Heather

What's Michi's Ladder All About?

I'm always talking to my customers how to eat right, we should be choosing foods from the top 2 tiers of Michi's Ladder. I've recently learned that Michi's Ladder has been updated!

I'm reposting this from my coach, Barbi's, blog!

My facebook friend Lori posted the above question to BeachBody's nutritionist, Steve Edwards. Here is his response:

Some people have noted how Michi's Ladder has changed over the years and wondered why. The answer is that it will continually change as we learn more about nutrition and experience more with our customers. Thoughts and science on nutrition are continually changing. We'll never rest on our laurels.

That said, Michi's reflects what has worked for us with our customers more than the latest nutritional science. Not that it's scientifically un-sound. It's just based more on our experience with you than what the latest studies may indicate. So we'll only make changes to it once they've been tested.

That stated, here are a few things to consider about Michi:

First, it's just a food substitution guide for people trying to LOSE WEIGHT. Depending upon your situation you may find it necessary to eat more on a lower tier, especially for athletics. Performance nutrition is different from weight loss nutrition. For performance, dense calories are often important. For weight loss, they almost always want to be avoided. So Michi's focuses on low-density foods from a caloric standpoint that have a high density nutrient ratio. Therefore, tier 1 is filled with many veggies, which are loaded with nutrients per calorie as well as no calorie fiber. For people trying to fill their stomachs with as many nutrients and as few calories as possible, this is the primary aim of your diet.

Secondly, it's not a diet! A diet consists of an eating plan. You still need to adhere to some sort of plan. You could eat out of nothing but tier 1 and still have a poor diet if you don't cover your basic nutritional needs, such as getting plenty of carbs, proteins, and fats. Michi's Ladder was never meant to address this. All it was designed for was to help you make substitutions of similar types of foods.

Three, sometimes we make mistakes. Some versions of Michi's have had mistakes. If something sounds wrong (like, for example, beef jerky being labeled a carb) chances are it is. We will catch these, for sure, but they happen. Please let us know if something seems wrong with the ladder and use your own common sense while using it.

The latest version of Michi’s will launch any day. This, more than any other, is organized to reflect our diet plans. We’ve eliminated many restaurant items from the list and tried to keep it to many grocery store items. Some convenience store items are still found, as well as nostalgic tier 5 favorites, like Lobster Newburg.

We’ve eliminated these because we’re working on a restaurant version of the ladder. Hopefully we’ll have this out very soon.

To view the actual post, copy and paste to your browser if you are a BeachBody community member:

http://teambeachbody.com/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/message/32763229/connect/message-boards/-/message_boards/category/19535509

Here is the link to the "old" version of Michi's ladder:

http://www.beachbody.com/category/michis_ladder.do

updated version (you must be a community member to view). To become a FREE Community member, simply click here, complete the form and then go play and see what other great pieces of information is available to help you succeed and reach your goals!

http://teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder

Thank you Barbie for sharing.

-Heather

Quick Protein Snacks - Lean Protein Foods & Muscle Building Meals

I've had a few people ask me, what are some good healthy protein snacks? I keep saying, you should plan on eating 5 meals a day, which includes 2 snacks. I personally try to make my snacks high in protein to help give e a full feeling. Plus, the protein helps build the muscles that I am working so hard to get!

I found this article online at shapefit.com and wanted to share a few good protein snack options. What do I snack on- if I don't get to the store, I usually have P90X protein bars in my desk. I often do almonds as my morning snack (just a tiny handful, be careful not to go crazy here.) Lately I will take an apple and add a little peanut butter, again watching the serving size! Those are some of my options, I also like yogurt, cottage cheese and even on occasion make myself a whey protein shake with frozen fruit! So, the options are really endless!

Quick Protein Snacks - Lean Protein Foods & Muscle Building Meals

Protein, like carbohydrate and fat, is a macronutrient that our bodies need to provide energy to our cells and muscles. It has a series of functions in our bodies that include cell repair and maintenance. It also has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar, unlike simple carbohydrates that send your blood sugar soaring. When your body senses a high blood sugar, it releases insulin, which then sends your blood sugar spiraling downwards prompting you to feed it some quick acting carbohydrate, and the seesaw cycle of high and low blood sugars starts all over again.

Snacks are important as they help to refuel the body. Snacking on vending machine selections can add calories in the form of fats and sugar, and provide little nutrients in the diet. Because protein has a balancing effect on blood sugars, it's a good choice for a snack. Taken with a complex carbohydrate, like fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, or 100% whole grain crackers, it can stave off hunger pains, keep you energized, and keep you from eating sweets.

Protein is found in both animal and vegetable foods. Animal foods can also provide fat calories so it is best to select leaner cuts of meats or low fat dairy choices. Below are some examples of low fat, high protein snacks and are divided into their sources. They can be eaten alone or combined with complex carbohydrates to provide sustained energy.

Vegetable Sources:

• 8oz soymilk
  
• 1oz soy cheese
  
• 2T hummus
  
• 1oz unsalted nuts (22 almonds or 10 walnuts)
  
• 2T all natural peanut or almond butter. Be careful because the nut spreads can lend a lot of calories in fat. A healthier product would be to purchase a non- hydrogenated nut spread where the oil is separated and sitting at the top of the jar.
  
• ½ c legumes (chickpeas, kidney, cannelloni, etc)

Animal Sources:

• 8oz non-fat or 1% low fat milk
  
• 1oz low fat cheeses (less that 5 grams of fat per ounce) such as part- skim milk
• mozzarella (string cheese), Laughing Cow cheese, fat free American, soy cheese, Jarlsberg Lite cheese , 50% reduced cheddar cheese.
  
• ½ c nonfat or 1% cottage cheese
  
• 2T nonfat cream cheese
  
• One container of low fat or nonfat yogurt
  
• One egg or ½ c egg whites
  
• 1-2 oz of sliced deli meats like turkey, chicken, ham, and lean roast beef
  
• Whey protein powder (available in health food stores in health specialty stores)

Another quick option is to eat a sports bar for a snack. Check the food panel to make sure it contains a significant amount of protein and is high in fiber.

Remember, it's important to eat three balanced meals a day, along with the two to three snack choices from the lists above. The key to a healthy diet is to make sure that you are getting an appropriate amount of calories a day as well as to ensure the proper distribution of these calories between the three major macronutrients, protein, carbohydrate and fat. A registered dietitian can assist you in setting up a personalized menu plan to ensure nutritional adequacy.

By Sophie Kamveris

My BodyBugg

(Here is the armband. You can also get a digital display that is also a watch, or can just be clipped on your belt.)

I've been hearing a lot of talk about the BodyBugg. What is it? It's a device that helps you track the total about of calories you burned in a course of a day to within 90% accuracy. It also tracks the number of steps you take and the amount of moderate activity you do in a day. The Bodybugg comes with a free 6 month subscription to a program to also track your meals. The goal of the program is to help you track and get progress and get you the weight loss results you want.

This product is highly recommend by people like Chalean Johnson, and numerous coaches and coachees!

So, I heard about it for awhile and was like, do I really need that? I mean, I workout everyday, I eat right,... I don't need it? It's not really cheap, so I was like I use Fitday.com (a free website) to track my meals and I have a heart rate monitor to track my calories. Why get this little device?

Well, I decided I wasn't really reaching the goal I wanted. So, I decided I would take a chance and just get one. Heck, I'm a Beachbody Coach, my weekly checks can cover the cost of my new toy, so why not!

My first week of having it, I was on a boat, sailing. So, I decided not to really use it. Why, because it comes with an armband you HAVE to wear. And, honesty, I didn't want a goofy tan line around my arm. But, I did wear it for a bit and figured out how much I burned as I walked around town all day! I thought, wow, this is pretty cool!

See, I set my Bodybugg up with the following daily goals!

1. Take 10,000 steps a day.

2. Do a min. of 2 hours of moderate activity a day.

3. Burn a min. of 2200 calories a day.

I figured 10,000 steps is what I always here about, I guess the American Heart Association or someone came up with that number. I figured that would be an easy goal, and I could hit that no problem.

The moderate activity, I set for 2 hours because I know I workout hard for an hour a day, but I have a desk job during the day, so, 2 hours I thought would be easy to hit with my other daily activities. I figured, I'd have to adjust that once I "figured it out" from wearing my Bodybugg.

And finally, I picked 2200 calories. The Bodybugg program helped me choose this number based on the information it requested when I set it up. My goal is to lose about 5 lbs. If I burn 2200 cal. and I track my meals and eat 1700 calories, that is a 500 cal. deficit a day. That would be a week to lose 1 pound. I can live with that.

So, Monday was my first day of wearing the BodyBugg. I have worn it everyday this week. Yup, the band on the arm got a lot of questions. But, most people know I'm a fitness freak, so leave me be. I even think a few people are going to get one to help them reach their goals!

Here is what I learned. If you sit at a desk all day, hitting 10,000 steps is not that easy! On most days, from 6:30-5 pm, I only walk about 4000-5000 steps. And, some days, if I do a resistance workout in the morning, (at 5 am) that number may only go up to 5500!

I have also learned that the 2200 calories a day is a lot! I really need to do stuff to get that amount in.

I have also been tracking a lot of my meals on Fitday and this program to see where I'm at.

Here is what I learned! Cardio workout days and a good resistance workout in the morning, really kick start my day! My calorie burn is up, my steps are up! But, I need to make little adjustments in my routines! Like, I park further from the building to walk a little more. My dog is getting an extra 5 minutes at least on all his walks! I also look at my watch and at 9 pm, have stepped on my elliptical to help push me past my goals!

There are many days this week, where I was around 2000 calories burned and only around 8000 steps taken. There have been a few days this week where my diet was way out of whack and there were days were it was spot on!

But, once you plug your band in to the program and you have tracked your meals and it says, that your goal is a 500 calorie deficit and I see my results for the day or an increase in calories or that I may have an equal calorie in to my calorie out, so a 0 deficit for the day. I now know why my goals are not being reached.

This is a new toy, but it has definitely shown me a lot. I know if I can continue to use my Bodybugg it will help me reach my goals. If nothing else it really makes me push harder during the day to do just a little more. Meaning, the little things, like taking the stairs and not the elevator! Plus, if I see at 8 pm that I only burned 1700 calories, and I have a quite night planned, I know I sure won't be grabbing a snack!

You can get your Bodybugg (or learn more) at www.BodyBugg.com. I also found it slightly cheaper at www.24hourfitness.com.

As I keep using this system, I'll send out updates on if its working our not. But, remember, knowing the calories you burned is only half the battle! You also need to really pay attention to the calories you consume to get the best results!

Keep Pushing Play!

Heather

Email: HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com

Website: www.TheFitnessSpot.net

Reminder to get my weekly newsletter and to have me coach you for free, visit my website and go to "Play the Game" to sign up and join.

Cookbook Recommendation

In my last post, I mentioned a cookbook. I'm a huge fan of cookbooks that are healthy and easy. Why, because I hate to cook and I seem to have no creativity when it comes to meal planning. But, a few years ago, someone recommended to me the South Beach, Taste of Summer Cookbook. I have to say, I love this cookbook!

If you are like me and want easy to prepare, healthy meals that don't take a lot of crazy ingredients or take a lot of time, this is the cookbook for you. I also love it, because most of the main menu items can be put on a grill! So, then I prepare the food and hubby also has to do a lot of the cooking!

I don't really know a lot about the South Beach Diet. I think it has something to do with 3 phases, each phase is a different level of carbs. Meaning phase 1 you eliminate carbs, and phase 2 you slowly bring healthy carbs back into your life. I never really read the book and what each phase is supposed to mean. But, if what I said is true, I think it REALLY CLOSELY follows the basics of the P90X nutritional guidebook! The P90X nutrition plan does exactly that, phase 1 is almost no carbs, and phase 2 and 3 show you how to bring healthy carbs back into your life! So, if you are following the P90x program, then I also will recommend the South Beach, Taste of Summer Cookbook to you!

This cookbook tells you where each meal fits into the phase. Phase 1, 2 or 3. So, you need healthy options that are low cars, this will tell you which ones to choose! How easy is that! The back of the book also gives you meal plans for the whole day! Meaning, breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. I love this book, and have recommended it to friends and family! Mainly because the meals are simple, easy and really tasty.

I made a Chicken with Asian Plum Sauce, and my husband just was in heaven. I don't think I ever heard him love my cooking before. So, I guess that wins the award of good receipt!

Bad Choices

Sorry, I seemed to be missing in action for a little while here. I've been busy with work so I could plan and take a vacation. I just spent 8 days sailing around the Chesapeake Bay here in Maryland! Loved every minute of it. Here are some health and fitness tips I learned this past week.

1. When it came to meal planning, think ahead! I planned all my meals for the week on the boat which made my life so simple. All my choices where healthy, the portion sizes were perfect, the ingredients where right there! It was the best thing I could have done for myself this week, and something I will learn from. I took many of my dinner receipts from the South Beach, Taste of Summer Cookbook! Read my next blog for more details.

2. My husband snuck in some junk food, finger snacks (chips kind of stuff). Oh, so bad! I learned if I have it around, I eat it! Yup, those afternoon munchies, when I should have eaten my planned snack (almonds, fruit, yogurt, protein bars,...) all the good stuff I packed, I decided nope, the chips or cookies were better. So, lesson 2, don't buy it and have it around if you are tempted to me to just grab it! If its not available, you will reach for the healthy option!

3. On the same token as lesson 2, when it comes to munching, don't much while reading or doing another activity. This includes playing on the internet,.... It became mindless munching. Meaning, I ate way more then I should have when I just reached into that bag of chips. I was into my book and would grab the chips and just nibble. I quickly learned to at least pour a small handful of chips in a napkin and ate till they were gone, verses reaching into a bottomless bag! So, if you are grabbing the junk, at least limit your portion size in advance of the first bite!

4. Ok, on a 38 ft. sailboat, there isn't a lot of room to even walk. But, I did manage to get in some activity during the week. First, sailing alone I heard can burn 230 calories an hour. Ok, so who knows. I do know pulling those lines can really work the arms and back! Fighting Mother Nature and the wind is not always easy.

I also managed to do a few push-ups on the bow. I did a little basic yoga stretching on the bow of the boat early in the morning.

We also had tons of opportunity to get to land. So, I went for a long run in Annapolis yesterday! That was awesome, I got to see back streets, parks,... stuff I normally don't see when I just walk the town. Plus, getting a little lost made it even more of a challenge, and pushed my run a little longer then I would have done otherwise! :)

Also when in the different town, we did a lot of sightseeing and walking! Remember, not all workouts have to be the hard core resistance training or high intensity cardio. Walking for a few hours around town will burn calories!

So, the lesson, look for ways to get some activities in! There are always options available, so find a little time and do something! Plan ahead on the meal plans to make the best choices possible.

I know moving forward this week, I'm going to plan ahead and make my dinner menus in advance! That means shopping and preparing. No more, "Honey, what's for dinner?" since that can often lead to bad choices!

Here's to your health!

Heather

Remember, if you need help reaching your fitness goals, I'm a Beachbody Coach! I'm here to help you, and better yet, its free to join and start receiving my weekly newsletters!

Email: HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com

What do I eat?

People ask me everyday, what do I eat?  Or do I follow the specific diet of say P90X?

Well, ummm, honest answer, I never really followed the P90X diet exactly as written.  Why, because I really am lazy most of the time to track it to that level of detail.  That said, I do know what I eat everyday!

Meaning, I have my rules.  Which include:

1.  Aim to drink 8 glasses of water a day

2.  Aim to take my vitamins everyday

3.  Aim to eat 5 times a day (3 smaller meals, 2 snacks)

4.  Aim to eat lower carbs and more protein

5.  Aim to eat dinner before 8 am.

I'm a fairly bad/boring cook!  Ok, more like not very creative!  So, that is my one downfall!  But, it makes my diet fairly simple.  I eat a lot of the same things.  Yup, can be kind of boring, but let me explain.

My Breakfast is almost always my Shakeology.  It's healthy, it hits item 2.  Can almost count as 1 glass of water toward my item 1 goal.  It puts something in my belly before work, where as if I didn't drink my Shakeology, I probably wouldn't eat or I would drink a whey protein shake!  

My morning snack is a lot of times a few almonds.  These are good fats.  And, its just often a quick snack that I can leave in my desk drawer.  If I don't eat the almonds, I tend to eat a protein bar.  Occasionally I'll plan ahead and try and grab a piece of fruit (apple, banana, grapefruit,...).

Lunch is really the same thing.  I almost always eat a salad with chicken.  I can mix it up, caeser salad, spinach salad, mixed salad,...  I think its more about what I put into it or what low fat dressing I use that keeps me coming back to a salad everyday.  In winter I often have soup.  And, on occasions, like once a week, I have some kind of sandwich to mix it up.  But, if I go to Subway or a deli, I never get the chips on the side.  Subway has yogurt, which I tend to grab and eat as my afternoon snack.

My afternoon snack is typically one of my morning snacks but different then the morning.  I'm trying to get better and make sure I get this snack in.  Often in a busy day, this is the first snack I miss.

Dinner, is typically veggies or a salad (or both), typically Chicken or Fish as the main course.  I may add in a little carbs here - pasta, potatoes, bread.  If I do potatoes these days, I am for yams - such a great naturally sweet substitute!

So, now I look at it in calories.

Breakfast is about 150 with Shakeology.  Maybe up to 200 if I add fruit or a little peanut butter.

Snack is typically 100-200 calories.

Lunch, I would say is around 500 calories

Snack again is around 100-200 calories

Dinner, guessing is around 500-600 calories.

total for the day = 1600-1800 calories.  Which is perfect.

With the above, I have protein in my snacks, lunch and dinner.  I tend to really only have 1 serving of carbs a day in dinner.  I do notice the best results are low carbs (I can't get rid of all my carbs, love them too much.)  

I almost never have sweets, on an occasionally treat.  I rarely drink alcohol these days, maybe one or 2 drinks on the weekend.

I know I may not eat perfect, but I eat fairly clean and I eat fairly balanced.  I do know when I start to get way over the limits on say my carbs, or I know that my portions maybe getting a little large, then I discipline myself.  I carry a little black notebook in my purse.  I write down and track everything I put in my mouth and when.  When I get home, I input it into Fitday.  This helps me realize when I tend to overeat or cheat or snack.  It helps me realize if I am eating enough or way to much!  It also helps me see what I'm really eating in terms of proteins, carbs, fats!  And, trust me, after a week or 2 I learned my lesson and it is typically enough to get me back on the right track.

So, it's really not that hard.  It's about paying attention to what you eat and as I said yesterday, really being honest with yourself.  If you have trouble meal planning, I want to say look at the meals in the nutritional book that came with your program.  Use them as guidelines on how to eat.  Meaning, its a guide.  If it says peas and you hate peas, its as simple as swapping peas with another veggie you do eat!  The receipts are their as a guide to get you started.  If you want someone to tell you what to eat everyday every meal, I recommend you check out the Beachbody Club.  Its worth the cost to have all your meals, including your snacks for the entire week planned out for you.  Plus, they even give you a shopping list!  Try this for say a month and you will learn the right ways to eat, you will learn what a proper portion size is!  Then nice you know how much and what you eat, you can make anything your heart can dream up.  Or, you can be like me and be boring and eat the same thing, just add different spices, dressings, sauces to change up the meal!

If you are having trouble with your diet, drop me an email.  Let's talk about what and when you eat and how we can maybe make little changes to get you on the right track.  Remember, I've been eating clean for 2 years now.  I did not learn everything overnight, and i still learn and tweak and improve things!  So, no worries if you have a bad meal here or their, just move on and aim for the next day to be better then today!

Heather

Email:  HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com

Web:  http://www.TheFitnessSpot.net

Breaking a Plateau

Have you hit a plateau?  Here is a quick little video to help you push through your plateau.

I bet the diet ones are my favorite tips.  From checking out how many cheats you were having in a week, or how many calories you really are eating.  

I know that when I hit a plateau and just am not getting the results I want I look first at my diet and I need to be honest with myself.  What exactly did I put in my mouth all week?  Yes, that M&M counted, yup it was only one.  But was it only 1 ten times in the day?  Or did I drink maybe a sweet tea a few times in the week?  These little things do add up, so pay attention to your diet and be honest with yourself.  If you need to, I say write down everything you eat for a week.  Then go to fitday.com and log it in to see if you are in your calorie range.  Are you really eating 1600 calories a day, or are you eating more like 1800?  You May be surprised!  Not sure how many calories you should be eating, if you are a Beachbody Club member, just go to the Eat Smart Tab then Nutritional Tools Tab to find the Caloric Needs Calculator!  (You can become a Club Member by joining here)

My other thing I do when I hit a plateau, I look at my workouts.  Have I been slacking, missing one to many workouts.  Maybe just not using the full intensity I know I have?  Or have I been more or less going through the motions?  I also look to see if I mixed it up?  I love resistance work and make sure to add that in every other day.  I also am one of those people who can get bored, so I tend to change my workouts a lot.  Meaning, this month I may do P90X and next I may do Chalean Extreme, and next I may do Turbo Jam.  But, I want to make sure that when I switch it up, I also am mixing up the intensity.  If I get in a rut and do Turbo Jam for a long period of time, my body gets a little to relaxed and use to the moves, so I know I need to add more to it.  Make sure to use heavier weights or add the hand gloves where I didn't before, or use the tube bands on the leg.  Yup, it may be harder, but the body wants a little challenge to break through the plateau.

Again, be honest with yourself first!  Now, watch this quick video for other tips!  And finally, if you need help on your fitness journey, please drop me an email at HeatherB@BeachbodyCoach.com.  Let's talk about your goals and how you will get there!

Have a FIT day!

Heather

Get Skinny Faster with This Switch

I read this article on realage.com.  I think it's such an easy thing to do.  Just a few simple changes in our life can make a real difference.  

Get Skinny Faster with This Switch

When it comes to the battle of the bulge, you have a better shot of winning if you make this simple switch: Drink water instead of soda and plain tea instead of sweet coffees. 

The results can be dramatic. In fact, research shows that cutting beverage calories resulted in more weight loss than cutting food calories. Suddenly, water sounds grand! 

Stop Downing the Soda

People in a study who cut back on sugar-laden beverages like soda, fruit punch, and other sweetened drinks shed more pounds than the folks who kept sipping the sweet stuff during their dieting efforts. Researchers suspect that cutting back on beverage calories does even more good than cutting back on food calories because solid food does a better job of satisfying hunger than liquids do. Plus, it’s possible that the fructose in sugary drinks may boost fat storage and lead to hormone changes that increase overall food intake. Here’s how much H2O you need to drink to melt away an extra 2 1/2 pounds. 

Reasons to Sip Less
Of course, this doesn’t mean you can eat what you want as long as you ditch the soda and fruit punch. The best weight loss diets are heart-healthy ones that cut overall calories in a way you can sustain long term. Try these other weight loss tips to top off your efforts:

• Set goals. Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 50, setting and tracking your weight loss goals can keep you motivated.  (Become a Beachbody Club Member, and try our weight loss tracking tools)
• Forget the smorgasbord. Learn why reducing variety in your diet can squash cravings better than willpower can.
• Walk this way. To boost weight loss, all you gotta do is walk.

RealAge Benefit: Learning to read labels and avoiding foods with saturated and trans fats, simple sugars, or processed grains as one of the first five ingredients can make your RealAge 3.6 years younger.

EDITOR'S PICK

Summertime means coolers filled with portable drinks, and here’s our favorite:Aqua2Go. This pure box o’ water is great for juice-box loving kids, it stores and stacks easily, and it freezes to do double duty in the cooler. The packaging reduces waste and is aseptic for emergency-kit use.