Water Challenge!

What’s the big deal about water?

The Earth is 70% water. Your body is 80% water. It stands to reason that water is some pretty important stuff – right?

Water is the bodies transportation medium. It’s how it moves EVERYTHING around to different parts of your body…everything. Water is used to move nutrients to your 100 trillion cells in your body. Water is used to move waste & toxins from your cells, to leave your body. Water is used to wash fat from your body. These things have to
get out somehow right? They don’t just evaporate away! So water moves good things around your body, and water moves waste and toxins and fat out.How much water is enough?

Rule of thumb to follow: 

drink 1/2 ounce for every 1 pound of your weigh, everyday. That’s .033 liters per 1kg you weight.
Examples:
150lbs. Half = 75. So 75 ozs each day
250lbs. Half = 125. So 125 ozs each day

Metric
68kg x .033 = about 2 liters day
90kg x .033 = about 3 liters each day

Things to expect
- You will pee more…Welcome the pee! That is how your body removes the toxins and the fat from your cells and your body. Help it out. I drink tons of water and I pee…deal with it! It’s temporary – the excess peeing will stop withing a week. (Your pee will be very light yellow, almost clear – by the way)


Pee Time!

- You’ll have more regular, easier to pass, bowel movements
- More energy!
- You’ll be less hungry
- Many of you will lose an inch or 2 from your waist.
- Many of you will lose 5-10 lbs (REALLY!)
- Your skin will become more clear
- Less joint pain
- You’ll have less annoying body sweating (more water = less excess sweat!)
- A few of you will become bloated. That’s not because you are drinking too much water. It’s caused by a lot of gut activity now that you have the proper amount of water. That’s causing some gas, and it’s trapped. And of course it’s temporary.

FACT: When your body has a shortage of water, it takes water from less important places (joints) to use in more important place (brain).

Here are 10 reasons why you should drink more water each day:

1. Perfect For Weight Loss
(water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar and can help act as an appetitie suppressant)

2. Keeps Your Heart Healthy
(if you drink adequate water each day, studies have shown that it will decrease your chance of a heart attack).

3. Keeps You Energized
(being dehydrated can zap you of your energy and make you feel tired)

4. Natural Headache Cure
(some headaches are caused by lack of water; drink more to prevent and treat headaches)

5. Healthier Skin
(many celebrities swear that one of their best beauty secrets is drinking a lot of
water each day for clear and glowing skin)

6. Cleansing Effects
(water is used by the body to flush our toxins and waste)

7. Be More Productive
(water helps your body perform at it's best, including during exercise. Dehydration makes it hard to be as productive and active as you can be)

8. Digestion
(not only does water help organs to absorb nutrients better, it can also help with stomach acid problems)

9. Helps prevent/treat constipation
(sufficient hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation. When you don't get enough fluid, the colon pulls water from stools to maintain hydration -- and the result is constipation)

10. Protects and cushions your vital organs, including your heart.

Credit:

[http://www.tone-and-tighten.com/2013/07/what-are-benefits-of-drinking-water-10.html]

[http://www.resetyourbody.com/waterchallenge/]

TIPS for Eating Out

Its Friday and I'm sure your weekend is packed with picnics, graduation parties, birthday parties or dinner at a restaurant. As I'm writing this sentence my blood pressure is already starting to rise because I know that all of these things are filled with high fat, sugary, and hard to resist temptations. The last birthday party I went to the menu consisted of nachos, subs, candy, cake, ice cream, enchiladas, high calorie lemonade and I am sure many other things that I tried not to look at. So needless to say there was not much for me to choose from. I did my best to keep it clean. People kept giving me weird stares and offering me cake and cookies. I politely declined and drank my water and ate my fruit. When I got home I prepared myself a healthy snack.

To keep from having to stress every time you go out in public to a restaurant or an event here are some tips fromTosca Reno's Stripped book to keep your blood pressure in check!

Planning is best, when you are out you always need a game plan. You should avoid eating out as much as possible because once you enter a restaurant you surrender control over what is in your food.

1. Develop an "I don't have to eat it all!" Mindset. Make up your mind before you go that you don't have to get the most bang for your buck by cleaning your plate. KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND.

2. Satisfy hunger only-Don't Gorge. Eat for the purpose of satisfying your hunger, but no more.

3. Start small and green. Start your meal with a salad, without dressing. Use a spritz of lemon or some balsamic vinegar.

4. Broth is best. When there is no salad option have a broth based soup.

5. NO BREAD PLEASE! Remember this is not helping you achieve your 10 pound weight loss goal.

6. Clean Cooking techniques rock! Look for entree options featuring steamed or raw veggies and grilled, baked or roasted meats or fish. If they aren't listed, ask the server to prepare it that way. Oh and don't always trust the low fat or fat free symbols.

7. Portion control is in. Have a good look at your plate when it arrives. Ask for a doggie bag and split your meal in half.

8. Fletcherize. The practice of chewing each mouthful a min of 25 times. It gives your body a chance to recognize when you are becoming full. (This is very hard to do when you are with kids, because you never know when they have had enough and you will have to leave your meal behind to take the kids out).

9. Zero Tolerance. You want to avoid alcohol because sugar can derail you in the most powerful way. Have sparkling water with lemon or lime slices.

10. Stop before the end. Think of your plan to shed those pounds, if you can't resist something sweet ask for a dish of fresh fruit and leave it at that!

If you doubt your ability to resist restaurant offerings then pre-eat! Then when you go to a restaurant or social event you don't have to worry about what's on the menu and you can focus on socializing.

If you can't resist the dessert table then pack a few clean cookies in a Ziploc bag and pull them out with your coffee while everyone else is eating their sugar laden cookies and cake. If you have to go through a drive through, familiarize yourself with the menu. Never super size and make smart food choices by ordering grilled chicken and a side salad. Cut up the chicken and place on salad and go with olive and vinegar dressing or, low fat balsamic.

One of the most difficult things to manage while following a healthy lifestyle is your social life. So surround yourself with family and friends that support what you are doing and are not sabotaging your efforts. Instead of going out drinking or to a restaurant here are some alternatives.

Meet a friend at the gym
Have a game night at home with healthy clean snacks
Batters up- organize a kickball or softball game in your neighborhood or with the kids.
Volunteer together at a local charity
Meet at the park for a walk or bike ride
Do a Zumba Class together

Go to a free "Fit Club Class" -coming soon: to sign up message me.

Eating clean and creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean that you are becoming a boring person. There is so much more to experience than food and drinks! Live outside the box and you will have people wondering what you are doing because your energy and personality are on fire!!!

Pasta Puttanesca

Just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean you have to forgo your favorites. This pasta dish made with tomatoes, olives, and capers will satisfy your cravings.

Total Time: 23 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 13 min.
Yield: 4 servings, about 1½ cups each

Ingredients:
8 oz. dry whole wheat spaghetti
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, drained
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, no added salt
¼ cup pitted chopped Spanish (or Greek) olives
2 Tbsp. capers
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set aside. Keep warm.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender.
4. Add tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano, and parsley. Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil for 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Add pasta to sauce. Toss gently to coat; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 311
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 9 mg
Sodium: 618 mg
Carbohydrate: 50 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 3 g
Protein: 13 g

P90X/P90X2 Portions (per serving)
1 carb/grain
½ protein
½ fat

P90X3 Portions (per serving)
2½ carb/grain
½ protein
1 fat

Body Beast Portions (per serving)
2 starches
1 vegetable
1½ fat
1 protein

21 Day Fix Portions (per serving)
2 yellow containers
½ red container
1 teaspoon

Clean Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS
Creamy Lemon Mixture:
2 dozen chicken wings
Spelt or Kamut flour for dredging
2 tablespoons paprika
Garlic powder
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Bay leaf
2 lemons, halved
10 roasted cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup light beer
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
PREPARATION:
Rinse the chicken wings in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Place flour in a shallow platter and season it by adding paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Dredge the wings in the flour – that means roll the wings around in the flour to coat every bit of them.
Heat oil in a skillet and brown the chicken wings on all sides.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a platter.
Add pepper flakes, bay leaf, lemons, garlic, oregano, beer and chicken broth to the pan.
Cook for 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
Return the chicken wings to the pan.
Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or braise in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes until the wings are piping hot.
The wings will be spicy enough on their own thanks to the seasonings but if you want a dipping sauce use a homemade ketchup which can be seasoned the way you like.

(Recipe Credit: Tusca Renos)

Focus T25

What is FOCUS T25?

• In-home workouts designed to deliver an hour’s results in just 25 minutes a day.

• The latest creation by fitness expert and former track star Shaun T—who brought 

   the world INSANITY®. 

• Fast-paced routines that are jam-packed with dynamic, hi-intensity moves designed for maximum
  efficiency and effectiveness.

Who is Focus T25 for?
• Busy people who want to work out less time but still get great results.
• Those who enjoy a high-intensity, no-nonsense program that makes every minute count.
• Men and women who want to work out just 25 minutes a day to get in the best shape of their lives.

What do people love most about FOCUS T25?
• Even those people with incredibly tight schedules can always find 25 minutes a day to work out.
• Major studies have shown that 30 minutes of exercise can be just as effective at burning fat and
  even more efficient than 60 minutes of exercise.
• There’s always a modifier on screen, so literally anyone at any fitness level can GET IT DONE
   with FOCUS T25.

What should be done after completing the FOCUS T25 Base kit ALPHA and BETA Cycles?
• The Deluxe Kit GAMMA Cycle, which includes the next 4 weeks of FOCUS T25 workouts and
   advanced tools to help your customers get advanced results. Or, from the very start, you can combine
  GAMMA WITH BETA to ramp up your 10-week results!

If you are my customer you will get the FREE bonus workout Core Speed. You will push hard, burn fat, and get shredded in record time with this exclusive DVD. It is a $19.95 value—FREE to my customers

For the month of April there is a promotional price of $180.00, that is a $95.00 savings, only for the month of April. 30-day money-back guarantee of the purchase price less s&h.

There will be a challenge Group starting May 19th, 2014. Order and get into the group before your time runs out! See you slimmer in just a few weeks :D!

Click Here to watch the video about Focus T25

If You Can Not Read It, Do Not Eat It Challenge!

New Challenge! So I thought it would be nice to get us all label conscious....do you guys read the labels that are on your food? Some of us may, for the calories, fats, carbs etc., but what about the ingredients? The ingredients are so important, I have found many times that I can not even pronounce the ingredients, guess what? That is bad news. Let us take the challenge to look at the ingredients of the things in our pantry, on the shelves at the store, and in the fridge at home. If we can not read it, then maybe we should think twice about eating it.

I know we cant change what we have many times, but the purpose of the challenge is to make you aware of the ingredients you are eating. If we are aware, we start to change our minds and that produces changes in our actions.

Although it might seem obvious, chemicals aren't food for you or any other living thing. Food scientists are paid big money to create long-lasting, artificially delicious food. Chemical concoctions become the prime ingredients in food on grocery store shelves, meaning a mad scientist is your own personal chef. It is no
big surprise that money is enough motivation for food companies to ignore the negative impacts these chemicals have on your long-term health. Thus marketing people and food scientists come together to sell you some cleverly chemically concocted corporate dish. Yum! Massive food businesses are leading you blindly into a world of plastic food that will ultimately destroy your health, leaving you poor and them laughing all the way to the bank. Chemicals aren't nutrition. They don’t satisfy your hunger, they’re addictive and they’ll leave you sick in the hospital with one of the many all too prevalent North American chronic diseases including diabetes or cancer. (Credit: Tosca Reno)

# 1 Read labels.
#2 If the label contains words that look like they’re from chemistry class, leave it on the shelf!

Take pictures and show us what you like or do not like and hash tag #‎CantreaditDONTEATITchallenge‬