Using Your Workout Time Wisely

What's your ideal workout? I like to get as much calorie burn as possible out of the 30-45 minutes per day that I schedule for my workouts. Recently, I came across an article that explains how long sessions on the elliptical, bicycle, treadmill or just running are great, especially if you enjoy those activities, but might not be giving you the results you are looking for. Read the article below to learn how to best utilize your exercise time.

Using Your Workout Time Wisely!

Personally, I have found two fitness programs that have given me great results in just a 30 minute per day commitment. 21 Day Fix and P90X3 are two great programs that are worth the commitment. If you are interested in getting the most out of your workout time, please comment below.

21 Day Fix

 P90X3

Delicious Honey Dijon Chicken with Steamed Garlic-Parmesan Broccoli

Last week I ran a 5 day clean eating challenge. The participants in the challenge were given a shopping list and menu for five days of healthy eating. Dinner on night 1 was a honey Dijon Chicken with steamed garlic-Parmesan  

broccoli and it was amazing!

Honey Dijon Chicken w/ Steamed Garlic-Parmesan Broccoli

Four 6 oz. chicken breast halves

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. parsley flakes, salt to taste

4 cups broccoli

4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, garlic salt to taste

Directions: Mix Dijon mustard with honey, add parsley flakes and salt. Coat a 6 oz chicken breast half in the mixture. Cook on a grill for about 7 minutes on each side (or until fully cooked). Steam 4 cups of frozen or fresh broccoli and top with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. garlic salt and 4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

If you are interested in participating in a 5 day clean eating challenge, comment below with your email address and I will be in touch! 

21 Day Fix Biggest Loser Challenge

Biggest Loser Challenge! Win $100 and get fit for summer!

Just in time for summer I am helping run a Biggest Loser Challenge using one of the best programs I have ever used, 21 Day Fix!

Starting May 12, contestants will use 21 Day Fix exactly as it is written. The winner of this group will be the person with the largest percentage of weight lost and he or she will win at least $100.

How great would it be to get into shape just in time for summer and win $100 cash too? What a great way to kick off summer!

If you are interested in joining this challenge, comment below, so I can give you the details on how to enter.

Blackberry Glazed Pork Chops on the Grill...Amazing!

I didn't create this recipe, nor did I tweak it, but it was so delicious and easy that I needed to share it. 

Blackberry Glazed Grilled Pork Chops

I don't grill! I love grilled food, but the grill scares me so it is my husband's job to cook on the grill. Today, however, my husband was running late for his overnight shift at work, and I really wanted to try this recipe so I had to do my own grilling. He did start the grill for me because I didn't want to blow the house up. It took less than 30 minutes to prep the pork chops, the sauce, and grill the meat. 

Please try this recipe and spread the word! Now I am wondering what this would taste like if I used apples instead of blackberries...

Signs and Symptoms of Celiac Disease

When I first saw this picture for the symptoms of Celiac Disease I thought it was great. I then read through all of the symptoms and thought, "If I had only seen this before, then it would have answered a lot of questions for my mom and me."

 

Looking at it now though, I can see that a lot of the symptoms can relate to many other things. Bad breath-brush your teeth, mouth sores/ulcers-too many acidic foods, breast tenderness-PMS, acne-oily skin/PMS, short temper-over tired, etc., etc. (If anything, this sign certainly makes it easier to understand why Celiac Disease is misdiagnosed so often.)

 



 

Having already been diagnosed with Celiac, I think that this picture is a good resource to use to see if maybe I'm still exposing myself to gluten. If I'm experiencing any of these symptoms, I know that I need to look more closely at my diet and figure out what needs to go.

21 Day Fix

Winter was/is long this year. It was 34 degrees yesterday! Every winter I struggle with keeping my commitment to exercise and get caught up in eating what I shouldn't be eating. In March of this year I was introduced to 21 Day Fix. One of my former coworkers posted a challenge group request on Facebook and I looked into it. At first I thought a weight loss challenge that lasted 21 days was too good to be true. After looking into the portion control, clean eating meal plan, 30 minutes per day exercise routine, and the results people had posted I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I decided to give this program a try.  

 

First, I knew that I could commit to anything for 21 days. No matter how bad it may have been, I knew that I could survive for 3 weeks. In hindsight, the 21 days went by so quickly I can't believe that I'm about to finish week 2 of P90x3, never mind 28 days of 21 Day Fix (yes, I did the workouts for 28 days and still use the meal plan!)
The portion sizes looked scary at first. Once I committed to eating every two to three hours and got use to shrinking my portions, I couldn't believe how much I was over eating before.
The first few days are trying. It is definitely mind over matter. After the first few days of portion controlled clean eating, I saw and felt the difference in my body.
I was never afraid of the workouts. Knowing that they were only 30 minutes long, I knew that I could commit to getting the workout done. What I didn't anticipate was how motivated I was to wake up every morning and complete the workout.
Shakeology...Love it! I bought the challenge pack for 21 Day Fix, which introduced me to Shakeology.  I currently drink the chocolate shake, love the chocolate flavor, and look forward to drinking it every day.
Summer is coming! Who doesn't want to look and feel great in time for summer?! If you purchase 21 Day Fix now, you can be looking and feeling great by Memorial Day and setting yourself up for your best summer yet!
For more information and to purchase 21 Day Fix click here!

Sweet Tooth Snacking

I have a horrible sweet tooth and once I start eating sweets it's a slippery and dangerous slope. I've been looking for snack ideas to help me with my sweet tooth, but at the same time not wreck my healthy eating efforts. After some searching on Pinterest, I came up with this little snack.

I thinly slice an apple (I don't have an apple corer), put a thin layer of peanut butter, and then add some chocolate chips. The best part...my two boys love this snack too!