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 Feeling unmotivated? Let's do something about it!!
1) GET YOUR BODY MOVING! - Yes, it’s true, when you exercise your body releases endorphins. Those are the little feel good chemicals that we all love. How great is it that you can easily access them, and with amazing benefit to your mind and body?!?! Even if you just go for a stroll, this can have excellent benefits on your general well-being by giving you a little break from life to take a look around, and perhaps…smell the roses. 2) FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY - Doing anything with someone you like always makes it more enjoyable. If you're not super fired up about getting in some exercise, find a friend or family member who you love to be around and ask them to be your workout buddy. This helps in a couple ways, not only does it make working out more fun, but you have someone to help keep you accountable on those days when you don't want to get out of bed. If you have to be at the park at 6am to go running, you're far more likely to do so if you promised your friend you would be there. 3) MIX IN SOMETHING NEW - Get out of your exercise rut. If you go to the gym everyday, and do exactly the same thing everyday, its going to get boring real fast. Not to mention, your results will stall. Try to mix it up with a new class, or an outdoor bootcamp. Take a yoga class, kung fu, or even a trapeze class! Who knows, you may find a passion for a new sport. In terms of nutrition, find some clean recipes that sound good to you, or look for new and interesting ingredients you’d like to try. At the very least, give your mind and body some variety, which is good for your progress and your long term goals! 4) SET A GOAL - Find what you love and then choose a goal within that. If you love to run, sign up for a 5K or a half marathon, if you're a Cross Fit nut, schedule yourself for a Mud Run or other obstacle style race. Having a realistic, set goal, can motivate you to raise your game and re-commit to your fitness and nutrition plan. 5) REWARD YOURSELF - If you make it through the week adhering to your fitness and nutrition plan (with maybe just 1 or 2 slips ;) reward yourself. And by this I don't mean eating a box of Krispy Kremes! I mean, get a massage, take a luxuriating bath, or buy yourself those new training shoes you’ve been eyeing. You could take your special someone out for a nice dinner, or plan that summer vacation you are working on your beach body for. It can be anything that gives you a payoff, and a chance to be proud of all your hard work and dedication. Being consistent with your fitness and nutrition is not easy. These are 5 things you can do to stay on track and get REAL FIT!  I have something to confess.....I thought I hated brussel sprouts for almost my entire adult life. Shocking, I know.
I think I tried them once as a child and decided, nope, these are not for me. It's funny how sometimes, decisions we make as children often follow us into adulthood without question. Last year I decided I was going to give brussel sprouts another shot, and wow, am I glad I did! I was thrilled with the flavor, and excited to add another green vegetable to my free radical fighting repertoire. This recipe is super simple, but packs a lot of flavor. Ingredients: 1 lb. brussel sprouts EVOO Balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper Method: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut brussel sprouts in half. Toss in a bowl with 2-3 dashes of balsamic and a Tbsp of EVOO. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and let sit while you cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread sprouts on baking sheet and put in oven for 20 minutes, tossing once or twice during the roasting. Test sprouts at 20 minutes with a fork for tenderness. Enjoy!  When first working with a new client, before we begin their transformation, I ask them to do 3 things:
1. Identify WHY this is important to you! We all want to be fit and healthy, there’s no question of that. However, I find that having a WHY in mind elevates your motivation and keeps your eye on the prize. When I say a ‘WHY' I mean something tangible and important to you. For example:
These are just a few that clients have identified for themselves, yours can be whatever motivates you. That way, there is something deeper pushing you to stay on track and keep you accountable. 2. Take before photos! I highly recommend this. Take them in 4 positions (front, back, right profile, left profile). You don’t have to show anyone unless you want to, but they are an excellent measure of progress. I don’t own a scale and haven’t for years. I measure my progress by photographs and how my clothes feel. I inevitably find myself doubting my progress whenever I’m working on changing something about my body, and low and behold its true, pictures do not lie. We aren’t looking for any quick fixes here, ones that find you back where you started 6 months from now. We are looking to make you fitter, healthier, and the best you, you can be, for life! We all get discouraged at some point along the way and I find that having photos nearby to compare progress is a surefire way to keep your momentum up and keep going! 3. Be honest and realistic! We can’t get to where we want to go if we aren’t honest about where we started. When I started my transformation journey, I had to get real honest with myself. About how I got to where I was, about how it affected my life, about how it made me feel. I took responsibility for getting myself in that position. Then I took charge of changing that, and forming what I wanted my life to look like in the future. Finally, I visualized for myself, how I wanted to look and feel in that future. This is kind of a gut check to get down to brass tacks and get you focused on where you want to go. These 3 steps are fundamental to long-term success. They lay down the foundation for transformation. And when challenging ourselves, we always need a foundation to fall back on; one that kicks in when we feel weak or lost. Knowing where you started, where you're going, and most importantly, WHY, will have you on your way to reaching your goal and being the best version of yourself. Knowing these things gives you confidence in your path and that you are well on your way to getting REAL FIT!  I tend to focus on where I want to go instead if how far I've come. I was overweight for almost a decade and have struggled with my weight my entire life. The pic on the left was taken after my physical recouperation from a car accident that left me bedridden. In this pic my body had healed but my mind had not. And so I turned to what I always turned to in times of stress and discomfort: FOOD. Instead of dealing with my emotional trauma, I ate. And I ate Adding 45 pounds to my frame in a very short time.
It took a long time to heal my body, but even longer to heal my mind. I made the goal to get healthy and I learned what that took, for me. It's different for everyone. I can say this transformation has been both physical and mental, and usually more mental. Where the mind goes, the body will follow. The pic on the right was taken 4 days ago. I have worked very hard to get to this point in my life, not to look a certain way, but to be comfortable in my body, and healthy and happy. Where food is concerned I see freedom and fun to create what I want and what my body needs. Don't get me wrong, I've had my struggles along the way and I'm still learning. But I would just say to anyone working hard at this: KEEP GOING. You are farther than you were yesterday. It's worth it. YOU are worth it. And honestly, I wouldn't trade the journey for anything. It's made me stronger, humbler, wiser, more compassionate and mentally tougher. I needed the journey to get to where I am today. The journey is what it's really all about.  I love these little quiche's for when I need a quick breakfast, that is tasty and filling. I make a full recipe in the morning and then store the remaining quiche for the next day, or a quick snack. This recipe will yield approx. 9 quiche. Here's the process:
Ingredients: 8 large eggs 1/2 c. egg whites fresh basil grape tomatoes halved turkey bacon or breakfast sausage Pan spray Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook turkey bacon/sausage and chop up to little pieces. In a medium bowl scramble 8 large eggs and the egg whites, then add a bit of salt and pepper. Chop the basil into rough pieces and slice the tomatoes in half. Spray the cups of a cupcake pan with pan spray oil. Once turkey bacon/sausage is cooked and cut, divide into equal parts into each cup of pan. Pour the eggs evenly into each cup, it will fill to just below the top of cup. Add 2-4 tomato halves, and a sprinkle of basil to each cup. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. If the quiche do not release from the pan easily, loosen each one by sliding a knife around the edge of each cup.  Most of us don't drink enough water. Water makes up more than half of our bodies, so we need to keep the supply coming. Each cell in your body needs water, which makes it critical to proper functioning. You know what its like to be dying of thirst, and then when you get that glass of water down, you feel so refreshed! Water can do wonders for your body! We want to keep that refreshed feeling going all the time. Not to mention, being dehydrated can make you look old or tired, and NO ONE wants that!
I can definitely tell you that once I upped my water intake, I started to see more results. Many times we reach for food, when in fact, we are just thirsty. It can also fill you up a bit before you eat a meal. And, if you exercise and/or live in a warm climate, you will need even more water. Most of us need, at a minimum, eight 8oz. glasses a day. I actually drink 12 or more 8oz. glasses a day depending on my activity level. So, next time you find yourself foraging for a snack, ask yourself, am I just thirsty? Then, try drinking a glass of water and see how you feel. What can it hurt? It's calorie free and your cells will thank you for it! I usually drink just plain old filtered water. And I carry a water bottle with me at all times. So, if I'm stuck in traffic or out shopping with friends, I still have access to water and can stay adequately hydrated all day long. I also keep some type of water infusion in my refrigerator. Its so refreshing after a long run to come home and have a glass of chilled cucumber mint water! There are any number of combinations you can infuse, from berries, to citrus, to herbs. Here's a picture of my latest infusion: strawberry, orange and lime.  I'm so fortunate to live in Santa Monica, CA! I love living by the ocean, yet still having all the amenities of a large city. Santa Monica is like a little satellite of LA proper, so it still has a suburban feel.
One thing that makes it so livable, is that its bike friendly! There are lots of designated bike lanes to use, as well as, a bike storage center downtown, so you can bike there and park without any hassle. It's super liberating when traffic is a pain, and actually cuts down on traffic and pollution. AND it's an easy and fun way to get some exercise and it makes me feel like a kid again! Not to mention, it's Clio's favorite mode of transportation!  This is a great side dish (or snack!) for those hot summer nights when you don't want to use the oven or stove much. It's light, refreshing, and so easy to make!
SPICY CUCUMBER SUMMER SALAD Ingredients: 1 serrano pepper finely diced 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cucumbers sliced thin 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro Method: Dice the serrano and mince the garlic, and add to a medium-sized bowl. Add fresh lime juice, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Use a whisk to incorporate the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Next, using a mandolin, slice the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers to the dressing and stir together. Finely chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl. Stir to combine. I prep this a couple hours (at least) ahead of time to let the flavors really marinate and smooth out, but you can eat immediately if its just too tempting! Store covered in the refrigerator. Enjoy! |
