Back to the 21 Day Fix Already!?

Last week I finished up the 21 Day Fix, and I have to say, I miss it SO MUCH! 

That being said, I'm starting the 21 Day Fix Nutrition Program tomorrow, and will be doing the program indefinitely until I reach my goal, at which point I am going to switch over to the Maintenance level of calories/containers! The containers just simplify my life in a way nothing else has, and I truly never felt better than I did when I finished the program!!

Last week there were new Challenge Groups starting, my husband finally came home after three long weeks without him, AND I even had this entire weekend to myself to have a much needed "catch up" weekend for all of my coaches and challengers. I have never been alone in my house since my children were born, so needless to say I felt LOST! The bright side was that I got a chance to really look at what I want to do next week, re-evaluate what my goals are, and take some time to get things together so I can focus this week, on both myself and my challengers!

I even got to make some NEW videos for my 7 Day Quick Start to Success Training series that will be available soon I promise! (I am GIDDY with excitement to finally launch this baby!)

I also got a chance to plan out my meals for next week. I did include the containers I will be using for each meal as I am still in the first bracket. 

My workouts this week will be Insanity, T25 and 21 Day Fix so that I can get my overall strength training, HIIT training, and some basic cardio/total body moves.

My biggest struggle this week? LATE NIGHT SNACKING with Gavin! He comes home and all we want to do is watch movies in the evening! Watching movies = eating snacks. This week I will be making SEVERAL healthy snack options so I have them on hand! 

Wish me luck! <3 

WEEKLY RECAP & MEAL PLAN!

And my 21 days is UP.

I swear tonight felt like my "last supper" after conquering the 3 Day Fix (which might I add, is TOUGH, full blog post tomorrow on my results!)!

So this week was AMAZING. I have YET to stick to a plan to it's entirety like I did this week. I completed doubles EVERY day, and then even conquered the *optional* 3 Day Fix that Autumn suggests for your last 3 days.

My BIGGEST struggle has ALWAYS been night time snacking. It's like I see the sun go down and someone with zero control takes over my body. BUT, this week was DIFFERENT. I had an amazing partner in our challenge group, and I can say being accountable to everyone in the group made the biggest difference. I told them I would show them what this program can do, and even posted my pictures on my Facebook to say that I will look entirely different in 21 days. Now THAT is some HEAVY accountability. I had to live up to what I said! 

Now for this week COMING, I am more motivated than I've ever been. I am not looking to lose weight, but reveal the muscle I've been working SO HARD on the past 6 months. 

I am not continuing the 21 Day Fix for this week, however I am taking the basics of what I learned and continuing to eat similarly. I'm going to stick to my guns and really see what kind of results I can achieve in the next 2 months, knowing what I've achieved in only 21 days! 

Here is my meal plan for next week. 

My goals this week are to stick to working out each day of the week (with Sunday being a rest day), and incorporate IN the 21 Day Fix Strength routines as well as P90X3 and Insanity for my cardio. 

Can't WAIT to share my before and afters tomorrow! Stay TUNED! 

<3 xxx

21 Day Fix START

This Summer, and my LOVE AFFAIR with Dairy Queen, has left me with the memory and 10 extra pounds. 

As much as this isn't thrilling, I am still incredibly motivated and PROUD that I completed each workout, just about everyday. So yes, I have more weight, BUT I also have more muscle, and I have come out of the Summer stronger (and with a habit that must be broken!).

I am happy to say, I went to Dairy Queen last night with my girls, and got myself NOTHING! 

I may have had to sing to myself to drown out the voices telling me to just get one (doesn't anyone else hear these voices?!), but nevertheless, I did it!

That being said, I'm ready. I'm ready to achieve the goal I set out to one year ago. I have made STRONG headway, but I know I still have this hump to get over. This hump happens to be my love for food! :P

So now, what better program to get me back on track with nutrition, than my trustee 21 Day Fix. 

I have posted below, my meal plan and workout regime for the next 7 days!

There is my plan of action. I will STILL be filling out my daily tracker forms, just to be sure I don't miss anything, or add anything to my diet that shouldn't be there. I mean seriously, this is a LOT of food. When I am eating right, I realize just how much food I CAN and SHOULD eat. 

My problem this week will probably be eating it all! And water. Who else has been sucking at getting their water intake? (ME ME ME!!)

I am going to get stocked tonight on food, and getting myself a GINORMOUS water bottle that will be my mission to finish twice per day. It will be filled every night before bed, and then again mid afternoon. 

Before pictures to follow! 

Post-Vacation WEIGHT GAIN

It happens to the best of us!

Good intentions, but then temptation hits at your weakest moments (aka after driving for 20 hours and the lights of a Tim Hortons come into view…).

Needless to say, two weeks on the road, followed by a road trip with my dad (the man who loves pizza AND was pulling a trailer so couldn't drive into any healthy spots) led me to a weight gain of 7 lbs. 

I am pleased to tell you that after being home a mere 6 days, I have lost three of those pounds thanks to my girl Autumn Calabrese and the 21 Day Fix. I WILL be doing a challenge group for this program SOON if you find you're in the same boat btw! 

I am SO happy to have the container system back in my life! I gave it to my mom thinking I didn't need the structure anymore. MAN was I WRONG!

Today being Sunday, it's my day to read, clean, meal prep and just ENJOY. I typically don't workout too much on a Sunday, but today, I felt I needed something INTENSE, so I went with Insanity. If anybody has ever tried this, it is a HUMBLING experience even for the BEST of athletes. BUT, about half an hour after the "I'll never do that workout again" feeling, I just want to do it AGAIN, but do it BETTER! It re-motivates me every time I do it, to be stronger, more agile, and more DEDICATED to becoming BETTER.

SO, as always, I have included my meal plan, and this week, I plan on doing DOUBLES, every single day. (minus my rest day of course… Your body needs REST!)

Another thing I sucked at royally? WATER! Clearly this wasn't a good couple weeks for me! I will be caring around my trusty Contigo Cup, filling it on an hourly basis to keep me remaining hydrated. I was wondering why I was having MASSIVE headaches. 

Heres to eating CLEANER this week (with my couple indulgences being my Chocolate Cookie Dough Pop Tarts and Almonds dipped in Nutella, it's a lifestyle, NOT deprivation!) and CRUSHING my workouts not just for weight loss, but to feel ACCOMPLISHED after getting my butt HANDED to me by the one and only Shaun T, Autumn, and finishing out my PiYo with Chalene! 

PS. I just had a CRAZY reality check when I realized there was only FOUR months left of this year. How crazy is that?! Heres to being in the BEST shape of my life by 2015! I did it last year, and really DID get into the best shape of my life at THAT point by 2014, but now it's time to step it up! 

Love you all! 

xXx

PiYo Review and Follow Up

I started PiYo this week!

I am going to be VERY truthful in saying that I thought this workout was going to be a bore. I am so NOT a Yogi in any shape or form. 

I went to Yoga ONE TIME, and the entire time I was thinking how I wished I was doing Insanity or T25. When she told us to turn our minds off, I thought about how I have too many things to be doing to sit in a pose for 5 minutes.

That being said, I heard PiYo and thought while this will be great for those who love Yoga, I will definitely not be one of those people.

WOW. I am SO stunned at how AMAZING this workout actually is. 

Do you sit in poses for long periods of time? NO.

Are they fast paced? YES.

Are they suitable even for a beginner such as myself? YES.

Will they provide STRENGTH training for those who are athletic? YES.

I feel like I've been working parts of my body I didn't know existed. I feel SORE! The BEST pain, right?

Not only that, but I actually look forward to my workouts each morning, my ME TIME. Any moms out there TREASURE this time?!

I don't have VISIBLE results YET, it's only been a week. BUT, I can tell you I feel WAY more flexible, and strong like I haven't felt before.

I am doing T25 Speed 3.0 (my nemesis) tonight, so see if there is any difference in how difficult it is for me.

All in all I feel AMAZING after this week. My nutrition could have been better. As you saw from last week, there was NO meal plan posted. 

Because I didn't even make one. You know what means… EPIC FAILURE!

I am back on track with eating right now, as I'm doing the 3 Day Refresh to kickstart this and get my eating back to an level playing field. (Review to Follow!)

Here is my plan for next week!

Have a great day! Can't WAIT to review The 3 Day Refresh on Tuesday!

xXx

If you want to do PiYo WITH me in my next group, July 28th, email me ASAP so you can get yours to you in time!

mskfitness@yahoo.ca

Weekly Follow up & Meal Plan

It has been SUCH a busy month (I'm sorry for the lack of posting!).

With Summit, new trainings, enjoying the heat, it's been a lot of fun, but I need to get back on track!

I'm going to start off with my victory of the week! (LOL At least there is ONE!) This week I stuck to my workouts, doing a hybrid of Turbofire & T25! I swear, I can't function without a proper workout each day. Turbofire can be really long, so on days I just couldn't fit it in, I did T25 for a shorter one. Variety of different workouts can definitely come in handy. ;)

For nutrition, well, let's just say I was not prepared, at all. Preparation is KEY if you want to be successful, and I ate whatever was around and convenient through the busy-ness of the week. 

This has led me to CRAZY cravings, my blood sugar is all over the place, and my waistline, well, let's just say I refuse to step on a scale!

The good thing is, last week is water under the bridge. It's OVER, done with, and there is nothing I can do but look to today to do my absolute BEST. I feel completely motivated to get back up and do even BETTER than I ever have. NEVER let "failure" define you, it actually makes you BETTER. Through my failures, I have learned SO much, and this is no different. It has validated that I do need to plan, and I need to seriously gain control of my cravings.

But, how?

I have created a meal plan below, and am planning on eaten every 3 hours. When I eat every 3 hours, I feel in control of my cravings. Yes, of course, I still want pizza if it's in front of me, but I don't need it. See the difference? 

Now, WHAT do eat every 3 hours? It's not about your calorie intake over the entire day, but at each MEAL. I am shooting for 250-300 calories at each meal, and a balance of protein, fats, and carbs. My goal is for my body to be a fat burning machine! For my body to be able to continue building muscle, instead of depleting it from not eating for hours and hours at a time. The more you feed and work your muscle, the higher your metabolism, if and only if, you're feeding your muscles on a proper interval, with sufficient nutrition. By eating like this, and fuelling your body, you won't FEEL the need to give in to cravings, but you'll be able to control them. 

You will be in control.

THAT is what I've always struggled with. Below I am sharing my meal plan. Feel free to work off of it, or if you need help, email me at mskfitness@yahoo.ca and we'll get you going on YOUR goals!

This week I am also starting PiYo, so I want to make sure I MAXIMIZE my results. Eating fuels the fire, your exercise will burn off the fat and build muscle! PiYo is incorporating strength, flexibility AND cardio, I will be sharing this week how I am liking it! 

Stay tuned for the review!

Meal Prep Recipes!

I often like to post what I make for my meal prep to share what I make, but also to hold me accountable to actually doing it. (Let's be honest, sometimes we just don't WANT to, but it's so worth it once it's done!)

When I posted this picture, I had a lot of people asking for recipes, so I wanted to share the recipes for these four! These are SO easy to make. I know it may seem daunting to make all four of these in one evening, but it's not, at all. As one is cooking, so are the others, so you actually have time to just sit and relax while they cook (and make your house smell amazing!).

Here are the recipes below!

Quinoa Stir Fry 

Ingredients:

2 cups of Quinoa (rinsed in a sieve)

4 cups of water or low sodium chicken broth

Coconut Oil

Onions

Mushrooms

Spinach

Broccoli

(ANY vegetable, I use this recipe to empty my fridge of any and all vegetables before they go bad; I refuse to throw out food!)

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

Soy Sauce

Chicken (I add the chicken I cook during my meal prep once it's all done)

Feta cheese **optional

Green Onions **optional

1. Cook Quinoa as per package directions with 2 cups of quinoa to 4 cups of water/chicken broth. I add in 1 tbs of soy sauce and garlic/pepper.

2. Star the frying pan, and melt 1 tbs of coconut oil. Add in minced garlic and let cook for about 1 minute (be careful not to burn).

3. Add in all the vegetables, stir so they're all coated, and let cook.

4. Once the quinoa is done, mix it into the vegetables. If you have chicken on hand thats cooked already, put it in before you put the quinoa in. If not, you can easily add chicken later!

5. Garnish with feta cheese & green onions!

Shredded Chicken

**I make this several times a week!**

Ingredients

6 Chicken Breasts

3 TBS of Coconut Oil

1 Tbs of Chili Powder

1 tbs of Garlic Powder

1/2 Tbs of Pepper

1. Start the oven at 350.

2. Place your chicken in the casserole dish (use one with a lid, not necessary but tastes so much better!)

3. Put 1/2 tbs of coconut oil onto each chicken breast. You don't have to spread it, just dollop it on top of each.

4. Sprinkle the seasonings onto the chicken. (add which ones you'd like too!)

5. Put into the oven for 30 minutes. I check it at 25 minutes just in case, I don't want it to be dry. 

6. Let it cool for 5 minutes and cut it up into slices so you can easily put into a wrap or salad.

VOILA!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Family Favorite! Put on top of Quinoa, Rice, in a bun, etc. 

Ingredients

1 Pack of Chicken Thighs

1/4 cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 cup of Ketchup

1/2 cup of honey (I use just a little bit less than 1/2 a cup)

1 Red Onion, minced

Crockpot

1. In a big bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken and whisk.

2. Place your chicken thighs on the bottom of the crockpot.

3. Pour over the mixture.

4. Let sit on high for 2 hours.

Serve over rice or quinoa, and garnish with Sri Racha and Green onions!

Homemade Marinara

Make lots so you can freeze; you'll never have to buy sauce from the store again!

Ingredients

1 small carton of mushrooms (about 15), chopped

1 Red Onion

4-6 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Tbs Butter

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 tsp of Pepper

1 Can of Tomato Paste

2 Cans of Diced Tomatoes

1 can of Tomato Sauce (plain, just tomatoes)

1 tbs of Italian Seasoning

1. In a frying pan, put your butter, olive oil, and garlic on medium. Let sit for 1-2 minutes, but do not let burn.

2. Add in chopped onion and mushroom and stir. Sprinkle on pepper.

3. Let sit for about 5 minutes until onions are about clear.

4. While it's cooking, open all cans of tomatoes and pour into a big sauce pan. 

5. Now that onions and mushrooms are done, (how amazing does it smell by the way?!) place mixture into your magic bullet cup or blender and blend.

6. Pour into sauce, sprinkle italian seasoning, and stir.

7. Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

Perfect as a pizza sauce, with meatballs on pasta, or anything you'd use sauce for!

ENJOY! These are my favourite recipes and ones I consistently make. Each week I try to make something new so I can add a new favourite to the list.

TIP: Keep track of all the recipes you've tried, you are bound to forget which ones you liked and disliked. This will make meal prep easier for you!