Back in The Saddle (again)

Wow! Has it really been a whole week since I've been here? Yes, yes it has. Don't you just hate it when work gets in the way of work?! In any case, it's a new week, a new day, a new chance to "get it right".

Monday is Motivation day here at FreshFit, but I have to admit I am not feeling particularly motivated today. Not in a "I give up" sort of way, but in a "this is going to take a lot of convincing" sort of way. I found this quote:

It seemed fitting. I, like everyone else, am learning to not beat myself up when I make a mistake. Maybe the mistake was a cookie (yep, I have been having a thing for cookies lately) or a skipped workout (only 2 last week, YIKES!). It is not the end of the world. Tomorrow is a new day. I can make better choices, do that workout, skip that cookie. Even as I write this tonight, I am sipping tea NOT thinking about what happened last week, but thinking about what I will make happen this week.

I have managed to write out (on my handy-dandy days of the week Post-It) the things that I want to accomplish this week. I have broken them apart by day and made each list relatively small. Sure, it may be difficult to keep to my list...especially when my time to do so is limited to the "after-school" hours, but I can do it!

Sometimes all you need to find that motivation again, is a little time, a hot cup of tea, and an attitude that says: I'm closer than I was yesterday!

Monday Motivation and Easy Weeknight Meal

It's Monday again. If you're anything like me, you dread the previous comment just a bit. The first day of the new week is usually a difficult one. You have to remind your body to get up when the alarm goes off, you have to remind your brain that you have a job to do, and sometimes you have to remind yourself that the motivation you had last week IS still there!!

So, when does that motivation become a habit?

Most say that it takes 21 days to form a new habit (or break an old one). Others say that it takes 3 cycles of this 21-day cycle to fully form (or undo) a habit. Either way, we all know that it takes time, patience, and consistency to develop good, lasting habits.

I wish I had the answer. I wish I could write something here that would tell you EXACTLY how to form all the good habits that you want to be a part of your routine. Honestly, I am still working on mine. If you have great things that work for you, please share!

In honor of another Monday and another work week ahead, I have pulled one of my go-to weeknight recipes that is quick, easy, healthy, and pretty yummy (I am biased, of course). When I cook during the week, I skip all the hoopla. I keep my recipes simple. Simple ingredients and simple process.

Weeknight Marinara Sauce with Whole Wheat Pasta and Broccoli
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
20 oz Ground Turkey
1 Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce
1T Italian Seasoning
a pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Package Whole Wheat Pasta
1 Bag (3 Cups) Ready-Steam Broccoli
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Fill a large pasta pot, or stock pot, with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, brown turkey over medium heat. Season with Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper if desired.

Once water is boiling, prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, add pasta sauce to turkey and continue to cook until heated through (about 5 minutes on medium-low heat).

Drain pasta and steam broccoli. **Mine takes about 2 and a half minutes. If you are not using ready-steam broccoli, add broccoli to pasta water for the last 2 minutes of cooking time.

Serving Suggestion:
Mini-Portion (21-Day Fix Approved)
1/2 Cup (or 1 yellow container) pasta, 1 Cup (or 1 green container) broccoli, 3/4 Cup (1 red container) sauce. Top with parmesan cheese (1/8 Cup or 1/2 blue container).

Traditional Portion
1 Cup pasta, 1 Cup broccoli, 1 Cup sauce. Top with parmesan cheese.

Happy Monday!

Tips & Tricks: Organizing Your Routine

I've been thinking a lot about organization lately. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher and it's imperative, but most likely it's because I want to be successful in what I'm doing.

Nerd Alert: I'm a bit obsessed with color coding!

When I started following the 21-Day Fix program, I decided that I needed to get organized and create for myself a no-fail way to track what I was doing and keep myself motivated. Obviously, being a part of a challenge group helps immensely with the motivational piece, but I need something more.

What I ended up creating was a calendar containing each workout. I stored the calendar in a plastic sheet and used a dry erase marker to cross the workouts off as I completed them. It was insanely satisfying to cross each workout off when it was done!! At the end of the week, I could literally look at what I had accomplished...AWESOME!

I also made myself a tracking sheet for my containers. When I was packing my lunch or cooking dinner, I could glance to see what I had eaten and what I still needed to complete my day. As I said before, I am thankful that I am still able to use this with my Max:30 program! The best thing about these tracking sheets (and storing them in plastic pages) is that I can use them again and again! I know that each program comes with these types of resources, but I know that I will do my programs more than once!

As I am sure you could have guessed, my calendar-making struck again when I started Max:30.

Every day, I use this calendar to track my max out time and it allows me to see what my goals are for my workouts.

I realize that thus far I have focused only on what I have created for use with my Beachbody programs. Even before Beachbody, I was most successful when I kept track of my foods and workouts. I used to keep crazy journals with my meals, exercises, water intake, etc. No matter what the goal, no matter what the program, getting yourself organized is truly setting yourself up for success.

Monday Motivation

Here we are, folks. It's Monday again. Not only is it Monday, but it's the start of a brand new month. The ultimate chance to start over. A clean slate from the downfalls of the last month, or perhaps...to restart those resolutions that fell through the cracks.

I, like most other human beings, struggle with motivating myself to get certain things done. Namely, eating well and exercising. Today, I will give you a glimpse at what *finally* got me on the right track and why I decided to become a bigger part of it.

As I've said before, I enjoy being fit. Exercising always puts me in a better mood and my body always feels great afterward. My problem was always my vast list of excuses. You know the ones:
I'm too tired.
I just worked out yesterday, I can take a break.
I'm sore.
I have to work late.
I don't have time.
I don't really know what I'm doing.
I've been doing this for a while with no results.
I've doing so well, I'll just take a few days off.
Ugh!! It was never ending! The worst for me, was that I work part-time at a gym, and I STILL would find a reason to skip a workout (or 20). I could always justify it. Good metabolism, eating healthy, I'm in OK shape...whatever. I somehow could not manage to stick to any sort of fitness routine for more than a month. It finally hit me, something has to change.

Now, let me be clear. I am not the type of person that needs to lose any actual weight. Maybe tighten a few things out here and there, but that's it. Bottom line...I wanted a program where the workouts were there for me, the nutrition plan was simple, and somebody was going to help me stay accountable throughout the process. I wanted to begin a journey toward health, without spending hours and hours in a gym, just to be tired, sore, and see no change.

That's when it happened. A little Pinterest research brought be to Beachbody's 21-Day Fix with Autumn Calabrese. I was interested. So I did what anyone would do. I ordered it. Thankfully for me, at just about the same time a good friend of mine told me about a challenge group she was running. Perfect. I had found it all. A program that did NOT have me doing the SAME, BORING workout every day, a nutrition plan that was easy to follow (and bonus points for NOT being the kind of plan that left me feeling like I'm starving), and a community of people who were there to support me. I loved 21-Day Fix! I felt stronger and leaner right away. I started controlling my portions (double bonus points for the awesome color-coded containers). I added Shakeology to my day (breakfast to be exact) and I was hooked!

After my first couple rounds of doing my 21-Day Fix, my coach asked me if I would be interested in joining the Beachbody team. I had a few reservations, but ultimately figured if it meant I could help even 1 person find what they were looking for in terms of fitness, then it would be worth it!

So here I am today. Officially an Independent Beachbody Coach. I am now working my way through another AMAZING program: Insanity Max:30 with Shaun T.

WOW! This program is kicking my booty! Each daily workout is designed to make your body "max out", meaning you work until you absolutely can't anymore, take a break and get back into it. The program asks you to track the time at which you "max you" each day, then compete with YOURSELF to beat your time each week! Amazing. This program follows the same nutrition plan as 21-Day Fix (yay for not having to change what I was doing!!).

Maybe I sound a little crazy. Maybe I sound like I am trying to sell you something. Maybe. I have no desire to *sell* anything for the sake of selling something. My hope that is, after reading this, you are a little curious. Or maybe you read this and thought "sounds like me". If you are, don't hesitate to contact me. Here through this blog, or here through my Beachbody page. I may not have all the answers, but I KNOW that any change is hard, but all change is worth it!

Super Bowl Sunday and Spicy Carrot Soup

I won't lie...I LOVE the Super Bowl. It isn't just the commercials, or the food, but the game itself (even if "my" team isn't playing). I will mention, however, that I could do without Mr. Man's need to DVR and watch every single TV special leading up to the Super Bowl!

Oh well. Such is life and I move on.

In an effort to keep myself busy and away from the many boring hours of pre-game coverage, I decided to make my favorite soup: Spicy Carrot Soup. This is one of my favorites, not only because it is incredibly healthy, but also because it is incredibly easy to make.

I started making this particular recipe about a year ago when I happened across a similar recipe, but soon realized that I did not have many of the necessary ingredients in my pantry. So, instead of running to the store and spending money I didn't need to spend, I winged it...it turned out FANTASTIC! Today, I share my recipe with you.

Spicy Carrot Soup
Servings: 4-1 Cup Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients
8 Large Carrots, sliced
1/2 Large Yellow Onion (about 1 cup), chopped
1 T Garlic, minced
1 T Coconut Oil
1 T Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 Cups Water (or vegetable broth)
salt and pepper to taste
Pumpkin Seeds for Serving (optional)

Slice carrots. Chop onion and garlic.

Set aside. Melt coconut oil in a large sauté pan, over medium heat. Add onion and sauté approximately 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, sauté 1 minute more. Add spices (cumin, ginger, salt, and pepper). Add carrots sauté about 5 minutes. Add water (or broth) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to blender in batches (or all in one if your blender has a large enough cup) and blend until smooth.

Enjoy directly from blender or transfer to small storage containers and refrigerate. I LOVE to top mine with about a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and eat alongside a couple turkey meatballs!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!