WOMEN PLEASE THROW OUT YOUR SCALES

I used to weigh myself every morning.  After going to the bathroom and before I consumed even an ounce of liquid I would stand buck naked on the scale and let it tell me whether I was going to feel fat or skinny all day long.  I dictated my life by that scale.  Some days the number would be at the front of my mind and all my thoughts would revolve around it.  Other days, it would slip further back in my mind, but it was never far from my thoughts as I mentally calculated what I was eating and beat myself up about every single calorie and how I was going to have to face that damn scale again the next morning.

I have not done that for two years and to be honest, it still makes me sick with anxiety when I think about it.  CONSUMED!  I let my life be consumed with that number.  It was my worth, my confidence, how I decided whether to deprive or reward myself.  The worst part of all of it was that it is what I was taught.  EVERY magazine, every TV show, every adult woman in my life was focused on weight and the power and utter joy that you could attain by losing it.

I am grateful everyday that this is not my attitude anymore and it breaks my heart that it is still the way so many women view themselves and their bodies.  I want with all my heart (yes, really) for women to understand what being healthy means and feels like.  Healthy is eating food to fuel your body - good, quality, 100% real food.  Healthy is finding an activity you like that makes you work hard and sweat and doing it daily.  Healthy is throwing out your scale.  In reality, your healthy may be heavier than you are right now.  Mine was.  The cool think about healthy is that it has NOTHING to do with a number.   When you make healthy choices you feel better.  When you feel better you move and exercise more.  When you exercise more, you get stronger.  Your body will change it's composition.  You will replace fat with muscles.  YOU WILL FEEL GOOD.

The number on the scale is wrong - no matter what it is!  Your healthy will not be found in that number.  One more time - your health will not be found in the number on the scale - no matter what it is.

Redefine healthy people.  We have to get smarter.  Look around you.  Open your eyes.

Now...go throw out your scale. 

NO ONE IS PERFECT

So true!  We are all bombarded with images of "perfect" people, bodies, lives, families.  It is hard not to compare yourself.  Truth is though that no one is perfect.  No ones life is perfect.  From my personal experience, the more people try to look like their life is perfect, the less perfect it is.
We all have our dirty little secrets and skeleton packed closets.  We all have parts we like and parts we don't.  You might have been blessed with great hair and funky feet, or maybe you have a peaches and cream complexion and freckles on your butt - we all have things we would like to change. 
Today, give yourself a break.  You are no more or less perfect than anyone else.  Be proud of all your parts.  If you want to improve, then work  to have the best freckled butt out there.  Be happy with your best though. 

TURKEY CHILE

This is another favorite at our house.  We mix it in with potatoes as a pre or post workout meal and eat it with salad for dinner.  All ingredients are pictured except the brown sugar.

• 1 yellow onion
• 3 large cloves of garlic
• 1 spicy pepper (this can be whatever kind you like)
• Ground Turkey (I get this at Costco)
• 3 cans beans (In this batch I used black, kidney and pinto) Rinse and drain beans
• Tomato sauce (2-3 cans)
• Tomatoes diced (2-3 cans)
• Tomato paste (1-2 cans)
• Garlic powder
• Chili powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Brown sugar
• Olive oil

1. In a large pan, chop and saute the garlic, spicy pepper and onions in olive oil over med heat
2. Add turkey and break up with spoon
3. Sprinkle with garlic powder,  salt and pepper (good size sprinkle of each)
4. Add 1-2 TBSP of chili powder
5. Stir and let cook until turkey is mostly brown
6. Add in tomato paste, sauce and diced tomatoes
7. Stir in two heaping tablespoons of brown sugar and let simmer 10-15 minutes
8. Taste it :)  I like lots of flavor so I often add more garlic and chili powder at this point - sometimes it needs more salt, but be careful not to add too much
9. Once you like the flavor, add in the beans (make sure you rinse and drain them first) and stir
10. Let everything simmer for about 30 minutes

Yummy!  

FEEDING KIDS

Feeding kids healthy food can be tough.  I will be introducing some kid tested ideas occasionally into our blog.  The photos show what the seven-year-old in my world is currently enjoying for breakfast, snack and lunch. 

Breakfast:
1 Slice whole wheat, high fiber toast
Blueberries and pineapple
Fage 0% yogurt, agave and cinnamon

Snack: 
Blueberries and Annie's cheddar bunnies


Lunch:
Apple slices
Raw almonds
The works chips

Two better options for kids.  Both of these options contain nothing fake or processed. 

START A NEW CHAPTER

We all do it.  Change is scary!  We get stuck in a rut, pattern, comfort zone and even when our hearts are whispering, "this is the wrong path" - we ignore that little voice.  Ignoring your hearts voice takes A LOT of energy.  I think it takes more energy to ignore that little voice inside of you than to just listen.  When you ignore it you become depressed, turn to things your shouldn't for comfort and all around get stuck in a bad place.
It is hard to close a chapter of your life and start a new one.  It is necessary though in life to accept and even initiate change.  Change is good.  New is good.  Different is good.  Sometimes the world has a million gifts waiting for you and she just needs you to move your ass out of your current situation so she can send them to you. 
We all know this is true.  You go somewhere new,  try something different, take a new route to an old place and things change.  There is a shift.  Suddenly the world has an opportunity to bring new people and new ideas into your path.  This is healthy and necessary for moving forward.  If you are not moving forward, then you are stuck and stuck is not good. 
How does this relate to exercise?  I am not sure it directly does relate, but it is a piece of total health and wellness.  Truly committing to exercise and health only can be achieved when you are balanced and your mind is healthy.  We are all a circle that requires constant nourishment and attention.  If one part of the circle is broken, then the other parts suffer.  Loving yourself enough to treat your body well is a big part of the circle.  If you love yourself enough to treat your body well, then chances are that eventually you will start listening to the voice inside of you.  As your confidence increases - the voice gets louder and your fears get smaller.  Ultimately, you are able to close one chapter and start another.
We are all a book of so many chapters waiting to be written and experienced.  Don't deny yourself any of the fabulous stories waiting for you in your life. 
If your chapter sucks, write "the end" and start a new one. 

HOW MUCH DOES FOOD MATTER?

How much does food matter?

We have always realized the importance of food and both are respectful of our bodies and what we put into them.  January 3rd we started focusing more attention on timing and eating lean.  We have both been amazed at the results both in our strength at the gym and the physical changes in our bodies.

What are we doing?

• We eat every two hours.  Period.  Sometimes this is a just a protein shake if we are out of the house.
• We eat higher in carbs earlier in the day and taper off carbs later in the day.
• We eat real food 100% of the time.
• We minimize sugar to agave syrup in yogurt and fruit.
• We eat a lot of protein.  This works with our bodies because building muscle is our main goal. 
• We eat when we are hungry - even if it is less than two hours since our last meal.  We do not deprive our bodies.
• We don’t beat ourselves up if we eat something that is not ideal.  We get right back on track with our next meal. 
• We don’t drink alcohol.

What do we eat?

5:30am Breakfast: eggs (2 whole and 4 whites), 1 slice whole grain extra fiber bread with spray butter, 1 C. cooked oats with agave

7:30am Protein Shake

9:30am High carb meal like white potatoes, or rice mixed with turkey sausage

We workout at 11:30 and will usually have a high carb protein shake one hour before our workout.

During our workout we drink a carb and protein drink to keep our energy up.

Immediately following our workout we drink a small protein shake and eat carbs and protein.  Usually eggs, rice, avacado or potatoes and lean meat.

For the rest of the day we eat every two hours and try to limit carbs.  Dinner is usually spinach salad and chicken, pork or fish.

Between dinner and bed we usually eat twice.  Once is yogurt with agave and cinnamon and if we need more before bed we will make eggs similar to the eggs we have for breakfast.

On days we lift we eat heavier carbs.  On days we don’t, we eat lighter carbs.

We eat A LOT of food.  For us it is fuel and we put in what we know our bodies need to achieve the results we want.

What still surprises us:

• FOOD MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE.  We were eating clean before.  Neither one of us thought the changes would be as dramatic.
• We feel stronger.  We have more days where we feel like we can kill it in the gym.  Not just work hard, but actually kick ass and exceed our own (incredibly high) expectations.  For example Jake’s 10 rep bench press increased by 40lbs in around 3 weeks.  Enough said. 
• It is a lot of work to prepare and plan.  It is so worth it.

Want more help?  Ask us to do a meal plan that is tailored to your specific goals and eating habits.  We love helping people achieve their best!

SWEET POTATO SOUP

 

This is another one of our favorites!  

Sweet Potato Soup

• 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
• 2 stalk celery cut into small chunks
• 2 medium carrots cut into small pieces
• 3 cloves fresh garlic diced
• 1 large sweet onion cut into small pieces
• Olive oil
• 6 cups of water flavored with “Better than Broth” vegetable flavor (can use chicken stock instead of water if you prefer)
• Bragg’s liquid amino acid
• Garlic powder
• Sea Salt
• Pepper

1. 2 Tbsp olive oil into a large sauce pan
2. Saute garlic and onions together
3. Add in water
4. 1-2 tbsp of better than broth (if you used chicken stock you may not need to add any) 
5. 1-2 tbsp of Bragg’s amino acid
6. Add all vegetables
7. Flavor with salt, pepper and garlic powder to achieve desired flavor
8. Bring to a boil and simmer until all vegetables are soft
9. Allow to cool a little and then put everything in a blender and puree (if it is too hot the pressure will cause the lid to pop of the blender while blending.  You can also use an immersion blender if you have one. 

You can add cubes of grilled chicken, rice, avocado or additional vegetables after you puree.