Take Charge of Your Life

In addition to all the external work you're doing on your program, talking and setting goals can be a productive way to help you take charge of the internal stuff going on in your life.
If you're not sure how to pinpoint your area of need, set up an appointment with your trainer to explore what's troubling you, he or she can make some suggestions.

Stay Postive this Holiday Season

Around the holidays everyone's schedules are hectic and nerves are on edge, it's important to stay positive about your life and maintain a self-affirming attitude. To see if your thoughts are predominantly positive or negative, test yourself. It sounds extreme, but you only need to do it once. Each time a thought about yourself pops into your head, make a mental note if it is positive or negative. At the end of the day, tally your positive and negative thoughts. Even if you already suspect you lean towards the negative, seeing those thoughts on paper might give you the kick you need. When you change your attitude, you'll change your life

Happy Holidays, Everyone! Pt. 3

I want you guys to keep living this healthy life you've created for the rest of your life, not just around January 1! Resolutions are usually so vague that they don't resonate. For instance, your resolution might be "I want to lose 60 pounds." Okay, HOW are you going do it? If you don't have a plan of action, then that resolution will never take hold. Define your ultimate goal, maybe one you want to achieve by the end of the year, and then break this large goal up into smaller ones so you know where you're going. So my wish for you guys is to enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season!

Happy Holidays, Everyone! Pt. 2

As you may know all too well, the holidays are a time when it's easy to slip up. Don't let it happen this year. I know that traveling, shopping for presents, and the stress of the holidays are on your mind, but don't let exercise and eating right fall to the wayside just because you're sidetracked.

 

Thank you for all your donations for the “Angels” of midland, we were able to fully dress 4 children and supply 15 coats. So this year we were able to help a great deal of small kids. Thanks you so much for your help we could not have done it without you.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

As the end of the year approaches, I want to take a minute to thank you for working so hard. I hope I've given you the advice and help you need to grow stronger and achieve your goals. I hope you know that I believe you can do it, because you ARE doing this.

Add a little protein to this and you will have a perfect dish.
Garlic Broccoli
Serves 4 (serving size is 1 cup)
5 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound)
1    teaspoon vegetable oil
2    teaspoons minced, seeded jalapeno pepper
14 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1.    Steam broccoli, covered, 4 minutes.
2.    Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the broccoli, lemon juice, and vinegar, and toss well.

Slow and Steady

To reach your weight-loss goals, you need to switch from a quick mindset. In other words, you must break the "all or nothing" mentality.
Do you start diets with superhuman resolve, determined to eat right and work out seven days a week without fail, only to fall off the wagon and give up hope?
This kind of approach to anything, especially to your health can be very tempting, and may even feel motivational. But I'm telling you right now that it's a dangerous approach that will only set you up for failure.

Fight off Colds with Exercise

Do you want to take some preventive measures against colds this winter? Just get off your tail. Studies show that the more active your lifestyle is, the less likely you are to contract the common cold. Moderate to vigorous activity, and this includes your cardio and circuit workouts. This will help you build not only a better body but a tougher immune system.

Short and Sweet Pt. 2

Pick any cardio you like, running, swimming, the elliptical trainer. Warm up for 2 minutes at a moderate pace, then sprint for 30 seconds at the highest intensity you can muster. Slow down and do 90 seconds at a catch-your-breath recovery pace. Repeat eight times. You'll torch calories in less time, while you burn fat faster.

Short and Sweet

I love my long training runs, but most days carving out more than an hour to work out just isn't in the cards. And when my schedule is really crammed, getting in a workout seems next to impossible. Luckily, you can get a good workout in 20 short minutes. Yes, it’s not the best but it can be done. It is ultra effective the secret lies in high-intensity spurts of energy.

Habits Pt. 4

Be Proud, don't wait until you reach your ultimate goal to pat yourself on the back. Just taking the first step, reaching out for help is something to be proud of. And every achievement along the way should be rewarded. Just not with food. So keep up the hard work and keep eating clean.

French Toast
Serves 6

1 egg white
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon Splenda, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
3 or 4 drops vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 slices thick sprouted-grain bread
cooking spray (canola or olive preferred)
1.
2. In a wide bowl, beat the egg white with the half-and-half. Add Splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange or lemon extract, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture for a minute.
4. Spray skillet with cooking spray, and heat on medium. Cook French toast on both sides until brown. Dust with cinnamon and Splenda one last time and serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 124 FAT 4g PROTEIN 2 g SODIUM 198 FIBER 4.8 CARBOHYDRATE 22g

Habits Pt. 3

Without commitment, you won't be able to achieve the goals you truly desire. Put your life in perspective. Everything is a choice, from how you feel when you wake up in the morning to whether or not you floss your teeth at night. To make the right choices, you need to ask the right questions: What is my true goal, and how are the choices I'm making going to help me achieve that goal?

Relationships

We all have emotional triggers, positive AND negative one. When it comes to relationships in our lives consider these three relationships crucial to your new, healthy lifestyle: A partner in crime, a role model, and a fan.

Habits Pt. 2

Try finding more realistic role models, because real people who've lost weight or achieved other goals similar to yours will be the most inspiring. Start paying attention to people you know.

Habits

Old habits die hard, but they do die. Don't beat yourself up over it if you're having trouble breaking bad habits. It's not that easy to change your ways, you just have to keep working at it away.
Start by replacing old habits with new ones. The key is to learn how to take care of and pamper yourself in ways that are life affirming, not self-destructive. Learn how to deal with sabotaging emotions by establishing some healthy patterns of behavior and investing in your physical and emotional well-being.
Try turning the focus on the things you love about yourself. When was the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself how good you look? Name off five features you really like. You'll be surprised how much good that alone can do.