CLX Week 8 Update and Meal Plan

This past week was so crazy busy, I don't even know where all the time has gone.  I don't feel like I accomplished anything, but I must have - I was constantly doing things!
I was so tired Wednesday after parent teacher conferences on Tuesday that I came home and was in bed by 7 pm.  Needless to say, I missed my workout.  I could beat myself up about it.  I could be mad at myself for not sticking to my schedule.  But I'm not going to do that.  I'm going to pick up where I left off, recommit myself to my goals, and move on.
Same thing for the food; I just ate more than I should have this week.  My willpower is it's weakest when I am tired, and one of the other teachers brought cookies in for us on Friday.  I told her I was breaking up with her (JK, Kirsten!),,, and then I ate two cookies.  Sigh.  Dig in.  Recommit.  Remember my goals.
So I DID finish CLX PUSH this week, which is super-exciting.  I get to move on to the final phase, the LEAN Phase.  Not only will I get three new strength training DVD's but since I have the deluxe program, the cardio and abs workouts are getting mixed up, too.  I have a feeling I'm going to be sore, but in a good way.
This week is yet ANOTHER crazy busy week (are they ever not?), but the upside is that beginning Friday, I am on Spring Break, baby!  I'm so excited.  I love my job, but right now I would also really love ten days to recharge.  I have to get through this week first.  Monday is just nuts; social justice dialogue training with the Equity Team kids, PLC meetings, and the off to the Curriculum Review Committee meeting, which always stresses me out.  Wednesday is parent teacher conferences (again), and then Thursday is the Renaissance Assembly, which means the kids, in addition to being excited about the break, will be whipped into a frenzy because of a shortened class schedule (that's is why they are all taking a quiz, bwahahaha!).  Did I mention that I have about 90 essays to grade before Thursday?  Oh yeah, and grades are due on Tuesday.
Phew.
So anyway, here is the meal plan.  Digging in.  Recommitting.  EATING CLEAN.  (My husband really needs to hide those red velvet cookies... notice they are absent from this meal plan).

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Meal Plan for 3/9
Workout	Lean Circuit 1	Rest Day	Rest Day	Lean Circuit 2	Get Lean Intervals & Extreme Abs	Lean Circuit 3	Fat Burn Challenge & Recharge
Breakfast	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit
Snack	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey	Strawberries and Greek Yogurt with  a dab of honey
Lunch	Leftover spaghetti and turkey meatballs; salad	Balsamic Chicken and mushrooms; brown rice, veggies, salad	Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage; potatoes	Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage; potatoes	Tacos with Organic Grass Fed Beef; salad	Leftovers	Leftovers
Snack	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter	Apple and peanut butter
Dinner	Balsamic Chicken and mushrooms; brown rice, veggies, salad	Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage; potatoes	Parent Teacher Conferences – leftovers for dinner	Tacos with Organic Grass Fed Beef; salad	Cheat meal – double date night	Leftovers	Steak and crab legs, baked potatoes, salad
Snack	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus	Carrots and hummus

Can I help you learn to make a meal plan?  Let me know!
Until then...
BE FIERCE!

Alternatives to Soda

I remember when I was a kid, my mother would buy soda by the case; regular for me (usually Pepsi or Mountain Dew), and diet for her and Dad.  With a little help from my friends, I could plow through about a case of soda per week, no problem.  Blech!  No wonder I was always sick as a teenager!  I don’t think I ever drank a glass of just plain old water.

Today, a month away from being 35 years old, I haven’t had a soda in nearly a year.  At first, the idea seemed impossible.  What, no soda?  Why would I do that?  I drank diet soda most of the time, anyway, so it wasn’t like I was consuming a bunch of calories.  But then I started learning about soda - in all it’s varieties - and I realized that if I wanted to live a healthy life, it was something that needed to go.

Instead of overwhelming myself - “I will never drink soda again” - I decided that I would treat it as an experiment - “Let’s see how long I can go without a soda.”  And now, here I am, almost a year later, and I don’t even really miss it.  My body can definitely tell a difference now that I have eliminated it from my diet.  

But eliminating soda can be the biggest challenge for the people I am helping to lead healthier lifestyles!  Many don’t even notice how many sodas - regular or diet - they are drinking per day!  So many people never even consume ONE SINGLE GLASS OF PLAIN WATER PER DAY, much like I did as a teenager.  If it hasn’t already, it WILL catch up with you.  Here are just some of the evils of soda:

So what are you to do if you can’t force yourself to simply guzzle water all day?  Here are some healthier alternatives for you:

1. Sparkling water: this is a distant cousin of soda, without all the nastiness.  It is simply fizzy water, and many varieties come with natural flavors (my favorite is La Croix).  But be warned:  it is NOT sweet, and as a soda drinker, you have built up an immunity to sweetness, so this lightly flavored fizz may come as a shock to you.  But give it a chance; try a few flavors.  If it STILL isn’t sweet enough for you, try #2.
   
2. Sparkling water + juice:  This isn’t something I recommend drinking all day, but it can be a nice change from plain old water.  You can also adjust this to your taste; you will get the bubbles of soda along with some sweetness from the juice.  One of my favorites:  8 oz of lime sparkling water with 4 oz of fresh squeezed (or 100% store bought) orange juice.  If you are using store bought juice, just make sure you are reading the labels for added ingredients and sugar, and that you are being cognizant of your juice-to-sparkling-water ratio.  Other good combinations:  coconut La Criox with 100% pineapple juice, lemon sparklin water and apple juice, and berry sparkling water with grape.
   
3. Infused water:  This is probably the healthiest and least complicated alternative.  Basically, you add fruit, herbs, or a mixture to regular drinking water.  You can throw all the ingedients in a mason jar and let sit overnight, or you can get an infusion pitcher or water bottle.  If you do the pitcher or bottle, I recommend refilling with water when it is half-empty to give the water time to absorb the flavors; I have kept the same fruit in my infusion pitcher for 5-7 days.  Yummy combinations:  strawberries and basil, raspberries and mint, and lemon and rosemary.
   
4. Green tea:  Hot or cold, green tea has too many benefits to mention; it boosts immunity, destroys the “hungries,” and tastes pretty good, too!  I have grown accustomed to drinking it plain, but if you MUST have some sweet, add a DAB of raw honey.  If you usually drink soda for a caffeine boost, this might be your new best friend.
   
5. Plain old java:  I just don’t know how people live without coffee.  Not me, baby.  I gave up soda,  but I have no intentions of letting go of my java.  So forgive me if I begin to wax poetic here.  Coffee is SUBLIME.  I’ve learned to drink it black, and without creams or sweeteners to mask the flavors, quality black coffee is DIVINE.  But if you must have SOMETHING akin to cream, unsweetened vanilla almond milk helps.  If you MUST have some sweet, a DAB of pure maple syrup will go a long way.

If you like iced coffee, then you can’t go wrong with either an iced mocha or iced vanilla

Shakeology:

8-12 oz cold coffee

1 packet or scoop Chocolate OR Vanilla Shakeology

1 tsp pure maple syrup

Handful of ice

Mix all ingredients in a blender.  Enjoy!

You CAN fix the soda fix!  Within weeks you should notice weight loss, a reduction in sugar cravings, clearer skin, and better sleep!  What do you have to lose?  Why not “experiment”?  And while you are at it,

BE FIERCE!

ChaLEAN Extreme Week 7 Update and Meal Plan

Do you ever feel like the Universe is just trying to tell you something?  Like you are trying to force something that just isn’t meant to be?  Maybe sometime in the future, just not right now?

This is me and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  I cannot adequately explain to you the frustration I have experienced with the USPS since February 7th, when the program was supposedly delivered to my house.  I have spent at least an hour and a half on hold with USPS corporate offices.  They even closed the inquiry once (Why?  I have no idea because it certainly wasn’t resolved and they never contacted me about it).  But alas, I do not want this sort of negativity in my vortex, so I am taking it as a sign from the Universe that this is not a good time for me to attempt the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  And you know what?  That’s okay because I am enjoying the HECK out the ChaLEAN Extreme (CLX) (again!).  I just finished week 7.  So, instead of fighting what is happening, I am embracing it!  I AM GOING TO COMPLETE CHALEAN EXTREME!  And then, if I have received my 21 Day Fix Extreme by that time, I will move on to that.

It is probably for the better, anyway.  March in my birthday month, so I will want to take my weekly cheat meals.  I will also want my wine and chocolate, and wine, chocolate, and cheat meals are not a part of the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  Perhaps this is Providence.

I will tell you that since I am lifting so heavy I feel like I CANNOT FEED MY BODY ENOUGH FOOD!  In a way, it is a nice feeling!  I know I am hungry because my body is building muscle! So this week I am going to add an extra serving of protein to my three meals to see if that helps with the feeling of being so hungry that I could eat my own arm.

I KNOW I am getting stronger; seriously, check this out!  

I have upped my weights nearly every week on nearly every exercise.  On some exercises, I am even matching Chalene’s weight!  The stars are to remind me to increase my weight next week. I’m almost finished with the PUSH month and I am super excited about the LEAN Phase; I remember the last time I did this program, that was the Phase when the magic happened.  Since I already have a baseline of fitness, I am curious to see what will happen this time.

My meal plan was sort of difficult this week.  Many meals are repeated from last week because schedules between myself and my husband didn’t go as planned, and I ended up eating a lot of leftovers; therefore, meals that were on last week’s plan are now on this week’s.  Then this week is tough, too, because on Tuesday I have parent teacher conferences (it just makes for an extremely long day); then on Thursday, I am getting a root canal after work, and then on Friday, I am accompanying the student Equity Team to a Middle Eastern restaurant and a Jewish Temple (I am incredibly excited; it is going to be so much fun!).  I know that because I am so busy, I need to plan well and pack my snacks in order to be successful.  And just because this is the way life works sometimes, I have to have THREE rest days instead of TWO, and I have to double-up workouts on Sunday to stay on track.

Life happens when you are trying to be fit and healthy!

Anyway, here is the plan:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Meal Plan for 3.2 Meal Plan
Workout	Push Circuit 1	Rest	Push Circuit 2	Rest	Rest	Burn Intervals and Extreme Abs	Push Circuit 3 Burn it off and Recharge (doubles)
Breakfast Protein, CCFV, protein	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit	Shakeology, almond milk, and frozen fruit
Snack Protein, CCFV,	Blackberries, greek yogurt, and honey	Blackberries	greek yogurt	and honey	Blackberries	greek yogurt	and honey
Lunch CCFV; protein; CC-S; HF	Leftover taco casserole, salad, dressing	Chicken, spinach, and mozzarella roll ups, cous cous, veggies, salad	Chicken, spinach, and mozzarella roll ups, cous cous, veggies, salad	Salmon, steamed veggies, baked sweet potato w/ olive oil, bread, salad, dressing	- soup	Leftovers	Leftovers
Snack Protein, CCFV,	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus	Carrots  and hummus
Dinner CCFV(2); protein; CC-S(2); HF(2)	Chicken, spinach, and mozzarella roll ups, cous cous, veggies, salad	Parent-teacher conferences – EAT CLEAN!	Salmon, steamed veggies, baked sweet potato w/ olive oil, bread, salad, dressing	Root canal - soup	Petra field trip with students; cheat meal	Leftovers	Spaghetti and Turkey meat balls; salad, dressing
Snack Protein, CC-S,	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds	Apple and almonds

I hope you have an amazing week!  If you have any questions or need help, shoot me a message on the ol’ Facebook; that’s what I’m here for ;)

BE FIERCE!