Does Shakeology Taste Good?

Should I Eat Before An Early Morning Workout?

Studying Sister

Last week flew by.

I have a lot on my plate and I’m not stopping. The study book is thick but I’m getting through it right on pace. Even with watching the kids, running a business, being president of the young alumni board, and preparing to teach this two week course at the end of the summer here at the university.

What’s my secret?

Definitely have found that going in a different location (study lounge at the end of the hall) and being away from all distractions in my house or a coffee shop/store has helped me make the most of the study time.

2 hours…twice a week. That’s what I’ve got. I finish what I have to do in that time.

Stick to your plan, keep your phone/iPad/tv/radio/pictures/Facebook/Twitter all locked up. Haha, well maybe not locked up, but out of plain sight.

Focus on the one task at hand.

What do you have to get done?

I have found success at doing one thing at a time in small increments helps me cross off items on my to-do list much quicker.

My First Shakeology Share!

This was me a year ago. Liz and I are both still drinking Shakeology today, along with a whole bunch of family and friends.

It’s curbed our cravings, given us energy to LIVE life with our toddler boys, and tastes great.

Talk about an easy way to get all your veggies for the day in one serving!

There are tons of recipes and a new flavor was just introduced at our coach summit this week.

Liz looks even more amazing now then she did then.

Send me a note if you have any questions!

Happy Friday! (As I enjoy my chocolate-y all natural breakfast today…)

Positive Speaking Breeds Positive Results

Our brains understand the positive.

They block out the “negative” words such as don’t, can’t, stop.

So it’s important to speak to ourselves, and our children in positive words.

Try this:

“Don’t move your feet.”

What’s the first thing you thought of? Moving your feet, right? 🙂

Check this out…see how it relates to little man Anthony, and all of us.

Air Circulation When Exercising

While reading my Essentials of Exercise Science book yesterday for my personal trainer certification, I came across a really interesting fact.

As a teacher, activating prior knowledge, and then making connections while reading are both really key reading strategies we use with our students in order to improve reading comprehension.

So, today, you are my students! 😉

When you exercise, what is the climate of the room?

Do you like it warm or cooler?

Do you exercise outside?

Do you have a fan running while you workout?

These are things I never thought much of.

When I workout, if I’m chilly to start, I start with a tshirt or long sleeve shirt on, and then usually strip down to a tank or sports bra as my body warms up. I usually like it warmer in the room as I feel I sweat more…(burn more calories in my head 🙂 )

When working out, air circulation is critical for your body to cool off.

Sweating is the body’s way of cooling off. The blood moves closer to the skin level so that it can cool off near the surface, which is near the air.

If there is limited air movement around you, the air around you will become saturated with the sweat molecules (think evaporation) and then the air will be more like a humid rain forest.

Not a very cool place for your body to seek refuge as you continue your workout!

Actually, could be dangerous, as you could end up suffering from heat exhaustion, etc.

This reminds me of a day back in April right before Easter. I was doing a TurboFire HIIT workout in the bedroom before taking Anthony to get his Easter pics taken. My husband was in the shower and came into the bedroom to get his cologne. He made the comment that the room was like a sauna.

I thought he was exaggerating or trying to make me feel great for working so hard.

However, as I was reading this in my book, I recalled him saying this, and realized there was truth to his comment!

So, even if you are working out indoors, be sure your gym has a fan nearby. If you are like me, and workout at home, be sure that you have a fan or an open window in the room circulating the air. Something small I never realized could affect me!

Stay tuned…summer heat is coming soon…tips for taking care of yourself during workouts in the outdoor heat.

Graduation Day

Today I had the honor of being the alumni speaker at my alma mater, Lewis University’s undergraduate commencement exercises.

As president of the Young Alumni Board, I have an opportunity to volunteer my time and work with some tremendous graduates to give back and connect so many graduates back to our great university.

I love Lewis. I did my undergraduate studies here in History and Secondary Education and my masters in Educational Leadership a few years later.

I played softball here for four years, taking care of business in centerfield. We went to the women’s college world series twice during my time here. It was amazing.

My best friend Gina is also a Lewis grad, fellow softball alum, and also serves on the board. She summed it up today so well. She said that every time she is around Lewis people or on campus she is overwhelmed by the sense of community and pride….like a family.

That’s exactly what I love about it and why I am so proud to be an alum. My husband works here and we live on campus because of that.

Many times I’m asked…”does that bother you to live on a college campus?”

Bother? Not at all! I love it!!

This is home. Always will be.

I cried 8 years ago when I walked out of the field house with my degree.

How happy of a feeling it is to call Lewis home.

I treasure the friendships made, and continue to make here.

Reminds me again that you have to believe that you are exactly where you are suppose to be right now.

I am not teaching in a classroom, but the lessons I’ve learned and the values that have been cultivated in me through my growing up here at Lewis has fashioned me into the person I am today.

A person striving to always live by the mission points of Lewis: knowledge, wisdom, justice, association, and fidelity.

I challenge you to go back to a moment in your life where your values were really instilled in you.

Be thankful. Give back. Pay it forward!

Stay at Home Mom: So Lucky to Do Nothing All Day….

Can you think of the Debbie Downer or Negative Nelly in your life? Ouch, maybe there’s even more than one.

How do you combat that?

Last summer I made a commitment to positive change, and what a difference a year makes. My life has changed for the better.

Allow me to share:

I had a few certain people in my life who were always reflecting on the negative sides of life. They could never see the good in anything.

Their lives were far worse than anyone else’s. “Woe is me” type attitude.

It was wearing on me…terribly.

I found the more I was around them and the more I was listening to that, the worse I felt.

One time back in January I was sharing with a friend some of the new things I’ve been dabbling in this year and how amazing I feel. I was just met with more negative thoughts on how it’s not going to work and…those words I can’t stand…

“You’re so lucky to be a stay at home mom. It must be so nice to sit at home all day and do nothing.”

Moms and dads that are stay at home parents, you know that they just don’t get it. No one knows what a full time job parenting is until you walk in the shoes 24/7.

Let alone trying to be a stay at home mom to a son with a ton of food allergies, teach my child, tutor on the side, take care of myself with fitness and nutrition, run my business, volunteer, and watch our friend’s child.

So, I made a decision.

I could have gone two ways. I could have agreed with her, and looked at my situation and said, “oh throw in the towel” and just sit on my butt and let Anthony run wild. Just be a bump on a log.

Often times when someone else challenges us, that seems to be the easy thing to do. Agree with them, and just give up.

Or, I could quietly move away, and choose to surround myself with positive people and continue to do everything I am enjoying doing.

I chose the second path. Boy am I happy.

A lot of the drama and negativity that was surrounding me is a cloud behind me.

I have positive friends and positive people around me!

Stress is minimal, stomach aches are a thing of the past, and tears are no longer shed over such unnecessary events.

I save those tears for when Anthony gives me a squeeze or just amazes me with another milestone.

See the good in life and take the high road!

Do you have a Negative Nelly in your life?

How do you combat that?

I’d love to hear your solutions!

Pieces of the Pie (Percentages and the Nutrition Facts Label)

You know that little label on the back of all packaged foods?

The nutrition facts label.

Funny, most of the times I’m all over it. Trying to figure out how many carbs, cals, protein, fiber grams.

Within the last 2 years, because of all of Anthony’s allergies, I am looking at it in a new way. Always looking underneath it too to see what types of allergens are in it or processed in the same plant.

There are times though that I try not to look at it. Especially when I was working as a teacher. Meals were rough. I was in grad school, hubby worked late, and so a frozen pizza or TGIFriday’s spinach dip from the freezer were common comforting meals at 9pm when we were home and finally eating dinner.

I didn’t even want to know what was on those labels at that point.

shared from: http://www.simpleeasydiets.com

One part always confused me….those percentages. You know after it tells you how many grams of fat, etc. are in a serving it shows a percent value too?

Well, what the heck. It says on the bottom that it’s based off of a 2000 calorie diet. I never should have or should now be eating a 2000 calorie diet…so I have to do the math in the store and figure it out?

I just need a ballpark figure. So thinking…ok, if a serving of this is 20% of my daily value, but I can’t eat as much…let’s figure its 30%….so out of 5 small meals a day…is that ok?

I learned that anything lower than 5% is a low amount and 20% or more is high.

Now that freaked me out a bit. 20% sounds like a low number…1/5 of daily intake. But, actually it’s considered high.

So be sure to check out not only fat, fiber, calories, protein, and carbs. Check out the percent values of the vitamins.

That in itself was an eye opener…keeping in mind the whole 5% and 20% fact above.

Are you getting enough vitamins?

What are some foods that you consume on a daily basis to up your vitamin intake while staying within your caloric intake for the day as well as staying within the proper amounts of percentages for carbs, protein, fat, and fiber?

Have You Eaten Your Frog Yet This Week?

Brian Tracy is the author of Eat That Frog.

In his book he talks about time management, getting more done, and having more time to do what what’s most important to each individual on any given day.

I have incorporated many of his strategies into my every day life and what a difference it has made. He particularly talks about putting your biggest, ugliest, “i don’t want to do that” task first on your list of things to accomplish in the day. Take care of that before anything else. When you do, the rest of your day is a piece of cake.

We find that we can accomplish anything, and honestly, have accomplished more, by having done that task rather than just crossing off the little things on our list that mean little or nothing.

Earlier in the week I ate a HUGE frog! I was a teacher before our son Anthony was born 2 years ago. After having him, there was no doubt in my mind I wanted to be a stay at home mom.

I found Team Beachbody offered home business opportunities, and decided since I have had great results with their products, would love getting discounts on their products, and I didn’t have to carry inventory or have to hold home parties away from my already busy schedule, this was a no brainer.

I have enjoyed it so much that I want to expand working in this field. I thought about registering to get certified as a personal trainer.

That was awhile ago.

It was on my list, but I kept putting it off. Not this week.

First thing Monday morning…I registered for ACE personal trainer certification! Boy, what a great way to start the week!

So, my question to you is….what’s your frog? What is it that you have been putting off that will really make a difference once you take care of it? When will you accomplish it?

Do you write your goals down on paper weekly? Do you write a daily to do list? Does it just have tasks on it like: groceries, gas, laundry, pick up Johnny from soccer? Or does it contain those, plus tasks that will really move you in a positive direction towards your goals in life?

If you’d like, feel free to send me your frog. Often times, getting it down in writing really helps us stay accountable. It did for me!

If any of you are interested in more information with the income opportunities with Team Beachbody (and the 25% discount) send me a note too. I’m happy to help you.