Showing posts with label Shakeology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakeology. Show all posts
Thursday, July 12, 2012
A Shakeology Testimony
I know a lot of women suffer from this type of situation and it's really painful. So I thought I'd share what I've experienced over the last few months as I've started drinking Shakeology and experiencing its benefits.
I have never had regular periods. And when I had them they were so painful between the cramps and headaches. I would be out of commission for at least two days and oftentimes the entire week my period lasted. I finally went to see a doctor and was put on a birth control pill to help regulate. This was of course before I knew of some of the harmful effects horomones can have on your system. I started to lose a little weight and about two years ago, I tried getting off of the pill. For one cycle I was ok but then the second cycle it was right back to misery and it was worse this time, or at least it felt like it. So I went back on the pill. I hated it but it was the only thing that worked to keep my periods tolerable.
The last week of February this year I started drinking Shakeology. Three months ago, I thought I'd try to get rid of the pill. I hated having the horomones in my system. I knew they were messing with my mood and my ability to focus on work and personal life. For three months, I have had a regular, pain free, headache free cycle. I even had very little cravings (which is also unusual). This has not happened in over ten years and I thank Shakeology for that. I am so thrilled. I'm almost in tears because these cycles would be so incredibly painful for me and now I can still live! Shakeology has given me those preciouis weeks of my life back, which is a huge deal, especially when I'm on the road travelling so many weeks a year.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Most Common Excuse
What excuse do you use for not eating healthy? Time? Money? Work? Lack of support?
The most common excuse I hear when people do not want to lose weight is that it costs more to eat healthy.
Consider this:
Cancer is not an easy or inexpensive disease to treat. People can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatments and procedures. Other diseases such as diabetes are ones you are stuck with for the rest of your life. Digestive issues can be miserable to deal with. Some diseases cannot even be diagnosed unless a thousand tests are run which exhausts the body and the pocketbook. I have several older relatives who spend over $800 a MONTH on prescription medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, pain, ulcers, cancer, etc. And think of the side effects!!! Headaches, diarrhea, high blood pressure, constipation, ulcers, higher risk for some cancers... these are all side effects I hear about on TV commercials for medications. Is it worth it?????
I cannot guarantee that disease will not crop up in our lives, even if we eat healthy. I have a very good friend who's mother ate healthy almost every day of her life and she still ended up with cancer. BUT, if we can eat healthy and help reduce the chances for cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc, isn't that worth it? If we can eat healthy and reduce the risk (and completely get rid of the risk in some cases) for the need for some medications, isn't it worth it?
I found this article in the USA Today that really highlights some great points!!
1. The five categories of food that were evaluated in this article in the order of least expensive to most expensive: grains, dairy, vegetables, fruit, protein and less healthy foods.
2. Consider your portion sizes. A serving size of potato chips costs much more than a portion size of carrots and you will feel more full and satisfied!
3. Proteins tend to be more expensive, such as chicken or fish, but eggs and beans are also sources of protein that is much cheaper.
4. The reason fruits and vegetables are higher in price is because we need more servings of them per day!!
5. In each of the food groups listed above, there are expensive items and inexpensive items. If you always buy the most expensive, most exotic fruits, OF COURSE they will put a dent in your wallet.
6. Most people only allocate about 20-25% of their food budget towards fruits and vegetables. The government suggests closer to 40%.
Another great place that you can cut back is through what you drink!! If you cut down on the soda, that will add up a lot!! Even diet sodas that are horrible for you add a lot to your budget. Try drinking water or iced tea with all your meals. You can add lemon or cucumber or berries to your water or tea to make a nice refreshing treat that is not mundane.
While I was doing the research for this blog post, I really evaluated my own grocery bill. I spend on average about $80 every two weeks for Mike and I. This usually includes some meat (chicken, pork chops, ground beef, steak), some almond milk, regular milk, healthy snacks for me, a few unhealthy snacks for Mike, and all kinds of veggies and fruits that I put into my shakes in the morning or salads at lunch or dinner. I already have spices at home so I rarely need to buy those. That totals about $160 a month for groceries from the store. Then I look at my Shakeology and because I'm a Team Beachbody Coach, my Shakeology is only about $97 a month. My entire grocery bill is a little over $260 a month for both Mike and I. Now, if Mike ever decided to start drinking Shakeology, our bill would go up to about $360 a month.
Eating clean is not really hard on the budget if you just look at what you're spending your budget on. It can be harder on your creative brain cells though because it does take some thought to come up with food that is clean, not processed, healthy and NOT BORING, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a challenge for you:
Do some research and come up with three dinners that you can cook this week that are CLEAN. The Eat Clean Diet website has some awesome recipes. Give three of them a try. See how you feel and how your pocket book feels. If you shop smart and eat smart, you will achieve great results both in how your body feels and how your budget feels!!
The most common excuse I hear when people do not want to lose weight is that it costs more to eat healthy.
Consider this:
Cancer is not an easy or inexpensive disease to treat. People can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatments and procedures. Other diseases such as diabetes are ones you are stuck with for the rest of your life. Digestive issues can be miserable to deal with. Some diseases cannot even be diagnosed unless a thousand tests are run which exhausts the body and the pocketbook. I have several older relatives who spend over $800 a MONTH on prescription medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, pain, ulcers, cancer, etc. And think of the side effects!!! Headaches, diarrhea, high blood pressure, constipation, ulcers, higher risk for some cancers... these are all side effects I hear about on TV commercials for medications. Is it worth it?????
I cannot guarantee that disease will not crop up in our lives, even if we eat healthy. I have a very good friend who's mother ate healthy almost every day of her life and she still ended up with cancer. BUT, if we can eat healthy and help reduce the chances for cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc, isn't that worth it? If we can eat healthy and reduce the risk (and completely get rid of the risk in some cases) for the need for some medications, isn't it worth it?
I found this article in the USA Today that really highlights some great points!!
1. The five categories of food that were evaluated in this article in the order of least expensive to most expensive: grains, dairy, vegetables, fruit, protein and less healthy foods.
2. Consider your portion sizes. A serving size of potato chips costs much more than a portion size of carrots and you will feel more full and satisfied!
3. Proteins tend to be more expensive, such as chicken or fish, but eggs and beans are also sources of protein that is much cheaper.
4. The reason fruits and vegetables are higher in price is because we need more servings of them per day!!
5. In each of the food groups listed above, there are expensive items and inexpensive items. If you always buy the most expensive, most exotic fruits, OF COURSE they will put a dent in your wallet.
6. Most people only allocate about 20-25% of their food budget towards fruits and vegetables. The government suggests closer to 40%.
Another great place that you can cut back is through what you drink!! If you cut down on the soda, that will add up a lot!! Even diet sodas that are horrible for you add a lot to your budget. Try drinking water or iced tea with all your meals. You can add lemon or cucumber or berries to your water or tea to make a nice refreshing treat that is not mundane.
While I was doing the research for this blog post, I really evaluated my own grocery bill. I spend on average about $80 every two weeks for Mike and I. This usually includes some meat (chicken, pork chops, ground beef, steak), some almond milk, regular milk, healthy snacks for me, a few unhealthy snacks for Mike, and all kinds of veggies and fruits that I put into my shakes in the morning or salads at lunch or dinner. I already have spices at home so I rarely need to buy those. That totals about $160 a month for groceries from the store. Then I look at my Shakeology and because I'm a Team Beachbody Coach, my Shakeology is only about $97 a month. My entire grocery bill is a little over $260 a month for both Mike and I. Now, if Mike ever decided to start drinking Shakeology, our bill would go up to about $360 a month.
Eating clean is not really hard on the budget if you just look at what you're spending your budget on. It can be harder on your creative brain cells though because it does take some thought to come up with food that is clean, not processed, healthy and NOT BORING, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a challenge for you:
Do some research and come up with three dinners that you can cook this week that are CLEAN. The Eat Clean Diet website has some awesome recipes. Give three of them a try. See how you feel and how your pocket book feels. If you shop smart and eat smart, you will achieve great results both in how your body feels and how your budget feels!!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Weekly Meal Prep- Does it help????
I mentioned in another blog the importance of planning ahead. When I am traveling and know I will be on the road, I plan ahead by making sure I have access to a refrigerator and/ or microwave and that there is a grocery store or Wal Mart near by. That's the easy part. What comes after that though???
When I find out that there is a Wal Mart or grocery store nearby, I plan out exactly what I will be eating for the week: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then I make a grocery list. I also decide which ONE night I will either eat out or order room service (depending on the hotel).
This week, I will be in Bowling Green, KY. It's only about 2 hours away from me, so I will be able to drive there. Which MEANS, YAY!! I get to take almost everything with me.
Breakfasts are easy: Shakeology! I already cut up the cherries I will blend with it and I will buy bananas when I get there. I will take with me my PB2 and Shakeology.
Lunches are a bit more challenging as I need something to take with me as I don't have time to go out and grab something to eat in between sessions. This week, I plan on buying cut up lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, and radishes. I'll take with me some balsamic spray dressing (10 sprays= 10 calories!!). I will buy some turkey lunch meat (sliced from the deli if possible) for my protein. I'll also buy some Greek yogurt for a mid-morning protein snack and some apples. That should take care of my lunches.
I will go out to dinner on Thursday night. Probably eat something at the hotel restaurant, such as salmon or steak, maybe grilled chicken with some grilled zucchini. That sounds tasty. Other dinners will include items similar to my lunch. Lots of veggies, salads, and maybe some microwavable fish if I can find some.
What is the benefit of planning ahead? By planning ahead, I am able to stay on track and focused. I know exactly what I'm eating, no matter where I am. It's definitely worth the hour or two I spend planning on a Sunday evening.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Keeping Your Lifestyle Is Not Always Easy
I've been asked several times recently: "How do I travel and still manage to lose the weight?" Or "how do I maintain the healthy lifestyle?" Great questions!!
1. First, recognize that it is a LIFESTYLE change, not just a diet or a fad or something to do for a month or two. It's a LIFESTYLE change.
2. After recognizing that it's a lifestyle change, commit to it. Commit to changing your life, one small step at a time. By committing to it, I am making a decision to make healthy choices wtih food and exercise. I am making a decision to COMMIT.
3. After recognizing it's a lifestyle change and making a decision to stick with it, also learn to recognize that you are human and bound to make mistakes.
4. When I make a mistake (which I do often enough), LEARN from it!!! And then RE COMMIT to the lifestyle change. This is an important step. If you do not learn from your mistake, you will continually make it. Think about how you felt before you made the mistake and then really understand and evaluate how you feel AFTER you made the mistake. After eating that big plate of nachos, did you have the energy to finish your day? If you had the energy, was it the same as when you made a smart decision for dinner?
A few more tips to help with this lifestyle change:
1. Have a SALAD every day. This helps get your veggies in (and sometimes fruit depending on your salad).
2. I have a SHAKEOLOGY every single day to help me gain an extra 20g of protein and 3-4 servings of veggies in my diet. Yay for #ChocolateShakeology and #ChocolateVeganShakeology
3. Don't beat yourself up when you make a mistake. As mentioned above, learn from it and move on. Re-focus yourself, remind yourself of your goals and start with the very next meal. Don't wait until "tomorrow." Get right back into your lifestyle change the VERY NEXT MEAL!!
4. READ THE LABELS!!!! If you are interested in eating healthier, stick to the outside of the store where everything is fresh and not processed and read those darn labels. The labels tell you everything you need to know about the food you are eating. Watch the calorie, sodium, sugar, carbs, fats, proteins, etc. As you are learning what to eat and what not to eat, focus on one thing. Maybe lower your sugar intake. Once you've worked on the sugar intake, work on choosing foods with lower sodium. As you start to choose foods based on the labels, you will notice a difference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REMEMBER: This is a lifestyle change that will be with you forever. Commit to making right decisions and the rest will fall into place!!
Here are some tips.
1. First, recognize that it is a LIFESTYLE change, not just a diet or a fad or something to do for a month or two. It's a LIFESTYLE change.
2. After recognizing that it's a lifestyle change, commit to it. Commit to changing your life, one small step at a time. By committing to it, I am making a decision to make healthy choices wtih food and exercise. I am making a decision to COMMIT.
3. After recognizing it's a lifestyle change and making a decision to stick with it, also learn to recognize that you are human and bound to make mistakes.
4. When I make a mistake (which I do often enough), LEARN from it!!! And then RE COMMIT to the lifestyle change. This is an important step. If you do not learn from your mistake, you will continually make it. Think about how you felt before you made the mistake and then really understand and evaluate how you feel AFTER you made the mistake. After eating that big plate of nachos, did you have the energy to finish your day? If you had the energy, was it the same as when you made a smart decision for dinner?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few more tips to help with this lifestyle change:
1. Have a SALAD every day. This helps get your veggies in (and sometimes fruit depending on your salad).
2. I have a SHAKEOLOGY every single day to help me gain an extra 20g of protein and 3-4 servings of veggies in my diet. Yay for #ChocolateShakeology and #ChocolateVeganShakeology
3. Don't beat yourself up when you make a mistake. As mentioned above, learn from it and move on. Re-focus yourself, remind yourself of your goals and start with the very next meal. Don't wait until "tomorrow." Get right back into your lifestyle change the VERY NEXT MEAL!!
4. READ THE LABELS!!!! If you are interested in eating healthier, stick to the outside of the store where everything is fresh and not processed and read those darn labels. The labels tell you everything you need to know about the food you are eating. Watch the calorie, sodium, sugar, carbs, fats, proteins, etc. As you are learning what to eat and what not to eat, focus on one thing. Maybe lower your sugar intake. Once you've worked on the sugar intake, work on choosing foods with lower sodium. As you start to choose foods based on the labels, you will notice a difference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REMEMBER: This is a lifestyle change that will be with you forever. Commit to making right decisions and the rest will fall into place!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Obstacles on Road
As I am on this weight loss journey, I come across many obstacles. I do what I do best and try to think of solutions to overcome those obstacles. One of the BIGGEST obstacles I have right now is the fact that I travel for work. I counted the other day and I will be on the road 41 weeks this year. That is 41 weeks of hotels, restaraunts and being away from my husband and Sara (the puppy) and 41 weeks of increased challenges.
With traveling, what is the big deal? I get that question all the time. People see that my life as glamorous. I fly on airplanes and stay in nice hotels. I admit, I do stay in some nice hotels. My work is not stingy, BUT it comes at a cost. That cost is FOOD CHOICES. I do NOT enjoy eating at a restaraunt every single night. It greatly increases my chances of slipping away from my journey to becoming healthier. I have found that I can make small changes to help with those challenges.
In most hotels I do no have access to a stove and I NEVER have access to an oven. My tools are typically microwaves, mini fridges, and the grocery store. As I have become more nutritionally aware, I have also limited my choices even more. Sometimes it doesn't seem worth the energy it takes to really think about what I want to do that week. It takes a TON of energy that I need for training 8 to 12 hours a day. So how do I do it? How have I managed to become more nutritionally aware and make it in the traveling world? I've done it! I've lost 16 pounds in the last few months so that proves it can be done. Because I've also ONLY lost 16 pounds, it proves it is a challenge.
I start by taking some time on the Sunday before I travel to plan my week. I usually travel Monday's and Friday's. I begin by calling the hotel where I am staying. If it's a Homewood Suites or Residence Inn, I am good. I have access to a stove. Other hotels... not so much. I am lucky if I have a mini fridge and a microwave.
I ALWAYS travel with:
Shakeology- packets or powder measured out into containers
PB2- This stuff ROCKS!!
Travel Blender
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons
Lunch Bag (insulated)
Freezer box (to keep the cold items cold)
Water bottles
Then, when I know my tools, I find out where the nearest grocery store is. And I do the grocery shopping!!
The staples include:
Almond Milk (or Coconut Milk, depending on my mood)
Greek Yogurt (several small cups- makes it easy to stick in my cooler)
Gallon of Water
Small tomatoes, Spinach, Feta Cheese, Cranberries (for a salad)
Bananas
1 or 2 microwave meals (Healthy Choice)**
1 Can of soup (I can only do about 1 can of soup a week- I don't really enjoy it, but it's easy in a hotel room)
**I do NOT advocate that Healthy Choice microwave meals are the best choice, but when I am limited, that's my go to.
If I am in a hotel room with a stove, the possibilities open up even further. Chicken and Pork Chops are my favorite items to cook in a hotel room because they are easy and cook up semi decent in a pan on the stove. Just add some BBQ Sauce or seasonings and you're on your way to a delicious meal.
WORKING OUT is the KEY when I am on the road!! If I do not work out, and there are times I have to eat out, I feel so awful the next day and everything goes to waste for a day or so. Working out helps keep my energy levels HIGH and my sanity levels normal (of course, that's subjective, right?). We will discuss more of this in a later post down the road.
I bring a portable DVD player with me and my workout DVD's (currently working my way through 90 days of Chalean Extreme) and my resistence band (which gives me just as much of a workout as if I had used weights). I schedule my time to workout (usually after training because I have to be there so early to begin with), and when I am done, then I continue with the dinner routine.
So... what does my typical day look like, you ask?
Breakfast is a no brainer------ easiest meal of the day:
SHAKEOLOGY!!!!!
Lunch is a little more challenging. Usually it consists of a frozen meal (Healthy Choice) or some greek yogurt, fruit (apples, bananas, and mango are a favorite), string cheese, and some veggies (snap peas or carrots).
Dinner is either out with co workers twice a week (I try to limit it to once or twice a week) and typically have a salad with viniagarette dressing, no cheese, no croutons, and ALL veggies. If I don't go out, it's a microwave meal if I didn't have one for lunch, or oftentimes another Shakeology.
I will dig a bit deeper as the weeks go on and I start to overcome more challenges. I wanted to share with my fellow travelers (vacation, work, whatever) how it can be done. It's challenging, FOR SURE, but it's possible to eat healthy while on the road!!!!
With traveling, what is the big deal? I get that question all the time. People see that my life as glamorous. I fly on airplanes and stay in nice hotels. I admit, I do stay in some nice hotels. My work is not stingy, BUT it comes at a cost. That cost is FOOD CHOICES. I do NOT enjoy eating at a restaraunt every single night. It greatly increases my chances of slipping away from my journey to becoming healthier. I have found that I can make small changes to help with those challenges.
In most hotels I do no have access to a stove and I NEVER have access to an oven. My tools are typically microwaves, mini fridges, and the grocery store. As I have become more nutritionally aware, I have also limited my choices even more
I start by taking some time on the Sunday before I travel to plan my week. I usually travel Monday's and Friday's. I begin by calling the hotel where I am staying. If it's a Homewood Suites or Residence Inn, I am good. I have access to a stove. Other hotels... not so much. I am lucky if I have a mini fridge and a microwave.
I ALWAYS travel with:
Shakeology- packets or powder measured out into containers
PB2- This stuff ROCKS!!
Travel Blender
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoons
Lunch Bag (insulated)
Freezer box (to keep the cold items cold)
Water bottles
Then, when I know my tools, I find out where the nearest grocery store is. And I do the grocery shopping!!
The staples include:
Almond Milk (or Coconut Milk, depending on my mood)
Greek Yogurt (several small cups- makes it easy to stick in my cooler)
Gallon of Water
Small tomatoes, Spinach, Feta Cheese, Cranberries (for a salad)
Bananas
1 or 2 microwave meals (Healthy Choice)**
1 Can of soup (I can only do about 1 can of soup a week- I don't really enjoy it, but it's easy in a hotel room)
**I do NOT advocate that Healthy Choice microwave meals are the best choice, but when I am limited, that's my go to.
If I am in a hotel room with a stove, the possibilities open up even further. Chicken and Pork Chops are my favorite items to cook in a hotel room because they are easy and cook up semi decent in a pan on the stove. Just add some BBQ Sauce or seasonings and you're on your way to a delicious meal.
WORKING OUT is the KEY when I am on the road!! If I do not work out, and there are times I have to eat out, I feel so awful the next day and everything goes to waste for a day or so. Working out helps keep my energy levels HIGH and my sanity levels normal (of course, that's subjective, right?). We will discuss more of this in a later post down the road.
I bring a portable DVD player with me and my workout DVD's (currently working my way through 90 days of Chalean Extreme) and my resistence band (which gives me just as much of a workout as if I had used weights). I schedule my time to workout (usually after training because I have to be there so early to begin with), and when I am done, then I continue with the dinner routine.
So... what does my typical day look like, you ask?
Breakfast is a no brainer------ easiest meal of the day:
SHAKEOLOGY!!!!!
Lunch is a little more challenging. Usually it consists of a frozen meal (Healthy Choice) or some greek yogurt, fruit (apples, bananas, and mango are a favorite), string cheese, and some veggies (snap peas or carrots).
Dinner is either out with co workers twice a week (I try to limit it to once or twice a week) and typically have a salad with viniagarette dressing, no cheese, no croutons, and ALL veggies. If I don't go out, it's a microwave meal if I didn't have one for lunch, or oftentimes another Shakeology.
I will dig a bit deeper as the weeks go on and I start to overcome more challenges. I wanted to share with my fellow travelers (vacation, work, whatever) how it can be done. It's challenging, FOR SURE, but it's possible to eat healthy while on the road!!!!
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