The Strength

Monday, February 6, 2012

Rooting for the Underdog

I love rooting for the underdog! It' especially wonderful when they pull it off and actually WIN!!

I think about how I grew up. I had four sisters and we were not overly encouraged to believe that we could
succeed in anything we set our minds to. I could go on with stories of deep plots, tears and drama...But that's not
what you need to read! For this is "motivational monday"!

The Giants were not suppose to win! But they did! They persevered, they overcame, and they won! I'm sure
they planned, practiced and practiced, kept the focus on the task at hand. They put everything they had into this
game,and kicked the Patriots butt!!

You could use the same regiment for your diet and exercise plan! Plan, your exercise and food for the week.
Persevere, through the temptations to not move your body and/or swerve into a drive thru! Overcome the fact that
you are worth being healthy and fit! Keep your focus on the task at hand, by not losing sight of your goals!

Anything is possible, with a little work and a deep belief in yourself!

Fail to plan. Plan to fail!!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Egg Ball

Isn't this a beautiful picture?!

Finally, I got a new computer! A big beautiful MAC! This was the easiest computer I've ever set up! One wire, plug it into the screen and into the wall. Follow the prompts ...DONE! Then... I have this IPhoto icon, I just put my SD card into the slot from my new Nikon and Ta Da! All of my pictures popped up! Oh my gosh so easy!

Just like this breakfast!! My boys call this the "Egg Ball"! It was the only way I would let them cook eggs over the summer when I wasn't home...In the microwave!!

Use a glass (plastic breaks down) 2 cup measuring cup.
I used: (use what you like!!)
3/4 cup of egg whites
1T onion, chopped
1 T pepper, chopped
2 mushrooms, chopped
1 handful fresh spinach, chopped
Mrs.Dash or pepper to taste
Cook for 1 minute, stir cook for another minute drop the egg ball onto your plate, done! Two minutes to a hot yummy breakfast!
So easy, even your kids can do it!!

Nobody else's footsteps lead exactly where you're going.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Food Guide Pymarid

Do you know that the USDA stands for United Stated Department of Agriculture? Did you ever wonder... why the USDA want us to eat so much bread, cereal, rice, and pasta? AGRICULTURE! This pyramid breaks down to about 300 grams of carbs a day! All of those carbs can lead to hyperinsulinenmia. Hyperinsulinenmia is also linked to diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease. By eating from the food guide pyramid, we are keeping everyone employed! From the farmers to industries to pharmaceutical companies to the doctors! Thanks, but no thanks!

Go fresh! Eat REAL food! Lean meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar! Watch yourself become healthier and healthier!!! Start taking note of how much processed foods you are eating and feeding your family. Stop making it! Start serving "real clean" food! See how great you feel!

Just because you're not sick doesn't mean you're healthy.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tuesdays Work Out!!

Well we may or may not see the sun here, but....Its going to be warm! 60! Makes me want to be outside!

I set up two stations 200 meters apart.
Station #1 TRX (or two chairs with a bar in between)
Mat and #14 med ball close to a wall
Station #2 #35 kettlebell (or something that is challenging to you!)
#20 medball close to a wall (if you don't have a med ball, you can either use a weight, or just a ball)

5 rounds for time! (I'll post my time in the comments when I'm done!!)
15 TRX body rows
15 sit ups with med ball in hands, feet against a wall, slight bend in the knees. Ball touches the floor behind head and wall in front.
200 meter run (seriously!! NO JOGGING!)
15 KB Swings
15 Wall Ball 10 ft target (No Med ball? Air squats my friend!! Quick, quick, quick!)
200 meter RUN

Monday, January 30, 2012

Motivation

I just came back from a weekend at a CrossFit certification in Columbus Ohio! My head is still spinning from all of the knowledge, information, and wwwaaaayyyy different modalities on training! I was in the company of the two most wonderful women that were just as eager as I was to learn the "science" behind the CrossFit way of life and exercise! Check out the photo at http://crossfit.com/ We are the top right photo, kind of in the center, rear of the picture!

You'll be hearing and seeing more about CrossFit in the weeks to come...That is the kind of training facility that I am opening!! I am super excited to get this ball rolling! Stay tuned :)

"No man is able to make progress when he is wavering between opposite things."

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Mexican Stuffed Peppers in a Crock Pot

This recipe is from one of my favorite magazines...Clean Eating! Shocked aren't you ;)
(Sorry for the fake pictures...waiting on my new computer!)

Mexican Stuffed Peppers in a Crock Pot

Serves 6 Prep time 25 minutes cooking time 6 hours

Ingredients:
1 26.46-oz carton chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
2 whole plus 3 minced garlic cloves, divided
3 tsp chili powder, divided
3 tsp cumin, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
1/4 cup whole plus 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, divided
1 lb extra lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cups grated zucchini
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 15oz BPA-free can or 1 2/3 cups cooked black beans
3/4 cup grated low-fat Mexican blend cheese, divided
6 red, green,or yellow bell peppers, tops and seeds removed

ONE In a blender, process tomatoes, 1/2 cup onion, 2 whole cloves garlic, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 cup whole cilantro until smooth. Pour 1/2 cup mixture into a 5 to 6 qt crock pot and set aside remaining mixture aside.
TWO In a large bowl, add beef, remaining 1tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper and zucchini. With your hands mix thoroughly until well combined. Add minced garlic, remaining 1 cup onion, jalapeno, corn, chopped cilantro, beans and 1/2 cup cheese; mix well until combined.
THREE Pack beef mixture tightly into peppers, dividing evenly. Arrange peppers, cut side up, in crock pot. pour remaining tomato mixture over top. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese on peppers cover and cook for 10 more minutes, until cheese melts. serve peppers with sauce, dividing evenly.
Nutrients per serving: (1stuffed pepper and 1/3 cup sauce)
Calories: 290, Total fat 7g, Saturated 3g, Monounsaturated fat 1g, Polyunsaturated fat 1g, Carbs 32g, Fiber 11g, Sugar 12g, Protein 27g, Sodium 350g, Cholesterol 50g

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Too Much Fruit?!

.
Personally, I think this phrase is backwards! It should be Vegetables and Fruit!

Do you know that the maximum number of servings of fruit you should eat per day if you are trying to lose weight is TWO?

Why you ask? Fruit has almost three times the calories per serving as nonstarchy vegetables, so it is easier to consume too many fruit calories, which can interfere with weight loss. People who think of fruit as a "free food" are unknowingly consuming up to 250 extra calories a day, which could prevent them from losing one pound of fat every two weeks!

So limit your fruit consumption to 2 servings a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. It's also good to know the actual serving size of your fruit. A large banana is 2 servings!! Your focus should be on lean protein and vegetables for each meal.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. ~Vince Lombardi

Motivational Quotes

You must act as if it is impossible to fail.
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself!
Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, your probably right!
If you are sick of starting over, you have to stop quitting
You won't fail if you're not perfect, you'll fail if you're not committed to improving yourself slightly each day.
We can reverse years of damage to our bodies by deciding to raise our standards for ourselves, then living differently. Old wounds heal, injuries repair, and the whole system improves with just a few changes in what we put into our bodies and how we move them.
Failure is not fatal; failing to change will be."
Food for Thought: The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Strengthen Your Desire! Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.
Success is not a race, be patient.
It's not about how good you are, but how bad you want it!
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go..."
"Never trade what you want the most for what you want at the moment"
"Success is not a place that we aspire to, it is a process in which we live by. Often the only ingredient being the ability to not quit"
Be specific in what you want, and use specific words. Empower yourself, and become the person you dream about
That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
The odds of hitting a target go up dramatically when you aim at it." ~Mal Pancoast
At the beginning of any task, more than anything else, your attitude will affect it's successful outcome.
Do or do not. There is no try.~Yoda
Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means, effort, pain, difficulty.
Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear."
There is no one giant step that does it. It's a lot of little steps."
Start doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you'll be doing the impossible!
"My life tomorrow will be the result of my attitudes and the choices I make today."
People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing, that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar
"Clear your mind of can't." ~Dr. Samuel Johnson
"Any experience can be transformed into something of value. Everything depends on the way you look at things. You cannot have the success without the failures.
What are stumbling blocks and defeat before you, can be stepping stones to victory if you remain determined.
Listen closely: the only time it's too late to change yourself is when you're dead. Until then, you're simply making excuses or lying to yourself.
If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got!
"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently". ~Henry Ford
What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. ~ John Ruskin
Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality." ~Ralph Marston
One definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result.
"If we defend our habits, we have no intentions of quitting them."
Your past does not equal, nor does it dictate, your future
Do you choose to simply know the path, or do you choose to walk it?
Your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down...
When one approach is not working to reach the desired goal, that's not a reason to abandon the goal. Instead, it is time to devise another approach."------Ralph Marston
Discipline is remembering what you want.
Knowing is not enough, you must apply.
Make the decision, then do something - no matter how small - toward accomplishing what you want.
Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein
Food for Thought: The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Strengthen Your Desire! Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.