I’ve started creating some “bonus” videos for my Personal Training clients and you’re free to try them too. Abs are one muscle you can work every single day. If you need to regress the move I’m doing, put your knees on the floor, if you want to progress the move, you can flip the BOSU so the ball-side is on the carpet. If you don’t have a BOSU and have a stability ball, use that, but know it’s much harder because your stabliiation is challenged. For cardio planks - don’t use the ball please! You’ll go flying 🤪 If you try this, please comment ON YOU TUBE!!!
Shift Shop Proving Ground launches Oct 22!
Yall, you want to watch this video. YOU DO! I love that the modifier in here is a coach friend of mine, a plus size model, a super successful woman and has a goal of losing over 100 lbs. And she knows it’s not easy, but her arse is not going to give up or cheat. Believe me, I know her and she has willpower like I’ve never seen!
Shift Shop is a “bootcamp-like” workout and It's pretty rad and more "bootcamp-ish" which is fun. I love to do this outside in the yard or on my patio and my kids LOVE joining in! I was fortunate to be in the Elite Coach Test Group when the original program launched last May and now the super motivating, Chris Downing has added 4 new videos. We are going to re-shuffle it all so be ready to shock your body and lean it out, build it up and start from the inside out!
The other exciting part is Chris’s meal plan works well with Whole30, Keto and Paleo diets because it’s low carbs (week 3 is no grains all together) and it is delicious! It’s one of my top favorite plans so far! Check out my Shift Shop approved recipes here!
Vegan vs. 2B Mindset Vegan
A lot of foods that are “healthy” are not necessarily healthy for weight loss. The 2B Mindset will teach you how to sustain a plant based lifestyle while seeing the results you’re after!
Pictured on left: 1/2 cup almonds and 4 dates= 590 calories, 14g protein.
Pictured on right: Vegan vanilla shakeology & 3 strawberries & 3 blueberries 160 calories, 16g protein
Both are vegan, but one will help you hit your goals much better than the other, without compromising any taste and keep you full.
Banana pancakes
Pancakes = 1R, 1P, 1Tsp
Sweet pot !Y, Rocket 1G (you can combine all these ingredients into pancakes as well and you don't notice the carbs or veggie, but use spinach not rocket...it's too strong in flavor).
I know I have a few versions of pancakes on my blog...banana pancakes, sweet potato pancakes, green pancakes, etc but y'all...I LOVE PANCAKES. Like, LOVE! My favorite are lemon pancakes my hubby makes, but they are not clean and it will cause all kinds of drool on my computer, so for now, I'm not blogging about them. Mother's Day is coming up, it might be on my list. Seriously though, I'm so obsessed with sweet potatoes, not sure I can leave them out of my breakfast every again as long as I live. haha
Ok, super easy. Grab a Ninja / Magic Bullet blender, doesn't need to be fancy and throw all these ingredients together.
Ingredients:
-1/2 banana
-2 eggs
Directions: blend, pour in pan sprayed with Olive Oil and cook. Enjoy! 1 serving size and 1R & 1P. Top with 1 tsp PB if you wish (it's still delish without it) for 1Tsp if you need / want more containers.
I feel silly even blogging about this because it's so stinking easy. But, after I made this I thought about sweet potatoes and spinach...they both are 2 ingredients that can do undetected in most foods (yes, spinach might change the color, but not the taste). So, I tried it again adding in 1G of Spinach and 3 slices of previously cooked sweet potatoes (1Y) and I got the perfect post workout meal in just pancakes. Feel free to top with PB if your containers / plan allows.
My kids like these with just bananas and eggs, but you could throw in sliced bananas also for texture, or chocolate chips for a treat!
These last in the fridge a few days so I usually make 2-4 days worth at a time if I have 2 over rip bananas. Let me know what you think!
Sweet potato waffles
how easy is this? took 3 minutes :)
Would you believe that at one point in my life (that happened to last for 37 yrs) I did not like sweet potatoes? I mean, I borderline hated them and would have rather starved than eat them. First world problems right? Not super proud, but keeping it real. Insert 21-Day Ultimate Reset where you eat a lot of sweet potatoes and other foods I disliked like jicama, olives, sunflower seeds. But when you're hungry and following a plan to a T, you. will. eat. it. And now, I feel like most of my recipes incorporate sweet potatoes somehow. And I LOVE THEM!
So, try this new one... 4 ingredients plus any extras you want to throw in for flavor
Ingredients:
-2 eggs
-1/2 c (or a yellow container) mashed sweet potatoes, skin off
-1 c (or a green container) spinach, or you can combine green onions, spinach, arugula, zucchini however you want so that it all equals 1 green container
-1 tsp olive oil for cooking
-salt & pepper to taste (or any seasoning you like as long as it doesn't have sugar)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into heated, greased, waffle iron. If you don't have that, feel free to make pancakes instead ;) This makes exactly one waffle as pictured and the 21-day fix containers are 1 R, 1 Y, 1 G, 1 tsp. This is an ideal pre-workout breakfast so make it the night before or in the morning, it's super fast, and then press play 30 min later and be prepared to work it! You've properly fueled your body so now let it do the work!
These freeze well too if you want to triple or quadruple the recipe. Enjoy!
Why do I need a foam roller?
Foam rolling is essentially a self-massage that allows you to apply deep pressure to certain points of the body to release tightness and muscular tension. Adding foam roller exercises into your workout routine can help prevent muscle soreness, tightness, and more. So if your budget is tight, don't let your muscles be too! Do this at home! Keep reading for Do's and Don'ts!
Benefits of Foam Rolling
The idea behind foam rolling is that by applying a direct load to muscles and tissues, you stretch and massage the underlying tissues. This is believed to reduce fatigue and tension of the fascia [connective tissue] and muscle, enhance range of motion, promote blood flow, lengthen muscles, reduce pain and soreness, and aiding in recovery and relaxation. Ever see people who lift heavy weights look tense and like their arms can't relax or hang properly... this would help solve a lot of issues!
How Often Should You Use a Foam Roller?
Ideally, every day. “The more you foam roll, the more your muscles respond to it,” says Dipple. “Ideally, you should do it daily—as you would stretching—although ease yourself into it by gradually building up the number of sessions you do.”
He recommends dedicating 10 to 20 minutes per session to foam rolling exercises at least once a day to simply get out the kinks. “When you find an area of tension, work around it for about 30 seconds using short, slow rolls and follow this up with longer, slower (and more soothing) strokes over the whole length of the muscle.” When you first start it might feel uncomfortable, or even hurt, but don't give up! “When you’re working an area of tension, you’re applying your body weight to a tender area;" discomfort is ok, but excruciating pain is not.
4 Foam Roller Mistakes to Avoid
1. Avoid rolling directly onto your lower vertebrae. Dipple says, “Your lower back muscles will contract to help protect the spine which can cause discomfort or injury.”
2. Do not hold your breath, though it’s tempting when discomfort hits. Instead, says Dipple, take long deep breaths as you roll in order to increase blood flow to the working muscles and derive more of the benefits of foam rolling exercises.
3. Stop rolling evenly on each side. “If it’s your right leg that has an issue, spend more time on that side,” says Dipple. This isn't like lifting weights, you don't need to be completely even on each side. The next time, your other side might need more time.
4. Avoid rolling too quickly! Long and slow rolls while taking deep breaths, will cause your brain to send a message to your muscles to relax. Think ... at home massage ... and ENJOY!
Click HERE for 8 easy foam-rolling exercises.
7-Day Shakeology sampler
Let me know if you want to try any of these flavors! I can tell you our whole family drinks them...mom, dad, and both boys (ages 4 & 8). They have no clue they are drinking 70 Superfoods and they stay full without all the sugar! Me too :) There's power in how you fuel your body. Don't take shortcuts!!
My next group will start July 10th, although the group goes live the week before with lots of tips so our time together is as successful as possible.
Flavor choices are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cafe latte, greenberry, vegan chocolate, vegan vanilla, vegan strawberry, and vegan cafe latte. All Shakeology is gluten free, soy free, casein free and GMO free. Vegan flavors are also dairy free!
Shift Shop results are in!
The results are in from round 2 and Justin and Chelsea crushed Shift Shop!! I'm so proud of both of them and know they were 100% committed to daily exercise, drinking Shakeology and eating clean...and guess what...it paid off!
Many have asked how Shift Shop works:
🙌 week 1 you are doing daily exercises that are 25 min long and eating carbs like you would on 21 Day Fix
✌️ week 2 you increase the intensity to 35 min exercises and drop some of the carbs
👊 week 3 you drop all carbs (just for 7 days) and exercise 45 min / day. I bet you already spend more time than that just driving to your gym, parking and getting to class round trip. This is on your TV, tablet, phone or computer and 25-45 min and you are DONE! How amazing is that? And you get streaming for 365 days so at the end of Shift Shop, you can move on to whatever program you want to do next (p90x3, Shaun Week, Insanity Max 30, Core De Force, etc).
This is for all ages and all levels. The trainer, Chris Downing, is just like you and I. Super humble dad that took his son to work out too, got it done and went on with his day. His exercises are efficient and change each week so there's no boredom here!
TODAY ONLY YOU CAN STREAM THIS PROGRAM FOR FREE!!!!! Sign up here if you don't already have Beachbody on Demand and check it out. I'll be doing it with you and can't wait to see you sparkle :) https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club…
For more information or to save a spot in the July 17th challenge group, submit an application here: https://www.eatsweatpray.com/shift-shop/
I am going to run a private CHALLENGER TEST GROUP and I have lots of prizes ready to go. I can't wait to cheer you on!!
Shakeology for the win!
I know...rough life, right? Losing weight while eating Shakeology in a bowl with fruit and 70 Superfoods + only exercising 25-35 min / day. So hard, amiright??? 🤗
When people ask me if they'll have to "choke down Shakeology", I can't help but wonder what they've been drinking?!!? No. Freaking. Way. ❤️🙌🏻🙋🏼
True story, I did a BLIND taste test between Shakeology and Wendy's Frosty last summer with both my boys (ages 3 & 7 at the time), and they both individually chose Vegan Chocolate Shakeology!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I'll be honest, I was worried they’d chose the Wendy’s frosty because almost every kid loves sugar and with Shakeology only slightly above broccoli on the Glycemic Index, I was shocked! Matthew literally wouldn't drink his Frosty and this kid doesn’t refuse anything sugary!
Ingredients:
1 scoop / packet Vegan Chocolate Shakeology
⅓ C unsweetened Silk Almond Milk (water or other milk alternative will do).
¾ C berries (or ½ banana) **berries are less sugar, so lower on GI too
Stir Shakeology and liquid till you get desired consistency and then add fruit or nut butter. ENJOY!