Benefits of coconut oil

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years for its wonderful health benefits. In parts of the world using coconut oil on your hair and skin has been an ancient practice. 

When shopping for the perfect coconut oil make sure you buy organic. This way you will ensure no GMOs. We tend to use Barleans Extra Virgin. This stuff is so yummy!

Most popular uses of coconut oil:

1. Skin moisturizer - This fabulous smelling oil is AWESOME for your skin! Many brands of commercial moisturizers contain petroleum based ingredients that can suffocate the skin. Coconut oil provides real and deep moisture. It helps to strengthen the underlying tissues and removes the yucky dead cells on your face. It will seem very greasy at first but once it starts absorbing into your skin that feeling will go away. Use the same amount as you would with any other moisturizer. 

2. Hair moisturizer - Regular application of coconut oil on your hair can help keep it strong and nourished. Coconut oil penetrates the hair and locks in moisture helping defend it against environmental impurities and heat. Coconut oil is rich in Vitamin E which helps maintain your hair's shine and softness.

3. Cooking - You can really replace coconut oil for butter in most recipes. Coconut oil is used most frequently in Asian cooking. It is great in baked goods and one of my favorite ways to use it is when I make popcorn. I put about a spoonful in a pan on the stove and then add the popcorn.. This is a great, healthy way to cook! 

Clean Eating Parmesan Chicken Recipe

This is a very simple dish to make and very delicious! I want to thank my coach Melanie for introducing me to this amazing recipe! You can serve this over steamed veggies or rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs or whole wheat panko crumbs
• 2 tbsp. fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/8 tsp oregano

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Break open eggs into a shallow dish and scramble
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper, lemon pepper and oregano
• Dip each side of chicken breast into egg and then into the bread crumb mixture
• Place in a large baking dish 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes
• Enjoy!

Shop the perimeter

1. Write down your grocery list and take a look at the most important things:

• milk
• eggs
• apples
• celery
• lettuce
• bananas
• fresh chicken
• yogurt
• orange juice
• nuts
• onion
• garlic
• tomatoes
• whole wheat bread
• cereal
• oats
• boxed rice
• frozen dinners
• ice cream

Now, think about where in the grocery store these items are located. 97% of these items are located on the PERIMETER and if you notice the "not-so-healthy" items are located in the middle. This my friends is simple psychology. The grocery stores want to get you in the middle aisles to buy all of the crap that is there. A good tip is to organize your list with the layout of the store. You know you will be walking in to produce, fruits and veggies, this is a place where you should be loading up your cart. Then make your way around to your meats and dairy and fill up your cart so that when you have to tackle the middle aisles, you don't have much room left for 4 bags of chips and pop and candy etc. Once you have your few items from the "middle" go straight to check out and do not stroll around. If you dilly dally down the aisles, the more likely you are to grab junk!!!

Also, DO NOT SHOP WHILE HUNGRY! If you are going to the grocery store to do your weekly shopping, make sure it's after you have had breakfast or lunch. We tend to over-spend and over-buy when we are hungry, because we are looking for that insta-gratification. "Oh, if I buy these potato chips now, I can start munching on them when I get in the car, because I am starving from not eating all day". NO, BAD! Put the potato chips down!

Going to the store on a full belly guarantees you will stick to your list 99% of the time and not stray from what you went there to get. If you are full, a bag of potato chips won't sound as appetizing and you are more likely to pass them up.

Focus on your list and filling your cart all the way with healthy options. That way you won't have any extra room for junk.

The more you focus on eating better, the less important the middle aisles will become :)

Transform the way you eat

Change the way you eat!

By simply ( I shouldn't say simply, because this is the hardest part for most people) changing the way you eat, you can shed off those extra troublesome pounds that have been lurking around your belly region. If you have hit a plateau and aren't losing those last few pounds, or are working out and nothing is happening, a big part of that has to do with your diet! 80% of our bodies are made in the kitchen! Here are a few tips for how to deal with the foods we all love, but need to eat less of or cut out completely.

Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers - You don't have to give up that yummy flavor of a burger, but rather look for alternatives when choosing type of meat. Turkey burgers are a great alternative because you're getting that same great taste but with a leaner meat. You can also try veggie burgers, which have no meat at all and are vegetarian friendly!

Potato Chips - Ohh we love our summer picnics with our many varieties of potato chips... but those chips... as tasty as they might be... are bad! Think healthy alternatives like popcorn. I'm not talking about movie-popcorn, load as much butter on there as possible popcorn, but popcorn you can make on the stove, using your oil of choice and cutting down on calories. Coconut oil is a great way to cook popcorn and it gives it an AMAZING flavor and it's great for you! Just add a little salt and your ready to go!

White Bread - There are a lot of foods out there where using a whole grain alternative doesn't really do much for you. In this instance with bread, it is WAY better to go for whole grain bread. White bread has 0 nutritional value and it's just empty calories. There is no way around this one.

French Fries - French fries, like most every other fried food are unhealthy by nature. For a good alternative try a baked potato or mashed potatoes. You can always add a little ketchup to get the same flavor.

Pop/Soda - It's just plain not good for you. A different study comes out everyday saying how pop is bad and could contain cancer causing ingredients. Cut it out. You are drinking empty calories when you could be drinking water that will hydrate your body. Water is your alternative and you can always add fruit to give it a different flavor!

You don't have to make all of these changes at one time. Take it slow and ease yourself into new eating habits. You will look and feel better by replacing your normal choices with healthy choices!

Getting off track..

I thought this picture was appropriate because this is exactly how I have been feeling. I went on vacation in April and I was so on track with my health and fitness and I came back and I just fell off the wagon completely. I know it happens and I'm ok with admitting that, but I feel like I let myself down. I want to feel good and be healthy and happy.

I have FINALLY ordered the 21-day fix (YES) and I can't wait for it to get here. I have heard so many great things about it and I can't wait to try it! I am looking to this as my "getting back on track" step. AND I have my cousins wedding in 3 months and would like to fit into my bridesmaids dress nicely... who wouldn't?!? We all want to be the hottest bridesmaid ;)

The lesson of the day is: We all fall off track and life happens. We veer off course and sometimes it's hard to get back on, but in the back of our minds we know we have to do it. Our health is important and as I'm getting older it's the one thing that I can control. I can control what I am putting into my body and how I am treating my body. You treat it well and it will reward you. It's not worth it to live your life and not like who you are and to look in the mirror and not like what you see.

It's time to change your life. Are you going to rise up, or just keep falling?

Flex Wednesday

It's Flex Wednesday!

As I've been working on my Chalene Extreme and getting stronger, I've really noticed my enjoyment of the lifting part of these exercises. I have always enjoyed lifting weights and really enjoyed the arms and back workouts in P90X and I love that Chalene is based around lifting with upper body and lower body at the same time. I know that many women think that they will "bulk up" if they lift and look like those crazy body builder women on steroids, but that is sooooooo far from the truth! Strength training will tone you up, boost your metabolism, and make you a lean, mean, fighting machine!! You are building muscle which burns fat and calories, so why not pick up those weights and try it!!! Plus, who doesn't love having awesome arms in a tank top. I have to say that I wore a tank top under my cardigan when I had to get my allergy shots this past Tuesday and I felt great when I was walkin' around in my tank top because my arms are starting to look awesome!!! When you work hard, you are allowed to flaunt your guns! That's what it's all about! Be happy with who you are and be proud of what you look at in the mirror everyday. If you aren't happy, make a commitment to yourself that you are going to change and then explore options that will work best for you! I am always here to help and provide suggestions for anyone looking to change their life!

30 days Chalene Extreme

I am coming to the end of my 30 days on Chalene Extreme. It's going to be time for me to switch to the next phase and I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed this first burn phase. It has been a lot of lifting and a lot of squats and various leg moves, but I have really loved the lifting part of these exercises. I have this weird obsession with arms and I think that's why I love lifting so much. As I type this I am extremely sore and my thighs are killing me enough that it makes it hard to go up and down steps, but that's what it is all about. I have always been 100% in love with P90X and that was my number 1 workout, but now that I have discovered Chalene, I am really loving her too! I'm cheating on Tony Horton!! EEEEKKK! lol

Chalene is very motivating and I have started following her on Facebook and everyday she really posts motivational ideas and she pushes you to be the best person you can be. I think her workouts so far are great and I'm thinking about trying Turbofire next. I have heard good things about Turbofire and I tend to stay with programs when I like the trainer. Hence my love of Tony Horton and P90X which is why I purchased P90X3.

The arm workouts in the first burn phase are really great. She focuses on fly's and working your biceps and shoulders while also doing squats and lunges which with the extra weight kill your thighs! Want a good thigh and butt workout also? This is for you! It's like squat city! But, I can say that I am noticing my bum is a little more lifted in my pants which is pretty exciting! YAY! I think it's the little things like seeing small changes in your body, that keep you coming back for more. Seeing the changes in yourself and your mood and how much energy you will have is really the best part of this journey. When I come home from work I am tired, I don't feel like getting my workout clothes on and starting my videos, but I have the motivation pictures and I have my challenge group, where people are just like me and don't want to do it, but they do. I am so thankful for my challenge group and the people involved in it, because they make me want to BRING IT everyday and they are the ones that make me want to show up and get it done. It's about teamwork and going through struggles with others who are in the same boat that you are. The only person holding you back is yourself.