Here are a few great links for eating clean and great fitness tips

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/  Mark Sisson, Primal Blueprint (Mark's Daily Apple website)

https://www.gabbyandlaird.com/home Gabby Reece & Laird Hamilton

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/  100 Days of Real Food - eating fresh healthy food on a budget.

The guy who never gave up.

   This amazing man was featured on Good Morning America several months ago. I ran across this You Tube video of him. He is an amazing inspiration that health and fitness is less about achieving a number on a scale or have brute strength/will power. It's about consistency, perseverance, and believing in yourself. Make this holiday season about believing in yourself.

Learning Humility, Respect & Compassion

  This morning I heard this Police Officer interviewed on Good Morning America. The evening of November 14th was a particularly cold night in New York City. He found this homeless gentleman with no socks or shoes. This man had in fact never owned a pair of shoes. He immediately went into the nearest sketchers store and purchased a pair of socks and shoes. He then knelt down and helped put the socks and shoes on this gentleman. Such Humilit

y is not seen now a days. During this holiday season let's all practice compassion, humility and giving instead of stressing about our bodies or what gifts we are giving or parties we are missing.

Point of Fitness Inspiration

Cool new recipe I found on Pinterest

Spicy-Peanut Portobello Kale Rice Bowl.

I'm on a spicy peanut rice bowl kick lately. First it was my Spicy Peanut Tofu Rice + Avocado Twirl Salad and now a more rustic dish using earthy portobello mushrooms, my spicy peanut kale salad, a crunchy garnish of roasted peanuts and fragrant cilantro on top. This Spicy-Peanut Portobello Kale Rice Bowl is a one-bowl-wonder meal to curl up to..



Dive in. Fork first.


Mushroom-inspired..


Spicy Peanut Kale Salad Infused..




Spicy Peanut Portobello Kale Rice Bowl with cilantro
vegan, serves 4

4 cups cooked brown rice (you could also sub with quinoa, cous cous, farro or barley)
4 cups Spicy Peanut Ginger Kale
2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced into long, thin strips
1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp safflower oil
salt/pepper for mushrooms
2 Tbsp whole or chopped roasted peanuts
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, lightly chopped

Nutrition Facts (via CalorieCount.com - per serving - 4 per recipe)
Calories: 518, Fat: 18g, Carbs: 74g, Protein: 18g, Fiber: 10g
Rich in vitamins A, C, calcium, iron and manganese.

note: these calories assume that you use up ALL the spicy kale salad batch (which is about 6-7 cups worth.) So this is a hearty portion of kale + rice + shrooms!

Modifications: If you'd like even more protein - add in some baked or sauteed tofu cubes or some cooked beans or lentils. You could also reduce rice serving size and add in more protein too. It all depends on what protein / carb/ fat ration you are seeking for your meal. This recipe can easily be modified to fit in. If you want lower fat - simply omit some of the peanut butter in the kale salad and use less chopped peanuts.

Directions:

1. Prepare the Spicy Peanut Ginger Kale. Set aside. You can use either warm kale salad or chill ahead of time and use chilled kale salad.

2. Cook your brown rice or heat pre-cooked rice packets – about 4 cups.

3. In a skillet, over high heat, add the safflower oil. When oil is hot, add in the sliced mushrooms and sweet onions. Saute until tender. Add in the 1 tsp of tamari. Salt and pepper the mushrooms to taste. With the pan still hot, add in some of the kale salad and toss gently with the mushrooms and onions. Turn off heat and let sit.

4. To plate your dish - grab 4 bowls (or as many people as you are serving.) To each bowl: add a bottom layer of rice. Top with a generous portion of spicy kale salad. Toss the rice with the kale salad to infuse the rice with some spicy peanut flavor. Then top off with the kale mushroom skillet mixture - and any liquid-y sauce left on the pan. The final layer: garnish with peanuts and fresh cilantro. Serve warm. Save leftovers for later - reheats like a dream.

Encouragement

Success

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND 

   COCONUT SOUP WITH                 

                    Shrimp

Serves: 4 to 6

Savor this Thai-inspired soup, with a base of creamy coconut milk, rich butternut squash, a hint of spicy peppers and succulent shrimp. For a shortcut, look for peeled and cubed butternut squash in the produce department. Serve over rice or noodles if you like.

Ingredients: 

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red curry paste, more to taste

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups

2 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (optional)

Lime wedges

Method: 

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, sugar and salt and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in squash, broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Stir in shrimp and simmer just until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro, sprinkle with coconut and serve with lime wedges on the side.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:250 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 175mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 23g protein

Special Diets: Dairy Free

Muscle & Metabolism by Gabby Reece

METABOLISM: IT’S JUST SCIENCE

Tue, 10/02/2012 - 9:02pm -- Editor

Want to boost your metabolism? Be a musclehead. All you ladies out there who don’t want to get “too big” lifting weights at the gym, listen up.

The one thing that really does help you lose weight or stay slim is how efficiently your metabolism works. So what does resistance training have to do with your metabolism? Science.

The reason an individual becomes overweight is scientific: They’re taking in more calories then they’re burning. On the rare occasion, it can be attributed to something else, but usually it’s that simple. Crazy, huh? All this talk about losing weight and it really comes down to burning more calories or the same amount of calories you consume in a day. Did the heavens just part for you and the light coming shining down? Why have we gotten so far away from the simple truth of it all?

OK, enough preaching-let’s get back to your muscles. If you’re doing a cardiovascular activity (running, biking, swimming, walking), you burn calories for the duration of the time you’re exercising. Now if you build muscles, your muscles become a calorie-burning machine. So let’s say you lift weights for an hour. Your muscles will burn calories all day long.

I read about a study done by Tufts University that stated women who resistance trained for 15 weeks increased their metabolic rate by 15%. That’s 1% a week! Walk that one around the block.

Why? By building muscle tissue, the ladies create tissue that burns calories even when they’re not exercising. That’s why when you go on a starvation diet, the first place your body attacks for calories is not the stored fat, it’s the healthy yummy muscle tissue. Good stuff, those muscles.

I’m not talking about becoming Arnold. I’m talking about supplementing your exercise life with some form of resistance training. If you’re truly paranoid about getting too big, then lift very light weights and do 12 to 15 reps. If you’re not doing any kind of sport performance, then do time under tension training. That’s where you do an exercise for a minute or two. Time under tension training isn’t good for you if you’re trying to be explosive (jumping or sprinting). It’s not great for the fast twitch muscles. If you’re just working out to look good and stay healthy, then it’s wonderful. Any weight you can lift for 2 minutes isn’t going to make you big. Trust me. Muscle is your metabolism and butt’s friend. Love muscles.

If you want to take care of your metabolism function, then try to get decent sleep and don’t skip meals (especially breakfast). You start off your day behind the metabolic eight ball if you skip the first meal of the day. Your body spends the rest of the day playing catch up, and you’re not functioning at an optimum level. Once you get this system dialed-eating well, exercising, and adding resistance training to your life-it does become easier. It’s like priming the water pump. Yes, you have to work hard in the beginning to get the water out, but once things start flowing, then you just have to tap the handle to get a bucket of water. Look at your calorie burning efficient self the same way.

I will say it one more time before I go-it’s just science. Granted, overeating is a tricky emotional topic, but the way to stay a certain weight or get down to a desired number is very straightforward.

Written By Gabby Reece

Wonderful piece of inspiration

30 Days of Clean Eating

 It's now September 13th, almost two weeks into my 30 days of clean eating. There have been a few slip ups (2 cupcakes last Saturday and a 2 glasses of wine last Wednesday), but here's what I have learned:

1. Your body goes into shock when you decide to cut out all alcohol, sugar, gluten, soy, most dairy (everything but Greek yogurt), and limit your caffeine intake to 1-2 glasses of black coffee in the morning.
2. When you're body goes into that shock, you realize just how deeply your mind plays a part in your healthy eating. I learned my body really wasn't hungry when i thought it was, and it was more satisfied by the things I was eating than what I wasn't eating (how's that for a Dr. Seuss riddle). 
3. If I focus on eating lots of lean proteins (beans, nuts, fish, lean beef, chicken, lamb, etc), drinking more water and herbal tea, and eating fresh produce and healthy fats like avocado and extra virgin olive oil I "magically" take the compulsivety out of eating. 
4. When I am free of that compulsive eating behavior, I am free to live a healthier and freer lifestyle. That leaves me so much more brain power and space to focus on people and things that are important to me other than food.

   So why don't you try it...30 days of clean eating. No processed foods, nothing in a package with ingredients you can't pronounce. Just good old fashioned good food. It doesn't have to be gourmet or organic, just fresh stuff. As a warning...this does take practice, patience and planning. You will have to cook more, plan more and you may make a mess of your kitchen. I'm learning even with a few blunders that it is so much more worth it than any other option.  

P.S. If you can't give up all the things I've been trying to do, don't sweat it. Start with changing on 1-2 things about the way you eat or drink. Maybe it's giving up soda/sugary drinks and replacing it with water and herbal tea. Maybe it's eating out less and cooking at home more. It's all about making small changes that equate to long term gains.

A great recipe from the Fage Greek Yogurt Facebook page

Chilled Avocado And Yogurt Summer Soup

March 2, 2011

Prep Time	Cook Time	Total Time
2 h 10 min	n/a	2 h 10 min
Servings:  4
FAGE Used:		FAGE Total 0%

FAGE

Ingredients:

• 17.6 fl oz FAGE Total 0% Yogurt
• 3 large ripe avocados
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 pint 2% milk
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp chopped chives for garnish
• A few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2.0 oz homemade croutons

Preparation Directions:

1. Peel and chop the avocado into chunks, then place into a food processor.
2. Pour over the lemon juice; add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
3. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
4. To serve, chill four soup bowls, pour in the soup, and garnish with croutons and chives. So simple, quick and delicious!

Additional Notes:

Chef's Tip | To make the homemade croutons, simply take a thick slice of your favorite (crusty cottage loaf or crusty olive bread) and cut into bite-size pieces. Place onto a baking sheet, drizzle then with some Greek olive oil and bake until golden brown.

* These recipes were submitted by our users. We are not responsible for any errors or suggestions.

A Great Motivator

   I love Gabby reece. She is an amazing motivator and has been doing some great things for women concerning their health and fitness. This is one of the latest postings from her and her husbands website https://www.gabbyandlaird.com. Read her article below and grab a hold of these simple truths.

THE SIMPLE WAY TO GET IN SHAPE

Tue, 08/21/2012 - 8:00pm -- Editor

Writing about health and fitness, I admit I can get a little overly philosophical. This was put in perspective for me the other day when I was in the gym and saw a woman I see there only every three or four months. I looked over at her running on the treadmill and saw someone who’d made a small transformation to her body. She never needed to lose tons of weight, but she’d obviously been doing something different. I went over to talk to her and tell her how great she looked, and she said she’d never worked so hard in her life.

Jamie is a 41-year-old woman, with three sons ranging from about 10 to 15, who has worked since she was about 14. She’s still married to her first husband and always seems upbeat whenever I run into her.

So how did she transform her body? And why did she do it? She already looked good before and seems to have a secure situation at home. Why the change?

Jamie said she decided she wanted to feel different and maybe make a few physical changes to her body. How did she make it happen? When I asked her, she said she should write a long book, and then on page 500 she’d finally get to the bottom line and say, “You have to work out and watch what you eat.” And on a certain level, it really is that simple.

Need a little help getting there? Here are some tips:

1. Decide. It takes that moment where you can honestly say to yourself, “This is it, I want to make a change.”

2.  Commit. Once you connect with the fact that you want to change, you have to commit to the process. You may miss a day of training here and there, or shove a stress donut in your mouth, but the only way for you to get back on track is to recommit. This won’t be fun, so you’ll have to dig deeper within yourself to create the change you want.

3. Believe in yourself. Just know that you can do this with good eating and consistent exercise. Results are not just for members of a special club — they can happen for everyone.

4. Move. You’re going to have to move your body at least 4 to 5 days a week, but not for hours and hours at a time. Just get moving, even if you start out with 15 to 30 minutes a day. As time goes on and you want to see more changes in your body, you’ll have to move harder and longer.

5. Eat right. Watch your portions, eat real food (not out of a bag, can, jar, or microwave), drink lots of water, go easy on the sugar, avoid fast food, and don’t eat too much dairy, pasta, bread, white rice, red meat, foods made with flour, or foods with lots of chemicals and preservatives. Easy, right? I know it’s tricky, but this is part is really key. What you put in your mouth affects your butt, brain, and mood.

6.  Decompress. Try to manage your stress and make sure you’re getting enough sleep. And take a deep breath now and then — aaaah.
So here’s to Jamie and her page 500, for reminding us to keep it simple.

by Gabby Reece