After taking quite a long break, again, I'm refocusing on my health. I didn't ever really stop eating healthy. I just didn't do it actively, which lead to not really eating the correct proportions. I also wasn't very structured with my workouts...Only lifting weights "when I felt like it" and hitting up yoga 2-4 times a week. The yoga has been AMAZING for my mental health (a post for another day. Truly, it has changed my life), but I need to lift (and do cardio, whcih I loathe) as well to feel my best.
I will start blogging my meal prep, work out plans, and progress here, for anyone who needs a little extra help.
Last week, I started a hybrid schedule of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme. The 21 Day Fix is what gave me my life back 2 years ago. I was suffering from chronic illnesses, endometriosis and adenomyosis. Read my "About" page for details about that. Anyway, I needed to get back into a solid workout routine, so I decided to go back to what I know works. I developed a schedule, made a meal plan for week one, and took my DREADED before pictures, weight, and measurements. I wasn't really surprised to find that I had gained quite a bit of weight and inches. But still, eek. It was definitely time to buckle down!!
You may ask, "Tara, why a hybrid? Why not just do one or the other." Well...Have you ever done a program and gotten to workout that you just really really loathe? Not necessarily because it's hard (I LOVE a good challenge), but because it just doesn't flow for you, or you get done and feel like you got nothing out of it? Well, there are a couple of those workouts for me, and when I get to them, or get done with them, I tend to just stop the entire program and forget about it. I know...That's terrible. "Tara, don't quit!!!"
For me, it's so much easier to continue something if I actually enjoy it. So, here's my workout schedule, free from Pilates Fix Extreme. I get so frustrated with using the band in that one that I tend to just shut off the DVD player and walk away mid-workout. Hey! I'm being honest!!
I will start blogging my meal prep, work out plans, and progress here, for anyone who needs a little extra help.
Last week, I started a hybrid schedule of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme. The 21 Day Fix is what gave me my life back 2 years ago. I was suffering from chronic illnesses, endometriosis and adenomyosis. Read my "About" page for details about that. Anyway, I needed to get back into a solid workout routine, so I decided to go back to what I know works. I developed a schedule, made a meal plan for week one, and took my DREADED before pictures, weight, and measurements. I wasn't really surprised to find that I had gained quite a bit of weight and inches. But still, eek. It was definitely time to buckle down!!
You may ask, "Tara, why a hybrid? Why not just do one or the other." Well...Have you ever done a program and gotten to workout that you just really really loathe? Not necessarily because it's hard (I LOVE a good challenge), but because it just doesn't flow for you, or you get done and feel like you got nothing out of it? Well, there are a couple of those workouts for me, and when I get to them, or get done with them, I tend to just stop the entire program and forget about it. I know...That's terrible. "Tara, don't quit!!!"
For me, it's so much easier to continue something if I actually enjoy it. So, here's my workout schedule, free from Pilates Fix Extreme. I get so frustrated with using the band in that one that I tend to just shut off the DVD player and walk away mid-workout. Hey! I'm being honest!!
That might be hard to read. Essentially it's the 21 Day Fix Extreme schedule, with some of the workouts replaced with 21 Day Fix workouts. Also, you'll notice, there isn't any yoga. I'm opting to take classes in a studio 3-4 (hopefully more!) times a week. My local studio recently shutdown, so I just started going to a different one and I am loving it so far! I'm taking a good mix of classes, including a couple hot or heated ones a week.
MEAL PREP
I actually really LOVE meal planning and prepping. It's like a puzzle. I tend to prep the same things for snacks and lunches every day of the work week. I don't mind eating the same thing every day while I'm at the office. I'm too busy to really care. Dinners are another story.
That said, the weekend I did prep for week 1 was also the same weekend as a family reunion. We had a TON of grilled salmon left, so I portioned that out for 3 days worth of lunch. I paired that with a portion of brown rice, and a portion of frozen broccoli. Yes, frozen. I had a couple bags of high quality organic veggies, so I'm using them. Lunches were done for 3 days! For the other two (not pictured) I simply grilled a couple turkey burger patties that I seasoned up with a little sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and smoked paprika. I paired each of those with portions of brown rice and broccoli. I realize just how boring that sounds, but it actually tastes really good with all the spices and it's really filling. You can also add a Fix-Approved dressing or sauce. Each lunch: 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow.
For snacks, I portioned out fresh berries and ate those over 6oz of 2% plain Greek yogurt. This took a pint of strawberries, 6oz raspberries, and 6oz of blueberries for the whole week, with some leftover for the weekend. Each snack: 1 red, 1 purple.
For more snacks, I made healthier than usual caprese salads for the week. I portions out sliced roma tomatoes, and topped them with a portion of cubed fresh mozzarella, chopped fresh basil, and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil for each one. Each snack: 1 green, 1 blue, and 1 tsp.
3rd snack: for when my sweet tooth hits later on in the evening. A couple pieces of fruit. In this case, apricots and plums. This is an optional snack for me. I figure if I don't eat all 3 of my fruit portions, but I at least get 2 in, I'm good to go. Each portion: 1 purple (did I need to say that?).
Breakfast for me is a dense, nutrition packed Shakeology everyday. I like to blend my vegan chocolate Shakeo with half a frozen banana, a tablespoon of PBFIT, a portion of raw oats, a portion of spinach, lots of ice, and water. It tastes like a no-bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Super tasty! Equals 1 red, 1 purple, 1 green, 1 yellow. (If you want more information about the benefits of Shakeology, message me through the "Contact" button on the left. I LOVE Shakeology. It's an investment in your health.) Pictured here are Cafe Latte Shakeo, which is also amazing. That's what I planned to drink until I figured out that I had gone up a calorie bracket and needed to figure out a way to an additional portion each of carbs, veggies, and fruit into my meal plan.
So, there you go! Breakfasts, lunches, and snack for the work week! The best part is, it hardly took any time at all. For dinners ideas, check out my previous freezer meal post! We do a lot of those, or we grill a protein with a starch and veggie. We like to keep it simple. If it's simple, there's NO excuse not to eat healthy.
Here's to the journey and reaching goals! And if you're interesting in the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and Shakeology, let me know or visit my page. There are some AMAZING promotions going on right now. www.beachbodycoach.com/TARAJW
MEAL PREP
I actually really LOVE meal planning and prepping. It's like a puzzle. I tend to prep the same things for snacks and lunches every day of the work week. I don't mind eating the same thing every day while I'm at the office. I'm too busy to really care. Dinners are another story.
That said, the weekend I did prep for week 1 was also the same weekend as a family reunion. We had a TON of grilled salmon left, so I portioned that out for 3 days worth of lunch. I paired that with a portion of brown rice, and a portion of frozen broccoli. Yes, frozen. I had a couple bags of high quality organic veggies, so I'm using them. Lunches were done for 3 days! For the other two (not pictured) I simply grilled a couple turkey burger patties that I seasoned up with a little sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and smoked paprika. I paired each of those with portions of brown rice and broccoli. I realize just how boring that sounds, but it actually tastes really good with all the spices and it's really filling. You can also add a Fix-Approved dressing or sauce. Each lunch: 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow.
For snacks, I portioned out fresh berries and ate those over 6oz of 2% plain Greek yogurt. This took a pint of strawberries, 6oz raspberries, and 6oz of blueberries for the whole week, with some leftover for the weekend. Each snack: 1 red, 1 purple.
For more snacks, I made healthier than usual caprese salads for the week. I portions out sliced roma tomatoes, and topped them with a portion of cubed fresh mozzarella, chopped fresh basil, and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil for each one. Each snack: 1 green, 1 blue, and 1 tsp.
3rd snack: for when my sweet tooth hits later on in the evening. A couple pieces of fruit. In this case, apricots and plums. This is an optional snack for me. I figure if I don't eat all 3 of my fruit portions, but I at least get 2 in, I'm good to go. Each portion: 1 purple (did I need to say that?).
Breakfast for me is a dense, nutrition packed Shakeology everyday. I like to blend my vegan chocolate Shakeo with half a frozen banana, a tablespoon of PBFIT, a portion of raw oats, a portion of spinach, lots of ice, and water. It tastes like a no-bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Super tasty! Equals 1 red, 1 purple, 1 green, 1 yellow. (If you want more information about the benefits of Shakeology, message me through the "Contact" button on the left. I LOVE Shakeology. It's an investment in your health.) Pictured here are Cafe Latte Shakeo, which is also amazing. That's what I planned to drink until I figured out that I had gone up a calorie bracket and needed to figure out a way to an additional portion each of carbs, veggies, and fruit into my meal plan.
So, there you go! Breakfasts, lunches, and snack for the work week! The best part is, it hardly took any time at all. For dinners ideas, check out my previous freezer meal post! We do a lot of those, or we grill a protein with a starch and veggie. We like to keep it simple. If it's simple, there's NO excuse not to eat healthy.
Here's to the journey and reaching goals! And if you're interesting in the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and Shakeology, let me know or visit my page. There are some AMAZING promotions going on right now. www.beachbodycoach.com/TARAJW