**New** 22 Minute Hard Corps

Who finds it hard to fit in a workout everyday??

What if I told you, you could get amazing results....in 8 weeks, for just 22 minutes a day...in your own home!!

Beachbody has launched a new fitness program today, called 22 Minute Hard Corps with celebrity trainer Tony Horton. Tony Horton is the creator of the P90 workouts, which are all amazing.

22 Minute Hard Corps is a challenging, military-inspired workout program designed to burn fat, build lean muscle, and get you “Boot Camp Fit” in 22 minutes a day.  I did a sneak peak a few weeks ago an fell in love!!

He jumps right into the workouts with and works you for 22 minutes to your full potential.  I was shocked to get the workout I did in under 25 minutes!!

What makes this program so unique?

Tony puts getting "boot camp fit" within the reach of anyone willing to commit to 8 weeks of serious training and nutrition. And he gives you all the tools you need to power through the program—including a modifier version of every exercise, that you can follow until you’re up to speed with the rest of the platoon. So with 22 MINUTE HARD CORPS, you get a program that works your whole body with moves that are tough enough to challenge you, but are straightforward enough for you to do on Day One. 

Tony Horton is a huge celebrity trainer with remarkable success.  Throughout the past 15 years, Tony Horton has toured dozens of military bases all over the world, helping troops train to their maximum fitness potential. In 22 Minute Hard Corps, he’s made it his mission to bring military-style workouts to everyone. Now it’s your mission to give him every rep.

What I love most about this program also, is that you really need minimal equipment.  You need a pull up bar or resistance bands with a door attachment (to mimic pull-ups) and a dumbbell. 

AND....the good news is, for the month of March you get a free sandbag with the full Challenge Pack, that holds up to 20lbs. of sand!!!!  

That's a huge value because I was looking into getting a sandbag previously for my workout room and they were all above $40!!  

That alone gets me super excited!!

What does the 22 Minute Hard Corps Challenge Pack include?

• 8 challenging workouts on 2 DVDs

• Quick Start Mission Guide


• 8-week Basic Training Action Plan


• Rations for Results Nutrition Field Guide 

• Cold Start pre-workout drill

• Hell Week Challenge Card


• HARD CORPS: Battle Buddy Workout DVD (Network Exclusive)

Plus (with the challenge pack), you get:

*One month of Shakeology meal replacement shake or the Beachbody Performance Line Energize and Recovery to accelerate your results.

*20 lb. Sandbag 

*30 Day Free Trial on Beachbody On Demand to stream your workouts

*Me as your coach with access to all my fitness challenge and support groups

Check out the full program information here:

22 Minute Hard Corps Shakeology Challenge Pack

22 Minute Hard Corps Performance Challenge Pack

Here are some REAL results from this program.  These were individuals who were chosen a few months back to be part of a test group and documented their workouts and results. These are real people (one that I know personally) and not photo shopped!

So what are you waiting for???

I'm ordering mine!!

My April Challenge group will be forming for those who want to join our "boot camp".

We will all do the program together as a group and motivate each other to get the best results we can!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl

Mexican food is a staple in our house.  We just love making it (and eating it) at least once a week!
This week, I tried out some burrito bowls to change things up from our normal tortilla and taco shells.

Here is a picture of our "his" and "hers" burrito bowls (And no, the kids did not go near these....too many ingredients for them to try!!)

So what I did to make these bowls (and they were huge!), was I first trimmed my chicken breasts of all visible fat and coated with my favorite Wildtree Chipotle Lime Seasoning.  I then baked the chicken breast for about 20-25 minutes until done.

While the chicken was baking, I started my rice on the stove. You can use instant or slow coo, white or brown...it's all up to you. I happen to be on a time crunch, so instant white rice it was.

I then, chopped up some onion and green pepper into strips and cooked on the stove until tender and opened and rinsed off my organic black beans.
I also diced some green onions and chopped some Cilantro and set aside.

Once the chicken was baked I sliced it up into thin strips and now it was time to make that rice a little fancier!

I simply added the juice of a lime and the chopped up Cilantro to the cooked rice while it was warm and mixed it up. So simple, yet super tasty.
(Some people either love Cilantro or HATE it....I am one who loves it. Probably my favorite herb to use!)

So now that my rice was done, I began to assemble my bowls:


I added one serving (1 cup cooked) rice to the bottom of my bowl (use a BIG bowl!).  
I topped that with about a cup of spring mix (or romaine lettuce, what even you happen to have in your fridge),  the cooked peppers and onions, frozen corn (that I quick warmed in the microwave), black beans, tomatoes (next time I am going to get Pico de Gallo instead) and chopped green onion.

I then layered on the cooked Chipotle Lime chicken and topped with my Greek Yogurt "dressing".
(I also added some Green Dragon Hot Sauce I picked up at Trader Joe's because I love my food spicy and SPICY it was!)

The dressing was simply plain greek yogurt with the same Wildtree Chipotle Lime seasoning mixed in to taste. Nothing fancy, no extra fat but great taste and super simple.  
Regular store bought dressings, not only add a lot of extra fat, but often have so many strange ingredients in them.  This was a way to add flavor without all that extra non sense.

So overall, this was a really quick and forgiving recipe. You easily could add or omit ingredients based on what you had available in your pantry. You could also cook your chicken in the crockpot with the peppers and onions while your at work and shred it on top of the salad! That would make your prep time a lot shorter!

I must say that we made our bowls a little too large and could't finish it!! This was pretty much what was left of mine. I guess our eyes were bigger than our stomachs!

  
SO, don't be scared to get into the kitchen and experiment!  
You never know what you may make that could be your next favorite dish.

Here's the actual recipe with the amounts listed for each ingredient (and bear with my recipes- I am not an expert at writing recipes. I just try and write them good enough for you to follow and replicate my creations!!):

Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients:

Chicken:
2 6oz. chicken breasts (pounded)
Wildtree Chipotle Lime Seasoning (can also use regular store bought Low Sodium Taco Seasoning)

Rice:
1 Cup uncooked rice
Juice of one Lime
About 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

Salad:
3 cups Spring Mix or Chopped Romaine Lettuce
8-10 Cherry Tomatoes (halved) or 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo
1 cup frozen sweet corn (heated)
1/2 cup Organic Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 Green Onions, chopped
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 a large onion, cut into strips

Dressing:
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons Wildtree Chipotle Lime Seasoning or store bought Low Sodium Taco Seasoning


Directions:

Preheat over to 450 degrees.
Pound chicken breast to desired thickness. Coat each side with Seasoning.
Bake in the oven for about 20-25 until cooked through.
Once chicken is cooked, let rest for about 5 minutes and then cut into strips.

While chicken bakes, prepare rice according to package directions. 
Once cooked, add the juice of 1 lime and the 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro (more if you love it like I do!!)

In the meantime, cook the green pepper strips and onion in a little bit of coconut oil on medium until tender (about 8-10 minutes).

To prepare bowls:
Take 2 large bowls.  
In each, add 1/2 cup of the cooked Lime Cilantro rice, top with 1.5 cups of the spring mix or Romaine, half the cooked peppers and onions, 1/2 cup cooked corn, 1/4 cup black beans, half the tomatoes or 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo.
Add one of the sliced chicken breasts on top and garnish with 1/2 of the green onion for one bowl.

Mix together 1 cup of the plain greek yogurt and Seasoning and add about 1/2 cup of the "dressing" on top of each bowl.

There you have it---my Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl!

I hope you enjoy and please leave any feedback or questions below!

Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Pudding

This is one of my favorite ways to have Chia Seeds. 
(I must warn you right away-if you are a texture person, this may not be the recipe for you!!  It's equivalent to Tapioca pudding).

This recipe is super simple with very few ingredients and has so many different variations to be creative with.

So now, before I give you the recipe, let's discuss those Chia Seeds you are so curious about!

Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec cultures. "Chia" means strength, and folklore has it that these cultures used the tiny black and white seeds as an energy booster. That makes sense, as chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. 

Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.

Chia seeds are said to have:

• 2 times the protein of any other seed or grain
• 5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that
  helps transfer calcium into your bones
• 2 times the amount of potassium as bananas
• 3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries
• 3 times more iron than spinach
• copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids…

They are a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids in an easily digestible form. They are also a fabulous source of soluble fibre.

Other benefits of Chia seeds are that they:

• Provides energy
• Boosts strength
• Bolsters endurance
• Levels blood sugar
• Induces weight loss
• Aids intestinal regularity

Chia seeds can be sprinkled onto any foods before eating, baked into muffins and other baked goods, put into shakes and made into puddings like this one!  They are tasteless, which is why they are easy to add into your diet!
So now that you see how awesome these little seeds are, let me give you this delicious recipe so you can add them into your diet.

Cinnamon-Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup non-dairy milk, any kind you like (I like plain, unsweetened almond milk)
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1-2 packets stevia (more or less to taste; see Note below)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 small pinch sea salt

Instructions:
Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.
Refrigerate until it reaches your desired thickness, stirring occasionally.
(I usually chill mine about 4 hours, but overnight is fine.)
Serve chilled and top with fruit if desired!

Macros (without fruit) per serving:
100 calories/8g carbs/3g protein/6.5g fat

Variations to this pudding include adding maple syrup instead of stevia or cocoa to make it chocolate!!

There are tons of recipes out there, so get onto Pinterest and find your favorite!!

Workouts have you feeling sore?

As I sit here in pain, (not debilitating pain, but more an annoying, can't walk upstairs pain), I wonder how many people really know what causes muscle soreness after a good workout. 

You know?....the pain that gradually creeps up on you days after you worked out!!!

Some of you know, I decided to go back to heavy lifting this past Monday and my body is feeling it!  My chest, legs, triceps .....yup all of it! 

Now, I don't get this muscle soreness often (only after not doing certain workouts for a long period of time), but there are some people are prone to getting it after almost every workout.  So what is it?  What causes it?

Well, I did a little research.....

What you're feeling anywhere from 12-48 hours after a workout is something doctors refer to as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). It's also the stuff that's has you dreading stairs and struggling to lift your arms to wash your hair in the shower!!!

Many people think this pain is just pulled muscles, but that is not the case.  DOMS are the result of microscopic tears within muscle tissues, which is what you're creating when you workout. This is normal tearing, as stronger leaner muscles are created by repairing a damaged muscle that you worked hard in your workout.  When you workout, you tear the muscle fibers and your body builds them back up stronger and leaner.  The pain you feel after is your body's way of signaling to you that repair work is going on and that you'd best leave it be for a few days. Your body is smart like that, and it always lets you know when it's time to get back to it, by way of alleviating the soreness.

So your question now may be...is there a way to avoid DOMS?

In short, you can't. No one has yet figured a way to avoid DOMS, and maybe that's a good thing. After all, it is the body's signal to your brain that it needs a rest. Plus, you have to admit, there's something supremely satisfying about the feeling you get from having to walk like Betty White for a couple of days after a kick-ass leg workout (which is where I am at as I write this!!).

Although there is not a way to avoid the soreness, there are ways to reduce the pain (thank god!!).

Men's Fitness recommends the following for treatment:

• Ibuprofen: Low-dose, over-the-counter painkillers—and Ibuprofen in particular, which has specifically been shown to decrease muscle soreness—will help take the edge off of severe cases of DOMS. But note, this will just hide the pain...it will not stop it from happening!

• Gentle Stretching: When muscles are in recovery mode they tend to tighten up, exacerbating feelings of soreness. Slow, gentle stretching of the area will relieve that tight feeling and diffuse the pain.

• Light Massage: Massaging a sore muscle can help reduce tightness while promoting blood flow, which in turn helps speed recovery, thus shortening the duration of DOMS.

• Warm Bath: As with massage, warm water will loosen up tight muscles and improve circulation. Better circulation means more oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood coming to the rescue of your aching muscles. Epsom salt is also good to add to a warm bather to help sooth the soreness.

• Hot/Cold Treatment: Apply an ice pack for 15 minutes, followed by a heat pack for another 15, and back again. Studies have shown alternating cold with hot to be highly effective in promoting both circulation and muscle recuperation.

From my experience, I recommend using supplements such as BCAA's and Glutamine to help reduce DOMS (both available at any health store).
I also just started using the Beachbody Line of Performance supplements this week which includes some awesome products- Energize, Hydrate, Recharge and Recover. I know my DOMS would be a lot worse this week if I wasn't using these!!

The Advanced Performance Pack is what I went with and it includes the following:

• Energize Pre-Workout Formula 
  Help find more energy, motivation, and focus to power through your toughest workouts with enhanced endurance. Start strong so you can finish stronger. 
  
  
• Hydrate During-Workout Formula - Hydrate your body more effectively than water alone for all-out performance by drinking Hydrate during workouts. Typical sports drinks have too much sugar and artificial ingredients that can actually dehydrate you. And water alone doesn't effectively hydrate or replace what you lose through sweat during workouts. Hydrate is specially formulated to give you an optimal balance of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water, which quickly replaces what's lost and helps improve your endurance, so you can work out longer and feel better.
  
  
• Recover Post-Workout Formula - Take advantage of the critical post-workout window to help speed recovery and reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness with Recover. Key ingredients include high-quality time-released proteins to support muscle recovery, an optimal ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to help build muscle, just enough carbohydrates to stimulate muscle glycogen recovery, and a powerful ellagitannin-rich pomegranate extract to help improve strength recovery and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

• Recharge Nighttime Recovery Formula
  Help accelerate recovery, combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, and promote muscle growth when your body is primed to accept it: while you sleep. Recharge is specifically designed to help support your body at night, with key ingredients like micellar casein protein to support overnight muscle recovery and repair while combating breakdown, an optimal ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to help support muscle growth, and a powerful anthocyanin-rich tart cherry powder to help reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness.
  
  
  Order your stack today at:  Advanced Performance Stack

Other recommendations I would give is staying hydrated before, during and after a workout (Beachbody Hydrate is great for this), avoiding long breaks in between workout days and on rest days or light workout days, try to do some active recovery workouts such a yoga or light/moderate walking.

So just remember, that pain you feel is a good pain!  It means that you worked your muscles hard and that they are now repairing themselves to be even bigger and better!!  So keep doing what you're doing and just avoid the stairs after leg day!

Perfection is Not an Option

My life will never be perfect and I am ok with that.  It's not supposed to be.

What you see on social media and what happens in real life are two separate worlds for most.  I try to be as honest as I can, but I am not always comfortable sharing everything.  Vulnerability is tough....

I yell at my kids (a lot), my husband and I argue over dumb stuff, I fight myself every night not to go into the kitchen and eat half the pantry before bed and I certainly am NOT motivated everyday to workout!!!

But you know what I do?  I try my hardest and that's all all of us can do.

We need to stop being so hard on ourselves for not living up to these people we see on Facebook with the perfect bodies, the wonderful story-like marriages and the Brady bunch kids! 

It's not real.  

Yes, I post the good stuff in my life 80% of the time, because I want to motivate people. I want them to see that if I can do it, so can they. But that doesn't mean it's always easy.  Yes, I workout everyday and eat healthy, but it's hard. I struggle just like anyone else, but the one thing I want people to know is it is possible, it just takes discipline....and lot's of it!! You have to want it!

I have learned that I am a very strong willed and stubborn person (not always a good thing).  When I want something, I work hard to get it.  Excuses are not an option for me, but I sacrifice a lot in the process.  I give up time with my family, I get less sleep than I should, I don't always get to enjoy that glass of wine or piece of cake....but you know what?  I'm ok with it. I am ok with it because I set goals and work hard to achieve them.  I want my children to see that if you work hard, you can achieve anything you want in life. I try to set a good example.

I sit here most nights and think to myself...what the hell have I gotten myself into??

Having 3 kids ages 6, 4 and 1.5....a full-time job, teaching 2 classes at the gym (soon to be 4) and in the middle of my 6 month journey to getting my personal training certification. Add in a daily workout and those regular everyday mom tasks and there you have it....either super motivated or super dumb! LOL  I can't decide what that makes me!

People often ask me....how do you do it?  

It's simple. I just do it. I don't think about it...I just get it done. 

There is no other option.  

So when you see those Facebook moms who show you their toned 6 pack abs and perfect families, know that what happens after the camera takes that picture, is probably a lot different.  They have struggles too. 

It's ok to fail, it's ok to not be perfect. You never will be and either will I, but all we can do is try.

Do your best, work your hardest and set priorities in your life that make YOU happy.
Stop making excuses for why you can do the things you want to do.  I am a firm believer in the saying, "if there's a will, there's a way".
You create your future, you are the one that decides how your life is going to end, so start making things happen.  Don't wait until it's too late...start making those changes now.
We got this!

We all need some chocolate on Valentine's Day!

So with my husband and I both being extra good with our eating and working out....I needed to come up with a recipe that would give him a little chocolate fix, but still be a healthy treat for Valentine's Day! 
I mean, what's Valentine's Day without chocolate...right???

So, my husband's all time favorite dessert is brownies, so I knew I had to search for recipes that I could add some protein to and give a healthy twist...then I remembered these awesome black bean brownies I made a while ago.

So I found that recipe, searched some protein brownie recipes and combined them to come up with these awesome Black Bean Protein Brownies!!

Not only were they delicious, but healthy and a great source of protein!

So here is my recipe:

Black Bean Protein Brownies
(makes 9 brownies)

Ingredients:

1 Can of Organic Black Beans (240 grams), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Scoops Chocolate protein powder (I used 1 scoopVegan Chocolate Shakeology & 1 Scoop Quest All Purpose Unflavored Protein Powder)
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1 Egg white (I used 3 tablespoons of liquid egg whites)

2 tablespoons of Milk Chocolate Chips
2 tablespoons of 60% Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F
Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with coconut oil spray
Combine all ingredients above (except for chocolate chips) into a blender and blend until mixture is smooth (I had to add a tiny bit of extra milk to loosen the batter up)
The batter is thick and you will need to spread it into the pan with a knife.
Pour into the lined/greased pan, top with chocolate chips (and sprinkles if your feeling crazy!) and bake for 15 minutes.

Let cool, cut into 9 squares and try not to eat the entire pan in one sitting!!!!

Estimated Nutritional Info per 1 brownie:
Calories 215
Fat 10.5 grams
Carbs 20.9 grams (you can lower the carbs by using a protein powder with less carbs and reducing amount of chocolate chips)
Protein 12 grams 


Oh and an extra bonus----they're KID APPROVED!




So have your chocolate and eat it too!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!