Tired?! Hurting?!

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most tired you ever felt; I would rate myself as a 13. I was always tired. No matter what I did or ate or how long I slept I never awoke refreshed and energized. Never. It was a sad state to live in. I got good at faking being alert and awake, but all I looked forward to was bedtime.

Today I sit here and can honestly say I am not tired anymore. I have energy that goes all day. It is amazing. The only difference in my life is this:

my Greens. I initially was sold on the product because it boasts of 8+ servings of fruits and veggies a day for around $1/serving/day. My son eats very little of any fruit and veggie and if I get a bite in him, he usual gags and spits it out. {He is 2}. When I was introduced to this I didn't really care what it cost {it's $33 for Loyal customers $40 retail}, I had to have it for my son and what the heck the rest of us could use it too!

Little did I know the hidden benefits behind the greens. Energy, regular digestive system, and less pain {more on that in a minute}. This is the only change I have made in the last month-6 weeks. I feel GREAT. I don't wish for a nap every.single.day anymore, and all in all I feel invigorated. I even don't feel so sluggish at the gym and probably far more effective in my workouts now. Seriously, it is unbelievable.

Another thing I noticed is my chronic back and hip pain are pretty much a distance memory. My back has plagued me my entire life. I suppose 16 years of gymnastics and cheerleading will do that to you, not to mention a few minor, yet jarring car accidents. The other day I realized I don't hurt as much anymore. I still get the occasionally twinge, but if you knew how much I hurt before and the amount of Aleeve I would go through on a daily basis,  you would be amazed. Again the only change in my diet and exercise routine has been the Greens. I still do all the Tabata and pylometrics at the gym in spite of my Dr.s wishes and it is all better.

Now I can't guarantee that this was the answer, but I do know that it is to help alkalize your body and pH, which reduces inflammation {usually a source of chronic pain}, and after spending $100s of dollars on chiropractic treatments with little to no success I say this had to be a contributing factor to my sudden healing. And worth every penny!

Check out my site for more information HERE or to order your own!
If you have any questions just leave a comment or feel free to email me at mkeethler{at}gmail{dot}com.

Tabata About That...

Have you heard of Tabata training?
It is a high intensity training that can shred mega calories in a short amount of time. Roughly 400-600 calories in 1 hour give or take your weight, endurance and intensity you put into it. Plus, there is an after workout burn that continues long after you leave the gym.

Basically you choose a fast paced movement and give it your all for 20 seconds, rest for 10sec. Do as many rounds as you can; while incorporating strength and conditioning moves. This brings your heart rate down a little bit before you kick it back up. This up and down heart rate causes your body to work hard and burn fat faster.

As you get more endurance you can choose to bump up the time a bit to 30s on, 10s off.

Note 3500 kcal=1#. So doing this plus cutting calories you can easily drop 1-2#/ week.

This is my favorite way to get my sweat on.
In order to lose fat you have got to push yourself. You have to keep your body guessing and working hard. If you go for a jog everyday your body will become more efficient and the overall burn lessens.

Pinterest is my favorite go to place for workouts.

These are some of my favorite Tabata ideas.

Source: fitfabcities.com via Michele on Pinterest

Source: fitfabcities.com via Michele on Pinterest

And here is just a list of idea mix and match to suit your ability and needs. If you don't know what something is ask or google a video to show you how.

Source: youmefit.com via Michele on Pinterest

Source: fitsugar.com via Michele on Pinterest

Crock pot Fajitas Recipe {It's What's For Dinner}

I am the queen of the crock pot. I can pretty much turn any recipe into a crock pot friendly recipe. I may be at home most days, but I still don't want to be cooking in the evenings. Plus, it is so nice to come home and find dinner waiting on YOU!

Crock Pot Fajitas
frozen chicken tenderloins or breast {which ever you prefer}--enough for your family-- we do 1/3 of a bag.
frozen (or fresh again what ever floats your boat) red/green bell peppers onion blend
1pkg of onion soup mix
2tsp (totally guessing here as I measure nothing and just dump) chicken bouillon

Throw everything in the crockpot and walk.away.
Cook on low 6-8 hours, high 3-4 hours
Once the chicken is cooked through and everything has been heated thoroughly (you can put ready to eat foods with raw meat as long as you cook it long and hot enough to kill any potential bacteria--fyi) shred up chicken with a fork and heap it on your tortilla.
Serve with cheese, gauc, salsa, black beans

I  thought they were amazing. Let me know if you try them. :)

That Crazy Wrap Thing

As an RD I have always been skeptical of the "quick fixes" out there. Hard work is what gets your results. And I still believe that, however, I have found a product that seems to give you that jump start in your weight loss routine.

It's called the Ultimate Body Applicator {Wrap for short}.

What it does is help to tighten, tone and firm the skin.
It can be placed pretty much anywhere, except the face {there are special face applicators instead}.
It improves the appearance of cellulite, skin texture and tightness all in approximately 45 minutes with result continuing to occur of the next 72 hours.

The Wrap is a non-woven cloth that is infused with a powerful, botanically-based formula which once placed on the skin can improve the skin tone. While inch loss is not a claim, I have wrapped several people who did experience "instant" slimming.

This wrap has benefited people who have had serious weight loss and now have loose skin left as a result, it has also helped those who have been working hard but just not seeing the results they had hoped to yet or gets them onto the road of success. Helps those that are getting ready to leave on a beach get away to feel confident in shorts or swim wear. The list goes on.

You can purchase a box of wraps at retail pricing for $99 or $59 at Loyal Customer pricing. Each box comes with 4 wraps which completes the treatment. You can wrap once every 72 hours to get maximum results. Results are lasting, however, just like in diet and exercise you can counteract these results by going back to the old habits of eating poorly and lack of movement.

To find out more click on my site HERE. Or feel free to email me through my site under Contacts.

Puppy Chow Almonds

While purusing some of my favorite health and fitness blogs I stumbled upon this recipe from the Lean Green Bean {a brand new RD I might add!}

Source: theleangreenbean.com via Michele on Pinterest

Who doesn't love puppy chow?!
And now this version makes it a healthy treat option.
As always moderation is the key, but now you can enjoy puppy chow without all the guilt.

Why are almonds good for you? 
Glad you asked!

*Almond nuts are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals and packed with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; the kind of well-balanced food ensuring protection against diseases and cancers.

*They are a complete source of energy and nutrients. Packed with minerals such as  manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium and vitamins such as vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates. These vitamins and minerals keep your cells healthy and help fight off oxygen-free radicals!

*They are packed with GOOD fats, the mono-unsaturated kind that help LOWER bad cholesterol {LDL} and promote GOOD cholesterol {HDL}.

Hand full of almonds a day provides much of recommended levels of minerals, vitamins, and protein.

Plateau?

Anyone else feel this way?!

I know I do.

You ever wonder why your weight loss efforts plateau?
In my honest opinion, not that I have conducted scientific studies on it; I believe it's because we think we eat less than we do and work out harder than we do. And reality is the complete opposite. We eat WAY more and work out way less.

{Food}
Ways to combat this are really paying attention to portion size. Flip that package over and see how many crackers, cookies, Tbsp of peanut butter are in a serving.

You are drinking your calories away. Sodas, juices, smoothies, lattes, alcohol they all have large amounts of calories in them. You may be surprised to realize if you drank more water how the weight would come off.

Salads. Oh salads. The ultimate "diet" food right?! Well, it can be provided you didn't load it up with a bunch of dressings, sauces, cheese and croutons  At this point it starts to lose its diet factor and moves into the "should have just ate the cheeseburger" realm.

Write down what and WHY you are eating. This is three-fold.
1. It helps check mindless eating and grazing. If you have to write down "I ate 3 goldfish." You may stop yourself from grabbing them. You may be surprised to know how quick tastes and bites add up fast!
2. Writing it down allows you to see what you have consumed all day and shows you it is most likely more than what you thought you were eating based on  your calorie plan.
3. Writing down the WHY helps curb emotional eating and can allow you to find other ways to deal with stress,  sadness, boredom and even celebration.

{Exercise}
Pay attention to your workout. Our bodies are highly efficient and while that 1 mile run use to get your heart pumping and your sweat on, it may no longer be pushing you the way it once did. Push yourself and keep your workout fresh and different. If you keep your body guessing it has to work harder, which equals greater calorie burn.

Source: fitsugar.com via Michele on Pinterest

Just like our quick tastes/bites of foods around us add up, so can sneaking in extra exercises.
*Park further away
*Take the stairs instead of the elevator
*If you have little kids and they beg you to hold them, toss them in the air a few times or do a few squats while holding them. Or just plain run around with them at the park.
*Jog the shopping cart back to the cart corral.
* Do some squats or lunges while brushing your teeth.
*Dance around your kitchen while you make dinner.
*Get creative...
I know some of these see hokey, but exercise is cumulative and it all adds up to a lesser you.

{Other reasons}
1. Medications. Sometimes you may be on certain drugs that just keep you from losing. If you have tried everything else, then it's time to consult your doctor and talk about meds.
2. You aren't eating enough. If you are killin' at the gym and really watching what you eat, your body very well may think it is starving. Again our bodies are very smart. If your body is in starvation mode then it will fight to hold onto all the fat it can. You will feel weak and tired because your body is running at minimal metabolic rate in order to conserve.
3. Check your clothes. Does the scale say one number, but yet your clothes are looser?! Well then you may be at the point you are "replacing" fat with muscle tone! I use the term loosely because fat can't actually turn to muscle. But if you are bulking up your muscles it will start burning your fat off. So don't always listen to the scale, but rather to the mirror.

Do you need a kick start to achieving your weight loss goals? Click here to see my site about products that can help get on the road to health. Notice I said get ON the road. They are not to be the entire road you travel.

What are ways you avoid the plateau?