[ CHALLENGE 8 ] EXPRESS WORKOUT

Amy was a smoker and she was 110 pounds overweight. She worked in childcare at a minimum wage job. She was a single parent with a beautiful daughter. The father was MIA and she had a deadbeat boyfriend to boot. Not a pretty picture. One day Amy decided she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired” and she literally changed her mind.

She was ready for a change and cut out all soda. In only five weeks, Amy was surprised she dropped 26 pounds! Amy was ready to step up her game and needed more guidance to keep the momentum going. Asking her parents for help, they gave her 12 weeks of Mama Bootcamp as a Christmas gift. She started training and quit smoking. As Amy lost more weight, she gained more confidence. She decided to go back to school and eventually earned her bachelor’s degree!

Being a single parent, working and going to school, exercise was not easy to fit into her tight schedule. To supplement her crazy, busy schedule and still squeeze in exercise time, I taught her about “Express Workouts.” Consistency was the key. Amy found 15 minute blocks to get her workout completed three times weekly. BAM! Success was hers! Amy found her mojo: she lost over 110 pounds, broke up with the deadbeat boyfriend and found her confidence and strength.

One of the key components to building a healthy metabolic rate and your best body is increasing your lean muscle mass. The best way to do this is through strength training at least three times a week for a minimum of 15 minutes. The magic number is three. Two days of strength training a week is enough for maintenance, but at three times a week you will build lean muscle. Strength training can be done with free weights, bands, medicine balls, etc. or just your own body weight. What makes the “Express Workouts” so fantastic is that they do not require anything. You do not need a gym membership or special equipment, just you! 

Crock Pot Sweet Potato + Quinoa Soup Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes 
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 8 cups bone broth, or water
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• 1 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1.5 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, and minced
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced 
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme 
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained 
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper 
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, diced

Optional topping ideas:

• 1/4 cup roasted pistachios, chopped 
• 1 green onion, sliced

Instructions

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, add the sweet potato, chickpeas, onion, ginger, coriander, garlic, thyme, and quinoa.
2. Pour in 8 cups of broth, then cook, covered, until the sweet potato is tender, about 2.5 hours on high or 5 hours on low. 
3. In a medium bowl, mash half the Cannellini beans with a fork until fairly smooth. 
4. Remove thyme sprigs.
5. If the slow cooker is on low, turn it to high and stir in the beans (mashed + half unmashed), diced apricots, and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. 
6. Stir well to combine and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. 
7. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chopped pistachios and green onion.

Thank you cleanfoodcrush.com

[ CHALLENGE 7 ] AVOID ISSUES WITH YOUR TISSUES

The last thing you want to have happen when you are finding your mojo is to be sidelined because of issues with your tissues. When I was younger, I always thought stretching was a waste of time and rest days were for “sissies.” Learning to listen to my body, stretching, resting, and recovering is just as important as training.

I see this time and again with my mamas. Suzy is another classic example. She fell in love with bootcamp! She went from a life as a couch potato to training hard daily and rocking and rolling her mojo. Suzy had a clear goal and was focused on the prize. After a while, Suzy started having issues with her tissues, but continued to push through, not listening to her body. Her muscles were tight in her legs and lower back. Specifically, her knees were bothering her. Thinking “no pain; no gain” and not wanting to appear “whiny,” she did not talk to her coach and continued to train. In essence, Suzy was overtraining by not taking time for recovery and stretching.

One day on a long run, she felt a “pop” in her knee. Fortunately for Suzy, her doctor diagnosed a stressed IT (Iliotibial) band and she was only sidelined for a few weeks. The last place she ever wanted to be was back on the couch, especially after finding her mojo. Had Suzy known that recovery and stretching is just as important as training, she could have avoided the injury and her downtime. 

If you experience one or more of these signs, you should allow time in your schedule for some R & R (rest and recovery). Minimally, you should take one day a week off to refresh your body and your mind. This includes adequate sleep (Challenge No. 34), hydration (Challenge No. 26), and stellar nutrition (see challenges in March, June, September).

Stretching is just as important as exercise. It improves your flexibility, your posture, and your blood flow. Increased blood and nutrient supply to muscle reduces soreness and increases your recovery. The bottom line is to use stretching to unwind your muscles for 10 minutes daily. 

Triple Berry Oatmeal Muffins Breakfast Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 medium ripe bananas 
• 3 large free range eggs
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 
• 1 cup unsweetened almond, or coconut milk 
• 2 cups rolled oats, not quick oats 
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (any kind of flour will work) 
• 1.5 tsp baking powder 
• 1/3 cup raspberries 
• 1/3 cup blackberries 
• 1/4 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
2. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tray with coconut oil.
3. Place bananas in a large bowl and mash them with a fork.
4. Then, add the rest of the wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and milk) and mix until combined.
5. Add rolled oats, coconut flour, baking powder, berries, then gently mix until combined.
6. Add about 2 1/2 large spoonfuls of batter into each cup.
7. Bake in your prehrated 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Serve with fresh berries and a drizzle of almond butter and enjoy!
9. Refrigerate in air-tight containers for 3-5 days.

Thank you cleanfoodcrush.com

[ CHALLENGE 6 ] MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR FITNESS

If you ask the average woman on the street why she doesn’t exercise regularly, the odds are the answer will be “I don’t have time.” The truth is, there isn’t a single one of us who has enough time to do everything that needs to be done.

Most of the important “to dos” in our lives are scheduled in advance. Our calendars will reflect dentist, doctor, or hair stylist appointments, lunch with a friend, business meetings, play dates, and sports activities including games and practices for our children. Often missing from the calendar is time for “YOU” and your own fitness and health. Doesn’t this deserve at least equal attention? 

Eat Clean with this 20 Minute Greek Shrimp Salad

Ingredients 

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 2 medium cucumbers, sliced 
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives 
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled 
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined 
• garlic powder, sea salt & ground pepper 
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil 

Dressing Ingredients: 

• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced 
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp yellow prepared mustard 
• 1.5 Tbsps red wine vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Season the shrimp with garlic powder, sea salt & pepper to taste.
2. Heat a large saute pan on medium high. Drizzle pan with 1 Tbsp oil.
3. Once hot, add shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes on each side or until opaque.
4. Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small jar, then shake vigurosly to emulsify.
6. Add the dressing to the salad and toss once more.

Thank you cleanfoodcrush.com