[ CHALLENGE 14 ] GET AND STAY MOTIVATED

Here are two different scenarios: one motivated by fear and the second by hope.

FEAR. Mary came to Mama Bootcamp being on edge of full blown TYPE II diabetes. Her blood sugar was dangerously high. In addition, Mary was starting to have heart palpitations. Her mother had died of heart attack at the young age of 44 and Mary was turning 44 in the next month. She was very worried about the tolls her unhealthy lifestyle of stress, binge eating, and lack of exercise was taking on her body. Mary had heard about Mama Bootcamp for her co-worker, Kathy. Mary decided to go try a class on a free pass with Kathy after work one day. She was motivated by her fear of not wanting to repeat the health history of her mother.

HOPE. Susie had seen her best friend, Tina, join Mama Bootcamp. In a matter of a few months, Tina lost 24 pounds, dropped three pant sizes, and started training for a triathlon. Susie thought if Tina could do it, why couldn’t she? She was motivated by hope for the future and thinking of the possibili- ties! Maybe she could train for a race and fall in love with exercise like her friend Tina!

These are both true stories and very real. Both Mamas were very motivated when they came to Mama Bootcamp! One was motivated by fear and the other by hope. Both very powerful motivators! 

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR MOJO MOTIVATION ON HIGH

- Remind yourself of your goals by tracking your progress.

- Use your doctor’s report as a baseline and schedule another appointment with him/her in six weeks.

- Post pictures of a scheduled event or location. Keep the invitation in a spot where you are reminded of “why?” you are working so hard. Hang the clothes you will be wearing at the event in plain site.

- Reward yourself for meeting your weekly check points. Check points are “in between” goals (also known as short term goals). Rewards, as you heard in Challenge #5, are very important for permanent change!

- Give yourself a break! Yes, you heard me right! Give yourself a few days off so you don’t burn out. You want to keep your spirits and energy high! One of the best ways to do this is a planned break. You will come back motivated and ready to go! Make sure the break is not more than four days.

- Watch and read motivational stories or speeches. This will keep adding fuel to your fire! Inspiration is contagious so use it to your advantage by watching YouTube videos, reading stories that inspire you, and make sure you are sharing your goals with those that will cheer you on along the way.

- Eliminate distractions and time wasters. Limit yourself on Facebook, surfing the internet, or watching hours of television. Down time to “free” think is not a bad thing but give yourself time limits weekly, and then stick to them.

- “Fake it until you make it” is a cliché for a reason, because it works! Some days, you will not feel like working on your goals. Stay on task and do it any way. If after 30 minutes, you still are not feeling it, you still accomplished 30 minutes towards your goal!

- Surround yourself with people who are excited about life. Have you ever heard the saying “one bad apple, spoils the whole bunch?” Well, it is true! The same goes with people who are motivated, inspired, and enjoying life! Life is meant to be fun! Surround yourself with people who have similar values and energy. 

ACTION PLAN NO. 14

In order to move forward, I want you to think about what motivates you. And then write it down to keep you moving!

Do you have an event you want to look your best for coming up? A wedding? Reunion? Vacation? Or did your doctor give you a serious warning or someone you care about have a life threatening event?

This year is all about “finding your mojo” and this challenge is so important to help you stay on track! Check in with what motivates you and go for it! Life can be exciting and full of adventure! But it won’t feel that way if you are living life from the couch. 

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk, or coconut milk 
• 2 Tbsps chia seeds 
• 4 Tbsps natural salted peanut butter 
• 4 Tbsps raw honey 
• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats 
• 2 Sliced bananas 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Instructions

1. To a large mixing bowl, add almond milk, oats, chia seeds and honey and stir to combine. 
2. Prepare 4 mason jars. Fill each halfway with the oatmeal mixture, then add one Tablespoon of peanut butter and cover each equally with the remaining oatmeal.
3. Cover securely with the lids and set in the refrigerator overnight (for at least 6 hours). Before serving, stir, add sliced fresh bananas and strawberries and enjoy!

Yes! They are eaten cold, like puddingPrep several of these for your week ahead - place in the refrigerator, give a little stir in the morning...breakfast is on! Absolutely no cooking required

Thank you Cleanfoodcrush.com

[ CHALLENGE 13 ] SNAP! SNAP! COMPLAINT FREE ZONE

In January, we talked about paying attention to the positive things in your life. This week's challenge is the same idea: Whatever you feed grows.

This week, let’s continue to feed the positive by eliminating negative self-talk and words from your life.

How many times in a day do you engage in negative self-talk? "I can't do this!" "My hips are too wide!" "I'm too slow a runner!" And how often do you complain about other things? "My husband never puts his dirty clothes in the hamper!" "My mother-in-law calls too
early in the morning!"

We all do it, and it can be a hard habit to break! 

ACTION PLAN NO. 13

Purchase or find rubber bands that fit comfortably on your wrist (not too tight). Give yourself a little visual (and physical) reminder of this week’s challenge. Put a rubber band around your wrist and wear it like a bracelet. When you catch yourself in a complaint or negative thought,

give the band a tug. SNAP! SNAP! This will snap your train of thought right back to your new positive reality and break a bad habit. Additionally, it is much cheaper
than therapy and very effective.

When you stop negatives thoughts, you have no choice but to focus on the positive. By feeding the positive, the good stuff grows and grows. 

Crock Pot Mexican Casserole Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil, or extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 lb. ground lean turkey or chicken 
• 1 red onion, diced 
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa 
• 2 cups organic chicken broth 
• 15-ounces black beans, or kidney beans drained and rinsed 
• 1 (15-ounce) jar fire roasted diced tomatoes 
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 
• 3 celery stalks, diced 
• 2 Tbsps chili powder 
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese, divided 

Optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, diced avocado, chopped green onion, Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high.
2. Add the turkey, chili powder, ground cumin seed and garlic powder. 
3. Cook and stir, breaking up the meat as you go, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
4. Season with sea salt and pepper, then transfer the meat to the bottom of a large slow cooker 
5. Add in the dry quinoa, beans, corn, bell pepper, celery, onion, and tomatoes.
6. Pour in the chicken broth, then stir to combine. 
7. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. 
8. Remove the lid and stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
9. Cover and cook on HIGH until the cheese melts, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
10. Serve hot with any desired toppings. Enjoy!

Thank you Cleanfoodcrush.com

[ CHALLENGE 12 ] Grab 'n Go

One of the cornerstones in our nutrition training at Mama Bootcamp is eating veggies. Lots and lots and lots of veggies.

You’d have to have been living under a rock to not know that a healthy diet must include lots of vegetables. But let’s get real - even though we all know it, we don’t all do it every day. For me, a big factor is the time – those veggies have to be washed, dried, and cut before I can eat them!

The small time investment is more than made up for by the benefit. By eating your veggies, you are not only loading yourself up with vitamins and minerals that are essential to healthy living, you are giving yourself so much more. Veggies not only help your body function better, but they can help you lose weight, look younger and even help prevent cancer. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Your challenge this week looks (and sounds familiar): Eat your veggies! But this week, let’s work on making it part of your regular routine and making it easy (and fast, too!). You should be eating 10-12 servings of veggies every single day. With one serving the equivalent of a half of a cup, you can fit a whole day’s worth of these health-making beauties into one quart-size plastic bag. We call these our “Grab ‘N Go’s”.

Pick out several different veggies, and try to be sure to cover as many “colors” as you can. Dark green, light green and red are my favorites, with a little white thrown in, too. Chop them up into the size you like best, and fill up your quart-sized
bags. Put them in the fridge so they’re ready to go (maybe pair them up with your favorite dip - hummus is mine).

With just a small time investment, the “work” is done for the whole week! On your way out door every morning, you can grab a bag full of yum! Snack on it all day long, and enjoy the awesome results. 

Broccoli Egg Muffins Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 medium broccoli head, chopped into small florets 
• 6 large free range eggs 
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic 
• 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground dry mustard 
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. 
2. Line a muffin pan with parchment papers (I like to lightly spay these liners with coconut oil spray, or something similar) 
3. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, sea salt, black pepper, garlic and seasonings.
4. Stir in the broccoli and the cheese. 
5. Spoon the broccoli mixture, evenly to the prepared muffin pan.
6. Bake until golden-brown, for about 20-25 minutes. 

Thank you Cleanfoodcrush.com