Changing how you eat, Changes how you feel

I had asked myself this questions many times and would think, "I get all the nutrients I need from the foods I eat".  Seems like it would makes sense right?  Wrong!

I would like to take you back to last September when I was experiences extreme fatigue, felt like I was in a constant fog, every joint in my body was causing extreme pain, and every time my girls would touch my arms it would hurt.  My primary care doctor said it sounded like I had an auto-immune disorder so he ran some tests and sent me straight to a Rheumatologist.  Lucky for me it was not an auto-immune disorder, but the Rheumatologist could not find any other cause and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia.  It was a misdiagnosis according to my Physiastrist, as my symptoms were in specific spots.  He did find out that all the symptoms I was having was due to a severe Vitamin D deficiency.   I started taking MNS 3 and Omegaplex several times a day to get it back up and after a few months all my symptoms completely disappeared.  Because of this experience I learned the importance of taking supplements.

The supplements are not there to replace real food but to fill in the nutritional gaps that we may have.  Our fruits and vegetables are shipped from all over the world which also hinders their nutritional value.  As they sit for long periods of time between when they are harvested and when they arrive in stores.  Another thing to look at when not buying locally is the fact that they harvest fruits and vegetables weeks and sometimes months before they arrive in the grocery stores, and because they are getting picked so soon they are not able to absorb more nutrients to be more beneficial to consumers.

Also in today's society there are many "processed foods" which we eat.  This food is what I grew up on but was not very nutritional at all!  I have looked at the labels on the foods that I used to love eating and I cannot even pronounce most of the ingredients not to mention the fact the names sound like chemicals.  Through the process of eating better I have learned how bad these foods really are.  I now try to eat 80% clean but try to cut down a lot on processed foods.  There are those that have a diet that is made up of mostly processed foods and hardly eat vegetables and fruits which is where their vitamin deficiencies can come from (I know mine did!)  This is why I turn to supplements in order to fill in those nutritional gaps and get the optimum amount of vitamins and minerals.  Now I feel so much better and have so much more energy, no foggy brain, and all the pain is gone!  Is eating better worth it...I can now say YES IT IS!

See a Champion...Be a Champion!

First off I would like to share with you how blessed I am to have such an amazing sister.  She has been there for me through everything and encourages me to always push myself to reach my goals.  My sister is my best friend, confidant, coach, and moral support.  She heard about AdvoCare and decided to do the 24-Day Challenge and let me tell you...after she started it her weight loss journey hasn't stopped!

When she did the 24-Day Challenge she lost 24 lbs. and has continued to use Advocare products.  To date my sister has lost 70 lbs. and I am so proud of her for everything she has accomplished!  Her results speak for themselves and she worked her butt off to get to where she is today.  Way to go sis you are rocking your journey to a healthier fitter you!  

                          

 

I have personally done this challenge and I lost 22lbs. by the end of it!!  I was full of energy and felt AMAZING!  I absolutely love Advocare products and am so glad they found their way into my life through my sister Nicole.  She is definitely a Champion and choosing to live her best life.

Starting the Challenges when we did our weightloss journey was a great way to begin.  We saw results within those 24 days and felt truly amazing!  The fogginess and fatigue I had left me and I was able to focus so much better in my schoolwork and kept my energy up throughout the whole day.  I felt better than I had in a long time and of course my girls welcome the new change and the energy their mommy has.

As Jon Gordon says, "If you don't think you have what it takes to be a champion, think again.  Champions aren't born.  they are shaped and molded.  And as iron sharpens iron you can develop your mindset and the mindset of your team with the right thinking, beliefs, and expectations that lead to powerful actions."

Be the Champion that you have always wanted to be.  Be the Champion that I know you are!

Order your 24-Day Challenge and start living your best life!

Advocare Success Story: Ali Grise

I've lost over 90 pounds in 10 months and I'm not finished yet!*

My name is Ali Grise, and I live in Bettendorf, Iowa.  I am a busy, 37 year old mother of four young children, running a licensed daycare and a nonprofit organization.  I have always struggled with my weight feeling exhausted all the time.

My AdvoCare journey started in March of 2013, when a good friend introduced me.  I saw a bigger picture of AdvoCare.  There was hope, help, support, and a new beginning.  My husband and I decided to start on products and became Distributors.  We started our first 24-Day Challenge on April 7th, and within days my energy level went through the roof!*  On that first challenge I lost 18.6 pounds and 12.5 inches.*  That's when I decided to start setting little goals for myself.  I focused on losing 10 pounds at a time  Well, month after month went by, and I hit my 10 pound goal each month and I felt empowered!*  Not only did I feel incredible, but also I knew I could help others while helping myself.

AdvoCare Products are truly second to none!  In addition to that, the people who come along to coach, encourage, and assist you are amazing!  It is an environment of success like I've never seen before.

Without AdvoCare in my life, I would still be overweight, discouraged, and tired all the time.*  Now my kids get the real "ME"!  I'm a happy, healthy mommy with great hope for the future.  I'm excited about sharing my AdvoCare story and helping others become champions.

Yes, going from a size 22 to a size 12 has been remarkable.  I've lost and yet gained so much more!  I can now be the person I was truly meant to be, because my self confidence, self worth, and overall outlook on life has never been better!  I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm closer then I have ever been!

Disclaimer:  Personal testimonies reflect individual experiences and are not necessarily typical of the results you may obtain.  Weight loss varies with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns and exercise.  If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or nursing, AdvoCare recommends that you consult your healthcare professional before starting an AdvoCare product regimen.

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

When I first started Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer I was unsure about making her protein bars and actually eating them.  I am glad I did as they are so delicious!  Below is Jamie's recipe for making them and here is a link to the site where you can find this recipe as well as a few other yummy recipes!  Jamie Eason Carrot Cake Protein Bars

The only thing I change is the protein I use.  It is like eating carrot cake for a snack without the frosting. Now I am one of those people that even though I want to eat healthier I hate having to give up certain sweets and the healthier versions are...well...healthier and you can tell!  So this recipe was refreshing as it still hits that sweet spot for me.  

Ingredients:

• 1 C. oat flour
• 2 scoops Muscle Gain
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 C. Spenda, Truvia, or Ideal
• 8 oz. baby food carrots
• 4 oz. water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg whites, Splenda, baby food carrots and water (optional) in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour ingredients into dish.
7. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Makes 16 squares.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 2 squares

Amount per serving

Calories 94

Total Fat1.25g

Total Carb10g

Protein10g

AdvoCare Success Story: Brandi

Here is another great Success story that you can really see great results!  Good for motivation through the 24-day challenge as well.  Seeing other peoples success stories and how far they come is so encouraging and helps keep me on track.

AdvoCare Success Story: Brandi

In January 2011, I started working at AdvoCare. For a year I had struggled to lose the extra weight I had gained from my pregnancy, so when I found out that AdvoCare distributed weight loss and energy products, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get started!

I began taking AdvoCare Spark® and LeptiLean™. I lost 12-15 lbs in about 6-8 weeks and I was feeling better than I had in a long time. I heard all of the success stories with the 24-Day Challenge™ and I had to try it! So far I have lost over 40lbs, and I hope to continue my weight-loss journey with the help of AdvoCare products, boot camps and working with such positive peers. I am very fortunate to be part of such a great company!



Disclaimer:  Personal testimonies reflect individual experiences and are not necessarily typical of the results you may obtain.  Weight loss varies with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns and exercise.  If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or nursing, AdvoCare recommends that you consult your healthcare professional before starting an AdvoCare product regimen.

Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

I love making these as they are a very filling snack and taste delicious!  I tweaked a few things from Jamie Eason's recipe though and will give you the recipe that I came up with.  I took out the dry yellow mustard and replaced it with crushed mint instead as they were a little spicy for my family.  I also do not use the chipotle pepper spice.  I did not have celery when I made it the first time and used bell peppers instead which I have stuck with because I loved how it tastes.  Click here for Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins original recipe if you like having that spicy factor.  She also has several other yummy recipes to try!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground turkey
• 3 egg whites
• 1 C. quick cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. crushed mint
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 T. garlic powder (2 cloves minced)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper (yellow or red)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray muffin pan with canola or olive oil.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. Roll mixture into balls and place in muffin pan.  They should be the size of a racquetball, and if you are like me you may have to look it up to even see what size it is!
5. Bake for 40 minutes.

This recipe makes 12.  

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 1 muffin

Amount per serving

Calories 182

Total Fat8g

Total Carb4.6g

Protein22.2g

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 Scoop Muscle Gain Protein Powder     
• 1/2 or 1 Banana (whichever you prefer)
• 1 T. Peanut Butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 t. Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder
• 6 ice cubes

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

I buy the 30 calorie vanilla almond milk by Blue Diamond which already has the vanilla in it so I leave out the vanilla in the recipe.  If you just buy the original then you can add the vanilla for taste.  My family absolutely loves this recipe and my girls will ask if they can have some too.  Ever since I found a recipe for this my mom has made it every morning for breakfast and loves how quick and easy it is.  I would have linked to the original recipe I had found but I could not find it anywhere!  The original did call for a whole banana but I am not a big fan of the banana flavor and only use half of one so I am still getting the potassium.

I haven't looked at trying to find any other protein shake recipes because I have never gotten sick of this one but I will start trying to find more to share!

Shopping Lists and Menu Planning Oh My!

How many of you have a hard time not only trying to come up with a yummy dinner menu/shopping list for the week as well as actually following through on food prep? I am one of those people which is why I tried to find a Menu template that allows me to create my menu and shopping list on the same page. Luckily I did not have to search online for very long before I found exactly what I was looking for. Another plus...it is cute and colorful! YAY!! Here it is: Shopping List and Menu Planner by A Feathered Nest blog.  This made it a lot easier for me to create a Menu for this week and put my shopping list together.

The one hard thing for me when coming up with a menu is including other meats besides just chicken.  I am a big chicken eater although I cannot say the same for others in my family who like to have a variety of meat throughout the week.  Now I am going to have to do some food prep tomorrow and make some yummy protein bars, as well as Turkey Meatballs for snacks (which are AMAZING with Bell Peppers). 

Kindergarten, College, and Crazy Living

I am sure there are many that have gone to college and while yes it is stressful have gotten through and moved onto amazing things!  I am currently the one that is in college full time, an AdvoCare distributor, a single mother to my two lovely girls, and feel like I am being pulled in so many different directions that I am starting to feel overwhelmed.

I want to point out how AMAZING those single moms are that work full time, go to school full time, and raise their children!  I personally don't know how they do it and feel they truly are like super moms.  Just thinking about how much they do blows my mind.

My oldest started Kindergarten and loves doing homework and learning how to read. I know...Enjoy her enthusiasm now because it won't last!  She is like a sponge and will soak up anything she can when it has to do with school.  I wish I had her love for learning.  Right now I am at the point that I hate the sight of my college books and I literally do not enjoy reading anymore...not even a random book in my free time.  I will return to loving reading books I am sure, although it may just be after I finish my degree!  For now I am trying to buckle down and be like my daughter, absorbing any and all information that I can, so that I may further my education for my kids sake as well as my own.

I have been trying to come up with ways of keeping my daughters entertained while I do my homework.  I came up with little work folders for them to do so that they can be learning new things like their mommy.  I included Reading, Spelling, Writing, & Math for my oldest and for my youngest I included Writing, Numbers, & Math along with some coloring and pattern activities.  Luckily all the worksheets I got were free thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers.com!  They have many different school worksheets available from Pre-K & up.  So far my girls are enjoying these although I may need to come up with a few more things to rotate between.

I also am struggling to find time to fit workouts into my day, partly because I have a certain workout I am wanting to follow but there are things piled up on the equipment which I am unable to remove myself due to my back becoming weak again.  (LAME RIGHT?!)  but in all reality I don't have to do those certain exercises so I really need to make time for myself to workout and get it done.  I know for a fact I will feel so much better when I do.

Another topic...food prep!  I am always reading on how people set aside prep days.  I always mean well and set aside Sunday as the day to do it but something always comes up that I have to take care of.  Again same as above there is no excuse...who says it HAS to be on Sunday anyway?  Well I just always saw everyone else doing it on this day and decided that Sunday is my prep day, although this may have to change.  Maybe I will do short prep sessions throughout the week as breaks in between my studying and time with my kids.  I am thinking this would be a better option for me for now until my schedule isn't so stressful from both my College classes as well as my eldest daughter's kinder class, and my youngest wild child!

Clean Chicken Cabbage Soup

I am not a big soup fan so when I do actually have soup its the predictable "Chicken Noodle Soup".  When I found this recipe I wasn't sure how it would taste, wondering how good a cabbage soup would even be, but decided to try it anyways and I am so glad I did!  It tastes delicious, my whole family loved it as well which is a big plus, and its healthy.

My dad had seen me stirring it when it was getting close to dinner and said how it was probably going to taste gross but when he tried it he was surprised at how good it was.  If you knew my dad you would know how hard it is to find a meal made with chicken that he actually likes and enjoys.  

We leave out the stewed tomatoes at our house because they don't agree with us.  So I just cut the vegetables and do not marinate the chicken overnight since I leave the stewed tomatoes out.

I would definitely recommend checking out her blog as she has many delicious healthy recipes!  Here is the recipe for Clean Chicken Cabbage Soup from Little b's healthy habits:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 box of low sodium chicken broth
• veggies of choice; carrots, celery, and onion (I use the same as Little b)
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 can low sodium stewed tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Pre-cut all the vegetables the night before so they are ready to go the next morning.  Throw chicken in a Ziploc with stewed tomatoes with some oregano so it can marinate.
2. Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and turn it on low.  Let it cook for 8 hours.  If your like me you forget and end up cooking it on high for 4 hours! 
3. Shred chicken with a fork.  You can leave chicken in while you do it.  As little b points out it should be cooked enough that it easily shreds.

I FINALLY did it!

I have been with AdvoCare for almost a year now and have been going back and forth on whether or not I should create my own website.  I am happy to say I DID IT!  The nice thing is that with using their web builder plus looking up tutorials on how to use HTML codes to create what your looking for I was able to do it all myself.  I don't know about you but I absolutely love that I can use google to look up how to do things myself and not have to pay someone else to do it!  Although depending on what you are trying to do things can end up much worse...but I think it turned out awesome and am extremely proud of myself.

The thing I loved the most is finding the things I wanted for both my blog and my website for free and not having to spend money on buying things from people to get the look I wanted.  .  Who doesn't love free stuff right?!  I actually enjoyed putting it all together too.  I am thinking I could do this on the side just for fun.

Alright are you ready to see it???  I am just so excited that I keep going back and looking through it haha! Okay...here it is...TA-DA!!

AdvoCare Fit-Girl It-Girl

What are you going to be today? A gym rat or a couch potato....

Today I woke up and honestly did not feel like starting my workout routine back up.  My lower back was aching and I did not want to overdo it but knew I couldn't just skip working out.  I kept telling myself I would and kept finding excuses not to the past few weeks.  I would think to myself:

• I am too busy with school
• I am too tired!
• The girls will get into trouble if I go work out in the garage
• My back is achy
• I have a migraine

The list could go on and on....but I realized the only person I am hurting by making the decision to skip my workouts is myself!  I am sick of being tired all the time and want to get back into shape.  Well, in order to do that I have to make the effort to get myself into my garage "home gym" and do the workouts.  We all know sitting around doing very little activity is NOT going to get you the results you want.

I had to decide if I wanted to be a couch potato....

Or a gym rat...

I decided I would do my workout while the girls were eating their lunch thinking this would keep them out of trouble.  Unfortunately they finished lunch mid workout but thanks to my sister Nicole the girls each had a fun Valentine's day activity they did for the last half of my workout.  I will be honest my arms were so shaky afterwards that when I drank some water I thought it was going to just dump all over me!!  At least I can look myself in the mirror today and be able to say "I killed that workout!" instead of saying "I really am going to start living a healthier life and start my workouts tomorrow!"  I feel so much better about myself just from one 45 minute weightlifting workout.  Plus I realized how much I actually missed that feeling I get after my workout...feeling my muscles being sore and tired after a good workout, the energy I get from it, and the excitement for my next work out!

For those of you wondering what made my arms limp noodles, it was Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer which I will link below.

Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer

Do yourself a solid and bust out a workout!  It doesn't have to be a really long one, just take baby steps, but I promise your body will love you for it.  Taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for yourself and you deserve to be happy and healthy!

Athletes Trust Advocare! So should you!

I don't know about you but I get extremely excited every time Advocare has a new Athlete that endorses our products for free!!  There are so many of them that use the products because they know they can trust that everything that is on the label is actually in our products with no "fillers".  To see all our endorsers please follow the link below:

https://www.advocare.com/130619728/Products/Endorsers/default.aspx

AdvoCare Success Story: Tanner Carroll

I don't know about you guys but I LOVE hearing about people's Success Stories with Advocare.  I love seeing how they have changed their lifestyles and are now living happier healthier lives!  It doesn't get any better than that.  Awesome job Tanner Carroll!!  

All my life I have struggled being overweight.  Many times I got made fun of in school, came home very upset, and was weary to return.  When football came along, I was the starting center on the varsity football squad and my weight turned into an acceptable thing.  When football ended my senior year, I had the same appetite, but less activity to burn the many extra calories I had been accustomed to eating.  

I entered my freshman year of college at around 270 pounds.  By March of that following year, I weighed in at a whopping 284 pounds.  I knew then that I needed to lose weight!

I slowly started looking at different options and finally came across a friend of mine, Adam Gibbons, who had taken the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge and had amazing success.  After consulting with him and learning more about the products, mom, dad, and I started the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge!  On the 24th day, I looked at the scale and was amazed to find that I had lost 24 pounds!  I have since continued the products and have lost a total of 80 pounds.  I can't express how much AdvoCare has changed my life, and am so happy to tell people more about these amazing products!

Disclaimer:  Personal testimonies reflect individual experiences and are not necessarily typical of the results you may obtain.  Weight loss varies with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns and exercise.  If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or nursing, AdvoCare recommends that you consult your healthcare professional before starting an AdvoCare product regimen.

New Year Advocare 24-Day Challenge!

It's the new year and I have my back doing better again so time to kick it off with a BANG!  This year is the year of change for me.  Between my back, going to school full time, and being a full time mommy of two the last 4 months got away from me.  Talk about depressing when thinking about how you fell off the wagon! BUT I am not going to dwell on that...I am going to start again and try to have better time management and not take way too many things on at once.  I am doing this with a friend so it should be a lot of fun and I am excited to start it with her!  I was going to start earlier but she wanted to do it with me so I am waiting for her to get her challenge in the mail so that we can do it together.

I am going to try and eat food that is not processed, or at least limit it to a very small amount.  I have heard a lot about the Paleo diet and learning more about what you can and cannot eat on it as well.

Again sorry for the temporary hiatus from posts!

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