Private coaching group

Registration is now open for my last summer strong private coaching group of the summer.
Would you like this to be your healthiest summer yet? Do you want to finish it strong?
Have you fallen short of your goals thus far and you know if you don't do something about it now you will carry this into fall and then winter all over again?
Do you need summer cookout recipes that will be great for your grilling get togethers and keep you on track toward your goals?
How about clean eating meal plans, grilling meal plans, recipes, shopping lists and guides for all of July and August?
In this private coaching group you will receive all of that PLUS;
Customized Daily Workout Routines
Support & Accountability
One on One personal goal setting and tracking
Drop a comment below AND send me a message to reserve your spot today! We will work together to design a plan to meet your specific needs and goals! We begin July 5th so you get to go all out on the 4th. :)
As always all of my coaching, meal planning & support is FREE.

21 Day fix sweet potato hash

21 Day Fix Sweet Potato Hash

 I decided yesterday that in order for me to have a chance at making it the next 34 days I have to have food I look forward to making and eating.

I was so glad I went with this for breakfast today. I thought about it all night. And the fact that it fits into my stricter eating day is such a plus😃
 
21 Day fix sweet potato hash and turkey bacon (I added that) topped with beautiful poached eggs😋

I think I like this dish also because my dad used to make corned beef hash when I was a kid and I loved it. But this version is so much better for you.  Following the 21 day fix countdown to competition meal plan seemed a bit daunting at first but I am really enjoying the food. My next Fitness accountability group will be following meal plans, delicious recipes like this and workouts from the 21 day fix so send me a message or comment below to grab a spot. We are going to kick some ass and take some names for the rest of summer and make it the fittest and most fun summer yet.

2 8oz sweet potatoes peeled and diced
1/2 of a red onion sliced thin
3 cloves garlic sliced thin
1/2 tsp cumin
3 tsp olive oil
Dash of sea salt
Dash of black pepper
In a large frying pan heat olive oil at medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add in the sweet potatoes, let cook until golden brown on the side that is in contact with the pan. Flip and continue cooking until all sides are a golden brown. About 5-7 min. Add in the onions,garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until onions and garlic are browned.
Set to the side.
In medium sauce pan poach 2 eggs.

Take 1 yellow containers worth of the sweet potato hash  mixture and top with the poached eggs.
Container equivalent: 1 red container, 1 yellow container,  & 1 1/2 tsp

Being pushed

So I signed up for a Beachbody Physique competition a month or so ago because it is something I have always wanted to do. I was informed a day later that all of the spots were filled at the moment and I would be placed on the waiting list....as number 307 :o... Needless to say I didn't expect to get off of the waiting list. So I didn't do anything extra special to prepare in the event that I would make it off of this list. In fact, I continued to go about my journey quite short of as planned. I was giving in to temptation on somewhat of a regular basis and not making much progress. Then 2 days ago I was informed that a spot had opened up and I could complete my registration. :O

OH MY GOD, I was not going to go through with it. But for some reason I posted on my Facebook page about it and let a few of my fellow coaches know. Now I am not 100% sure why I did this, I think it may have been for permission to not go through with it or encouragement to do it. I ended up getting so much love and support that I decided to go through with it. So... I registered. I am having so many second thoughts about this. I am worried that I will fail miserably.  I only have 36 days to prepare for something that should take 90 days at best and I still have 24.4lbs to lose. This means there is absolutely no room for error. I will have to stick to my eating plan 100% which is quite strict :O Can you imagine me not having cheat meals or treats for 36 consecutive days?.... I can't. I am going to have to pray and meditate for guidance on this one daily, maybe several times a day.

I will have to workout hard and push myself even harder. I will have to make sure I am stretching regularly and properly which I am usually quite lax about. I will have to make sure I am going to bed early to get enough rest. I need to make sure I am not allowing myself to get to hungry and eating at the proper time intervals. Dear God, just listing this stuff out is giving me anxiety. Not only am I worried that I will fail, I am worried about doing it publicly. I have announced this on all of my social media outlets for all the world to see...NOW WHAT?!?! What if I give in to temptation, what if I quit, what if I work really hard and don't get anywhere near ready to walk across a stage in a bikini to be judged? UGH!!!!

On the other side of that "What if " coin; What if I succeed? What if I surpass my expectations and reach a level of fitness and self worth that I never thought possible for myself? What if I unearth a bigger passion or dream for my life? OR...WHAT IF I WIN?  Like a fellow coach said to me yesterday "you will never know what you can do until your pushed". I'll never know if I don't try.


So here goes!!!!

Going after my dreams

So I just got the email from Oxygen Magazine that my photo submission was approved for their cover contest. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! I am soooo excited and nervous. But, I will be preparing for this contest with all natural supplements and shakes researched and created by doctors and some of Harvard's finest, nutrition plans form expertly trained nutritionists and their tested top of the line training programs from some of the TOP celebrity trainers in the biz. YUUUUUUPPP!!! (In my Lana Kane voice) I am so nervous about this. But this is the kind of stuff that I have always wanted to do. The fact that I have put myself out there in such a big way like this is amazing to me. Now what are the chances that I actually get the cover of a national fitness magazine.....Who knows and who the hell cares (well I kinda do...lol)  But here I am finally going after what I want. I no longer talk about what I want to do. I am putting myself out there in every way that I've ever thought about and didn't think I could do. So I've got until September 13th. Let's do it.... I no longer talk about it....I'm doing it. That alone makes me want to cry, I am so proud of how far I have come.

Another plateau

The closer I get to my goal weight the more I hit snags and struggles. So what I have been doing lately is calorie/carb cycling. Which is actually a part of my fix meal plan. Now the idea behind it is to re-feed your muscles and tissues to keep you from hitting a plateau.
You ever notice how you'll be doing good for a few weeks and then things get harder, and your energy is lacking. It could be because your body needs a bit more energy in the form of nutrition. Especially if you have some really intense workout sessions. You can't go low cal and low carb consistently without your body needing a bit of a change. So here's a little bit of an idea on how to do it.

 So your necessary caloric intake comes in a range, whether it be for bulking or cutting. That range is a safe place to move about to see what works best for your body. My calorie range for weight loss is between 1316 and 1433. So on really intense cardio days like a full body hammer power workout or a long run or hike I get close to if not a little over (only by a few calories) that 1433 number. On less intense days I stay right around that lower number. I also adjust my carbs and proteins accordingly as well but don't worry about that part just yet. Anyways, I hope that was helpful for someone. I am working on having a calorie and macros calculator added to my blog so until then you can use your smart phone the "myfitnesspal app" is great for tracking but that calorie counter where it adds in more calories for your workouts..UMMM!!! not so much.. If you have any questions message me and we can get yours figured out for you for FREE.

communications for the information age

 As a health and fitness coach in the information age I have been trying to build this blog as a platform to help women like me. I am finishing my degree in Exercise Science and I guess someone decided that learning how to use the Web would be key, so it is a requirement that I take a class designed specifically for that. Now given that I am a child of the 80's all of this technology gives me a headache. It is not easy learning how to use, maneuver and successfully utilize these media outlets. In high school typing was requirement, not computer science like they have now. But while my children and all of the other millennials can build multi million dollar social media platforms, I bet I could type faster than all of them... lol  Anyway, I am looking forward to learning more about using and building my blog and social media platforms as a tool to reach and help countless women like myself get out of depression, obesity and despair into a life of joy and bliss.

Shakeology Fudge pops

I am all about the NO GUILT summer treats. I mean as I have said before, what is the point of working out hard and eating right all day if you throw it away on a treat. And what fun is summer without the treats. So Shakeology helps me enjoy the best of both of my favorite worlds.

Shakeology Fudgesicles
1-1 1/2 tsp of Chocolate Shakeology
1 tbsp of almond or peanut butter
1 cup of 2% or skim milk
MIx in the blender and pour into 2-4 popsicle molds (depending on size of molds) and freeze.
UM YUMMMMM!!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakeology

One of the things that screams summer for me are the treats and the last thing I want is to work hard all week and ruin it trying to enjoy the summer. My answer to that.....
Chocolate Peanut butter Shakeology Ice cream.....Heaven

Ingredients:...
1 medium banana, cut into chunks
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 scoops Chocolate Shakeology
2 Tbsp. all-natural smooth peanut butter
Preparation:
1. Place banana in plastic bag; freeze for 4 hours, or until completely frozen.
2. Place almond milk, bananas, Shakeology, and peanut butter in blender (or food processor); cover. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve immediately.

Finding myself

         
              












Yesterday as I put on my bathing suit for the first time this season I cried a little. I am so close to a goal I never thought possible and it is a huge accomplishment for me. I have never stuck to anything, let alone a diet.. I don't like to be uncomfortable. I don't like to feel deprived. and I don't like to feel like I am not enjoying life, so for that woman on the left to become the woman on the right, chokes me up. And that photo ...you see there isn't even me at my heaviest of 190lbs on a 4' 11.5" frame and it was all flab.

That woman on the left was depressed, overweight and didn't see any way out of her misery. I had zero self esteem, zero self worth, I was negative, self pitying and I never thought I could be any different. I was a heavy drinker and a smoker just going through the motions of life instead of living. I went from that to a confident (most of the time) optimist, full of love and life. I am adventurist now, I love people (most of the time..lol) and I love life. I quit smoking and I will be 2 years sober in a week, giving up smoking and getting sober were the two things I never thought would happen for me. I believe in myself again and even when I fall I know that it doesn't make me worthless, it makes me human. To be in this place, loving the skin I'm in, with no thoughts of limitations for my abilities and my life is so invigorating. I spent $140 to get the 21 Day Fix when I started this journey and honestly it was a lot to me too. But what I got back, what I got in return is far more valuable. I found me, the me that I thought about being as a little girl growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia... from the hood y'all. I became a woman I can be proud of, a mother I can be proud of and I no longer dread aging. I plan on continuing to do it with grace. Love for yourself is timeless and it shows from the inside out. I am absolutely in love with the woman I am, the woman I am becoming and the life I have ahead of me. I found the love of my life...ME.