Maintain your Brain - #5

Alright, I'm excited to get this week started with the #5 way to Maintain your Brain!

And that is...

CHALLENGE YOUR BRAIN!

There are a variety of ways to challenge your brain and keep it healthy. From puzzles and crosswords, learning a new language, learning to play a new instrument, writing (a book, or blog, or anything), trying a new sport, teaching someone you're an "expert" on, dancing, preparing for a speech or big day...the list goes on and on and on.

There's a quote out there, it's pretty popular, and it says "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Don't listen to it.
You WANT to be learning something new EVERYDAY, no matter how old you are!
Keep your brain active!


Any Sudoku fans out there reading this? Talk about a challenge for your brain! I about went crazy trying to figure out an EASY Sudoku puzzle the other day. One just like this:

Don't get me wrong. It was a fun crazy. And I'll most likely try to finish it at some point, because even though it stressed me out, it was addicting and I kept wanting to figure out where I went wrong!

Give it a go and let me know how you do by commenting below :)

***Please remember I am not a specialist, Dr., therapist, psyciatrist, or anything along those lines.

I'm simply giving you some information that I've found helpful in keeping my mental health in check.***  

www.letitgohealthandfitness.com

Maintain your Brain!

For those who don't know, I work full time for the Fed. Government. We had a meeting yesterday with a speaker who spoke about how important Mental Health is, and he talked about ways to "Maintain your Brain!" I loved everything he had to say, and thought it would be great to blog about so others can have some information. I know I focus a lot on healthy eating and fitness, but mental health is HUGE, too. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Top 5 Ways to Maintain your Brain, I'll be talking about them next week, beginning on Monday. Make sure to enter your email to the right to get updated when I post each day. I'll also be sharing on my FB Page, so make sure you LIKE it ;0)

I'm excited for this and hope you find the information valuable. 

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Egg Bites

Oh boy, are you in for a treat! This recipe was easy to make. 

It took about 10mins prep time, and 25mins cook time. 

And the kids loved it!

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Egg Bites

INGREDIENTS: 

Turkey Bacon, Eggs (or egg whites), Cheese, other ingredients (spinach, onions, broccolli, etc)

*for this recipe, I just added cheese

DIRECTIONS: 

~ Preheat oven to 375.

~ Spray muffin tin.

~ Line each spot with turkey bacon around the edges.

~ Whip all eggs. I used 9 eggs and 6 egg whites for this batch shown. 

So 9 eggs makes 8 bites. 6 egg white makes 4 bites.

~ Mix in cheese and other desired toppings. 

~ Evenly pour the egg mix into each spot, and 3/4 of the way up.

~ Back about 25mins or until turkey bacon is cooked.

~ Pop out and enjoy!

2 egg bites = 1 RED and 1 *BLUE container

3 egg white bites = 1 RED and 1 *BLUE container

My 1st 1/2 marathon!

5.2.15

From Assateague Island to the Ocean City Inlet

13.1 miles in 2 hours, 19mins and 48 seconds. 

As a child, I played softball. I dreaded having to run around the bases at practice, or even if I hit a homerun and had to run them all at once - there was a good chance I'd get out because I ran so slow! 

I tried basketball, but there was too much running. I didn't even give soccer a try because all they do is run. When I struggled with weight, I tried running. Several times. I attempted the Couch to 5k and quit at week 5 because it wanted me to run for 8 minutes straight - I thought that ish was CRAZY at the time. Give me an elliptical, i could be on it for hours. Put me in a step class or spinning class or body pump type class and I'd have a ball. But ask me to run, and I just laughed at you. I had pretty much told myself it was never going to happen. And I was perfectly fine with that. 

Then T25 came into my life. My goal with that program was simple - I wanted to tone up while working on my nutrition (where I lacked big time). 25mins a day was doable with our busy schedule, and I could still have time for family. My husband and I both agreed we could give each other 25mins a day to do the workouts, and so, in August 2013 we started. 

Things were going great! We were right on schedule with the workouts, keeping to our nutrition plan, and really feeling and seeing the positive changes in our lives. About a month into the program we went to OC with my parents for the weekend. A tradition we have. It was a "rest" day for T25, but I wanted to get some kind of workout in. So, I decided to go for a run. 

15 minutes into the run I freaked out. WHY?! Because I was STILL running! I hadn't stopped, and could still run more. So, i did! Remember above when I said I thought running for 8 minutes straight was crazy?! Yea, I was a little beside myself! I probably ran for about 30mins before stopping. I was so confused and excited about what I had just done! 

And that's where my love of running began :) 

After that I signed up and completed my first 10k in April of last year. I did another one in August. I ran 7 miles at some point last summer and it exhausted me so much, i figured a 10k was it for me. But, i wanted to see if I could push myself further. So, decided 2015 was going to be my year for my 1st half marathon and full marathon. I signed up for both at the beginning of the year! :) Training was TOUGH for a half in May with the weather we had, and I honestly didn't train as well as I should have. It wasn't until about 5 weeks out that I got serious about it. I was having a hard time running 5 miles...how was I going to run 13.1?! So, i stuck to the training schedule, watched my nutrition better, and just turned my mindset to a "I CAN DO THIS!" mindset. It worked :) 

So, why did I choose the OC Half Marathon?

Simple. I grew up vacationing there with my family. It's where my love/hate relationship with running really began. It's a special place to me and I knew the areas where I was running. What was more special was that my husband and kids came down to cheer me on, along with my parents and my husbands parents. Seeing them 1 mile before the finish line was just as emotional as I thought it would be. I stopped quickly to give each of the kids kisses, and hug everyone else. I held back tears the whole last mile because I was ALMOST done. I wasn't just doing this for me, I was doing it to show my kids that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself. And they may not realize that now, but one day they will. Through my journey of running, and through other journeys of my life. 

At mile 10! Feeling good! :) 

Right before seeing my family <3

The FINISH line is right in front of me!!! I DID IT!!!!!!!! :) 

 LOVE MY FAMILY!

MY PARENTS! 

MY 2nd PARENTS! 

It's GIVEAWAY time!!!!!!!!!

You might be on the edge of making this decision. 

You might just be thinking about it.

You might have been putting it off for months. 

But, NOW is the time!!

I have several challenge groups starting in May! Get healthy and fit with a group of people who are working towards the same goals as you! Have fun, challenge yourself, stay accountable, and start working towards your goals! It starts with the first step, and THIS is your first step! 

For the first SIX NEW customers who order through me, their names will be put into a drawing. 

THREE of the 6 will get to choose from the photo above. Your options are:

1. Shaun T's Rockin' Body

2. Brazil Butt Lift

3. The 3-day Refresh

4. Five sampe packets of Shakeology

So it's simple. Order a Challenge pack through me, April 30th or May 1st, and you have a 50/50 chance of getting something for FREE!!!!

Contact me for more information! 

Hummus Crusted Chicken

I was NOT expecting this meal to taste as great as it did! Huge thanks to Tastefully Simple for the recipe and seasonings...they get all the credit for this one ;) I went to a freezer meal workshop and this was one of the clean meals we put together.

This IS a 21 Day Fix approved meal! 1 red, 1 green and 1 blue can be used! Delicious! 

INGREDIENTS

~ 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (seasoned with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper if desired)

~16 oz pkg frozen California blend vegetables

~ 1 tbsp lemon juice

~1/2 cup chopped red onion (I personally didn't use this)

~ 1 tbsp olive oil

~ 1 cup olive oil

~ 15-16oz can chickpeas, drained with reserved 1/3 cup liquid

~ 1 packet Red Bell Pepper Hummus Mix (from Tastefully simple)

ASSEMBLY

1. Mix together the California blend veggies with 1/2tsp sale, 1/4tsp pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1 tbsp olive oil.

2. Drain the chick peas, keeping 1/3 cup liquid. Mix with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 packet Red Bell Pepper Hummus Mix. Squish ingredients to mash. (ha! I missed this step! Oh well, it was still good!)

RECIPE

1. Preheat over to 400.

2. In 9x13 pan, place the veggies then the chicken breasts.

3. Divide the hummus over the chicken.

4. Cover with foil and bake for 30minutes; uncover and bake an additional 20-25minutes. 

5. Enjoy and come back here to let me know how you liked it :) 

*Want to keep up to date with our blogs? 

We will be continuously sharing recipes, exercise & nutrition tips and more! 

Simply add your email address to the right, and you'll get blogs as soon as we publish them! *

1 Dream at a Time

Every summer as a child, my family would join the local swimming pool. It was so much fun to go to and I have fond memories of time there with my sister and parents. As I grew up and started my own family, it was important to me to do have something like that, too. But, as we usually find in adulthood, things aren't always as easy as you think they are.

 

When we moved almost 5 years ago, we contemplated joining the local swimming pool. Our kids were younger, Mike's work hours were crazy, we weren't sure about having the time to go, and then when we saw the price...well, our mind was made up because there was no way we were going to afford it! The kids were bummed. We were bummed. So we got by just find with a kiddie pool in the backyard! Nothing wrong with that, no. But it's not what we truly wanted.

 

 

Fast Forward to today (well, yesterday). I went and paid for our summer pool membership without batting an eye. Okay, maybe I still cringed at the price a little because it is A LOT of money, haha. But my point is, the decision to join was easier because of the money I've earned through Beachbody. We actually had the money to spend on this membership, and we'll make sure this membership is put to good use :) The kids are happy and we're happy.

 

Joining the pool is just one of the things we've been able to do since I became a coach. We paid off our credit card debt last September. We have started planning for a Disney trip. We're so much closer to paying off other debt we have...debt that we didn't see an end in sight for is just 1-2years away from being gone.

 

Maybe you're looking to make some extra money for whatever reason. Maybe you love health and fitness. Maybe you want financial freedom and have a dream in your heart you can't wait to come to life...talk to me...maybe becoming a Beachbody coach is YOUR answer. It's been my answer, and I have no doubt it will continue to be! :)

 

 

*Want to keep up to date with our blogs? We will be continuously sharing recipes, exercise & nutrition tips and more! Simply add your email address to the right, and you'll get blogs as soon as we publish them! *