Week 1: RevAbs

I got a bright idea to blog about my fitness journey with RevAbs. I always have a tough time getting through a full 90 day program, but I'm going to get through this one. I have been sick for the past two weeks, but this week I pushed through my workouts and made it through. RevAbs is hard, but it feels good to push myself through the workouts!

Here are the workouts I did this week:
Monday - Total Strength and Mercy Abs
Tuesday - Fire Up Your Abs
Thursday - Power Intervals
Friday - Fire Up Your Abs
Saturday - Power Intervals and Hip Hop Hustle
Sunday - Total Strength and Mercy Abs


The program is challenging, but I felt good that I accomplished the entire first week. Brett Hoebel is engaging and entertaining...a great combination! I did do the workouts slightly out of order, but I was able to get them all in. The goal for week two...do all six workouts...in order!


Well, my workouts were on track, but what about my eating? Well...my eating was GREAT!!! I stuck with the nutrition plan included in the workout program, and I have been feeling great all week! I'm looking forward to week two being over, so I can start eating fruits again. This week I only ate lean proteins and veggies. Lots of salads with grilled shrimp. Carrots and pea pods were my staple. Chicken, shrimp, and pork were the lean proteins on my list. I also made sure I had a serving of nuts every day. I will admit, I'm having a cheat meal for lunch today...angus burger at this amazing restaurant in Delavan. I am going to have it without a bun, but "cheat" a little bit with some home-made french fries. It's gonna be so good!


So...until next week, keep hitting play and tracking your food!

Weekly Nutrition Newsletter: Quick and Easy Shrimp Recipe

Quick and Easy Shrimp Recipe

Shrimp meets the definition of quick and easy. Low in fat and calories, it makes a great starting point for a healthy meal. Some people worry about shrimp's high cholesterol content, but it seems we should not be overly concerned because they are low in saturated fat, unlike most other high-cholesterol foods. So be sure to include shrimp as part of your low fat diet.

Low Fat Southwestern Shrimp

The great thing about shrimp is that they're quick and easy to cook. The biggest mistake people make is to overcook them so that they turn out tough and rubbery. Enjoy this southwestern shrimp dish with a side dish of rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• Juice of 1 large lime
• 1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (about 2 tbsp)
• 2 medium tomatoes (about 6 ounces), chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle chili powder and cumin over them; add lime juice. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Sauté onions and jalapeno over medium heat until onions are softened—about 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp, chopped tomato and cilantro. Cook shrimp for three minutes, until pink and opaque, turning them occasionally. Serve over hot whole-grain rice.

Serves 4. 

Per Serving: Calories 162, Calories from Fat 22, Total Fat 2.4g (0.4g), Cholesterol 170mg, Sodium 183mg, Carbohydrate 10.5g, Fiber 2.2g, Protein 24.5g

Team Beach Body- Today is the Day!

Weekly Nutrition Newsletter

Low-Carb Valentine's Day Menu Ideas

Thinking about making your honey a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day? Here are some tips to make the evening romantic, stay within your low-carb diet, and not feel too stuffed for romance!

Menu Planning Tips

• The overall effect you're going for is "elegant simplicity." This is most easily achieved by getting excellent ingredients that you don't have everyday, and cooking them simply so their flavors can shine.
• Everything should either cook quickly or be made ahead. (Exception is for rare favorites in which you're willing to invest extra effort.)
• Don't feel you have to do everything yourself -- sharing in the preparation can enhance the meal.
• Get out your best dishes and special wine glasses.
• Candles are nice, unless your dinner partner grouses about low lighting.

Beverages Often a cocktail or wine is part of a Valentine meal.

• Low-Carb Cosmopolitan Cocktails are a Valentine favorite.
• Alcoholic Beverages on a Low-Carb Diet tells you the do's and don'ts.
• How to Make a Low-Carb Cocktail has lots of tips.

First Course

A first course isn't obligatory, but if you do it, keep it light with ideas like this:

• A couple of seared scallops (recipe below) with a few greens and thinly-sliced vegetables
• Shrimp cocktail (make sauce from low-carb ketchup, horseradish, and lemon juice blended to taste)
• Smoked salmon on cucumber rounds, perhaps with a touch of creme fraiche cream cheese

Main Course

All these cook quickly, and the results are sure to please:

• Get a great steak, like a ribeye. Cover it will plenty of salt and pepper, and grill. Top with butter or blue cheese. Best to share rather than overstuff yourself, especially if a rich dessert is planned.
• Filet mignon is a traditional favorite.
• Oven-Baked Salmon with Herbs is ultra-easy and succulent.
• If your sweetheart is a chicken fan, get boneless skinless breasts or soak regular chicken breasts in salt water for a couple of hours. The idea is not to have dried-out chicken. One idea: Marinate in some olive oil with garlic and fresh herbs mushed up in it, and before pan frying, wrap in prosciutto.
• Or try easy and elegant Chicken Marsala.
• Pan seared scallops are elegant, easy, quick cooking, and delicious -- what more could you want?

Side Dishes

Any simple vegetable dishes you like are good choices. Consider dressing them up with a sprinkle of nuts or herbs. Ideas:

• Dress up a simple green salad with cut up fruit such as melon, apple, or strawberries and an olive oil-based dressing.
• Oven-Roasted Asparagus, or other roasted vegetables are easy and delicious -- the dry heat concentrates the flavors.
• Saute mushrooms and garlic, and then add some wine and cream, and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Gussy up mashed cauliflower with cheese and chives or chopped green onions.
• More Vegetable Ideas

Dessert

For most, chocolate is a Valentines Day "must." I've got lots of chocolate recipes. Here are some favorites:

• Low-Carb Chocolate Mousse
• Dip strawberries or other fruit in Chocolate Ganache
• Low-Carb Miracle Brownies
• Chocolate Pecan Torte

*Information from: 

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbholidaymenus/a/valentinesday.htm?nl=1
**Reply "STOP" to be removed from this mailing list.

Chalene's Social Media Training

It's been almost a week since I've blogged, and I just went to an event Wednesday night that has motivated me so incredibly much! I went to Chalene Johnson's Social Media Bootcamp in Chicago, and learned so much about social media. I am now a pro at Facebook and Twitter...feels pretty darn good. I have learned so many things that will effect my business drastically for the better.

1. I have decided to make my personal Facebook profile inactive, so I am only using social media for my business.
2. I have promoted my Facebook fanpage through Twitter and Facebook a lot.
3. I have learned that I should be tweeting on Twitter 12-18 times a day. I have some messages automated, but I am also going to post randomly throughout the day.
4. I need to start treating my business like a business, and use my time more wisely.
5. Tweetadder is my savior! It is going to help me so much, and I am extremely grateful that it was suggested to me.
6. I have to continue working hard on my personal development. I can't help other people if I can't help myself.
7. I need to more regularly rewrite my ten goals. I have been slacking on that part too much lately.
8. Chalene has inspired me to work towards interviewing to be an Area Promotions Director for Powder Blue. I want to have a career in fitness, and I would really like that career to include Powder Blue and Chalene.
9. Even though I am a "Beachbody Coach," I need to concentrate more on who I am as a person. Yeah...I help people lose weight and get fit, but what else do I do for people? Hmm...motivate and inspire them to change their lives in more than their fitness.
10. Helping others is my job, and I need to concentrate on why I do it!!!

I will be blogging 2-3 times a week, and at least one weekly blog will be a nutrition newsletter. Also follow me on Twitter (eringettingfit) and "like" my fanpage on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/eringettingfit2010)!

Nutrition Newsletter

How to Relieve Stress

If you're looking for less stress and more peace in your life, you're not alone; many, many people are feeling overwhelmed and wondering how to relieve stress. The key to a successful stress management plan is to have several techniques that can help you manage stress on many levels. The following tips can show you how to relieve stress in several different ways; explore one type of stress relief, put it into practice in your life, and move on to another, or use a combination of approaches beginning today. Whatever you chose, you can't go wrong here. Let's get started!

Here's How:

1. Relax Your Body
   When you experience a stressor, or a perceived threat to your wellbeing, your body is designed to spring into action with the stress response, which involves several physiological changes in your body that can prepare you to either fight or run. The problem is that many people experience stressors all day, and their bodies never quite get back to a non-stressed state, a situation known as chronic stress. Learn to relax to your pre-stress state, and save yourself. How to relive stress? Try techniques like breathing exercises and other quick stress relievers, and feel better fast!
2. Change Your Thinking
   One tip on how to relieve stress involves stopping your stress response before it's triggered. This can be done because the stress response is triggered when you face real or perceived threat--it's the perception of threat that stresses you, not the actual situation you face. If you can change how you think about what you face, you can often avoid the experience of stress altogether. Cultivating an optimistic explanatory style, using reframing techniques, minimizing cognitive distortions, and viewing your stressors as a challenge can all help you accomplish this.
3. Cut Out Stressors Where You Can
   Another way to stop stress before it affects you is to eliminate situations in your life that feel stressful to you. That means cutting out toxic relationships, if you find yourself routinely drained by difficult people. You may also want to focus on culling clutter if you find yourself losing things a lot or feeling stressed in your home. Creating a time management plan if you're too busy, learning to mange job stress if you're flirting with burnout, or addressing other lifestyle stressors can all bring a big payoff in relieving stress.
4. Adopt Stress-Relieving Habits
   Certain habits can help you relieve stress if you make them a regular part of your life. Meditation, for example, can help you feel less stressed while you're practicing it, but regular meditation can help you become less reactive to stress that you encounter when you're not meditating. The same is true with exercise. Adopting a regular habit to help relieve stress can bring benefits in the short term as well as the long term. (Read more of the research on meditation and exercise here.
5. Get Ongoing Support
   It can be challenging to relieve stress, and it can get much easier to make necessary changes if you enlist support. This can mean letting your friends know what you're doing so they can cheer you on (and keep you honest), joining classes (yoga,meditation, and exercise classes are all great choices), hiring a life coach (many of us specialize in stress management), or even seeing a therapist or talking to your doctor if you need another level of support. To find some ongoing resources right now, subscribe to the free stress management newsletter.

How to choose lean proteins

Lean protein is an important part of any healthy diet and can help you with your weight-loss efforts. Lean protein provides you with a sense of satiety (fullness) and can help prevent overeating. Here are some pointers for selecting good sources of lean protein:

Fish

Fish is one of the healthiest sources of lean protein. It is nautrally lower in saturated fat than poultry or beef. Coldwater fish, such as salmon, is an excellent choice as it contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, a "good" fat that can be beneficial to your health.

Chicken and Turkey

Poultry is a good source of protein -- just choose white meat turkey and chicken as often as possible; it is lower in calories than dark meat. Be sure to remove the skin before eating. Ideal preparation methods include roasting, grilling, and baking.

Beef

Watching your fat and calorie-intake doesn't mean you have to give up beef. Choose cuts with the words "round" or "loin" in the name, and those that have less visible marbling. Trim any visible fat before you cook it or ask the butcher to do so before wrapping it up. When choosing ground beef, look for "lean" or "extra lean" on the label.

Eggs

Despite getting a bad reputation a few years back due to cholesterol concerns, eggs truly can be part of any healthy diet. Eggs provide around five grams of protein per serving. They are the most budget-friendly protein source, at less than $2 a dozen. They are easy to prepare, and can be used creatively in many different ways, from breakfast, to sandwiches, to heartier dishes such as fritatta or quiches. If you are concerned about cholesterol, just use fewer yolks (the fat and cholesterol is in the yolk). Tip: I like making scrambled eggs with one whole egg and two whites.

Low-Fat Dairy

Low-fat dairy products are an ideal source of lean protein because much of the saturated fat has been removed from them. They provide vitamin D and calcium (which may help you lose weight). Low-fat cheese, milk and yogurt are staples of a healthy diet as they can be worked into almost any meal or as a part of healthy snacks.

Beans, Peas and Lentils

Beans, peas, and lentils are also good lean protein sources, particularly for those who follow a vegetarian diet. They provide plenty of fiber, which most of us need to increase in our diets. The protein and fiber pack a "one-two punch" that can help you feel fuller much longer than other foods and thereby prevent overeating. Try adding them to other recipes such as chili, soup, or even salads, and gradually increase your serving size or frequency to avoid gastric woes. (Adding too much fiber to your diet at once can cause gas and cramps.)