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Healthy Meal Prep | Grilled Chicken Salad

Today (Thursday) marks Day 7 of our 40-day Fat Loss Challenge.  I measured in on Day 1 at 24% (calipers) and today was at 22%!  Woo-hoo!  A 2% difference in 1 week is a big deal!  I'll show you some progress pics soon so you can see what it looks like.  I'm also using my heart-rate monitor (twice) and have been surprised at how little amount of calories it says I'm burning during my workouts.  I'll get into more detail on that in another post soon too. Today, I'm sharing one of the meals I've been eating- a Grilled Chicken Salad and I always make multiples at a time so I can just pull the assembled salad out of the fridge and I don't have to spend time reprepping.   Step 1 is to always have grilled chicken on hand or prepare enough for several salads.  If I'm just cooking 4-8 chicken breasts at a time, I use a grill pan.  Spray that pan with cooking spray, and heat to medium-high heat.  I pound my chicken breasts a little so they are thinner and cook eve...

40 Day Fat Loss Challenge

At the beginning of last year (2014), I challenged myself to get in shape for my first ever NPC bikini contest and reached that goal after 5 months of training (July 2014).  Since then, I'd been pretty much slacking on the diet and workouts, but by October 2014, I was not liking how I felt physically when I had gotten used to being in great shape.  My weight was creeping back up and my muscle was turning into fat.  In November, I started back with my trainer and by December had started embracing my bikini meal plan again, but not nearly as strictly and not without lots of "cheats".  It was the holidays after all.  And I like to eat as much as the next person. Read more »

Healthy Afternoon Snack -Yoplait Greek 100 Yogurt

Hi friends!  I'm definitely back in the workout/eat healthy grind, training with my trainer 3 times a week and doing 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week.  It feels good to be back to it and I'm already noticing my jeans fitting better again, but being back on my meal plan where I eat every 3-4 hours is where I feel the most benefit.  If you're like a lot of women, you might actually skip meals (and I'm guilty of that too!) but eating consistently throughout the day keeps my energy level constant and there's no energy dip mid-afternoon. If I'm in a pinch and can't eat a whole meal (or I'm just not hungry enough) around 3:00 p.m. (the time I'm typically heading out the door to pick up my son from school), I'll grab a Greek yogurt because it's delicious, low calorie, and full of protein.   I was asked by Yoplait to try their  Yoplait Greek 100 Yogurt , and since it's something I eat anyway, was happy to try their brand and flavors.  I didn...

5 Month Post Bikini Contest Check-In

It's been a little more than five months since I competed in my first NPC bikini competition and I wanted to share what life's been like since then and where I am now with my (lifelong) fitness journey.  I say lifelong journey because as long as I'm alive, I want to take care of myself and never take my health for granted.  With my Dad's illness, I've painfully watched his physical ability diminish to the point where he cannot walk, so I'm always mindful of how grateful I am to be able to move and exercise.   the beginning Almost one year ago, I had gotten out of shape and was ready for a big change.  I couldn't fit comfortably into my clothes, felt sluggish and missed feeling good about myself.  I started working out and eating better in February 2014 on my own, and began working with my trainer (3-4 days a week) at the end of March 2014.  We trained together for 15 weeks and I competed in the bikini contest on July 4, 2014.  I went from 112 pounds and 25% ...

Meditation Challenge Update

It's been about two weeks since I wrote in, declaring my intentions for the 21-day meditation with Oprah and Deepak.  The update is I have failed miserably.  Like bad.  In the past 14 days, I have meditated a total of three times.  Yeah.  The challenge started on a Monday, but I began on Tuesday because that's when I got the email linking to the first meditation.  I also meditated on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday is where I fell off the wagon.  I totally forgot about meditating on the weekend and then into the next week I never got back on the wagon.  Now, I feel too far gone to continue.   The meditations are only available for 5 days, so I could start back up (having missed some) but I'm so not into it right now. Admitting this to myself and you feels like a big failure, but I would rather be real about my failures than pretend to be someone I'm not.  I hear the negative voices in my head and have to work to let them go.   ...

21-Day Meditation Experience with Oprah & Deepak Chopra

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Oprah's 'The Life You Want Weekend' event courtesy of P&G brands OLAY, Tide, and Orgullosa.  Being a huge Oprah fan since middle school (I would watch everyday after school at 4:00 p.m.) and having subscribed to her magazine since the first issue, this was a big deal.  I'd always wanted to go to a taping of her show, but never got the opportunity, so getting an email offering tickets to the event was definitely a good mail day.  At the event, our seats were close to the stage, so seeing O up close and personal was pretty thrilling, a bucket-list item  happily checked off.   On day 2, Deepak Chopra was one of the speakers and, during his presentation, he lead us in a group mediation.  I've always been intrigued with the idea of meditating, and my two closest friends are daily meditators, but I have never put it to consistent practice in my life.  In fact, I've only tried it a handful of times and usually end up t...

LARABAR GIVEAWAY | Eat Healthy & Get Outside

As we draw closer to the end of the year and towards the holidays and cold weather where we just want to bundle up and stay inside, I'm reminded that I don't want to slack off now and lose the fitness level that I worked so hard to achieve earlier this year.  It's so hard to get in shape, but so easy to get out of shape! I'm definitely going to enjoy myself and won't be sticking to a rigid routine these next couple months, but I plan to continue to exercise and eat healthy because I want to take care of myself and feel good.  As part of my daily meals, I typically eat a  LÄRABAR  each afternoon as that's about the time I'm hungry and heading out the door to get my son from school.  I'm never without them, because my son likes them too (as picky as he is), so there is  always  a  LÄRABAR in my purse, gym bag, or car.  Do you do that too?  If you've ever been out and about, starving and grouchy, with equally grouchy and starving kids, you probably do....