What suppplments to take.......

There are so many supplements to take out there, just about any store you go into has different variations of items and there are even stores devoted to just supplements.

My goal here is to educate you on some of different supplements out there and if you want to take it what to look for!

Probiotic - gut health, if you were born via Cesarean and/or were not beast fed you need to be on a probiotic, probiotics also help with allergies and sickness. Look for a supplement with multiple strains.

Fish Oil - Helps with just about everything! Heart, cardiovascular system, joints, hair/skin/nails, brain/memory and fat burning just to name a few. Aim for 2g of deep sardine fish oil per day, make sure there is a mixture of EPA and DHA fatty acids.

Protein - Our bodies need 30% or more of our diet per day to come from protein.  It helps with building lean muscle, energy and satiety. Look for few ingredients, ingredients you understand and can pronounce, whey or soy isolates are great and wont contain the cholesterol blends do.

B - Gives you energy! Try taking some B vitamins in the morning instead of your cup of coffee. Look for a good mixture of B6 and B12.

Magnesium - Most Americans are deficient in magnesium. It help with muscle rebuilding and recovery, and it also helps our bodies calm down and rest. A good Cal/Mag supplement is best for good absorption.

Chromium - Helps with blood sugar metabolism and digestion of carbohydrates. All diabetics should be on chromium along with other things, most good multivitamins contain chromium.

D - Essential for bone health, energy and also been shown to help with most autoimmune disorders and cancers. You get some from the sun but as soon as you shower it rinses off. Even most southern states are populated with Vitamin D deficient kids and adults.  My daughter has been taking vitamin D since she was 1 week old.

Multivitamin - A good multivitamin will be 3rd party tested, capsule form and contain a lot of the above things! You do get what you pay for, so the $3.99 bottle at Target will not be adsorbed as well as the $30.00 online.

19 in the AM!

My day 18 was great, busy, but great. Loved being able to spend some time with my mom and Addison this evening before she went to bed.

My day 19 will be a little crazy but I cooked some turkey tonight so I know it can be good!
Here is a breakdown of my day 19:
small breakfast
Study Session
Workout
Massage
Hair cut
lunch
oil change
grocery shop
walk with the family
dinner
SLEEP!

I am not sure what my day will be like food wise so I will write about that tomorrow.

Good night!

Almost done!

Please make sure you let me know what works for your final measurements, I want to see how everyone succeeded large or small! I still have time this Saturday, Monday and Wednesday next week for final measurements!

I wanted to take some time to write about food choices going forward.  Just because you can eat normal again doesn't mean to go out on the first night and have a cheeseburger, fries, shake and alcohol.  Putting a bunch of toxins in your cleansed system could make you pretty sick.

Try to add one new food in each day.  That way you will be able to see how your body reacts to each food and if you get bloating or other issues with certain foods it's a good sign that you should limit your intake of that food going forward. You can reach out to me as well about issues you are having.

Also if you can follow this 80% of the time going forward you will continue to have good success. My plan is to eat good 6 days out of the week.  I will allow myself to have a cheat 1x per week and I am sure it will change weekly based on my schedule and events.

We can talk more about a plan going forward for each of you when we meet for your final measurements. I will also be doing 10 day and 24 day challenges again over the summer and fall and I will make sure to keep you updated on them.

Good luck this weekend, should be your last couple days of temptations!

SWinters30@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30

Final weigh in is coming up

REMINDER:
LAST TIME TO WEIGH OUT IS
7:30am on Thursday June 7th.

Weigh outs are starting Saturday so just a couple more days of eating clean and training dirty!

Less than a week left!

Happy day 17 and day 18 tomorrow! My day 17 was great, softball went well even though we tied (at least it wasn't a loss).

My day 18 plan:
Rice milk, water, protein powder
egg/tuna salad, asparagus
chicken, brown rice, black beans, taco sauce
banana and peanuts
turkey burger and side salad
softball and sunflower seeds (I don't think I know how to hit or catch a ball without seeds)

Enjoy your night and good luck Thursday, almost there!

Morning workout

I ended up not going for a run this morning, little Addison woke up early and it was too cold for us to go outside.

We went down stairs and she played while I did some cardio with my kettlebell
20- 2 arm swings
10- 1 arm swings (each side)
rest to zone 1
10 snatches each side
plank to failure
rest to zone 1
I repeated that for 30 minutes and felt good and worked after that!

My friend this morning

 My starting weight was 154.5 and this morning I weighed in at 143.5. I don't weigh myself often because I am a bigger believer in body composition but I wont check that until 1 week from today!

Happy Wednesday!

Day 16

My day 16 was great! Not a great run this morning but a great day at work and night at home. I just got done with some strength and will go for another run in the morning. I did my part to drink lots of water today and will do the same tomorrow.

My day 17 plan (wow, really day 17?!):
Run
Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Rice Cake
Carrots, celery and tuna
Leftovers (tilapia, asparagus, sweet potatoes)
Banana and peanuts
Softball - sunflower seeds
Turkey burgers on the grill with salads

As we are nearing the end of our challenge I want you to start thinking about weigh out/pinch times.  I am starting to take final measurements from some this Saturday morning and into next week.  The last time I have available for measurements is next Thursday morning the 7th at 7:30am. If we don't already have a time set to meet during that time please let me know what works for you to meet for your final measurements.

To know when I update my blog "like" my page:
www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30

Great job so far and for those of you that have stuck with it extra kudos, its tough but you have to be feeling great!

Morning Run

Right after Addison woke up this morning I fed her some oatmeal and then we were off for a nice morning run (or so I thought).

Overnight it got quite chilly and windy so luckily I bundled both of us up.  After about the first 5 minutes I knew it was not going to be very fun.  The wind was cold and seemed to be blowing constantly right at us which made the stroller hard to push, also my lack of H2O from the past couple days caught up with my legs about 10 minutes in.  So we made the best of it, walked some to look at the ducks and made a pit stop at the park to go for a swing.  Today the run beat me but I will hydrate today and conquer it tomorrow!

Tips for a successful run:
-Hydrate the day before!
-Don't eat 30-45 minutes beforehand
-Have a light warm up
-Stretch afterward
-Always know you can walk/run/jog
-Have a set goal in your head when you begin and try to beat it
-Have some good music to listen to it you want extra motivation
-Focus on breathing and keep your shoulders relaxed
-Don't land on your heel (it will send a lot of shock right up your leg into your back)
-Try to land on your mid-foot for the greatest absorption
-Wear appropriate layers and removable layers for when you get warm

My goal is to always make the best out of situations and control what I can. The wind I could not control so there is not reason to get upset, its a great reminder to keep training and know its OK to walk sometimes.  I can control my hydration levels so I will not let that happen again.

Addison bundled up on our run (still in her PJ's)

She was happy we stopped at the park

I saw this and it made me think of how I felt today

Good luck to you all this week! It is so much easier to give up than to power through and succeed. My challenge today might not be huge but I wanted to let you all know that sometimes I feel defeated as well and have challenges just like you!

Back to work in the AM

I hope you all have a great memorial weekend and are excited for the short work week to start tomorrow.

My Day 15:
Rice Cake, 2 eggs, turkey bacon
At a friends cabin to help them with storm damage
Carrots, 2 burgers (just patties) and a chicken brat (I was hungry)
Celery and Peanut Butter
Brown rice, black beans, salsa, steak, lettuce

After I am done with this I will be getting some light strength in at home.

Day 16:
Run
2 eggs, rice cake, ham
Strawberries and almonds
Taco Salad
Banana and peanuts
Tilapia, asparagus and sweet potatoes

My water intake has slipped this long weekend so I will be back at it tomorrow as well.

Have a great night!

15 tomorrow!

Can it really be true that day 15 is tomorrow?

My day 14:
Protein Powder and rice milk
Jog around Lake Harriet
Modified Egg/Tuna Salad
Ham and peanuts (car ride)
Swimming with Addison and Adam
Grilled Chicken, baked beans, sweet potatoes
Shopping for summer clothes
Tea and salad with Adam

Spring mix, jalapenos, tomatoes, black beans, brown rice, chicken, taco sauce, salsa, hot sauce

My day 15 will again be based on the weather but I know there will be a workout in the morning (most likely an outside run followed by strength)

Good night, good luck and I really hope you are all enjoying this holiday weekend and staying strong!

By popular demand

Only because I have received multiple requests here are some of our wedding "cake" pictures (ummm cake, sounds good)

 I got my revenge

 Who else would farmer blow cake at a formal event in an expensive dress

 Hi Kathy (in the background)

 Poor Adam, if he only knew what he got himself into :)

Rainy Day

I sure hope the weather tomorrow is better....

I was able to get a workout in this afternoon, go swimming with Addison, go grocery shopping and prepare some food for the next week, all while spending the day with my loves.  When you create healthy habits it just comes natural, I hope you are all creating some healthy habits during these 24 days.

Day 13:

Rice milk + protein powder = yummmmy!

Eggs, ham, strawberries

Ostrich jerky

Grilled chicken, baked beans

Tuna/Egg salad

I am not sure what my day 14 will be like, again the weather will be the biggest factor, I am hoping to get a run in around the lake in the morning with Danica who thinks she can beat me at this challenge :) and I hope to do some grilling and catch some sun.

If you want to know when I update this don't forget to "like" my facebook page

www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30

Have a great night!

Check this out

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/

If you have any sort of interest in our obesity trends and the foods we eat.  There are some pretty neat things on the website and it allows you to watch the documentary without having to have HBO.

Enjoy!

Lucky 13

As day 12 comes to an end I am sitting here reflecting on the day and how truly blessed I am.  I have so many great people in my life, and of course all of you are some of them.

We are over halfway done, can you really believe it! I was able to get a workout in this morning, do lots of yard work for a friend and go grocery shopping. I still have a few more things to get tomorrow and then we will be set for another week!

I am unsure what the day holds tomorrow, weather will be a big factor.  My hope is to get a workout in at some point and cook up some chicken, fish, brown rice, beans and hard boil eggs.

 Good night, sleep tight and don't let the mosquitoes bite :)

Halfway there!

Can we really be halfway there?  I am still hearing and seeing so many successes each day, so great job to all of you!

My day went as planned food wise, with the rain we did not have softball which was fine with me because my shoulder is SORE from Wednesday night (Tip: DON'T throw long distances without proper warm up).  Benefit of working in a PT clinic....you can get it worked on and do stuff for it! Lots of ice today and I did make it for a little workout but mostly did shoulder stuff.  My hope is to keep the ice up all night so I can get a good workout in the morning.

Day 12:

-Egg

-Protein Smoothie (chocolate protein powder, strawberries, ice and water)

-Lemon Pepper Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries

-Modified egg/tuna salad (egg, olive oil mayo, tuna, celery, lettuce)

-Chicken and Asparagus with mixed berries for dessert!

I need to hit the grocery store tomorrow, here is what is on my list:

Pickles

Salsa

Spring Mix

Bananas

Lemon Pepper

Rice Milk

Salmon

Beans

Berries

Ground beef and Turkey to make Burgers for memorial weekend!

Asparagus

Good luck to you all with day 12!

Fast food choices

I may not be an advocate of fast food but do understand that we get busy, are out often and have friends/family that might not be the best influence.

If I had to pick some fast food choices here is what I would chose in no particular order.

Jimmy Johns-unwitch
Milios-lettuce wrap
Subway-salad
Chipotle-salad (they do have brown rice, ask for 1/2 order)
Arby's-salad or baked potato
Burger king-salad or grilled chicken
KFC-grilled chicken
Wendy's-chili, salad or baked potato
Pizza Luce-gluten free pizza
Grocery store-salad bar or roasted chicken

Good rules to follow when you are out to eat:
-Look for grilled and steamed.
-Order a water to drink and then drink up!
-Order sauces and dressings on the side and then dip your fork into the dressing when you want some.  -Salsa is a great alternative to dressing. 
-Know that you are the customer and most places will make make what you order, even its is special, they want your business.

Good luck this holiday weekend!

Addison's number

Addison's number is 11 and that's what day we are approaching.  I hope you all had a great day 10 and escaped any of the storms.

My day 10 went without a hiccup except for some fatigue because little Addison didn't want to sleep real well. I think we have some more teeth coming through! We lost our softball game this evening but I had some great sunflower seeds and catches at 3rd base.

Day 11:
Chocolate Protein Powder, Water and a banana
Chicken and carrots
Spicy turkey, salsa and black beans
Celery and Peanut Butter
Kabobs on the grill - steak and peppers

For a workout we have softball again in the evening as long as the weather cooperates. My hope is to also do some light strength when we get home.

I can tell its time to get to the grocery store and do some cooking! We are running low on essential items and it is going to make it tough to get all my veggies in tomorrow.  I have Friday off so after my morning workout Addison and I will make our rounds to get more food for the weekend and next week.

I did send out an email today to those potentially interested in a cooking class if you are interested and did get an email please let me know.

Good night, keep up the great work everyone, it is so great to hear and see all your successes each day!

Double Digits!

Good night day 9 and welcome to day 10!

I went for a nice run this morning before Addison woke up, it was weird to run without her, I haven't done that since before she was born.  It did make the run a lot easier, I go on some pretty hilly trails. Tomorrow morning I will go for a short run to wake up and then do some heavy strength training and play softball at night.

Day 10:
Workout
Eggs, turkey
Rice Cake peanut butter
Taco Salad (I know again, its so yummy)
Apple, chicken wing
Softball
Leftover salmon and broccoli

Tomorrow I will be emailing out potential dates for the cooking class for those of you interested, I am still finalizing a location as well.

Adams snack this morning....water, homemade ranch dip (avocado, onion, dill, egg whites), banana, carrots, protein drink (vanilla protein powder, scoop of reds, cinnamon and water)

I need to remember to take pictures of my food! If you need more ideas check out these yummy recipes! http://gf-blog.com/blog/fitness-menu-day-5.html

Cant believe its almost day 10.

Already day 9 tomorrow!

I hope this finds you happy and healthy!

I had a great day 8, didn't get a workout in, yet. I will do some light abs tonight and then go for a run in the morning.

My food was great and here is what I have prepped for tomorrow:
Eggs, ham
apple, tuna and olive oil mayo
Taco Salad again, it was so good today!
celery and peanut butter
Grilled Salmon and sweet potato fries!

I didn't get home until late so we didn't have time to go to the park (Addison gets to go everyday to swing). So I stopped at the hardware store and bought one for the back yard, Adam is putting it together now! She is going to be so excited in the morning.

Wish I had time to write more but I have to get my workout in!

Good night!

Good night day 7

Can you really believe it, its almost day 8!

Today we were able to watch the Minnesota Lynx celebrate their 2011 Championship and then win, Twins on the other hand, not important.

Food wise my day was great, the smells were tempting at the game but we didn't give in! I was able to get a workout in this afternoon, prep some food for the week and even go for a walk.

Day 8
-Protein powder and water, banana
-Small salad, 2 chicken wings
-Taco Salad (brown rice, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, chicken)
-Peanut Butter and celery
-Chicken meatballs and asparagus

A workout is going to be tough tomorrow but I will get some walking in and make sure to keep that H2O up!

I hope you all didn't give into temptation this weekend, here is a great picture I saw and thought is was very fitting for our challenge.

Here is another neat picture, I am sure most of you have seen these replicas before but it never hurts to see them again.

Well good night and don't forget to check out www.gf-blog.com for tons of neat food ideas from another one of our challenge participants!

Can it really be almost day 7?

I woke up feeling great today and those of you I talked to today felt the same.  I did have a little craving for some dairy today but of course did not give in!

Breakfast:
Whey Protein, water, apple

Snack:
Chicken, pineapple

Lunch:
Celery, apple, Chicken

Snack:
Rice Cake, Peanut Butter

Dinner:
Grilled steak, asparagus, watermelon

I made sure to get in lots of water all day and am looking forward to another super busy day tomorrow.  We are going to the Lynx home opener and I know there will be temptations but after making it great for 6 full days I know its not time to give up now.

Here is my food plan for tomorrow

Breakfast:
Eggs, ham

Snack:
Rice Cake, tuna, olive oil mayo

Lunch:
Fajitas (minus the tortilla) downtown

Snack:
side salad with chicken

Dinner:
Chicken meatballs and side salad

My workout today was just being busy and a little basketball with Adam, my dad and brother.  Tomorrow afternoon I am hoping to go for a run around lake Harriet.

Good night Challengers!

Protein

Make sure you are eating Protein with each meal, here are some examples.....

Meat to have daily if you want:
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Veal

Meat to make sure you buy nitrate free:
Hot Dogs, brats, sausage
Lunch meat
Ham
Bacon

Meat to have but not every day:
Beef - all kinds
Salami
Pastrami
Ham
Bacon
Fish - tuna, salmon, tilapia, cod, shrimp and others

Vegetables:
all beans, try to soak your own or find low sodium

Nuts:
Peanuts
Almonds
Walnuts
Pistachios
Cashews
others....

Dairy:
Eggs

Protein Powders:
Whey Isolate
Soy Isolate
Yellow Pea

If you can think of others I am missing please comment below, I will also update as more come to my head!

Feel free to check out www.gf-blog.com for some great recipes!

Getting closer to day 6!

Wow, another busy day but I love it!

Morning workout, followed by Como Zoo (we celebrated our anniversary and sponsored a Flamingo for Addison), Best Buy, Men's Warehouse, Car Wash, Sears, Menards, Costco and Whole Foods!

Getting ready for our picnic at Como....

Here is what we bought today
Costco: (luckily all the samples today we meats)
Celery
Sweet Potatoes
Chicken Meatballs

Whole Foods:
Asparagus
Rotisserie chicken- we had that for dinner with the Asparagus
Vinaigrette
Peanut Butter
Rice Cakes
Cereal for Addison
Hot Sauce
Pickles
Beans - going to make some baked beans tomorrow :)
Brown Rice
Paprika for modified deviled eggs
Bananas
Apples
Yogurt for Addison - I am kinda jealous

I am not sure what tomorrow holds, it will be weather dependant. Try to stay away from temptation tonight and tomorrow!

Good night Day 4

What a busy day, work, then softball and then visiting with my mom and putting Addi to bed.  Didn't even have time to mess up today!

Tomorrow I have off and will have ample opportunity to mess up but I am not going to! I am going to workout in the morning, go shopping for more food after that (I feel like we need a second fridge), run some other errands and hopefully spend some time in the sun.  Its supposed to be 90 and I am going to soak up some Vitamin D!

I sent out some stats about the challenge today, I hope you all found them as interesting as I did. You will have temptations this weekend but don't give in, I promise you will feel better!

Day 5 plan:
Eggs and turkey for breakfast
Workout
Chocolate Protein Powder, Water and a banana
Shredded (by me) chicken, hot sauce, black beans, romaine lettuce and salsa
Trail mix of assorted nuts
I am not 100% sure about dinner yet, we ran out of propane today so if I can get that replenished tomorrow then probably chicken and asparagus on the grill.

Special shout out to my best friend Adam and our 4 year anniversary today!

That's what he got for smashing the cake in my face, we most defiantly have a picture of me farmer blowing cake out of my nose, I am sure that doesn't surprise many of you.

Happy Day 5!

Almost day 4!

I hope you were able to enjoy some of this beautiful day!  I got a great strength workout in this morning and then ended up spending the day with little Addison.  She is constantly moving so I feel good about my activity! We will also be heading to softball shortly where I will get a little more activity in. 

My nutrition plan for the day stayed on track and I did add some sunflower seeds in at the park and will have some more tonight at softball.  I am still drinking a ton of water and feel good.  Days 3-5 are typically the toughest and its not that bad, hope you all are getting the same results!

Food for Day 4:
Protein Smoothie
Tuna/olive oil mayo/pickle
Milios lettuce wrap (work meeting)
Side Salad with veggies and ground turkey
Not sure about dinner yet, if it stays nice then maybe hamburgers (hold the bun) on the grill with baked sweet potato fries!

For good dairy free/gluten free cooking ideas feel free to check out fellow competitor Erinn's website:
www.gf-blog.com
Here is something I learned on there today:
These are the top 8 allergens recognized by the USFDA, plus 4 that she sees commonly. On her website you can click on each allergen to read further information on facts, history, symptoms, and where ingredients can hide.

1. Milk/Dairy/Butter
2. Eggs
3. Peanuts
4. Tree Nuts
5. Fish
6. Shelfish
7. Soy
8. Wheat
9. Sesame
10. Coconut
11. MSG
12. Sugar

Have a great day 4!

Pre/Post Workout Nutrition

What to eat, when to eat, what to drink, when to drink and questions can go on and on about nutrition around workout time.

What to eat and when to eat varies based on your goal and the time of day.

If your goal is weight loss and your working out right way in the morning:
-Try to workout fasted, if you need to eat something aim for it to be small and try to get it in 30 prior to your workout
-Post workout try to wait 45-60 minutes before you eat anything.  Something with protein and carbohydrates and small fat will be your best bet. A shake/smoothie is a great choice because your body can use the nutrients right away for recovery and wont have to break the food down first.

If your goal is weight loss and you are working out after you have been up for a couple hours or at night:
-Try to not consume anything 45-60 minutes before your workout, give your body the time it needs to digest the food.  Eating too soon will slow down the digestion as the blood leaves your stomach and heads to your muscles to help with your workout. Aim for something with protein and carbohydrates.  If  you eat only carbs it will be hard for your body to burn fat during your workout.
-Post workout try to wait 45-60 minutes before you eat anything. Something with protein and carbohydrates and small fat will be your best bet. A shake/smoothie is a great choice because your body can use the nutrients right away for recovery and wont have to break the food down first. If it is time for a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) skip the shake/smoothie (unless you are using that as your meal), it will only be extra calories your body wont need.

I believe most people reading this have a weight loss goal so you will fit into one of those categories.  If your goal is weigh gain or muscle gain let me know because there are a little different guidelines to follow.

Have a great day!

Day 2 Coming to an end

I was presented with an awesome idea today. One of our participants is a gluten/dairy free cook. She has a website with some pretty great recipes, ideas and articles on it. We are thinking about holding a "group cooking class".

The biggest issue people seem to be having is knowing what to eat/how to cook things. We are thinking about meeting together one evening or weekend day to go over some easy prep, recipes and other things you might want to know about.

If you are interested let me know (stephanie.winters@osrpt.com), we would meet somewhere in the west/southwest metro TBD once we know date/time and how many are interested.

Here is her info
Erinn
www.gf-blog.com
ebutulis@gmail.com


Now about my day :)
What a great day. SO happy to see many of you today and hear about your success thus far.  I did great today and have prepped my day tomorrow for success as well!

Day 3 Food Plan:
Breakfast - 2 eggs, turkey
Snack - protein smoothie at LTF post workout (build your own with protein powder, raspberries/blueberries, water and ice)
Lunch - brown rice, ground turkey, hot sauce, small salad of spring mix, tomatoes, carrots and celery
Snack - Peanut Butter and strawberries
Dinner 1 - rice cake with turkey before softball
Dinner 2 - grilled salmon and asparagus after softball
LOTS OF WATER!

The little effort of cooking a bunch of things on Saturday really paid off and has made this week a breeze!

Feel free to comment on these posts and share your positives and negatives for the group! We will all benefit from hearing it!

I am still in the process of working on all the body compositions and will continue to send them out to you as I get them done.

Lastly, we were out tonight and on our way we saw this guy, yes we was advertising for Little Caesars which made me a little jealous but he sure looks like he is enjoying his job.  I hope you can all be this happy every day!

Good Morning Day 2

I had to laugh this morning as I stepped on the scale. I barley ever weigh myself, we didn't even own a scale until last week.

Day 1- 154.5lbs - after popcorn at the twins game and Chinese Food
Day 2- 146lbs - after just 1 day of clean eating
That is how is know my body is so sensitive to different foods! I know there are others of you out there that are similar, I just wanted to share that I am just like you.

I got my workout in this morning:
3 mile walk/run with Addi in the jogger
I put Addison down for a nap and then finished my workout in the basement
-20 Kettle bell swings
-10 presses each arm
-10 swings
-10 rows each arm
-front plank to failure
-opposite arm and leg raise 10 each side
I repeated that 3 times and was able to get a shower in before she woke up! I am going to be sore tomorrow, its been a while since I have done kettle bells.

I am getting lots of good emails this morning, and I love it. Keep them coming!

When I walked in to get the laptop to write this I had to take a picture of Adams snack, its usually coffee.....

Keep up the great work everyone! If you want to know when I update this feel free to also "like" my facebook page www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30

Day 1

Day 1 is almost over! I feel good but know that days 3-5 will be the toughest.

WE HAVE 50 people now in the competition and it still seems to be growing, I guess there are a lot of people out there who want to exercise and eat right, go figure. I will post fun stats about the group over the next couple of days.

I drank a lot of water and stuck to the food I prepped last night. Dinner was sweet potatoes with sea salt and chicken stuffed with spinach, good job Adam.

Addison enjoying dinner

My workout was pretty lame today, but I will get a great one in tomorrow morning so I am not worried!

Day 2 Prep:
Breakfast - I will be home and will make 2 eggs
Snack - Will be post workout and I will still be home and make a fruit/protein smoothie (1/2c frozen berries, 1/2 scoop protein powder and 1/2c water)
Lunch - Brown rice, ground turkey, hot sauce :), celery, tomatoes and carrots
Snack - Strawberries, peanut butter
Dinner - Up to Adam again but we are thinking stir fry
Plus a lot of water all day long!

I have been getting a lot of questions on supplements/protein powder and ect. I will try to post some info on that tomorrow. Happy Monday and the below note is from Addison.



8

//gwea**///9/++++/*9//89\p\4.

8+88+-
..

.......[7=\/
65+\

\\
\\\

565-5

Happy Mothers Day!

Hope all the mothers out there had a great Mothers day!

I was able to spend all of mine with Little Addison and Adam. 

I was able to enjoy my "Last Meal" with my mom, brother, Adam and Addison.  We had some sodium filled Chinese food and white rice, should help my initial measurements tomorrow be nice and high!

Tonight I prepped my food for tomorrow so I would be ready to go in the morning.

Here is what I prepped:
Breakfast- Protein powder, water and strawberries
Snack - Tuna, olive oil mayo, pickle
Lunch - Spinach, Celery, Carrots, Tomatoes, Chicken Breast
Snack - Banana and Peanut Butter
Dinner - Adam is in charge of that, I will update tomorrow what we have

I also plan to drink 100oz of good old H2O tomorrow and do a mix of kettle bell swings, running up/down my stairs, push ups, lunges and squats after Addison goes to bed.  I am pretty sure that is all I will have time for.

Cant wait for this to begin!

Below is what we thought to be very fitting fortune cookies from our dinner tonight!

1 more full day!

Made it to the grocery store today!

Bought...
almonds
peanuts
sweet potatoes
almond butter
pickles
brown rice
tuna
bananas
apples
toothpaste we ran out this morning :)

After the grocery store the cooking began...I am cooking for myself, Adam and Addison so it might look like a lot!
ground 2lbs turkey
bake 15 chicken breasts
cook 2c brown rice
hard boil 12 eggs
boil and mash 2lbs sweet potatoes

I also washed
carrots
celery
strawberries
apples
all sweet potatoes
tomatoes

I am feeling great about this week!

Addison and I are off to the park, enjoy your Saturday!

2 days away!

2 days away from the 24 day challenge!
I am going to post on here my experiences, feelings and temptations along with tips and tricks to help you with your 24 days!

Today was the start of my prep!

1. Made grocery list

2. Started eating/feeding the dogs/throwing away things we should not have in the house during the challenge.

3. COSTCO!
Here is what I bought

• organic ground turkey
• organic boneless skinless chicken
• 2 containers of organic spring mix
• carrots
• celery
• tomatoes
• organic strawberries
• brown eggs

4. Here is what I plan to buy tomorrow at the grocery store

• pickles
• mustard
• olive oil based mayo
• apples
• bananas
• brown rice
• tuna
• almond butter
• sweet potatoes
• maybe rice cakes, cant decide

5. After the grocery store trip here is the prep I am planning to do (wont have time for prep Sunday its my first mothers day!)

• Ground turkey
• bake and grill chicken with different seasonings
• cook some rice
• hard boil eggs

That is my plan for success this weekend, what is yours?!

If you still want in on the challenge let me know!

Steph
swinters30@gmail.com

4 days away......

We are getting closer!  If you have any questions about the "recommendations" for the 24 days please let me know.

I wanted to send out some tips for success:
Take some time this week to make a grocery list.
Take two hours on Saturday or Sunday to go grocery shopping and prepare some meats and chop some veggies.
Get rid of the junk food in your house Sunday, if its there you will want it.
Get your water bottle washed, you will need it!
If you have other friends or family interested in joining let them, it will help you succeed.

Example Day 1
Breakfast - egg omelet with spinach and peppers
Snack - carrots, celery and peanut butter
Lunch - Lettuce wraps with tuna, pickles and grapefruit
Snack - rice cakes
Dinner - chicken breast, brown rice, broccoli

Example Day 2
Breakfast - protein/fruit smoothie
Snack - almonds
Lunch - Spring mix salad, salmon, avocado, apple
Snack -  hard boiled eggs
Dinner - grilled pork, quinoa, asparagus and sweet potatoes

Happy Thursday, more tips to come next week!

6 days away

We are 6 days away from the 24 day challenge, are you ready? If you need anything let me know! Steph Swinters30@gmail.com

24 Day Challenge Starting 5/14!

Who likes a little competition?

24 Day challenge starting 5/14, right after Mothers day and a perfect way to jump start your beach body for the summer!

Details:
Starts 5/14/12, Ends 6/6/12
NO entry fee
Pre and post measurements of: weight, body composition and girth measurements
I will supply you with:
     List of supplements to take (if you choose to do so)
     Do's and Dont's of nutrition
     Extra workouts
     Support!
PRIZES!
     Top percentage of body composition lost - $100.00 cash
     There will also be an award to anyone who can beat me!
     Really everyone wins because we will all look and feel better for summer.

If you want to join let me know and we will set up times for your initial and final measurements.

If you want to take the supplements involved check out this link:
https://www.advocare.com/120436241/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?itemCode=99038&id=A&flavor=1

Let me know if you want to join today! Who cant commit to eating right and working out for 24 days?

Steph
SWinters30@gmail.com
612-210-9202
www.stephaniewinters.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/stephaniewinters30
https://www.advocare.com/120436241

News!

I have officially decided to announce my partnership with Advocare.  I have been using the products for a short while and am already seeing body composition changes and energy levels increase, all while working full time and taking care of a 10 month old baby!

https://www.advocare.com/120436241 is my site if you are interested in learning more about the products. Also feel free to reach out to me about any questions you might have.

I will be starting a weight loss competition soon as well so please let me know if you would like to be a part of it!

https://www.advocare.com/120436241