Clean Eating! What the heck is it?!

First, I would like to start by saying that I have no medical, scientific or any other important degree.  I'm just a mom who wants to make her family as healthy as possible.  The information found in this blog is from my own research or experience.  On to the good stuff...

You guys probably hear me talking about clean eating all the time.  If you've ever wondered what the heck I'm talking about, here's your answer.

Clean eating means different guidelines to different people. To some, it means absolutely nothing that isn't in its whole form-fresh fruit and vegetables, whole chunks of meat, etc.   To others, it is just cutting out the chemicals, preservatives, and just plain unnecessary crap.  I more follow the second method.  I try to buy organic when feasible and possible, but in our rural area, it isn't always the affordable or possible option.  We also raise our own chicken and beef, so I don't so much worry about the hormones that they inject into the animals that are butchered for the grocery stores.  If I were buying my meat in the store, this is one place I would probably try to buy organic despite the price.  I also try really hard to avoid GMO products. If you are local to me, Harmony Foods Co-op in Bemidji carries a lot of these brands.  Some can even be found at Walmart or Target, but not very many of them.

A major component of clean eating is cutting out chemical-laden, overly processed foods.  This includes most foods in a box or can, white flour, and sugar (white and brown).  An important part of clean eating is READING LABELS. If there are more than 5 ingredients, things you can't pronounce or identify, then it's not clean.  When shopping, it's best to shop the perimeter of the store-avoid going down the aisles.  The foods that are good for you are generally on the outside perimeter (think fresh produce, dairy (which some clean eaters cut out, but I don't...I just use in moderation), meat).  If you have a smartphone, an app called Fooducate is an excellent helper with shopping.  A friend told me about this app, and I love it.  You can scan barcodes on packaging and it will give the food a grade of A+ through F.  It will also tell you if the food is a GMO containing food or not.  You should aim to get nothing less than a B.  However, this does NOT necessarily mean the food is clean.  It could still contain preservatives or sugar.  This is why reading labels is so important.  Even things that may seem like a good choice aren't always as clean as you would think.  I personally try to avoid things like canned fruit and vegetables.  I buy either fresh or frozen.  Canned are much more likely to contain added **stuff** that isn't a necessity.

If you have any questions about anything, you can always feel free to contact me.

Week 2-IN THE BAG

Week two of Insanity Max:30 has come and gone.  I am very happy to report that I lost 4 lbs and over 3 inches in my first two weeks.  I am sad to report that the workouts do not get any easier.  Haha!!  

In all seriousness, the workouts really don't get easier, but that is because as you learn the moves and your body gets stronger, you are able to modify less and less.  Each time I've done a workout, I have been able to go just a little bit longer than last time before maxing out which is a HUGE win.  

I restarted week three today after a weekend of traveling for Beachbody Super Saturday.  After not working out all weekend and not making the best nutritional decisions, Cardio Challenge was......well, A CHALLENGE!  It took me a few minutes to recover from that one! 

I am very excited about what week 3 holds.  This week, a new workout is introduced-Tabata Strength.  I will report back in a few days!!  

Week 1 - DONE!

Woo-hooooooo!!! It's day 7 of 60 of Insanity Max:30!!  You know what that means?!  REST DAY!  It also means I survived the first week! Rest days are normally a HUGE struggle for me but I am taking it today!  

After completing one full week, here are my thoughts on this program-IT KICKS ASS.  I am so glad it's only 30 minutes because on a couple of the days, I wanted to quit at minutes 10-30.  Haha!  But seriously, the satisfaction of finishing each workout is SO worth it.  I also LOVE the whole maxing out concept.  It gives you something to push for.  My goal during the first week was to max out after the first person on each workout video.  My goal for the rest of the program will to beat my own max out times!  

Okay, on to the results-do I see any crazy results in my body yet?  Of course not. It doesn't work like that. I probably didn't pick the best week to start, either, though.  With the holidays, treats are still everywhere.  I have avoided most, but have slipped up a couple of times.  I have still lost 2 pounds, though.  I haven't measured at this point.  

Does my body hurt everywhere?!  Not really.  There are a TON of squats, so my legs and butt did hurt the first couple of days, but they're getting better.  My triceps KILLED me after the first round of Tabata Power.  That has gotten better too, though!  

Is the program really INSANE??  No, not really.  It definitely works you hard, but there is a modifier for each workout, and I don't think it would be impossible for anyone to do if you set your mind to it.  A lot of it is determination and telling yourself "I CAN do this.  I WILL do this."

So after one week, I am very satisfied with this program, and I am VERY glad I decided to do it.  I am looking forward to seeing my results, especially now that the holidays are OVER and people can stop tricking me into eating cookies and junk.  ;)

Insanity Max:30-Am I insane for WANTING to do this?

For those who don't know, I started my Beachbody journey with 21 Day Fix in July of 2014.  It hasn't been a consistent, easy road by any means.  However, I have NOT given up.  

When my coach said that all the coaches in our group should do Insanity Max:30 when it came out, I thought she was nuts. No WAY was I going to do that!  I'd seen the infomercials for Insanity.  I wanted nothing to do with it.  Then I got to thinking.  Why SHOULDN'T I try it?!  I can't tell my challengers about it if I know nothing about it.  Sure, the name is SCARY, but it can't really be THAT bad, can it???

So I bit the bullet and I ordered it the day it came out.  It came about a week later.  I got curious the first day I had it, and I tried it.  I maxed out in 2 minutes and 36 seconds.  TWO AND A HALF MINUTES!  I was thoroughly convinced the program was going to kill me.  I couldn't even finish the warm up. And so it sat on the shelf in the entertainment center while I finished a third round of 21 Day Fix.  The whole time, it was TAUNTING me, calling my name.  "Sheeeeeeeena....you KNOW you want to max out.  What are you WAITING for????  Stop stalling!"

Okay, so I did have a valid reason for stalling.  I had committed to a test group that doesn't start until January 5th.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you, though, that patience are NOT my thing.  I am TERRIBLY impatient.  I want things done NOW.  By this point, I had researched it TO DEATH.  I discovered that the point of the program WAS to MAX OUT.  You are supposed to push as hard as you can for as long as you can.  When you can't go any longer without taking a breather or doing the moves correctly, that's your max out point.  You WANT to max out.  Then you write down that time, and the goal is to beat it the next time you do that workout.  

Well, okay.  That makes sense.  So on Christmas Day, I couldn't take it anymore.  I HAD to max out.  I had slipped on the ice almost a week before and hadn't been working out.  I needed a push, and a GOOD one. So I had AJ take my "before" pictures, and away I went! For those thinking, "Oh, that GIRL.  She should NOT be pushing with an injured knee!!!"-don't worry.  There is a modifier, and I didn't push beyond my limits.  :D

I am proud to say that on my second try at the first workout, I made it over 6 minutes!!  Every day, I make it a little farther.  I do modify some moves.  I can't jump too much, so the jumping moves are always modified.  But when I come to a move that I think I can do without modifying, I GO FOR IT!!! 

 I am once again looking forward to getting up and working out every morning.  There is no better way to start the day than with a huge endorphin rush.  I'm almost a week into the program, and I am LOVING it.  I am even working a lot harder at sticking to the eating plan than I ever have before because I want to see AWESOME results from this program.  

I will keep everyone updated with progress photos and such throughout the program.  I can't wait to see how my body changes over the next 60 days!

WELCOME!

Welcome to my new blog! Here you will find information on me, you'll be able to follow my health and fitness journey, my motherhood journey, you'll find clean recipes and find out more about what I do as a health and fitness coach with Beachbody!  Please feel free to leave comments or questions for me any time.  :)  Thank you for visiting and check back often!