A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Winding up the end of the year and here are some of my favorite things that I have found in 2014. Some are fitness related, some are not.  Everything here are things I definitely can't live without!

#1- 21 Day Fix!!

It has literally been a life changer for me. This program, coupled with Shakeology, which is also one of my very favorite things, has helped me reset how I think about food. It has taught me the right things to eat and the right portions. Shakeology has helped me overcome my cravings and is a delicious drink that is SO healthy and full of dense nutrition that helps your body get what it needs.

www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/mmakelle

# 2- The Nutri-Bullet

I love using this for everything!! We got it at Costco this summer and use it ALL the time. To blend our morning Shakeology drinks, to blend eggs, making salsa, making spaghetti sauce, anything. And it comes with this awesome recipe book to try all kinds of different things from smoothies to soups.

# 3- Jawbone

This is a more recent love because I got it for Christmas. I wear bracelets all the time and this fits right in with them and you can't tell it is a fitness tracker.  It tracks my sleep, it tracks my steps and helps me set fitness goals. The app connects to your phone so you can also keep track of your meals and calories and water intake. I love it!!

#4- Journals and Notebooks

I am constantly making lists and keeping journals. This is a picture of how many I am currently using. One is a journal I am making for my husband. Around October, I decided I wanted to be more appreciative of him and be more aware of all the good he does for our family. So, every morning I write in this little notebook the things I noticed the previous day that he did to show our family or me he loved us. It has really made a huge difference in our relationship and he doesn't even know I am keeping it. The plan is to fill it up and give it to him for his birthday in a few weeks. Writing down the memories that I have with my kids and keeping track of what I am grateful for. I know there are all kinds of apps for these things, but there is something so great about writing things down.

#5- The Kale Salad from Costco

Costco really should be on this list, because I am there a couple times a week sometimes. This salad is my FAVORITE!! It has Kale and brussel sprouts and all kinds of greens making it super healthy and then it comes with a poppyseed dressing and pumpkin seeds and cranberries. YUM! If you have not tried it pick it up next time you are at Costco!

#6- Mascara

My 2 favorites are Too Faced Lash Injection and Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza. I love 

make-up and getting all fixed up, but with 4 little kids this does not happen every day. So most days it is just a coat or two of mascara and some tinted moisturizer. These are my favorite ones right now because they do not clump and make your lashes look super thick and long.

#7 Mentos Gum

This might possibly be the best gum I have ever had. You know how you chew gum for a long time and after a while it gets kind of grainy and loses it's flavor. Not Mentos gum. It stays smooth and full of flavor FOREVER. Nothing compares to it. And it comes in a giant pack so it lasts forever. The other day I was digging through my church bag and found 3 containers of it! I guess I wanted to make sure I didn't run out of gum at church. 

Hope you all have a happy New Year!

Favorite 21 Day Fix Salad

This salad is my favorite salad.  It is 21 Day Fix and easy to make.

I was out shopping with my kids one day and did not pack lunches and the kids were starving and I was starving. The closest restaurant...Burger King.  I though there was no way I would be able to eat anything there that would stick with my meal plan. so when I took the kids in and was checking the menu that had a salad, 

Cranberry Chicken and Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinegarette, 

I thought I would try it and portion it out and see how it would work.

I ordered it with grilled chicken instead of crispy and no blue cheese, which is not on the list of 21 Day Fix Foods. it was delicious. 

And now I found a way to re-create it at home!! 

21 Day Fix style is as follows

2-Green containers= Romaine Lettuce

1- Purple=diced Fuji Apple and a few cranberries

1-Red=Chicken breast

1-Blue=feta Cheese

This salad is so easy to make ahead of time and take with me or just whip up after I get my kids lunch ready. It is so filling and tastes delicious. The Feta Cheese makes it so I don't miss my salad dressing.

Beginning my journey

I just want to start out by saying, I am not a fitness expert. I have had no formal training on "what" to do and how to do it to become fit. I am just sharing my journey and what I have done to get where I am mentally and physically.
Almost 7 years ago, I had just had my second child and was watching The Biggest Loser, which was one of my favorite shows. I loved watching these people transform their lives and see what they could become. At the end of the season, the contestants ran a marathon...A MARATHON!!! These people who a few weeks ago, were horribly over-weight ran/walked a marathon. After watching this episode, I thought, I can be a runner. I am not horribly over-weight. If these people can become runners, I can be a runner. So, I signed up for my first 10k that would be in about 12 weeks. And so I became a runner. My mindset was such that, as long as I was running a few times a week, I can still continue to eat what I want and my weight will stay down and then I will be healthy. I continued with this mindset the next few years until about 6 months ago.
6 months ago, I started noticing my a few friends posting on Facebook about a 21 Day Fix they were doing. The more I saw about it the more I became interested. I knew I needed to learn how to eat healthier. My baby was two and I had become a junk food junkie! So I messaged my friend about this and she gave some info and I thought, 3 weeks, I can try anything for 3 weeks. So I ordered it. The meal plan seemed easy to follow and the workouts were only 30 minutes. At the end of the 3 weeks, I had lost 7 lbs and 10 inches!!! I was so excited, I decided I wanted to become a Beachbody coach and help other people, who didn't know where to start and share my journey with them. I did another 3 weeks of 21 Day Fix and ended up losing another 8 lbs and 5 more inches. After that I did P90X3. I am a big fan of these 30 minute programs and starting in a week I am undertaking Insanity MAX:30.
So this is where I am at with my journey. I am helping others learn how to become fit. I am teaching them what I have learned through my experience and encouraging them along the way. I love this journey and this opportunity to help people.
If you are interested in any of the Beachbody programs, contact me at mmakelle@yahoo.com