Live Vibrant: Jessica Day

I have known Jessica for 11 years now and this girl is incredible.  She radiates confidence and I am so excited to be able to share her success.   Thank you Jessica for who you are and for being a member of our challenge!!!

Hello! My name is Jessica Day. I have two beautiful girls and live in Clinton Utah. My husband is a detective for Ogden City. I have my own little cleaning business, and work as a teacher for Leap'n Learners Preschool. I love life, and always have! I love to run, bike, read, play volleyball, play with my girls, vacation, and learn new things about health and exercise. I feel like I have been on a weight loss journey my whole life, always worrying about weight no matter what weight I was at! Here is a little bit about my journey of weight loss...the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I have always been an active person. I love sports. LOVE sports. I love to play basketball and volleyball, and stayed busy with sports in High School and College. When I was pregnant with my first baby Lily, I was playing sports up until 5 months when I found out I had a slight tear in my uterine wall and could no longer exercise in any way. That was really hard for me, and so I ate. And ate. I gained a lot of weight with Lily, and kept it on. I was still my happy self, but deep down I hated the way I was, and the fact that I had no self-control. That is when I started running. I did my first race a year after I had Lily. I was so scared. I had always done a little running but didn't think I could ever be good at it. My brother and sister in law talked me into it, and so I started training. It was a 5k, which was a marathon to me. I still remember when me and Ashley, my sister in law, were training and I ran my first 3 miles straight. I had always wanted to be able to run around the 3 mile block around my parents house, but never even tried. And then I did it! It was a huge accomplishment for me! That is when my confidence started to grow, and I started to believe in myself. I realized that if I put in the work, even if it was slow, I could accomplish anything that I set my sights on. That race was the first of many! On my bucket list I have always had 'run a 1/2 marathon'....haha, I don't even know why I wanted to, I thought I would NEVER be able to do it. This past summer I ran my first half. It was hard, but I knew if I put in the work, I would be able to do it. I also did 2 Sprint Triathlons last year, and one this year. If you would have asked me a couple of years ago if I could do this, I would have told you NO WAY. I don't tell you all of this to get a good pat on the back, but to help you realize that you CAN do anything you put your mind to. It took me two years to work up enough confidence and determination to accomplish my goals. And now I have more goals that I am working towards, and it feels great!
So now I want to talk about one one more item of my journey, and that is the eating part of it. Ahh!! Trying to eat healthy is such an emotional roller coaster! I feel like I have the tools to eat properly, I am educated and know what I ought to eat....its just the DOING part that is hard. It is 100% mental. To help me, I signed up for a Biggest Loser Contest at the gym. It was life changing. I saw so many different women, all struggling with the same issue. Weight. Stupid weight! It would have been easy to quit, but I wanted this so bad for myself. I knew it was going to be hard...and it was! But it was so worth it! I started eating 6 times a day, and started counting my calories on MyFitnessPal. I love that app. The hardest part was going to parties and seeing all of the delicious food! But when I stuck to my diet, I felt in control of myself. It got easier as time went on, and I could see the weight coming off. I started at 216 lbs, and am currently 155lbs. I know I have a lot more to go, but I feel awesome and proud of myself! Here are some before and after pictures....
So with all of that being said, here are some tips that helped me become happier and healthier.... 1. DONT be the 'I will start on Monday' person. Not everyday will be perfect, and that is fine, but don't let it ruin your week!! Start again, as soon as you can. I used to always 'Start my diet on Monday'.... and that meant eat as much as moms yummy desserts on Sunday as possible. That is NOT going to help you. 2. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!! And realize your successes, no matter how small! Everybody is at a different part of their health journey. I used to look at the girls on the treadmills who would run for days...literally days. I would run a few minutes and walk, and be discouraged. If you are trying your best, and a few minutes is all you can run, PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK! Because in the next few weeks, you will see those minutes adding onto each other! You will surprise yourself. 3. Surround yourself with others that have similar goals as you do. It never helps to have people around who don't understand what your goals and ambitions are. 4. SIGN UP FOR A RACE!!! A 5k, a Triathlon... ANYTHING!!! This is one of the biggest things that helped me with my self confidence and to push me to do better. It doesn't matter how fast you finish these races, just that you prepared for them and are accomplishing new things! 5. SIGN UP FOR WEIGHT LOSS COMPETITIONS! You are already there! It is good to have goals and supports to help you along the way. And it is always fun to add some competitiveness to your life! Anyway, I hope that my story helps in some way. GOOD LUCK on your 30 day challenge! Thanks Stacy, what an awesome opportunity we all have to better ourselves and to be vibrant

Saturday Success: Tresa

  So when I started this 30 day challenge I had an alterior motive that was bigger than just taking initial steps towards health.  I wanted to build a strong community with high quality people that I could surround myself with.  I am generally quiet and like to sit in the back of a room and just listen/observe what is going on.   Creating this challenge required me to take a really really difficult step out of my shell.   As opportunities have stemmed from the decision to create the challenge  more and more incredible, high caliber people are quickly coming into my life.  I had the opportunity to listen to the amazing Philip Cheung speak and he talked about the importance of having a strong team with high positive energy.  He said to picture a boat on the water with a team of people inside it.  As the water rises, the entire team rises.  No body sinks as long as they are in it together. This hit home to me because as a group, a team, we have encouraged each other and stayed strong with one another.  I feel like I am rising because of the people that are now in my life every single day!!  Thanks to each of you for being here.

One of the people that I have never met in person but now consider a true friend is Tresa Ruger.  She has not only been a fierce competitor but a fierce supporter in our challenge as well.  I wanted to highlight her this week so you could all get to know her better.  She is the kind of person you want to take this opportunity to get to know better.   She sent me pictures to but like some of of you know (Vanessa especially)  I am really bad at blogging and couldn't get the pictures off my email lol.   Her she is folks.  Tresa!!

When Stacy asked me if I would share on The 30 Day Health Challenge blog about some of my new adventures or cool things I've been doing, I had a very difficult time figuring out what to write. All of my adventures these days it seems are the continuation of a very long adventure that began several, several, several years ago. :) It has been a process of finding myself, as cliché as that sounds. But it carries a deep meaning for me. Over my lifetime I was a daughter, a sister, a wife, an employee, and a mother. I spent the majority of my life trying to please everyone around me to be the best at each of those identities that I could. But the problem was, I tried to figure out what everyone around me thought "best" was and tried to mold myself accordingly. Eventually, I took a look at myself and really did not know who I was. I could tell you what I thought everyone around me wanted me to be, but I did not truly know myself.

At that point of my life I was faced with several challenges which urged me to look inward. What I saw frightened me. I think subconsciously I blamed my family for turning me into someone I did not know. Of course this was not their fault, but I knew I held a grudge based on the way I treated them. I found myself going into my bedroom and shutting the door, avoiding even playful sounds of my three boys. I can't say how long I did that and it is one of my greatest regrets. It is hard for me to imagine what amazing things I missed out on in my little boys lives, because I was not aware of my own mental state.

This dark time allowed me to step off the rutty path I had been on for several years and realize that there are good things within myself that people will actually love if only I gave them and more importantly, myself, a chance. I went back to school at 38 years old. I received a bachelors degree in Social work and am currently pursuing my Masters degree. I have stopped living for others and have found a love of myself that I think is necessary in order to progress through this life. Maybe I've been vague enough that not a lot of this will make much sense. I guess what I'm trying to get at is my greatest adventure has been getting to know myself and not worrying what I think other people are thinking of me. Chances are, they aren't. I'm a work in progress. It's been a challenge for me to sit back and enjoy the ride instead of trying to predict the future or wishing I could weigh 20 lbs less, have thick, gorgeous, naturally curly, bouncy hair, and shoot under par. But I don't want to even imagine what amazing moments in my boys lives I would miss out on next.

Also, I just want to say... I love you Jill and I'm so proud of you. You inspire me to be "the strongest person you know" every day.

slow down...stop your own pavement.

Hello again. It's Friday! How did that happen so fast? Sometimes I seriously blink and another week has come and gone. I hope you have had a wonderful week full of many accomplishments. Right now as you read, I hope you will open up yourself to really ponder on your own situation. I hope, that just maybe, I will get you think a little differently to add to your journey.

Last night as we drove home from the city, I looked out over the beautiful plains that were around me. There is no freeway with people driving faster than they should be. There is no distractions, no hurry, and no billboards to keep bombarding my brain. It was just me, my thoughts, and the road. Peaceful and quiet. And I wondered how many people were getting to experience this moment. How many people around the world for a moment in their day got the chance to not feel overwhelmed or pressured. Got the chance to slow down. I felt lucky. Extremely lucky.

Do you ever catch yourself in a hurry and your head screams at you, "slow down." The moment you sit for five seconds and all the weight of the day just fades. You can finally get your mind to stop running, your body relaxes and you breathe. I am sure like most of you, these moments rare. But when you find them, they renew you.

It always amazes me how we as humans live. We live in such a way that we move so fast going from here to there, up and down, and back around. How do we ever enjoy anything! From work, to mom and dad duties, after school activities, dinner, laundry, shopping, bills, exercise, hobbies, TV, social media, religion, politics, homework, appointments, friends, family...and so on and so on and so on! Do you ever wish you had a pause button?!?!?

I know I do.

When I was a single mom, I went from sun up to sun down and most nights not sleeping. I worked two jobs plus was a photographer with photoshoots and editing adding many long hours to my day. All the while still tying to raise two kids, find time to date, and heaven for bid...find time for myself. Many times I broke down in tears wondering how can I run faster than I am physically and mentally able? I wore myself thin. I couldn't do it all. I was getting by at best. Everything most days suffered. I tried to be to many things I wasn't. And I finally crashed. And I crashed hard. I needed a change.

One night while out running, I had that big moment of clarity. Running gave me that 30-45 minutes of pure me time. I could run out all my problems on the cement. As I started my run each time, I would say to myself, "here we are, just you and me...let's go." And I would run it out. Whether I was sad, angry, happy, or trying to make a decision the pavement always helped me work it out. It cleared my head and soul. That night, it was just before dusk. A beautiful color of coral lit the sky. The cars headlights were on and they created a soft glow. The air was crisp, and the wind touched my face. My music was on and I was in the zone. I could feel the pavement move beneath my feet. That night I was running to find strength to keep going. Searching for an answer of how to keep juggling my career, my life, and being a better mother. I was half way through my run and a song came on that pierced me. As soon as the melody started to play, the tears instantly came. I cried as I listened to the lyrics, I ran harder and harder. And the harder I ran, the stronger I felt. As the song was ending I stopped. Dead stopped. Heart was beating fast. My breath was long and hard. My head was clear. And I stood there crying watching as the cars flew by me, but as if they were moving slow. Circling around me. Lights dancing in the street.

I had my answer, and it was simple...

Slow down.

Breathe.

Slow down.

I share this because I find that we run, run faster and harder than we can physically and mentally go at times. We get so caught up in what others are doing, how they are doing it, and our own personal goals of perfection. We slowly wear ourselves thin, and we start doubting what we can do. Right now you are on your own journey. Not only to better your health, but to better your whole self. Realization, to what is causing your own personal failures, set backs, and desires to give up at times...is part of this process. As loud as it hit me that night on my run, find away for it to hit you. Put in perspective the things that are important...and just slow down.

Start by making a list of things that can be eliminated, then giving your priorities a realistic order of importance. I have slowly gone from running a hundred miles an hour, feeling like I had to commit to every single obligation. To now, only allowing those things that truly better my life to enter. Learn that saying the word "no" is okay. Stop allowing the chaos to come in. Take ahold of your own life. You are in control...stop allowing others to run it. And that includes social media. Learn what triggers your moods. And have a small game plan everyday. Last, get up and make your bed.every.single.morning. That small act, can put your entire day on the right track.

One thing I know is this...the moment you get overwhelmed and start giving up. Is the moment the whole thing falls apart. You can't build a city over night and you can't build a new life tomorrow. Everybody has to start somewhere. And the simplest start, that you continue to carry through with...will build to the next and then the next, and before long you are accomplishing things you thought would never come.

If you take away anything from what you have read, I hope you take this...allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed in our own progression only leads to self pressure. Self pressure leads to doubt and doubt leads to not doing at all. Give yourself more. Stop and breathe once in awhile. Be ok with not being able to do it all. And when things get hard, instead of looking at what others are doing better, find your strength, your own pavement to work it out on. Surround yourself with things that give you inspiration, not tear you down. Take one step at a time, building your own personal success story. Because it's in the things that you do for yourself that will help inspire others.

Here's to another great week...slow down, breathe, and stomp your own pavement out!

Motivation with Jonny Johnson: Decide!!!!

Once again....the amazing Jonny Jonson.

Keep plugging along guys!!!  Weekend winners are almost here.  This week has flown by I feel like I JUST typed that lol.  You guys are doing well.  I have my good friend and former trainer at the Biggest Loser Ranch in Malibu that will be addressing some of the things you guys have been concerned about as far as results go.  Look for that next week.  Also on Saturday I am super excited for one of our challenge participants Jessica Day that will be posting about her amazing weight loss journey!!! Not to mention the weekly favorite from Vanessa Rae Merrill

Get those steps in and chose to be vibrant!!

love

Stace.

Expert Advice: Lex Grimley PA-C

Thank you to my friend Lex, a PA in cardiology that I get to work with every week.  I am lucky that I get to learn from him even when throws pop quizes my way.  He is very good about sharing his knowledge with each of us that work with him.  He is the best of the best and practices everything he preaches.  He is the guy we see out the window biking to work as we finish our bagels lol.    I am so excited that he did this write up for our blog!!! 


A few pointers from a cardiology outlook.  Heart disease is now the number one killer in America.  This is true for men and women both, but men are usually more ignorant so they come in later than they should which leads to more irreversible complications!!  A few pointers to do what we can to beat this trend.  The mainstays to keep on top of this disease are fairly simple but it takes a lifestyle change for most of us.  My number one and number two recommendations are following a healthy, low fat, low calorie, low sodium, high fruit, high vegetable diet and DAILY exercise.  Poor genetics aside, this can take care of all the remaining recommendations.  These two need to be a part of you, not a fad, not a diet, not a weekday restraint to loosen up on weekends.  This way the occasional eating out or holiday is the outlier, not your “diet”.  The other recommendations are maintaining a healthy weight, screen for diabetes, keeping resting blood pressures under 140/90 mmHg, maintaining total cholesterol under 200, triglycerides under 150, HDL above 40 and most importantly LDL around 100-130 or below.  Probably the most important advice as you take on this health challenge is to keep positive.  For the contest and motivation, comparison is great but everyone is different and as long as there is a general progress or improvement being made then you’re on the right track.  Don’t get frustrated but make small improvements to change your lifestyle!!  Celebrate your success!  Good Luck!

Gluten Free: The New Black?

Say what?

     Two years ago this month, my husband came to me and said, “I’m going to eat gluten free.” I was shocked. This was a man who as a child at Thanksgiving dinner only ate sugar cookies and dinner rolls: no turkey, no potatoes, no stuffing, just the sugar cookies and rolls. This was a man who, since the day I have known him, ate pizza at least 5 times a week. This was a man who would search out bakeries at 6 am in New York City to find the freshest donuts. No man has probably consumed more Little Debbies or Pop Tarts than this man. So in order for this man to give up ALL that, there had to be some sort of motivation behind his reasoning. Why in the world did he want to try this? 

About me

     Let me tell you a little bit about me and my husband. I am a stay at home mom to our 3 yr old daughter Avery. I have a degree in Exercise and Health Science, have run a couple of marathons, been a personal trainer and am currently a Respiratory Therapist a few nights a month. My husband is 6’5” tall, was a baseball pitcher in college (go Commodores) and is a pediatrician here in Utah. Neither one of us has been diagnosed with celiac disease.  My husband has struggled with extreme muscle soreness and periodontal disease for most of his adult life. These health issues could easily be chalked up to his stature, heredity and old age (he is 46 after all)! As for myself, I can list about 1 or 2 symptoms for every system in the body that indicate a sensitivity to gluten, but I will spare you the details. The idea that either one of us were gluten sensitive never crossed my mind until I began to further investigate the disease. 

Chronic, unexplained health conditions? 

*I found this chart very helpful, but a lot of the same symptoms can be caused by other health concerns, 
   so please talk to your doctor first about trying a gluten free diet! 

What exactly is gluten and what does it do?

     Gluten is Latin for glue. It is made up of two groups of proteins that act as adhesive material that holds flour together to make bread products, pizza dough, baked goods and crackers. Most of us eat gluten through wheat, but it is also found in many products made with rye, spelt, barley and kamut (and yup, I’m gluten free for 2 years and still don’t know what that last one is!). But why is it so bad for us? Haven't people survived on it for hundreds of years? Well, the answer is simple. The grains that we eat today bare little resemblance to the ones that were consumed thousands of years ago. The grains we eat today have been structurally modified by bio-engineers with the discovery of hybridization. The end result: our bodies do not tolerate this modification very well at all. I believe our bodies are trying to tell us something- No more genetically modified organisms (GMO's), please! 

Eating a donut = smoking crack. 

       No joke. Your body can act exactly the same way whether you eat a donut or smoke a crack pipe (and please don't go test out the theory).
Here's how:

      Have you ever felt that satisfying and almost euphoric feeling after you eat a bagel, a cookie, or a piece of that “oh so yummy” warm crusty French bread? You’re not imagining it and you’re not alone. We’ve known since the late 1970’s that gluten breaks down in the stomach to become a mix of polypeptides known as exorphins that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Once they cross, the exorphins that are derived from wheat can bind to opiate receptors in the brain to produce a sensorial high.  Even more interesting to me, is that these exorphins can cause addictive behavior and appetite stimulation! And when removed from your diet, the result for some people can be an symptoms not unlike opiate-like withdrawal. Yikes! Maybe we should start a center for gluten addicts! 

My selfishness made me gluten free.

OK so I have to say that I selfishly decided to become gluten free out of convenience for myself.  Do you really think I was going to cook a gluten-free meal for my husband, a non-gluten free meal for myself, and then an entirely different meal for my, at the time, 1 yr old daughter? No way man. Not me. I didn’t even cook back then. Our idea of a healthy meal was having a salad before we ate pizza. And it was ALL takeout (I’m surprised we didn’t both have heart attacks before the age of 40). The mere thought of a crockpot scared the bejesus out of me! I had to learn how to cook, cook gluten free and make it delicious for my very picky eater (husband, not child). I had to learn fast or I knew this adventure was going to be short lived! 

Going to the grocery store…what NOT to buy…..
     Watch out for “Gluten-Free Foods.” There are a TON of them out there, and most of them taste just like a highly priced piece of cardboard! So don’t waste your money unless you are really desperate to get your fix! Here’s why-Many commercially prepared gluten free foods are no better than their “super gluten” counterparts. Most of these foods are highly processed and are made from other high glycemic grains such as rice, corn, potato and tapioca flours. Don’t get me wrong, I am guilty of buying such products because let’s face it, a woman’s gotta have a damn cupcake once in awhile! 
Hide and seek anyone?

If you decide to eat a gluten free diet, you will most likely become very skilled at scanning food labels in search of sneaky ingredients that have gluten in them in some form or another.  Like soy sauce and Red Vines? Why in the world is wheat in either of these “foods?” It hides where you least suspect it!  It is in packaged seasonings, soups, sweeteners, soy products, ice cream, and condiments just to name a few. So how do you even begin to shop for eating gluten free? Here’s a list of disguised names in food products. I can’t say that I am personally 100% about avoiding all of these ingredients, but I’ve provided it for all of you “go big or go home” folks!

     Hyrdrolyzed plant protein/HPP

     Hydrolyzed vegetable protein/HVP

     Natural flavor/natural flavoring (can come from barley)

     Artificial flavor/artificial flavoring (can come from barley)

     Caramel color (can come from barley)

     Malt/malt vinegar

     Dextrin and Maltodextrin (both sometimes made from wheat

     Brown Rice Syrup (often made from barley)

And what to buy….

     Naturally gluten free is always the best way to go. A good place to start is vegetables and fruits, unprocessed meats, seafood and poultry, as well as carbs like potatoes, corn and rice. As a rule, if it hasn’t been spiced, mixed or blended, you can eat it. There are many “specialty” grains and flours that are naturally gluten free such as buckwheat (and Great Harvest makes a killer loaf of this bread-which doesn’t have any wheat in it at all!), amaranth, millet, quinoa, sorghum, almond flour and soy flour. There are actually tons of grains out there to work with- you just have to find the one that tastes the best to you! 

Our favorites: 

Over the past 2 years we have honed in on our favorites that we buy over and over so save your time and try these first!

Breads

•  Rudi’s Mulitgrain Bread (sold at Whole Foods, Good Earth and Harmons) 
•  Great Harvest Gluten Free White bread and Great Harvest Buckwheat bread (Draper)
•  Rolls: Udi’s makes gluten free hot dog rolls&  hamburger buns that are good subs for the  real thing 

Pizza

•  Sabatasso’s Gluten Free Four Cheese Pizza (sold at Costco)
•  Pizza Dough: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Dough (sold at Whole Foods)

Noodles:

• De Boles makes a whole line of gluten free noodles- Lasagna, spaghetti, penne, etc. We  tend to buy the ones made with rice or corn. They taste the best to us!

Snacks

•  Veggie Chips/Straws (Sensible Portions available at Costco, Whole Foods, Harmons).
•  Tortilla Chips (we buy the Organic kind at Costco)
•  Rice Crackers (Crunchmaster Sesame and Artisian Cheese- sold at Costco, Whole Foods)
•  Blue Tortilla Chips (Garden of Eatin’- sold Costco sometimes, Whole Foods etc.)
•  Rice Cakes (sold everywhere folks!)
•  Sweet Chilli Chips (made by Riceworks- sold at Costco, Whole Foods health food stores)

Proteins

• Turkey Burgers (Costco)
• Pesto Tilapia (Costco)
• Chicken, Shrimp, and more chicken (please see recipes below)

Dessert

• We eat a lot of dark chocolate in our house (make sure it's the real stuff though)!
• If you really want some good old chocolate chip cookies though, use Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cookie mix. Beware, they are loaded with sugar, but taste delicious!

Where and what do you eat when you eat out?

• Rumbi: we eat the chicken and rice bowls, and house salads
• Costa Vida- Tortilla chips are gluten free so we love their nachos. Also salads without the flour tortilla are gluten free
• Barbecoa- we love their chips and salsa, and their salads (without the tortilla). Everything is gluten free on  their menu except their tortillas!
• Noodles & Company- they offer many of their dishes with rice noodles instead of wheat noodles, just refer to their menu
• Pizza- Although I’ve never tried it, the Pie Pizzeria downtown offers a gluten free pizza; Dominos has a gluten free crust, and there are numerous other places that offer gluten free crusts, but they all  taste about the same- We just make our own now because it’s cheaper AND tastes better!
• In & Out Burger- just order the burger protein style!
• Olive Garden- check their menu when you get there, but they have a few gluten free items on it! 
• Sweet Cake Bake Shop. Best Bakery, hands down, you will not be disappointed! They have 2 locations, one downtown, and one in Kaysville. Go there.                  

The End result
     I can tell you that for both my husband and myself, eating a gluten free diet is WAY better that eating one with gluten. We have both lost weight (my husband has lost about 30lbs and I about 15lbs). But we didn't try this to lose weight; we just wanted to feel better. We have completely changed the way we view food and we continue to try and make better decisions about what we put into our bodies. We are NOT perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we are doing better! Besides losing weight and having many of our symptoms disappear on our gluten free voyage, we both feel less inflamed.  My hands would get really hot and swollen if I ate gluten, I had chronic constipation and gas (I know really glamorous, right), and muscle spasms. Now that I am off gluten, these symptoms have all dissipated. Our bodies are not in a constant state of trying to fight off ugly intruders, forcing our bodies to be in a constant state of inflammation. Sure we miss our gluten laden pizza and croissant friends, but for us it just isn't worth eating anymore! So is going gluten free the "New Black" or will it make a new you? 

Thank you to Stacy for asking me to contribute to your challenge. I wish all of you the best and hope that you will all feel empowered by the healthy decisions that you are making during this time! If any of you have any questions, concerns, or need some consolation about not getting to eat your morning bagel anymore, please don't hesitate to email me: maggie.freer@gmail.com



Winner winner, mostly chicken dinner?  Here are our EASY GF favorites!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
   cooking spray for sauteing
   2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
   salt and pepper to taste
   1 teaspoon garlic powder
   1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
   corn tortillas
   preferred taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc)

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

   1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
   2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
   2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds
   3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic
   Juice of 2 limes
   1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too)
   1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
   1/4 cup chicken broth

Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes.

Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken
   4 boneless skinless chicken breast
   1 cup BBQ sauce, I lOVE Sweet Baby Rays
   1/4 cup brown sugar
   1/8 cup lemon juice fresh or from a bottle
   5 small apples, peeled and chopped, I use Gala
   8 slices of bacon
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice and peeled/chopped apples
2. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices of bacon and place in a greased slow cooker
3. Pour BBQ apple mixture over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is done

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry 
  2 pounds chicken breast, cut into large cubes
  1 onion, peeled and halved
  1 green pepper, seeded and quartered
  1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
  1 can (6 ounces) tomato past
  2 cloves garlic
  1 tablespoon curry powder
  1 tablespoon garam masala
  1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  2 dried red chili peppers (optional)
  1 1/2 tablespoons corn start
  Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions: Place onion, green pepper, coconut milk, tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, garam masala and salt into the food processor. Process until smooth. Place chicken in the slow cooker, cover with the sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. One hour before you're ready to eat, mix the cornstarch with two tablespoons of water until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add to the curry and mix well. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for the remaining hour. I also add veggies such as carrots, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms etc. to this to make a complete meal. 
Serve with a big bowl of aromatic rice (such as jasmine or bas mate) and garnish with lots of fresh, chopped cilantro. This will keep for a couple of days and is even better the day after!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon paprika1 tablespoon white sugar1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon dried parsley2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts2 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon olive oiljuice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

In a small bowl, combine all the spices.
Flatten your chicken breasts with a meat mallet to allow for even cooking.
Coat both sides of flattened chicken breasts with the spice mixture generously.
In a pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side.
While chicken is cooking, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken.
Continue cooking stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

I serve this with a baked potato and some green veggies.

Curried Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas

   1 tablespoon olive oil
   1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
   8 ounces sugar snap peas or snow peas
   1 Tblsp Curry Powder
   1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
   1/2 tsp Sea SAlt
   1 can (13.6) ounces Coconut Milk (you can use lite)
   2 Tblsp white wine
   2 tsp lime juice
   1 Tblsp cornstarch
   3 green onions, sliced

Directions
1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add shrimp and sugar snap peas; sprinkle with
    curry powder, garlic powder and sea salt. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until shrimp begins to turn
    pink.
2. Stir coconut milk, wine and lime juice into cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Add to shrimp      
    mixture. Stirring constantly, bring to boil on medium heat and boil 2 minutes. Sprinkle with
    green onions. Serve over rice.

WINNER WINNER HEALTHY CHICKEN DINNER: Brittany and Ange

congrats Brittany!!!! (the one on the right).  You are our winner of the 30 day free gym membership to Anytime Fitness.   This girl maintained five points every single day even while on vacation!! She is also out trying new things like the mud run that was featured in last weeks participant success story.  I am so happy that you have been a part of our challenge!!!!

Thanks again to anytime fitness!!

  Also congrats to Ange Murtha (seen here with my super cute baby).   She also had a perfect score for this week.  She is dedicated to getting her steps in to the point of marching in the isles of Walmart!!  I am so proud of her and her hard work.  She wins a Contigo water bottle that is a $20.00 value!!!  Watch out for both of these girls they just may take that grand prize!!!

NOTE: for this week I am going to change things up a bit.  Every once in awhile I miss a point for people because I get so many news feeds coming at me at the end of the night.  It is taking me hours each night to tally up everyone's points.  So from now on if you could all send me an email on myfitnesspal with your total points for the day just so you and I are both on the same page.  Even one point dropped could wreck your chances at grand prizes and I dont want to make a mistake that could ruin this for anyone.  Your email should look something like this

Logged my food and stayed in my calories  

Hit 11,200 steps (if you're Shanna Dawson you will have this many steps!!)

Met my personal goal

5 points

I will still keep my eye on news feeds but this way I wont miss anyones points or bombard you guys with clarification emails.  

I hope everyone is having as much fun as I am with this challenge.  I am currently working on two additional challenges that will hopefully have bigger prizes!!!  Thank you all for participating.  Get your friends involved it makes it more fun when your competing!!  They can still be weekly winners even if they may miss the grand prize now that we are half way through.  Thank you all for your support.

I also have a prize for the 10,000 or BUST photo challenge!!!  remember to get those in to me by the end of next week!!

Live Vibrant

Stace

Live Vibrant: Jessica Olsen

Bio

Jessica Olsen is a busy 32-year old Canadian who lives in the States with her husband and 2 children, 7 & 5. She is a weight loss success and transformation story and her passion is helping others start their own journey. She is currently in college studying Health & Fitness and is working on her personal training certifications while she is also an online Beachbody Coach.  I reached out to her for our challenge and she is one of the few that said she would help all of us with our own journey.  I have had a good time getting to know her she is a true genuine person!!

My Favorite Motivational Quotes 

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough."
"If my mind can CONCEIVE it, my heart can BELIEVE it, and I know I can ACHIEVE it." 

3 Words of Advice 1. It's not going to happen overnight. It might not happen after a few weeks, or months, and might even take a few years! Changing your body takes TIME. When I stopped expecting immediate results, I fell in love with my journey and got lost in it. One day you will just wake up, see yourself in the mirror and ask "Is this really ME?!" DON'T GIVE UP! 

2. If you're reading this and haven't started because you are overwhelmed with how much weight you want to lose, (like I was) don't be! You CAN do this! The best way I have found that has worked for me has been to make SMALL daily changes, and be CONSISTENT. You will be AMAZED with the results over time! It doesn't have to be a drastic change to your life! (unless you want it to be :) Results do come faster that way but for me it wasn't worth cutting out every single thing I loved. Start small :)        I also wanted to mention how "Looks" has been a SIDE EFFECT of my weight loss. Honestly, what motivated me to keep going was how making those healthy changes made me FEEL. I felt energized, healthy, strong, confident and happy. That's what kept me going, and what keeps me going today.

3.FORGET ABOUT THE SCALE! Or at least stop obsessing over it like I used to! I'm almost the SAME weight here but my body looks totally different! My sister's wedding 3 years ago where I was obsessed about reaching a number, 120lbs. (My yoyo dieting days) I had just finished the Master Lemonade Cleanse/Diet because I wanted to look good at the wedding. That didn't do me any good! I lost 10lbs fast and gained it all back. It wasn't until I stopped worrying about the number on the scale and started focusing on my health and getting stronger, when I started to change my body and feel better. If your tummy is also your problem, you CAN lose it! I don't have a perfect body, not trying to have one, just trying to be the best me. That is all you need to worry about. Being the best version you, feeling healthy and happy. Forget the scale :) ~Last thing, my sister is on a health journey too. But her and I eat VERY differently! I eat twice as much protein as she does and definitely more meat & fish. She eats more raw and plant based. We are both healthy. My point is that there isn't one size fits all. You can be healthy in a way that fits you, your goals, and your lifestyle.

Challenge/Failure throughout my journey

When Jessica was training for her first half-marathon, she had to restart her training four different times before she was able to run the race. The first time, she injured her knee and had to take time off. The second time, she started a different job and it conflicted with her training schedule. The third time, she went back home to Canada to take care of her dad who had a heart attack. It was then the fourth time that she started her training that she was able to run in the marathon that she had put off for so long.

MY WEIGHT LOSS STORY:

I was always a normal weight growing up. Then after going through 2 pregnancies, not knowing how to take care of myself, I went from 120lbs to 188lbs (which was borderline obese.) I was embarrassed and felt that I was inside someone else’s body, not mine! I had no energy, felt uncomfortable and craved sugar and fast food. I knew I had to lose 70-75lbs and felt completely overwhelmed. But... my desire to do it was greater than any obstacle in my way. I wanted not only to be thin like before I was pregnant, but HEALTHY & STRONG! 

It took me a few years to lose it all. First I started eating low glycemic and worked out at home doing Beachbody programs, P90x and Insanity. Then I started running 5k's, 10k’s and then 2 half marathons. I lost 50lbs. I reached a plateau. I didn’t really care about losing any more weight, but I wanted to change my body. I started eating clean and lifting weights. I not only lost 20 more pounds, but it completely changed my life! I love feeling strong and setting small goals. It's become my passion so much that I decided to go back to school in Health & Fitness. I am currently trtaing for my first Figure Competition in October 2014! 

These days I feel happy, I have energy, I wake up every day excited about life! I am so grateful that I never gave up--- no matter how long it took. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Jessica Olsen 

Health & Fitness Coach Beachbody 

Web: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/jessicaolsen 

http://www.shakeology.com/jessicaolsen

Instagram: @jessy_fit ~ Facebook: Jessy_fit ~ Fb Group: Jessy's Fitness Friends 

How do you eat a whale???

Hello again! I hope you have had a great week. I am sure it was filled with several highs and I am sure some lows. I think at the end of the day, we are all the same...just trying to make it in this thing we like to call...life.


I have pondered a lot about what it is this week that I wanted to say. When Stacy asked me to be apart of this blog, she wanted my thoughts and inspiration of how I have gotten through some tough times in my life and still keep finding beauty.

In the middle of hard times it never is easy, and most the time you never can see an end in sight..let alone find beauty. In those down times is where you will grow if you allow yourself.

I was in a loveless marriage, followed by a not so pleasant divorce that left me with two children that I now had to support. I didn't have a college degree. I didn't have a career, and I sure as heck didn't have a high paying job that would make being a single mom a breeze financially. I however was very lucky that I had a few talents to help support myself and kids. I remember the over whelming feeling of fear that surrounded me as I looked for a place for us to live. Could I really do this? Could I really take care of a family in this way. I was just a stay at home mom. And when I say, "just a stay at home mom" I mean all I had to worry about was taking care of my kids the way I liked. Now I was faced with doing it all. The first night in our little condo alone, I cried. I cried hard. I was terrified. I laid down on my bed and then it hit me. I for the first time in my adult life was really in charge of my own destiny. I could just be...me. I out stretched my arms, threw my legs in that air and laughed. I felt free.

That feeling of freedom for myself, is what drove me. It pushed me to stand on my own and be ok. Yes, there were many many low days. Many days that I didn't see how I was going to make it. But still, it was better than where I used to be. I learned so many things about myself that before I would have never allowed myself to find. I started carrying about my health. I started exercising. I even ran a 10K, which was a huge accomplishment for me. I went to cross fit and feel in love with the challenge. I felt not only mentally good, but physically strong. There is something about liking who you are. And once you start really making the changes it becomes easier. I tried new things. I went sky diving and even got certified. I jumped out of planes by myself! It was amazing! I went hiking, mountain biking, and LIVED LIFE. I didn't hold myself back anymore.

Living life how I wanted set me up to find who I was, what I wanted, and where I wanted to go. It also put me in the path to find my husband. We both shared similar goals, and had the same go live life attitude. If I would have allowed my divorce to ruin me, I wouldn't have found the man of my dreams or the happiness that I have now.

I ask you to write down three things and honesty answer them.

1. What do you want?

2. Where do you want to be?

3. Who are you?

Now when you answer, answer honestly. Answer without reservation or hesitation. Don't allow your mind to take control of your answers. This will allow you to answer from your heart. Our minds can become our worst enemies sometimes. It can silence our desires, defeating us before we even begin.

One thing my husband always says to me is, "How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time." It's a silly analogy but it is so true. Health, parenting, living our goals is not a one day challenge you concur. It is a lifetime journey we set out on. And one day at a time, little by little we get to a place that we stop and say, "I did it. I reached where I wanted to be." Then you keep going.

I hope this week you will refocus yourself to see. See you. See all of you. That if you slip up, don't get the number you wanted on your step counter, didn't eat as well as you would have liked, or didn't improve...there is always tomorrow. Wake up and refocus your efforts.

But, most of all be kind to yourself. Know that you are brave. Everyday whether you want to be or not, be brave. Beauty shines from you whether you see it or not. Success is never a guarantee, it's made by your efforts. And some days we lose and other days we strike it big. Whichever one it is...know that life always works its self out. Give patience to yourself. Patience to know that life never stays the same. It is always changing. You are doing a good job, well to be exact. Don't let the little things become the big things. Don't hide any part of you because it isn't perfect. You are not perfect, you are human. And good humans recognize that. Let yourself see it too.

Shine on friends...xoxo ~V

PS: I apologize for this hitting the blog so late. It has been one of those weeks where my little baby is teething and not a lot has gotten done. Frustrating at times, but I got to spend extra time holding and snuggling him. And for that, I will give myself a pass.

Motivation with Jonny Johnson

I don't know about you all but I was excited to see what he had to say this week. Last weeks post was short and hit the nail on the head.  I have thought about those words often as I have gone through the week.  I have to say that some of you have major stepped up  your game as well in week 2 of the challenge!!  Remember what he said...the harder you work the harder it is to fail.  Kudos to those that have taken that to heart and upped their game!!

Here is the latest to reflect on during the last few days before our next weekly winners!!

Look at the blog tomorrow for another post from the fabulous Vanessa Rae Merrill as well!!

Live Vibrant guys!!!
Stace :)

Expert Advice: Dr Oz

Biophotonic Scanner < click here

PLEASE PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO!

Okay everyone I am so so excited about today's blog.  As some of you know I had the opportunity to go to Nuskin's innovation center (which has the most incredible bathrooms I have ever been in lol) to see this technology first hand!!  I was able to be scanned and to see in 30 seconds that I have allot of work to do when it comes to my personal health.  Please watch the whole video this is such an amazing, scientifically proven, health assessment.
The cool news is that I have access to this technology and can have you all scanned for FREE!!  This is a big deal because often people charge $50.00 for this assessment.  Knowing this information will empower you to make informed decisions about your personal health.
If you are interested in being scanned you can email me at stacyannreed@gmail.com and I can arrange for that.

Dont forget to check out the blog tomorrow for another motivational video from our own Jonny Johnson, who was recognized nationally for his last post.

Live Vibrant!! Get those steps in and log your food.  We are half way to the next weekly winners!!
love
Stace

Recipe Rescue: Recipes you can make substitutions to!

The first recipe comes from DeAnn Murtha.  This is a quick and delicious way to keep her full when she is in a time crunch.  We would love to see similar recipes on the FB page if you have any!!

Chocolate Shake
Kirkland chocolate shake: 180 calories
4 ice cubes: 0 calories
2 teaspoons coconut oil: 80 calories
2 tablespoons PB2 powder (or natural peanut butter): 45 calories
1 Banana: 90 calories

Total Calories: 395
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can easily make substitutions based off of your calorie goals.
Thanks DeAnn


 South West Salad : Stacy Reed :)
2 cups Romaine Lettuce: 15 calories
4oz grilled chicken breast with McCormick Grill Makes Rub: 155 calories
1/2 cup of tomato: 50 calories
1/4 cup black beans: 35 calories
1/8 cup of fresh corn: 75 calories
Salsa:: 4 tablespoons: 50 calories
Total Calories: 380
This is my go to recipe!!  It makes soooo much food for low calories.  If you have additional calories at the end of the day you can add avocado and maybe a little ranch to this recipe.

Ranch Tip
Buy fat free sour creme and add a ranch packet to it.  This is only 25 calories for a serving.
This is another one that allows for changes to fit your calorie goal.  Try it out :)