Fit and Fabulous

Two Birthdays and A Wedding!

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My weekends are usually pretty calm and restorative. I like to get in a good two hour nap.

This weekend was exceptional.  2 birthday parties and a wedding. Of course, it included lots of fun eating and drinking. Cake, ice cream, popcorn, red wine and the decadent list goes on. It is amazing how quickly you can get sucked back into all of the sugar in just 2 days!

Small changes can get you back on track. Last night, I skipped the glass of red wine and had lots of roasted vegetables and chicken sausage for dinner. This morning, I had my delicious morning smoothie and a cup of french pressed coffee. Instead of my usual second cup of coffee around ten I had a lovely cup of Earl Grey tea.

A lovely cup of Earl Grey tea.

A lovely cup of Earl Grey tea.

I watched my video on MY PROGRAM to get it back together. I would love for you to join us. This will be your last program because it works. As you can see you can have your cake and eat it too! Is that the saying?

I mentioned two supplements to support the health of your liver and the rest of your body. It is especially important during times of over  indulgences. These are the tools in my tool box.

You can make small changes good or bad. Your  choice.

Love,Mary

“I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.”

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“Ladies, look at this face and look at all of your faces, the face of leadership,” Fiorina says. “This is the face of a 61-year-old woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.”

This is perfect. I don’t know anything about Carly Fiorina or her politics. My sister mention this quote to me Tuesday morning on my 61st birthday and I am so grateful for women in my life that have inspired me to embrace my time of life and all of its blessings.

It is such a great attitude to embrace your wrinkles and your age spots. Be proud of what you have accomplished and the wonderful adventures to come. I am inspired by the work of Christiane Northrup. Her book Goddesses Never Age is full of wonderful insights to live your life to the fullest. Dr. Northrup talks about not telling your age. I understand that.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Your health and vitality is so important at any age and especially as you get older. It is all about how you feel. My intention is to inspire women to  gain strength and flexibility at any age. You can feel strong, healthy, and full of energy.  Sometimes, it proves a point to tell my age.

This passed year I have also been inspired by Cindy Joseph, the model, founder of the Pro-Age revolution. She is  all about embracing your age and letting your silver hair shine. She has inspired me to grow out my blonde highlights and let the silver come through. I am halfway there and so far so good.  I love her make up skin care line Boom. I love the simplicity, one product, one color for lips, blush,and eye shadow. Here is my make-up demo  with Boom:)

I just got the latest JCREW catalog. Lauren Hutton looks amazing wrinkles and all~ I think I will buy what she is wearing:)

#fitandfabulous

#fitandfabulous

Who inspires you? I would love to know. Please post your comments. It is wonderful to support each other, we are in this together.

Love,

Mary

No Vegetables in Sight!

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I am hoping to write this in a completely positive note.

We celebrated my Dad’s 85th birthday dinner in North Carolina this weekend. We had dinner under a tent. Good thing, because it was pouring rain in my sister’s back yard.  Most of my immediate family was there; no extra friends, aunts or uncles. It was an intimate party. My parents had 8 children, and there are 23 Grandkids plus 4 great Grandkids. It was the perfect  party with just “the family”.

My parents are great. They are in good health, and drive themselves, mostly Dad, wherever they need to go. They travel from New Jersey to Saint Louis, Colorado, Michigan, Texas,  North Carolina and beyond. They get interesting books on tape and off they go. I love that I don’t know where they are half of the time.

Back to the party. Dinner, was the result of an extended e-mail discussion among the siblings, of course. I stayed out of it the best I could. I have three sisters and a brother in North Carolina, so it was their deal. We had a delicious Southern dinner. Chicken breast with white rice and parmesan cheese sauce, shrimp and grits in a cream sauce, scalloped potatoes, some kind of cute little southern biscuit, and darling individual tomato cheese pie. We had sweet tea, of course, to drink, and Birthday Cake for dessert. It all was quite a treat and good quality creamy Southern Comfort food.  Halfway through dinner, I realized there was nothing green on my plate. Not a vegetable in sight. A kid’s dream come true!

The top of the cake. We are all pieces of candy:)

The top of the cake. We are all pieces of candy:)

Breakfast was another matter. We spent the night in a hotel with a free breakfast. There were powdered scrambled eggs, tasteless bacon, waffles with fake syrup and fake butter. There was nothing satisfying about the food. You wanted to add ketchup to your eggs, extra syrup to your waffle…etc. You get the picture.  You tend to eat more because nothing is satisfying.

I don’t want to be a food snob but what I realized is you eat a totally different way when the food is high quality organic fresh food. You come away feeling nourished. You can use a small amount of organic butter and the best maple syrup on your waffle for a treat with organic scrambled eggs and delicious no-nitrate bacon and you have quite the feast. You tend not to over do it. You step away feeling good.

Just to top off the trip, we stopped off at a rest area with vending machines. Pretzels and M&M’s for lunch! Last night, we had roasted vegetables for dinner and got back to normal.

Back on THE PROGRAM today!  I did my HIIT and Foundation Training. Feeling great, sometimes you just need to step off the path.

Love,

Mary

Mom and Dad enjoying a Southern dinner under a lantern lit tent. Beautiful~

Mom and Dad enjoying a Southern dinner under a lantern lit tent. Beautiful~

 

HIIT! High Intensity Interval Training

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I didn’t feel in the flow of this workout. The ground is a bit uneven in my backyard, thanks to George the dog.  My hips could have been a bit lower in my jump squats. It doesn’t need to be perfect to do it. Just start. If you are a beginner try for 2 minutes and build up.

I have been adding more HIIT into my week. I include it in every Fit and Fab workout.  I love it. It takes 4 minutes and it is amazing how much better you feel when you are finished. Sometimes, I will turn a 4 minute song on and when the song is over, I am done! Here is a Fun Peppy Song unless you are over it. I would love your musical suggestions.

After my HIIT workout, I like to do Eric Goodman’s Foundation Training.  Some impact is important, helps build strong bones! I am looking for the right balance, too much impact is not a good thing.  Foundation Training, stretches and strengthens all at the same time. Give it a try. It is the perfect way to end a workout.

Are you looking to put it all together? Optimal Health = low-glycemic diet + exercise +supplements Check out THE PROGRAM and we can do this together.

Workout 

20 seconds on 10 seconds rest

Jump squats

Push-ups

Alternating Rear lunge

Skater’s Hop

Mountain Climbers

Jump Squats

Push-ups

Burpees

Coconut Balls

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2 cups organic unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

2 tablespoon honey

1 cup nut flour…(today I used cashew, grind up raw nuts and there you go flour!)

1 scoop protein powder, I love Nutrimeal Free.

pinch salt

I added lemon zest to the recipe. Adds a nice refreshing flavor.

Place all ingredients into a food processor until well combined and sticky. Form small balls and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Makes 15-20 balls.

This is another easy recipe, have fun with it. The original recipe came from Dr. Libby Weaver.

“Coconuts are an excellent source of nutrition and have healthful meat, juice, and oil. The oil is arguably the most nutritious and has many health benefits. Coconut oil is over 90% saturated fat and has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.” Wellness Mama

An incredible powerful workout!

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Here is the short version of the story. In March of 2014, I hurt the left side of my lower back doing nothing. We all know how that goes. I was in so much pain, I had to take drugs, pain killer, anti inflammatory and muscle relaxants.  I have put so much time and effort into getting myself back together. PT, acupuncture, massage, 3 different chiropractors and  structural integration work. It all helped to some extent. I wanted to learn how take care of myself.

I found Foundation training by Dr. Eric Goodman through Dr. Mercola. Dr. Goodman is a chiropractor who created a series of exercises to heal his own back issues. “Foundation Training activates your posterior muscle chain and teaches your body to take the burden of supporting the body out of your joints and put it where it belongs, in your muscles. ”

I have been doing some of his workouts and of course I added them to my Fit and Fabulous workouts. I am striving to find the balance between impact, strength and recovery. I do love the impact, running, jumping ropes, mountain climbers, burpees etc.

At times, the issue in my back creates tightness down my IT band and has caused numbness around my knee. I am able to manage it for the most part but I want to be 100%.   I found Dr. Phil Pritting, a chiropractor at Integrative Wellness in Belmar who worked with Dr. Goodman and is certified in Foundation Training. He took my training to a whole different level. Today was my last day with him because Phil is moving back to California. Too bad for me but I wish Phil the best. He is on to new experiences.

Here is a short video of one of the exercises that has been so helpful!

The point of all of this is don’t give up. Your body has an amazing capacity to heal itself. It is not easy but so important for your own well being!

I am driving myself crazy!

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 (I was.)

I want to throw the scale out the window. Have you ever felt that way? I was becoming a crazy person, weighing myself everyday, bringing the phone into the bathroom with me incase I hit a good weight that day that I could post.

I have created a really good PROGRAM for the long haul. It is working BUT I know when I put too much pressure on myself it just doesn’t work. How can I sell my program if I am not perfect??? Truth is, it is not about perfection at all, it is about PROGRESS. I know the weight comes off when I give myself a break and I am not so stressed about it.

I have made progress, I can feel it. I have lost a few pounds, my stomach is flatter, I am eating less, drinking more water, sitting down and eating slower, and savoring my food. PROGRESS. I have been working with a chiropractor 2x a week with the Foundation training workouts. The exercises have been very helpful, CORE STRENGTH!!! (that will be another blog post).

Do you believe in signs? On Sunday at church, John the Pastor preached about letting go and letting the divine take the lead. Later that day, I opened Dr. Christiane Northrup’s Goddesses Never Age to “Happy Belly, Happy Body” . Page 258, that page alone is worth the price of the book!

“If you’re unhappy with the shape of your belly, know that cutting out the wheat will reduce it, but whatever your belly looks like you can make it happy. Balance your gut flora. Nourish yourself with good foods and clear out the junk, including the shame, perfectionism, and emotional stress that are affecting you.”

“Give up the goal of achieving what our culture calls a “perfect” or “ideal” body shape.”  Christiane Northrup,M.D.

THANK YOU, DR. NORTHRUP!!!

Thank you!

I feel so much better, how about you? Are you ready to join me on your journey to OPTIMAL HEALTH? Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional?

“OK….the package arrived yesterday, I’m ready to go! Just LMK what I should be doing now, thanks. I’m ready to be fit and fabulous! “

 Are you ready? Here is the link to learn more and join the Fit and Fabulous.

Friday’s Food Journal

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I don’t normally journal about my food. These past three weeks I have been, at least a few times a week. I wanted to record what I was eating so I would be able to share what worked for me on The Program. #burningmenopausalbellyfat

Why keep a Food Journal?

  • Proven method for weight loss.
  • Helps you understand your eating habits. (jot down how you are feeling.)
  • If I am writing it down, my diet is better, keeps me focused on the good food choices.
  • Measuring is important in the beginning. I no longer measure because I have a sense of what the portion should be. If I stop dropping the pounds I will go back and measure.
  • It is great to include your exercise for the day as well.
  • You will begin to understand what is working and what isn’t.
Love the Sharpie!

Love the Sharpie!

There are all sorts of apps  that will record for you. I enjoy my notebook and writing it down.

I love reading what other people eat and what their day looks like? Do you?

That is it for today!

Love,

Mary

My Magical Morning Shake!

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My basic morning smoothie which is part of my Optimal Health Program is so easy and good for you.

Are you ready to feel great, get rid of the bloat and have a flatter stomach? Bonus: drop the excess weight.

FIND THE  PROGRAM HERE.

#FITANDFABULOUS

Full of fiber and a home grown cucumber:)

Probiotics…”gut of your health” watch the video you will know what I am talking about it.

I add coconut oil to my morning smoothie.

“It’s been shown to support healthy metabolism, and contribute to satiety. There’s also evidence coconut oil is a heart-healthy food because it supports healthy triglyceride levels and maintains good cholesterol levels already in the normal range.” Dr. Brian Dixon
It  is so important to start your day off balanced. If you  are not quite ready to embrace my FITANDFABULOUS PROGRAM. Make one change this week and blend up a morning smoothie. Such an easy way to start your day off right. You can blend it the night before but don’t add the fibergy until you are ready to drink it. Thickens up if it sits too long.

I also love to add Nutrimeal Free to my energy bites. Have you tried the Grain free chocolate peppermint cookies with Nutrimeal Free? You can add it to your pancakes as well. Great way to up the protein!

FIND YOUR NUTRIMEAL FREE HERE. 

#FITANDFABULOUS

Breakfast!

Breakfast!

Week two …3 pounds lighter.

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It is Progress. Heading in the right direction. Half a pound this week according to the scale. It feels like more, my pants are definitely looser and my belly is flatter. Keep on going.

My Big News!

I have created THE PROGRAM! Are you ready to join me on the Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional Journey. It is so much easier when we are all in this together!

Watch this and see what you think.

I didn’t go into the food in the video. I have been eating well. One night, I had sirloin steak, roasted vegetables and red wine. So delicious!  Last night we had cod and scallops over pasta.   I have changed a few things in my diet. These small changes have made a difference. I can help you too!

Sirloin steak, roasted vegetables and a glass of red wine! Delicious!

Sirloin steak, roasted vegetables and a glass of red wine! Delicious!

Are you ready to be Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional?

Click here