encouragement

Monday and Tuesday Workout and Meal Plan

Posted on by Jama

It’s a two-for-one! Without further ado….

Monday
4:35am – wake up; Watermelon Spark and Arginine Extreme; Catalyst; O2 Gold
5:15am – (awful, miserable, slow) 3+ miles (3.25, maybe? I was still worn out from the Haunted Half Marathon, so it was a recovery run!)
5:45am – Muscle Fuel
6am – Power Pump (this was a much better workout than the run – my body didn’t hate me for lifting)
7am – Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake
9am – 2 scrambled eggs; 2 slices bacon; banana
11am – Spark
11:30am – 2 slices whole wheat crust cheese pizza; 1 slice whole wheat crust cheese bread
2pm – Spark
3pm – 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts and craisins; 1 granny smith apple
6pm – Chicken Noodle Soup, 1/3 cup steamed corn; Chobani Greek Strawberry Yogurt with NatureBox Honey Sunflower Kernels; Omega Plex

1932 calories; 45% carb, 28% protein, 27% fat

Tuesday
5:20am – wake up; Watermelon Spark and Arginine Extreme; Catalyst; O2 Gold
6am – Cycle
7:30am – whole wheat banana pancakes; grape jelly; banana; 2 slices bacon
11am – Spark
11:30am – chicken noodle soup (see recipe link above); peanuts and craisins; 1/2 cup chopped pineapple (ok…I don’t know if it was actually 1/2 cup, but “whatever the kids didn’t eat” is a little vague)
2:30pm – Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake
5:15pm – (it was FREE and I burned 640 calories in cycle this morning…don’t judge) Chick Fil A 8-ct nuggets and medium waffle fries – with honey mustard (duh!)

A word to the wise – my diet is probably 85% super healthy. It’s not that I don’t like junk food – I really REALLY do – but I know that my body doesn’t feel or perform at it’s best when I fuel it with junk. Case in point – those nuggets and fries were delicious, but I spent the rest of the night in and out of the bathroom.

1878 calories; 53% carb, 19% protein, 28% fat (THIS, by the way, is why the “fast food diet” is so bad. Not only is it high in calories, but you’re loading up on carbs and fat. Both macro-nutrients have their place, but only when they are of the healthy sort and balanced with protein. An occasional treat? Sure, but don’t base your diet on it.)

You may (or may not) have noticed that I’ve not been taking the MNS this week. I haven’t decided if I want to continue with the MNS or switch over to just the Core Plex and Omega Plex. I will always take some sort of multi-vitamin. As you can see, even with careful planning and effort on my part, I don’t eat nearly enough fruits and veggies…a good multi helps fill in the gaps. Let’s just say that I’m waiting on a test result to help me decide whether to go with MNS or just Core Plex. 😉

<3 Jama

You Tell Me: What Do You Believe About Mental Illness?

Posted on by Jama

I am taking a break from my regularly scheduled Workout and Meal Plan posts…partly because these last couple of days have been insanely busy and I have no idea what I’ve shoved in my face hole.

I also feel like, since this is my blog, I can talk about whatever I want. This does have to do with health and wellness and little encouragement (I hope), so it fits. It’s also personal, although I’m not really comfortable sharing to what extent.

In different communities, there are different beliefs about mental illness. Medication is hotly debated, as there are some who feel that they absolutely could not function without some sort of chemical help, and others who believe its a spiritual problem, or something to be solved with counseling, or dealt with through alternative means. I’m curious what you think and why.

When I say mental illness, I’m referring to any disease of the mind, from depression and anxiety, to learning disabilities and addiction, personality disorders, and the like. You don’t have to share personal experiences if you don’t feel comfortable with that, but I would love to know why you believe the way that you do. Please, be kind. Remember that, although you’re sitting in front of a screen, you are talking to real human beings, made in God’s image, so don’t type anything you wouldn’t say to your closest friend.

I’ll say that I fall somewhere in the middle. I absolutely believe there is a time and a place for medication when it comes to mental illness. It seems, though, that we face a few very specific problems in our country: we over-diagnose “mental illness,” many people expect an easy out in the form of popping a pill, and many mental issues are actually spiritual problems.

So, talk to me. Show me your side. Be encouraging.

And know that, if you are suffering from any sort of mental illness, there is hope.

<3 Jama

Tuesday Workout and Meal Plan

Posted on by Jama

I was planning on “sleeping in” until 5:20 this morning, but woke up at 4:09. Seriously. Who does that?

I fiddled around on Facebook, went back to sleep for a bit, and then got started at 5:20 anyway. So there!
5:30am – Watermelon Spark
6am – 1 hour cycle class (Shout out to Kathy at the Wellness Center who kicked my booty…and quads and calves and hamstrings)
7am – MNS color pack
7:20am – Chocolate Mocha Meal Replacement Shake
9am – banana and 1/4cup almonds; Omega Plex
11am – Watermelon Spark and MNS color pack
11:30pm – sliced apples; black beans and rice with low fat sour cream, shredded cheddar, salsa, and onion; 1/2cup greek yogurt; MNS white packs
3pm – Boars Head Blazing Buffalo chicken breast; 1tbs hummus; 1tbs peanut butter (I get that this is weird. I’m fine with it)
7pm – BBQ Chicken and Roasted Potato Casserole; Omega Plex
9:30pm – Nighttime Recovery

1802 calories; 48% carb, 27% fat, 25% protein

There you have it! Things will start to look a little different once I incorporate more Performance Elite products over the next several days.

<3 Jama

Clean Eating Mama

Posted on by Jama

Cooking lean and clean isn’t easy when you didn’t start out cooking that way. For ladies like me, who were raised in the South, we know how to cook Southern food (i.e., NOT clean!). Add to that the fact that most moms in my stage of life were raised in the 80’s, watching our moms cook out of boxes and bags, and trying to cook clean, healthy meals is a challenge to say the least.

After I gained sixty pounds with my first pregnancy – and didn’t come home from the hospital with a 60lb baby – I started learning about health, exercise, and nutrition. Now, nearly eight years later, I am a marathoner, a gym rat, and passionate healthy eater (although, truth be told, I still love doughnuts!!). I’ve had my ups and downs, because eating junk is easy, and there are times when easy seems to be more important than healthy.

My goal for this blog has become helping others get healthy through exercise, healthy eating, and superior supplementation. I don’t want people to look at me and think “I could never do that.” You can, and I am happy to share the secrets! Living healthy isn’t hard when you have all the information.

So, let’s call this a new day. In the coming weeks you will find tips, tricks, and encouragement for living a healthy life.

<3 Jama