Week 3 Brazil Butt Lift Progress Update

This month is flying by!  I can feel the weather getting warmer each day which makes me super excited for summer!! I pretty much have a routine now, and I look forward to getting up each day and getting my workout in. This is what this weeks schedule looks like:

The Workouts

Sunday-Rest

Monday-Sculpt

Tuesday-Cardio Axe & Bum Bum

Wednesday-Sculpt

Thursday-Cardio Axe & Bum Bum

Friday-Sculpt

Saturday-Hight and Tight & Tummy Tuck

First thing I do when I wake up is drink my shakeology (usually my fav...Choc shake with 1/2 a banana and 1 tbs PB with skim milk).  Then I clean up the house a bit while sipping on my E&E (which is an all natural energy booster).

 Honestly, this has been so helpful!! Since working night shift, I find that when I have my shake then E&E I am full of energy within the next 30-60 mins! We all know I need all the energy I can get to keep up with my little man!!!(YES! that is Shakeology in his bottle! He will steal it from my glass if I don't give him his own lol)

Physical changes I have seen  in the last 17 days: My belly feels and looks smaller, I can feel myself getting stronger with each workout, I now fit into scrubs TWO sizes smaller for work!!!

One of the greatest feelings is when people notice all your hard work and effort. I cant tell you how wonderful it feels to hear people say "wow, you can really tell you have lost weight". Hard work does pay off!!!! 

In the last 17 days I have lost 10.3 lbs and feel amazing. I can finally see a difference when I look in the mirror and put on my clothes. My confidence is increasing and I am so thankful I stuck with it!

I attribute my success in larger part to the challenge groups that I belong to on Facebook. Honestly, they keep me motivated, excited, accountable and when I'm having a rough day, I know there are other people one click away to get me through. We share pictures of us after we workout for accountability, celebrate each others successes (every single one! even the simple things like "My pants feel less tight today"), share recipes & most importantly of all... we make each other stronger. We are a team, we care about one another and whether we succeed or fall short, we will be right there together. 

There is something so special about our challenge groups that I almost cant put it into words. Its PRICELESS when you get back your confidence, self-esteem and become stronger inside & out, you are becoming a BETTER you! 

My next Challenge group starts on February 3rd. I would love nothing more than for you to join us!! What are you waiting for?? The time is now, and I promise we will work side by side and reach your goals. We will walk through the storms and come out the other side stronger!! Email me at savko.christine@gmail.com  to see how to become involved with our groups!  I would love to talk with you!!!

Are Sweet Potatoes Good for You???

Did you know that.....

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, E, B6, and Beta-Carotene? 
That they help keep your heart healthy and are good for your eyes?
They aid in weight loss and helps to lower blood pressure?

The sweet potato will keep all the benefits of its status of a "super food" in this recipe!! This is a perfect substitute for french fries. Sweet enough to satisfy that craving, yet you get all the benefits! 



Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated orange rind (optional)
1 small garlic clove, minced

Preparation
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender, turning the potato slices after 15 minutes.

Combine parsley, orange rind, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Sprinkle parsley mixture over sweet potato slices.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

source-Cooking Light NOVEMBER 1995

Clean Eating Snack Ideas

As a mom of 2 things can get very busy! I'm always looking for quick healthy snacks for me and the kids! One of the problems I had was that the kids would always get hungry when we would be out in the car traveling from place to place or just running errands... It was so much easier just to stop at a fast food place. But.... Now I don't do that anymore!

I found a medium sized insulated bag that I fill with small containers of pre cut snacks. Watermelon, pears, oranges and yogurt is what I mostly pack in it. That has always been enough to hold over the kids and I until we get home to make a real meal!!!
So here are some ideas.....

Clean eating snacks

*1 cut apple with 1tbs of natural peanut butter
*1 cut apple and 14 raw unsaltes almonds
*1 cup baby carrots 1-2tbs hummus
*2 plain brown rice cakes with 1-2 tbs of natural peanut butter
*1 cup strawberries and a handful of raw unsalted cashews
*Shakeology
*2 cups celery with 1-2 tbs natural peanut butter
*1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup blueberries
*1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup berries (drizzle of agave nectar to add sweetness)
*1/2 sliced Banana on top of whole wheat bread with 1tbs natural peanut butter-- my favorite!!!!

I hope this face you some good ideas for some quick healthy snacks! Feel free to comment with any other healthy suggestions!!!!

My First Taste of Shakeology

I had heard about Shakeology on Facebook mainly and had been approached by my friend to try it several times. I didn't know much about it so I did what anyone else would do... Googled it! I couldn't  believe how many vitamins, nutrients and super foods were on it! Growing up, my mother always had us take vitamins as opposed to going straight for medications, so seeing how many healthy ingredients were in Shakeology....I was excited!! 

I knew right away I wanted to try it but since at the time I was still in nursing school I didn't have the extra money to spend on it. So I contacted my friend who had approached me before and she suggested that I could buy sample packs from her. At $5 each I went right ahead and did just that!

I initially bought 3 single serving packs from her. 2 chocolate and 1 greenberry.  I mixed the chocolate powder with water in a blender and did not like the taste at all! I was so disappointed! Fortunately, I talked to my friend about it and that's when she told me to mix it with fruit and almond milk. Wow! Did that make all the difference! I mixed 1cup almond milk, a banana, 1tbs of peanut butter and the Shakeology all in a blender. It seriously tasted like a milkshake!! Now, how could this be healthy and taste so good!! I was hooked. Over the next couple of days I was at clinical in the hospital for school and I could already tell a difference in my energy level!!

So I thought a little more about the price and realized that I would spend $5 each morning at the gas station for breakfast. If I would replace a shake with breakfast I would actually be saving money!! So I had made up my mind... I was ready to order! As soon as I figured out my finances... I discovered something else... I was pregnant!!! I didn't know enough about it at the time to drink it during my pregnancy and I wanted to do everything possible to make sure the baby was healthy so I took a break for awhile. Once I had my son and he was 6 months old, I and was back to work, I signed up as a "discount " Beachbody coach. That gave me a 25% discount every month on my Shakeology home direct order. I have replaced breakfast with Shakeology from that day forth... My energy has increased, I'm more regular, my my skin cleared up, I have lost 22 lbs in the last couple months and most important of all... I am all around happier!!!!!!!!

Eat Clean Support Group

So I have been eating clean for a few months now. It has taken time and patience, along with they desire to really want to learn how to eat healthier. I can truly say this, I have noticed amazing changes in my food cravings, energy and weight loss! I would love to continue learning how to eat clean and share the knowledge I already have with you! It's always more fun with a group of people exited about the same thing.

I am going to start my Facebook support group on November 4th. If you are interested please message me on facebook or shoot me a quick Email! 

Lets learn together and grow together! Lets be an example for others to look up to! Our kids, neighbors, co-workers, spouses, parents... Everyone! We all deserve to be putting the best of the best into our bodies and feel the greatest we ever have!!!!

Lets do this!!

Do "Consistency" and "Diet" Belong in the Same Sentence??

Ok so first of all.... If you call what your doing a "diet", your most likely going to think of it that way.  "Diets" only tend to last for awhile, or end up being something you decide to do when you need to drop a few pounds for a wedding, date, vacation...etc....

What I have realized is that when you finally commit to learning about eating healthy, it has to become a lifestyle change to actually work. You kind of have to look at food and how you react to it in a totally different way. Food isn't here to make us happy. Although I know a lot of times we may use it as comfort:-) Food is here to fuel our body's and give us the energy to get up every day and go out and be the best we can!!

Nowadays, everything is for convince. People tend not to like spending large amounts of time on anything... The faster the better. I think we need to slow down for a minute and look at a few things that can help us improve our healthy eating habits!

1. Develop an eating plan for the week!

I started making meal plans a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, they save me so much time!! No searching through the cupboards, wondering what I'm going to eat and when. It's all layed out for you!  I include breakfast (within 1 hour of waking), snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. If you we're counting... That's 6 small meals a day! Eating every few hours sends a signal to your metabolism to speed up. The more often you eat, the more often your metabolism increases and burns fat!!

2.Keep it Interesting!

Look up new recipes... or ask around for them! Most people love to share a new discovery of a wonderful healthy recipe!! I have to admit, I kind of like eating the same thing day after day, I know what to expect that way. But, since I started trying 1 new recipe a week, I have broadened my horizon on what I eat! Variety is always good!!

3.Designate a cheat meal!

By doing this, it is already planned out, not spur of the moment. Include it in your weekly meal plan!   That way we know its coming and we can use it as motivation to eat well until our cheat meal. For me, it keeps me from going crazy. Sometimes you have to just slip up a bit and grab something that may not be that healthy. Ya know what!?  That's completely ok!!! The important thing is that you don't let a cheat meal turn into a cheat day, then cheat weekend, then before you know it, it will be a cheat week!! If you ever feel like you messed up on your healthy eating just brush yourself off! Get up! And keep moving forward! No one was ever successful at anything with set backs.

4. Surround yourself with like minded others

Support groups were one of the main reasons that I have been able to continue to eat healthy and lose weight. Ya know why? Chances are whatever you are feeling, someone else had that same feeling at one time to. They can tell you how they got through it. We keep each other motivated about life in general and hold each other accountable. We share recipes and tips! When we set goals... We all work together to help all of us reach them! It's truly amazing!  If this sounds like something you would be interested in I would love to work with you!! You can contact me and I would absolutely love to talk to you about how we can reach your goals!!!

5. CONSISTENCY

You need to be consistent if you want to see any type of results. You wouldn't just go to work 2 out of 5 days a week and expect to get paid for 5 days would you? You get out if this what you put in. Yes, it can be difficult and I promise you will have bad days. But that is why we have support groups. You aren't alone in this. We are all working towards the same goal... Being healthy!!!

My new lifestyle change

A few months ago, I was a totally different person. Unhappy, depressed, stuffing my face with whatever I could find and overweight. Today, I still am overweight, but losing the pounds fast! I'm active, happy and think carefully about what I put into my body. A friend asked me to join a Facebook "challenge" group back in March. It consisted drinking Shakeology, doing a fitness program from Beachbody, and participating in a closed facebook group. For those of you who may not be familiar with private groups (I wasn't at all), there's private groups on facebook where only certain people are involved (whoever creates the group will "add" the member), and everyone can interact and support one another there.

Now I thought that was cool. Where else could I get motivation and support while trying to lose weight! So I joined! I'm going to be honest. I kind of "watched" for the first few groups I was in. Didn't post everyday a what workout I did, how I felt or what I ate. As I think back now that's probably because I wasn't doing what I said I would. I wasn't working out  consistently, or making healthy food choices.  But after awhile of watching everyone and seeing how great everyone's results were, I decided it was time to make a change!

Now, by this time it was July... Better late than never right!! I started drinking Shakeology daily, doing my workouts and paying attention to what I ate(most of the time). I couldn't believe it! In the first 2 months I lost 15 lbs!!! I was so exited! I knew I could do better so now I'm currently learning to "eat clean". It's all a learning process, but I have a feeling it will be worth it in the end. I would love to work with you and reach your goals!!! Feel free to email Savko.christine@gmail.com with any questions!