Meal Plan: Egg Breakfast Braid Ingredien

Meal Plan: Egg Breakfast Braid

Ingredients

1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza whole wheat crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 ounces chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (low fat)
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeño peppers
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.
5. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

Angela Spengler, Clovis, New Mexico, Cooking Light http://ow.ly/i/1ewdX

The Secret to Fitness Success is 6 inches!

Since 2009 I have been working out on a consistent basis. I have seen or read about so many success stories! Even my story up to this point has been a success, 20 lbs later I am feeling and looking better (despite this back injury). I and all the people who are featured in these success stories all do the same thing, we use a workout routine we like and clean nutritional habits. These two aspects must happen!

Having said this, the biggest change we all have made has been the “6 inches” between our ears! This is the secret to our success! I am going to share what I believe. most people need to understand and master for you to ‘feel’ your success. These mental skills will power you through your road blocks!

Self Talk

What we tell ourselves goes a long way. At some point in our fitness journey we ask ourselves,

“Ugh, I am to over weight, I cant change!”, “Why are these clothes fitting so tight! I cant lose lose weight”

At some point we have all been there. The facts are, the more we think and say these comments the sooner we are off track. How many of you are shaking your heads, saying to your self, “Yes that is me!”? First, right your goals down. Make 3 things you want to accomplish this month. Then print these goals and have them where you will constantly see/read them – fridge, mirror in bathroom or your workplace. Repeat reading them over and over. The other pillar I used was finding like minded people to support me. I had my wife, Shellie for this as well as the forums at Team Beach Body to help me through my tough moments. This helped me limit the negative talk and to help me understand I was not alone. I have to say the people you surround yourself with can change the way you think and feel about yourself. Make the adjustments so you are engaging with your own positive self talk and stick with it!

Hard Hat

We need to accept the fact, adversity is always right around the corner. We have two paths we can decide to go down:

Those that fail give up at the slightest sign of adversity.  They willingly accept that “things got busy” or “I had a bad day” and then they complain that they can’t seem to get healthy or lose the weight. 

Those who succeed!  They put on their “hard hats,” and go to work. No complaints. No excuses.  No feeling sorry for themselves.  Just forward progress.  They mentally forge forward reminding themselves of their goals, read their affirmations and do the work. If they need support they find it and use it to their advantage!

We need to strengthen the “6 inches”, inorder be a leader of our selves and be mentally strongl! Put your ‘hard hat’ on and make a difference to feel better every day!

Temptations

The temptation in your mind says “no cooking for me today I am eating out” or “my TV is calling me!” So we have these “excuses” running through our minds. I know I did! The temptation to create an un-focused environment. Were our mind creates a temptation like TV to be our savoir from sweat. I love to watch sports, specifically hockey, so back in 2009 I would do my work out and as my reward I could watch the game. It worked for me! Over time my temptation turned to habits and now I hardly watch any TV. My workouts and nutrition are far higher on the priority list.

Your mind is very very powerful and you need to ‘cut’ the negative self talk.

“How long will it take to see results?” “I am tired of making these meals 5-6 times a day”

You are in control , you are responsible and you can adapt and change your thoughts within those “6 inches”. It may take time, some ups and downs and lots of support but in the end its worth it. I am living proof of that.

Comment below if you have questions, concerns or just a general comment! We are all working together!

 

 

Christmas, Back and Son’s First Goal

Good Morning everyone! Great day here! Up early to take my son to his hockey game. He worked hard and was rewarded with his first goal of the year. He comes flying over to the bench to give me high five. It was priceless. HAHA Wish I had a picture!
How is everyone Long week south of the border? From all the messages on my FB page it looks like everyone is enjoying family, friends, some food (wink, wink) and putting up Christmas decorations! That awesome! We put up our tree and decorations on December 1st and I cant wait! I love Christmas spirit and the kids get excited.We are taking them to the Rocky Mountains in small town called Canmore to do some skiing. They won’t know till the 23rd when we leave early that morning! Great for all of us to spend quality time together, get me away from hockey and for me and Shellie to have time to ourselves as well! What plans do you have for Christmas? Please comment below!
My Back is still acting up but I am going to Yoga tomorrow and likely all week just to work it out a bit and see the response. Its been a bit frustrating be honest. I have not had many injuries in my life, so I am struggling with this. My diet has been very clean though and if my back doesn’t improve I am thinking of doing the ultimate reset nutrition program and reset my body.

Just quick update! Have a great Sunday!

Blair

Tomorrow is a big day – Black Friday!

Tomorrow is a big day – Black Friday! Just Push Play Fitness will be sending out some huge savings to you tomorrow morning at 10 MST. If you buy a program which is on sale, I will place you in our Black Friday Challenge Group where I will support you through the duration of your program! We can all work together to help each other reach our goals. Keep your eye open at 10 MST!

Shhhhhhh, Just Sweep It Under The Rug

I don’t have time. My spouse doesn’t support me. I will start after my holidays. We all have them, we have all said them. What am I talking about? Excuses! I find in society today, ‘excuse-ittis’ is a common occurrence. There is no responsibility to eat properly or too take time to exercise. As everyday goes by, our ability to do daily chores decreases, we have more aches and pains, we breath a little heavier coming up the stairs and we lack energy throughout the day. We ignore these dangerous warning signs. Lets look the other way and sweep it under the rug and forget about it!

Why do we have this ability to ignore these red flags? Oh, I want to enjoy the simpler things in life! Once again the excuses come rolling off our tongues.  There are reasons for the way we think and it is creating a huge epidemic with our culture.

1) Laziness: We in North America are lazy. We all want things instantly and in many cases we wont work/strive for what we want. The things we want are far to easy to get, smart phones, vehicles, credit and on and on. Everything is readily available, we don’t need to plan our meals, we just drive down to the local drive through.  We all know we need to be healthy but the facts are, to find 30 minutes a day is just to  much work for us organize it.

2) Addiction: Take a look around and watch how much time we all spend on our computers, smart phones, I-pads, I-pods and tablets. We are a ‘plugged in’ society. Just think of how much wasted time you spend playing useless games like Angry Birds. Those minutes add up into hours and we don’t even know it! Take 30 minutes of that time and invest into yourself and go for a walk.

3) Our Company: In some cases the people that are most prominent in our lives can and will hold us back from doing what we know we should do. I had a middle age lady want to join one of my challenge groups and was ready to move forward in her health but her husband talked her out of it. It most cases we might blame the husband and i agree he was a complete ass in our meeting. I look at this other way, we need to be leaders of OURSELVES! We need to step up and make a difference and stop allowing other people to control what they want us to feel and think.  Show some internal leadership, stand up and make a difference in your life and take charge!

4) Ignorance: This is my favorite! People just sweep their health and nutrition right under the rug. There are people and you likely know a few, who wait to the last moments to go see a doctor about a health issue. We are ignorant to think all the poor eating and lack of exercise will not catch up with us! We only have one body, not everything can be fixed by a plastic surgeon. We need to be ‘Real’ with what is happening to us and face the facts that we are responsible for  living a healthy life and it doesn’t matter what the Jones are doing down the street! We need to take back out lives and life them with passion and integrity!

The biggest aspect is we have to find out WHY. Why do I need to make changes to my laziness, over come my addictions, show some personnel leadership and don’t be blind to what is happening to and around me! When you find your ‘why’ and hopefully its not to late, you can remove all the skeletons you have swept under the rug! Take action now!

 

Happy Thanks Giving to all my American Friends

Happy Thanks Giving to all my American friends! Make a it a great and day and enjoy your family, friends and enjoy your meal(s). Great time of the year!

 

Meal Plan – Spicy Stir-Fried Mushroom

Meal Plan – Spicy Stir-Fried Mushroom Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 whole dried red chile
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups quartered mushrooms
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed tomato
7 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/8 teaspoon Garam Masala
8 (1-ounce) slices country bread, toasted

Preparation

1. Heat first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat; sauté 1 minute or until cumin begins to darken. Add ginger to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add red onion and fenugreek; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Add salt and jalapeño; saute 2 minutes or until onion softens and begins to brown. Add coriander, red pepper, and minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook 7 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Stir in tomato, tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and Garam Masala; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with slices of country bread.

Suvir Saran, Cooking Light

Beach Body Work Outs Meet Black Friday

 

Just a reminder for anyone looking to start or purchase a fitness program for a friend/family member. Beach Body will be having a huge sale this week. I am very excited! More info to come shortly on my FB and blog – stay tuned in! You wont want to miss it!

Yes! Your body does talk!

 

 

 

 
I am in some serious trouble! I have been active since the day I jumped out of the womb. For the first time in my life I have a lower back injury and it has hit me hard! It started three days ago with lower stiff back. The next day it was a little worse. I stretched, did yoga and felt much better. Yesterday it was tight again, but not so tight to limit any mobility. So down I went to my workout room and started Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning. Although tight in the lower back, I felt much better after the warm up and stretch. It went well through out the workout, pushed hard with no back issues. No pain, stiffness had gone away, I was feeling strong. Then in the last interval, we were doing 8 jump ropes and 8 mini squat jumps. Then it happened, lower back cramped up and instant pain. Now this morning, I have very limited mobility, I can not bend down and my right lower back is a great deal of pain! So now I am going to give myself seven days off to recover. I hope its enough…….

The issue was, my ego got in the way of recovery. I had ‘signs’ three days prior to hurting my back. The signs were there and I ignored them. So I created this issue and now I am out of commission. I know you have heard or read about the signs of over training. I want to give you a list of what I have learned from this experience.

1. Schedule: The day I hurt my back, I had worked out 7 days in a row. With my busy hockey schedule, I finish my workouts  when I can. If I have time to do a workouts, I do it no matter what, because their are times when I go 3-4 days with no time to workout. My mentality needs to change, I will go 4 days at most and a day off, no matter my schedule. My suggestion is we make time for days off, remove your ego and give your body a well deserved day off!
2. Stretching: I stretch more now then ever before. For us males flexibility for the most part is not something we talk about or do frequently enough. I need to stretch more and you likely do too. Make the time to stretch your body, holding each stretch for a duration of 5 to 8 second count. Remember to breath on each hold to help you length each stretch! If I had taken more time to stretch maybe this back issue would not have happened. The what ‘If’ scenario!
3. Warning Signs: Everyone has different signs and you have to know your mind and body to read them. Physically mine is usually soreness/stiffness. Which my back was feeling three days ago. I did not listen to my body. Mentally if my mind is running a half step behind and not being able to focus  on the workout, I will shut myself down. My issue, like most males is I ignore the physical signs and keep pushing. I think my female viewers are much smarter when it comes to warning signs as they listen to their bodies and make smarter choices for the most part.
4. Ego: You would think being 41 years of age, I would be smarter, but obviously time does not help with some stupidity. Ego is one of the biggest reasons for injuries, including overuse injuries like the one I am dealing with. If we would stop and listen when out body speaks, we would be much further ahead!

I hope this has made you consider when you take days off and how you treat your body. I have to make changes or this will likely happen again! When your body speaks, please listen!

Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning – Nov 18, 2012

Officially messed my back up just now. Not sure what is up with is, no real pain just very stiff. Completed Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning! It feels like it was never going to end! The crazy thing when you get fitter is you push harder! It never becomes easier but that I why do it. I love a challenge. I will do some stretches tonight before bed and tomorrow. Hopefully it feels good enough to go for a swim with Shellie. If not day off. Off for some results and recovery formula, supper and then a movie!