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Staying On Plan While Eating Out

At first look this may seem like an oxymoron, but I’ve learned that it is possible to eat pretty close to your plan while in a restaurant. I will be honest, I look to eat at about 85-90% “clean” or on plan while out. Eating 100% clean, while not impossible, would probably take a little more effort.

Salads

Really look at what is in the salads, sometimes your better choice is actually a burger compared to all the junk they throw on salads. Try to have mostly a dark green leafy base with assorted raw veggies. Get the dressing on the side and only use about a tablespoon or less. Skip the cheese and croutons. Make sure it has a good protein like grilled chicken (not fried chicken tenders).

Protein

Stay away from anything fried. Ask if they marinate the meat with anything and choose something that is grilled, baked, or broiled without a breading or coating. Ask if they will make the protein according to your plan, most restaurants will do this for you!

Sides

Okay, here is where we typically get in trouble. Normally a dinner comes with a couple of sides and those are typically a simple carb like bread rolls, mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf. If you can’t stay away from these entirely only eat a small portion. The 21 Day Fix plan measures one serving of this kind in about half a cup. Look for steamed or grilled veggies and stay away from the butter. Again, ask to substitute for what you can have on your plan. YOU get to choose what goes in your mouth.

Drinks

Just choose water. It’s simple, healthy, and free! Great for your health and your budget! Woo hoo!

Desserts

All those desserts look fantastic in the display case! Some are just so hard to turn down! Why don’t you get one dessert for the group and split it up? That way you can have that taste but not over indulge.

Portions

Anyone that looks at a typical restaurant meal in America can tell you we think bigger is better. There is some truth to this, but maybe we can do this an even better way. Instead of eating all of the meal that comes to you, ask for to go box up front. Portion out what a meal on your plan looks like, then put the rest in the box to take home for a different meal. Two for one deal for the win!

 

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Core de Force is Here!

Are you someone who loves MMA or a good kick boxing workout? I am and I’m super excited to let you know about this new program that is available. I just got mine and will be offering two different challenge groups. One, small personal group of very determined people for my test group starting December 5th and another group for people of all fitness levels starting January 2nd.

What Is Core de Force?

It is a 30 Day MMA style workout program created by Beachbody Trainers Jericho Mathews and Joel Freeman. The workouts alternate boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai combinations, cardio spikes, and bodyweight training to define and sculpt your body without needing any equipment. The workouts are broken down into 3 minute rounds at a time for a total of between 27-47 minutes total. The moves are designed with something called 360-degree Core Training that works your core from every angle to really target that bulge and belly fat. Nutrition is what makes a big difference in any program so Core de Force includes an eating plan with recipes, food lists, and sample menus to help you stay on track.

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The workouts are challenging and are recommended for intermediate to advanced fitness levels. There is a modifier for each workout, so even if you are a beginner and an MMA style workout excites you, you can go for it! This program is not “dancy” or a set of choregraphed moves to music. If you are interested in that kind of program, something like TurboFire might be what you are looking for. This is good solid punches, kicks, blocks, and elbows in your own time for the allotted set count.

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What comes with the Core de Force Base Kit?

8 workouts on 3 DVDs

  • 4 MMA-inspired workouts, each with a step-by-step breakdown of all the moves
  • 2 bodyweight resistance workouts
  • 1 CORE DE FORCE Relief workout
  • 1 Active Recovery stretch workout

The CORE DE FORCE Eating Plan with food lists, recipes, sample menus, and more so that figuring out what to eat is never a battle.

A Quick-Start Guide with 3 simple steps for starting CORE DE FORCE strong.

A 30-Day Calendar includes your daily workout schedule.

PLUS 2 FREE BONUS WORKOUTS

  • 5 Min. Core on the Floor: 5 challenging plank movements to help burn the belly and define, flatten, and tone the tummy.
  • Core Kinetics: Strengthen your core with  moves designed to help carve flat abs and tight obliques.

You will get a FREE Bonus Workout—MMA Mashup. A mix of the best moves all in one workout!  A $19.95 USD value, you get it FREE when purchased from me as your Coach.

How much does CORE DE FORCE cost?

Base Kit: $59.85; Club member: $53.87
Deluxe Kit (Base + Deluxe): $119.70; Club member: $107.73

https://youtu.be/BQHjbItlwE8

CORE DE FORCE and Shakeology® Challenge Pack

The Challenge Pack contains the CORE DE FORCE Base Kit, your first 30-day supply of Shakeology, a 7-piece color-coded portion-control container set, a Shakeology shaker cup, and a 30-day trial to Beachbody On Demand so you can stream CORE DE FORCE and hundreds of additional Beachbody workouts.

Challenge Pack price: Normally $160, but on SALE now for $140 (which is like getting the entire program for only $10 with your Shakeology purchase!)

* NEW Digital CORE DE FORCE and Shakeology Challenge Pack

The Digital CORE DE FORCE and Shakeology Challenge Pack is great for  anyone who prefers to stream their workouts. It includes unlimited 90-day digital access to CORE DE FORCE on Beachbody On Demand, where you can also try some of Beachbody’s most popular programs. Your Digital Challenge Pack also includes your first 30 days of Shakeology* and Portion Fix (includes 7-piece portion control container set, Portion Fix recipe book, large blue container, and Shakeology Shaker Cup.) CORE DE FORCE DVDs are not included.

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What Is a Challenge Group and How Do I Join One?

A challenge group is a small group of people that I personally coach through a specific program or “challenge” like a clean eating group. We meet through a free app where we support and encourage each other in a private, judgement free, safe environment. I provide recipes, help with questions, motivational tips, and sometimes even prizes.

To participate in one of my challenge groups, you’ll need to:

*If you already have a Team Beachbody Coach please contact them first to see if they are providing a group for you.

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Should I Eat Before I Workout?

This question has been asked over and over and many times the answer is different. It has even been different at different times in my own health and fitness journey. Why? The quick answer is that this depends on you. Just as our goals change throughout our journey, so does the way we approach our fitness regimen.

 

Fasted Cardio

This is the concept that you perform a high intensity cardio workout after fasting, so not eating for an extended period of time. Typically this is an early morning workout completed prior to any consumption of food. It aids in quick fat loss and is good for those people with an excess of weight to lose or those trying to significantly lean out for some sort of competition or transformation goal.

I actually have lived for a long time doing this type of workout. I found that it was really important to have had a good solid meal chuck full of protein the night before though. If I hadn’t fueled well the night before my workout would tend to be lack luster and I even bonked! The intensity of your workout matters with this too. As I started doing higher level cardio work, like Insanity and Asylum, I found that I need something small to eat to keep my body functioning well.

 

Nutrient Timing

This is a fancy way of saying that you should plan when and what you eat around a special schedule designed for your goals. It has a bit of controversy surrounding it due to lack of true “evidence” to support the theory. Basically it says that you have a specific time frame prior to and after your workout in which your body is greedy and absorbs nutrients efficiently to support your specific goal. It has been popular with elite athletes, endurance athletes, and fitness/bodybuilding competitors.

 

But what about those of us who are just trying to make healthier choices, move our bodies more, and generally improve our health and fitness? The good news is that we’re all different! J So, there is no simple one shot answer. I hope you are starting to see that our health and fitness journeys are personal and specific to our own bodies. While that makes it a tad difficult to give out a basic statement about eating before working out, it also gives you a lot of freedom. If your body feels like it needs more fuel when you workout first thing in the morning, then eat about an hour before you do. If your body works really well, and the thought of eating before a workout makes you slightly nauseous, then I would avoid it and make sure to eat well after! Experiment with what and when you eat and see how your body responds the best, then choose that way of eating.

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Did Someone Say Road Trip?

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Image Credit: NMEDA

Beaches, amusement parks, and hotels, OH MY! Lately, I’ve had lots of questions about how to eat when you are not at home. This can be tricky but there are always options if you are willing to plan ahead and do the work.

First, you’re going to need a good cooler. You’ll need to be able to put enough food into it for the duration of your vacation. You’ll want to pack it as tight as possible to help keep food cold. You can even freeze some of the food to act as natural ice packs.

Next, create a menu for your time. Remember to include snacks. I typically try to book a hotel that provides a free breakfast so I don’t need to address that for everyone. Most hotels have a microwave available in the lobby or “breakfast/kitchen” area. I also plan for at least one “splurge” meal or a meal eaten out at a restaurant. This not only helps with staying on track health wise but is great for the budget too!

In creating your menu try to pick foods that travel well and can be eaten warm or cold if needed. I normally make a large batch of chicken and a large batch of ground meat flavored for tacos, both packed into large plastic microwave safe tubs. Tortillas can be laid flat in a bag or cooler and you don’t have to worry about squishing them like regular bread. Rice or quinoa can be cooked ahead and packed the same way as the meat. I also love to take my black bean sweet potato mix to add to meat or salad. I hope you see a pattern here. I do a lot of meal prep for the week and I just basically transfer that meal prep into things that can be packed and stacked into the cooler.

Veggies like carrots and celery can be peeled and cut into sticks, placed in sealed tubs with water and will keep crispy for about five days. Look for fruit that you can either cut up or doesn’t bruise easily. We always end up taking bananas, they get eaten so quickly they don’t have time to bruise though. A word of warning though, as much as I have tried to take hardboiled eggs with us, they ALWAYS make the whole cooler stink. If you absolutely want to take them, I recommend packing them in an entire different cooler, all by themselves.

Don’t forget to pack plates and silverware!