How To Stay Active During The Winter Months

 As January comes to a close, you may be thinking of those New Year’s Resolutions you set at the beginning of the year and how sustainable they are. For many, trying to be more active in your day-to-day life is on the list of things to do this year. A big obstacle to overcome while staying active is finding motivation during the winter season. Those snowy and chilly days make it hard to want to go outside at all, let alone go outside to exercise, so here are three ways to help make staying active in the winter a bit easier: 

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Make Goals With A Partner

Enlisting the help of a workout buddy can help make staying active more exciting. It is easy to skip out on reaching your daily goals if you are on this journey alone, but having another person you are reaching these goals with will add a layer of accountability. Find someone that motivates you and makes going out in the snow worthwhile. It could be your work-best-friend and you go to the gym every day after work together, or it could be your neighbor and you take a long walk together in the mornings. Whoever it is and whatever you do, finding someone to make these activity goals with will have you looking forward to your workout plans. 

If you can’t meet up for every workout, use an app to connect with your fitness partner. Logging your workouts and stats can keep both of you motivated to continue exercising together and apart. If you are both competitive people, having a routine together can help keep you eager to reach your goals, especially on those solo days when you want to reach them first. A healthy competition with a workout partner is a great way to push you to reach your goals and keep each other accountable.

Create An At-Home Space

Not only does the snowy season impact your motivation to stay active, but the ongoing pandemic also takes a toll on your comfortability with working out in communal spaces. Creating a space at home for you to exercise safely and conveniently can help retain your motivation for working out all year long. Having a dedicated area, like a spare room, garage, or a place in your basement, can help you stay focused on your fitness goals regardless of the weather.

Dedicating an area to your own workout space can get pricey depending on what you want to do for exercise. Focusing on cardio or building muscle means having equipment like a treadmill or a set of weights, all of which can be expensive. Consider selling the furniture in the room you are transforming into your gym. That money you earn can buy the equipment you need. Selling that furniture will also help increase your motivation for working out in the room you specifically designed for your gym. Declutter any other dust collectors and items you no longer use to make some extra cash. If you are a homeowner, you may consider looking into how to refinance a mortgage to help put some money towards equipment for your fitness space. Finding ways to save gives you the opportunity to purchase the gym equipment that will help you stay excited about working out from home. However, not all plans work out perfectly. 

Have a Backup Plan

When creating a home gym is not an option for you, it’s time to get creative. If the roads are too snowy to hit your local gym, or your workout buddy isn’t available for your daily routine, getting inventive on how you can stay active can help you keep your momentum going. You can also find workout routines online that you can do from your home, with or without a home gym setup. By searching through thousands of home workouts, there is a good chance you will find some you like. 

Another way you can facilitate a workout without leaving your home is by making your chores an opportunity to exercise. In the winter, that can be especially easy to do on those snowy days you need to shovel. Shoveling is a great source of a cardio workout. You can even make doing your laundry a time for exercise by leaving a trail of the clothes you need to wash and making yourself go up and down the stairs to retrieve them until your washing machine is full. Adding extra steps to each of your chores that requires you to use your stairs or just gets you moving, in general, can be your workout on those lighter days. 

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There are many ways you can stay focused on your fitness goals even in the iciest of weather conditions. Finding what motivates you best will be the start to making exercise habits that can last a lifetime. 

4 Things You Must Do Before Starting Any Workout Plan

 You’ve decided to start a new workout plan, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Some of you are starting your very first workout plan, which is a big step for you. Others are switching up workouts and going for something different. Either way, there are four essential things you need to do before you begin this journey:

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Get A Physical Examination From Your Doctor

This is one of those things that’s always recommended, yet most people avoid it for one reason or another. A lot of the time, you avoid it because you can’t be bothered and don’t think you need one. However, it is important to get a physical examination because you will learn of any underlying health conditions that might cause problems while you exercise. Also, if you have a physical and are given the all-clear, then suffer from a health problem and are later diagnosed with an issue that should’ve been picked up in your physical exam, you can use a medical malpractice attorney to gain compensation. So, it’s a good thing to do just in case the worst happens as you can take action to recover money for any medical bills. 

Set Your Personal Goals

What do you want to achieve from your fitness plan? Are you trying to lose weight, or do you want to gain muscle? Is there a more specific goal you have in mind, like being able to run a marathon? Do you want to get physically stronger, in which case you need to set strength goals? Having goals will help you feel motivated to carry on your workout routine and keep at it until you reach your goals. It can also help you plan your workout routine - if you want to lose weight, your workouts will look a lot different from someone that wants to get stronger. 

Make Sure You Know What You’re Doing

If you’re a complete fitness beginner, you need to ensure that you know what you’re doing when you work out. This might mean getting an induction in the gym, so you’re shown all the equipment, weights, and how to use everything. As a result, you can exercise with proper form, avoiding injuries. The same goes for anyone, no matter how experienced you are, you need to be sure that you know what you’re doing. If you have new exercises to do, practice them first, watch tutorial videos, and get comfortable doing them. It’s all about feeling safe and in control when you exercise, so take the time to get to know what you’re doing. 

Set A Healthy Eating Plan

Before you start your workout plan, you need to set a healthy eating plan as well. There’s no point working out if you have a terrible diet as the two will cancel each other out. Eating healthily will help you fuel your ambitions and see better results from your plan, keeping you as fit and healthy as can be. 

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Preparation is key when working out and getting fit. You need to prepare for your new workout plan to get the most out of it. Ensure you’re physically capable of handling the plan, be sure you know how to do all the exercises, set goals, and keep your diet healthy. From here, you can see the best results!

4 Ways to Develop A Balanced Workout Plan For Beginners

 Everyone knows that they should be in better shape. But even though fitness is more accessible than ever, with YouTube videos, apps, and as much advice as you could ever need online, some still avoid it. Often, this is because of gym intimidation (or even gymtimidation, perhaps?) where they are too nervous to make the first step. Other times, it’s a lack of time or even a lack of motivation. So how can beginners develop a plan that works for them? Here are four tips to create something balanced and effective. 

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Know Which Foods Are Beneficial

It isn’t just about what you do or how much you lift, but also what you eat. Knowing the best foods to consume will make it easier to build muscle or cut weight, depending on your fitness goals. It is a good idea to eat at a time that is beneficial for you, which is usually after the workout to encourage the muscle fibers to repair themselves and grow stronger. Eating after your workout also prevents discomfort when pushing yourself too hard, which will make your experience more enjoyable and productive. 

Focus On a Range of Muscle Groups 

You should remember to work out several muscle groups. Otherwise, you risk building muscle in one area, whether this is your back, arms, or legs. While this makes this part of your body look good, it can also make you look a little weird, as you don’t have consistency across your body. Exercises such as pull workouts can target numerous muscles at once, but you can’t do this every day. You need to give your muscles time to repair, so use alternate days to work on other muscle groups, as this allows you to target everything throughout the week. 

Do Enough and Do It Often

You also won’t see any results if you are not consistent. This means you must do enough every time you go to the gym and do it often so you do not give your muscles or your conditioning levels the chance to go back to normal. Even when you don’t feel up to a workout, it’s still important to do something, as this will motivate you and maintain a baseline of activity. 

Don’t Forget to Stretch 

Aches and pains are something that everyone encounters after their first, second, and even their fiftieth workout. You shouldn't exercise when sore, so make sure you know the benefits of cooling down after each session. Stretching prevents lactic acid buildup and minimizes the risk of post-workout aches. If you feel good enough the next day, you can focus on the next part of your routine without encountering any problems that could affect your workout and put you at risk of injury. 

Getting started is tough. There will be days when you are too sore or lack motivation. But, as long as you remember that everyone begins this way, you can find the drive and the discipline to improve your fitness. You don’t need to expect big things immediately, so take gradual but effective steps, and you’ll see a difference soon enough. 

Do you have any tips for a beginner's workout plan? Please share below!

Always Eat After 7PM - Final Thoughts

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

I have come to the end of my review of Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion and I am incredibly happy with the results! (Click here for part one, part two, and part three)

Click here to visit the website

Out of all of the diet programs I have tried in my 44 years of life, this one has been the easiest to follow, satisfying, and most of all, effective. With the most challenging times to curb hunger being just before bed and in the morning, by following the Always Eat After 7PM program, you have the most willpower to stay on the diet because you are eating during the hours when you are most hungry. This also puts you into both intermittent fasting increasing testosterone and your metabolism, while putting you into ketosis.  

The Always Eat After 7 PM plan consists of: The 14-day Acceleration Phase to kick-start the program and see rapid results, The Main Phase where you’ll learn exactly which foods to eat when in order to achieve your weight-loss goals, and The Lifestyle Phase to keep the weight off for good. After following the program for a month, I am happy to report that I have lost 19 pounds total!

Did I think I was going to be successful? Nope. Did I think I would be able to follow the program completely? Nope. Did it actually work for me? DEFINITELY.

I went into this skeptical, as I am with most things, but I really think that this is a program that anyone can follow. I had never tried intermittent fasting but it is incredibly effective for me and I never ever felt like I was depriving myself of anything. I could eat delicious food, it didn't interrupt my normal schedule, and I got closer to my goal than I had in the year I was trying my hardest! The most interesting part of the book for me was this:

     “Those who ate breakfast ended up eating about 260 calories more a day, the review found. Those who skipped breakfast were about one pound lighter than those who ate breakfast. These findings led the researchers to conclude that eating breakfast isn’t necessarily a good strategy for losing weight. The science isn’t really there. Breakfast could very well be the least important meal of the day." - Always Eat After 7PM by Joel Marion

I was practically FORCING myself to eat breakfast every day for years. I am 100% not even close to hungry when I first wake up in the morning and the thought of eating anything besides a giant cup of coffee made me physically nauseous. Of course, most diet programs require you to eat breakfast to "kickstart your metabolism" but that simply is not true! I cannot emphasize how happy I was to find out that I no longer had to stuff something down my throat when I was sure it was just going to come right back up. With this program, no more of that!

I am truly glad that I was able to participate in this program. It's absolutely something that I was easily able to incorporate into my daily life and I am positive that I will be following it for many years to come. Joel Marion’s Always Eat After 7PM program makes dieting easy and eliminates 90% of reasons for resistance!

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I'm so thankful for all of the encouragement and I hope you will check it out! Click here to learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

Always Eat After 7PM - Update

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

It's been an interesting month, that's for sure. I have really enjoyed trying the Always Eat After 7PM diet program and I am amazed at the results I have seen! Most of all, I can't believe how delicious the recipes turned out to be!

Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion

The worst part for any diet for me is always, always the food. There are so many I have tried that I thought if I had to eat ANY more tuna, I was going to turn into sea life myself! There wasn't a lot of variety and I quickly got bored and turned right back to my terrible eating habits.

Not with this one, though!

Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion

There are so many delicious recipes that I don't feel like I am depriving myself of anything at all and that has been the key motivation for me. I am the world's worst cook (which is why I married a chef, ha!) so that was really the only challenge I faced. I am glad to report that I have jumped that hurdle and my family is MUCH happier about that than I am! Not only have I learned how to cook, I've learned how to cook better food for my family! We have all fully embraced intermittent fasting and it has worked out incredibly well for all of us:

     “Intermittent fasting really shines when it comes to improving the hormones that directly affect your hunger, blood sugar, and metabolism. One is insulin. IF combats insulin resistance, meaning that it helps your body use insulin more normally, thereby lowering your diabetes risk and boosting your metabolism. Your brain will release the neurotransmitters and hormones that will help you regulate your hormones and burn more stored fat each day. You don’t have to be burdened with trying to eat every few hours. With intermittent fasting, dieting becomes much easier to adhere to and the benefits are remarkable." - Joel Marion, Always Eat After 7PM

This one was my favorite!

I did not know anything about intermittent fasting at all until reading this book and I was definitely skeptical at first. Within the first week, I fell in love with it. It's so easy to follow and you truly don't feel like you are denying yourself anything. I cannot tell you enough how much this program has changed all of our eating habits for the better. I wish I had known about this much sooner, but I am so glad I know now! 

I'll be back next week with the last update! Click here for part one, and here for part two.

    This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure. 

Always Eat After 7PM - Author Interview

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

It's been a couple weeks now and I am off to a great start with the Always Eat After 7PM diet. (For my first post in this series, please click here). Everything is going pretty well, I'm enjoying the recipes and doing much better at adding more exercise in different ways to my daily goals. I am happy to report that I have lost 7 pounds! I wasn't expecting to lose anything as I hit the dreaded plateau months ago. I tried everything I could think of and still wasn't able to get past it. I had almost given up but was content with the weight loss I had achieved anyway. This program, however, has given me new hope. I think I will FINALLY hit my weight loss goal. I'm still motivated for a few reasons. The most important reason:  I am pretty sure that this diet might even finally teach me how to cook.

I was able to interview the best selling author, Joel Marion, who is a fitness expert and nutritionist debunking the myths underlying traditional dieting while offering a simple, highly effective weight loss program. Joel Marion’s Always Eat After 7PM program makes dieting easy and eliminates 90% of reasons for resistance.  It was really interesting to learn more about the book and program so I am ecstatic to share this interview with you today!

 What inspired you to write the book?

After authoring six best-selling books, it was glaringly obvious there were two huge misconceptions about dieting that needed to be exposed. The first is that you can't eat late at night or before bed, which science now shows is NOT true. And second, you can't eat large portions that satisfy your natural instinct. This book solves both these problems by providing an evidence-based, enjoyable approach to dieting that can be used by any person to quickly achieve their weight loss goals.

 How long did it take for you to develop the diet?

It actually took several years of researching for me to discover the real science of eating late night. After a few years of tweaking and refining, I finally came up with a rapid fat loss solution that overcomes all the pitfalls of traditional diets.

 What was the most surprising discovery when you were researching scientific data for the diet?

That almost everything my college education and certifications taught me was NOT grounded in published scientific research.

 You’re a six-time best selling author, what is different about this book compared to your others?

Although many of the concepts are similar, the biggest difference is that you don't have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods. You don't have to deal with the burden of eating every few hours. And you don't have to skip the carbs at dinnertime or avoid eating before bed.

 How difficult is the Always Eat After 7 PM plan to follow?

It's not. And that's exactly why I wrote the book. While any diet is never truly easy, it can be more enjoyable and much easier to adhere to when you understand how Always Eat After 7pm works because it caters to our body's natural instincts.

 If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Born to impact!

I hope you enjoyed this interview. I'll be back next week with another update 💖



Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

Always Eat After 7PM: Challenge Accepted

This post is sponsored by Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. All opinions expressed are my own.  Click here for full disclosure.

For the past few years (ok, my entire life), I have been on a mission to get healthy. I say "get healthy" instead of lose weight because while losing weight is always the best part, I started to have too many health scares pile up that I began to get concerned. My husband suffered a non-fatal heart attack a few years ago at just 36 and it ramped up my resolve to get better.

I began fairly simply and made a few small changes that ended up being the biggest changes. I decided that I was going to stop being my couch's best friend and get up and move more and I was only going to drink diet soda, if I drank any at all. THAT was hard only because I think I have more soda running through my veins than actual blood. I fully admit to being a full blown sodaholic. Since those seemed like the biggest hurdles to overtake, I wanted to start with them. That first month, just by doing that alone, I dropped 14 pounds!

As you can imagine, this rocketed my motivation straight up into deepest space and I can not even begin to tell you the new life it breathed into my soul! I began to really look into different diets and fitness routines and successfully shed 68 pounds. Not only did I lose that weight, I've kept it off for three years now.

Now that I am stuck just 20 pounds from my goal weight, I wanted to get a little tougher and push myself a little further and see if I can accomplish that goal I set for myself three years ago. I began looking into all sorts of different ways to do that and happened to come across the book Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, And Indulgent Snacks-While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion.

This caught my attention because if there is one thing that I have always heard about dieting, it is that by no means do you feed your gremlin belly at night. This never worked for me as I am a notorious insomniac night owl so you can imagine my excitement when I came across this in the book:

       “A research paper published in Sports Medicine in 2014 showed that people who eat the majority of their carbs at dinner actually sleep better. Carb-induced, quality sleep decreases cortisol (a fat-storing hormone) and ramps up the production of your sleep hormones, serotonin and melatonin. Restorative sleep increases fat-burning hormones—the main one being growth hormone—overnight.” - Always Eat After 7PM, Joel Marion

It's like tackling two issues at once for me! So far, I have already learned that although we have been traditionally taught to avoid carbs, have an early dinner, and never eat before bed, the fact is, the latest scientific research shows us this earlier model is not the most ideal. Based on this surprising science, Always Eat After 7 PM debunks popular diet myths and offers an easy-to-follow diet that accelerates fat-burning and allows you to indulge in your most intense food cravings: Eating the majority of your calories at night. 

It's incredibly interesting so far and I am more than ready to get started! Once a week, I will be posting updates on how I'm progressing and I would love if you would join in with me! Here is a short video that can tell you more and I will see you next week!

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. 

Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

A Portable Juicer Blender Perfect For Wellness

I have been on a health and wellness mission for almost three years now. I have lost over 60 pounds on my journey and while I have hit my plateau, I also haven't gained any weight back!

I've been trying lots of new things and finding that they aren't even as close to being awful than I thought. I had heard from many folks that a good juicer or blender would help in my weight loss and so I started looking all around for the perfect one.

Luckily, I found it!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RV331YL

This blender is so easy to use! It charges with a usb cord and once charged you can use it anywhere! I decided to test it out with the fruits and yogurt you see above. I added the ingredients and got to blending:

YUM

As you can see, it blended quite nicely and I could not wait to give it a try. Luckily, it comes with a cup attached to the top that fit the entire contents! There is also a top you can use should you not finish the entire thing.

As you can see, I finished all of the deliciousness

So, if you are looking for a whisper quiet portable blender you can use at your desk or anywhere, this is definitely the one! If you click the image below, you can own one, too!

Do you use a juicer to meet your fitness goals?

Exercise And Supplements And Wellness...OH MY!

In the past two years, I have been on a health and wellness mission. I'm not sure if it is because I turn 43 this year, my brother had a really big health scare last year that put him in the ICU for a few weeks, or I'm just plain tired of being tired, I am serious business about getting back to good. I have been steadily losing weight and trying to better my diet and myself any way that I can.

It's been quite the journey but ultimately, I feel a lot better. My outlook on life has gotten better (despite many of my writings that might make it seem otherwise) and I feel physically better than I have in YEARS. 

Of course, once you get into this whole health and wellness lifestyle, you will start to see more and more recommendations for supplements and detox cleanses. Up until this point, I had only really taken a collagen supplement (because my skin seems to love gravity more than staying where it's supposed to be on my body) and didn't really think about any others. Then, my brother got very sick and I started to think about maybe trying a detox cleanse or something similar.

I tried many, much more than I'd like to admit, and while I understand that not all detox products cannot be classified as snake oil, I did find one that I am pretty happy with.

MaXX Herb Liver Cleanse Plus

I have been taking it for about a month now and I like it a lot! I feel better than I thought I would and am actually impressed. Liver Cleanse Plus features 13 herbs used for generations (8 Chinese herbs and 5 that are western herbs). This mix was  tested and re-tested for 8 years prior to its launch. Also, there is no Milk Thistle in Liver Cleanse Plus, as Milk Thistle, being a "liver protector,” caused the formula not to work. The liver’s job is to protect you. If you are protecting it with Milk Thistle, the liver is isolated from the body. A poor functioning or “protected / isolated” liver, cannot filter waste. Thereby, it causes  your body to be bathed in all sorts of “raw” substances that are not healthy. I started with a liver cleanse/detox because the liver is the largest organ inside the human body. It weighs approximately 1 pound, houses the gallbladder, and carries out hundreds of functions. Just to name a few:

• The liver filters everything we eat or come in contact with
• It helps regulate blood sugar levels, cleanses the blood, metabolizes vitamin A, and detoxifies poisonous substances and more 
• Up to 25% of the liver can be removed and it will still regenerate itself 

The liver may be the most overworked and misunderstood organ in the human body. It filters 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, I decided to start there! I was not disappointed trying this product and have added it to my daily routine. By using my link, you can get 10% off of Liver Cleanse Plus and see for yourself! 

If the liver is affected you will notice it in the following areas: Skin irritation, eye irritation, aches and pains, frayed emotions, headaches, low energy, foggy thinking, slow reaction time, fatigue, muscle weakness, congestion and mental stress. I have a fun quiz below for you to determine if this is the best liver detox for you:

Is Liver Cleanse Plus right for you?

• Do your moods run you?
• Do you get headaches?
• Do you get reoccurring muscle and joint pain?
• Is it hard to stay in a good mood?
• Is your vision fuzzy or blurry from time to time?
• Do you get irritable from time to time?
• Do you or have you had gallbladder or liver problems?
• Do you have trouble concentrating, feel foggy or slow?
• Do you run out of energy during the day?
• Do “things” just build up and get to you?
• Do you have allergies or congestion?
• Does an area of your skin frequently burn or itch?
• Do your eyes burn, get red, irritated or itchy?
• Do you have insomnia or are you restless?
• Are you frequently awake between 1:30 to 3:30 A.M.?
• Do you have "liver” or “age spots”?
• Is your skin broken out or blemished?
• Are your emotions on a roller coaster?
• Do you later have to apologize for your bad moods?
• Is there always “something” wrong?
• If you are upset, is it best not to talk to you?
• Does the cheeriness of others annoy you?

Scoring:

Count your YES answers and see below.

0-3 – Great! Liver Cleanse Plus will help you maintain a healthy liver.

4-6 – You would see clear benefit.

7 or more – Liver Cleanse Plus is for you.

What was your score? Let me know in the comments below!

The Orange Theory Fitness Center Grand Opening In Greenville, NC

Here's something that I never thought I would do: I attended a fitness grand opening class on Tuesday!

Orangetheory Fitness, Greenville NC

Maybe it's the beginning of a new year, or finding out my cholesterol is WAY too high, or because I was working on losing weight after healing a broken leg and hit my plateau and got frustrated, but when I received the invite to cover the grand opening of Orangetheory Fitness in Greenville, NC on Tuesday I accepted right away!  

The Orangetheory of fitness is a science based, FULL body workout that uses technology to measure performance so members can see that they are improving. During a 60 minute class, the target is at least twelve minutes in the orange zone. After twelve minutes in the orange zone, your metabolism gets a boost and keeps burning calories for the entire length of the 36 hour recovery period afterwards. 

And, you better believe I'm still feeling it today.

You aren't alone through your workout. You get to participate in a class with a bunch of other folks because, this workout is really for everyone. Your coach is your guide through the different workouts. Having the coach also makes this workout incredibly fun! 

Studio manager, Rachel and staff are super helpful and ready to get you started!

I arrived at the Orangetheory Fitness studio inspired and ready to learn about this class. They set me up with my OTbeat , asked a few questions about past injuries, current fitness regimen, and what my goals are. 

Ater a quick tour of the facilities, which includes showers, a blow out bar, and lockers, I met our coach, Toni! Toni was my favorite! The girl is F I T and ready to get you fit, too. After an awesome pep-talk as a group, we walked into the gym. I set my eyes upon my old nemesis

So we meet again...TREADMILL...

and got ready to begin. Toni told us exactly how the workout would go and what to expect. We found our stats on the monitor above as she ran through how to work the equipment, demonstrated exactly how to do each exercise, and assigned us our numbers that would correspond with the machine we would be using. Toni turned the music up and away we went!

Toni, my coach

My first machine was the rower. I actually like this one because I am focusing so much on my arms lately. After 3 minutes, we were on the floor with weights. We ran through three different exercises: 8 reps of lower ab leg kicks, 12 reps of goblet squats (which are now known in my mind as the DEVIL because OMG), and 8 lateral arm raises. Next, it was on the treadmill as I started to feel it. After treadmill time it was back to the rower, and then I was really feeling it. On the monitor it read that I had got myself into the orange zone! More floor exercises with the 8, 12, 8 reps again. A big push on the treadmill and just like that it was time for cool down! I hadn't even realized an hour had gone by! We got a complete rundown of our workout from Toni with suggestions and how many times a week she'd like to see us in a class.

FINAL VERDICT

I had a blast! The class theme for the day was endurance and they weren't kidding. I really, really liked the quick change up of exercises then machines. Everything was super simple to follow along with and it was fun meeting other ladies in the class (at least I wasn't the only beginner!). I felt motivated and didn't get bored, as I had found myself getting with my normal routine. Two days later, I feel amazing. I took a break on Wednesday, even though I wasn't nearly as sore as I imagined I would be, and actually got up today ready to hit my old routine! Toni suggested that I come for 3 to 4 days a week and I love that schedule because I really feel like I could stick to it. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. 

The Orangetheory Fitness Center of Greenville, NC is open everyday from 5am to 8pm. You can find them at 518 Greenville Blvd. Suite D in Greenville, right by the Greenville Mall. There are also locations across the United States so click here to find one in your own area. Tell them Steph sent you!

Have you visited an Orangetheory Fitness? I'd love to know how you liked it!

Healing The Scars Of Addiction

This year, I am a full decade sober.

Now, there have been slips and slides during that ten year span and I am not too proud to admit that. However, since January 1, 2009, I have dedicated myself to sobriety.

Every now and then, though addiction comes 'round to punch me in the face again. Just to remind me it's still there...waiting.

Here I am, Steph. Just waiting for a minor inconvenience to happen in your life so me, you, and that devil bottle can hang, just like old times. 

Recently, I was sent Healing The Scars Of Addiction by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz with Ann McMurray. I absolutely DEVOURED this book in a day. It was that good and had so much useful information, I think my brain is still humming.

Dr. Jantz actually pioneered "whole person care" thirty years ago by opening The Center - A Place Of Hope. When I say "whole person care" I mean, your entire mental health, physical health, and spiritual health are treated along with your addiction issues.

I have always, always been a strong believer that mental illness and substance abuse/addiction walk tightly hand in hand. Often times, an addiction can begin because a person starts using substances to self medicate away the symptoms of mental illness. For example, if you're anxious all of the time and alcohol calms your nerves and takes that anxiety away, well you've just found a reason to drink any time you feel anxious and so the cycle begins...

Mental Illness and Addiction are totally bros.

Chapters 10: How Can I Put My Life Back Together?, 11: Do I Deserve To Put My Life Back Together, and 12: Who Am I Now?, were especially impactful for me. I would say that those have been the biggest issues in my recovery. For those chapters alone, I can't recommend this book more. It's just a wealth of information that I need in my life and now I have it to go back to any time I feel myself being swallowed by my soul quagmire.

If you find yourself struggling after getting sober or finding your way, I definitely recommend this book. Also, GOOD ON YOU for getting sober and realizing that you have a choice to relieve your pain in constructive ways instead of destructive ways. Your life is a journey and you are walking a good path.

You can find Dr. Jantz book by clicking here. I hope you will find it as absolutely incredible as I did as well! 

I'd love to hear your experiences about addiction and recovery in the comments. Let's chat about it!