Hammer & Chisel: Day 22

Hey mamas! Do you ever have one of those days (or weeks... or months...) where you wonder if anything you are doing is getting through to your kids? You hope that you are setting a good example. You pray that it will all sink in even when there are few signs that it is. 

Today was one of those days that I said "Thank you, God!" When I first started this journey, my daughter was all about being active with me, but she has just not been into it lately. She has also been wanting tons of snacks and not wanting the veggies that she usually loves. Today, it seemed like it all clicked. I came out from my (failed) attempts to get my little guy to take a nap to find all of my workout stuff set out for me. Melt. My. Heart! 💗 This girl is so sweet! She also wanted to take some pictures of us both flexing. She wanted to take pictures of me and me to take pictures of her. We had lots of giggles and fun. Priceless memories being made. 

It was so tempting to just not workout at that point. My little guy wasn't very happy as he was refusing to sleep and my neck and shoulders were giving me trouble, but my girl set herself up next to me and did her own "workout" with her 7 minute trainer for kids app several times over. It pushed me forward, even when my little guy wanted to be held or play on the ground by me. My big boy upped my weight for step ups 20lbs compared to last time I did ISO Strength Chisel, but I did it and he played happily the rest of the time so I could finish. 
There are so many days as a mom that I wonder if taking the time during the day to do my devotions and workout is worth it. Trying to get up before my kids doesn't work (they just get up earlier) and in the evenings, I want to spend the time as a family and with my husband. So during the day is usually the "best" option for me. But it means using nap time or finding ways to occupy my kids to get those things done. It means they usually aren't uninterrupted. You know you've pressed pause a lot when your workout takes 10 min longer than it should. Or when it takes you 10 minutes to go through one paragraph in your study guide, you know that you have been interrupted a lot. So why try? Why do I take that time and not use it around my house or spending more time focused on my kids? 

Here's what I have come to realize. I AM taking care of my kids when I spend time in the Word and improving my health and fitness. If I don't do those things, I become very stressed and irritable and am not the mom and wife I want to be. I'm not the person I want to be! Is it worth sacrificing the time on these two "self-focused" endeavors? For me, the answer is absolutely. They make me better as a person and in my roles of wife and mom. And on days like today, there is that glimmer of hope that the effort will pay off. Maybe not today and maybe not even tomorrow, but my kids will know what my priorities are and that my spiritual and physical health make keeping all those other things possible. 

Oh, and today my girl made her own dinner out of things in the fridge: peppers, carrots, cucumbers, ham and a dill pickle.😁🎉

Hammer & Chisel: Day 8

Muscles! Those are actual muscles on my arms, shoulders and back. 

At one point in life I could do a whole bunch of clap push-ups at once. I was a base when I was a cheerleader, lifting other girls over my head. Even then, I didn't have the shoulder and back muscle definition that I am getting now. I know it's barely a week in, but I am seriously loving the changes in my body, both the muscles and the 4 lbs lost.

Ok, but back to today... Chisel Cardio. I have done this workout before starting the program officially. Today, however I bumped up my weights. Tonight, I lay in bed resting my very sore muscles. I took a bath tonight trying in hopes of helping. I don't think it is any one workout that got me, but the combination. Right now I am dealing with post workout sore from today, second day "even more sore" from yesterday and "still? Really?" Sore from Friday and Saturday. It is the combination that has gotten my body all work down. So, here's to "Sore today, stronger tomorrow!"        

P.S. I love top. As both a budding fitness buff and a long time superhero fan, I saw this shirt and had to get it!

Hammer & Chisel - Days 1-2

HEY ALL!!

Ok, so this new year, one of my resolutions is to be in the best shape of my life by the time I turn 30. That means I have just over three months. AHHH!!! SO my path to health has pushed me in ways I never expected, but I think this new adventure will push me even farther.

In order to achieve my goals, I have chosen to use the brand new Master's Hammer and Chisel program. These first two days have been a whirlwind, but I want to track this journey. I mostly want to document this for myself, but you are welcome to come on the ride with me. Here we go...

Day 1 - Chisel Balance

So, I got this program a couple weeks ago and started trying a few of the workouts. This was one of them. It killed me the first time. I barely made it through and realized that my coordination had severely declined. This time, the workout went better and I even made it through the last exercise without a break... no small feat!

But, starting off this journey right was more than just doing the workout, it was also setting up my day to make sure I got it in. That meant the alarm going off at 5:45, which is early for this tired mama with a little man that likes to get up at least twice a night still. But I did it! Bleary eyed, I mixed my Energize. I thought that since my little man had been sleeping until about 7 am most days that it would be no problem to get my workout in before he got up. I was wrong. As soon as I finished my Energize and got dressed he woke up and wanted to hang out with me. I got him set up with some breakfast in his high chair and some nursery rhymes playing. He clapped for me while I felt like I was dying and it kept me going! Such a sweet boy.

Beyond the workout, I had let my eating go some over the holidays. I didn't get all of my veggies and had treats here and there. I still watched my eating compared to previous holiday seasons and I maintained all of my weight loss to this point, but hadn't made any forward progress. Monday, that changed. I struck to my portion containers strictly until the evening. I had to add in an extra red (protein) container. I skipped on the recover because I wanted to save it for today after my plyo workout and for tomorrow's ISO strength workout as I am waiting for my next order to come in. If I had ever doubted the impact that Recover has on my ability to stick to my eating plan, yesterday erased them all. I had breakfast right after my workout, but because of the intense workout without the optimal nutrition post-workout, I needed an extra dose of protein later on in the day.

Day 2 - Hammer Plyometrics
Ouch! that about sums up this workout better than anything else. It made me push myself farther than I have in a while. Sagi Kalev was not joking when he said grab a bucket if you need it and get back to it. While I didn't need the bucket, I was doubled over quite often between reps. The high point, however, was when my daughter commented, "Mom, I didn't know you could jump so high!" This former hurdler and cheerleader used to be able to jump pretty well. I had gotten so out of the habit of taking care of myself physically that my daughter hasn't really ever seen me jump. My kids seeing me be an example of making the effort to be active and eat healthy is one of the biggest reasons I started this journey in the first place. While making the requested mashed potatoes for my family and not partaking was tough, it reminded me that through Christ I have to power to follow through on my commitments and make healthy changes in my life. When I am stressed, I don't need to turn to food for comfort, but the loving, all-powerful arms of the One True King. As I drove to pick up my daughter today, this song came on. I belted it out with the radio and wanted to share it with you too.

Thanks for following this journey!

Homemade Basic Tomato Sauce

I am not a fan of veggies. I tolerate green beans, broccoli and lettuce, but really need sauces or dressings to eat them. I like tomatoes and pumpkin, which technically aren't veggies, but as a Fixer they count as veggies in my nutrition plan. I struggle to eat enough veggies and since I am cutting out high fat and sugar dressings and sauces I needed to improvise. This recipe can be altered in a ton of ways to fit your tastes and different purposes, but the basics are the same.

Ingredients: 

- Tomato Puree (Make sure that it is no added salt or sugar!)
- Stevia (If you don't like stevia, you could use raw sugar, honey or maple syrup. This will increase the calorie count and can impact your blood sugar)
- Seasonings: For pizza or pasta sauce I use garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning mix.

Tomato Sauces are really a matter of taste. We each have different preferences for different uses. So, this is how I start but I alter it for different uses. I would start with just a little of the seasonings and sweeteners and slowly add more to get the flavor you want. I typically use dried spices because I don't have the time to saute garlic or onion, but those and fresh herbs would amp it up even more!

Base: 

I usually start with 1 cup of tomato puree and 1 tsp of stevia. Put this on the stove and simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer it simmers the more flavorful the sauce.

Pizza/Pasta Sauce: 

I typically add 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1-2 tsp of Italian seasoning. For pizza sauce, I add a little more stevia. I am not a fan of spicy foods, but you could add red pepper flakes to this for a more intense flavor. This is also great on spaghetti squash if you are cutting back carbs. Check out my quick lunchtime pizza recipe!

Taco Sauce: 

I use this for taco meat (instead of store bought seasonings full of artificial yuck).To this version, I add the 21 Day Fix Southwest Seasoning (minus the chili powder due to personal preference).  If I am making taco salad I add more sauce to the meat instead of using a dressing.

Simple Chicken Margherita Pizza

I LOVE pizza! Deep dish, thin crust, it doesn't matter, I LOVE pizza. We eat homemade pizza at least once a week in my house. I make the dough and sauce from scratch, but sometimes I really want pizza for lunch and my time is more limited with two little ones running around. So here is my 

Simple Chicken Margherita Pizza. 

Let's start with the ingredients:

-1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce**
-1/2 - 1 cup sliced Roma tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
-1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
-3/4 cup shredded baked chicken**
-1 Low-In-Carb Ancient Grains wrap
-Balsamic vinegar

**I keep these on hand in my fridge so I can use them whenever. Today, however, I was ot of my tomato sauce and used the same recipe only zapped it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before putting it on the pizza. Not as amazing, but it will work when you are low on time and have your hands full.


Directions:
*Note that this is the quickest way to accomplish this as this is meant to be a quick meal. Nothing fancy here!

1. Place your wrap in a large skillet on medium heat to warm it and get it a little crispy. This pizza is supposed to have a thin crust consistency. When you add the toppings it can get a little mushy, so I like to toast mine in the skillet a little first.
2. While it is heating, warm up your chicken and tomato sauce in the microwave to take the chill of of them.
3. Assemble your pizza in the skillet. I like to add my chicken, then sauce. Follow it up with your tomatoes and cheese.
4. It takes about 5 minutes on the stove to get the cheese melty. (If your wrap is getting more crunchy than you want it, finish it in the microwave.
5. Put it on a plate and drizzle with a little Balsamic. ENJOY!!!





If you are a 21 Day Fixer like myself, this converts to 1-1.5 green, 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 blue.





Change up the toppings with what you like! I have also done this with sun dried tomato chicken sausage and it was AMAZING!