Crock Pot Greek Chicken Pitas (21 Day Fix Approved)

Okay, so I think I am going to try and post a new healthy recipe every Tuesday. We can be fun and call it New Recipe Tuesday, or something else really lame! :) I don't know why, but I like things to have nic-names. So... here we go with our first new weekly recipe!

I have been on Pinterest like crazy lately looking for 21 Day Fix recipes to eat for the next few weeks. I am all about fast, easy meals. If I can cook it in my crockpot, even better. I usually don't have a ton of time to cook, and I hate cleaning up the huge mess it makes when you are done. I found this really good Crock Pot Greek Chicken Pita's recipe, it was seriously so good. The whole family enjoyed it, and they were even asking to eat the leftovers the next night for dinner. So here is the link to that recipe.

If you are following the 21 Day Fix plan, then this recipe is 1 Red, 1 Green, and 1 yellow

This recipe was super fast to prepare, didn't make a huge mess, and made enough for a few leftovers. I didn't think to take a picture of it before we all dived in, so you will just have to settle for the picture on the original link.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Stay tuned for a new healthy recipe, that I have already tried & love next Tuesday. :)

My first week on the 21 Day Fix Extreme program

Good morning friends. Okay, I have officially finished my first week on the 21 Day Fix Extreme plan. It's been intense, I'm not going to lie. I hopped on the scale this morning and I have lost 1 lb! Not too bad. We have been lifting a ton of weights too, so I am also thinking I am gaining muscle weight. I'm not going to take my measurements until the last day though, I'm not sure how much difference I'll be seeing on a weekly basis. So I'm waiting until the end to check them again.

Although I have been eating pretty clean and healthy now for a few months, it has been hard for me to stick to the strict nutrition plan. I really have learned the benefits of eating healthy, and I love how my body feels while I am giving it the things it needs to be as healthy as possible. But..... I need a little treat every now and then. Like, WDD (weekly donut day, yum.....)! I usually end up having a donut once a week still. I LOVE donuts... I just can't help myself! So sticking to the strict nutritional plan of "no cheats" has been hard on me. I will admit, I have not stuck %100 to the nutritional plan, I have cheated... maybe a few times! ;) But, I have not had a donut this week, so I am calling this first week a success! :) And I still lost a pound!

(here are some scary workout pic of myself doing some of the workouts with my cute kiddos in the background!)

The workouts are awesome!! I have never sweat so much in my life!! I was so sore all week, I haven't been this sore since I ran my last 1/2 marathon! If I'm that sore, then I know I am working hard and getting a great workout. The best part is that they are only 30 minutes! 1/2 an hour people.... you have time and can workout for 1/2 hour a day, no excuses. I did try and double up my workouts on Saturday, I'm not quite sure that was the greatest idea. This Extreme program has you workout 7 days a week, but for religious reasons I choose not to workout on Sunday. So I did my workout for Saturday & then Sunday's as well right after that. Sunday's workout is Yoga & I'm not going to lie.... I'm not a fan of yoga. I struggle with it. I think it's because I'm just too ADHD or something, I don't know. I just need to be moving when I workout. I need loud music, or someone yelling at me to try harder!! I'm bad at the holding positions and breathing deeply stuff. I also stubbed my pinky toe on my right foot really bad the night before. The whole side of my foot still hurts, all the way down the bone almost to my ankle! :( It was hurting pretty bad during my Yoga workout with my shoes off. So I will confess I only made it through about 1/2 of the yoga workout. I'm not sure if I just couldn't make it because my foot was hurting, or if I was just too tired from my workout right before that one. But I was in pain & my whole body was shaking really bad. I might not be a fan of Yoga, but I will say this Yoga workout will kick your butt! My muscles were burning the whole time.

A few things I have learned this week are...
1- Next week I need to be better prepared!!! I was not fully prepared with my meal plan this week & it definitely played a part in my cheating!! It really is so much food & you need to make sure you are getting it all in. For a plan like this you really do need to schedule your food intake.
2- I bought the app called "21 day FIT tracker", and it really does help!!! I had heard about it, but I wasn't exactly sure what it did. So, this is the down low on the app. I love it!! It keeps track of the food you are eating, your water intake & your workouts every day. It is also really helpful with planning out your meals to make sure you are getting every food category in that you need. I ended up finally sitting down and doing a meal plan on Thursday & this app was a life saver!! I would just input the stuff into the app for each day I was planning out & make sure I hit every category as much as I was supposed too.
3- Okay, Pinterest and Chili Lime Cholula are your best friends! :) There isn't a lot of sauces you can eat on this plan, but my husband and I are obsessed with Cholula. Obsessed to the point that we eat it on everything... except ice cream! (Have you seen the YouTube video of the guy trying Cholula on his ice-cream? Gross!!) It pretty much went good with everything I ate & totally amped up the flavor. I really didn't feel like I was missing out on eating good food. I found a ton of 21 Day Fix recipes on Pinterest. You have to be careful though, some of them don't follow the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan 100%, so just double check the ingredients on the recipe with your book. Also, the food plan for the regular 21 Day Fix and the Extreme are a little different too, so make sure if you are doing the Extreme version like me, that you definitely check the ingredients.
4- Really healthy food can still taste just as good as some of the un-healthy food. Some of the meals I cooked this week were so good. My family loved them, and they were all following my 21 Day Fix nutrition plan.
5- Those containers hold waaaay more food than you would think they would. This was a "big things come in small packages" moment for me. I was surprised at how much food some of those servings are, and how full I felt this week. There were times when I was so full & worried that I was eating too much and wasn't going to loose weight. So, that was a pleasant surprise! :)

Week one DOWN baby.... 2 more weeks to go! I can handle this! :) I'm excited to see the total outcome of this challenge!

Oh... and, NO MORE CHEATING THIS WEEK JESS!!!! I need to say this to myself over and over again. If I'm going to cheat, then there is no point in doing it!!! Go big for go home!!! :)

21 Day Fix

Hey friends, todays blog post is about a new fitness program I am starting. It's called The 21 Day Fix Extreme. It's supposed to be pretty intense, so I am going to blog about my experience. This way, you will all know if it's something that will work for you or not. 

Beach Body has come out with the 21 Day Fix Extreme this month. They have an original 21 Day Fix fitness and nutrition workout package, which has really become popular, and a lot of people are doing it, so they have come out with an Extreme version. I have never done the original 21 Day Fix, but I did just finish T-25 Alpha & Beta versions, so I'm thinking I can handle the Extreme version for the 21 Day Fix..... hopefully I'm not just getting arrogant and jumping in way over my head!! Although I will admit, that if I am in way over my head this wouldn't be the first time! :) 

I got online and ordered my 21 Day Fix Extreme last week and this is what came in the mail (minus my shakology, blender cup. I forgot to add it to this picture.) It has all the info in it to help you plan your meals, and be able to stay on track. It does take a good chunk of time to plan your meals, so be sure to get the planning done the week before!! I have recently learned about a 21 Day Fix app that is $1.99, that helps you with your meals (I think...) and also helps you keep track daily for your food intake. I am going to purchase that app and let you know if I like it or not. 

This program is designed for quick weight loss and muscle definition.  It combines the best nutrition for your body with amazing workouts. The workouts are only 30 minutes long, which makes me so happy. 30 minutes is something I can definitely handle on a daily basis. But they are intense workouts and you should start to see results within a few days. If you are looking to drop your last 5-10 lbs that are just proving impossible to shed, or if you are looking to really get a good sense of portion size and the right kinds of foods your body needs then the 21 Day Fix, or the 21 Day Fix Extreme are the programs for you.  Since this program is designed for quick weight loss, it is NOT designed for long term use. It's not a way of eating for life. It is only for 3 weeks, and you can do anything for 3 weeks right? :) 

It's a pretty intense program & it's not for beginners. If you are just starting to workout, I wouldn't suggest the extreme version. There are 7 workouts, one for each day of the week. You will do these 7 workouts for 3 weeks straight. You can loose anywhere from 5 - 15 lbs on this program. It just depends on where you are at with your healthy eating habits. The hight end weight losers will be the people who are still eating a lot of carbs, salt, sugar, soda, ect.  Which cause you to retain a lot of water, and that will be about 1/2 the weight you loose. People who for the most part are eating pretty healthy, and are having occasional treats will loose about 8- 10 lbs, and then for people who really stick to a pretty strict diet and don't really have a ton of weight to loose, then you will loose about 5-8 lbs.

My personal goal on this program is to loose anywhere from 8-10 lbs. I just need to make sure to stick to the nutrition plan. I have become a huge believer in healthy, clean eating, but I still love my treats!! I'm not going to lie, I probably have a donut once a week! Or every once in a while, I will still have a diet coke. I'm also TERRIBLE and getting all my water in daily. So, I'm not always 100% with my clean eating. I am going to do my best to stick to this nutrition plan 100% for the next 3 weeks! Ahhhh.... wish me luck. I'm really nervous for this! 

 I am starting this program today. I will at the end of this program post my before and after pictures and my weight loss and measurements. I will also be posting weekly letting you know how things are going, and things I have found to help make it easier, and also mistakes I have made along the way so you can learn from my mistakes! :) 

Why exercise, and staying active are so important

I have decided I will start off my blog with the basics. Why is exercise and staying active so important? We have all been told our whole lives that exercise is good for us, and to be healthy we need to stay active. I have always just believed Dr's, and all the millions of health care professionals out there (that are a million times starter than me), who say to maintain a healthy lifestyle long term, we need to stay active. But have you ever sat down and figured out why? Well... I did recently! Here is what I have come to know for my self personally in my journey to get fit.

Health Benefits: Our bodies are meant to move, they actually crave exercise like any other craving for an area we are deficient in. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. No matter what your weight is, exercising regularly boosts your good cholesterol, it keeps your blood flowing smoothly so you are at less risk for cardiovascular diseases. Remaining active can help prevent a huge range of health problems like type 2 diabetes, stroke, depression, cancer, arthritis, ect.

Weight loss: When you exercise, it promotes weight loss because it burns calories. If you burn more calories than you take in, then you loose weight. The harder you work, the more calories you burn. But this does not mean you have to set a side a huge chunk of time to exercise. If you don't feel that you can do an actual exercise program right now, then start making small changes in you life. Park at the back of the parking lot & walk into the story, take the stairs instead of the elevator, if you have a desk job try getting out of your chair and standing more during the day, if you are a stay at home parent you can try reeving up your house work a little. I personally like to blast my headphones and dance like a crazy person when I clean. You would be surprised how much of a workout you can really get from sliding around on your wood floors, or dancing and scrubbing your shower at the same time! :)

Efficient: When you exercise your body becomes much more efficient. Exercise improves your stamina and endurance by training your body to use less energy for the same amount of work. It carries oxygen and nutrients to your whole body, also helping it to work more effectively. The more you exercise, the faster your Heart and Breathing rate return to resting levels after strenuous activity.  Doing resistance training with weights and bands helps strengthen your muscles, ligaments, and bones.

It also helps with posture:

This is so brave of me, and I'm so nervous to put these pictures out into the world (no judging!) , but I wanted you to have a comparison. Look at my before (top) and after (bottom) pictures from a health challenge I did recently. Look at the difference in my posture! My back is straighter, my shoulders aren't slouched forward. I was shocked when I saw these pictures together & how big of a difference my weight loss had on my posture and form.

Flexibility: You become more flexible when exercising. Stretching, and improving your flexibility through exercise reduces your chance of injury. It also improves coordination and balance.

It makes you happier: First of all exercising releases endorphins into your brain that help reduce stress, improves your moods, and helps you sleep better. It also creates a great social outlet. Exercising with friends is one of the main reasons I have stuck to running 1/2 marathons. It's my time with my friends! You can also include your family in on it. I have noticed that my kids are more active, if I am more active. Find ways to incorporate your families into your physical activity, get off the couch and away form the TV. Go on hikes, bike rides, have your kids join you on a short run, practice whatever sports they are involved in. Spending more time having fun with your family, in my experience, always leaves me feeling so much better all around.

So GET ACTIVE!!! Find little ways to make changes in your every day life. I know from personal experience that I feel so much better the more active I am!! :)

An introduction to The Sew Fit Girl!

Hello friends, and welcome to my Fitness blog! I'm so excited to be starting this. I love starting new blogs... it's like getting a new nice pen and a cute notebook to write in, with my new nice pen! But, my problem is that I get distracted, and even if I think my blog is cute and fun, I can't get my ADHD thoughts out of my head and onto paper, or a blog.

But, I have started a new chapter in my life, and I am so excited to share with everyone everything I have learned, and will continue to learn.  So, I started this blog! I recently became a fitness coach through Beach Body, and I LOVE IT!!! (so weird!) My husband J and I were talking tonight about how weird it is that I am all of a sudden obsessed with fitness, and being healthy. It's never really been my "thing"! I have always loved junk food too much to really think about what is in it, and how bad it is for my body! But... I have had my eyes opened, I have started eating clean, and I have found that I really do feel better on a daily basis if I am putting good things into my body. I have also realized that I don't need to be in a "food coma" to be able to handle stressful situations. I can handle any stress that life throws at me without eating a whole box of donuts! One donut is totally fine for a no good day, but 12 donuts?... not so much!

I am passionate about Fitness, and I am a little ADHD, so I decided to make this blog mostly about fitness, but also about other things I am passionate about. That way my crazy brain will stay engaged in this new blog adventure long term! And hopefully, I can keep you all interested in my journey as well. I have decided that I will also blog about sewing (mostly quilting, because I LOVE quilting), books and movies (I'm horribly cheesy when it comes to movies, I'm watching The Sound of Music as I type).  I love speaking in "movie quotes", It helps me find "my people". If I'm quoting a movie and someone else picks up on it, and even better, recites the very next line in the movie I'm quoting, then it's like an instant friend for life. :)

Thanks for reading my very first post, and I hope you are looking forward to more words of wisdom from this Sew Fit girl! I look forward to letting you all get to know a little about me, and to start this fitness journey together! :)