Get In The Zone: The 11 Little Things You're Not Doing - But Should Be - To Get That Beachbod

Ok but really.. who is Jamie
Eason NOT an inspiration to?! ha ha

1. Change your computer password to an inspirational phrase "iamtightonedandfit" .. "cutandjackedinjune"..  I personally log on to my work computer at least 10 times a day, so 10 times each day I'm refocusing my mind on my goal... awesome, right?

2. The first and last 30 minutes of your day are when your mind is most open to suggestion and programming. Fill this time slot with the most insanely inspirational images/videos/word you possibly can.  Review your goals -- What do you want to achieve in the next 30 days? Why do you want it? What does your life look like a year from now? Do you have a vision board? Make one and look at it.

3. Take 20 minutes of your day to find and download 3 songs that make you want to light it up (search top hits on itunes, google "workout playlists" or scroll thru playlists on 8tracks or songza that are tagged "sweat" "beast" or "gym".  A few of my favs: 2 Reasons - T. I.  /// Feel Again - One Republic /// Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco /// All of the Lights - Kanye /// The Motto - Drake /// I Made it - Kevin Rudolf /// Don't Wake Me Up - Chris Brown /// I Need Your Love - Ellie Goulding /// It's all about the #GYMSWAG, babyyyy!!

4. Drink 4 L of water a day. Go to Walmart and buy a giant water jug. Mine's 2.2 L and I fill it up and drink it dry twice a day.  If you can chug a pint of beer when wanna get wild, you can chug a pint of water when you wanna get ripped. I don't care if you don't like water. Suck it up.

5. Include both HIIT (high intensity interval training) + steady state (running at a steady pace for 45 mins) in your training schedule.

6. Tea will make you skinny. Def helps you get extra h20 in for the day, and it feels like a treat! My fav right now's Chocolate Mint by Stash but you can totally mix it up -- stores like David's teas have flavors like Red Velvet Cake.. camonnn now.. who wouldn't like that? ;)

7. Write your goals down. I write mine in capitals, on a big white piece of paper in a sharpie, and put it on the floor of the passenger seat of my car so I see it every morning and am focused on my way to work, to the gym and during my downtime throughout the day.

#selfie!!! 

8. Green veggies will get you shredded. And you'll live longer. Roasted brussel sprouts: cut in half, EVOO, salt, pepper, spread on cookie tray and bake at 350. Chopped green onions: add to egg "muffins", salads, top stir frys. Kale chips: tear off stems, rinse + dry, 1/2 tbsp EVOO, onion powder, garlic powder, salt + peppa, bake on cookie tray at 350. Get it in ya.

9. Pump up your workout. When I know I've got work to do in the gym or long run, I'll take a pre-workout (right now I'm using BSN's NO-XPLODE) or fat burner right before my workout (my fav is LIPO6 Black Ultra Concentrate). Other times, I'll have a cup of coffee or SF energy drink (these are loaded with crap.. it's an addiction I'm trying to kick!!) Get yourself pumped up and ready to rock...

10.  SELFIES! Take progress pics. If you actually commit to a training and diet plan, you will see changes, and nothing is more motivating than being able to compare pics from day 1 to day 14 and seeing just a little more tone, a little more lift, a little ab ... nothing. Promise.

11. When you go the gym tomorrow.. (What? You thought your day was too busy and you were planning on skipping the gym? Didn't want to wake up early? Why are you making excuses? You will never unlock your true potential until you can learn to be honest with yourself. The only person you're cheating is yourself. If you have to set your alarm for 5 AM, you set your alarm for 5 AM. Life starts at the edge of your comfort zone.) When you get there, hop on to the treadmill. Set the incline at 3.0, and the speed at 3.5 and the time at 10 min warmup. Watch this video. My bet's you'll be running before you hit the 6 minute mark.....

 Until next time... "Desire is the starting point of all great achievement. Weak desire brings weak results. Keep this constantly in mind." 

Have a fantastic, fit and sweaty day!!!!

xo Brooke

Q + A: Protein Crash Course -- My 20 Fav Protein-Packed Foods + Top 3 Protein Powders!

Q: Matt asks “I am wondering what kind of protein you use? My mom is looking for some advice and since I don’t know anything about girl health I wanted to know what’s good!”

A: Girl Health.... lol. Don't you worry, Matt... I don't think you're the only guy out there who isn't a "girl health" expert. ;)  

Keep in mind that I am not a certified nutritionist or prep coach and my advice and opinions are simply what has worked for me. It has been recommended to me, by my trainer, for my body type and fitness goals, and this isn’t necessarily what is right for everyone. That being said…… :) 

There are two different basic ways to get your protein – food sources and protein powders.

Food-Based Protein

Food-Based Protein Sources
While my diet changes a bit when I am prepping for a contest, I generally stick to these foods --->>>  which are mostly great lean, clean choices. The “most efficient” (in terms of reducing body fat, building muscle, getting the bodybuilder/bikini babe “look”) and richest food-based protein sources are meat and dairy and for this reason, that’s mostly what our diets look like. But! I will take a second to mention that there are plenty of other vegan and whole food sources that are great too -- (beans, lentils, etc)… I just don’t really see a lot of them lately :) lol

Protein Powders
As for protein powders, I really wouldn’t really say the key to success is in choosing the “right” one as there are SO MANY different flavors and brands out there and many are very similar. Yes, you need to find one you like so that you’ll stick to your diet plan (if you are following one) but other than that, I would say as long as you’re around about 120 cals/scoop, and 30 g of protein, you’re in great shape. Now here comes the epic protein debate.. natural vs. “mass market” protein powders. My best friend, Christal fromwww.nutritionistinthekitch.com, swears by the North Coast Naturals, and for good reason – it ROCKS! However, our styles are a little different - she is also a bit more strict in sticking to a 100% natural diet, whereas I’ve found that this is definitely harder with my show prep dieting, so I also use some of the more “mainstream” proteins. Here are a few of my favs:  

My 3 favs are:

Quattro by MAGNUM – Chocolate Love

This one is seriously a gamechanger.. !! I am pretty sure this is my all-time fav.. it doesn’t have any chemical-y sweetener taste, and it’s a perfect balance between mild and “intense” .. if that makes any sense? Blends fantastically with water,  Seriously, try it.. it is BOMB!

North Coast Naturals – Chocolate

This one’s really good to throw into the mix because it’s aaaaaall natural, which I LOVE! Has a super mild flavor and is not super sweet like so many of the other powders out there.  This one’s also very great for baking because it really just ups the protein value of your recipe and has a light cocoa-y taste, instead of the more intense “protein powder” flavor you get with some of the other ones. I buy this one in the Organic section at Superstore (which seriously is a TOTAL goldmine!) for $32.99 a jug. Smaller jug, but lower price too.

Isoflex by ALLMAX - Mint Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate

These two are pretty basic and pretty popular but have def been one of my good, dependable go-tos.

[BONUS] Isoflex actually has a new line called “Chiller” that I got a sample of from my supps store (Guaranteed Nutrition on Ellerslie + 91^st) and it’s ICED TEA flavored! Yeah.. seriously. I know!! Ha ha I got the Peach Iced Tea sample and it was seriously amazing.. especially during prep when my diet usually consists of a protein shake for 3/6 of my meals. I find that it’s pretty easy to get sick of just downing milky powdery drinks all day so this one was really great because it’s actually clear and really tastes like Iced Tea! I had a bit of trouble with it mixing nice and smoothly, but I didn’t have my normal shaker and didn’t add any ice, so I’m sure that problem would be easily solved. Absolutely worth checking out, I would say!

My FAV! Quattro 4 Choc Chunky Monkey Shake. <3 

Lastly, there are many different types of proteins out there (hemp, soy, pea, whey, etc) but I stick to a whey isolate for my normal everyday use, and casein as my “before bed” go-to. Whey is quicker digesting and simpler, so it’s great for pre and post-workout as well as throughout the day, paired with a healthy fat or carb source. Casein is a slow digesting protein and definitely a bit thicker, so it is great for the last “meal” of the day as it will keep your body from burning your muscle while you sleep and help prevent you from feeling starving when you wake up.

Overall though, to get that lean, tight bikini bod, just meeting your protein requirements or just taking “cutters” really won’t work. In order to really look and feel fantastic, it takes consistency, discipline in diet and a properly structured training plan, and a whole lot of patience! J

Until next time, remember… “It’s never too late to be, what you could have been.”

Have a sweaty, fit and fantastic day!!

xo Brooke

The Gummi Bear Dilemma: Cravings + How to Kick them!

The Gummi Bear Dilemma. In order to be successful in living a happy and healthy life where you feel like you're in balance (and not in the middle of some diet battlefield), one of the important things to master is cravings!

As I'm sure you'll know if you've spent more than an hour with me, I have a major sweet tooth. Major! ha ha The guys at work all make fun of me because when I want something sweet, everybody knows. I literally go from office to office asking if anyone has a stash of candy... ha ha! But then, almost always, everyone says no, so I make my way over to our lunch room & grab one of my freezer treats. They're just sweet enough to cut the craving, but still nutritious so there's no "damn! damn! damn! why did I just eat those neon gummi worms!" afterthoughts ha ha ha! ....what? is that just me?

What I've learned is you've got to reprogram your brain to act differently in the situation. What is that saying? The definition of crazy is doing the same thing and expecting different results? And it's so true! Until you change your attitude towards the cravings and find a new way of reacting in the situation, you will most likely end up defeated again.  So, here's a few of my tricks! :-)

- Distraction - I go and do something! A lot of times, I'm just bored, or thirsty, or saw someone else eating sweets. If you focus your attention on something else for 15 minutes and still can't stop dreaming about Reese's pieces, have a snack, but opt for something like fruit or a healthier substitute - in this case, my peanut butter protein cups would be a great substitute!

- Be Prepared! - Making sure I have other, much healthier, treats on hand, like the recipe I've got for you today -- Pumpkin Protein Bars

- The with-yourself Convo - I was in Wal-Mart last night looking for the natural peanut butter and of course, their organic foods are right between the 8 billion bags of chips aisle and 4,000 bags of cookies section. If this isn't temptation, I don't know what is! I started thinking about buying a bag of chips and "just leaving the rest for Adam" (my brother).... but as soon as I caught myself justifying it, I shut that voice off and switched into mantra mode. "Resist, resist, resist, resist" "Our character is a sum of our choices" -- and guess what! I walked right outta that aisle like it aint no thang! ha ha ha :-)

Anyways... now for the good part! On to the recipes!

Pumpkin Protein Bars 

pumpkin protein bars

This recipe is originally by a huge inspiration of mine, Jamie Eason. She is a serious fitness guru and has tons of great recipes and tips worth checking out! I couldn't find brown sugar xyla so I just used the regular kind, and opted for greek yogurt instead of apple sauce because it's a little higher in protein and it's what I had! A few other small changes and voila.. my version of Jamie's little treats. :-)

1/2 cup xyla (natural sweetener)
1/2 cup natural, plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground clove
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp non-iodized sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (not the fake stuff!)
4 large egg whites
1 can of raw pumpkin puree
2 cups brown rice flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use IsoNatural which is sweetened with Stevia, and has no artificial flavorings or additives)
1/4 c almond milk
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Get your oven up to 350 F & your pan ready to rock n roll. I use a dash of grapeseed oil to grease the pan, but you can use whatever type of oil you'd like. I also use a mini loaf pan because I have a bit of OCD... ha ha! This allows me to portion the bars properly and it just looks nicer and more intentional than baking them in a big tray & cutting them up. But you could just pour the mix into a 9 x 13 pan like Jamie does, up to you.

Be careful not to overfill! The recipe should
make 24 bars, so it fills each mini loaf
about 1/3 of the way. 

Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in another. Combine. Ooooohhh... ahhhh... such a fancy process.. ha ha (not!) I pour my flour through a hand sifter just because my dad's always used one and it makes sure it's nice and airy, but I don't think this is necessary! Also, if you want to throw in a few extra shakes of cinnamon, you go girl! (or guy?... ha ha) Cinnamon is absolutely packed with health benefits including lowering cholesterol, helping with dairy & fruit digestion and it's antibacterial & antifungal (prevents yeast growth which leads to stomach ulcers and a variety of other problems). Aaaaanyways... the point being: adding extra cinnamon is a great idea. ha ha

Depending on the tray/pan you use, baking time will vary, but start by checking them at 25 mins if you're using a muffin/mini loaf tin and at 30 mins if a larger tray. They're ready when you can stick a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. I like to keep mine in the freezer because they stay fresh longer and I just like them cold.

Anyone else have any freezer treats they whip up and love??   Tried these & love em or hate em? Let me know!! I love reading your comments!

Happy Thursday all! Have a freaking fantastic day and remember that our character is a sum of our choices!

- brooke :-)