Clean Eating Challenge

Have you hit a plateau or are looking forward to jump starting your weight loss plan? Would you like to develop healthier eating habits?  This challenge will help you accomplish your goals!

This Clean Eating Challenge will begin at midnight on Monday, September 27th and will last for 20 days.  Just think.....20 days to a brand new, healthier you!

Now, here are the rules of the challenge.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. You PRESS PLAY (exercise) Five or Six Times a week, depending on your program. If you are unsure of what to do, let me know.

2. You EAT CLEAN six days a week. It's up to you if you want to stuff yourselves like a bell pepper on your cheat day. But, I recommend a cheat MEAL and not a cheat day. Read more on the EATING Clean Portion Below.

3. YOU ARE ALLOWED "ONE ADDITIONAL CHEAT SNACK" in this CHALLENGE PERIOD. That means, out of the 20 days of the challenge, you may treat yourself to ONE CHEAT SNACK (like a cookie or a glass of alcohol) in addition to your cheat meal.

4. This is a SELF MANAGED Challenge at this time so please hold yourself accountable. Feel free to email me (laura@exercise2day.com) or post on my Facebook group page (Coach Laura's Health & Wellness) your accountability. When you tell someone what you are doing, you usually follow through.

5. You have until Sunday, September 26th to take your measurements AND pictures. You don't have to post them but they will be great for you to compare to after the challenge ends.

THE PRIZE: A new You! Imagine what just 20 days will do for you and how good you will feel!!!

Okay, listen up! For some folks, eating clean might mean eating one meal a day. That's not eating clean, that's starvation. For others, it might mean having a bagel for breakfast, a fruit for lunch, and a salad for lunch and dinner. That's not really eating clean either. You could be eating little amounts of high fat, high calorie-foods.

So, let's define the EATING CLEAN GUIDELINES for the Challenge. Remember: this is a challenge. For 20-days you will eat an almost perfect diet with one cheat day per week because you are after REAL RESULTS. So: if you're ready to take your fitness to the next level, let's do this!! I'm in! I want a leaner, longer looking body!

EATING CLEAN RULES:

RULE 1: You eat 4 to 6 small meals per day, ideally breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. That means that you are eating every 2 to 3 hours.  Your body needs to be fueled. Eating only breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not okay.

RULE 2: You eat at least 1250 calories (unless you are less than 5 feet tall). I am putting this down because this challenge is about eating clean and being healthy, not about starving yourself. (If you are a club member, you can use the tools to determine the number of calories you should be eating based on your fitness program! If you need help determining this, drop me an email and we can talk.)

RULE 3: This is more like a guideline than a rule. You follow something close to a 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat diet. For those of you doing carb manipulation or following a special plan for diabetics, that's fine, too. Again, I just don't want folks to think they are eating clean if they eat 4 bowls of cereal per day. Your meals have to be balanced. (You can can use Free online programs like Fitday.com or calorie_count.com to help you track your meals both for ratio of carbs, protein, fat and your calories eaten!)

When you combine this challenge with a workout, your results are going to ROCK! Use this example for a time frame of how quickly you could see your results. For example, If you start a 6 week program, like Turbo Jam or Slim in 6, you could be fitting into a slimmer, leaner outfit in no time! Think of all of the fun stuff that you can wear! If you start a 90 day program like P90X or Chalean Extreme, you could be a new you before year end!! It's right around the corner.....are you ready? Just think, all the family you saw this weekend can be asking you what did you did to reach your goals!




So that you know, I don't care what kind of exercise you do as long as you are active. Running, walking, the elliptical, Beachbody programs, etc. Any type pf workout will do. My goal with this challenge is to help you get to where you want to be, the healthy way!!!



If you are looking for a good workout program that works for you, drop me an email (laura@exercise2day.com) or check out my website (http://www.exercise2day.com). Let's talk about your goals,the amount of time you can devote to an exercise routine, what you like, etc. If you have questions on your diet, drop me an email and let's talk. Take a look at Michi's Ladder. Next, if you are a club member, make sure to visit the website and look into all the health and fitness topics there!



Are you ready?  I am!  I hope that you join me!



LET'S BRING IT!

My Eat Clean Challenge Results & Pledge

Friends, not sure if you saw my post yesterday with my Eat Clean Challenge results over on my journal but I wanted to fill you in.  Here goes...

"One thing I didn't disclose was that I was doing an even more strict version of the challenge.  It was one that included a very limited helping of fruit (1 serving per day), only fish, chicken or turkey and mostly green veggies, 5 times per day.  There were some other things but that is the pretty much what I ate all week.  I didn't have my Shakeology but once during the week and didn't take any of my supplements.  I missed it so!!!  My meals were steamed or grilled.  No oils were used and very limited seasoning.  Towards the end of the challenge, I began to slip.  I didn't want to eat because I really dreaded eating the food.  It became too boring for me and became more of a chore.  I hate chores...lol.  This week, I start back to going back to the way I ate before, which is really following the guidelines that I am used to.

So, your thinking.....How did she do?  I lost 3 pounds!!! I'm VERY excited about that.  Had I followed my strict meal plan to a T, I'm sure I would have lost more.   The lesson learned though is that it's all about being consistent and following a plan that works for you.  Don't do something that you wouldn't do in real life.  If you know that you hate a certain workout program, why do it.  Find something you enjoy.  Same with any meal plan.  You have to make it manageable for you."

If you participate in any of these challenges, I hope that you find them beneficial in reaching your own goals.  It's important to me that you do.  I have days that I struggle just like you so participating in something like this every once in a while can be fun.  My pledge to you and to all my "Sistas", if accepted, is to be the most helpful that I can be by providing you with posts on my blog, updates on my coaching group facebook wall, twitter, etc.

7 Day Clean Eating Challenge

Folks, I'm starting a Clean Eating Challenge on Monday, May 24th and want you to join me!  It's a 7 day Challenge that will end on Sunday, May 28th at Midnight; just in time for Memorial Day, the official start of summer.  So now that you know that it's just 7 short days, let me tell you a little about what is involved.

This challenge will run similar to the 20 day Challenges that I've held in the past.  (Thanks again Barbie for all of the info that you've shared!)  The difference is that it will last 7 days.  It will be something that I hope that you can continue to do.  I'd like for you to see that clean eating can become part of your life and that you can enjoy eating this way.  Be sure to read through all of this post.  There is A LOT of info here.
Now, here are the rules of the challenge!

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. You PRESS PLAY Five or Six Times a week, depending on your program. If you are unsure of what to do, let me know.  You can walk, run, use the Wii, any of your Beachbody programs, etc.  The idea behind this is to get moving.  Find something that you enjoy.

2. You EAT CLEAN all 7 days. You are permitted a cheat meal and not a cheat day. Read more on the EATING Clean Portion Below.

3. YOU ARE ALLOWED "ONE ADDITIONAL CHEAT SNACK" in this CHALLENGE PERIOD. That means, out of the 7 days of the challenge, you may treat yourself to ONE CHEAT SNACK (like a cookie or a glass of alcohol) in addition to your cheat meal.

4. This is a SELF MANAGED Challenge at this time so please hold yourself accountable. Feel free to email me (laura@exercise2day.com), comment on my blog posts or facebook me your accountability. When you tell someone what you are doing, you usually follow through.

5. You have until Sunday evening to take your measurements AND pictures. You don't have to post them but they will be great for you to compare to after the challenge ends. 

THE PRIZE: A new You! Imagine what just 7 days will do for you and how good you will feel!!!  Eliminating processed foods and eating whole, clean and healthy can make you feel soooo good!

If you are not part of the BeachBody community, check it out at http://www.exercise2day.com. It's free! There are tools you can use to enhance your journey plus, you can log your workouts. Any type of exercise will do and you could possibly win a prize! Just think of what $1000 could buy!

If you would like me to coach you, click here and fill out the form. It's also free! You can also email me at laura@exercise2day.com

Okay, listen up! For some folks, eating clean might mean eating one meal a day. That's not eating clean, that's starvation. For others, it might mean having a bagel for breakfast, a fruit for lunch, and a salad for lunch and dinner. That's not really eating clean either. You could be eating little amounts of high fat, high calorie-foods.

So, let's define the EATING CLEAN GUIDELINES for the Challenge. Remember: this is a challenge. For 7-days you will eat an almost perfect diet with one cheat meal and one cheat snack because you are after REAL RESULTS. So: if you're ready to take your things to the next level, let's do this!! I'm in! I want a leaner, longer looking body!  You can follow Michi's ladder for your clean eating food list.  Not sure what Michi's ladder is, contact me and I will get you a copy.  I know this sounds kind of scary to some folks but TRUST ME when I say that you can do this!!

EATING CLEAN RULES:

RULE 1: You eat 4 to 6 small meals per day, ideally breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. That means that you are eating every 2 to 3 hours.  Your body needs to be fueled. Eating only breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not okay.

RULE 2: You eat at least 1250 calories (unless you are less than 5 feet tall). I am putting this down because this challenge is about eating clean and being healthy, not about starving yourself. (If you are a Beachbody club member, you can use the tools to determine the number of calories you should be eating based on your fitness program! If you need help determining this, drop me an email and we can talk.)

RULE 3: This is more like a guideline than a rule. You follow something close to a 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat diet. For those of you doing carb manipulation or following a special plan for diabetics, that's fine, too. Again, I just don't want folks to think they are eating clean if they eat 4 bowls of cereal per day. Your meals have to be balanced. (You can can use Free online programs like Fitday.com or calorie_count.com to help you track your meals both for ratio of carbs, protein, fat and your calories eaten!)

Are you ready?

LET'S BRING IT!

Day 1 of the 20 day Challenge...You in?

Today starts our 20 day Challenge and I have to tell ya, I am a little excited. Over the last few weeks, I have been adjusting to the girl's new school/extracurricular schedule. With all of this, my meal planning and workout schedule hasn't been as efficient as what I would have liked. This challenge is forcing me to reevaluate what I've being doing these last few weeks and get back to what has worked well for me in the past....clean eating and a consistent workout schedule.

I like the idea of getting back to the basics. Our bodies don't need the processed junk that we feed it. Before Beachbody, I thought it was okay to eat whatever I wanted as long as I stayed within my daily meal plan range. I'm not saying that you can't eat what you want but you should be eating clean. Meaning that you should limit your processed foods, chose leaner cuts of meats and opt for fresh veggies and fruits. Most of know to do this, we just chose not to do it. Why not start!?

I thought I would share with you some great tips from my friend Heather over at The Mogul Mom. Heather's post gives a great meal planning tip as well as other time saving and money saving tips. Be sure to check it out. I especially like the grocery shopping list idea and the 30 meals ideas that are on written on note cards so that you always have a dinner idea. This will come in handy for my household!

If you are reading this and want to start the 20 day challenge with me, be sure to check out it out. Join in if you want. It might just be the change you need!