While I was writing my reflection post of turning 25, I realized that a top area where I was falling short was in my life was my health. I feel accomplished in my career (for my age), I have graduated from a top University, bought a home, but all this came at the cost of letting my health slip. So, naturally, like the other 90% of Americans, one of my 2015 new years goals was to get back in shape and eat healthy.
Personally, I like to workout, but I wouldn't say it was something I naturally love. I was in my best shape in high school, then in 2013 before my wedding. After we bought the house, between construction, work and attempting to rest, fast food became my best friend. I hit my highest weight in October 2014 and felt like I was at the point of no return. Thankfully I had found the Tone It Up community at the beginning of 2014, and decided to go back and start the Love Your Body series. If you are a woman who has not yet discovered this community.. check it out!!! It is seriously an amazing way to organize your workouts and find supportive, motivated women who want a healthy life and empower each other. I found my love of exercise there last year, and it is sparked back in me this year and there is no stopping me!
Through this community I have had the privilege of learning more about other health and fitness programs out there, such as the 24 Day Challenge by Advocare. Funny story: Advocare is the health company that makes a product called Spark. Now Spark.. let me tell you.. is AWESOME! My husband used it in college while he was both going to school and working full time, and it was the only thing that kept him going. Well, 2 years later we find a Spark distributor who tells us about the 24 Day Challenge, the potential to lose 12-15 pounds on it, the energy you gain, and just the overall health benefits of rebooting your system. After hearing that, WE WERE IN ... to do some research of course! So, logically we go online to see the benefits, the products, and the credibility of the Company. As most people, we were skeptics! We came to realize that Advocare has been around for 22 years, has many professional athlete endorsers (unpaid!) who are able to pass their medical test and truly enjoy the product! We even learned that Advocare has signed a contract with major league soccer and will be replacing Gatorade on their fields. Above all, their medical advisory board has highly recognized and admired doctors, that are trustworthy and known in their field.
So, after all this excitement of getting to learn more about the products, 3 days passed, and we heard NOTHING back from the distributor. On the fourth day, I was on a Tone it Up page and found that one of the girls had just finished a Challenge and had AMAZING results! I reached out to her, she got my husband and I talking to her friend who is very versed in the product, and we ordered our kits. Not only did we order our kits, but after learning even more about the Company, we signed up to be distributors because we saw how great of an impact the Challenge can have on someone's life and self-esteem, and we want to allow others to have that by telling them about the product. Not only do we help others get healthy, but we are also able to make additional income and we will earn $500-$1,000 per month by the end of this year. I was added to Advocare Facebook groups where I saw so many people who were losing incheS and pounds, and motivating each other to succeed through the challenge. This is what really pushed me over the edge and both my husband and I knew that this was something that we wanted to be a part of and that would really help us achieve our resolutions to live a healthier, leaner lifestyle.
Our first day on the challenge was February 2nd, so we got our kits in by January 30th, which gave us 3 days to prepare our meals, and get our system down. We didn't realize how easy it was to be successful on the challenge because you are able to EAT (yes, you eat food) 6 times a day, all meals of which come with suggestions on what to eat, a Tmblr page on recipes. If you are like me and already have a meal guide from Tone it Up, most of their lean, clean and green recipes can be used for this plan.
Come Sunday, I had the options memorized and worked on a meal plan for the next 7 days. Here is what I have some up with so far (I can share more if you are interested to get more ideas).
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| I color coded what type of food was in every meal. I also prefer to use Google Docs so that I can access the file form anywhere and reuse my recipes. |
My shopping list was:
- Fruits & Veggies
- Romaine Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Peppers
- Cilantro
- Tomato
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Kale
- Brussel Sprouts
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Potato
- Broccoli
- Frozen veggie mix
- Asparagus
- Pear
- Banana
- Premade pico de gallo
- Protein
- Tuna
- Salmon (Costco has great options!)
- Ground Turkey (Costco has great options!)
- Chicken (Costco has great options!)
- Eggs
- Other
- Veggie broth
- Hummus
- Mixed Nuts, unsalted (Costco has great options!)
- Carb
- Brown rice
- Quinoa (Costco has great options!)
- 90 calorie wheat sandwich bread
- Whole wheat pasta
- Black beans
Today is day 3 on the challenge, and I do not feel hungry at all, rather am satisfied after every meal. I feel light, withe energy and focus that allows me to pull through the day. I need to get better at going to be earlier, but with the cleanse I am able to focus at work and get things done! My husband and I are working out 6 days a week, 3 of them are "two-a-days", although the challenge only requires 30 minutes, 5 times a week. We are feeling really strong and proud of where we are on our third day!
My favorite part of the challenge so far has been the app because I can track everything and I'm a freak on tracking! Every meal, exercise and even tips, recipes and portions can be found there. Of course it isn't required, but it's a nice reminder to keep you engaged with what you are doing.
I am super excited to keep you updated on the progress of the 10 day cleanse phase! :) My next post will be about how I plan my week with personal, professional and now 24 Day Challenge goals!
To get started with Advocare, email me at: ginajarias@gmail.com or check out my website directly at: https://www.advocare.com/150130205/default.aspx
