Resolutions, Meal Planning, & Free Printables

This year I didn't exactly make a New Years Resolution since my Resolution started in October when I started P90X3 and a healthier lifestyle. One thing I am working to get better about this year compared to last year however is meal planning. I tend to be a little lazy about my meal planning, which leads to my husband and I going out for Subway or Chipotle runs for dinner. But one great way to keep me on track with my healthy choices is to meal plan for the week and get my groceries early. This week I'm ahead of schedule and have already started the process of meal planning for the upcoming week. As soon as I finished my meal planning I got all the groceries I needed as well. 

I like to use handy meal planning documents on my computer because they allow me to add links to the recipes I'm making along with the ingredients I'll input on the Shopping List side before I print it. This week I'll be making Chipotle Burrito Bowls (Vegetarian and Chicken versions), Balsamic Tofu & Avocado Tacos, Zucchini Pizzas, Sweet & Sour Spicy Tofu Stir Fry, Spinach Burgers, Avocado Quesadillas, and Crockpot Minestrone Soup. The great thing about the Soup I make on Sunday is that I'll have enough leftovers after that to last 1-2 extra days of the next week. As the week goes on I'll post my recipes for any I don't already have on the blog.

I'm pretty happy with the ingredients I bought. For the recipes I've picked I have the majority of the ingredients around my house normally. For the ingredients that I had to pick up it was mostly fresh ingredients or reduced sodium/organic ingredients. Plus for what I had to buy for recipes this week I spent less than $40 total. That makes my Shakeology breakfast shake I budget of $4.00 per day even more reasonable this week. 

Here's the free printable I've made to use. Feel free to download or print for your use as well. 

What are your favorite go to meals while meal planning? Do you use a printable document or an app on your phone to meal plan?

P90X3 Month 3 - How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

OMG Month 3 has had some hard workouts. I think I like this month a little better though because the weeks are switched up. So week 1 has different workouts than week 2. I think I like that better. I also like that I'm actually starting to improve at a lot of my workouts. When you start P90X3 at Month 1 you seriously believe that you'll never even be close to as good as the people in the video. But thankfully as the weeks go on you get more and more confidence as you get stronger and stronger. 

Bow or Boat pose is one of those no joke workout moves that it takes time and consistency to get. During the first month my chest and thighs were barely off the ground. I kept fighting to get higher and higher though and here I am now rocking the bow pose like a pro during P90X3 Decelerator. 

Plyo Push-Ups are also a killer. I started P90X3 doing push-ups on my knees. Then I moved on to push-ups on all fours. I even tried on push-ups on the power stands. Then finally this week I decided to try out the Plyo Push-Ups and I did it. I was so proud of myself afterwards, especially when I saw this picture of me mid plyo explosion. I literally look like I'm floating. That's a huge accomplishment there for me. 

Finally there is P90X3 MMX. This video is seriously the hardest one of the bunch to me. In 30 minutes i burned over 400 calories. I mean, why go to the gym and be bored for an hour on the treadmill or eliptical when in 30 minutes you can burn over 400 calories?!?! That's insane right there. This video was so hard though that by the end after the cool down I just wanted to flop down on my mat and catch my breath. I needed a little extra cool down. 

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What are you doing to stay active this holiday season? When you workout your body releases endorphins which help you cheer up and relax. Those endorphins are super amazing to help you deal with the holiday stress that comes with buying gifts and fitting everything into a tight schedule. It also helps avoid the extra pounds you'll get from all the holiday foods. 

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to get your results and still aren’t seeing them, then let me help you. Together we can become better than average, and not be just another statistic. Give yourself the gift of health this Christmas and invest in your future and the future of your family. Comment below or visit my site if you are interested in making 2015 the healthiest year of your life.

Here's a great quick holiday workout from my favorite instructor Tony Horton to help you avoid holiday weight gain. If you aren't already doing so I recommend following Tony Horton on Youtube. He's amazing and hilarious and his workouts are awesome! 

P90X3 Month 2 Complete

I can't believe it! My husband and I are officially done with Month 2 of P90X3. I am seriously in love with this workout program. Tony Horton keeps me laughing throughout every workout with his silly personality and each day is different than the last. I love the workouts where I record my reps/weights because then I can actually see how I'm improving and getting stronger.

Here's how Block 2 looked in P90X3. My favorites were MMX, Incinerator, and Triometrics. I'm very surprised that I actually like MMX. Back when I used to workout at LA Fitness I atteneded one Kickboxing class and hated it. I spent 90% of the class lost and looking like I had no coordination at all. Thankfully in MMX Tony Horton does a great job of showing the moves and making it super easy to follow. My least favorite was definitely Ecentric Lower. During the first week I was a DISASTER. I kept stumbling and messing up with my workouts. I felt like I barely got a workout even though I had a good calorie burn just because I was so frustrated. I have always had issues with balance, but it seems worse since I sprained my ankles. Thankfully though I noticed during weeks 2-3 I was getting better and better at the moves in Ecentric Lower.

As you can tell by my sheet where I record my reps and weights I was writing BAD and underlining it multiple times on the workouts that were straight up disasters during week 1. I loved seeing my improvements though as the weeks went on. I was also happy to see my progress pictures at the end of the month. I feel like I'm looking better and better!!

I feel like my stomach is looking smaller and my butt is looking more lifted. I still have a ways to go, but I am so happy with my progress. 

Are there others out there wishing they could loose just a few more pounds? Wishing they had someone out there to keep them accountable? Or just hoping to tone and tighten up their body? I'm here to help you! Contact me for information about joining my January Challenge Group! There's only a few week lefts to decided if you are going to make this New Year the one where you finally stick to your resolution. 

Healthy Meal Planning

Part of my journey to becoming a healthier and happier me through P90X3 is to make changes when it comes to how I eat. There are many days I still look back with sadness to the days of High School when I could eat pizza for 4 meals a day (Yes 4...not 3) and still wear a size 2 in jeans.  I still wish I didn't have to workout. I still wish I didn't have to eat healthy. I also still wish I could wear a size 2. However, part of my growing up process is to become a healthier person so that I can live longer. I don't want to be healthy just to be "skinny", I want to be healthy to become "happier". I recently made an inspiration board to help keep me positive and keep me making great decisions. One of my favorites is this...

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It's such a true statement. You can't just wish for things to be great. You have to take the actions to make things better in your life. You have to choose to be healthy. A great place for inspiration (and sometimes temptation) for healthier eating is Pinterest. I have made a board just for healthy meal planning. So far I have found many great recipes to try out that I was extremely pleased with. My favorite so far is Zucchini Lasagna. It allows you to have the cheesy favorite of many people, but in a healthier way. Zucchini Lasagna is low on carbs and calories. The recipe I found and adjusted from Skinny Taste was only 9 points plus with Weight Watchers. I went vegetarian style simply because I'm not a ground beef eater. I've also been working to insert more veggies into my daily meals. A few of my favorites are Garlic Roasted Vegetables and Chick Pea Salads. 

Don't they just look colorful and tasty? Finding alternatives that still satisfy your cravings is important to me in my journey to a healthier me. I can't wait to try more new recipes!!

<3 Kelly Jean