From 5:30 am workouts to doing 100 yard sprints in the pouring rain, Brandi and Michelle are absolutely pushing themselves to their limits and beyond. Last week as I finished up with my 5:45 pm Burn Boot Camp I see Brandi and Michelle drive into the parking lot at the same time black clouds begin to roll in. Pouring rain is an understatement. It was like a monsoon of hail size rain drops that literally soaked through our shoes into our socks. As Michelle and Brandi finished up with their 100 yard sprints I could hear the water being squished between their toes from 45 minutes of pure saturation. Talk about dedication? I knew they have what it takes, last week they both began to realize that themselves. This picture is right after our “Rain Run”….look how SOAKED we are!

I explained to them that at the beginning that there will be some bumps and bruises that we face along the way. I addressed it on day one and they acknowledged it. Into week two Michelle’s calf muscles have been extremely sore and Brandi has been faced with a nagging knee injury. An injury may slow down the pace they can move their body, but will certainly not slow down the mindset of these two. I just tell them to “Keep Moving” and keep moving they do. Both knew that things were going to be difficult as they are challenging their body to do something it has never done before, but just how difficult it would be to overcome an injury is a question still in their minds.

Being a professional athlete I know the difference between being hurt and being injured. This week will be a test on the girls. This is one of many unprecedented challenges that they will face throughout this journey. Being overweight and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is a challenging enough. Doing it with only one good leg will be a challenge that will solidify the rest of their transformation.

We have a weight in at the end of this week and I am VERY excited to see how much weight both Michelle and Brandi have lost. I know that both ladies are changing and I hear them being complemented every single day from their support system at boot camp and at home. I cannot tell you how proud I am of these two for doing what they are doing. Standing in the pouring rain, staring down the impossible and saying “bring it on”! Stay tuned for a weigh in announcement at the end of the week!

1. Create 15-30 minute at home workouts

The best part is I have already made you a bunch of these! Just use what I have already done for you and it makes life even easier!

2. Do 25-50 push ups every night before bed

This literally may take you 2 or 3 minutes but doing it consistently will tone those arms up in no time.

3. Schedule your workouts on the calendar

Plan ahead and tell yourself on Sunday night what days you can fit workouts in and how long each one will be. Write them on the calendar and stick to it!

4. Use an Online Program

Find an online program that is effective! You  can use MamaBurst Online Burst Training for $1 for your first month which is my online program specifically designed for moms!

5. Plank-a-Day

Restore those abs with the most effective core exercise and all you need it yourself! Do one plank every single day. Your plank should always be AT LEAST a second longer than the day before! This takes only a few minutes!

6. Pack Your Lunch

When you are making the kids lunch, make yours too! Just don’t go putting Go-Gurts and Pop-Tarts in it.

7. Find Text Support

Set up accountability through text message. You do not have to physically be together to hold each other accountable!

8. Go to a Gym with Childcare

There are plenty of places that will watch your kids while you workout! Burn Bootcamp has a 9:30 am class with childcare!

9. Train with Weights

If you can spend 30 minutes jogging on the treadmill or doing circuit training with weight. Pick weight training! If you go through the exercises at the pace you are supposed to your cardio will take care of itself without spending extra time running!

10. Find motivation internally

What drives you? Place a picture of it in the dashboard of your car so you can be reminded every time you get in!

11. Play sports with your kids

Go out in the back yard and have a “semi-serious” soccer game with your kids! Make is fun but also move around and get sweaty!

12. Sleep Sleep Sleep

Try as BEST as you can to get some sleep at night! Six to eight hours per night is key…I know most of us stay up playing on our iPads anyways so put that thing down and shut your eyes!

13. Seek out guidance

A lot of times you may not know how to work out properly. Find someone who does and pick their brain because you do not want to waste your time as a busy mom. Talk to a personal trainer and tell him/her “I want to maximize my time spent in the gym.”

14. Invest in your health

If you have a monetary obligation every month to your fitness you are FAR more likely to succeed! We would love to have you do a 14 day free test drive at Burn Boot Camp and show you how we do it!

15. LOVE YOURSELF

You are the best mom in the world to the most wonderful children, don’t forget that! Be the person you want them to be and love every minute of the one life you have!

16. Do not eat your children’s food

The cereal box has a Cartoon Tiger on it for a reason. Some things just are not for us and with good reason! Keep your hands out of the cookie jar!

17. Stroller Rolling

Strap your kids in the stroller and roll that bad boy! Jogging with your children is not only fun for them because they get to “go fast” but it is a great workout for you! Pop wheelies with them and watch how often they want to go!

18. Tell your friends your plans

When you tell people what you are going to do then you set yourself up for positive results. As humans we naturally do not want to let people down.

19. Say no to lunch at work

Half the obesity problem lies with social eating. Tell your co-workers you are making an effort to get healthy and they will respect that even if they poke fun. Eventually they will follow your lead.

20. Family game of “tag”

Go outside and chase them around! Kids love nothing more than to play “tag” with their mom and dad. A 15 minute game of tag can burn some serious calories and it keep your whole family moving.

21. Drink Water in the AM

The first thing you do before you even open your eyes in the morning is stand in front of the fridge and get at least 24 ounces of water down. This will help tremendously boost your fat burning potential.

22. Supplement with Whole Food Vitamins

98% of us, moms or not, do not get all the vitamins and minerals we need from food. Seek out a clean source for a multivitamin. Shaklee Vitalizer is the best product on the market today.

23. Jump Rope

If you cannot seem to find anything to do, there is no help around, and you are ready to get a great workout but do not know what to do.  Jump rope as fast as you can for 20 minutes! You will probably be pretty awful your first couple times, but that’s okay! Practice makes perfect and it is a great way to burn body fat in a short amount of time!

24. Set goals for yourself

Whether you want to lose weight, tone up, or both be sure to set realistic goals that you know you can achieve. Consistency and dedication are the two key elements to health and fitness and setting proper goals will help attract both things into your life.

25. BE POSITIVE

You CAN do it and it WILL happen! Take it day by day and meal by meal. If you happen to mess up, OH WELL! Shake it off and get back at it the next meal or next day! You do not have to wait until Monday to start again! GO GET WHAT YOU DESERVE!!

Share this with anyone you might think it will benefit! Spread the love of health to all those you know will appreciate it!

Baby Shampoo

“No tears” isn’t enough. When washing your baby you also want “no fears”. That means not having to worry about the chemicals in shampoo being harmful. Here are the ingredients to try to avoid: surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate: preservatives like DMDM hydantion, an allergen and irritant: ceteareth and polyethylene glycol (PEG) and propylene glycol (PG) compounds, which all contain toxin contaminants including 1,4-dioxane; and fragrance, which we all know is code for pythalates. You want the best for your baby and yourself. So I put a link to one of the most trusted baby shampoo’s in the industry below

Click the link to keep your baby safe in the tub! ===>> Shakleebaby Gentle Wash

Here is a green and clean version for mom! ===>> ENFUSELLE® MOISTURIZING SHOWER GEL

Toothpaste

If you have a newborn this is one thing you will not have to worry about until those pearly whites start appearing! But when they do taking care of them in a non-toxic fashion is critical to your baby’s health. Remember that the American Dental Association recommends using fluoride-free toothpaste for children under two years of age. I use Tom’s of Maine Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste and they also have a children’s line.  Here is the link!

Click the link to see Tom’s of Maine Products ===>> www.tomsofmaine.com

Baby Wash and Liquid Soap

Sunscreen

First things first, if your baby is younger than 6 months NEVER expose them to the sun. Their skin is far too delicate. Keep your baby covered up in the shade. When your child is old enough to go outside be sure to slather him/her with at least SPF 30. Avoid products that contain the allergen DMDM hydantion. Oxybenzone is one of the few ingredients that helps protect against UVA radiation but it can cause allergies so it is a tough choice! Here is one of the safest sunscreens I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby safe from the sun! ===>> ENFUSELLE® SPF 30 FOR BODY

Baby Wipes

If there were any truth the advertising, baby wipes would be called chemical wipes. Commonly found baby wipes can contain formaldehyde, propylene glycol, bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, and phthalate-fixed fragrances. Are they convenient? Yes. Are they EXREMELY harmful? You betcha. Your baby will be better off with a washable hand towel soaked in water and a nontoxic cleanser. If you do need wipes though, here are the best ones I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby from exposure to extremely harmful chemicals ===>> Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

Lotions and Moisturizers

Ever heard the phrase “soft and smooth as a baby’s bottom”? Well, guess what: they are made that way! The reason so many moms need lotions for their babies’ skin is because so many shampoos, wipes, and body washes contain skin irritants. Many of them are the same chemicals that we talked about above. Lose the chemicals and find that babies’ skin come prepackaged soft and smooth! But if your child does need a moisturizer here is the best one I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby soft and smooth! ===>> Shakleebaby Soothing Lotion

Diaper Cream and Baby Powder

As with lotions, so with diaper cream and baby powder. It is all about what you are putting on your baby in the first place – in this case – diapers and creams. In the 1950’s diaper rash affected less than 10% of babies. By the 1990’s over 80% of babies were affected by diaper rash. Enough said! Here is a link for non-toxic diaper cream and baby powder.

Click the link to rub your babies’ butt with clean products ===>> Shakleebaby Diaper Cream

Vitamins

This is the worst one of all! Marketing pulls kids in by putting Fred Flintstone on the label of a bottle making them crave them! Giving your kids Flintstones Vitamins is practically like having them smoke a cigarette! When you look on the back of the Flintstones box to see the list of ingredients, the first thing that jumps out at me is the known carcinogenic (cancer causing) artificial sweetener, aspartame among tar and plastics! PLEASE do not feed your kids these!

Use theses tasty vitamins instead ====>> Shakleebaby Mineral Powder and Multivitamin

Or these which kids love! ===>> Shaklee Mighty Chews

Household Products and Get Clean Kits

By now you should have revised the “You are what you eat” statement to the “You are what you eat, breath, drink and put on your skin” statement. This post is mostly for your baby or small children but living a clean life and going green is crucial to the health of your entire family. So I have put a link for you to check out on how to get your household clean and free of toxins!

Click this link to check out clean laundry, kitchen, and cleaning products ===>> Get Clean Healthy Home Kit

I hope this post has shed some light on all of the carcinogens and toxic chemicals that are harming our bodies with everyday. It is not that we are doing it on purpose, it is industries fault for caring more about a dollar than the health of their consumers and customers. Make a change in your life and encourage all of your friends to make a change in theirs. Together we can change the world!

Show your friends and family that you care by sharing this post with them to educate them on why modern lifestyles are destroying our health!

Adding some juice in your regular diet will change your life! I know what your thinking, “I already drink juice on a regular basis.” Maybe so, but the juice I am talking does not consist of a liter of Juicy Juice or those little poison packets of Capri Sun. I am talking real juices that contain the live enzymes and nourishment that our body needs to be health and perform. With that being said, it is nearly impossible to go to a grocery store (whole food stores included) and purchase a juice that is full life. So where do you get the super juice? Let me tell you…

Juicing is the topic of this blog post. By juicing I mean extracting all the essential vitamins and minerals out of organic produce and getting them to a liquid state. Morgan and I have been juicing a lot, and I mean like a scary amount of concoctions from fruits and vegetables that have no business being blended together. This might sound crazy but juiced broccoli, carrots, apples, mango, spinach, kale, and ginger together the other day…sounds gross right? Well, it was the most AMAZING thing I have ever tasted! I could literally feel the live enzymes going to work in my body. I posted the lime green mixture on the Burn Boot Camp Facebook Page and all of the BBC moms told me I was crazy! Long story short…juicing is the healthiest habit anyone can adopt!

Why is Juicing So Important?

Vegetables were not meant to be heated up. Did you know that when you apply heat to any food you lose over 50% of the nutrients the food in comprised of? When we cook chicken breast over 50% of the protein in the meat is destroyed from the heat. When vegetables are exposed to heat the nutritional value (including live enzymes) are cut in half.

Another reason juicing is crucial in your diet is because we will NEVER maximize the speed of our metabolism by eating cooked and processed foods. These foods are not meant to go into our body, period. When they are ingested the body will attack these foods as if they are a foreign attack using all your white blood cells (body’s immunity cell) thus lowering your white blood cell count! If you can convert your diet to consist of 51% raw whole foods you body will maximize metabolism and not trigger a white blood cell invasion. When our white blood cells don’t have to tend to our food they can be defending bacteria and fungus in the body like they are supposed to!

Not Convinced Yet?

If that is not enough reason to start juicing, how about this…certain regiments of juicing have literally cured cancer! There are several  medical journals from the 1950’s proving that raw juicing is very strongly linked to curing several types of cancer. Why haven’t there been any studies since the 1950’s stating this? Believe it or not, there have been thousands of cases recorded but the United States Government banned these studies from being publish! That is a topic for another day, but if you want to learn all about raw foods and their link to disease prevention I highly recommend you watch the documentary, Food Matters.

So go out and get a juicer and start living a healthier life today!

What is the Best Juicer? 

Breville, Two Speed Juicer ===>> Check it out here!

Check Out These 15 Excellent Juicing Recipes for Immunity, Digestion, Weight Loss, Detoxifying, Cleansing, Metabolism, Curbing Cravings, and Overall Health!

Super Juice Recipe (My Go-To)

Recipe #1

• 1 Organic Kale Bunch  (Substitute: Spinach Bunch or one whole Cabbage)
• 1 Organic Collard Greens Bunch  (Substitute: Dandelion Greens Bunch)
• 1 Organic Celery Bunch
• 1 Organic Cucumber
• 6 Organic Carrots
• 2 Organic Tomatoes
• 2 Organic Lemons
• 1 Organic Apple  (Substitute: Pear or Mango)
• 1 Handful of Organic Blueberries (Substitute: Blackberries)

Single Serving of Super Juice

• ¼ Kale Bunch
• ¼ Collard Greens Bunch
• 2 Celery stalks
• ¼ of a Cucumber
• 1 to 2 carrots
• 1 Tomato
• 1 Lemon
• ½ Apple
• Small Handful of Blueberries

Detoxifying and Cleansing Recipes

Recipe # 2:

• 4 carrots, tops and tails chopped off
• 4 stalks celery
• A handful of parsley including the stems
• 1 small organic zucchini chopped but not peeled
• 1/2 of a beet
• 1/4 grapefruit peeled

Recipe # 3:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• A bunch each of green kale, spinach, collard greens and water cress
• 1 tomato
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3 carrots

Recipe #4:

• 2 organic peaches, cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 organic apple
• 2 oranges, peeled
• 1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries

For these recipes you will need to use a juicer. If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a plastic citrus juicer for the citrus items and blend the remaining items in a blender. After you’ve blended all of your fruits and vegetables, strain them with a strainer or using cheesecloth to get as much of the juice out as possible. You may need to double the recipe in order to extract more juice. Here are a couple of easy recipes that don’t require a juicer:

Recipe #5:
1 large pink grapefruit
1 large orange
3 tomatoes
1 cucumber

After juicing the grapefruit and orange with a citrus juicer, blend the tomatoes and cucumber in a blender and strain the juice. Add the tomato and cucumber juice to the citrus juices and stir well.

Recipe #6:

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 beet, peeled with the tops and tails chopped off and cut into small pieces
• 1 bunch of spinach or kale
• 1/2 of a bell pepper
• 1/2 small lemon
• 1/4 cup of water

Blend the tomatoes in a blender, strain the juice, place in a large glass or container and set aside. Blend (with a 1/8 cup of water) or use a food processor to “juice” the beet, strain it and add it to the tomato juice. Blend the spinach, bell pepper and lemon with the remaining water. When well blended, strain the juice with a strainer or cheesecloth and add it to the tomato and beet juice mixture. You may add a dash of cayenne pepper for flavor.

Super Immune Boosting Recipes

Super Immune Booster

Recipe #7:

• 1 apple
• 4-6 carrots ( depending on size)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup parsley

Super Immune Shot

Recipe #8:

• 1-2 limes ( or more.. enough to get about 2 ounces of juice)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic

Blend in blender.  I prefer this remedy poured into a shot glass
so i can quickly shoot it down!

Super Immune Burn

Recipe #9:

• beet root
• ginger

If juicing with masticating juicer add about 3/4 beet root to 1/4 ginger and experiment to your desired “heat” tolerance from the ginger. If in blender add a little water or lemon juice. Shouldn’t be more than a few ounces as this is designed to be taken in a shot glass.

Juicing for Weight Loss: Veggies

Speedy Digestion

Recipe #10:

• 3 carrots
• 1 tomato
• 1 stalk of broccoli
• 1/4 head of cabbage

Juice everything and spritz with some lemon juice if desired.

Healthy Snack

Recipe #11:

• 4 stalks celery
• 1 beet
• Handful of spinach
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cucumber

Green Metabolism Energizer

Recipe #12:

• 2 green apples
• 1 cucumber
• 1 lemon
• Handful kale
• Handful Spinach
• Handful flat leaf parsley
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/4 bulb fennel
• 1/3 head romaine lettuce
• 1 small piece ginger

Run each item through your juicer, and stir or shake before serving.

Perfect Green Juice

Recipe #13:

• 1 stalk broccoli
• 1 cucumber
• 1 beet
• 1 inch wheatgrass
• 1 handful spinach
• 1 cup cabbage
• 1 apple (optional)

Juice everything and enjoy!

Green Juice for Controlling Cravings

Recipe #14:

• 3 celery stalks
• ½ cucumber
• 1 apple ( green of course!)
• 2 large handfuls of spinach

Greens Apple Celery Lemon

Recipe #15:

• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 apple ( green of course!)
• ½ lemon
• 2 celery stalks

What do you eat then? Your pre-workout meals should consist of GOOD fats and high in protein. Good fats burn fat and bad fats store extra blubber. Use pure sources of good fat mixed with pure sources of protein for optimal fat burning and mental focus. When we think of good fats with we think of Olive Oil and Canola Oil for the most part, right?

Did you know this?  – When heated over 160 degrees F Olive Oil actually turns into a Trans Fat (GREASE)! 160 degrees is about the “2” setting on your stove top burners! Thought you were eating healthy?

– We have all heard of the Canola Plant, right? Wrong, no you haven’t because there is no such thing! Canola Oil is manufactured in Canada and stands for the Canadian Oil Low Acid and was nick named Canola Oil to trick us. This oil is hydrogenated and basically the same as vegetable oil. So choose GOOD fats!

Here is a couple ideas of pre-workout meals that will optimize fat burning:

1.3 Scrambled Egg Whites, 1 Whole Egg cooked with 1 TBSP of Coconut Oil (Good to add spinach)

2. Full Fat Butter Spread on Ezekiel Bread Toast (non-pasteurized)

3. Pina Colada Smoothie-

•  ½ cup crushed organic pineapple in juice
•  ¼ cup full fat cottage cheese (non-pasterized)
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk
• ¼ tsp coconut oil
• ¼ Natural Vanilla Flavor
• 3-4 ice cubes

4. Breakfast in a Cup –

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup Almond Milk(use more or less to adjust to desired consistency)
• 1/2 cup Almond Butter
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• dash organic cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla
• 1 cup spinach (optional)

5. Shaklee Protein Meal Bar – To research ingredients go here =====>> Shaklee Cinch Bar

Does it shock you that eating fat actually burns fat? Go ahead and type “pre-workout meals” into Google right now and see how many say eat “slow burning” carbohydrates! Not to worry thought because I always got your back!

Forward this to your friends that cook with Olive Oil and think they are being healthy!

The name of the game is metabolism training. As a personal trainer I have trained 242 moms and  clients to date and have had outstanding success with each and every one. Training for a metabolism boost is the most effective way to burn fat quickly and safely. I specialize in body transformations so I always use these tips for my clients I thought I might as well share my genius with you! Live by these principals and you will achieve the dream body you want…here are 10 ways to Boost Your Metabolism
1. Train With Weights

Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. Weight training itself has been shown to increase exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) – in other words, your metabolism may be raised for hours or even days after a Burn Fitness Bootcamp session. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest. Muscle tissue also helps increase the number of fat-burning enzymes and organelles in your body.

2. Supplement With Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are involved in the manufacture of hormones and repair of cell membranes in your body. With the right types of fats, your body can use these anabolically. These processes require energy, so the fats may actually increase your metabolism despite the added calories you are consuming! You can add fats to your diet without increasing calories simply by increasing the percentage of calories from fats and then lowering the percentage of calories from carbohydrates or proteins.

3. Every Little Bit Counts
Believe it or not, simply changing some simple daily habits can have a huge impact on your metabolism. Do you play the game of driving around the parking lot for twenty minutes waiting for the perfect space to open? Instead, park at the edge of the parking lot and walk to your destination. You’ll probably get there quicker, and burn some calories along the way. Other metabolism-boosting activities include standing instead of sitting, taking stairs instead of elevators, and even fidgeting.

5. Don’t Fear Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are not the enemy. Using the right types of carbohydrates can be a valuable tool for your metabolism. For example, you may expend more calories consuming 20 grams of carbohydrate from lentils than 20 grams of carbohydrate from sugar. The lentils contain fiber and other nutrients that the body must work to extract, and therefore expends more energy. Look for fibrous, low-glycemic carbs and focus on unprocessed carbohydrates.

6. Fluctuate Calories
Zigzagging calories is by far one of the most effective methods for keeping your metabolism revved. Homeostasis is the action your body takes to “remain stable.” In other words, if you drop your calories, your body will try to slow your metabolism in order to keep things the same.

By zigzagging calories, you may be able to thwart this mechanism. Some people zigzag day by day – for example, if their target is 2000 calories, they’ll consume 1800 one day and 2200 the next. I prefer to consume low calories for a week or two, and then raise calories for a week, and then drop them again.

7. Increase Protein
Protein requires a complex chemical conversion by your body in order to be used as fuel. It takes up to 30% of the calories you consume to oxidize or use protein for energy. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process. Therefore, increasing the percentage of calories in your diet that come from protein may help raise your metabolism.

8. Perform High Intensity Cardio
High intensity cardio, like weight training, takes you into the anaerobic zone of training. This, in turn, creates what is known as “oxygen debt.” Even when you have concluded your exercise, the body is processing waste and recovering from the activity – and therefore keeping your metabolism elevated.

9. Increase Frequency Of Eating
Most bodybuilders are aware of this technique. Consuming food triggers digestion, and digestion requires calories. By eating more frequent, smaller meals, you continuously supply your body with nutrients while forcing it to digest and break down the foods. This, in turn, can have the net effect of raising your metabolism.

10. Eat Whole Foods
The calories that you burn during digestion are due to the need for your body to break down the foods. Your body must extract the fiber and nutrients, take chains of molecules and chop them into smaller versions to absorb them into your bloodstream, and perform a variety of tasks in order to assimilate foods.

When foods are processed, much of this work is done for you. For example, processed flour is ground into small pieces that the body can digest more quickly. This means your blood sugar rises faster and your body expends fewer calories processing the flour.
Whole grains, on the other hand, pack more nutrients, are higher in fiber, and force the body to work harder to use them as energy. Another advantage to eating whole foods is that many of the nutrients in these foods – such as vitamins and minerals – are cofactors in metabolic processes that your body uses to burn fat and build muscle.

11. Drink Cold Water
This tip is probably overrated. Your body will expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body, but the exact amount is debatable. It stands to reason, however, that integrating this habit with the other habits listed above can contribute to the greater goal of raising your metabolism.

I think drinking cold water is just one of those mental things that you know if you ALWAYS make sure your water is cold you will most likely do the other things…let’s face it…with the amount of water we SHOULD be drinking (6-8 bottles per day) that is quite a task…virtually impossible while traveling!

…I would love to hear your feedback! Research is hard work but somebodies gotta do it for you!