Thursday, April 23, 2015

Get swole phase 1 meal #1 dinner

Elk Tips

Ingredients:
2lb elk steak or roast cut into chunks
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1cup spinach chopped
1/2Cup beef broth
3 TBS whole wheat flour
2TBS olive oil
1/4tsp cornstarch
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp black pepper

Mix together flour, salt, pepper, and cornstarch
Coat each piece of meat with the flour mixture and set aside
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium/high heat
Once the oil is hot put the coated meat in. Seer each side evenly until brown.
Add the chopped onions and spinach and cool for approx 4 minutes.
Add in the beef broth and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for approx 10-12 minutes until the broth thickens to a sauce.
You can add flour or cornstarch for desired thickness.

Remove from heat serve over and or with brown rice or whole wheat egg noodles.

Enjoy also with roasted asparagus and a side salad!

This meal with the asparagus and side salad gets you your protein, healthy carb, and veggies!

Ashleigh N. Seely, RDH

Get swole meal series phase 1

Hey followers! I will be blogging about the new program my husband and I started! It is a clean eating bulking/building plan. The program is called "Get Swole" by Muscle Pharm. It is laid out in 4 phases. There are set workouts in this plan as well as a guideline of what to eat and when. There is even a grocery list to help get on trak with what food to prepare. I will post one meal per day!
We are on day 4 of phase 1. I was not going to blog about this but I decided that posting a meal per day will keep me on track with what I am cooking! It takes planning and persistance and lots of healthy groceries!

To see the plan lay out and workouts please see this link!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2015/bb_getswole_workout_.pdf

I will also be posting before and after pictures.

WARNING! This is a bulking program

Saturday, April 18, 2015

On Our Own We Are Nothing

"The Lord said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

"For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone." Romans 14:7

Genesis 2:18 is talking about when God created man. God saw that man needed a helpmate so He created Eve in order that Adam would have a partner. This is the Biblical basis for marriage. Genesis 2:24 goes on to say, "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and the two become one flesh." We see this mentioned in Matthew and Mark as well. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" Matthew 19:5. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife" Mark 10:7.

There is no doubt that men and women are to find a mate, a helper. Left on our own we dredge through life without a real accountability partner. We need someone to hold us accountable on our bad days. Siting the above Biblical verses points to how we are supposed to live as husband and wife but I think these verses can impact how we live in other areas of life. Areas including: health, fitness progress, daily routine, work ethic, and attitude.

Who holds you accountable for your fitness goals? Who sets you straight when you have fallen from your progress?

In my life this person is my husband. His advice is the only advice I tend to seek when it comes to my fitness world. He is a personal trainer who knows my habits (good and bad), my diet (good and bad), as well as my lifting and cardio routine (good and bad). He also knows when my attitude changes from motivated to unmotivated. He knows my spiritual life as a Christian and in what ways I choose to honor God. Next to our Lord, who better to hold me accountable than my husband?

The importance of an accountability partner in the health aspect of life is huge. There are many success stories where people have undergone tremendous change. Those changes would not have happened without a person(s) to hold them to a high standard.

How do you choose a good accountability partner? Here are some tips
1. Someone who knows about health and fitness ie: trainer
2. Someone who knows your good and bad habits.
3. If you cannot pin point someone who knows your diet and habits, consider seeking advice and council from someone that you will be honest and up front with about what your habits entail.ie: activity level, eating, sleeping, and attitude.
4. Someone who will assess you according to your needs/goals.
5. Someone who has the same core values as you would be helpful.
6. Someone you will respect and listen to.
7. Someone you trust.
8. Someone who builds you up.
9. Someone who gives constructive criticism.
10. Someone who cares about their own health.

Left to our own devices we often self-destruct. On our own we are nothing. Accountability is a must! With a partner, burdens are made light. Goals met become a bit of a celebration between the two of you. Failures become areas to shoot for improvement. All aspects become easier with such a partner.
Goals are easier to set and meet with someone who is all for you! Pushing onward,( although it may not seem easy at the time) is made much easier.

I encourage all of you to find someone to spur you onward!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Call To Action

call to action

noun

the implicit or explicit suggestion contained in amarketer's content in an advertising banner or Website copy

Examples

The call to action said Click Here to enter a survey toqualify to win a prize.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/call+to+action

"click here" "pay now"

We see an array of suggestive wording throughout our society. There is a call to action to every decision we encounter. Stop or go at a stop sign. Text or call your mother. Pay now or pay later. Cash or credit. You get the point.

As parents we are faced with these type of "choices" if you will, when it comes to handling how we respond and react to our children. Spank or time out? Sleep or get up and do something about a crying toddler in the night? Your needs or the child's needs?

As Christians we are faced with obey God or disobey? Tell the truth? His way or my way?

As athletes we have options such as: get moving or rest? Eat this or that? Work harder or stay in a rut? Push through or give up?

All three of these areas are not area specific. Each can be applied to every day life choices. For every action there is a reaction. For every decision there is a consequence whether good or bad.

When given the opportunity will we choose to push harder at the gym, lift more, run longer, do one more rep, tack on an extra set, or will we decide to stay the same?

What is your call to action? Healthy or unhealthy? Survive or thrive? Slump or hilltop? Groan and complain or rejoice and have joy? Make situations better or sit in agony?

The call to action is your choice. Choose wisely.

Monday, April 13, 2015

The Skinny On Skinny

Today as I started into my warm up on an air dyne bike at the gym a man in his late 50's commented on my weight. "You are getting skinny again, losing weight from the baby are you?" "Did you gain much weight to begin with? It seems you're really skinny."

As always I just put a smile on my face and said, "Yeah I'm actually trying to gain weight as nursing is really taking it out of me." This is not the first time this same man has commented on my "skinny-ness." I really wish he would find something else to comment on haha. Men should know not to comment on a woman's weight! Since the birth of my first son I have struggled in the weight gain area. I chose to breastfeed both of my son's, which really helped me to shed some of my pregnancy weight.. My goal was to breastfeed for a year with both of them. David made it a year and Hyram is almost 8 months, still nursing. It is important to me that my children get the proper nutrition and health benefits from breastmilk even if it means that I in turn shed a little too much weight. Heck I eat like a pig! Not even joking! Most days I can keep up with my 225lb husband at the dining table. For real!

The struggle to pack on muscle has really started to bug me. The scale has stayed the same for about 6 months now. Although I'm more muscular than before, I do look a too skinny. When people comment on it I get discouraged because I really am trying to gain!

Skinny is not good. Fit is! There is a fear in me that people think I go to the gym to get skinny. I do not...I fear that people get the wrong idea. Even though I am eager to fuel my body correctly with proper calorie intake and nutrition, I find it hard to gain my desired weight without packing in a lot of junk food. A natural approach is my goal but right now it is looking like I may need to get on a gainer supplement.

If there is one thing you take away from this blog post, I hope you realize that my approach, efforts, and time is not spent trying to get skinny. It is not about being skinny. It is about being fit with a healthy approach. The number on the scale is merely a number. To me it is not as significant. Appearance, function, and strength are what matter. The number on the scale can bite the dust.

PS. Saying someone is too skinny is just as bad as saying someone is too fat. Just saying.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Let The Change Happen

Upon entering the gym even on a crummy day my attitude immediately changes to one that says "let's do this!" Even when there are distractions in my life I step foot in the gym to get goals accomplished. I have seen the changes it has had on my attitude and body. Gym time has become my ME time that I have grown to embrace and appreciate. Without the gym there would be no ME time. There would be no healthy habits, no whole food eating habits, drive to be healthy, and certainly no fitness.

Once you decide to really give this fitness thing your all there will be many changes! Let the change happen! When that change takes place there will be no more excuses as to why you can't get your booty to the gym for a workout. There will be no excuses to why you can't reach your goals. Quite frankly there is no excuse to not commit yourself to a life of exercise, health, and nutrition. THE BOTTOM LINE IS STOP MAKING EXCUSES, DON'T BE LAZY, MAKE TIME, AND LET THE CHANGE HAPPEN!

The changes quickly become your life. Your body and life as you see it take on a significantly greater amount of worth. Self-worth.Confidence. Ambition. Dedication.Humility.

Many will try and fail but those who stay persistent will reach massive goals.

Please do not be afraid to embrace the lifestyle because I promise it will change you for the better. It will change your drive, passion, and strength. I'm talking physical, mental, and spiritual drive. Your humility will boost your attitude of gratefulness. You will see what your body is capable of and you will keep going! Quit will not be in your vocabulary. You will embrace change. If we are not going to let it change us for the better then why do we waste our time with half-ass attempts where we do not commit 100%?

Commitment takes a tremendous amount of discipline. Discipline takes focus. Focus takes drive. Drive takes attitude. Attitude takes humility. Humility takes strength. Strength takes work.

Rant over

Friday, April 3, 2015

Background To My Fitness

5.25 months postpartum with my second son Hyram. pic taken Feb 5th 2015 Weight approx 120lbs.

Where do I begin?
Growing up I was an avid athlete. Much joy was found in anything active including: basketball, soccer, softball, snowboarding, wake boarding, water skiing, knee boarding, track in middle school, hiking, repelling, biking, and I ventured with my parents on a few snowmobiling trips! You could bet if it had anything to do with being active I wanted to be a part of it.

The team sports like basketball, soccer, track, ans softball really picked up pace for me once I hit 5th grade.Growing up, there were not any weekends where I didn't have traveling league soccer or AAU basketball. High School got even more busy in a school district that took basketball very seriously. We had camps all summer long and pre-season ball always started in October which made for a long stretch when most seasons we made it into the playoffs March! That is 6 months of intense ball! Soccer season followed basketball. Soccer was what I excelled at but our team was never very good. I was honored to receive a few opportunities to play college soccer but I decided that I was a little burnt out with sports and declined the chance to play at the college level.

Once high school was over I found that I really missed being so active. Summer came and I took on some city league softball which lasted a season. As I headed to college I was nearing the end of my freshman year in college when I was asked to walk-on for a community college basketball team. For about a month I trained and practiced with the team until summer break started. Over the summer I decided to transfer from Colorado up to Laramie Wyoming thus making my walk-on decision a definite No.

Sophomore year started and at a fast and busy pace. I was not involved in any sort of extracurricular sports and it was showing! The college junk food and partying was taking a hold of me. The freshman 15 was not exactly weight gain, rather muscle turning to flab! I was not unhappy with my weight rather with the way the weight was starting to appear. Most of my muscle mass had decreased due to the lack of physical activity. That is when I realized I needed to get into the gym. As a student I had free access to the Laramie County Recreation Center so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.My knowledge of how to use equipment stemmed from the weight training I did in high school during basketball and soccer so I was familiar with how to use most of the equipment which made for an easy transition.

With the decision to hit the rec center daily, came the decision to shape up on the nutrition end of things. This meant a commitment to cut back on the party food, party drinks, and the late night snacking (yes I went through a party stage). It also meant purchasing foods that I would have to prepare rather than relying on the microwave to do the work. At first all of these changes took my friends by surprise and they wondered what had gotten into me but I must tell you that once I started this lifestyle I began to see immediate results.
Over the span of about 2 months I was able to lose a good 8lbs. The definition in my abs and arms came back very quickly. I felt more energized and wanted to be in the gym ever second I could.

Approximately 4 months into the lifestyle changes I met Dan (now my husband). He too was into weightlifting and had an active lifestyle attitude. We found common ground very quickly. The gym became somewhere we went often. Working out was our hobby together. His knowledge and experience with lifting was helpful and motivating. God knew I needed this! I still do!
Once Dan and I got to know each other better we found out that both of us have a passion for health and fitness. Both of us wanted to someday own a gym and start fitness programs for people.

It came time to say goodbye to Laramie Wyoming and head back to Colorado where I would study Dental Hygiene in Rangely, CO for 2 years. Over that period of time the gym became our second home. I'd hit the rec center in Rangely and Dan would hit the gym back at home in Craig, CO. We'd try to make it together on the weekends when I was home to visit him. We were busy with Dan working at the mine on rotating shifts, me in school with 18+ credit hours per semester where anything below a 75% on any paper or test was failing! You can imagine how stressed we were from being so busy and so far a away from each other. Lifting became a stress outlet. Discipline became second nature.

Dan and I got engaged in December of 2010 and were married in August of 2011. Preparing for a wedding meant getting in shape! Although we were already in decent shape, we wanted to look our best for the big day! The honeymoon is what I wanted to look good for because we went to Antigua! A swimsuit body was a must!

It seems that all of the above was just yesterday! A lot has happened since then. Reasons for working out have changed. Motivations have changed. The lifestyle it takes is one thing that has stayed the same. Since we got married we have had two baby boys. David is 2 and Hyram is 7.5 months old. As I've talked about before we became gym owners just shy of David's one year birthday and we had Hyram within eight months of owning a gym!

The motivation now is we are gym owners! We are parents! Our parents are aging! God created this body!
Although, I still miss sports, lifting/working out has filled that void. My hobbies still include shooting some hoop, wake boarding, snow boarding, hiking, and water skiing, but the gym has had a significant impact on my life.

For the most part I am at a reasonable body figure but would love to gain about 10lbs of pure muscle. This has been hard for me as I nursed both of my babies and I'm still nursing our 7.5 month old. A lot of the information I got from the doctor suggested that nursing would strip away the weigh gain from the pregnancy. That it has! 500+ calories per day is needed to maintain my body so that I am not dropping below the weight I should be at. Weight gain has actually been hard for me as I have a very busy day to day life and the nursing pulls it out of me, especially since I didn't gain a whole lot of weight with either of my pregnancies!

Although I feel more defined than ever I feel like I need to gain weight. Thus being another reason why I've grown to love weight training! It builds muscle! Strength as a mother is important to me. With strength comes the physical, mental, and emotional aspects. To gain all three of these is huge for me as a woman. There is an example I want to set for my sons and for my husband. It also comes down to honoring God with the body HE blessed me with. Healthy choices and exercise promote His work! It is my responsibility to take care of myself for Him and for my family.

Praise God for this avenue He has so graciously blessed me with. Gym ownership with my husband, two boys to set examples for, and a temple (my body) to take care of, and the ministry He provides through all of that. Ultimately it is all HIS!