Monday, June 10, 2013

How to get back on track with your nutrition!

The answer?  Make a Plan!!

And yes I have some great ideas for you!!

For clean eating, plan out your day with REAL food that you enjoy. Any fruit and veggies you like, nuts and seeds, and lean meats. Take 1 day/week to plan it all out, buy it and get it all in baggies.

Example day:
Breakfast: Smoothee for breakfast. Have your blender ready the night before. Add milk of your choice, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen blueberries and some Shaklee 180 protein powder. Blend and go!! (There are many other great tasting recipes for smoothees!  You can find one that you'll love and crave!)

Snack: yogurt with fruit.  I just discovered this yummy Chobani brand that I love!  It's only 100 calories and this coffee w/ dark chocolate is great!!  Drink a glass of water.

Lunch: salad with avocado and strawberries and lean meat! Drink a glass full of water

Snack: 1/4 cup of nuts and fruit.  Drink a glass of water or some green tea!  I drink the Shaklee 180 pomegranate tea for a metabolism boost!  I love it hot!!

Dinner: protein the size of your palm, complex carb (sweet pot OR brown rice) the size of your fist and half a plate full of veggies (either baked, steamed or a big salad!!)

If you need another snack before bed keep it to less than 100 calories. A spoon of peanut butter usually does the trick for me!!

As you can see, everything before dinner can be on the go and pre planned and packaged the day before. Buy yourself a small cooler to throw your snacks into so you can take it to work with you!! Having a plan with be the key to your success!

Take some time to plan out different dinners to cook at home and buy all the ingredients for the next 7 days. Write your menu and post it in your kitchen so you'll remember what your plan is later in the week.

I keep dinners simple. Lean meat in the George Foreman or grill, steam or bake some chopped veggies drizzled with olive oil and add a sweet pot or steamed brown rice!! Dinner is done!!

What questions or comments do you have?  I'd love to hear from you!

At first if may seem overwhelming but give it a go!! You can do it!

Dedicated to your success!
Sara Oliver
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Getting on a soap box

Today I want to talk about what our ultimate goals are.  This email may be for those of you who are within 5-10 pounds of your goal weight, but I'd like everyone to read the email all the way through and I'd also love your feedback!!
 
Please choose from the following what goal you are striving to achieve the most:
  • To be at a healthy weight I can maintain with exercising 4-6 days/week and eating clean the majority of the time.  To be happy with what body that brings to me.
  • To be skinny at the cost of losing some muscle because I love weighing: ____(fill in the blank).  When I am at this weight I feel my best (mentally).
Ok, so yes I am setting this up.  

I'd like to present to you an argument today that the scale isn't the whole story!!  And that option one is the goal and I hope you can grow to want more than option 2!!

We reach a place in our weight loss journey where obsession can take the place of what was once a good goal setting journey.  We started out wanting to lose weight and we did it!!  (Let me say again this argument is for those of us who have reached our goal weight but are now facing another delimna)  

We reached our goal.  Now what?

Are you happy?  Content with what you see in the mirror?

This is what may surprise many of you: I have never met a women that is 100% happy with her body!!  And let me tell you, I've trained some beautiful women with what the world would call, perfect bodies.  But not to them.  Not in their eyes.

This is what is sooooo interesting to me!  And something, as a fitness professional, I struggle with sometimes. 

Heaven forbid, I help you reach your goal weight and never set you up to be emotionally stable/happy & spiritually strong enough to be ready for the thoughts of critism that will still arise in you about your physical body!

So there, I said it.  We will continue to look at what we don't like about our bodies, all the while admiring in others their best features. 

Once our goal weight is achieved, my hope and desire for us all would be that our goal changes away from a number on the scale, and instead to being healthy.  (Nothing wrong with weighing ourselves and keeping weight gain in check)  But what I'm saying is that we then begin approaching fitness as a lifestyle that will produce low cholesterol, and a strong heart, clean arteries, strong bones, a longer life to enjoy with others, more flexibility, greater energy to enjoy life, better sleep, and to decrease our risk for disease. 

A word of caution:  if you instead continue to focus on becoming thin at the cost of losing bone denisty, etc, then what good is being thin?

Only you know what habits you are living out day in and day out.  I'm not preaching to anyone specifically, rather a word of caution and a word to encourage us all to pursue a balance in nutrition that fosters health!  Health in mind and body.  Not a way of eating that is unhealthy to just to fit into a certain size.  

Does that make sense?

Yours in health,
Sara Oliver
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.GoodHabits.MyShaklee180.com
 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?

Priorities.  What are yours? 

I hope taking care of your health falls in there somewhere high on the list.  You only have one body.  If you don't take care of it, where will you live?

Why is it that we will spend money of movies, popcorn, getting our nails done, eating out, and a $5 cups of coffee, but we balk at buying a $8 piece of salmon from the grocery store or purchasing a canister of high quality protein for $40?  It's crazy!!  Priorities.

I really do believe that if you spend money now on your health and save a ton of money later down the road on medical bills!!

The biggest hurdle I believe some clients struggle with is spending money on high quality food.  

How many times have you gone to the store, without a plan, dropped $200, and gotten home only to realize you still don't have anything to eat!!!?

You have to PLAN your menu before you go to the store!!  Sit down and write out your dinner for the week!  They don't have to be hard, gourmet meals.  Keep it simple.  I usually do a lean meat on the grill or George Forman, brown rice in the steamer or a baked sweet potato, with a lot of veggies (either a big GREEN salad or baked or steamed veggies!)  Simple!

Let me just say this, if you'll plan your menu, and then choose high quality food, when you get to the check out counter, it is not that much more if you shop properly.  Remember, you shouldn't won't be grabbing the processed food out of the isles or the frozen dinners from the freezer.  Instead, you'll be spending your money on:
  • fruits & veggies (order from www.RawfullyOrganic.com by Friday and I'll pick up your box for you for $6)
  • wild caught fish
  • organic red meat and chicken
  • Hummus
  • whole grain breads
  • nitrate/nitrite free deli meats
  • almonds, walnuts, pecans, flax seeds, chia seeds
  • natural nut butters
  • brown rice
  • olive oil and coconut oil
  • coffee wink
  • eggs
  • yogurts
  • fat-free milk or almond or coconut milk
  • frozen, organic fruit for smoothees
I promise, you'll check out and be amazed!!  Your bill will be less than $200 and you'll have a ton of good food to eat!!

Here's a perfect day of eating healthy:
  • Breakfast:  Blend a Smoothee every morning with frozen fruit (possibly throw in some greens too!) and Shaklee 180 Protein!! 
  • Snacks: nuts and fruits OR oatmeal! 
  • Lunch:  GREEN salad with lean meat or cottage cheese added 
  • Snacks:  same as above 
  • Dinner: lean meat, veggies and brown rice or sweet pot
Yours in the journey,
Sara Oliver
www.GetToBootCamp.com

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

How to lose the muffin top!

Sorry to break it to ya, but you can't crunch or even plank your way to a six-pac!!  No, you have to eat super, super clean to get there!!  Guess what?  We all have abs under "there", we just have to get rid of the "there" to see them.  Haha!

Now, cardio will help burn fat, yes!  But considering what stores fat may be the best approach to getting rid of it!  

So how do we store fat?

We store fat best when we increase our insulin levels.  Insulin pushes fat into storage mode fast to balance the body.  

Translation:  Lower your sugar spikes and sugary foods and you'll lower your body fat%.  

Challenge:  Go off all desserts, sodas, and breads for 3 days straight and here is what I can promise you:
  • You'll feel better!
  • You will STOP having cravings for junk!
  • You will feel thinner (Oh-because you will be!  You'll start to be a fat burning machine instead of a fat storing machine)
  • You'll want to keep it up.  And keeping it up will lead you to the results you seek!!
What you can eat:
  • Shaklee Protein drinks (NOTE:  The NEW Shaklee 180 products that are coming out in January will have LOWER sugar content than the Cinch products do now. But as always, Shaklee never uses artificial sweeteners.  Shaklee 180 Smoothees will be sweetened with natural cane sugar and stevia.  Balanced with the right kind of protein that preserves muscle, this is the perfect food for your post-workout meal and will help you burn fat)
  • Lean protein:  egg whites, lean chicken, fish and red meat.  (Keep red meat to once/week)
  • Healthy fats:  nuts (almonds and walnuts), natural nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados
  • Healthy carbs:  all the green veggies you can get your hands on, and keep fruit to one/day when trying to lower you body fat %.  You can also have a fist-size of either a sweet potato OR brown rice OR oatmeal/day.  Focus on veggies though!
  • Green tea & coffee!  Yippee!!  Keep the sugar and fat away from your coffee. 
A word about artificial sweeteners:  When eliminating sugar it's tempting to add in artificial sweeteners.  Don't!  Your body doesn't need chemicals to replace sugar.  Instead try dialing down your sweet tooth.  Like I said above, after 3 days cold turkey, you'll be fine!

Having said that, a safe sweetener is stevia.  So you can use this in moderation.  Keep some packets in your purse for when you order unsweet tea at restaurants, or just order water!

Here's to lowering belly fat and exposing the 6-pac below!
Yours in health,

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com

www.GoodHabits.MyShaklee180.com 
713.515.5081 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

My next 7 day eating plan

Turn "I WISH" into "I WILL"
 
Are you thinking, "Easier said than done..."?  

Well, I say, "Not really!"
 
Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut of bad habits.  Poor eating habits can keep us from reaching our goals.  And poor eating habits are sometimes hard to turn around because we don't feel good (from eating poorly), so thinking clearly to make a turnaround is hard.
 
So take ACTION!
 
Get a piece of paper and and write out how you know you should eat for the next 7 days.  Now make a grocery list to pick up on your way home from work today. 
 
You CAN eat clean.  You CAN reach your health and fitness goals!!  And once you're back on track with clean eating, you will also WANT to get to your next boot camp workout!!

Here's my next 7 day plan:
 
Breakfast:  I always begin with a Shaklee protein drink and Shaklee Vitalizer strips (all my vitamin needs)
 
Snack:  Oatmeal w/ walnuts
 
Lunch:  Big salad w/ avocado and either another protein drink or chicken.  I'll also have more raw veggies with hummus!
 
Snack:  Cinch snack bar: 120 calories and 10 grams of protein!  (You can do this too or have a handful of almonds w/ a small piece of fruit)
 
Dinner:  Lean meat (the size of my palm), 1/2 plate full of veggies and maybe a potato or quinoa serving (the size of my fist)
 
Snack:  small bowl of popcorn (100 calories)

That's my template above!  That's my healthy habits that I follow daily!  My next 7 days of dinners:
 
Tonight:  Chicken with some deer sausage cooked on George Foreman.  I cook it topped with onions and bell peppers.  We'll have some zucchini and squash that I bake in over for about 45 minutes.  I chop them up, drizzle with olive oil and bake!  Family favorite!  I'll also make some Quinoa tonight.  You cook the Quinoa in 15 minutes.  Mix in a can of black beans, can of corn, chopped cilantro, olive oil and lime juice and cummin.  I eat on this all week.  A serving is the size of my fist.
 
Wed:  Bean Burritos.  I open a can of fat free refried beans and a can of chicken.  Mix them together and fill tortillas with them and lay them in a pan.  Then pour a can of enchilada sauce over the top and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  Serve with a side of veggies.  We will have steamed broccoli and carrots. 
 
Thurs:  Chili in a crock pot.  Easy!!  Serve with brown rice and veggies!!
 
Friday:  Take left over chili and make enchiladas. Just roll chili in tortillas and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with veggies!!
 
Saturday:  Grilled Pork Chops on grill w/ sweet potato and steamed veggies.
 
Sunday:  Fish.  We like to bake Tilapia in over for 15 minutes.  So easy!  Add a big salad or steamed veggies and dinner is done!
 
As you can see I keep it simple here.  I'm not a gourmet chef.  I just keep to protein, veggies and healthy carbs for dinner.
 
Have a plan.  Without a plan you plan to fail!
 
Dedicated to your success!

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I AM Adventure Boot Camp

This week I have heard so many great success stories from boot campers! It reminded me of why I love what I do so much. I am going to start doing some short interviews with some of our campers (and hopefully you too) so they can share their amazing stories in a new series called “I AM Adventure Boot Camp”.

Have you ever heard the metaphor about the Dead Sea?

It goes like this.  One day a preacher asked, “What is the one body of water in the world where nothing lives?” Many would know and say “the Dead Sea”. Then he would ask “why is there nothing living in the Dead Sea?” Many would say “the salt content is too high.”

He would say “right”. But then he would ask “why is the salt content too high?” Then they would be stumped.

He would go on to explain to them that the reason the salt content is so high is because the Dead Sea is at the lowest altitude and water only flows into it. No water flows out of it. It is only a taker. Therefore, no life lives in it.

As we gain our freedom it is very important that we help others gain theirs too. It effects your self-esteem. Your subconscious will know that not only do you have intrinsic value but you are helping people and adding value to the lives of others and therefore you are of a great value to the world.

I am not insinuating that you or any of the campers that are in camp are takers, but rather that sometimes we do not understand the value that your story will have to some other ladies that are still stuck.

One last thing, by sharing your story you become a leader. Once you proclaim something it will have a positive effect on you sticking to the actions you know you should be making. So, by helping others you are really helping yourself in a big way too.

I hope you will share your story!

I want to send out a BIG thank you to Sally Hargrave for sharing her story below.

Please join me in congratulating Sally on her wonderful committment to her health— and feel free to give Sally  a “virtual High-5″ by commenting below, or in person at our 5:15 AM Dow Park camp. 

This is just the beginning, Sally!  You are a committed, kind, confident and strong woman.  Your health journey is sure to inspire many and I thank you for sharing your story.

I AM Adventure Boot Camp.
Name: Sally Hargrave

Age: 51

What do you do when you're not at boot camp? I keep my 2 yr old granddaughter 5 days a week, run a personal shopping service for my family, and I'm chief cook and bottle washer.  I love to play tennis any chance I get and am enrolled in a cardio tennis class that meets two nights a week.


Family? Married  for 33 yrs with four grown sons,  a  daughter-in-law, a granddaughter,  and a grandson on the way.


ABC birthday (when you started)? October 22, 2007


Is this your first camp?  If not, how many camps have you done? This is not my first camp.  I have not missed a camp since I started 5 yrs ago!


Why did you join ABC? I was already playing a lot of tennis and jogging but I never got the results I was looking for.  I hated being in a gym and thought I could at least give it a try for a month.

What are your fitness goals? I'm always trying to keep my heart healthy and avoid diabetes that runs in my family.  My fitness goal is to continue to keep my body and mind as strong and fit as I can as I age.


What do you love most about ABC? There's a lot of things that I love about it.  I guess it's the feeling that it gives me.  Strength!  Inner strength AND physical strength.   I love that it energizes me when I start my day with it.  I love the variety that we get throughout each  session.  I also love that I have met some really nice people over the years who've pushed and inspired me to keep moving through whatever.


Did you have any fears or concerns before you started ABC?  Do you have those same fears now or how has the program affected those fears? I really had the fear that I wouldn't be able to handle it. That I would be too old or too slow or too out of shape.   I almost talked myself out of signing up.  Just the words "Boot Camp" sounded a little scary to me, but I jumped in with both feet and signed up for 5 days a week for the first session and never missed a day.  I was totally hooked after the first couple of days even though I was sore because I started seeing results immediately!    I haven't had those fears since the first day I went.  There was nothing scary about it and no one expected me to do anything that I wasn't physically capable of doing.



What has surprised you most about your experience with ABC?  That great feeling it has given me.  How bad I feel when we don't have it because we're off for a week, and how much I can't wait to get back to it.   Also,  how quickly I lost inches and over the years,  pounds that I never thought I would lose. How it's completely reshaped my body and how much younger I feel because of it.


What results or accomplishments are you most proud of? Arm muscles and Jogging a whole mile without stopping!  That's a big deal for me.  Also the fact that I've stuck with this for 5 years without stopping.   Also a big deal for me.


What's your favorite healthy snack?  Seasonal fruit or avocado


What's your favorite cheat meal? Mexican Food with chips, queso, guacamole and the works!


What tips would you give others about making it to boot camp every day?   Set your alarm and put your feet on the floor when it goes off. Once you're up it's easy:)


What about ABC makes you laugh?  People.  There's something funny that someone shares on most days, people cracking little jokes, laughing about the music that's being played. It's a lighthearted bunch of people that want to have fun while they workout.


Favorite ABC exercise and why?  I love lower body days.  Lunges, spiderman lunges and any kind of abs on our mats.  Also the days we workout on the big balls.  Those are great workouts.


Least favorite ABC exercise and why?  Running the hills and the mile.  It's a mental thing with the mile,  and the hills give me what I call "booty lock" or really tight glutes and ham strings for the day.


Your advice to prospective boot campers?    
Don't be scared to try.  There's at least one other person already out there that's just like you,  or started where you're starting.  There's a great group of women that will encourage and applaud you along the way.   Show up and give 100%  if you want results.



Sara Oliver, Master Trainer, OwnerSara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081

Friday, September 21, 2012

Nutrition 101 & Supplementation Explained

I host a Nutrition Conference Call once a month.  If you missed this month's call, you can call in at your convenience to listen to it as of now!  When asked for the Reference Code you can just enter the Access code again.
Playback Number: (213) 417-9299  
Access Code: 586204#

Supplementation: Is it necessary?  Yes it is!  You'd have to eat over 4000 calories/day to get all the nutrition you need.  We recommend the Shaklee brand when it comes to supplements because they've been around for 50 years, they have very strict screening process and they Always Work, are Always Safe, and Always Green.  They are whole food supplements and not synthetic.

What supplements should you take?  Everyone needs a multi-vitamin, omega 3s and probiotics daily!  Women also need calcium.  

I recommend Shaklee's Vitalea (multi).  It's only $23 for a 2 month supply!! 

If you're ready for more, then I'd recommend their Vitalizer strips.  These contain the multi-vitamin, omegas 3s, vit B & C and probiotics, conveniently packaged in a strip!  Try it for 30 days and I promise you will feel so much better!!  

Shaklee has a 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.  

Go to www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com to order today & shop their entire line! 
Call me if you have any health issues you'd like to discuss.  Shaklee may have a solution for you!  I've helped my sister get off all her medication for fibro pain, and through Shaklee, I've also been able to see people lose weight (myself included!), gain energy, have less joint pain, get better sleep, increase their immune system and have overall a higher quality of life!

So, yes, Shaklee has helped me lose about 20 pounds this year.  I found myself struggling with the scale this year and finding myself very frustrated when I'd lose 5 and gain 5, months in a row!
Well I'm happy to report I've finished losing 20 pounds and it feels so good!!  

I finally turned to a structured plan to help me!  I'm like you:  a mom, wife, busy busy busy and as much as I'd plan my meals and have mostly healthy habits, I was also indulging on date nights and enjoying too many calories....obviously!!

I've been doing Shaklee's Cinch Transformation plan now for 5 weeks and I lost my last 10 pounds in just 4 weeks!  

The Cinch Transformation WORKS because it's a structured PLAN!  I wouldn't even say that Cinch is a diet.  I don't believe diet's work, Good Habits Work!
And Cinch gives you that structure with the easy-to-prepare meal shakes, snack bars, meal bars and journal to teach you how to eat real food along with the plan.  

The Cinch plan gives you:
  • balanced nutrition
  • the correct amount of calories needed each day (it's not too low)
  • the right amount (and the right kind) or protein to help preserve your muscle as you lose fat!
We've also started an "It's a Cinch" group on Facebook.  Everyone is losing about 2-4 pounds/week!  Join us!  We are here to encourage each other each and every day!

If you want to get your Cinch Transformation pac today, go to www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com  or call me at 713-515-5081 and I'll answer any questions or reservations you may have.  And if you put it on Autoship for 3 months your 4th month is FREE!  (You can cancel Autoship at anytime)

If you're already a Shaklee member log into www.MyShaklee.com

Dedicated to your success,
Sara Oliver
713-515-5081
saraoliver@gettobootcamp.com