5 Steps to Making a Perfect Green Smoothie

When I’m not drinking my daily dose of nutrition with Shakeology, I also like to incorporate Green Smoothies into my day as a way to ensure that I get more greens into my diet.   These smoothies are a great way to incorporate more nutrition into your diet in a tasty way. Most people, however, make one crucial mistake when they make their smoothie – they add way too much fruit (which means way too much sugar) and they don’t add a healthy fat.

 

Here is what I would recommend for making a Green Smoothie that is filling, tasty, and has a good balance of nutrition.

1. Add 2 cups of leafy greens into a blender. I like using Kale, but if it is too bitter, you can use spinach.
2. Add 2 cups of liquid to the blender with the leafy greens. I like using coconut water or unsweetened almond milk.
3. Blend the leafy greens and liquid until they are purified…THEN ADD YOUR FRUIT & HEALTHY FATS to the blender.
4. Add 1-2 cups of fruit to the blender – I am a fan of adding a banana and a cup of frozen berries.
5. Add a Tablespoon of Coconut Oil or Nut Butter or even a 1/4 of an avocado to the blender and mix it all up!

Bonus: I like to add in ginger, herbs, spices, nuts, or oats to my smoothies to add more oomph and create a more power packed or satisfying smoothie.

 

The benefit of adding the healthy fats to the smoothie is that it provides some satiety, making you feel fuller longer, plus healthy fats help with fat loss. Also, by limiting the servings of fruit to two, it keeps your blood sugar balanced, especially when you combine the healthy fats.

 

The beauty of blending the greens and liquids first, makes sure that there are no clumps and that the greens are blended perfectly.

 

Hopefully, this helps you with creating the best green smoothie you can make! 

5 Self Care Tips to Reduce Anxiety

When you find yourself stressed out and full of anxiety, life becomes harder and can make every day activities like your job, your sleep, your interaction with your loved ones and community, debilitating and may create even more stress.

Here are 5 tips that I have applies to my life and have shared with my clients to help them to reduce their own stress and anxiety and I hope that one or all five of these help you as well!

1. Focus on your Breathing: Your breath is the key to your balance and can make a huge difference in how your body responds.  I’ve found that most people don’t even know how to properly breathe.  One exercise that I would encourage you to do is to place one hand on your chest/heart and one hand on your belly.  Inhale for 5 seconds, focusing on filling your belly/diaphragm with as much air as possible, then exhale completely for 10 seconds. Repeat this pattern for 2 minutes, working your way up to 5 minutes at a time.  Trust me, this one is a game changer! I do it before I go to bed after a long and stressful day.
2. Listen to Music that Creates Good Vibes & Feelings: Music is such an emotive thing and can evoke positive feeling or negative feelings. You can change how you feel by listening to music and I’d suggest that you listen to songs that make you feel happy or that evoke happy memories. Create a playlist and listen to it daily, especially on your way into stressful situations/environments like a meeting or even family dinners (in the event that all of your family dinners come with a side of family drama :))
3. Exercise and Move Your Body: Sometimes transferring the heavy, stressful, and anxious energy that you are holding inside into something physical can be an amazing thing.  Physical activity can release feel good hormones that combat stress and make you feel better, even if your situation doesn’t change. Try going for a walk or taking a workout class or just putting on some music and dance like no one is watching!
4. Spend Time with Good People:  Do you have people in your life who make you smile or laugh until you almost pee your pants? Do you have people in your life who make you feel better and loved by simply being in their presence? FIND THOSE PEOPLE AND SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH THEM! Don’t use this quality time with them to whine and complain, instead focus on the good – laugh until you pee your pants, embrace and hug until you release your tears, enjoy a meal that fills your heart and your belly.
5. Fill and Fuel your Body with Healthy Food: When you’re stressed, your body and digestive system may not be working as properly as you would want and I know it may feel good to indulge in foods that don’t support and fuel your body, but try your best to eat healthier options.  Support your body and help it to maintain balance by fueling it with healthy foods. Check out  my free Clean Eating Guide ebook for recipes and ideas and you’ll also get access to my free Clean Eating Accountability Facebook group where I share some of my healthiest recipes.

Hopefully, these tips will be helpful for you in managing your stress and anxiety.

3 Tips to Sculpt Your Body

Happy Saturday!

Did you get your workout in today???

Here’s a thought: The body that you want is attainable, but it will require WORK! Quick Fixes won’t cut it and will not give you lasting results.

If you want to sculpt your body and really get changes that will last, here are my 3 tips that helped me:

1⃣ Adopt a Clean Eating lifestyle – Aim to eat as much “REAL FOOD” as possible. Eliminate as much of the the processed, refined, and enriched “foods” that are on the shelves. Choose fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. For more info on Clean Eating, check out my Clean Eating Guide.

2⃣ Add Strength Training to your fitness routine – Many of my clients believed that doing hours upon hours of cardio would be the answer to their weight loss and body composition goals. It wasn’t until they starting picking up weights and adding it to their fitness routine, that they saw their body begin to change. Building muscle turns your body into a fat burning machine and gives you healthy curves and a killer figure!

3⃣ Adjust your mindset – We live in a “Quick Fix” society and we want results ASAP, but the reality is you didn’t gain the weight overnight and it won’t disappear overnight. Learn to be patient and forgiving with yourself and practice self love though this process. Will it be easy, no, but will it be worth it if you stick it out day in and day out, absolutely!

If you are ready to put in the work to reach your goals, I’d love to work with you in my next upcoming Fitness & Clean Eating Challenge.

To learn more, visit http://tinyurl.com/ATFitGroup to learn how we can work together!

My 3 Day Refresh Results!

Well, I successfully finished the 3 Day Refresh and I am proud to say that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.  If you are considering a cleanse, I want to share with you the good, bad and ugly!

The Good:

• Satisfied: I didn’t feel hungry during the 3 days, which was a big concern for me, especially since I am on my feet pretty much all day with training.
• Mental Clarity: I felt that my mind was much more clear and I was able to focus on specific tasks much easier, if anyone knows me, you would know that I am the definition of organized chaos.
• Energy: I found that I didn’t really feel sleepy or groggy, especially during the 3PM slump, I felt energized.
• Improved Sleep: I typically am up each morning around 4AM, sometimes I wake up feeling tired and drag a bit, but each day on the Refresh I woke up feeling refreshed and didn’t wake up during the night.
• Easy to Make Meals: I like that you actually get to eat real food and the recipes that you are given and guidelines make it really easy to find options for all of your meals.
• Shakeology & Vanilla Fresh: I love Shakeology and was happy that I could continue to drink it during the 3 Day Refresh, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the Vanilla Fresh shake! I am hoping that this will become the new Vegan Vanilla formula, if so, I will be in heaven.  It was delicious!

The Bad:

• Stay close to the bathroom! Since you are drinking a lot of water to facilitate the cleanse, you will have to pee quite a lot!
• Although, I never felt hungry, there were times when I felt that I couldn’t finish all of the food and shakes that were required, which could have been because I was full or just was over eating the same thing.
• Since my days are long and I don’t have much time to really think about my meals, I had to prepare all of my meals in advance and ending up eating the same meals and snacks every single day.  It helped to prep the meals, but I will say by the third day, as delicious as it was, I was over my Veggie Stir Fry.  Next time around, I will prepare a bit more variety with my meals and snacks.

• While I wasn’t hungry, I did have two bouts of cravings – one was prompted by a dream I had where I ate an entire bag of Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar Chips and then craved them during the day. The other was a craving for a bacon cheese burger. Random, but I was shocked because I typically crave sweets, so I guess it’s a good thing that I got my sugar craving under control.
• The Fiber Sweep wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t awful. I just had to make it really cold water and made it in a Shaker Cup then chugged it down as fast as I could.

The Ugly: 

• Well, I should say more of the smelly…I did experience a bit of gas during the first day, but by the end of the day, I felt totally fine and no one was injured! 🙂

The Results:

Now, I’m sure that you are more interested in knowing if it actually did work! Well, I am proud to say that I got amazing results!

• Starting Weight: 128.4
• Starting Waist: 27
• Ending Weight: 123.4
• Ending Waist: 25.5

Yup, I love 5 pounds and 1.5 inches in 3 days by eating real foods, nourishing shakes and drinking tons of water.  Plus, I feel rested, energized and not bloated!

As I mentioned, my meals were pretty basic each day:

• Breakfast: Vegan Chocolate or GreenberryShakeology made with Water and I also ate a pineapple spears or apple apple slices

• Mid-Morning: Fiber Sweep (It wasn’t too bad)
• Lunch: Vanilla Fresh Protein Shake (it was so delicious) with Tomato Cucumber Salad made with Lemon Juice, Garlic, and Cumin, and a handful of berries and avocado slices.

• Mid Afternoon Snack: Carrots with Guacamole or Lemon Garlic Green Beans

• Mid Afternoon Tea: Caffeine Free Chai (Unsweetened)
• Dinner: Vanilla Fresh with Veggie Stir Fry made with garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper.

All in all, I would recommend the 3 Day Refresh to anyone who is looking for a way to kickstart or jumpstart their weight loss, find relief if you feel that you have overdone it with the junk food, or simply want something to help you get your body on track with your nutrition.

If you have any other questions or want more information about the 3 Day Refresh, including how to get your own kit and to join one of my 3 Day Refresh Accountability groups, fill out this form and I’ll get you more information! In the meantime, check out this awesome video that talks more about the 3 Day Refresh.

5 Keys to Get Lasting Results with your Health & Fitness

As a Personal Trainer and Healthy Lifestyle Coach, I have many people who come to me looking for quick results with their health and fitness. The reality is, they didn’t get to their current situation overnight. If you want results, more importantly results that will last, it will not happen overnight. It will require Hard Work and Patience. Period. Here are a few tips on how to get mentally prepared for achieving those results that you are looking for.

1.  Make a decision. When we make a decision, we are telling ourselves that we are making the commitment to do whatever it takes to make that change. That is what making a decision is all about it, it is putting a stake in the ground, drawing a line in the sand, it’s saying enough is enough.
2. Get Informed. Understand what will be required of you and from you to make these changes happen. This may mean making sacrifices and compromises. It may mean doing things that you don’t necessarily want to do, but in the end it will benefit you (like waking up early, cutting out TV, or replacing those french fries with a salad).
3. Be patient. I know that it is difficult when you are making strides but you don’t see or feel like you are making progress. We live in a “microwave society” where everyone wants everything to be quick, fast and in a hurry. Well when it comes to lasting, life changing results, that is not the road you want to take. Change takes time and if you keep that in your mind, it will make the process (because it is a process) much easier.
4. Get Assistance. If you find that you need more help to stay consistent, on track, and committed to your journey for change, it is okay, actually it is highly recommended, that you find an accountability partner, support group or even a coach (like me), to help you to stay focused. It’s always easier to reach your results when you feel like you aren’t going it alone.
5. Track and Celebrate Progress. As I mentioned, this will be a journey, not a quick fix and although you may feel like you are not making strides, trust me, you are. Taking photos, measurements, journaling your journey, blogging, or creating videos to document your path to change, can give you that boost of confidence that you are on the right track. Don’t be ashamed to celebrate a victory no matter how big or small it may seem!

I know that you have it in you to get the results that you have always wanted, but it all starts with you making that decision. If you need help, encouragement, tips, or support to get the results that you are looking for click here so we can connect.

The Truth About How to Get Abs

Today I had a conversation with a good friend and client, told me that she wanted to have abs by Christmas.  As much as I know she wants that to happen, the reality is that there are no quick fixes or short cuts to getting abs.  I can be the first to tell you that, as my abs were the LAST thing to show up! But almost 2 years later, they are still there!  Which makes me super happy, because it goes to show that if you want abs, it will mean COMMITMENT & CONSISTENCY!

Many people are going ga-ga over waist trainers, diet pills, weird diets, and shakes to help them get abs.  The reality is that if you want to get abs, you will need to make the appropriate changes to your diet first.  The saying “Abs are made in the Kitchen” is the most valid statement I’ve ever heard, because it was in 2013 that I made the commitment to focus on my nutrition. I started with the Ultimate Reset and lost over 10 pounds (that I didn’t even know that I had to lose – click here to see my journey), from there I continued with learning more about Clean Eating and realizing that it wasn’t a diet, but a way of life.   That’s why I created the Clean Eating Guide to help people understand more about Clean Eating. Once you have mastered eating clean, you will begin to see the changes happen, but 70% of your results will come nutrition.

The next part, is to be consistent with your fitness regimen and that doesn’t mean just doing 1000 crunches a day. It means, choosing a regimen that will challenge you, but also one that you will stick with and do it consistently.  My friend actually injured her knee by running and weight lifting, when she was not ready for it. Now, she is unable to workout and I’m sure feels quite defeated as Christmas is on it’s way and her abs are not here yet.

The moral of the story is – if you want, abs you have to be committed to do the work to get them.  That means eating clean and training mean consistently.  There are no quick fixes, wraps, shakes, pills, or a crazy “fad diet” that will do for you, what simple fitness and nutrition can.  For some tips on Ab Friendly Foods, check out this blog post and if you are looking for a fitness program that you will able to stick with, click here to set up time to chat to find your perfect program.  

Xoxo!

Caprese Stuffed Avocados

One of my favorite things about the summer is Caprese Salads. Each summer I buy a basil plant and I eat from it throughout the summer, which normally involves a Caprese Salad at least 2 times a week.  Another weekly staple is Avocado, so I thought, why not combine two of my Summer Staples to create a healthy, tasty, and Meatless Monday friendly meal.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Container of Cherry Tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
• 1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp of Shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Container of Fresh Mozzerella Balls, chopped
• 2 Avocados, diced and save the skins to serve as bowls
• Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt, Pepper, & Italian Seasoning

 

1. Add the tomatoes, garlic, pepper, mozzarella, shallots and basil into a bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic to your liking
3. Add salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to your liking
4. Mix all together and store in a bowl for about 30 minutes
5. When you are ready to serve, dice up the avocados and add to the caprese mixture and mix together.  Don’t forget to save the skins for the bowls.
6. Scoop a few spoonfuls of the caprese mixture into the avocado skins
7. Top with a bit more of salt and pepper and a final drizzle of balsamic vinegar

 

I served mine with toast points, but will also go great with quinoa, cous cous, brown rice or even with a handful of mixed greens and grilled chicken.

 

Saturday Morning Detox Juice

Saturday mornings I do a kitchen/fridge clean sweep and I had a few fruits and veggies that needed to be eaten or pitched. So I made this juice concoction.

Recipe:
2 Carrots
6 celery stalks
1 handful of beet greens (I had 3 beets on hand)
2 apples

Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised by this combo. The only thing j would have added was lemon, but it was sweet, smooth and refreshing, plus has awesome detox benefits.

Happy Saturday!

Live YOUR Life!

One of my favorite things about being a Personal Trainer and a Fitness & Lifestyle Coach, is that I work with people not just on the outside, but also working with people on their inner self. They physical fitness and health/wellness is only part of the equation. What I find with most people, is that they have put everyone else’s needs before their own. And unfortunately, many times, taking care of their bodies is definitely not a priority.  But I also find, while working with my clients, is that they also have goals and dreams, outside of getting healthy and fit, that they have put on the backburner for the sake of other people.  Here is a video where I share some insight and make my declaration to live my life for ME and to go after my goals and dreams!

What Can Shakeology Do For You?

So many people have been asking me about Shakeology and why I love it so much.  To be honest, and I can only speak for myself, I love the fact that no matter how clean or healthy I try to eat, I know for a fact that Shakeology will always be my healthiest meal of the day!  When I first started drinking Shakeology, about 3 years ago, my diet was pretty crappy. I was the girl who would eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts in one sitting and rarely ate the required amount of fruits and veggies.  So, obviously, my body wasn’t in the best shape and I wasn’t feeling the best that I could.  When I started drinking Shakeology, the first thing that I noticed was that my energy levels dramatically increased. It was pretty crazy, because before I would feel groggy and drag throughout the day.  After about 6 days of drinking Shakeology, I was more alert and able to finish the day strong.  Next, I noticed that my digestion and stomach pains began to go away.  This may be TMI, but I was finally “regular” and I didn’t notice the stomach bloat.  By the end of 3 weeks, I had lost 5 pounds and noticed that my skin was clearer and my nails were growing and were stronger.

Fast forward 3.5 year later and I am still drinking Shakeology everyday. Shakeology now has 6 flavors to choose from – Chocolate, Greenberry, Vanilla, Strawberry, Vegan Chocolate, and Vegan Tropical Strawberry. You are able to get servings of fruits and vegetables, protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, superfoods, supergreens, and more! Yes, you will get a daily dose of dense nutrition that will help you lose weight, increase your energy, improve your digestion & regularity, and make sure that you are getting all of the good stuff in! But, it also, tastes like a dessert! My favorites are mixing in Peanut Butter and Bananas into the Chocolate, OJ and Frozen Mangoes to the Strawberry (tastes like a tropical treat), Almond Butter & Almond Milk to the Vanilla (tastes like cake batter) or even add Trop50 Lemonade and frozen berries to the Greenberry. Yes, don’t they all sound awesome!?

As you can tell, I’m a true fan of Shakeology and it has been a life changer (literally) for me. If you want more information about Shakeology, comment below or you can visit http://www.myshakeology.com/allisontibbs.