Finish Healthier, Finish Stronger Project

The month of December & the entire Christmas season is such a wonderful time of year! BUT this time of year can also be stressful, super busy and emotionally draining. All of these reasons and so much more can cause us to lose our joy, allow our health to be less important and can cause us to feel even more stressed and tired.

I'm beginning the {{{ Finish Healthier, Finish Stronger Project }}} for a couple reasons. This is my most stressful time for me as a pharmacist because my pharmacy is steadily busy with sickness during this season. During this time of year it's very easy for me to become so stressed and tired that I begin to just go through the motions, lose focus on my health and not enjoy this amazing Christmas season.  And this season I don’t want to lose focus on my personal health goals, have too many treats or feel like I’ve failed!  

I know that challenge groups work!  I’ve experienced personal success with the help of challenge groups and have watched my challengers have amazing success!

And because I know that there are a few other ladies who are feeling as though they've lost their focus on health, are feeling the stress of the season and the overwhelm during this time of year, this project is for ALL of us who need to feel healthier and feel stronger to finish this year with a bang!

The last month of this year shouldn't be our most unhealthy month, is should be our healthiest! This way we can end out the year feeling amazing, feeling strong and having so much more energy to start the new year off strong!

This project is ALL about our health, strength, happiness and how good we feel! For 31 days, we will focus on what brings us joy, what keeps us healthy and what makes us feel good.

 

You will have me as your Coach for complete support, encouragement and inspiration each day to continue this health journey through the busiest time of year.  You will also have the support of our challenge group, your virtual fit family!  We’ll all check into the group once per day during the challenge.

During this project we will resolve to use the last 31 days of the year to set goals and focus on being healthier and feeling better. We’re going to end 2016 healthier and stronger than when we started. AND we’re going to start 2017 ahead of the game! 

You will have a complete at home fitness program to make fitness simple & fun with workouts you can do anytime from home. As your coach, I will help you decide which program is perfect for you based on your goals.

You will have a complete nutrition guide to help you begin or continue clean eating with the healthiest food choices. And as a thank you for allowing me to be your Coach and purchasing a challenge pack, I will give you the Fixate cookbook full of 100 healthy, simple recipes.

You will be given holiday strategies and tips to stay on track with your own health & fitness while still enjoying the Christmas season with family & friends. December is a month full of parties, treats, drinks and temptations but we can still be healthy and feel our best.

You will have a supplement with superior nutrition that will be one simple meal that you don't have to think about each day. This is a supplement that I wholeheartedly believe in and have used each day for the last 3 years.

You will be given sample meal plans to simplify your busy weeks with simple, tasty recipes that everyone will enjoy.

You will be virtually surrounded by amazing women in a private group who are also focusing on what brings them joy while striving to be as healthy and feel as good as possible. 

Are you ready to finish healthier?

Are you ready to feel your best?

Are you ready to finish stronger?

Let's get started together! I have the privilege of coaching you through your health & fitness journey and cannot wait to begin with you on December 1st!

This is what I’m asking from you:

-- Commit to your fitness with daily workouts (many are only 30 minutes and we can all find time for that!)

-- Commit to your health by eating healthier, eating real food and having one shake per day as a meal that’s simple, quick and gives you one less meal to plan!

-- Commit to checking into the private group at least once per day in our challenge tracker app.

-- Commit to having fun, feeling amazing, having more energy and forgiving yourself when everything doesn’t go as planned!  Because no one’s health & fitness journey is perfect!

This is what you will receive from me:

-- We will discuss your goals for the next 30 days and how I can help you succeed.

-- I will give you suggestions for meal plans and healthy recipes.

-- You will have a complete nutrition guide. We know that nutrition is responsible for 80% of our results!

-- You will be plugged into a private community of strong, inspiring and supportive people on a mission to live healthier and feel better. This group will be your daily support system!

-- I will also give you healthy holiday recipes along with strategies and tips to make this the healthiest December yet!

-- You will also receive a free gift from me when you commit to this challenge by purchasing a challenge pack through my link.  This gift is the Fixate cookbook full of over 100 healthy, simple recipes that everyone will love!

Here's what you need to do:

1. Set me as your free Coach (if I'm not already your Coach) by clicking this link to set up your account. (If you're already working a Beachbody Coach contact them.  This group is only for my current customers or Coaches and those not already working with a Coach.) 
Make me YOUR Coach

2. Email me at kristinratliffhealth@gmail.comso we can begin talking about the best fitness program for you based on your goals. You'll need to purchase a challenge pack from me and I'll be able to give you that information when we decide which program is best for you.

3. Invite your friends because this is all so much more fun with friends!

4. This one is super important! GET EXCITED for this journey!! You're going to feel amazing and finish out this year healthier & stronger!

Shakeology Power Bites

This is one of my all time, favorite snacks!  And the best part is thy are super simple!  And they can easily be customized with any ingredients.

Shakeology POWER Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats (optional)
½ cup chocolate chips (optional if trying to avoid sugar!)
½ cup ground flax seed (because it’s good for you!)
½ cup crunchy peanut butter OR almond butter
1/3 cup honey (optional if trying to avoid sugar!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 scoops chocolate Shakeology (or 2 servings of your preferred protein powder)
Sunflower seeds
Chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into bowl and mix well.
2. Shape into small balls.
3. Store in refrigerator and ENJOY!

Healthy Turkey Day Tips

Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays of the year!  But it's also one of the easiest holidays to indulge a little too much on Thursday and then the whole weekend with family time, leftovers, shopping and football games makes it even easier to get a little of track.  

I absolutely believe in having a few treats every now and then, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to enjoy homemade treats (in moderation of course!) that we wouldn't normally get during the year.  

Before the big day, I like to think about a few things to help me decide how tackle the whole week.
I think about how I want to feel Friday morning and Sunday night.
I set my goals for this week.
I set your intentions for this week.
I think about how healthy and how much energy I want to have the entire week.

These are the things that I'm focusing on this week to ensure that I'm feeling my best and STILL enjoying a couple treats!

1. To eat as healthy as possible up until the big day with intentional healthy food choices. I plan my meals for Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur morning and Friday.  I will eat more fresh vegetables (at least 3 to 4 servings per day).  Salads are a great way to easily add more vegetables each day.  I will increase water intake.  I will watch portion sizes.

2. To schedule exercise each day (including Thursday)

3. To decide which treats you will have on Thursday and which healthy options you're going to be sure to have on your plate.

4. Don't feel guilty about a treat or two.

5. Get right back on track Friday morning with more water, more vegetables and more exercise.

Portion sizes are where many of us struggle.  It's so easy to add a little more casserole, stuffing  or gravy when we're making our plates.  During any holiday, I use a couple simple tips to help me eat healthier.  First, I fill the majority of my plate with vegetables.  Healthy vegetable side dishes and salads are perfect choices. This way there’s less room on your plate for the unhealthier foods! You’ll see this in the picture below.  Then I add my protein onto the plate.  Then after that I will add a little bit of stuffing or casserole once all of the healthy choices are on my plate.

Zesty Italian Pork Chops

Some days I really want to cook, other days I don't want to cook at all!  Tonight was one of the nights that I didn't really feel like cooking, but with the holiday coming this week, I'm staying on track with all of my meals until Thursday's supper treats.  I normally like to roast a couple pans of vegetables on Sunday, but I'm without an oven right now and I'm improvising a little and doing everything on the stove.  

So tonight I cooked super simple pork chops that are so moist and tasty, sauteed zucchini in olive oil and steamed some potatoes in the microwave.  All total super took me about 15 minutes to make!  And Burney isn't a pan cooked pork chop fan normally, but he LOVES these!

Zesty Italian Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Flavor God Italian Zest seasoning
Salt/pepper

Directions:
1. Salt & pepper each chop
2. Combine garlic powder and Italian Zest in shallow bowl
3. Dredge pork chops in seasoning mixture
4. Heat skillet drizzled with olive oil on med-high heat
5. Add pork chops.  Cook 4 minutes each side on med-high heat, then cook 3 minutes each side on med-low heat.

Super simple and super tasty!
Perfect pairings are sautéed zucchini seasoned with Italian Zest and potatoes or sweet potatoes.

The Truth: My CORE DE FORCE Week 1 Experience & RECIPE!

First, I have to say that I love, love, love this program!  It’s a perfect fit for me.  We’ll talk more about that shortly.

I’m going to begin with what this workout program isn’t.  It isn’t easy.  It isn’t a walk in the park.  It’s nothing like the boxing workouts that we all know from way back.  And it isn’t for everyone.  I just knew that Burney was going to enjoy this program, but he didn’t like it at all.  He tried 3 workouts and decided that it’s not for him.  I understand this because every program that we release is not for every person.  

Now, on to why I’m so excited to workout with this program each day!

The workouts are challenging and hard work.  Each move is explained so we all begin the workouts with good understanding of what’s to come in the workout.  It’s physically and mentally demanding, IN A GOOD WAY!  The punch and kick combinations force us to think about and concentrate on how our body is moving and how our muscles are working.  We do have a modifier in each workout when we need to take the intensity down a notch with any of the exercises.  It’s a bodyweight workout, so no equipment is needed at all! 

This is an amazing workout for our bodies as well as our minds.  The two trainers who created this workout have combined moves from kickboxing, boxing and Muay Thai workouts along with bodyweight training and cardio conditioning to produce the most effective MMA-inspired workouts to help us all achieve our fitness goals.  The entire workout focuses on our core with each move, this is what we call the 360-degree core training concept.  This 30 day program (or longer because I’m going to want to complete another round!) is a total body transformation program that is going to change the shape of our bodies.  

When I began, I was concerned about the length of a few of the workouts because I love 30 minute workouts.  There are 8 total workouts in the weekly rotation and we follow a workout schedule provided with the program.  Workout length ranges from 27 to 47 minutes with one active recovery day each week.  Now, I honestly believe that each and every one of us will be able to make time in our day for a workout, even if it’s 47 minutes.  These workouts are so much fun, the time just flies by.  And each workout is broken down into 3-minute “rounds” just like a boxing match, then you have a short break and move on to the next round.

The nutrition component of this program is SIMPLE and based on eating healthy, clean foods in the proper portions.  The nutrition guide is basically like the 21 day fix nutrition concept, and is easy to learn!  During weeks 2 and 3 we bump up our calorie intake slightly because demanding workouts require that we fuel our metabolism with enough food to keep our bodies in fat burning mode! 

My personal thoughts from week 1:

- I LOVE the mix of boxing, kickboxing, bodyweight training and cardio, it’s fun and keeps my muscles guessing.
- It’s hard, but not so hard that I’m frustrated and just want to give up.  The modifier gives me options in each workout when I need a little break.
- This workout makes me feel strong and in control as I’m focusing on my muscle movement in each exercise.
- This workout is great therapy and stress relief for me!
- This program is just what I needed to renew my “try harder” mojo!  I’m back on track and trying even harder to achieve my goals!
- This holiday season, I’m going to be feeling my best, have more energy and enjoy myself even more!

The nutrition guide come with some great, simple recipes to help us all have the best results possible!
Condiments can be so unhealthy for us and full of sugar, this recipe is a great alternative that’s also simple to make!
Here is one of my favs from Core De Force – Maple BBQ sauce!

Chocolate Caramel Shakeology Cups

November 1st I committed to decreasing my added sugars.  I specifically committed to no coffee creamer, no candy and no kind bars for the next 30 days.  And let me just tell you that after only 6 days of not eating these things, I feel amazing.  Now, I wasn't eating much candy or kind bars, but I was using coffee creamer each day.  But even that little bit of sugar has a crazy way of affecting me, causing horrible sugar crashes, changing my moods, causing my skin to break out and just making me have no energy.  Even having just the little bit that I had here and there, once in a while, made me feel horrible.  So this commitment to myself is all about committing to feeling better and having more energy!

Yesterday I wanted chocolate --- so I created the healthiest chocolate that I can ever eat!  Chocolate that tastes amazing and fuels my body with whole, real food, probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals and superfoods from across the globe.  Ingredients and manufacturing practices that I've researched and know without a shadow of a doubt are the best.  Ingredients that fuel my body, make me feel better, help my digestion, help me stay healthy, give me energy, help my skin stay clear, curb my cravings and help me fight inflammation.

Here you go!  Chocolate Caramel Shakeology Cups!

Ingredients:

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology

1 scoop vanilla Shakeology

2 - 3 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp caramel extract

chopped nuts (optional)  I forgot the nuts in mine yesterday :-) 

Directions:

1. Mix 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology with 1 tbsp coconut oil (or more coconut oil if too thick).  

2. Pour small amount into 2 paper cupcake liners (enough to cover bottom).  

3. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes until firm.

4. Meanwhile mix 1 scoop vanilla Shakeology with 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1/2 tsp caramel extract. (this mixture will be thicker, this is good, just spread it over the hardened chocolate)

5. Then spoon the vanilla mixture on top of hardened chocolate.  

6. Pour remaining Shakeology mixture over vanilla mixture to cover completely.  

7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.  

8. Then ENJOY!!   

CORE DE FORCE and Why I'm SO Excited for Monday!

The excitement is sometimes too much to handle!  But I LOVE this feeling!  The feeling of beginning a new workout program, the feeling of knowing that I’m going to have FUN, the feeling of knowing that keeping my muscles guessing every couple months keeps my body feeling it’s healthiest…all of these things keep me excited!  And with CORE DE FORCE, I KNOW I’m going to strengthen my mental muscles while I’m strengthening my body’s muscles.  I’m going to punch, kick, fight and train my entire body and my core for a total body transformation.  AND feel empowered and stronger throughout the entire 30 days!  This is going to be amazing!

This Monday is day 1 for me and I’ve done 2 of the workouts so far, so I know I’m going to LOVE this one!  And I'll have a full week of workouts under my belt before the challenge group officially begins!  So I'll be able to help you all that much more!

So you’re probably wondering what CORE DE FORCE is all about. It’s a mixed martial arts (MMA) inspired workout that combines punches, kicks, jabs and combination moves in a way that we’ve NEVER seen before.  Workouts will work our entire body with cardio to spike our heartrates and bodyweight resistance training with no equipment involved.  We’ll be following a perfectly designed workout calendar and workouts will be 27-45 minutes long throughout the 30 days.   There are 8 workouts total in the rotation.  We will have 4 MMA-inspired workouts, 2 bodyweight resistance workouts, 1 CORE DE FORCE relief workout and 1 active recovery stretch workout and 2 bonus workouts.  Don’t worry, the included calendar tells us exactly which workout to do each day!!  The MMA inspired workouts all have a step-by-step breakdown of the moves to help you learn exactly what to do before you begin the workout – they are super helpful!   AND each workout has an easy to follow modifier so that anyone can workout at a lower intensity while still getting an effective workout.

As a gift, Beachbody also gives us a bonus MMA mashup workout because you’ve committed to your health and purchased the program through me, your Coach!

Are you wondering what we’ll be eating during CORE DE FORCE?
Nutrition is always the key to results with a fitness program.  But don’t worry, this nutrition is simple, real food!  We’ll be eating plenty of healthy, clean food to fuel our bodies and get maximum results.  I also drink Shakeology each and every day for real nutrition from superfoods found across the globe.  Shakeology is my solution for supplying my body with vitamins, minerals, whole foods, antioxidant, digestive enzymes, probiotics, superfoods that I could never buy at the store as well as protein.

We will also have the CORE DE FORCE Eating Plan with food lists, recipes, sample menus and so much more.  This will help us win the battle of figuring out what to eat.  It’s all there for us so we know where to start!  And throughout this challenge, I’ll be guiding you as your Coach sharing recipe ideas, meal plan ideas, clean eating tips, etc.

Has any of this information gotten you excited??
Are you ready to fight to be in the best shape of your life?
Are you ready to have FUN during your workouts?
Are you ready for a high energy workout that's easy to follow?

This MMA inspired TOTAL BODY TRANSFORMATION program will give you an amazing workout. We're going to work out each day with fun & effective workouts that focus on core strength while we train like fighters!

We will begin this exclusive test group on November 14th.
During this group I will share with you clean eating tips, meal planning tips, I will share actual meal plans, help you make it through the big feast without too much damage and still enjoy the holiday!

If you're ready to commit to your health and have fun fighting to be in the best shape of your life, let's get started!
There are a couple things for you to do.

1. Set me as your Coach by clicking this link below
https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=419400

2. Complete this application below for this test group