Are You Taking the Challenge?

Monday, Monday, Monday!  Are you ready, our Clean Eating Challenge begins Monday!

And if you follow that meme above, you’ll surely lose weight because you won’t be eating any food!  Soapy food = yuck! 😉

Read all of the details here, but I’ll give you a quick recap below:

• We’re calling it a “Clean Eating Challenge” because no one way of eating works best for everyone.  So weather you prefer Paleo or Macros or Whole 30, you’re covered!  The big idea here is that you’re paying attention to what goes into your mouth, making an effort to eat well in order to fuel your body & tracking/being held accountable.  Reference this post or this post or this post for more info on the lifestyles (not diets) mentioned above.
• 6 week challenge from Mon 9/14 – Sun 10/25
• Schedule a time with coach Michelle, Stephanie or Amy to take your weight & measurements the week of the 14th.  We will re-weigh & measure the week of Oct. 26th.
• Earn up to 8 points a week – 1 pt per week for turning in a food log for review by coach Michelle, Stephanie, Amy or other coach of your choosing. 1 pt per day for working out, in or outside the gym.
• The most points + biggest weight loss/change in measurements wins prizes!!  Lose weight & win supplements, what’s not to like!?

Seriously, join us on this challenge!  Challenge yourself to clean up you’re eating & really see the changes you’ve been working so hard for in the gym.  Working out is just part of it.  You can’t out train a crappy diet 😉

This post from last year (Why you should take our Health & Wellness Challenge & How to Survive) has lots of helpful tips, recipes, & websites to reference.  Take advantage!  Let your coaches know if you’re taking the challenge, set up your “weigh in” time & be sure to share any recipes & tips in our CF & RISE FB groups!

Let’s do this!

Menu Monday – Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes

Listen up all you macro counting, “if it fits my macros” people – this recipe’s for you! 😉  The Fat/Carb/Protein breakdown can be found below.  But don’t worry, even if you don’t count your macros, you’re bound to like this recipe, too!

These protein packed pancakes hail from Ambitious Kitchen & are great for breakfast, brunch, a snack or breakfast for dinner!

Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 c gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 medium banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 large egg whites or 1 egg
• 1/3 c fat free (or low fat) cottage cheese
• 1-2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• optional: fresh berries, chocolate chips, peanut butter, almond butter

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Coat your skillet or griddle with butter, ghee, coconut oil or cooking spray over med/low heat.
3. Drop batter by 1/4 c onto skillet.
4. Add desired toppings & cook until bubbles appear on top.
5. Flip cakes & cook until golden brown.
6. Repeat until all batter is gone.

Happy brunching!

What are Macros and What do they do???

Today we are putting our focus on macros. You may have heard about them around the box…”I can’t eat that, it doesn’t fit my macros”, “hey what are the macros for that bar?”, “how many macros do you eat?”, “I gotta hit my macros”. Well maybe you are like most people and have no idea what a macro is, much less why people are walking around hitting them.

Macros, or macronutrients, provide the body with energy. There are three main classes of macronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These three nutrients are the way our body acquires in calories and, in turn can function. The percentage of each you should take in varies depending on the person and what your goals are. There are several different diets that focus on macros…The Zone Diet, Eat to Perform, IIFYM (If it fits your macros). Not one will work best for everyone and you should do your research and see what fits your needs and ability most. Here is a link to an article that goes into more detail on each of the individual macros and what their roles are in the body. There is one thing for sure though, macronutrients are super important for your performance and function and you should be consuming a little from each group at every meal!  So read up and eat up!