Marisa - April 26th Spring Cleaning!

It's the weekend! Today is the one day in the week when I stay in bed as long as my body can stand it and try to sleep in. I started my day this morning at 10am and made breakfast for the family. I tried Gimme Lean faux breakfast sausage and was not impressed. My oldest son and husband liked it, but I've had better. I ate it with a wonderful Margarita's Corn Tortilla, some OJ.
and JP+
Lunch at 2pm - Roasted Vegetable Pizza, Fruit leather and water
Dinner at 7pm - Black Bean pattie on whole wheat toast with mustard and a Strawberry/Pineapple Smoothie, JP+

No workout today, but I did clean all day: Both kids closets and drawers, entire utility/mud room, living room, dining room clutter, office area, and got decorations up on the walls. My house is clutter free and everything found a home.

What did you do today?

Marisa - April 25th

Great day! I'm winning so far today...

Breakfast - Smoothie, toast and JP+
Lunch - Spinach salad (pinenuts, dried cherries, and carrots) w/ a stuffed black bean poblano pepper, water JP+
Dinner plan - Citrus Glazed Salmon, Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice Pilaf, JP+

Workout this morning - tough and fun, core conditioning with medicine ball and tubes, lower body and cardio

Busy day and the weekend is right around the corner.
Back to work..

Marisa, - I'm a failing diva! Aha! Moment

I found a little slice of heaven while in Phoenix last Friday morning. It was my priviledge to stay back with the kids and we jumped in the pool at our rental home. While the kids played, I made myself a smoothie, grabbed a book, and sat in the hot tub to read. I don't normally like hot tubs, but this one was just the right temperature, the weather perfect, and the smoothie just cold enough to balance everything out. And, I love to read....Heaven!

It must have been my total relaxation while reading the book, Go for No!, my thoughts were excited. The book is really about marketing, but basically challenges the reader to view failure as a desired, necessary step to success. Set out to get "No's" and eventually you'll get a "Yes!" View the "No!" as a learning experience to push toward the "Yes!" I realized it's correlation to diet, exercise and weight management. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a client say, "I've tried every diet out there and nothing works! I lose weight only to gain it back." or " I hate exercise, it doesn't work for me. I can't stay consistent enough."

My response is,"Keep trying and eventually it WILL work." I assure you if you try and keep trying at making good food choices and exercising, there will be days you will fail. Even days when you fail miserably. But, there will also be days you will WIN! You WILL eat well, workout smart, get enough, sleep, manage your stress, and have a joyful day. The key is to keep trying. I mean really trying, not crash dieting, not binging, not doing a self-instructed killer exercise bootcamp, not chaining the door of the refrigerator. Those things aren't trying, they are repeating a past failure. Quit repeating the failures and try something new. Gather accountability and get help with your plan.

I admit that every day of my week is spent "trying". I have bad days, really bad ones that seem tasty and "worth it" at the moment, then give me agonizing stomach aches for hours, not to mention the bloating. My days are so busy that I could NOT force myself to workout after a long day training. I skip meals when I'm too tired or lazy to make myself something good. I mess up, give in and get discouraged just like everyone else. The reason why I'm not the fat kid that turned into the fat adult, is because I try and try and try.... everyday.

I don't want to get up at 5am to workout, but I do. I do this because I've failed many times trying to fit in the workouts any other time of day. If I don't do it then, I've learned I won't do it at all. I love pizza, cheese, chile con queso, chicken fingers, fatty Chinese food, and big wedge fries from Trudy's. I don't eat those things everyday, because I've tried eating them and I gain weight - I get sick. I bloat. I gain. I fail. So, I found healthier foods that I love too and I eat those instead. That works! I win. It took time, learning about my body, learning how the body works and digests, trial and error, throwing away foods, buying new ones to find those delicious alternatives. And, I keep trying new things. If anyone finds an alternative to homemade Ranch dressing that doesn't have a boat full of salt or dairy, please let me know. I have about 1000 people who would like to know, including me.

I live a superwoman lifestyle. Multi-tasker extraordinairre. Great for the task list, bad for stress. I can't do it all or I fail at stress management. I have to force myself to turn of the laptop, lie down, talk about nothing, and cuddle my husband. If I don't do this, I'll work until my eyes turn red. That's me, that's how I fail. So, I don't do it. Well, I try....

I need 8 hours of sleep. Yes, 8. If I don't get the sleep, the multi-tasking skills dwindle to nothing. I like being efficient. If I start watching a movie or doing a task at 9pm, I know that I won't get to bed on time. So, I try not to start something new too late, I try...

The point is: Accept the fact you will fail. Learn from the failure. Keep trying and make sure it's something new.

Don't do the same diet you did last year that worked, then you gained it all back. Don't start working out at the gym the way you did last year when it only lasted 2 weeks because you got bored or life got hectic. Keep trying until you find what works for you! If you don't give up, you will find it or it will find you!

We never do the same exact workout twice in the studio because we're looking for what works. When we do find what works, we use our knowledge and client's hard work to sculpt a masterpiece. I give people guidelines for nutrition, but I don't tell them EXACTLY what to eat everyday. That's a diet, and I know (science and years of expereince tells me) diets don't work longterm. So, I work hard to help people find what works for them. The foods, the menu, the grocery list, the disciplines, etc....

If you need help from a "multi-failure, fat turned lean, try and try still failing-on-occasion-diva !" Call me, email me, please... http://www.EatWellWorkoutSmart.com

I can help you fail yourself to success! HA!

Marisa - Thursday, April 24th

Whew! What a week it's been. We went to Phoenix for the JP+ conference (which was fabulous) and then 24 after being back home, started with a weird stomach bug that wiped me out for the last couple of days. I never really got "sick sick" just knew that my body was fighting off something with all my energy. I have a hard time resting, so I had to force myself to take it easy and let my body do what's it's made to do.

Today I feel normal again. I won't tell you what I've eaten the last few days, because it wasn't much and my stomach is still sensitive. I did workout again today after a couple of days off. Eased into it with upper body strength training, some squats, and ab work. It felt good.

For the eager: I'm working on a print version of my Eat Well Workout Smart Quick Start phase I plan to be available soon. It's hard work to convey everything I coach into print, but it's going great so far. Soon, very soon...

Steph- Wednesday April 23rd

We've had some great workouts so far this week. Monday was shoulders, biceps, and legs. Started with a warmup on the elliptical into a set of 8 hammer curls, 8 forward raises (palms ups), 8 lateral raises, and 8 overhead presses. Then 2 minutes all out on the elliptical. Then repeat. Next set was ball bridges with a ring between my legs to make my inner thighs work. (My leg muscles are very inbalanced. My outer thighs are overdeveloped and my inner thighs are very week.) Then crunches on the ball and 2 minute burst on the elliptical. Then repeat.
Tuesday's workout was triceps, back, and abs. It started with 3 min on the elliptical. 10 power squats with an upright row. 3 min elliptical. 10 power squats with an upright row. 10 power squats with a "rainbow" pull. 3 min elliptical. 10 power squats with an upright row. 10 power squats with a "rainbow" pull. 10 overhead tricep extensions. 3 min elliptical. 10 power squats with a "rainbow" pull. 10 overhead tricep extensions. 10 ball jackknifes. 3 min elliptical. 10 overhead tricep extensions. 10 ball jackknifes. 10 ball crunches. 3 min elliptical. 10 ball jackknifes. 10 ball crunches. 3 min elliptical. 10 ball crunches and then stretching. Whew! I was sweaty after that one. My heart rate was up the entire time.

I also started Marisa's "Eat Clean" diet on Monday. Monday I tried doing it with the food that was already in our house, which didn't work very well. So Tuesday morning I went grocery shopping and found all kinds of tasty dairy-free vegetarian foods.
Here's my food log for Tuesday.
Breakfast was shredded wheat with vanilla soymilk and a banana.
Morning snack was a Kashi Go Lean protein roll.
Lunch was a Morning Star Farms meatless veggie chicken pattie on whole wheat toast with veggie cheese (it was really good!) and 1/2 cup blackberries.
Afternoon snack was brown rice with black beans and 1/2 cup grapes.
Dinner was Chickpea Curry and a piece of toast.

It may sound crazy, but I feel leaner already. And my stomach doesn't get bloated out after each meal. I thought that cutting out dairy would be really hard, but the alternatives taste just as good!

Check out my Profile Pic

Just so you know where I've come from, I posted a pic of myself in my profile. The pic was taken 1 week after my first son was born. I was at my heaviest weight ever (besides being pregnant) of 245 pounds. I hope that those of you who need to lose substantial weight will be inspired by it. Anybody's body can be redesigned through proper nutrition and efficient workouts!

Steph- Friday April 18th

Whew! It's been a crazy week. I will give you the highlights, since it's all blurry in my mind!
Sunday was a nice powerwalk through Central Austin. Breakfast was oatmeal, lunch was organic salad bar at Jason's Deli, and dinner was grill Thrasher Shark steaks with a spinach salad.
Monday, Marisa kicked my butt with a chest and core combination workout. I was sore until Thursday!! Tuesday was a crazy day.... the only workout I got was while training clients. It was a back and legs day. Wednesday was another crazy day where I cleaned and rearranged furniture all morning, and worked out with clients that afternoon... it was shoulders.

When I weighed on Wednesday I was down to 189 lbs! That's two pounds in one week.

Thursday morning I left bright and early for the Juice Plus conference in Phoenix, Arizona. I was sitting on a plane all morning, walking through downtown Phoenix, and sitting in conference rooms till 10:30 pm. And today was more and more sitting during seminars... but we did walk as much as possible.

The key for this trip was going to the grocery store last night to get healthy snacks. Since we can't control the food choices at the dinners, I brought lower calorie nutritious snacks to eat during the day, and just carried them in my purse. I had an apple, an orange, a Luna bar, and a cute little packet of celery and peanut butter. Anyway, I'm exhausted! Can't wait to share my newfound wealth of knowledge about the science behind Juice Plus!

Marisa - Tuesday, April 15th

Today is one of those days that I wish I had more hours in the day and more energy to make it through. I'm exhausted! After a 17 hour work day, I think of you reading this and I smile. I smile because I know you're either looking for inspiration, filtering for guidance, interested in my weight loss and fitness methods, or just looking for glimpse into my life. All of those reasons help me press on to keep on keeping on. You care. I care. So, I write - in hopes that you're inspired to achieve your best health, best body, and actually enjoy the journey.

Today's workout: Too tired to remember, but I did workout this morning with heavy resistance and abs, abs, abs.
Breakfast: Plain oatmeal with cinnamon, agave nectar, and organic raisins
Snacks: Apple, JP+ Thins and Walnuts
Lunch: Sandwich, Baked Tortilla Chips and Salsa, Apple Juice, Fruit
Dinner: Whole Wheat Pasta, Marinara Sauce, Spinach and Tomatoes in Balsamic Vinegar
Lots of water!

Recap of the day: Trained 23 people, returned 5 phone calls, answered emails, sent emails, made myself and family breakfast lunch and dinner, booked travel plans for the summer, did laundry, monitored a garage remodel, and watched the last few minutes of Biggest Loser. First female Biggest Loser, go girl!

Remember, despite the rapid pace of my day, no breaks, preparing to go out of town, exhaustion, and long list of things undone, I was able to workout, eat well, and drink my water...
Now, I'll go work on a little sleep. You can do it too! Smiles to you!

Monday's Workout

Okay, I'm not exaggerating when I say that Stephanie was already made dramatic improvement. Her stomach is going down fast. She has greater flexibility and range of motion on her finicky old-injured joints and she gave me 100% today. I'm so proud of her!

Today's workout: Intervals using the elliptical, wall ball squats, "batton" arms, pulldowns, golf swings, and killer ab exercises. She's getting more and more sensation and tone near her C-section incision, which CAN be done contrary to popular belief. I think the phrase she used was, "aaaahhhhhhh! burrrrrnnnnnnn!"

As for me, the usual busy afternoon: After training the morning clients and Stephanie in the early afternoon, I wrapped up the taxes, pre-prepped dinner for tonight, threw in a load of laundry and finished the newsletter. I'm currently sitting with my 6 yr old typing away as he watches his favorite show.

Dinner tip: Many people ask me how I get dinner on the table every night without eating out. Here's how it's going to work tonight. I pre-boiled chicken breasts a couple of weeks ago and shredded it. I put it in a gallon size freezer bag and I take what I need for various recipes. It's especially convenient since I prefer not to eat animal products on a regular, but my family does. I'm able to make dishes that I can take out my portion and the rest is easy to blend in for the family. I'm about to toss the brown rice in the rice cooker to steam while I train the last group of the day. I use Organic No-Salt added canned black beans. I'll throw a big bag of frozen blend of green, red, yellow peppers & some broccolli on a cookie sheet stone and broil it until it gets that yummy grilled look, easy, fast and no added fats. I'll toss all the ingredients together, add my favorite homemade taco seasoning, and voila! Dinner time.

Marisa - Monday, April 14th

It was a very busy weekend. We cleaned out our garage for most of the day, then went to a local fitness center so that I could train a client in the water and my kids could swim with Dan at the same time. It was fun and nice to get in a pool. I love to workout and train in the water. Unfortunately, the chlorine exposure caused a pain episode (I'll explain that in another blog) that night and I didn't sleep that well Sat and Sun. I ate horrible on Sunday, we went out to eat. I ordered salad, salmon, rice, and steamed veggies, but also ate some of Dan's wedge cut fries and my Grandma's onion rings. The bad part was that I ate way too much of it and was stuffed to the point of discomfort the rest of the day.

I'm feeling great today. Workout 5:30am - squats, push ups, curls, kickbacks, abs and lots of laughter (I love my workout group - it makes that earlier hour so enjoyable)

Breakfast - Smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, baby leaf spinach, JP+ powder and water. Snacked a couple of hours later on 2 pieces of toast and JP+thins

Lunch (which I'm eating now) - Quinoa pilaf with red and green lentils, spinach and raisins.
Dinner plan is to make burrito bowls - brown rice, black beans, and grilled veggies. I'll add some shredded chicken breast for Dan and the kids.

I've got a great workout planned for Stephanie today. More later...

Steph- Saturday

Today was a great day. Got up and worked out at home. My toddler and I had running races across the kitchen, crunches on the ball, and bicep curls seated on the ball. Then we did fast feet, tricep extensions, and ball roll outs. Then we went for a walk around the block. Later we went to the park and played!
We had whole grain cereal with almonds for breakfast. Banana for a morning snack. Lunch was chicken breast with a homemade olive oil pasta salad. For an afternoon snack we treated ourselves to homemade mini-pizzas made from whole wheat dough, homemade pizza sauce, and provolone. (Only 150 calories per 6" diameter pizza.) For dinner, we had grilled shark steaks, peas, and brown rice.
And the best part of all..... Today I fit into a pair of shorts that I have not been able to wear since September of 2004! (pre-babies) It's amazing how fast your body reacts to this method of training.

Steph- April 11, 2008

Today is a perfect example of how poor nutrition can ruin everything.
I didn't get a work out in, but I still burnt a lot of calories thanks to my active job. I trained two clients and taught a Yoga/Stretch class. By 10 Pm i had burnt 2755 calories, and I'm still going.

Everything was going awesome until my husband said he was bringing home dinner. I said, "Nothing fried." and he brought me home Jack in the Box Sourdough Chicken Jack and seasoned curly fries, thinking he had made a good choice. How badly did that ruin my day?

Well, my total calories in were 2557 calories. (My goal is 1800 calories.)
The total calories for the Jack in the Box meal was 884 calories and 44 grams of fat!
That's a third of my daily calories. And what's even worse... I was still hungry. Plus, junk food makes me feel blah.

The only thing left to do is get some sleep, and get up a little early tomorrow for an extra-intense workout to make up for at least part of that meal!

Marisa (M) - Friday, April 11th Journal

It's a beautiful day outside and I'm energized by the great weather!

Workout 5:30 am - Balance, Stability, Core, Inner/Outer Thigh, Oblique, and Back/Shoulder Bodyweight exercise. One armed push-ups and side planks, ugh! Burned calories like crazy. I'm tired, upper back is still aching. I'm going to drink plenty of water today to avoid the impending soreness.

Post-workout Breakfast - Smoothie with Strawberries, Blueberries, Spinach, OJ and JP+ Complete powder, drank with Juice Plus Fruit Capsules and 2 pieces of whole wheat toast

Yesterday's snacks - fruit leather, apple, spinach salad, black beans and baked corn chips, JP+ Thins, pinapple, JP+ Berry Capsules

Yesterday's dinner - whole wheat pasta, asparagus, green onions, and a little bit of chicken breast sausage (not my favorite, but all we had) drank water, JP+ Veggie Capsules

Not a good day for complete proteins, eating frequency or drinking water. I'm headed to the store to stock up on quinoa, lentils, carrots, other veggies and my usual snack items.

Calories and where they came from

I forgot to add this in!
My calories in for today were 1783.
I ate 29% protein (128 grams), 43% carbs (194 grams), and 28% fat (56 grams) as well as 33 grams of fiber.

My BodyBugg was not working, so I couldn't track my calories out aka calories burned. Usually when I workout and work I burn about 2800 calories, so I should be close to my 1000 calorie a day deficit! (That's equals a loss of 2 lbs a week.)

April 10th Food Log

Breakfast at 8:30 am. 1/2 cup oatmeal. 1 piece whole grain toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Skipped morning snack by accident and my blood sugar crashed. Boo!

Lunch at 12:30 pm. 4 ounce chicken breast with homemade bbq sauce. Salad of baby spinach, tomatoes, and cucumbers and 1 tablespoon of lite asian sesame dressing. A small bowl of grapes.

Afternoon snack at 3:30 pm. One large fuji apple.

Post-Workout Snack at 5:00 pm. (tisk tisk i forgot to pack so I had to dine on gas station food) one chicken salad sandwich and 1/2 of a Monster Juice (a waste of 100 calories).

Dinner at 8:30 pm. 2 Chicken Fajitas (flour tortilla, chicken breast, bell peppers and onions) and 1/2 cup black beans.

Not a day I'd brag about, but calorie wise it was okay. As you can see, I eat small portions every 3-4 hours. It's really helped speed up my metabolism!

My History and First Day

Wow, today was quite a workout. Marisa definitely pushed me harder than I would have ever pushed myself. We did intervals on the elliptical and the treadmill. Then, did heavy overhead presses followed by a torcherous spider walk. Then it was an overhead pullover to tricep extensions (BURN!!!). We finished with some core (which is my weakest part due to c-sections). To understand where I'm coming from, I'll give you my history.

I have always been active. I've played sports since I was 3 years old. However, I never had the best nutrition habits. I had a high fat diet (my Wisconsin based family raised me to be a dairy fiend haha). Because of this, my weight would easily fluctuate after I hit puberty.

When I was 14 years old, I was 5'3 and up over 200 pounds, and that is when I decided to start studying exercise. I began lifting weights and working out everyday on my own besides a.m. swimteam workouts. I dropped back down to about 130 pounds. My sophomore year of high school I began playing volleyball, basketball, and softball besides swimming on a club swim team. Starting my Junior year of high school I was plagued with injuries due to overtraining. I had a bulging disk in my low back that took me out for an entire season of basketball. My Senior year I tore up my right knee playing softball. I was in physical therapy for about 2 years straight, which is what peaked my interest in rehab and post-rehab exercise.

My freshman year of college I went to a small college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on a Volleyball scholarship as a setter. I loved playing ball there, but decided to change my major to Exercise Science, which my college did not offer. So, I moved to Chicago. I began going to North Central College and walked on to their women's basketball team as a point guard. I made it through about half of the season until my knee finally completely blew out. I could not even walk on it!

In August 2004, I had knee surgery, and my weight went back up again. I was back up to 190 lbs. I was frustrated because I had kept the weight of for 6 years, and all of a sudden one injury caused me to balloon back up. Again, I lost the weight and was back down to 150 lbs.

Then in April of 2005 I became pregnant with our first son. I didn't take the time to exercise because I was working full-time, going to college full-time, and had a part-time internship at a physical therapy clinic. And I was eating restaurant food at least 8 meals a week! So i was majorly overconsuming calories. I ended up with gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia because of these bad habits. I also gained 65 lbs!! So the weight loss battle began again!

I lost all 65 lbs within 11 months (but was still overweight), and then SURPRISE! found out I was pregnant with our second son. I ate well and worked out 6 days a week this time. I did not get gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia, and I only gained 24 lbs!

Since November 2007, I have been back in weight-loss mode AGAIN. Can I tell you how sick I am of losing weight?! I'm sure a lot of you can relate. The difference now, is that I have the tools and the education to do it right and make it stick! Learning more about nutrition has been the key. No matter how hard and long I work out, I've learned that it means nothing unless I eat right. Plus, I have Marisa here to keep me motivated and push me to my limits (without aggravating my many injuries). And that makes all the difference! I hope you enjoy watching the trainer getting trained by the master trainer!

Starting Stats and First Workout

Stephanie had a great workout today! High intensity intervals combined with core conditioning and upper body strength training. Stephanie's post tells your more about her background and exercise/nutrition history.

We will re-do her numbers every 2 weeks as the fat just melts away.
Stephanie's starting stats:
Height 5'6"
Weight 190.8
Body Fat 27.7%

Chest 40.75 in
Upper Core 35"
BB waist 42"
Lower Core 44.5"
Right thigh 26.25"
Left thigh 25.875"
Right Calf 16.25"
Left Calf 15.75"
Right Arm 13.75"
Left Arm 13.75"
Back Span 17.25"

That's the last time you'll see those numbers!

Rainy day for a great workout...

Workout 5:30am - 45 minutes of bliss..:) Today's workout consisted of spider-man crawls, squats, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, rows, and a variety of awesome ab exercises. Basic arms, core, and recovery legs day.

Just finished my 1st breakfast. FYI, unless otherwise noted, everything I eat is organic. I made a smoothie with frozen strawberries, blueberries, raw baby spinach leaves, fresh squeezed OJ, and a half scoop of JP+ Complete powder. Yummy! I make a whole 56 ounce blender full and split it with my husband. I also ate 2 pieces of 100% whole wheat toast with a little bit of vegan butter spread.

Yesterday's snacks, lunch and dinner: Snacks throughout the day- fruit leather, almonds, a few baked tostitos with black beans, salsa, spinach leaves with balsamic vinegar, pineapple pieces, and toast
Lunch - Smoothie (didn't have one for breakfast), toast, and spinach salad.
Dinner - Black Beans by themselves, Whole Wheat Pasta, Spinach & Arugula with Garlic & Onion Saute and a big glass of water
It was a busy day and I had to be creative with leftover produce to eat it up before it went bad.

Day One - Thursday, April 10

Good Morning! You've come to the right place for the right answers. Some of the most frequent questions I get are, "How do you eat, live, workout, cook, shop, etc to stay so fit and happy?" So, here it is - full details and helps to illustrate how you can live lean too. There are 2 parts to the blog.

Part ONE: My daily journal and the tricks I use to create vibrant health and life.

Part TWO: Train the Trainer - I'm going to walk thru the method I use with my clients and show you my guaranteed method to weight loss, fat loss, and a lean body. My fellow trainer, Stephanie, recently had a baby and has post-pregnancy weight to lose. I'm going to coach her in nutrition and put her thru the fat blasting 30 minute workouts that we use in my studio. You'll get to see the transformation happen and then decide to get yourself into the studio for the same amazing results.

Here we go!