Easy Healthy Turkey Chili

This Turkey Chili Recipe is SO easy, only takes about 40 minutes to make and is packed with healthy ingredients :) This will make 4 hefty servings :) 

Ingredients

1tsp EVOO

1 pound 93% lean ground turkey

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1.5tsp ground cumin

1tbsp chili powder

1/2tsp sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne peper

1 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can all natural diced tomatoes, no sugar added (not drained)

1/2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over med-high heat

2. Add turkey, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until turkey is no longer pink (approx 5-8 minutes)

3. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper; cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute

4. Add beans and tomatoes (with liquid). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gently boil, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes

5. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese

ENJOY

How Progress Pics Helped Self-Confidence

For the past 16 years I've struggled with self-confidence and body image. By age 14 I was anorexic and suicidal and while it was only for a short time, the impact of those feelings has stayed with me over the years.

Always seen as "the skinny girl" and struggling with massive hormonal changes, I could never really figure out who I was or see myself as a woman God created in His image and likeness, and to this day there are still brief moments when I struggle with these feelings, but overall, especially over the past 13 months, my mindset has shifted in a far more positive direction.

I started my fitness journey 6.5 years ago to get rid of stress in my life. At that time I started, I'd managed to maintain my weight of 118 pounds for about 3 years and while I dreamed of having a toned body like the girls in movies and magazines (at the time I had no idea how airbrushing affected the industry) I didn't think I could ever come close to achieving those results without hours upon hours at the gym and limiting what I was eating.

So I worked out for 30 minutes/day, 4 days per week, pretty much ALL on the elliptical and I felt great! My energy was up, had almost 0 physical results, but I didn't have stress and that was why I had started in the first place so all was good :)

About a year after making fitness (aka the elliptical) a part of my lifestyle I started to get a little frustrated, I'd been in the gym for a year and saw tons of girls with toned abs and great thighs, why didn't I have that?? I was working out, I ate fruits and vegetables (and a lot of other things I didn't realize were total crap at the time) why didn't I have that body?

After 3 years of my elliptical journey, my friend introduced me to proper nutrition and balanced fitness with weight training! Within about 6 months I could see a huge change in my body, I was toned, I was lean, I was feeling AWESOME!

Fast forward 3 more years to January 1, 2014. I had ignored proper eating habits while overcoming a knee injury from August 2013 and I felt like I was in the worst shape I'd been in since before the elliptical days. I felt soft and did NOT enjoy looking in the mirror.  My clothes didn't fit the right way and I was 123 pounds, the most I'd ever weighed (something that was really bothering me at the time). While it's not heavy for most people's standards (including my own), what I FELT was not good. I was starting to hate my body...

 

   

About 13 months later, it's February 16th, 2015 and I am the happiest I've ever been in my entire life and I owe so much of it to progress pictures and tracking the little things for putting it all into perspective! I'm now between 125-126 pounds and I've never felt healthier! I have a balanced diet, read God's word daily, exercise 5-6 days/week, have quality conversations with my husband every day, listen to at least 15 minutes (usually more like 45) of personal development every day and work at least 50 hours/week. I don't say this to brag, I say this to SHOW you that SO much of your struggle is in your own head. It's you vs you! Stop looking at the scale to show you your accomplishments, look at yourself, look inside, look to your relationships with God and those you love! THOSE are the areas of life that help you measure and see if you're on the right track. Yes it takes work, it doesn't come naturally, but the small seemingly insignificant tasks are the ones that make the biggest impact on your life in the long run! 

Here are a couple areas where I made changes that helped me and I hope they can help you too:

1. Reading/listening to Personal Development (I'm going to be creating a tab of books I've listened to so you can get started)

2. Committing to follow the schedule of the exercise program I'm doing at the time 

3. Reading God's word/intentionally praying every day

4. Taking progress pictures in the same bikini at least every 60 days (I shoot for every 30)

5. Repeating to myself "Don't compare yourself to others, God made you exactly how He wants you to be" 

Like I said, I still struggle, but these 5 things have drastically changed my life for the better over these past 13 months, I hope they can help you too! And if they do or if you need help, would you please email me and let me know? I'd love to hear your story! 

samanthamarlett@gmail.com

52 weeks ago

52 weeks ago I posted this on Instagram...

I had a dream and a vision to help 100 people transform their lives and in the process transform my own life as well. 

52 weeks later I haven't quite changed 100 lives, but I've transformed my own life exactly how I had envisioned.

52 weeks ago I was a full time ER nurse working night shift and just trying to survive. 

52 weeks ago I started to see a change in my business and my team

52 weeks ago my self-confidence was low

52 weeks ago we had $17,000 worth of more debt

52 weeks ago I was struggling with my fitness

52 weeks ago I believed in my dream

I took the whole "new year" opportunity to an extreme last year, I wanted a FRESH start and that's exactly what I gave myself. Put the past behind you and know that YOU design your future. 

In the past 52 weeks I've helped over 50 people transform their life with their health and fitness, I've gotten off of night shift and cut my hours back to part time, I've continued to build an amazing team of people committed to helping end the trend of obesity, my husband and I have paid off over $17,000 of debt and accumulated $0 of debt, I'm now in the BEST shape I've ever been and have had a FULL year of ZERO injuries....

I say this NOT to brag, but to show you that when you TRULY believe in your dream, create your vision, map it out and WORK hard for what you want, you WILL achieve it!

Make this year your fresh start. You have nothing to lose and your dream life to gain! Get after it! :) 

What's your #1 goal for 2015? Hold yourself to it and post it in the comments :) 

Happy 2015!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! 

Enjoy your time with your friends and family and don't over think these next few days. Don't over indulge, but enjoy yourself, this day only comes once a year :)

4 Simple Tips for a Healthier Christmas Day
1. Get a Christmas workout in

2. Make sure to eat tons of fruits and vegetables before you head over for seconds or desert

3. Drink water between cocktails/alcohol

4. Don't over do it *moderation is key*

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Day 1 of Insanity Max:30 Modified

WOW

Oh my goodness

That was an AMAZING workout

    

I may only be 25, but with my history of knee injuries in the past, and with listening to my body throughout 2014 and getting my best results yet, I'm not risking injury again. Insanity Max:30 is going to help me stay away from those injuries because, not only did they include a modifier, BUT they have a split screen option to where I can SEE the modifier the ENTIRE program! BRILLIANT!

So I haven't done a lot of cardio this year and was a little nervous going into day 1. But I want you to know I killed it! Even modified I still got my heart rate up AND maxed out! (what is maxing out? you go as hard as you can for as long as you can and when you need to take a break, that's your max out time) 

I wouldn't call this a beginning program, but if you're fairly active or recently started getting active, the modifier can be the perfect ease in option for you :) I took before pics and measurements so I'll be sharing those throughout too :) 

Any questions so far about the program, the meal plan, etc?

Just post a comment below and I'll answer them for you :)
***Oh and don't forget to subscribe so you can get updates***

How to survive the Christmas parties

Here's a  4 step guide to how I survived 2 Christmas parties in 2 nights! 

Normally I give in, but this year has been my BEST year of health and I didn’t want to quit on month 12, so I created a plan. I knew I still wanted to have cookies and alcohol, but I didn’t need to over indulge, so I planned.

            Step #1: I planned to workout during the day of the party, extra goodies on top of no workout is a bad idea…. so make sure to get that workout in and go hard on party days
Step 2: The next plan was to eat well throughout the day of the party, I made sure to get my typical turkey bacon and eggs, fruits, veggies, etc J There’s nothing worse than eating terrible all day long then adding more bad choices on top of it…set yourself up for success and eat well that day

The trick is the next part…

Step #3: I planned to drink my shakeology about an hour before the party started. This was the WINNER! I’ve done the first 2 steps in the past and still failed at the party, so step #3 made a huge difference! Why did it make a difference? A couple reasons:

            1. It kept me full. When you’re full it’s a lot harder to over indulge and eat until your pants come unbuttoned.

            2. It curbed my cravings. I have a HUGE sweet tooth, but when I prep with shakeology, the sweet tooth melts away. I actually want to eat more healthy food instead of sweets.

Step #4: I planned to only have a small amount of alcohol. Alcohol will sabotage all of your progress if you have too much. I’m sure this is a step a lot of people would like to skip since it’s part of the season, but this step right here makes a BIG impact on your results!

I hope these 4 steps help you during your Christmas parties as much as they’ve helped me! If you want more details on Shakeology, be sure to email me (samanthamarlett@gmail.com) or leave a comment on this post. I truly believe it’s saved me from so many bad food choices this year! 

Q&A What is Insanity Max:30?

You know all about Insanity, the hardest workout ever put on dvd, well Shaun T decided to change things up a bit. It's still got that "Insanity Flare" but it's all about MAXING OUT. Here's a few questions I initially had with the answers I've found so hopefully they can help you decide if this program would be a good fit for you...

So what does "maxing out" mean? It means Shaun wants you to stop when you feel like you can't go any more, you go as HARD as you possibly can for as LONG as you possibly can, then once you can't go anymore you simple "max out" you stop, write down the time on the screen and hop back in and finish the workout. You may max out in 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 20 minutes, etc. The key to this program is your INTENSITY, there's no holding back, you give it your all and you track your endurance with your max out time. 

Can I seriously do this? That answer will be different for every individual, but unlike the original Insanity, Insanity Max 30 has a modifier, and not only does it have a modifier, but it has an option where you can see the modifier at ALL times! I was able to do a test workout a couple weeks ago and I modified the ENTIRE workout and still felt like I got an amazing workout! I have bad knees from years of being a catcher playing softball and using poor form so I make sure to keep everything low impact and the Insanity Max:30 modifier ensures I know exactly how to modify every single move

How is this different than Insanity? Each workout is only 30 minutes long and there are over 150 new moves. Insanity started out STRONG with a 10 minute insane warm up, then a stretch, then some circuits...Insanity Max:30 is built on the max out mindset so you make sure you go as hard as you can for as long as you can. 

How is this different from Focus T25? Focus T25 was built on a progression on movements, Insanity Max:30 goes from 1 move to a completely different move another completely different move in 4-5 minute intervals

Do I need to be in peak physical condition to complete this? It sounds Insane! No, trust me I was afraid before I first started the Insanity Max:30 workout a few weeks ago, but it was great! As soon as I couldn't go anymore I just wrote out my max out time and jumped back in, taking breaks when I needed to. I went at my own pace after I maxed out and still got a HUGE sweat utilizing the modifier. Don't let the name scare you, it's a brilliant 30 minute workout, you push play, work hard, max out, jump back in, finish the workout, then have 23.5 more hours left in your day for what YOU want to do!

The first support group is starting soon! Email me at samanthamarlett@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

How to visualize your life and achieve your dreams...

This is a super passionate topic for me because I've been able to LIVE my visualization this year and it's the first time I've gone all in (visualized, created a plan, sacrificed to achieve the plan, and am living my visualized life!) 

Will you take the time this week to sit down and visualize where you want to be in a year?

Will you think ahead about the sacrifices you and your family will need to make?

Will you create a plan of action steps that you need to take in order to make your vision your reality?

Will you envision how it FEELS to have achieved your goals?

Will you try it?

How to set monthly goals...

Things to have in your goal list:

* How many workouts/week you want to achieve?

*Which days will you make what meals?

*What groceries do you need for those meals?

* How many dates you and your significant other will have?
*How many hours per week will you spend with God?
*How much money will you spend and save each week?

What would you add to the list?

You can still reach your 2014 goals, here's how...

Just because it's September doesn't mean you have to wait until next year to reach those goals you set for yourself in January! NOW is the perfect time to sit down and write out exactly what you want to achieve in 2014 :) Here are a few tips to help you along the way....

1. Create a goal with a deadline That means put it in your phone, write it on the calendar, make it legit so that you've got some healthy pressure on yourself :) Make sure it's specific & measurable so you can easily know when you've reached it. 

2. Budget Yep, I put that in there. "Why?" You might ask? Because almost every aspect of your life has $$$ attached...believe it or not, you likely aren't going to reach your goal for free and money should NOT hold you back from reaching it, you just need to get creative and plan ahead. Whether it's eating healthier, keeping your house clean, going hiking daily, etc be sure to keep in mind what you'll be spending, you'll need proper groceries, cleaning supplies and hiking gear to get those things accomplished.  Dig deep into your goal, what's it WORTH to you to make sure you achieve it?

3. Accountability group/buddy The people who stick to this tip are more likely to reach their goal than the ones who don't. When other's know about your goal and can help push you towards it, you're more likely to achieve it! I see this time and again with my support groups, the ENGAGED supporters have AMAZING transformations and successes, while those who go at it alone are still afraid to let anyone else in to help. Be vulnerable, take this step and ask for some accountability. 

4. Sacrifice In order to reach your goal you're likely going to need to add something to your plate so that means taking something else OFF. You cannot do it all, it will make you crazy. Take the time to figure out what you are and are NOT willing to sacrifice to achieve this goal. 

5. Create your plan Your plan is your roadmap to success. Once you've figured out what you want, now you need to figure out how to get there. In order to achieve a goal you've never achieved you need to do things you've never done before. This plan will help you get there, but it may take some research and talking with people who have reached the goal you have. Take time with this part and then GO FOR IT!

***don't get stuck on this step! You've got to FAIL in order to succeed so go out there and give it your all!

If you need help with this just comment below or send me an email :)