30 Day Spring Slimdown Challenge

Want results by Memorial Day Weekend? Ready to look and feel amazing THIS summer? If you said yes to either of those questions I want you to be a part of my Spring Slimdown Challenge! :) 

I only have 5 spots for 5 women who are ready to get started on May 2nd through June 1st!

-30 minute at home workouts

-delicious meals

-super food shake

-daily check ins via the "My Challenge Tracker App"

-personalized coaching to help you overcome your obstacles

Interested? Just fill in the short application and I'll contact you :) 

Can't wait to get you started!

-Samantha

Mid-week Motivation 2.24.2016

As I listened to Dr. Brene Brown while getting ready this morning, 2 of her thoughts stuck with me...

"At the end of the day, at the end of the month, at the end of my life I want to know that I contributed more than I criticized." 

"You're either making the world a better place or a worse place, there's no room for neutrality."

....what if we ALL went through each day focused on these 2 concepts??

How would each day change? How would your life change?

We all struggle with criticizing and judging others, it's in our culture, but start focusing on becoming MINDFUL of such thoughts and you can start CHANGING how you're making your contribution to the world. YOU have the ability to make it a better place :)

Mid-Week Motivation 1.27.2016

My goal is to provide you with mid-week motivation to help you reach your goals! Every Wednesday I'll be sharing quotes, ideas and inspiration to keep you pushing forward :)

This week's helpful tip from:

Eat well, move often and get plenty of sleep!

The book was written by Tom Rath and each chapter includes information that will help you make better food choices, move more often and get the proper amount of sleep.

He shares his personal story of having cancer grow rapidly throughout his entire body due to a genetic defect and how he's applied research findings to slow his cancer growth rates.

Top tips I learned:

1. Think of food in terms of positive and negative. Is what I'm putting in my mouth going to positively impact my health? If not, it's going to negatively impact my health and I should choose something else. 

2. Exercising for 30 minutes/day is great, but we need to be sure our bodies are staying active and getting in 10,000 steps <-- this one is hard to do if you're in a desk job, but Tom gives tons of statistics as to why 10,000 steps is so important

3. I've seen this in a million places, but this book reiterated it. Stop looking at blue light that is emitted from electronics at least 1 hour before bed. Take up reading (you could try out this book) or try an adult coloring book, anything to stop looking at the blue light that will keep you from a restful night's sleep. 

I hope the tips from this week's book will help you live a healthier and happier life! Feel free to learn more about the book at http://www.eatmovesleep.org/

No Sugar Stir Fry

Stir fries are SO yummy and healthy, right?! Ummmm...not if you make them the way I typically make them which is with tons of sauces like soy, teryaki, etc...so since I'm trying to improve my eating habits and eat clean 85% of the time, I decided it was time to try out a clean, 21 day fix/fix extreme approved stirfry, no sauce, no sugar :) and it was GOOD!

First off, let me say that I've not made much from scratch in my day so hopefully these directions aren't too hard to follow :)

Things you'll need:

1/2 cup Quinoa (uncooked)

4 cups fresh cut up veggies (I used orange bell pepper, mushrooms, and broccoli) 

2 tsp EVOO

2 eggs scrambled 

For the seasoning (****I only used 1tbsp of this total in the recipe):

4tsp Onion Powder

2tsp Garlic Powder

1/4tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/4tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1&1/4tsp Sea Salt

1/4tsp Chili Powder

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan add1 cup water  and 1/2 cup pre-washed quinoa on medium high heat, stir occasionally (cook approx 15 minutes total)

2. Add 2 tbsp to large skillet (or wok if you prefer), turn stove to med-high heat

3. Once warm, add your 4 cups of veggies to the skillet, stir occasionally for 7 minutes

4. Scramble your 2 eggs in a cup with a fork (add a dash of milk for fluffier eggs) and add to skillet

5. Let eggs and veggies cook in skillet for another 2-3 minutes

6. Add quinoa (when finished cooking) to your skillet of veggies and eggs

7. Add 1tbsp of above seasoning and stir

8. Enjoy!

***This made enough for 2 servings***

Here I tried cooking them on half of the skillet.....

Here you can see the above method didn't really work and I just mixed it all together haha

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!

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 you can feel better in 11 months

The past 11 months have been some of the absolute best in my life for so many reasons, but I truly believe one of the main reasons is because I've tracked my fitness progress with pictures. This is something I've always told my clients to do "focus on your pictures, how your clothes fit and how you FEEL, not on the scale!"

This year I finally decided to take my own advice and I've never been happier! In the last 11 months I've gained 3 pounds and MANY of my pants were getting super tight. Most women would FREAK out over this, and I'll be honest there were times when I thought to myself "What the heck? I feel like I'm in the best shape ever and my nutrition in on point moreso than it's ever been, what is going on?" 

Whenever I would think those thoughts it was time to take a progress picture, I wasn't great at doing them every 30 days, but I did them this year more than any other and I am AMAZED by my progress! The scale was moving up because I was finally gaining muscle and my pants weren't fitting because my butt has MOVED, seriously, it's higher than ever before in my 25 years on this planet...blows my mind!

So how did I get this way this year? What changed? How can you make sure you feel amazing in the next 11 months?

TRACK your progress with pictures, exercise, and eat well

Those 3 things will transform your life. The first picture was my start of P90X3, my second was at the end of P90X3 and the last one was after doing a hybrid of P90X3 and Piyo along with the 21 day fix meal plan (and shakeology of course)! These 3 programs have changed my life this year, they've helped me realize my pants size and what the scale says are NOT important, it's how I treat my body and the choices I make that truly matter. 

This is a journey, you have to embrace the process, it does NOT happen over night, it doesn't happen over 3 months, a year, etc...it's a LIFETIME process so you need to make sure you're creating LIFESTYLE habits to help you through. 

There are going to be SO many times when you feel like failing and giving up, make yourself a promise that you won't. Make yourself a promise that you will see it through!

If you need help with what direction to go in I can help you, just send me an email at samanthamarlett@gmail.com 

Don't hold yourself back, your time is now!

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?

Only 5 spots left for my November 10th Support group

Post by Samantha MarLett.

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?

2 tips to help you sleep better

Weekend Sabotage

You've been killing it this week so maybe it's ok to relax a little this weekend, you've earned it, right?! Welllll...maybe not....

I'm all about moderation, but splurging on weekends is sabotaging your progress more than you think! Just take a second to think back to a weekend you really let yourself go, how hard was it to get back on track on Monday? or maybe even Tuesday? 

It's TOUGH to get back on the horse after falling off over 2-3 days....consistency is the key to most aspects of life so stay consistent with your eating habits, don't go overboard, and you're going to keep on moving forward!

4 Nutrition Tips for the Weekend!

let me explain...

#1: Figure out your options first! This part is KEY to having success when going out to eat or even eating a special meal at home. Know your options, don't go in blind and look at the nutritional facts online. We live in an age where you can find out pretty much anything about any meal at any restaurant so utilize this!

#2: 2 Drink Max...call me crazy, but if 2 drinks isn't giving you that "buzz" you want, it's time to lay off the alcohol anyways. This is HUGE for your progress, it's easy to forget just how much you're consuming and without the nutritional labels on the drinks, it's tough to realize just how many precious calories are being wasted while you get wasted. 

#3 Limit the carbs (trust me I shed a tear on this one) pizza, tortillas, cakes, cookies, oh my goodness carbs galore! This is where I say eat SMARTER. Choose multigrain and wholegrain options or substitute healthier complex carbs if need be, trust me I still enjoy my pizza and tortillas, but I don't feel guilty about them when they're nutrient dense :) 

#4 Ditch the "BIG" dessert. Super sad, I know, you wanted to celebrate during your night out with some molten chocolate cake with the hot fudge and ice cream....not worth it, I promise, that sucker is going to give you a HUGE stomach ache when you're through...instead go out for some fro yo (don't go overboard on this either) or have a few pieces of dark chocolate at home waiting for you :) 

Sorry if that was too harsh, but these are some guidelines that will help you get through the weekend temptations and feel AMAZING on Monday morning! :) 

Do you have any tips that could help? Comment below and share them with us!