Live the Dream | What is "Wealth Mentality"?

Live the Dream What is "Wealth Mentality"?

What's All This About??

One of hardest things I had to get under control when I started my health and fitness journey was feeding my machine. I get asked all the time: "What do you eat?" and "Am I allowed to eat (fill in the blank)?" and "How do I get started? This nutrition stuff is confusing!"



As you can see in the picture, I feed my machine with a lot of "stuff" daily. So, let me break it down why I eat what I eat and how it's helped me in my journey.



The first thing I started consuming on a daily basis was Shakeology for my breakfast. Shakeology is a nutritional protein shake that provides a wide spectrum of healthy nutrients in a low-calorie formula. Whether you use it as a meal replacement for weight loss or simply to ensure your body gets all the nutrients it needs for optimal health, Shakeology takes the guesswork out of nutrition.

What's in Shakeology? It contains over 70 ultra high-quality ingredients conveniently located in one glass, to deliver nearly all the nutrients you need to maintain a healthy diet. It's good for you- and good for everyone- because everyone's diet is deficient in some of the key nutrient groups packed into just one Shakeology serving.

Shakeology helpes me lose weight, increases my energy and stamina, reduces my cravings, and helps keep me regular.

Before I started consuming Shakeology on a daily basis, my lab results were as follows:
August 26, 2009 (205+lbs)
Total Cholesterol: 134 (Reference range: 125-200 mg/dL)
HDL Cholesterol: 69 (Reference range: > or = 46 mg/dL)
LDL Cholesterol: 58 (Reference range: < 130 mg/dL)
Triglycerides: 35 (Reference range: <150>)

After 3 months of working out with P90X and consuming Shakeology daily:
May 21, 2010 (195+ lbs)
Total Cholesterol: 116
HDL Cholesterol: 74
LDL Cholesterol: 36
Triglycerides: 31

I am uncertain what my lab results reflect now that it's October 5th, however, I'd be willing to bet that they are way better than what they were back in May!

Typically, my breakfast consists of the following shake: 1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, 1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein, 2 Tblsp PB2, either 1 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened original 40 calories) or 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup water, and lots of ice all blended to perfection for a delicious chocolate shake to start the day off right! (140 + 110 + 45 + 40 (or 80) = 335 to 375 total calories)

I've recently discovered PB2 and I think it's the greatest thing ever made! It's powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter because there isn't any oil in it! 2 Tblsp only has 45 calories vs. 190 of regular peanut butter. In my world, this is huge! Also, there are only 1.5 grams of fat in PB2 compared to 16 grams in regular pb. Talk about an enormous difference! If you are a peanut butter junkie like me, I highly recommend this because it will change how you view peanut butter! Go to: http://www.bellplantation.com/ to locate stores that retail it or order it directly from that website. It's the greatest thing!

I've also become a really big fan of the Chocolate Meal Replacement shake. For essentially $40 a tub, I can drink a shake that's good for me AND it's only $1.33 per meal. Where else can you satisfy your appetite, get all the essential vitamins and minerals and a proper balance of carbohydrates, fats, and high-quality proteins to provide sustained energy? I'm telling you, you can't find it elsewhere!

Why do I consume all these shakes? Truth be told, I am a lousy cook! Or, shall I say lazy? I am always on the move and it's so much easier for me to blend up a shake and go vs. spend time in the kitchen figuring out and planning meals. I hate going to the grocery store. I spend way too much time reading labels and it's just too busy. I only visit the produce department, dairy, and outside aisles when I do go because everything else is just pointless and unhealthy. (or so I think)

The multi-vitamins, calcium, and omega-3 supplements are amazing! The vitamins are essentially "insurance" for my diet just in case I'm not consuming enough quality foods with proper nutrition. I take calcium because I rarely ever consume a glass of milk by itself. The only time I drink milk is in my shakes and it's only 8oz a day. And, omega-3 fatty acids help maintain healthy blood triglyceride levels and support healthy cardiovascular, cognitive, and joint function. They also support healthy vision and youthful skin. All of these together provide the core pack of nutrition that my body needs to be fueled properly every day.

Currently, I am experimenting with myself. By this, I mean that I am toying with total calorie consumption; keeping a close eye on my ratios of proteins, carbs, and fats; and eating every 3-4 hours for a total of 4-5 meals a day. With all of the training for 5K's lately, it's really ignited my metabolism and I can see my body composition shifting again. That's a beautiful thing! I started this journey at 205+ lbs and am now 165-170lbs.

If you feel compelled to check out any of the products depicted, go to: www.beachbodycoach.com/sota or www.shakeology.com/sota Feel free to contact me if you have any questions: noell_angela@yahoo.com I've struggled a long time with my health and fitness. I've come a long way but I also have a long way to go. I feel great and that's the most important thing. Once I started exercising regularly and started feeding my machine accordingly, it was amazing how the inches fell off and my energy sky-rocketed! My confidence soared through the roof and my life did a complete 180 right before my eyes. Don't get me wrong, it didn't happen overnight. There were a lot of struggles and setbacks, but I kept pushing through. That's the key: Don't ever give up on yourself...EVER!

Accountability in the Numbers

I can't help but get a little excited when I look back over my race results for the past 2 weeks! On Sept. 25th, I ran the first of seven scheduled 5K's up until Thanksgiving. I was pretty pleased with my overall time, but I never looked at where I stood overall. So, tonight I did a little research and here's what I found:

Sept. 25th: Candlelighters Night Run 5K
Females 25-29: I placed 9 out of 27 participants
Overall: 131 out of 311 participants
Chip time: 30:33 (30 minutes and 33 seconds)
Gun time: 30:51 (30 minutes and 51 seconds)
Pace: 9:49/M

Oct. 2nd: Trinity Bright Halloween 5K
Females 25-29: I placed 6 out of 19 participants
Overall: 46 out of 137 participants
Chip time: 29:51 (29 minutes 51 seconds)
Gun time: 30:07 (30 minutes 7 seconds)
Pace: 9:36/M

I must confess that between Sept 25th and Oct. 2nd, I only ran 4 miles. I did not get those longer runs in like I know are so important! I noticed again today that right around the 2 mile mark I needed to distract myself to keep pushing forward. The majority of my training has been 2 miles at a time. I must find a way to get those longer runs in!!!

Today was pretty neat! Again, it was a very positive experience! For the first time, my son was with me at the race! He cheered me across the starting line and was there to cheer me on as I came upon the finish line! Just seeing him there waving and yelling, "Come on mom, you can do it!" was so touching! It gave me that extra kick to just floor-it those last 50 feet. He took pictures and was so excited! :-) While I was running, he got his face painted, played the ring toss, jumped in the jump house, played with water balloons, got lots of treats and goodies, and even harassed the geese at the duck pond! He barely noticed that I was gone! (Thanks Heather for watching him!) He couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had! So, that got me thinking about getting him started in the 1 mile fun runs. Perhaps after my series of 5K's we'll start working on the 1 mile runs so that we can do that together!

Another really cool thing I noticed were two teenage girls, age 13 and 14, running together. The 14 year old ran track and cross country and was in really great shape. The 13 year old was still in really great shape yet ran at a slower pace. The two of these girls kept each other accountable! They would run really fast and then walk to catch their breath. Every time they passed another runner they would count, "1, 2, 3" and so on. They also did that whenever they were walking and another participant passed them up. I remember hearing, "that's 1" as they just started walking and I ran past. I spoke words of encouragement to these girls because we passed each other up at least a half a dozen times! It was very clear that the 14 year old could have ran ahead and left her friend behind. BUT, she didn't! Clearly, she wanted to encourage and inspire her friend to keep pushing when the temptation to slow down and walk set in.

For some reason, that really hit me today. Having an accountability partner doesn't mean running ahead and leaving your partner behind. It means sticking beside them and speaking words of encouragement to keep each other on track, always striving to push forward. To sum it up, both of these girls placed #1 in their age groups! I couldn't be more proud of them! I'll probably never see them again, yet they reminded me of a very valuable lesson today and I can never thank them enough!

Stay tuned for more of life in the fast lane....

Parenting Blues or Bliss?

Happy Friday!

(Deep breathe and sigh of relief!) I made it through the week!

My 1st grader has just completed 7 weeks of school! Hooray! It's Oct. 1st. Time continues to fly by no matter how much I want my little man to stay little, the reality is that he's growing up mighty fast. I find many parents in the same boat with me when they start to think about their little ones and how capturing those special moments are priceless.

This week has been a rough week for Peter in school. As I look back over his behavior charts for the past 7 weeks, he has had many struggles with self-control. Peter's school utilizes the "Honorable Character/Defining Character" charts to capture specific characteristics the children exhibit throughout the course of the day. This system works to identify the following in kids:
1. Honor (Give preference to one another. Romans 12:10)
2. Obedience (Obey...for this is right. Ephesians 6:1)
3. Diligence (Whatever your task, work at it heartily. Colossians 3:23)
4. Wisdom (Who among you is wise? Let him show by his good behavior. James 3:13)
5. Kindness (Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. Ephesians 4:32)
6. Self-Control (Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. James 1:19)
7. Orderliness (Let things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40)
8. Service (Serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13)
9. Attentiveness (Hear and increase in learning. Proverbs 1:5)
10. Cooperation (Look beyond your own interests and consider others. Philippians 2:4)
11. Initiative (Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. James 1:22)
12. Honesty (Delight the Lord with truthful ways. Provers 12:22)
13. Forgiveness (Do not pay back wrong for wrong. 1 Thessalonians 5:15)
14. Responsibility (Each of us will give an account for himself. Romans 14:12)

It's really a great tool to help raise a child up in the ways of the Lord. Periodically throughout the course of the day, the teachers document positive and negative behavior to help parents know how their child/children behaves. I'm sure we all know our kids like to twist the truth a little, but this tool really help alleviate any "stories" that may be told. (And, I must admit they are pretty creative!)

As mentioned previously, this week has been a bear for Peter. I'm not lying, it has been stressful for me too! There's just something about disciplining your child that is exhausting, especially when it's on a daily basis for the same thing!

Some of the things he has gotten into trouble for have been: running into the wall at PE (safety violation), yelling and playing in the bathroom, talking in the lunchroom, talking and running in the hallway, poking his friends, not being attentive, etc...all of these fall under lack of self-control, showing no kindness, and not being obedient.

My biggest frustration lies in the fact that he gets multiple warnings throughout the day! It is my understanding that they get a verbal warning, the 2nd warning they get their name on the board, 3rd offense they get a check mark next to the # they violated. Then, they can have up to 3 marks before they go to the Principal's office. The first visit to the Principal's office is a "freebie" for consoltation, then the 2nd time they go to the Principal's office they get a spanking. So, yesterday Peter made it to the Principal's office... Today, he had 2 warnings....all for lack of self-control. He is smart and knows the rules. He knows what to say... I just pray that he isn't manipulating the rules.

I don't remember being an aggressive kid in school. I think I was a pretty good kid. But, I do recall that I was always busy...thus, Peter is a busy-body as well. He is constantly on the move. His little bottom has trouble sitting still and concentrating at the task at hand. His little mind is just thinking all over the place. I hope to find a way to channel that concentration into something constructive!

Well, I better get going. I just wanted to share some thoughts about my little one... tomorrow is another race so I better get some sleep! Ugh! Wish me luck!