Building a Support Network

Tip of the day…Build a Support Network

Building a great support network is essential to your success!  When you surround yourself with people of like interests, who are striving for similar goals, or people who just want to cheer you on success is inevitable. 

This group will be instrumental in keeping you on the healthy path by holding you accountable, giving you encouragement, providing inspiration, motivation and sometimes pulling you through some of your toughest struggles.   One of the many benefits to creating a support system is the camaraderie that is established in which you will share tips and strategies which encourages and accelerates success.  The more people you have on your side, the easier living a healthy lifestyle becomes.  

Think of it as establishing your team and begin by creating your "Board of Directors".  These are your allies!  Your game plan is to incorporate a wide variety of friends and family who will support you, lend their encouragement (without judgment) and provide fun along the way.    The key to success is consistency.  By consistently surrounding yourself with the best, you become your best and continue to rise to a new level accomplishing all of your goals and dreams.    

Consider filling the following positions…

 
The "Encourager" who is needed for moral support

The "Motivator" will inspire you to exercise, even when you don’t feel like it

The "Informer" to provide the health and fitness information needed to create a healthy lifestyle

The "Comic" will keep you laughing and entertained throughout the journey

The "Accountant" who will hold you accountable and focused on your goals

The "Counselor" who will be there to listen, empathize and encourage your efforts

The "Chef" who loves to cook healthy meals, searches for healthy & delicious recipes to try and to share

Now get out the clip board and start interviewing!

To your success!

TGS Chinese Chicken

Whats for dinner??? TGS Chinese Chicken

On this blustery night, instead of going out in the rain and cold for Chinese "take-out" I decided to stay warm and dry so I "cooked-in". It was awesome, fresh, easy and so much healthier than take out! Here's my healthier version of General Tso's Chicken.

“TGS Chinese Chicken”

Ingredients
2 lb. skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 cup Corn Starch
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons Sweet Cooking Rice Wine
1 1/2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Lite Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Water
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1/4 cup Green Onions, chopped

Directions
Cut chicken into 1" pieces. Mix together eggs and ½ cup cornstarch. Mix well to create a batter. Stir in chicken pieces to batter.

Mix together the brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, cooking rice wine, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and heat in a small sauce pan to thicken sauce. Boil at low for 3 minutes, add cornstarch to cold water then add this mixture into the sauce to thicken it further stirring for 30 seconds. Remove sauce from heat.

Spray a pan with Pam cooking spray and drop the chicken pieces into the heated pan and cook chicken until no longer pink.

Pour sauce over cooked chicken and mix thoroughly in the pan. Pour chicken into a serving dish and garnish with green onions.

 

Delicious Lentil Soup

What's for dinner??? Delicious Lentil Soup

I can't believe how quickly Michigan weather changes! Yesterday 70+ degrees, sunny gorgeous. Today grey, cloudy and in the 50's! It's time for comfort food and this soup is perfect and can whipped up in about an hour.  Make a batch today and remember to freeze the leftovers in individual containers for a heathy and quick meal for weeks to come.  Enjoy!

  

 Lentil Soup
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion chopped small
2 Carrots, chopped small
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Dried Basil
1 Bay Leaf
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Small Diced Tomatoes
1 16 oz bag Dried Lentils
1 can (14.5 ounce) Chicken Stock 99% Fat Free
8 cups Water
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar (or any vinegar)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano and basil and cook 1 minute. Stir in lentils, chicken stock, water, tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. Remove ½ of the soup from the pot and place in a blender, puree until smooth. Add pureed soup mixture back into the pot. Stir in vinegar and add salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped green onion if desired.
Makes 5 (2 cup) servings

Creating a Plan

Tip of the Day…Creating a Plan

Just as important as clearly defining a goal and visualizing it, effective goal setting requires a specific plan on how you will achieve it. You’ve heard it said before “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Without a clearly defined plan as to how you will reach your goal, goal setting is useless.

To develop a solid “Game Plan” (plan of action) start with yo...

ur long term goal then break it down into shorter, easier attainable goals. By reaching a series of smaller achievements it will allow you to build the solid foundation required to ensure long term success.

Solid foundations are built by adding many layers of strength that synergistically work together. Creating a positive “synergistic effect” simply means that you are combining forces that will work together to produce a greater outcome…in essence creating layers of success!

Begin this process by writing down your long term goal. Next break that goal down into 3 “short term goals” that are quicker and easier to attain. Digging further break each of those short term goals down into what you plan to do daily, weekly and monthly to ensure long term success. As you can see you are synergistically creating layers of strength, building a foundation, creating new habits and adapting to new behaviors as you strive for long term success.

You may not be able to come up with every step possible just do your best as these can easily be revised along the way. Stay focused on the goals that can be met and by doing so you’ll gain the confidence and strength needed to work up to the others.
Positive behavior change is acquired by slowly adapting to new habits and by incorporating them into your lifestyle. Success isn’t about being perfect it’s about staying on the path and consistently taking steps in the right direction, no matter how big or how small, as that plan will always bring you to your desired destination.

Plan your success story today!

Creating a Vision

Tip of the Day...Creating a vision

Visualizing yourself achieving the things you wish to accomplish is the first step toward your success. Employ the "Law of Attraction" which simply states that what you consistently focus on becomes a reality. Set your mind to create a vision of where you want to be in one week, one month and one year. Define your vision and create a "vision statement".

A vision statement is your personal inspiration that will ultimately lead you to success. It reminds you of your goals, dreams and what you are working towards accomplishing. A vision statement doesn't necessarily tell you "how" to reach your destination, it simply captures your passion for what you desire and inspires you to take positive action. Write down this statement and keep it somewhere that you will see it every day.

You can also create a "vision board" by finding things, quotes or pictures that clearly represent what you desire. Glue them on a poster board and again keep it somewhere that you will see it everyday. These don't literally have to be displayed for everyone to see as it is a very detailed personal motivation tool that will serve to inspire you daily to reach for your dreams and goals.

Visualization works because your brain can not tell the difference between what is imagined and what is real. Think about it. We have all had the experience where we are frightened that something bad is about to happen (a medical test, fear of flying, someone entering your home when you're alone) your heart starts racing, your stomach is upset, the stress level goes through the roof! What happened? You activated the "Fight or Flight Response" when you imagined the worst and your body reacted to it. It wasn't real, it was imagined and all those feelings were activated by your vision of something bad happening.

The same is true with visualizing positive things, seeing yourself achieving your goals and living your dreams. Your vision statement has an incredible amount of influence on guiding every day decisions and making positive daily choices that ultimately will lead to success.

Visualize something beyond fantastic for yourself today!

To your success!

Effective Goal Setting

Tip of the Day...Effective Goal Setting

To effectively reach a goal, you must first clearly identify the goal. Think of it as picking a destination, if you don't know exactly where you are going, how can you plan a route to get there?

Decide what is most important to you at this moment? Health, peace, success, achievement, feeling good about yourself, feeling proud of yourself? Make a consc...

ious effort to state exactly what you want as this process activates a positive mindset to achieve the goals that you've set forth for yourself.

Keep your energy focused on how your life will change by achieving these goals and at this stage of your life. Believe that it is possible and act as if you have already achieved the goal. Once something becomes "real to you" it encourages the behavioral change necessary to achieve success!

To your success!