Super Simple 80 Day Obsession Week 1 Meal Plan A and Prep

I just finished week 1 of 80 Day Obsession, and to keep me accountable and to help you out, I have decided to do weekly blog posts about my journey to share my struggles and my wins!

A little background about me.....I'm not currently in shape, I USED to be, but then I had my second child.  He is now 1, and I'm finally getting back to taking care of myself and being the best version I can be!   So being the beachbody lover that I am, I decided to take on the challenge of Autumn's new program, 80 Day Obsession.

Until I started this program, I had really been struggling with eating LOTS of sugar!  Well maybe not TOO much, but I felt like food was my only excitement during the crazy time of raising a baby in his first year.  I was so tired all the time, so the only thing I would look forward to is an ice cream cone at the end of the night, or a donut whenever the urge hit.

Sure there are seasons for everything, and maybe that was party how I survived the first year, but I can't continue to live that way, by just allowing myself whatever I wanted when I wanted it.

So.....80 day obsession is my first start in being disciplined again, especially with food!

The cool thing is that this will go into other areas of my life, such as blogging, or spending time with my kids.  Once you start to discipline yourself in one area, it's a lot easier to carry that over into other areas.   Which is what this girl needs right now, and maybe you do to!

Momming is hard, kids can be challenging, and just trying to find time to take care of yourself is the hardest part about it all.

But not anymore girl, this is your time!  Get out that workout program you've been thinking about, go get that gym membership, allot some extra money in your budget for organic, or get a coach who can help you get started if it's too hard to do on your own!  P.S.  I happen to know a great coach =)

Anyway, here is the meal plan that I used for my first week of 80 day obsession.   Now if you don't know me, I am all about SIMPLE!!  I'm a mom, I don't have time for extravagant meals and meal planning, I keep the meals simple and the prep simple, because that's how I live =)

P.S.  Eating simple for me, means eating the same thing everyday for a week, and then switching it up the next week, because well that's easier!

So here it is......

80 Day Obsession (Plan A) Week 1

Pre-Workout Meal (60-90 minutes before workout)

2 Eggs (cooked over-easy)  1Red

1 Slice Sprouted Toast         1Yellow

Spinach                                1Green

1 tsp butter                           1 tsp

Pre-Workout Supplement (20-30 min before workout)

I don't currently use on but if you do take it here

During Workout Supplement--(during workout...duh)

I do not use this either, but if you do add it in

Post-Workout Supplement (WITHIN 30 min AFTER workout)

Recover Drink (I use Garden of Life's Sport brand)
1/2 banana                                                                                     1 Purple
1 tsp Peanut Butter                                                                        1 tsp
10oz. water             

Post-Workout Meal --(1-2 Hours after workout)

Pasta                                   1 Yellow
Butternut Squash (cubed)  1 Green
chicken                               1 Red

Meal 1

Plain Yogurt                  1 Red
Strawberries                  1 Purple
cacao nibs                     1 tsp.
Sprinkle of Cinnamon 

Meal 2

Carrots                                 1 Green
Cashews+Sunflower seeds  1 Blue + 1 Orange

Meal 3

Broccoli                       1 Green
Ground Beef Burgers   1 Red

Recharge supplement (30 min before bed)

I do not use this one either, but if you do, nows the time =)

MEAL PREP INFO

I cannot stress how simple this is...seriously it will probably take less than an hour. 

1.  Cook Pasta for the week, once cooked put into your yellow container to measure it and put into portions.

2.  Cook Butternut Squash--cube it and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a touch of olive oil, then roast in your oven at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

3.  Cut up your broccoli and carrots (if not already cut up), then measure them out by using your green container.  You can cook them now, eat them raw, or cook at the time you make your meal.  I like to have my veggies fresh, so I wait and steam them until right before I eat.  But be sure to separate them out into bags, so you can quickly throw into the steamer or just eat raw.

4.  Cut up strawberries and measure out with purple container.

5.  Cook chicken in crockpot--just sprinkle with salt and pepper and put on low for 6-7 hours, or hight for 2-3  hours. 

6.  Cook burgers---I add in salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, fresh garlic, and hot sauce, and then I form into patties and cook in my skillet.

Everything else is pretty much put together as you go.  The yogurt you can just measure out as you go, as well as the cashews, sunflower seeds, and stuff to put in the shake. 

There it is my Week 1 SUPER SIMPLE menu and meal prep!

Good luck on your first week!  Be sure to check back for more menus, and tips as I work my way through.

XOXO Natalie

~Certified Holistic Health Coach
~Wellness Advocate for Doterra Essential Oils
~Lover of all things health and wellness =)

How to "Turn Off" your mind at night....

When I talk to women who are sleep deprived, almost all of them tell me that they have a hard time "turning off" their mind.

Why is this such a huge problem for women?

Well, we ARE women, which means we are taking care of kids, husband, birthday parties, meals, helping at school, working, volunteering, and much much more.....

I'm certainly not cracking on husbands, because husbands can be an awesome help to a lot of these things, but as women our brains are always thinking about what we SHOULD be doing, or cleaning, or did the kids brush their teeth before bed, etc.....

Because men are built differently, it is easier for them to just relax after a day of work and not let their mind race in a million different directions like we do.  That's one way in which men and women are very different.

SO.......How do you we TURN OFF our minds so that we can get RESTFUL sleep?

One Word.....DELEGATE!

We have SO much put on us today in this world, thinking that we need to run everybody everywhere, clean, cook, plan parties, make clothes, grocery shop, volunteer, that we drive ourselves into a TIRED frenzy!

I have traveled to a lot of different countries, and almost all of them employ help, such as maids or in some other way.    You guys, these people do not have a ton of money, they just realize they are not SUPERWOMEN and need help.

Imagine if you had someone clean your house once a week, how much time would that FREE up for you?

Or say you paid someone to grocery shop and meal prep for you?  How much time would that FREE up?

What if you said no to the 10th volunteer opportunity that came your way this week?  How much time would that FREE up for you to spend quality time with your children?

What if you delegated some of the chores out to your children?  This teaches them responsibility and HELPS you!

It's OK to ask for help, we are not going to be around for our families, if we constantly join everything and are always running around in a busy frenzy!  What kind of life is that anyway?  Not to mention how it affects your health....especially if you have trouble sleeping.

When is the last time you did something for yourself?

Let's remember that we are not SUPERWOMAN, and it's ok to delegate and ask for help.

YOU do NOT need to PLEASE everyone!

You do NOT need to be involved in everything! 

Think of the message this sends to your husband and kids....Mom is so busy we hardly get to spend time with her.

So I challenge you to take a look at your life and list out your priorities.

<<<<<<ACTION STEP>>>>

1.  Make a list of your top priorities. (Spending time with family, working out, voluteering)

2.  Make a list of things you can delegate.  (cleaning, grocery shopping, errands)

3.  Schedule out your week first with your TOP priorities, and then whatever does not fit after you have scheduled your top priorities needs to be delegated.

4.  Delegate those tasks!

The "Get More Sleep" Plan

Is life stressing you out?  Do you feel drained from lack of sleep?  Do you feel like you can't enjoy life anymore?

If you said "Yes" to any of these, then you clicked on the RIGHT article.

My name is Natalie, a health coach/oil enthusiast, and I'm on a mission to help women feel less SLEEP-DEPRIVED, and more ALIVE.

I too, like you have dealt with sleep-deprivation.....I have an 11 month old =)

I have struggled this past year to get sleep.....uninterrupted sleep......so that I have energy to pursue my dreams and goals.   It has been frustrating and has certainly affected my mood toward my family and others.  Because as you know, if we as women do not get good sleep, EVERYBODY suffers!

So, because I know the pain of feeling sleep deprived, and because I know it can lead to greater health issues, I want to help you get the more restful sleep, so that you can avoid those icky health issues, and so that you too can pursue your goals and dreams.

I'm going to start off simple in this post, but be sure to subscribe by adding in your email on my homepage, to get updates, so that you can continue to learn more about getting more restful sleep, and feeling like yourself again.

Ok, so let's talk about setting up a WIND DOWN routine in order to get more restful sleep...

Wind it down 1 hour before bedtime.

Create a new WIND DOWN routine before bed.  So, if you want to fall asleep by 10, your wind down routine will start at 9.

What should your wind down routine include?  Here are a few ideas.....

1.  No electronics (phone, tv, movies, computer, etc...)

We are bombarded all day with tv, internet, phones, social media, so much that our minds can't relax and calm down.  Also, the lights on our phones are not calming, rather if looked at too much, can promote headaches and anxiety.   It's best to be done with electronics an hour before bed, so that your mind can start to relax and also realize that sleep is coming soon.


2.  Meditation

This could be anything from listening to a guided meditation online, reading your bible, sitting quietly and allowing your mind to relax, work on some deep breathing, listen to a calming podcast, or calming music, or even doing some gentle yoga.

All of these things are SOOO good for you, and in our hasty world, we barely take the time to just stop and be still.  If you have children and it's hard for you to get away, try talking with your husband about giving you a few minutes of peace so that you can recenter yourself and release any anxiety.  Believe me, everyone will be better off!


3.  Quiet (if possible)

Sit in Silence, quiet your mind, say a prayer, and just be still.  Sounds simple right, but this may be one of the hardest ones!

4.  Read a Book

And no NOT a book on the kindle or an electronic device, a good old-fashioned hard cover book.  Maybe you haven't read in a long time, because you have been so busy, but reading is so beneficial for you. 

Not sure what to read?  Well, what are you interested in?  Want to learn how to garden, maybe you want to learn how to run a business, or you are interested in reading a biography about someone's life, or maybe you just prefer a fictional story.  Whatever it is, find a book and make a habit of reading 10 pages minimum a night.  If you make that a habit, you can end up reading 20-30 books a year.....and imagine how much more knowledge you will have gained, then spending a wasted hour on Facebook.

5.  Set up an Ambient Atmosphere

Find an area of your house that can be just for you and when you see it, you begin to feel calm. 

Set up calming pictures, a diffuser, pretty lights, a cozy blanket and pillow, anything that will help you to relax.

And make it your relaxing corner, so your body will know that it's time to start calming down when you go to this place.  Also it will be something to look forward to at night!

6.  Apply Calming Essential Oils Such as......Lavender, Peace, Balance, Cedarwood, Serenity..

Essential oils have been around for centuries, and they are known for so many benefits, but one of my favorite benefits is that they calm you down, and help you to sleep hard.

Think about investing in a diffuse and diffusing some calming oils during your wind down time and also when you sleep. 

You can also put the oils on your feet, behind your ears, or on your temples (or all of the above). 

Oils are have been shown to affect our emotions and produce a natural and calming effect.

If you don't have oils, but would like to try some, click the link below to purchase some from the brand I use and TRUST.

 Click here to get your oils.

Oils are a cost-effective way to get sleep.  As each bottle contains around 250 drops, it's much cheaper than prescription drugs and doctors visits.....and there are No side effects. 


ACTION STEPS

Ok, here's the part where YOU take action!

I want you to choose just 1 or 2 of the above suggestions and start implementing them into your WIND DOWN routine immediately!

When you do, please come back and comment about what you chose and how it has been helping you sleep!

LOVE,
Natalie