We are just 4 short weeks away from the unofficial start of summer Memorial Day. For some of you that means pulling out the grill and hosting your first BBQ. Personally I grill year round provided it’s not snowing or raining to hard =). I really enjoy the way food tastes on the grill, put it make cleaning up a cinch! Here are 2 of my favorite recipes.

Grilled Steak Tips In Sweet Balsamic Marinade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound steak tips, trimmed
salt and pepper

In a large glass bowl, whisk together the balsamic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and garlic.

Add the steak tips to the mixture, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 25 minutes at room temperature. Turn the meat in the bowl several times during the marinading process.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat and put on some non-stick spray one the grate or prepare a grilling pan for the steak tips.
Remove steak tips  from the bowl and discard marinade.

Sprinkle both sides of steak tips with salt and pepper, then place steak tips on grill, close lid, and cook for just 3 minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes or until done to your liking.

Remove steak tips from grill and let the steak tips stand at room temperature for 5 minutes; cover loosely with a foil tent, but do not close tight.

Mango Chutney Turkey Burgers On The Grill

1 medium sweet onion
1 pound ground turkey
4 Tbsp mango chutney, divided
2 cups shredded lettuce

Prepare the grill to medium-high heat.

Cut onion in half, around the equator, and dice half finely and slice 4 thin circles out of the other half.

In a large bowl, put the diced onion in with 1 tablespoon chutney and all the ground turkey; then mix together with your hands and form 4 burgers.

When grill is ready, put round onion slices on and cook 2 or 3 minutes on each side just until charred; remove.

Put burgers on at the same time and grill, flipping once, until meat is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes each side; remove.

I’ve made recipes using wheat rolls as well as whole wheat wraps, both are pretty yummy!

Makes 4 servings.

I’ll be the first person to admit that when I was competing my off season consistency was a bit of a battle.  I would finish doing a show in June and wouldn’t compete again until the following April.  Here’s my dirty little secret.  I didn’t stay consistent.  It took me about 2 seasons of this consistent non-consistent behavior for me to realize that if I was consistent with my off-season nutrition and workouts getting it together for a show wouldn’t be as hard.

For those of you don’t compete. You know what I’m talking about you know you watch what you are eating to get ready for a friend’s wedding or vacation and once that event happens you go back to your old ways and then wonder how you put the weight back on. With consistency, anything is possible. In real estate, it’s about location, location, location.  In fitness, it’s about consistency, consistency consistency.

I know first hand that consistency is tough.  In order to remain consistent, we need to change is our mindset.  Our healthy lifestyle is a CHOICE not a death sentence.  On my program, I encourage you to eat clean at least 80% of the time.  For the 20%, these are the meals that we should savor and enjoy.  It’s when we have those little nibbles, bites or I’ll do it just once’s that eventually catch up with us.  So.. how do you stay consistent?

1. Patience.  Know that consistency will pay off. Many of you want week-by-week changes, sadly our bodies don’t agree.  We need to trust the process and stay the course knowing that your best body is just waiting for it’s unveiling.
2. Taking Consistent Action.  I feel you; I can be one of the biggest procrastinators on the block.  The two things that make me take action with my fitness is making a plan and recipes.  Each week I sit down and schedule my workouts in my calendar.  I treat it like an appointment I can’t break.  Now if something does come up, I go back to my calendar and reschedule the workout, but trust me it must be HUGE for me to give up a workout.  As for my nutrition, I’m a big fan of recipes.  On Saturday mornings while I’m drinking my coffee I pour through the internet to find new clean recipes or recipes that I can make clean.  Trust me I’m no Rachael Ray, but I do what I can. Here is of my favorite sites. All Recipes
3. Setting A Goal. Each month I set a goal.  With each goal, I give myself a reward.  Have you heard of a little place name Lululemon?  That place is my personal fitness reward center.  When I have a goal, I’m like a machine especially with a reward like Lulu!  Here are some examples of goals I set for myself in the past  — By the end of a month I will mix up my cardio. I will get on a new piece of cardio each time I go to the gym.  I will try 3 new starches during this month.  I will limit myself to 2-cheat meals/week – no nibbling.  Make sense?

At the end of the day we all want results.  Want to know the secret to getting results? Being consistent!  Feeling stuck or stalled?? Reach out.  I am running  30 Day Slim Down Challenge to help  jumpstart us all toward summer.

Did you know that humans are the only living things on earth that can stunt their own growth potential?  Think about a tree just grows as tall as it can it doesn’t care that it’s ripping up the sidewalk or getting into septic system it just grows!  Not us humans!  Our minds have a way of limiting are beliefs in what we will be able to accomplish.  If a human were that tree we’d think we couldn’t possible grow big enough to rip up a sidewalk and it would be so bad if we ruptured someone’s septic tank.  We are AWESOME at getting in our own way.
Do you what really gets in way is that it’s truly easy not to change.  It’s so much easier to sit on the couch and lament about the things you don’t have or you should have gone to the gym or should have cooked dinner instead of ordering of pizza.  Let’s face it, we’re lazy!  I’m not throwing any stones I’m guilty of it too.  There are plenty of things I procrastinate over, I’m quite awesome it.  So to keep me in check, I have two Jim Rohn quotes that I keep in front of me “What’s easy to do is also easy not to do” “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”  This is what I look at when I’m feeling lazy.  We all do it we have every excuse in the book.  I had a bad day, I’m tried, there was really bad traffic and so and so.  There is commercial that I love, can’t tell you what they are selling but husband and wife are calling each other every day with a different excuse for why they didn’t make it to gym.  They end the commercial with the guy saying I didn’t make because I miss the cat.  Do you have those kinds of excuses?  Be honest raise your hand!  My hand is raised.
So.. what’s holding you back from achieving your overall wellness goal?  Are you suffering from being lazy as not trying to figure out away around it?  I get it, we’re all busy!!!  But I ask your right not to get real with yourself stare at yourself in the mirror and ask what’s really keeping me from my wellness goal.  STOP RIGHT NOW AND WRITE IT DOWN.
I’m Being Lazy About  — want to make it public –leave me a comment below

Last week I talked about how to change your perspective to get fit. This week I give you the rest of the tips — you are either moving forward toward your goals, treadmilling — plugging away but going now where or standing still. My hop is that these goals will help propel you forward into taking action.

1. GET A SUPPORT SYSTEM. Find someone or many someones who could help hold you accountable and I’m talking someone who isn’t afraid to call you on your stuff — I’d like you to insert your own expletive. You don’t have someone like that in your life — reach out to me — I don’t take excuses.
2. COMMIT TO VARIETY. I hear it all the time; I can eat the same thing over and over again. Whelp – no you can’t!! Your body gets use to everything. We need to keep your body guessing – that means food, cardio and lifting!!! Here are some quick tips:
   *Food – make 2 menus and rotate between them. Learn to introduce 1 new food item/month. Also, learn that nuts and nut butters are great, but not an every day source of good fat.
   *Cardio  — each time you go to the gym – try a different piece of cardio and try a different program for cardio – one day you do the fat burner, the next hill interval, the next manual and make up your own kick ass interval. Are you picking up what I’m putting down?
   * Lifting – each month vary yours workout to keep your body guessing some months its about endurance, some months its about strength – make your workout about muscle confusion that’s how you are going to stimulate change. Over training doesn’t make results come faster – it leads to injury and NO RESULTS!
3. BE OPEN TO THE PROCESS. This is a process; each of you is an individual.  Your body will do what it wants to do. If you are client of mine, I have years of experience and have seen hundreds of bodies. Just trust – I know you go to the gym, go on Facebook or other forums and hear that people are doing this that and everything else. I ask that if you are working with me you trust; I know what we I’m doing. I can help you reach your goal!
4. BE A PROBLEM SOLVER.  Obstacles are going to appear. I don’t want them to get you down. When obstacles appear – you are going to look at it and say to yourself – what can I do to – go over it, under it, around it, over it or punch a hole right though it. You can also reach out to your coach so we can brainstorm ideas.
5. WHAT’S YOUR INTENTION! Decide what is your bull’s-eye – what is your ultimate goal and set your mind on achieving it!  You need to from this point forward commit to be better than you were yesterday. Think of the book The Little Engine That Could. He keeps plugging along and eventually makes it up that hill. The worse thing you could do is – QUIT!  Remember the easy to do is the hardest to do!

I hope has helped you put your fitness commitments into prospective. I’m hear to help. If you need any assistance, just shoot me an email. If you think what I’m saying is completely crazy!!! Leave me a comment below.

Spring is less than 30 days away. We are all thinking about spring/summer events that are happening that we want to be in our best shape.  Here are 10 core commitments that if you follow will get you to where you need to be.

1. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT! I’m talking be really firm with yourself, say I want to rock my bikini on vacation, I’m going to look fantastic in my wedding dress, I’m going to fit into my skinny jeans.  I don’t want to hear I’m going to give it a month and see. I’m going to cross my fingers and hope this will work. Not going to cut it. Living a healthy lifestyle is a journey and guess what journeys take time. Do you think Louis and Clark said hey let’s pile up the horses and walk for a day or 2 and if we don’t see anything we’ll come back? NO – they said let’s keep walking until we can’t walk any further.  Think of your fitness journey as being an explorer – you are going to take your fitness as far as you can take it.
2. FOLLOW THE PLAN. Many of you think that in order to lose weight, you need to live a life of deprivation and that the only way to lose weight is to live off tic tacs and diet soda. That’s not what the Fabulous Fit Squad is about! We FEED you. There is no food group that is off limits.  Depending upon where you are in your program and how your body is responding we may change your portions/serving’s, but you will NEVER be deprived. I know that most of you want this blueprint and I so wish it were that easy to say – week 1 you’ll do this and by week 10 you’ll be doing this, but our bodies sometimes have a mind of their own and get stubborn. That’s when you are on our coaching program we ask that to check in with us regularly. So.. we can see those stubborn bodies and make adjustments to help you reach your goals.
3. HAVE A BURNING DESIRE FOR SUCCESS. IF you kind of sort of want this and kind of sort put the work in, then guess what – you will kind of sort of have results! Living a healthy lifestyle is about consistency – you need to be consistently be working on BOTH your nutrition and your workouts. This goes back to number 1 – decide what you want!
4. COMMIT TO YOUR CALENDAR. Being successful with weight loss is about planning! Put your workouts in your calendar and treat it like it’s an appointment you can’t break! Maybe even fine yourself if you break it. You should also make a commitment to WHEN you will cook your meals. My cook day is Sunday at 6:00pm – yes it’s that precise. If I know I’m not going to be home at 6pm, I cook earlier in the day or even double cook the week before and freeze. That’s called commitment – see number 4 – I have a burning desire to be successful. Even if I’m not getting ready for a competition I do want my jeans to fit and my thighs not to rub together – you feeling me?

Tune in next week for the next 5.

I hope you found these to be helpful. I’d love for you all to also think about changing your internal vocabulary to be I can, I will, I know and ABSOLUTELY.  I’m here to help. I know what we all have ups and downs — reach out!

For as long as I can remember I’ve had the same female idols.

1. Vanessa Williams — I remember when she was the first black Miss America I thought she was STUNNING!!Then when inappropriate pics appeared and she gave up her crown, she did with style and grace. Now let’s fast forward to 2012 and she is still singing and dancing and still STUNNING!
2. Jennifer Garner — I just love her. She never loses her small town values.
3. Madonna — She’s had and her ups and downs, but she can still rock the house. She is a consummate performer. Madonna knows how to deliver a show.
4. Demi Moore — For years she was the ultimate women, in 2003 when come came out of the water rocking that bikini after have 3 children women every jaw’s dropped.  We thought she looked good in Striptease, but here she was almost 40 and looked AMAZING!!!!

I bring up this up because of what I’ve been reading about Demi Moore’s troubles after her split from her husband. I’m rooting for her, she always conducted herself with style and grace. Now this can be all rumor and celebrity gossip rags trying to sell magazine, but it did get me thinking. As we age do we embrace our age  or are we constantly looking in the rear view mirror trying to look like we did 10 years ago?

A good friend of my Jodi, a fellow fitness competitor, when she first started competing she wanted to look and act like a competitor that was 18 years her junior.  She was frustrated that she wasn’t doing well and was really unhappy.  She took some time off from competing and then came back and won her next show.  I asked her what do you think you did differently in your show prep.  Jodi said she got her head on straight. She embraced her 52 years and used that to her advantage.

This is the one thing my idols all have in common, they’ve  embraced who they are and not the number of years they been alive.  I’m proud of my age and the wisdom that it brings.  Instead of chasing youth, I chase being the best  and the healthiest I can be regardless of my age. I know that my healthy lifestyle isn’t about looking youthful it’s about feeling healthy and having the energy to do what I want when I want.

Talk to me are you a Demi or a Vanessa?

If your salads are becoming boring, you need to re-think the basics and spruce up those greens. Check out these fanciful salads that boost your enthusiasm for eating these healthy sides and enjoy the crunch of some good greens for the picnic months ahead.

Robust Salads Are Built On Protein

We all know how much I stress protein at all meals. Add a powerful punch to your salad is to include some protein, namely in the form of seafood, meats, beans, or hard boiled eggs.

Here are some ideas cooked shrimp, canned salmon or white albacore tuna on top of your bed of greens. Perhaps your salad would benefit from black or kidney beans for a Mexican twist. Juicy grilled chicken, thinly sliced into strips, could add a smoky barbecue flavor to a simple salad. If you choose different marinades, you’ll get different flavor influences. Think of marinading beef in Teriyaki before grilling.  Then those delicate, thin strips will blend well with ingredients borrowed from Asian cuisine.

Sweet Salads Are Meant To Surprise

A classic salad that always surprises is the Waldorf salad, made with a variety of fruits, including apples, cherries, dates, grapes, or even fresh pineapple. You’ll substitute the mayo with greek yogurt and some lemon juice.  I like to add in shredded coconut, YUM!!! Ambrosia salad is an explosion of fanciful delights, including bright colors and the sweet flavors of  mandarin oranges, blackberries, strawberries, grapes and coconut, but the name says it all, so don’t limit your choices.

Then there are big fruit salad bowls filled with everything from watermelon to berries, bananas, and grapes, apples, kiwi, mango, pineapple, cantaloupe and a host of other fruits in between.  Add crunch with nuts like walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or almonds.

Using a light vinaigrette dressing may sound odd with all that fruit, but the touch of savory brings out the sweet juices and makes the salad taste all the better. You can also toss the fruit salad with a mixture non-fat yogurt or cottage cheese to give your salad a little protein boost. The options are as varied as your taste buds.

Gourmet Salads Call For Clever Ingredients

For a truly unique salad creation, you have to go deeper into the range of greens you use in your salads. Look at food in a whole new way and choose combinations of flavors and textures that will light up the eyes of guests as they taste your best efforts.

Try mixing eclectic greens like endive, arugula, and watercress with avocado, crab meat, Greek olives, and grapefruit, along with hard-boiled eggs for a fresh take on a classic salad. Sprinkle a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon with golden raisins and chopped tart apples, and toss with shredded cooked chicken or turkey, and a touch of balsamic vinaigrette for a delightful new salad. Go tropical with mango, papaya, figs, or summer melons, adding the right compliment of spice like ginger, curry, or fresh mint. Top with toasted coconut for a truly fanciful salad.

Seeds and Sprouts Add the Finishing Touch

No matter what you put in your salads, you’ll always want to have an eye-catching topping that completes a gourmet creation you can be proud of. The best choices are often seeds and sprouts, since they add texture and depth to all types of salads for all types of meals. Seeds add color and dimension, almost a solid, formidable look, while sprouts are often heaped on in a big fluffy pile, providing a playful and unruly look to the salad.

For seeds, you could choose sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, milk thistle, or alfalfa seeds, just to name a few. With sprouts, you have mung bean sprouts, broccoli sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts. Then there are the lesser known choices like radish sprouts and clover sprouts. These types of ingredients go very well with most salads but especially with dishes that are made with quinoa, tofu, tempeh, and jicama.

With a little imagination, and time to seek out unique ingredients, you can walk away from conventional thinking and create wonderful, fanciful salads to enjoy.

Do you have a favorite salad you want to share, please leave me some comments below.

Admit we all look down at our tummy’s and wish they are a little flatter, more

define or hell just wasn’t a muffin top! Here a four ways to lose that muffin top.

1. Add protein to every meal. I always ask my clients to write their food journals and the one element that is missing from most meals is protein. This is help you repair your muscles after working out and helps you to feel full longer.
2. Log your meals. This helps you really visualize what your are putting in your mouth. I mean you log EVERYTHING the Peppermint Patty  you grabbed from the receptionist desk. Want me to review? Just send 3 days and I’ll give you feedback.
3. Avoid artificial sweeteners.Because they are “artificial” it’s sometimes hard for our bodies to process them. When your body can’t process it causes inflammation. Unfortunately you typically can’t control where the inflammation occurs, most times it will occur in your tummy. So its best to avoid foods high in sodium, carbonated beverages, and gum.
4. Fill up on veggies.  Veggies are low in calories and high in fiber. This combination helps you feel full longer. Be careful with broccoli it does cause a little bloating.

Here is a bonus — interval training — instead of just hoping on a piece of equipment and doing the same pace, try mixing it up with intervals.  Try this one.  Go hard for 30 sec and then rest for 30 sec try this for 30 minutes. After you try it leave me a comment about how you did.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The first week of the new year is almost over. How are you doing with your resolutions? Are you still making them? If your resolution this year is to lose those last 10 pounds or to get into or back into shape I have a few tips that may help you get there this year.

1. You need a strategy — just hoping and praying isn’t a strategy. Think of your fitness plan as planning a trip. Would you just hop in the car and hope you end up a destination. No.. you would punch it into your GPS and follow the route. Getting back into shape and losing weight is the same thing! Your action for right now is to say — I am going to ________. I’m looking for an exact number, if its not exact you can’t measure how you are doing.  For example, by February 17 I will lose 10 pounds or I will run/walk 1 mile each day for the next 30 days.  So.. what’s your action item to get you toward your end goal?
2. Yes, write it down — you have you strategy, it’s not good enough to have it in your head, you need to write it down and put it someplace where you can see it each and every day! I recommend you tape it in multiple locations — your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, your refrigerator, your car’s sun visor, your cube at work. The more you see it the more you will be reminded of your goal and your actions will start to reflect where you want to go. Your action item — write your goal for the next 30 days and put it in multiple locations.
3. Don’t go hungry — when people start to diet the first thing I hear is I’m going to skip meals. Nothing makes me more crazy than when I hear that. Okay the other thing that makes me crazier is when I see people walking/running on a treadmill and holding on for dear life. Unless you came in using a walker or a cane there is no need to hold on. Pump your arms and use your core! Off my soap box, now back to meals. You must fuel your body every 2-3 hours.  You must keep blood sugar levels even, this is what signals the brain for food. The more even your blood sugars levels the less likely you are to go on a bender. Think about this.  How many times have you skipped lunch and then headed home after work and just ate everything sight or you planned on eating the right things and your hungry mind took over.  I know that never happens to you guys. =) If you are reading this and its been a few hours –EAT SOMETHING! Your action item — what snacks can you put in your desk drawer or in the car that you can eat?
4. Get support — You can’t do this alone! There will be times when you need a shoulder to lean on, a kick in the pants or just an ear when you need to vent. Ask someone to be your accountability partner. When you have this person you are less likely to fall off the wagon. I highly recommend you find that friend, co-worker or whomever that isn’t afraid to be hard on you.  Your action item — find and ask someone to be your support person?
5. Share your goals with the world — The more people who know what you are doing you are more likely to do it. No one wants to look like a fool. In this new world of social media — post your goal(s) on your Facebook wall, tweet about them on Twitter.  You’d be surprised how much support and encouragement you’ll get from others who maybe trying to reach the same goal or this is where you may find your accountability partner. Your action item –post your 30 day goal on your Facebook wall, tweet about or tell someone in person.  You can even leave your comments on my blog! I have no problem being that kick in the rump!
6. Pick one thing to change — Many of you feel you need to change EVERYTHING right away. I’m all for that BUT… if you aren’t that kind of person. Don’t do it!  I recommend you pick 1 habit this week and work on changing that. If you are addicted to diet soda — work on reducing the number that you have in a day or go cold turkey.  Action item — What is the one thing you will change this week?

With these 6 tips in hand do you feel like you have a nice blueprint to help you forward towards reaching your fitness goals this year? If you would some formalized help. I still have a few spots open for my F.R.E.E 30 day wellness coaching program. Just shoot me an email to learn more.  I really want to know how you are doing. Leave me your fitness goal in the comments below.

Make 2012 the year you realize your weight loss goals and/or fitness goals.  To kick off the new year I am offering F.R.E.E individualized wellness coaching.  Your read correctly, here’s the catch, I’m only accepting 10 people! So hurry and contact me!  Whether you are looking to lose fat, build muscle, gain energy, feel younger or improve your athletic performance or all of the above, I’m here to help!

What you get:

• Nutrition coaching
• Customized fitness plan based on your goals and schedule
• Weekly check ins
• Online support group
• Accountability

Requirements:

• Commit to the process
• Set realistic goals
• Work with me to make a plan of action
• Be ready to take ACTION not just talk about
• Use the recommended nutrition program that suits your unique goals.

If you are ready to walk the walk, and finally lose those last remaining pounds, run that 5k, have more energy to play with your kids or just feel better about how you look, I can help get you there.  For more information about this program, send me an email.  I’m only accepting 10 people into this program!  Make sure you are one of the 10!

PS> KF took advantage of this and lost 7 pounds in one week!