Nooch Acorn Squash

Nooch aka: Nutritional Yeast is no secret ingredient of mine if you have been following my recipes for quite some time. 

Here's why I love adding nutritional yeast to a lot of my recipes:

It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with Vitamin B12.

Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes.

This recipe is easy, peasy and The Rick-o-Meter when asked what he would rank it on a scale from 1-10 said, "Well, it's gone. Isn't it?" I take that answer as a 10!

Ingredients: (serves about 3-4)

1 acorn squash

Organic garlic & herb seasoning

Chives

1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut squash in 2 halves, scoop out the seeds  and strings with a spoon

Place "meat side" down in a shallow baking dish and add about a 1/2 inch of water to the pan.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes

Remove from oven, scoop squash out of skin into mixing bowl

Mix on medium speed while adding in sprAnkles of garlic & herb, chives, and 1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes.

**If you don't have a mixer, you can use a food processor or just mash and mix with a fork.**

Serve and eat!

Here's how I served it up last night:

4 oz. baked chicken

1/2 c. acorn squash

1 c. roasted broccoli 

Peace.NoochAcornSquash.Love.

 

What IS Pump & Shred?

If you follow me on any and all of my social media outlets you have most likely seen me shout Pump & Shred from the rooftops. And while you may be aware of the name it has come to my attention that when my own mother doesn't really know what it is, it's time I explain just what I do with Pump & Shred; how it's changed my approach to health, fitness, clean eating, and the lifestyle approach to all the forementioned.

First let me tell you what Pump & Shred is NOT based on assumptions people have expressed:

It is NOT a competition diet. 

We have no desire to turn our every day clients into fitness competitors. End of story.

It is NOT a 21/30/90 Day Challenge.

We don't set you up for success that only lasts you a certain time period and then wish you "good luck" for the rest of your life.  We DO have 4-6-8-12 week transformations but our end goal with our programming is to provide you with blueprints and the knowledge to help you continue to eat clean, by knowing which foods to choose based on how much better you feel, perform, and helping you maintain a lean living lifestyle as if it's second nature.

What Pump & Shred IS:

The Pump & Shred® program incorporates nutrition, supplementation, and workout plans proven to illicit ideal metabolic function, fat-loss, and muscle building, in a way that is tailored to the individual. The results-based program incorporates clean eating principles, macronutrient timing, basic supplementation, high-intensity interval training, weight training, cross-training, and cardiovascular training.

A Plan That Works If YOU Do

If you fully commit to the plan; you will get results. The plan is not magic; the magic lies in your consistency to follow through with it.  If you follow 50% of the plan and do 50% of whatever you want on your own, you are not truly on the plan.  In order for it to work, you have to commit to it - learn about your body and share in the responsibility of transforming. Coach Jessica just wrote a great post about "taking responsibility in the process" here.

Lifestyle Approach

As a Pump & Shred coach I realize the importance of not only encouraging my clients to live out the program once they have completed it, but also making sure that I do as well.  We all know and have had coaches who tell you to do one thing, yet engage in the complete opposite behavior as if they're somehow exempt from living the lifestyle themselves.  I'm not asking for an all or nothing mentality approach or way of living.  I am asking you to give yourself a chance to find out what it feels like to feel your best and maintain without obsession or self-denial.  Denise, one of very own Pump & Shredder's says it best:

A Program Tailored to the Individual 

I have had clients of all shapes, sizes, weights, and fitness levels go through the program. It's not a one-sze-fits all approach and it's not tailored to one specific group.  All results vary according to each individual and where they start and what their end goal is.  Your success is not determined by whether you lose 1% body fat or 15%. Sometimes the biggest success for clients is realizing how much better they feel, how much stronger they become, improved endurance, reduced cravings, attitudes that go beyond the calipers and the scale.
 Clean eating, smart training, supplementation, and accountability are all part of the program.

Let The People Speak

Amy Chow - Our Clean Eating Endurance Machine

so glad i did @pumpnshred w @melisaloo. almost 2 mos later & still mostly maintaining! feeling faster&stronger each day. extra protein #ftw
— amy c chow (@deadhope0) April 25, 2013

Annie, one of Coach Jessica's clients:

"I was also learning how, what, and when to eat to fuel my body for my workouts and for everyday life. Overall, I loved how I felt, and the progress I was making. I continued to learn and to break bad habits. Another amazing aspect of the program is the level of accountability. If Jess saw my progress stall, she questioned exactly what I was doing and we made adjustments to the plan. This kept me focused and on track."

Rachael, one of Coach Brooke's clients:

"When I am diligent about eating what and when I am supposed to, my sweet tooth that used to get me into trouble is no longer an issue.  Now that my body is full of foods that are good for me, I am not craving foods that are bad for me."

Find out more about the Pump & Shred Program

www.pumpnshredlife.com

Follow us on twitter: @pumpnshred

And of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PumpnShred

Peace.PumpnShredLifestyleYo.Love.

Goldilock's Syndrome

You may be suffering from Goldilock's Syndrome if you've ever said the following:

"I'll take her arms, that other girl's legs, her stomach, and my face"

"I like my arms, but I'd love to have her legs"

"If I could put my legs with her stomach and tone up my arms; I'd be just right"

Any of those phrases sound familiar to you? I know I've caught myself saying something similar multiple times.  

Why is it that you DO workout, what are the motives behind eating clean or sticking to this diet or that diet plan?  Is it because you hate your body and are chasing that "perfect" figure of your imagination? 

When my fitness journey began over 15 years ago (and I don't say health and fitness because many of those years I was not healthy; I was undernourished) my sole motivation for working out countless hours and counting every calorie was because I hated my body, I loathed parts about it, I suffered from extreme Golidlock's syndrome but I've blogged about this many times so I'll save you the recap once more.

In much recent years, I've transitioned from being motivated 100% by negativity towards myself to almost (it's always a work in progress) 100% being motivated by how my body feels when I workout and choose to eat clean.  I no longer feel compelled to eat a certain way or workout to a certain extreme; I JUST DO.  I do what I need to do and I do what feels right; not because I hate my body, but because in order for me to love it, I need to treat it right.  It's not a question of whether or not I'm going to order this or that. I don't have to be allergic to gluten to know I don't want to eat it all the time, and if I don't prefer to have a glass of wine with dinner, I don't. 

So What Is This Goldilock's Syndrome Anyway?
It's a term that just came to me one day after receiving much appreciated support from friends, clients, and families during my competition season.  Here's some of the following things I heard.

"You look so great. I don't think I could ever look like you but I need help. Can you give me some tips?"
"Wow, you look really good; I want to get in shape too, but I don't want to look like you"

First, the words "I don't think I could ever look like you" is already self-defeating. Without you being aware of it, you've already set barriers and limits on yourself and your success.

Second, the ".....but I don't want to look like you..." is a phrase I've heard more than 10 times the past few weeks.  And my reply to that is:

              GOOD! I don't want YOU to look like ME either! 

I want YOU to look like YOU when your body feels the best, when it performs well, when you move and breathe with confidence, strength, empowerment, and excitement.  Chances are if you ended up getting that coveted figure of your imagination and you still don't feel confident, strong, empowered, or excited about life, you won't stay at that body/shape/weight for long.  

Throughout my past two figure competitions I believe I have found the best version of myself; inside and out.  Which also means I'm becoming less and less willing to compromise the happiness of where my body is NOW to do what it may take to be competitive in the sport.  If I'm to build "bigger glutes, or bigger shoulders, or develop my lat spread" I'll be changing my appearance based on what other people are looking for; not myself.  

And therein lies the "Goldilock's Syndrome" all over again.

My intentions of sharing all of this with you is to encourage you to discover the motivations behind why you choose to workout or not; why you choose to eat clean or not; what will it take to feel your best without wondering if you will ever look your best?  Align your thoughts with your actions and your actions with your thoughts.  Become your best YOU. You're not me; you're not your mother's/father's body, your not the brother or the sister that got the "bad genes".  You are who you choose to be and who you choose to create.  And if you don't know what it feels like to feel your best; I will do my best to help you discover that.

Peace.LoveYOURBody.GiveItAChance.Love.

Surrender and Surprise Yourself

Surrender: 

1. To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion.

2. To give up in favor of another.

When I reflect on the one thing my most successful clients have in common this word comes to mind: SURRENDER.  "To relinquish possession or control" is not an easy task.  We want so badly to fight for that control and maintain it, yet it's the very same thing that is often holding us back from reaching our true potential.

The person that comes to mind when I think of surrendering is my friend and fellow Pump & Shred coach, Brooke.  She was my first success story from Anytime Fitness- Fredericksburg and I remember so clearly her hunger for success, how she soaked every suggestion I had for her up like a sponge. There were no questions of "But, why?" or "Are you sure?" or "I know you said to do this, but I decided to do that instead".  She trusted my expertise, advice, stuck to the plan of action, and got results.  

It always amazes me that people want a change bad enough to seek out help, yet when you provide them with a clear plan of action, they fight you, they fight themselves, and end up going back to where they were right from the beginning. 

When Brooke surrendered herself for success she had no idea the lives she'd impact and the people she'd change along the way. When you fully surrender, you open yourself up to a whole new world.

If what you're doing isn't working, "give it up, in favor of another." When you ask for help, get out of your own way, get out of your head. Fully surrender; you just may surprise yourself.

I think Coldplay says it best with, "But if you never try, you'll never know just what you're worth"

Peace.Surrender.Trust.Love.

Beyond The Stage - Texas Shredder

As most of you already know, I have spent the last 12 weeks preparing for the Texas Shredder Figure competition.  I will try to share my experience without boring all of you to tears and writing an entire novel.

The number one question, aside from "What's the first thing you're going to eat after you get off stage?" is 
"What made you decide to do a figure competition?"

Several months ago I watched my friend, Jessica Clark go through competition prep. I watched her body and her life go to the next level and beyond. Her transformation and inspiration peaked my curiosity and motivated me to see what bikini/figure competition was all about.  I also wanted to get a different perspective on different training regimens, to learn to appreciate a completely different world of training outside of triathlons, running, and CrossFit.  As someone who loves all of those sports, it's easy to get wrapped up in one training discipline and think it's the end-all-be-all of health and fitness. 

Transformation in All Aspects
Leading up to my decision to prep for The Shredder I knew that I did not want this experience to be about vanity. In a sport where you step on stage, scantily clad, and are judged by your body, it's appearance, and compared against the rest of the people in your class it can easily be seen as just this.  The transformation, the dedication, the sacrifice, the time, the countless hours of training falls on dead eyes to those who look at it on the surface.

In order for me to feel my best and commit to training and competing in this competition I knew I had to not only train my physical self, but my mental, emotional, and spiritual self as well.  I gave up watching all my Bravo TV shows because most of them are about materialistic things and vanity. I filled my time by reading daily devotionals and Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen. Keeping my mind, my heart, and my thoughts on things above and deeper than myself was my top priority.  I wanted my experience and transformation to be as inspiring to others as Jessica's was to me.  I wanted to be able to "walk the talk" for my clients, family, and friends...to show them what can happen if you commit to yourself, your body, your health; how great you could look and feel from the inside out.
"I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 1 Cor 9:27

Hindsight is Usually Always Right
Being a competitor whether it be from when I played the clarinet battling it out to make first chair, to competing in duathlons/triathlons and racing to win my age group, to pushing as hard as I can to place well in CrossFit events, I train my mind leading up to each event with the expectation to not only do well, but to win.  I have special prayers, sayings, mantras of positive, inspirational, motivational cues that I say to myself to help me visualize success.

My mental preparedness as far as "winning" or placing in this event was no different than any other I have participated in.  I realize now that it may have been a little naive being my first one.  I ended up placing 13th in my height class and needless to say, I was very disappointed walking off stage.  However, my disappointment didn't last long when I went back into the crowd and talked to Rick, my parents, and everyone who was there to support me.  As the day went on and as I continued to get words of support and encouragement from friends over Facebook, Twitter, and text messages the rest of the weekend, I was flooded with emotions and reminders of the original reason I set out on this journey in the first place.

Looking back, throughout the past 12 weeks I prayed that it be His will; not mine. I remained faithful to the process as well as to the outcome, that it would be for the best no matter what place I got. This journey was not supposed to be about me; it was meant to inspire others, not to become figure competitors, but to know that change is possible with patience, determination, and belief.  

I know that the outcome of my first show was for the best. I am still overwhelmed by how supportive everyone has been; I feel incredibly blessed and grateful.  Although there were times I didn't want to do a workout, or eat another ounce of fish, or wash and pack another plastic food container, I enjoyed every single moment of this process.  Each week as I saw my body changing, I was motivated to give more and work harder the next week.

I'm getting refocused and looking forward to my next show.  Ronnie Coleman Classic; here I come!

Thank you Coach Kati for using your "Master Sculptor" skills on me. Thank you Jess for inspiring me, for answering every whiny text I sent, thank you Rick for loving me through every mood imaginable and your unending support. Thank you mom and dad for never talking me out of this, for supporting me and loving me through it. And thank you to all my friends out there for speaking positivity into my life.

Peace.BeyondTheShredderStage.Love.

Mmmmm....MAHI

For those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook it is no surprise that I have recently developed a love-hate relationship with fish.  The past several weeks fish has been part of my competition prep diet; which means I have been force-feeding myself 10 ounces of fish every day....and when I say force-feeding I mean, I cry and die a little inside every time I chew and swallow....(pause for melodramatic imagery here).

After receiving some fishtastic tips from my friend/fellow pump & shredder Stephanie, I am here to tell you that I am beyond excited about eating fish again.

Baked wild caught Mahi Mahi served with pan roasted brussel sprouts, spinach, bell pepper,  squash, and mushrooms

Fishtastic tips:
Sprankle with dill
FRESH lemon juice
**note: not the lemon juice that comes in the bottle. That's what I was using before = gag me!**

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Line baking sheet with parchment paper
Spray fish with organic cooking spray
Squeeze fresh lemon juice 
Sprankle with dill, garlic powder, cracked pepper, and any other Ms. Dash seasoning of your choice
Bake for 7-8 min.
EAT!

Peace.MmmmMahi.Love.

6 Week Spring Shredder Challenge

Mark your calendars; the Spring Pump & Shred Shredder Challenge is almost here!

 

Enjoy your Spring Break vacations and then get ready to hit it hard for summer swimsuit season! 

 

When: March 17 - April 26th.

 

Why: These 6-week challenges are perfect for those looking for a jump start program, where Shredders learn how to eat clean, train smart, and live lean for long-term success! Oh, and of course lose body fat, shed pounds, and feel GREAT for Spring!

 

Where: 5 Fitness Training & Yoga with yours truly coaching YOU and your fellow shredders! Grab a friend, husband, sibling, co-worker, neighbor...

 

What you can expect from the 6 week challenge:

 

6-Week Shredder Meal Plan and Tips for Success

Supplement Guide

Guide to Eating Out

Weekly Check-ins with Your Coach

Weekly Group Workouts

Weekly Pump & Shred™ Recipes

Weekly At Home Workout Plan

Shared group experience and support system

 

Contact me for pricing, payment, and discount options.  Register soon; only 10 spots available. mel1039@gmail.com

 

In Fredericksburg? No problem....You can join the 6 Week Shredder Challenge at Anytime Fitness - Fredericksburg with Brooke as your coach.

 

 

 Peace.LetsGetToShredding.Love.