28 Day Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge!

28 Day Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge!

Motiv8ers welcome to October's Motiv8 Food Challenge.  Will you take on this challenge with me?

Motiv8ers trying to figure out what to eat and which type of diet to go on can get overwhelming in a hurry. Well, it is about to get a lot simpler because the key to a clean diet that will help you stay strong, lean, and make you feel awesome comes basically down to these simple words: “less is more.”

As a busy person, and as a coach who is around busy people all day, I understand the difficulty in always having fresh food on hand. You can’t always run to the grocery store, and sometimes you want to just reach into the cupboard/freezer/fridge and have something almost make itself. I get it. That’s why Motiv8 is here to hopefully make creating a healthy clean diet much easier and I want us to work together to make this happen.

So the challenge is this.  For 28 days I want you to try for one or two meals each day for 28 days to only eat the foods on the shopping list below.  If you want to try the whole day for 28 days that would be even better but I know how hard a sudden change can be. You can make any recipe you like but the foods have to fit into the list laid out.  This might seem very challenging at first because many of us are so used to buying packaged goods but if you stick with it you will be so surprised on just how great you will start to feel.  Also every meal you make from the list below, take a pic and share it on your SETs facebook page.  Lets start helping each other stay Motiv8ed!

So what exactly is a clean diet? It may vary from person to person, but for Motiv8 it is one that contains unprocessed, whole (mostly plant) foods minus chemicals or other strange ingredients. Here are some tips for “going” clean, as well as the list of foods that Motiv8 recommends for the challenge to have on hand for quick meal prep. Use it as your guide next time you go shopping.

By the way, if something sounds unfamiliar to you, do a little research. I’m constantly learning about new, interesting, good-for-you foods. You, too, will be amazed at the options out there!

Clean Eating Tips

1. Start by saying goodbye to a few main "evils."

This includes all white stuff (including sugar), plus caffeine and alcohol.   Coffee and Tea is fine but any caffeine coming for sodas, sports drinks, or processed foods is a no go.  Processed sugar is a no go as well but fruit sugar is fine.  I know you are freaking out about the alcohol but try it out for 28 days.  You can do it!

2. Know that this will not break the bank!

Switching to 100 percent clean foods can be challenging and even costly at first.   But pay attention to the prices in the produce section.  The foods that are the cheapest are usually the healthiest foods to eat in bulk like potatoes, bananas, greens, beans, rice, etc.  Foods that are more expensive like some vegetables, meats, nuts, and pricy fruits have in moderation and eat in small amounts.  You will learn over time which foods to buy in bulk to make sure you are fitting your calorie needs each day and which foods to limit in order to not spend your whole pay check.  Last October when i did this challenged I saved over 300 dollars.  No joke.  I was amazed by just how much I was spending on packaged goods.

3. Remember: less IS more.

The fewer ingredients an item has, the “wholer” it is, as in less processed. Try to make or purchase items with five or six ingredients at the most.   The less ingredients the easier it is on digestion and the faster your body will process the meal and start allowing your body to enter into the healing process.

4. Plan to create meals with just a few items.

Try mixing and matching from the lists below.  For example, boil quinoa and sweet potatoes then toss in some black beans, cilantro and 1/2 sliced avocado. Then put in some cumin, cayenne pepper, and any other seasoning you find tasty. Fresh, clean, fast and delish! Once we are in the challenge post up the recipes you make and lets start helping each out eat healthy! 

MOTIV8 SHOPPING LIST

General Daily Summary

Starchy Carbs: 2-3 servings per day

Non-Starchy Carbs: 4-5 vegetable servings per day; 2-3 fruit servings per day

Proteins: 2-3 servings per day

Fats: 2-3 healthy fat servings per day; 1-2 oil/nut butter servings per day

-The lower range of these serving suggestions approximate a ≤1,500-calorie diet.

-The higher range of these servings suggestions approximate a ≤1,800-calorie diet.

-Add an extra serving each of vegetables, protein, starchy carb, and fat for an approximate 2,000-calorie diet.

STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES (½ - ¾ cup; 2-3 servings per day)

Grains

• Rice (brown, jasmine, wild)
• Quinoa (also a complete protein source)
• Millet
• Buckwheat
• Amaranth
• Oats
• Pasta (Soba/buckwheat, quinoa, noodles and other noodles made from the grains listed (also a protein source)
• Squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, pumpkin)

Vegetables

• All types of potatoes
• Squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, pumpkin)
• Corn

Legumes

• Lentils (brown, green, red)

• Beans (black, pinto, mung, kidney, garbanzo)
• Green peas
• Edamame

NON-STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES 

Vegetables (1 cup; 4-5 servings per day)

• Onions
• Tomatoes
• All types of leafy greens
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Bell peppers
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Fennel root
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Beets
• Radishes
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Brussels Sprouts
• Okra
• Jicama
• Snow Peas
• Mushrooms
• Cabbage
• Sprouts (broccoli, bean, alfalfa)
• Cucumber
• Zucchini/Yellow Squash

Fruits (1 cup; 2-3 servings per day)

• Lemons or limes
• Papaya

• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Mango
• Oranges/Grapefruit
• Apricots
• Berries (strawberry, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• Melons
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Plums
• Cherries
• Figs
• Salsa, pico de gallo, spaghetti sauce -- no added sugar
• Dried fruits* (dates, cranberries, cherries, gogi berries, apricots)

*Reduce serving size to small handful. Dried fruits are high-calorie and easy to overeat! Read the ingredients - oil and sugar are added to enhance flavor.

Beverages (12-16 oz; 1 servings per day in place of a fruit serving)

• Coconut water
• Kombucha

PROTEINS (2-3 servings per day)

Complete Proteins (contain all 9 essential amino acids)

• Wild game
• Wild-caught fish
• Free-range chicken/turkey
• Free-range eggs
• Grass-fed beef
• Non-GMO Tempeh/Tofu
• Edamame
• Quinoa
• Note: leafy greens, rice, and legumes are also excellent (but incomplete) protein sources, and meat is not necessary for every meal.

Serving Size:

1-2 palm-sized pieces of meat/tempeh/tofu;

1-2 eggs;

½-¾ cup edamame/quinoa

All processed meats like sausage, packaged or deli-sliced sandwich meat, bacon, fatty meats, and hot dogs are a no-go.

FATS (2-3 servings per day)

Healthy Fats

• Avocado
• Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Macadamia, Pecans)
• Cashews
• Peanuts
• Seeds (Flax, Sunflower, Pumpkin, Chia, Hemp)
• Coconut milk (canned)
• Dried coconut (no added sugar)

Nut Butters & Oils

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Sesame oil
• Walnut oil
• Nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew)
• Seed butters (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame [tahini])

Other

• Cacao powder
• Non-dairy milk (Almond, hemp, cashew, coconut - in the carton)

Serving Size:

¼ cup avocado, large nuts, dried coconut, canned coconut milk;

1 Tbs seeds (use them to top your salad or smoothie);

1 Tbs cacao powder (add to smoothie)

2-4 tsp of oil/nut butter or 1 Tbs salad dressing (e.g., oil mixed with vinegar & spices)

1-2 cups of non-dairy milk

Condiments/Flavorings (as much as you want!)

• Black pepper
• Grey celtic/pink himalayan salt
• Hot sauce (no added sugar)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Mustard
• Pure flavor extracts (vanilla, peppermint, almond)
• Spices (Turmeric, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Red pepper flakes, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder)
• Fresh or Dried Herbs (basil, dill, rosemary, bay leaf, cilantro, parsley)
• Tamari/liquid aminos/coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce)
• Stevia*
• Vinegar (apple cider, rice, red wine)
• Maca powder
• Spirulina
• Lemon/lime juice

*Even though stevia is a natural sweetener, limit consumption of stevia because it still triggers your sugar cravings!

Beverages

• WATER (at least half your weight in ounces every day)
• Coconut water (contains sugar and no fiber); see servings under Non-Starchy Carbohydrates
• Kombucha; see servings under Non-Starchy Carbohydrates
• Herbal teas (unlimited)
• Non-dairy milk (Almond, hemp, cashew, coconut - in the carton); see servings under Healthy Fats

Happy Shopping!

Motiv8ers I want you to challenge yourself.  Can you do this challenge for 28 days?  Doing this challenge for every meal is ideal but if you want to take it slow and use this challenge to create some healthy habits for one or two meals then that is great too.  As you can see that dairy is not apart of this shopping list.  Motiv8 believes that dairy is not necessary for a complete whole natural diet and if eaten should only be used every once in a while.  

Motiv8ers this is going to be Motiv8’s biggest challenge to date and we know that if you adapt this challenge you will start to feel better, have more energy, and see the results you are looking for.  And remember don't take on this challenge alone.  If you make a meal based off the list take a pic of your meal and post it on your Motiv8's SET Facebook page.

Lets support each other and get crazy healthy in the process.

Stay EPIC and Don't Forget to Be AWESOME!

Coach Ty Out!

The Power of Owning You!

The Power of Owning Who You Want to Be!

Motiv8ers, I am going to try to keep this short. You've all heard this phrase before, but I want to come at it in a different way. I hope it will help you take it more seriously or Motiv8 you to own up to the type of person you really want to be.

A few weeks back I was listening to the  Rich Roll podcast with Susan David, PH.D. She stated a fact on why so many of us have a hard time changing ourselves and giving into temptations around us.
She stated that if you sit next to someone eating a bag of candy you are 70% more likely to go buy the same bag of candy. She also said that if you don't have goals and morals, morals meaning the type of person you want to be, you are 70% more likely to engage in the same activity as everyone else around you.

Basically, you become the product of your environment!

Think about it. How many times have you done something that you are not proud of just because everyone else was doing it? I can think of a lot of situations in my past that I am not proud of. I didn't want to do something, but I did it because my friends were.

How do you break out of this trap? How do you start saying no and start doing what you believe is right?

You carefully and aggressively define who you want to be and OWN IT!

Let's lay it out simply!

Step #1 Define & Share Your Morals.

Let's start with the definition of morals: a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do.

Sit down with a piece of paper and carefully write down the type of person you want to be.

• Do you want to eat healthier? How are you going to eat healthier? What does that look like?
• Do you want to be more productive? How are you going to be more productive?
• Do you want to be fit and healthy? How are you going to be more fit and healthy? What activities will make that happen?
• How do you want to treat others? Do you want to be a kind person that uplifts others? What does that look like?

Many of us never fully define the person we truly want to be. Instead, we constantly follow in the foot steps of others hoping we will eventually be strong enough to find ourselves. Or hoping that those people will help us find ourselves, but that never works. You have to do the work yourself!

For me, I have some very strong morals that I won't let anyone break them. I label myself as vegan which helps me stay away from food that I believe is bad for my body. I label myself as a fit healthy runner which keeps me eating right and exercising regularly. And, I constantly tell myself that I am fit, energetic, confident, and want to help others. This helps me stay in a positive mindset and strive to help others.

I remind myself of these morals everyday. You might do that too, but there is one thing that many of DON'T do!

Not only do I clearly define my own morals, but I TELL others about my morals! Everyone knows who I am and they won't dare try to persuade me toward something that I don't believe in. They understand who I am and they help support me to be the type of person that I want to be.

I see so many clients state their morals to me but never share those morals with their friends or family. Then in their day-to-day lives, they don't ACT upon those morals. Why are we scared to share who we really want to be? Are we fearful of what everyone else might think of us? Or are we really not ready to change, even though our current selves aren't the best we can be?

Ask yourself these questions and learn how to push past your limiting beliefs. Waiting for someone else to give you permission to be the person you want to be will never happen. State who you want to be to the whole world and start living and owning it despite what others think!

Crew, find your morals, tell others about it, own up to it, and stop hiding from the person you want to be!

You might find that by doing this, you find a new energy in life. And you might even help inspire others along the way. BE YOU! =)

Step #2 Define & Share Your Goals! 

This step is the easy one. All of us have had goals in the past but how many of us have actually accomplished them? When you set a goal, follow the 2 steps below to actually make it happen!

First Define the goal:

Saying you want to loose a few pounds is great. But what does that look like? What are you going to do every day to accomplish that goal? What time are you going to workout? When are you going to eat your healthy meals? When are you going to prep your healthy meals? How are you going to stay accountable to your healthy new diet and exercise program?

Last week I heard this phrase from a Motiv8er. 

Goals are just dreams until you set a date and plan it into your schedule!

Crew once you clearly define how you are going to accomplish your goal your chances of cheating on your new diet or skipping a workout greatly decreases!

Second Share Your Goal with Others:

Your fellow Motiv8ers, friends, and family are your biggest supporters and can be used as your accountability buddies. If you are having a hard time staying consistent with your workouts and healthy meals, use the people around you. Don't shy away from letting others know what you are trying to accomplish. Ask them to help support you everyday!

This sounds silly, but you might be surprised about how much easier it is to stay consistent when you have others helping you. =)

Crew, this is your Motiv8ion for today. Post how you have stayed Motiv8ed toward being true to your healthy lifestyle!

For Today.....

Crew Stay EPIC and Don't Forget To Be AWESOME!

Coach Ty Out!