Please go to my new Website to view my blog…

www.StacyRaeOCFitnessMama.com

“Happy New Year”! I hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends over the Holiday’s. By now things have calmed down, the kids are back in school and you are all back on a schedule. Hallelujah right! At least this is the way I feel about it…it was great to have the kids home from school and have some family time, but it is also nice to have everyone back on a schedule too.

This year in-stead of thinking about New Years Resolutions, why not think of healthy goals for your fitness program instead. A long time ago I let go of trying to set New Years Resolutions  and in-stead I started writing down three fitness goals that I wanted to work on for my self  for the year. For this year I am going to encourage my clients to try to do the same. I am asking them to write down three fitness goals that they would like to work on the date at which they would like to try to achieve them. I believe this is a reasonable way to think about setting some goals and also a way to keep it simple. I have shared this with my clients for this year and they all agree that it is doable and reasonable. I think that sometimes if the goals are over-whelming and to hard to achieve then they get pushed to the way-side and forgotten, usually within the first month of the year.  This year think about goals that are ones that you feel you could be successful with and have support from your family and friends with. Write them down and be as specific and you can. Take the time to think about them and make your self be accountable and follow through. There is something really special about making goals and reaching them…I know this from my personal experience and from my clients experiences as well. So get to work and write down your fitness goals…I wish you luck and much success…

One on the things I am doing this year is going green…not just to help the environment but to help my body feel better. I am going to be doing green smoothies most mornings during the week…one of my clients shared this simple yet healthy recipe with me…I tried it today and it gave me a boost of energy and it tasted good to.

Here’s to the year of the Green Smoothie….join me in going green, green veggies are full of antioxidants, and have many other health benefits as well. For me I like the idea of drinking my veggies in the morning, I know I will have a jump-start on the day and I will be getting 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies too. Here is the recipe from my dear client who has been doing green smoothie’s for a while and loves them…I know you will grow to love them too…

GREEN SMOOTHIE…

Use 8-16 oz of light coconut milk ( you can do  8 oz of water and 8 oz of coconut milk if you like)

Two stalks of celery

1/2 cup of cucumbers ( peeled and cut)

1/2 organic spinach

1/2 fruit of your choice

1/2 ice

Put coconut water in the blender first, then add the celery, then add the cucumbers, then add the spinach and ice. Blend all together….Lastly add your favorite fruit I would suggest using frozen fruit… try using mangos…blend all together and there you have it…your green smoothie…

Green Smoothie

Here is a great green snack for you and your kids…it is green seaweed and can be found at Trader Joe’s and Costco… I by the big box of 24 at Costco for school lunches… my boys love it too!

SeaWeed

Exercise for January 2012…

Lat pull down with calve raise

Elisa Lat pull down with calve raise 1_6_12

Lat pull down with calve raise…hold tube over head pull down to the top of your chest while you lift up onto the balls of your toes… Works your back, biceps, core and calves…can be done anywhere, anytime, anyplace…you may also use a flat band as well. You can order my body type book and bands at…www.StacyRaeMednick.com

Scripture of the month...But the fruit of the Spirit is love,  joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians  5:22  ( NIV)

Laura "Hula Hooping" during a small group personal training class 1-5-12

Power walking at the beach,,,my favorite!

This year I would like to encourage all you OCFitnessMamas and the FitnessMama’s outside of the OC as well to join my “300 Day Cardio Club” for 2012. This challenge was designed to help you “Stay the Course” with you cardio for 2012. Try to do some form of cardio ( walking, biking, swimming, group fitness class, step class, spinning class, any piece of cardio equipment) for 300 out of the 352 days in the year. You can do your cardio all at once or sprinkle it  throughout your day for example  ( 10 min am. 10 noon & 10 min pm) if you don’t have time to do 60 min at a time. This is a great way to get it in and it is manageable. As a mother myself I find this very reasonable and on some day’s that works better for me than doing it all at one time., Research shows that doing little bits at a time is just as good as doing it all at once. It all ends up in your cardio bank at the end of the day! So the bottom line is to just ” Do It” just like NIKE say’s…If you would like to go to my Facebook page and join in on the fun and post what you do daily that would be great. If you are not already a friend of mine, send me a friend request and then you can join in on the fun and stay motivated. Look me up on Facebook…StacyRaeOCFitnessMama

I look forward to your friendship and seeing your daily posts…Don’t miss out on the fun and the fire that the FitnessMama’s our all having.

Blessings,

StacyRaeOCFitnessMama

Your going to love this!

Hot chocolate-Ice Coffee

Mix in blender until fluffy and frothy:

• 1 package instant hot chocolate mix
• 1 Cup chilled coffee
• 1/2 banana

Put in your favorite Christmas mug and enjoy.

Take some time to do some yoga this month…yoga restores the mind and lengthens the muscles… this is great especially if you are a mesomorph ( apple shape), endomorph ( pear shape), or meso-endo ( top of an apple and bottom of a pear shape)

DECEMBER SCRIPTURE: BE STILL and know that I am GOD…Psalm 46:10

Warrior 2 Pose

I love this pose! Try it and hold it for 30 sec on each side… 2-3 times a week. Slowly work your way up to 2-3 sets holding the pose for 60.

Chair Pose

The chair post is great for your lower body…try it for 30 sec 2-3 times a week…slowly work your way up to 2-3 sets holding the pose for 60 sec.

Merry Christmas 2011

God Bless you and your families…May your Holidays be filled with warmth, happiness and wonderful memories…have an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I look forward to 2012 and sharing more fun fitness information with all my fellow Fitness Mamas…

StacyRaeFitnessMama 2011

Blessings,

StacyRaeFitnessMama

1. Plan your month in advance, sit down with your family and write down on your calendar every ones schedule using a different colored pens.  Write down all the homework assignments like book reports and special homework projects well in advance to have plenty of time to get them done. Write down all the events for the month including  sports and practices of each child and who is going to get them there. Plan doctors appointments and dental appointments in advance so they won’t interfere with school and sports if possible.
2. Talk with your family about what kinds of food they would like to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This will help you so you can  plan and cook ahead of time. Even  if you have to cook  on the weekends it can really help your week  run more smoothly, it is actually is worth it.  I find that if I shop and cook on the weekends and freeze meals that my family eats healthier. If you plan your meals you will be less likely to be tempted to go to a fast food restaurant .  Most clients that I work with end up at the  drive through restaurants because of poor planning.  Eating at home most evenings throughout the week will save your family money and weight gain. Try to connect to eat at home with your families at least 2-3 times a week. This is so important and your family will always remember these family dinners as a tradition to pass on to there kids when they have families of their own. Then when you do eat out once a week or so, it will be more like a treat for the whole family.
   
3. Pick out clothes for school the night before. Make lunches the night before and get back packs ready and placed by the door for a smooth school morning. If possible set out breakfast dishes the night before and know what you’re going to have for breakfast. Make sure to ask your children if there is any paper work that needs to be signed for there classrooms so that gets handled in the evening before. If  is helps a sign bathroom times so everyone isn’t in there all at once. Bathroom shifts help with all families but especially for larger ones. Try it and see if your mornings run smoother.
4. Try to get as much done during the week so that when the weekend comes your not stuck doing chores and laundry. Have the children help with basic chores throughout the week and stay consistent with making sure they do them. Put together a chore chart and have each child check off the chores each day that they are done.  This teaches them about life and how to prepare for later years when they move away from home. ATTENTION ALL FITNESS MAMAS; avoid cleaning up your children’s rooms this only teaches them that they don’t have to be accountable for there own rooms and later in life this could cause problems in a  marriage, at work or any other  room mate situations. Teach them to clean up their own rooms and they will learn that they are responsible for there space and there things. Mothers that clean there children’s room don’t do them any favors except to co-sign there own child’s lazy behavior. Have consequences for un-clean rooms and when your children  want to go somewhere or do something fun then the answer will be easy to say, “NO”! Explain why and trust me they will get better at taking care of there rooms and doing there chores. Be consistent and follow through. The follow through part as parents is very important or your children won’t take you seriously.
5. Lastly, try to find some time in the afternoon, early evening or weekends  and go for an after dinner walk, bike ride or play at the park as a family. Bring a blanket, some snacks and hang out and relax. It doesn’t take a lot of money or expensive trips to rally up the troops to get  some exercise and family time in. Re-connect when ever you can with a game of basketball, tag, throwing the baseball to each other, get creative.  Great conversations come out of playing and exercising with your kids. You never know what they may talk to you about, and that’s worth a lot to  a parent. On the weekend look for places near by that you can explore like local hiking trails, bike paths and local parks. Get outside with nature with your family and get away from the computer, games, and other things that may distract you from being really present with your family. Time passes quickly and therefore now is the time to make those memories and value on-another.

Here is a great book that I have been reading that you will love: Boundaries with Kids, by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.

This summer we went to Palm Desert for our family vacation. We had a blast we spent time together and did lots of outdoor activities. We went swimming, hiking, walking and explored the town. We even went to the water park in Palm Springs. Hopefully you were able to do something with your family this summer even if it was to take a drive to San Diego and go to the zoo. Spending time with your family is what matters most, making memories and taking time out for each other.

Here are some photos of our trip to Palm Desert…

Boys and Michael getting ready to go hiking...

Michael & Stacy Rae at the top of the mountain...

Michael and the boys at the top of the mountain... We did it!

Knotts Berry Farm Water Park in Palm Springs, can you say, "Fun"!

Staying cool in the wave pool...

What a beautiful view of Palm Desert 9/2011

Exercise of the month: Split lunge with  side lateral raise…

Split lunge with side lateral raise...

Split lunge with side later raise...

Do 12-15 reps on one side and repeat on the other. Do exercise 2-3 times a week with walking, running or bike riding in-between.

Scripture of the month…

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven… Ecclesiastes 3:1

Be tempted to be yourself…. Be you and love who you are, remember there is only one of you!

Have a great month….Happy October 2011

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and enjoying your families. I ran across this wonderful recipe and wanted to share it with you. It is a delightful dairy free comfort food for your whole family to enjoy and believe it or not it’s better than those un-healthy buttermilk pancakes that you have been making for years. Give the recipe a try and then let me know if you like it.

Dairy Free Pancakes:

15 MINUTES PREP TIME

MAKES 6 MEDIUM PANCAKES ( I always double the recipe to have more for the next day).

( low-fat)

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Soymilk, plus 1 to 4 Tbsp soy Flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp vinegar

Pinch of salt

Optional additions:

1/2 to 1 c any of the following:

• carob chips, chocolate chips, blueberries, or raisins
• 2 mashed, ripe bananas and 1/4 c chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c chopped apples and 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Whisk first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Gently fold in optional ingredients, if using. Batter will be thick. If it is too thick to handle ( this will vary, depending on the humidity where you live), add more soymilk, one tablespoon at a time.

1. Cook on an oiled griddle or nonstick pan over medium-high heat until you start to see bubbles appearing. At this point, flip pancake and cook other side until golden brown.

My boys love them and they are very filling and make a great breakfast especially on school day’s.

Recipe from Mother’s Market & Kitchen Magazine…. ( From The Urban Vegan by Dynise Balcavage

Yummy Dairy-Free pancakes

Happy belated 4th of July to you and your families! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed spending time with your family and friends.  With the 4th of July behind us and the rest of the month ahead of us there is still lots of time for fun in the sun with family, friends and neighbors. This months blog is going to be about celebrating all of you Fitness Mamas with fireworks included, to help motivate you and keep you on the path of staying in shape. I would like to challenge all you to get out of your comfort zone and do something different this month. Shaking up your workout from time to time is really important and also helps your body go to a new level of   intensity and that increases your results. The following below  is about how my clients and I step out of our comfort zone and also had a blast with doing so…and I hope it inspires all of you to shake it up and get creative with your cardio workouts as well as seeing how you can help make your community and other places a better place to live.

At the start of the year I wanted to do some community charities with my clients and friends to help bring awareness to those less fortunate than we are. I also wanted to help my clients train for some events that weren’t to long and show them that they could train for some events and have fun doing so. We did our first one on  March 26th,  the “Walk 4 Water” it was a 4 mile walk  and was just the right amount of time.  This fund-raiser was one that was started by someone at our church who had a heart for Africa. I was involved with this charity and provided the exercise warm-up on the day of the walk.  This fund-raiser was to help build wells in Uganda, Africa. This was a fund-raiser that is very dear to my heart,  because my family and I  sponsor a child there and have for 6 years now. The ‘Walk 4 Water’ was created for a need to raise money for the ” Hope 4 Kids Foundation” and we earned $20.000 dollars plus on the day of the walk. We were  was able to help build two new wells in Uganda for the people in the surrounding villages in that area. In Uganda people are sick and dying because there is no clean water. By building one well at a time that will slowly change. It was great to be apart of that event and I have now been ask to be on the board of advisors which is very exciting. We will be planning the “Walk 4 Water” for 2012 and I am looking forward to having my clients, family and friends participate again next year.  By bringing more awareness to this issue we will be able to help the  families and children in Uganda  have clean water and live healthier lives because of it. What a blessing to be apart of such a wonderful event, we had a great time.

The next event that I choose to do with my clients was the Surf City Walk/Run  on the 4th of July. Once again we worked out hard and prepared to walk the day of the race, it is a 5k walk/run event.  This was a local fund-raiser for the Jr. Lifeguards of Huntington Beach, CA. It also was an event that was dear to my heart because my two older boys are both Jr. Lifeguards. This event also uses some of the  money raised to help sponsor local children that can’t afford the program and that was dear to my heart, because this year we were one of those families. The least I could do was to give back and rally up my clients & friends to help raise money for kid’s next year that might need the same kind of help our family needed this year. So on the day of the race we gathered together early that morning to help support the Jr. Lifeguard event. We had a lot of fun and instead of walking  I choose to run the race that day with one of my clients. This is what I am talking about, getting out of your comfort zone. I did because I am not a runner I am a avid walker, but I this day I was a runner and it felt great! Getting out of your comfort zone isn’t easy, but it can take your workout up a notch and that’s what I’m taking about! So Fitness Mama’s find a local event in your area and train for it. It doesn’t have to be a marathon and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Choose something that is dear to your heart and something you have a passion for.

* THE NEXT EVENT WE WILL DO IS THE SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE… on September 25th 2011… it is a 5K Run/Walk and we are very excited to do this race. I lost my mother and my grandmother both to cancer and so I have a heart for the event as well.

Come join us and do the event… you all know someone or maybe you have your own experience with cancer and want to participate in this race… let  me know if you want to be in our group.

Do one thing a day that scares you!

Scripture of the month: Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Hebrews 11:1

Creamy Guacamole:

1 ripe avocado, halved and pit removed

1 clove garlic, crushed

juice of 1/2 small lemon or juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp. light  mayonnaise

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro ( optional)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado out of  its skin into a bowl.  Stir in the garlic, lemon or lime juice, and mayonnaise and mash using a fork to achieve the consistency you want.

2. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and season to taste.

Great for kids to dip with chips, vegetables, spread on a sandwich, or tortilla, Great for big kids too.

New Stacy Rae Fitness Mama, tank tops & hats are available now…

(They come in white, heather grey & pretty pink.  Tanks are $20.00)

Hats are $15.00

        

Christina Fitness Mama in a pink Stacy Rae Fitness Mama tank...

Christina Fitness Mama...Looking awesome!

Plie with Upright Row ( works, glutes, inner thighs, quad's, biceps & upper back)

Plie with Upright Row ( finish).. Great to work several muscle groups at once...

Walk 4 /Water event for " Hope 4 Kids International"... March 26, 2011

Warming up the group for the "Walk 4 Water" 3/2611

My client Tiffany... she's getting ready to get married this weekend... Congratulations Tiffany!

My clients Julie, Lisa & StacyRaeFitnessMama the day of the race July 4th 2011...

StacyRaeFitnessMama and Lisa my running partner...

I am so excited that school is almost out, and summer is around the corner! What a year it has been, wouldn’t you agree?  With summer so close I wanted to help motivate you with some tips to get it shape. I also wanted them to be easy to do and not overwhelming. With the school year rapping up with  all of the parties, field trips and more,  the last thing you need in a fitness schedule to put more pressure on you and send you over the edge. Behavior changes however require practice to create new healthy habits. The eight healthy habits below are manageable changes that are designed to move from one week to the next with a gentle kind of progression as a fitness program should. The  ”8 Weeks , 8 Changes”, program will give you accountability, structure, and  help you ease into creating new healthy habits. Each week helps you progress and flow into the next week , so by the end of 8 weeks you will have created and learned to adapt to 8 new healthy  fitness habits. Below are 8 new fitness  tips to get you moving in the right direction to feeling better, have more energy, sleep more, and enjoy your families. Mom’s need to take good care of themselves and to be healthy examples for their families. It starts with us mom’s and trickles down to our children.

• Week 1: Begin at least 5-10 minutes of stretching 3-5 day’s a week.
• Week 2: Begin to do 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3-4 day’s a week.
• Week 3: Begin to include 5-6 servings of fruits & vegetables daily
• Week 4: Begin to take out one liquid or food item that you know is not healthy for you and replace it with a healthier item, ( for examples eliminate soda and add more water to increase your water intake, work up to 64-96 ounces of water a day).
• Week 5: Begin do push-up’s, wall-sits, bench dips, stationary lunges and crunches 2-3 day’s a week.
• Week 6: Choose 3 positive affirmations to say to yourself every day of the week and post them on stickies in the bathroom so you can look in the mirror and repeat them daily. Repetition  is important so that your subconscious can record it and remember to store it. Remove the negative thinking and replace it with these three positive affirmations. Here is example of three affirmations that I have my clients repeat daily ( I am Beautiful, I am Worthy, I am Blessed). You can create some for Week 6, however don’t just stop with three, you can create more and you can interchange them and do this even after you get to Week 8.
• Week 7: Get to bed no later than 11 pm. In fact try to get to bed by 10 pm at the latest. There is so much research that backs up losing weight with getting enough rest every night. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep if you can and you will feel refreshed and lose weight too.
• Week 8: Look at your plate when you eat and make sure that you are having a serving of 3 oz. of lean protein, 1 serving of whole wheat grains, 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of vegetables. Include a small serving of dairy on the side. Eat 1 hour upon awakening, and eat a small snacks or meal every three hours to keep your metabolism on fire and burning calories daily.

Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch...

I would love to extend a wonderful message to all my amazing Fitness Mama’s out there by saying, Happy Mother’s Day! I would love to also say, that Mother’s Day doesn’t need to just be celebrated on one day of the year but perhaps on several day’s throughout the year.. So Fitness Mama’s go ahead and pick more than one day to celebrate all the you do for your families, friends, co-workers and church. You deserve more than just one day, you deserve many! So do something special for yourself once a month, that’s 12 day’s out of the year that you celebrate YOU… go have a manicure & pedicure, massage, walk on the beach, read a book in the park,  treat yourself to sushi, take a yoga class, go out to lunch or dinner. What ever you choose do something special for yourself  one day a month to honor how amazing you are! I believe this is the way to celebrate, Mother’s Day once each month and not just one day a year. Do it, because your worth it…

Here is a special treat to try on one of your special day’s… A Gluten Free delicious dessert that you and your family can enjoy…

BLUEBERRY COBBLER

A perfect treat , this is easy to make, antioxidant-rich dessert features low-glycemic coconut  sugar. Serve it a la mode with a scoop of organic coconut-milk-based, vanilla frozen dessert and a few fresh blueberries for garnish.

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

2 Tbs. organic unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla flavoring or vanilla extract

3 Tbs. unrefined coconut sugar

1 Tbs. arrowroot powder

4 large organic eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup organic coconut flour

1/3 cup finely ground almond flour

1/4 tsp. unrefined sea salt

1/2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder

1 Tbs. unrefined  coconut sugar

1. Place blueberries in 9-inch glass pie plate or baking dish. Add applesauce, vanilla and coconut sugar, and mix carefully to coat blueberries. Let stand a few minutes, then mix in arrowroot.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together eggs and coconut oil in large bowl. Combine coconut flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, and coconut sugar in separate bowl, then stir into egg-oil mixture.
3. Pour batter over blueberry mixture, spreading to edges of pan if necessary. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cook 10-20 minutes, and serve warm Or for a sweeter cobble, allow to cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate,  and serve cold.