Happy November sweet friends!
Way to finish October strong! Loved hearing how so many of you exercised daily in October and had such success with your goals! Excited to share our TransFit theme for November: "NOURISH your body in November". The November theme will walk us through this month as we focus on nourishing our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Today, we realize this time of year is very FULL for all of us. With the holidays quickly approaching and the semester coming to an end, we have a never ending to-do list that seems to get longer and longer with every passing day. Let's focus this month on:
- Being ready to make the most of every moment!
- Getting ready for the holiday season ahead!
- Getting motivated to reach new goals and live healthier this month!
We are so proud of each of you that participated in our October challenge! Continue to do some type of movement daily! Our October challenge winner is Ellen Sabitini!
Ellen started at TransFit in May 2016 and has made many life changes with nutrition and exercise. She has lost many inches, pounds, and body fat over the past few months and has transformed not only her body but her mind and spirit as well! Ellen exercised everyday in October!! Way to go Ellen! We are so proud of you! You will be inspired by Ellen and her transformation story!
"I started my first appointment with Transfit on May 26. I had tried different exercise and nutrition plans with a little success but could never maintain it for long. Many of my friends and colleagues were “TransFit success stories”, and while it crossed my mind many times, I had many excuses why Transfit wouldn’t work for me: I was too out of shape, it wouldn’t work for my busy schedule, etc. Eventually, I hit a point where I needed to do something different! I was not feeling good about myself or my health. I felt I needed to try something more individualized, with someone who could motivate me and hold me accountable. I was so impressed with others who worked out at Transfit that I decided to give it a try, kind of as a last straw! I feel fortunate to work in a place where I am surrounded by strong and beautiful woman who inspire me to be my best everyday!
I started small group personal training sessions this past summer, which was a great way for me to start and get more personalized attention and instruction on how to best do the exercises. Once the school year started, I began attending Transformers classes 3 days a week. At home, I walk everyday and I’ve recently started adding some running intervals to my walks.
My favorite thing about exercising is learning to do new exercises that I couldn’t previously do (like all the various plank exercises and the jungle gym!) and feeling stronger! I also love exercising outside and being active with my family. My husband, son, and dog accompany me on my walks/runs and motivate me too! A challenge for me is trying new things-I tend to stick to a routine. That’s another reason I like Transfit so much-every session is different and keeps me challenged!
My current goals are to eat more salads, find good fruit and vegetables in the winter, continue to exercise and follow my nutrition plan through the holidays and the winter season.
Living a healthy lifestyle has definitely made me feel more confident in all areas of my life. I feel like I am a more positive person and more encouraging of others. I have more energy to do all the things in life I want to do!
Strategies that have been most helpful to me:
- Meal planning and prep every week
- Bringing my snacks and lunches to work everyday and cooking at home
- Food journaling-I’ve food journaled 158 days in a row!
- Signing up for classes in advance each week
- Not using food as a reward or celebration or as a stress buster!
I have a lot of favorite foods, that’s one of the problems! My recent most favorite recipes:
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 lg Vidalia or sweet onion
- 1 lb carrots
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 bag of cut butternut squash (such as Trader Joe’s)
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 T olive oil
- ¼ cup goat cheese crumbled (optional)
- Egg, fried (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut all veggies into bite-sized (1”) chunks or wedges. Add onions and carrots to a large roasting pan or casserole. Add 1-2 T of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once. Add zucchini and butternut squash. Add 1 T olive oil and toss. Roast for another 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and roast for 10 more minutes.
To serve as a main dish: top each serving of roasted vegetables with a 1 tsp of goat cheese and a fried egg. Can also serve on ½ cup cooked quinoa. Leftovers also work great as a savory breakfast or easy lunch.
Tofu Tacos (adapted from Mark Bittman)
I know many people do not love tofu, but this is a great way to make it if you want to give it a try!
- 8 6” soft corn tortillas
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 T chopped garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 1-1 ½ lb of firm tofu
- 1 T taco seasoning (salt-free if possible)
- Juice from 1-2 limes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Cook onion, red pepper, and garlic 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Crumble tofu in pan (with your hands) and cook, stirring/scraping pan until tofu browns, about 20 minutes. Add taco seasoning and ½ of lime juice.
Cook corn tortillas in a 350 degree oven until warm and slightly crisp (about 6 minutes).
To make tacos: On each corn tortilla, add 2 T tofu mixture, cilantro, scallions, lime juice, and sliced avocado."
Clients, Jen Leahy and Ellen Sabitini
Here is the workout schedule at TransFit looks for November! Please come join us if you are here in Athens! If you are not in Athens OR you've had to cancel/reschedule your class, never fear! We have an awesome section to the website called Transform. Here you can find workouts along with videos that you can do right from home! Some without any equipment at all so you can still get in a great workout no matter where you are or how busy life gets! Additionally, you can check our TransFit Athens App for workouts, recipes, and inspiration!
We are praying for you friends, and so excited to see what this month holds! Let us start November off stronger than ever, ready to finish out this YEAR the healthiest and strongest we have ever been- mind, body, and spirit. Let us offer up our bodies gratefully, choosing to honor God with our bodies! Remembering that exercise is worship!
Blessings,
Team TransFit
