Natural Muscle October 2016 Natural Muscle October 2016 | Page 30

INSPIRATION

“I WANTED TO SHARE

MY DAY WITH YOU.”
Make an appointment and stick to it:

By Gina Ostarly

I bet your cellphone has a calendar that stays pretty full with appointments? Finding time to do anything often leads to “not finding
the time.” So which appointment do you probably miss the most?
The one with yourself! Every day I schedule “my” work out time
and make it as important as any other appointment. As a personal
trainer, I am often tempted to fill the spot with a client, especially
when clients too often cancel and want to switch workout days or
times. But, I don’t. At the end of the day, keeping my life balanced
is most important. If I’m not balanced and feeling my best, I’m
certainly not 100% for others.

W

e say that a lot. To our family,
friends, responsibilities and
certainly the gym. But how many
times do you collapse into bed and realize
you didn’t work out and didn’t spend time in
the grocery store buying the healthy food
you deserve? It’s a habit that leaves us
feeling less than good about ourselves as
we fall asleep. That doesn’t set us up for
a successful next morning. Thus the cycle
continues.
If you have the time (which you do),
and the desire, you can get this done. All
you need is someone to hold you by the
hand, or possibly drag you by the hair, into
a routine that will work. That person is me,
so, keep reading.
I enjoy helping people organize and navigate day-to-day life so that they can adapt
to their healthiest lifestyle yet. Life is crazy
busy for most, myself included! Managing
a busy day takes effort. It also requires
planning. Being prepared is half the battle.
It feels so much better to control your day,
instead of, the day controlling you.
The main weapon in winning this war
is “preparation.” If you have everything
ready, its simple to do the right thing. How
to prepare?

Healthy doesn’t have to be time
consuming:

Think ahead. Make lists:
Sunday is my day for church and rest, a great way to start the
week. But then we get to Monday, which is almost always a super
busy day of the week for me. I take the time to get my grocery
shopping done over the weekend so that food prep is already
planned in my head and in my fridge. Thinking this through, ahead
of time, is super helpful on a busy day when I have so many other
things to think about.
But, do you have to start with a new list every week? Of course
not. Use your cellphone to store a list of grocery store basics and
then refer to that each week. Before long, you’ll know most of the
list by heart. You can add new things from time to time, just to
stave off boredom. And here is a great lesson that always works
-- if you don’t buy it at the grocery store, you can’t devour it late at
night.

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Natural Muscle Magazine

So what would be on such an “always
can use” grocery list?
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brown rice
quinoa.
vegetables.
chicken sausage
chicken breast
eggs
fruit
unsweetened almond milk
canned tuna
hummus
Ezekiel bread or wraps

October 2016

ITALIAN TURKEY DINNER

Maybe you love to cook? If that’s your hobby then so much the better. Just remember, healthy meals don’t have to be time-consuming. I don’t have much time during the day to eat, so, I’ve learned
to make a healthy salad for lunch and prep dinner at the same
time. Both meals take me less than 30 minutes to prepare. I love
using my slow cooker on packed days. Set it and forget it!
My days have consistent activities, much like a workout will
have a consistent routine of exercises. Many times I will work on
my part-time Nerium business, catch up on e-mails, monitor my
social media pages and check out my website. Training clients is a
part of each weekday.
I still have time to eat healthy and exercise. If you think about it,
why would I skip that. The choice is always ours. Make the effort,
make the time, make the choices…
I don’t spend hours daily working out or have hours to cook
healthy meals. I actually couldn’t do that if I wanted -- too many
responsibilities make for many pieces to my daily puzzle. I just
implement small choices each day that have compounded over
time lead to a healthy, balanced and fit lifestyle.
Seriously, give this approach just two short weeks and see if it
doesn’t make your life easier and provide more free time for the
things you love most. Isn’t that what we all want? I’ll get you started
with this great slow-cooker recipe that is perfect for fall weather.

Directions: Place turkey thighs in slow cooker. In small bowl,
combine tomatoes, tomato paste and garlic; mix well. Pour
4 turkey thighs -- skin removed
2 cans (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes with over turkey.
Italian-style herbs undrained low sodium Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.
About 25 minutes before serving, cook couscous in water as
4 tablespoons tomato paste
directed on package. Stir zucchini into tomato mixture.
4 cloves garlic -- minced
Cover; cook on high setting for an additional 20 minutes or
2 cups uncooked couscous
until zucchini is tender. Serves four.
3 cups water
To serve, remove bones from turkey. Stir gently to break up
4 cups sliced zucchini
turkey. Serve over couscous.