Week 3 Bonuses/Tips/Recipes

Welcome to your THIRd week of the challenge!

Every week, we'll send out bonuses, tips for success, and recipes to keep your meals "lean and green"! 

Quick Start Guide

Rules and Scoring

Print or review Rules / Weekly Scoring Sheet
GTS Total Health Challenge Rules (Details / Examples)
Print or review Week 3 Bonus Opportunities (see details below)
Don't forget to submit last week's scores! Submit your score here

Preparation and Shopping

Print or review the Nutrition Prep Guide & Shopping List Examples
GTS Total Health Challenge Prep Guide (Details / Examples)

Measurements

Weigh yourself 3x this week, first thing in morning (Suggested MWF).
Record highs and lows (myFitnessPal or a journal)
Encouraged: waist/thigh measurement and mirror selfie.

Plan

Spend time mapping out your week ahead of time...
What score would like to achieve?
Identify the days you might go off plan.
Plan out your training days. 
What kind of habits and rituals are you going to build into this week to achieve those numbers?

Socialize/Questions/Motivate

If you're not part of our GTS Facebook Team Training Page, please request access.  
Check out and share helpful tips, recipes, meal ideas, a few bonus opportunities and keep each other accountable. 

Training and nutrition text message : (424) 265-0487

Week 3 Bonus Opportunities

Printable PDF - Week 3 Scoring Bonus Guide and Scoring Sheet

Bonus Opportunity Details

Nutrition (1 point each / 3 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 of your “lean and green” meals, recipe or meal prep ideas!*
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
(1 point)

At least 4 days drinking only water, coffee, or tea with your meals.
(1 point)

At least 3 days of logging your food in a food journal or in MyFitnessPal.
(1 point)

At least 4 days of preparing all your meals home.**
** This can also be preparing 4 days worth of meals at home
(1 point)

At least 3 days of using your flexible calories on fruit, vegetables, and/or whole-grains.

NEW: At least 2 days of eating 0.8-1.0g of protein per lb of bodyweight
(1 point)

Training (1 point each / 2 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 picture or video of your training, get creative! *
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
(1 point)

At least 2 days of intentional walking/hiking/biking/running outside for at least 30 minutes.
(1 point)

At least 3 of your training days are resistance training days and 1 extra session of low intensity cardio. .
(1 point)

Outside of your normal program, you complete at least 2 additional "mini body weight training sessions" that consists of... 
120 total walking/reverse lunges (60 per leg).
(1 point).

OR

 60 total push-ups/chair dips.
(1 point).

Sleep/Recovery (1 point each / 3 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 ritual, habit or routine you are working on for the week to improve your sleep, mindset, or de-stress!*
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
( 1 point)

At least 3 days, first thing in the morning, spend 5-10 minutes writing something down you’re grateful for.
(1 point)

At least 3 days spend at least 10+ focused minutes attempting to meditate.
Think intentional silence, laying on the floor or in a chair, attempting to focus strictly on your breathing.
Helpful to practice counting the seconds of your inhale, hold, and exhale.  
Alternatively, use a meditation app like Calm to guide you.
(1 point)

At least 3 days spend at least 10+ focused minutes on a mobility/flexibility routine.
Work on mobilizing or getting some blood flow to an area you're currently tight or stiff in.
(1 point)

At least 3 days intentionally connect with a friend or family member that you don’t see everyday. 
Call, email, spend a little time re-connecting.
 (1 point)

At least 2 days of 20+ minutes of reading (not on a screen). Whether it's a book, newspaper, or magazine, take 20 minutes to learn something new, connect with the world in a different way, or connect with a different world entirely. 
 (1 point)

 NEW (Week 3 Only): Write down a list of “your people”. These are people you can always call/text/email/hang out with when you need to connect.
( 1 point)

Success Tips

Success Tip 1: Managing hunger

Let’s be honest: changing your body composition can be difficult .

The pangs of hunger can be distracting.
Eating enough food to gain weight can make you feel bloated and sluggish.

For many of us, experiencing some discomfort is part of the journey.
After all, being comfortable all the time probably got us to wanting to change our habits in the first place.

The good news:
There are plenty of ways to make lifestyle changes more enjoyable and sustainable.
Your stomach doesn’t have to ache all the time from hunger or fullness.

Here are some tips to manage your hunger:

1. Focus on food volume

How much space does your food take up on your plate?
How much space should your food take up on your plate?

When you’re sticking with lean protein and veggies, you can probably get away with piling your plate high and wide,
especially with the veggies,
especially when you stick to low/non-fat cooking methods.

Vegetables are particularly good for keeping hunger at bay because they have lots of fiber and you can have a good amount of them without packing on a ton of calories.

Just looking at that picture above, which of those choices is going to make you feel more full?

Personally, when I’m losing weight, I’d rather have the 200 calories of veggies than busting out my microscope to spot the same amount of peanut butter on my plate.

Experiment with paying attention to the volume of food you’re eating and the way that food looks on your plate!
You might yourself more satisfied after a meal.

2. Be Mindful of Food “Cues”

Pastry with your coffee. Dessert after dinner. Afternoon snack. Midnight snack. Popcorn with a movie.
You would be surprised at how many of our food habits come from a lifetime of conditioning.

Often times, we reach for food when we’re not actually hungry or because that’s just “what we do” in a given situation.
These habits lead to self-limiting thoughts and behaviors that can get in the way of sticking to our goals.

Have you said any of the following statements before? I know I have.

”I just have to have something sweet with my coffee/tea”
”Dessert always comes after dinner”
”If I don’t eat something between lunch and dinner, I’m going to starve”

Here’s the thing:
None of those statements have to be true. Flip the script:

“What would happen if I just had my coffee by itself? Do I even like coffee?”
”What would really happen if I passed on dessert tonight?”
”Am I really going to starve if I hold out until dinner?”

With a little bit of practice and attention, we can understand which situations trigger our desire to eat certain foods and at certain times.

None of this is to say you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy any of these things from time-to-time.
Rather, you’re way stronger than all of these urges.
And your goals probably matter more to you than giving into them.
 

Success Tip 2: get your friends and family involved the

Yes, this is a six-week challenge.
But here at GTS, we like think of health habits as being lifelong.

Choosing to eat nutritious foods in amounts that are appropriate for your goals is a habit that will provide benefits to not just to your body composition or performance, but also to your long-term health and longevity.

The same can be said about engaging in regular, challenging physical activity.

That said, sticking to these habits is much easier when we don’t feel like we’re at odds with our peer groups and loved ones.
Otherwise, this whole fitness journey can feel quite lonely and isolating.

It probably doesn’t feel great getting comments from your friends about the salad you choose to eat at lunch, or from relatives when you turn down a slice of pie fresh out of the oven.
Getting called a ‘gym rat’ can be endearing, but it can also come off as judgmental and make us feel isolated.

Putting the life in lifestyle and lifelong means bringing our friends, family, and colleagues along for the ride.
Improving our health and fitness is meant to improve the quality of our lives, not cloud over our relationships or sense of self-worth.

Here are some strategies you can use to communicate your goals with your family and friends, so that they can support you:

1. Be honest. Be sincere.

While the instinct might be to say “oh I’m not hungry” (psh… I’m always hungry) or remark “I guess I do go to the gym a lot”, over time, these excuses can be tiring to churn out.

Instead, communicate why you’re choosing to follow these new habits. Being sincere about your decisions is likely to be a better long-term strategy.

A few examples:
”I feel better when I eat these foods.”
”I’ve been working really hard on X goal and I just want to honor that hard work.”
”I really think regular exercise is good for me. I can play with my kids longer, I feel stronger in my daily life.”

Think about the kind of tone you can use that will best turn the exchange into a conversation, instead of self-defense.

2. Get your friends and family involved.

While your results are your own, your friends and family can certainly help you achieve them, and vice-versa.
Chances are, the people in your life have goals of their own. Talk about those with them and find ways you can help each other.

Invite a friend to the gym with you. If they don’t work out already, who better to show them the ropes than you, someone they trust?
Invite your loved ones to meal prep with you. Help them with their meal prep. Cook a healthy meal together.

Folks like being included, and while it might take some patience and explaining at the start, including your loved ones in your lifestyle choices can go a long way developing a support network along your fitness journey.

Recipe of the Week

oven-baked tilapia and butternut squash

You know what’s better than putting something in the oven and forgetting about it?
Putting two things in the oven and forgetting about them.

Tilapia is a really flavorful fish that’s packed in protein and takes up seasoning really well.
Best of all, cooking it is pretty much foolproof!

Squash is also a personal favorite since you can have a whole lot of it for very few calories! This recipe calls for cubing the squash, but I also really like halving squash and eating the whole half!

Lean

Tilapia (fresh or thawed)

Green

Squash of choice (Butternut squash, delicata squash, acorn squash)
Kale (optional)
Cherry Tomatoes (optional)

Flavoring/Seasoning

Tilapia: salt, pepper, garlic powder
Squash: salt, pepper, cinnamon

Tips on preparation

Pre-heat oven to 425F.
Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.
Season tilapia, set aside on one baking sheet.

Using a sharp or serrated knife, cut squash in half, lengthwise.
Scoop out seeds
If cubing, score the squash and scoop out cubes using a spoon or spatula
Toss squash in salt, pepper, cinnamon, and a little bit of oil, if desired.
Arrange squash on baking sheet, leaving as much space as possible.

Bake squash for 40-45 minutes, turning over halfway.
With 15 minutes left to go, stick the tilapia in the oven.
When timer goes off, take both out of the oven and enjoy!

Optional
While the tilapia is baking, you can quickly sautee some kale (tuscan works best) and halved cherry tomatoes to add some pop to your plate!

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