Grace, Grit, and Gratitude - Three G's!

Hi Sweet Friend,

Monday Motivation! We enter this week with optimism and God's glory on our side! TransFit is focusing in on the three G's -- Grit, Gratitude, and Grace -- as a way of being, a way to live out this daily courageous life with joy. Philippians 4:13 supports the 3 G's and it a great verse to cling to this week. Here's to living bold and brave with Grit, Gratitude, and Grace.

GRIT, GRACE, GRATITUDE

The motive behind these 3 powerful words is to live a life of abundance and loving kindness. It's knowing the world is a better place if it is filled with healthy, joyful people living their greatest potential.

It takes GRIT to follow your dreams through all of the setbacks and struggles, and especially to stick to those dreams amidst the pull of short-term desires and distractions. It's even more difficult when the "how" is not clear.
It's so much easier to give in to short-term gratification than to stay the course when the going gets tough. It is in these times that we rely on Christ and lean into GRIT and determination.

GRATITUDE grounds us and keeps us positive and in a positive headspace rather than allowing us to be a victim of circumstance. It is impossible to be in a state of gratitude and focused on the negative at the same time.
Truth: There is always something to be grateful for, sometimes we just can't see it. Gratitude is the best to honor the struggle when we are in the middle of it.

The 3rd G -- GRACE -- Grace is about pursuing a courageous life with kindness and compassion for others, as well as for ourselves. God gives us grace each and everyday , we should do the same for others and ourselves. It's a way of being that collaborates, cheers, and claps and supports others on their path while at the same time pursuing your own. 👏

---

Paul (in Philippians) says he has found the secret of being content in every situation and then goes on to say what it is. "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." He is saying that his contentment in any situation is a result of Christ, who gives him the strength he needs, the strength to be content. When you grow weary because of the challenges of life, God will give you His strength.

Grit to endure, grace to love unconditionally, and gratitude to give back thanks and praise are ways we have Christ's strength within us. Let’s use the 3 G’s to transform this week!

This Sunday is the ATHALF!!!

If you are running the race stop by TransFit Thursday or Friday for a Runners Goody Bag‼️ Plan to meet at Redeemer Church to park 6:30am Sunday morning to walk to First Pres Church to stretch and pray together.

Cheer Squat We Need You!
Meet at TransFit 7:45 to Cheer on the runners! TransFit is on the running course. Join families and friends to cheer and encourage our runners this Sunday!

Great Runners Stretches

Needing healthy recipes? Download our FREE Recipes and Back to School Meal Plans are in the Recipes section of our website. Click the link below!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Raisins, Shallots, and Pecans

Ingredients:

• 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 4 tablespoons Olive Oil

• 3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1 cup shallots, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, raisins and shallots.

3. Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

4. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter.

5. Add pecans and stir until fragrant, about three minutes.

6. Add maple syrup and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about three minutes.

7. Top potatoes with pecans, cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven 50-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Check out our website for blogs, inspiration, recipes, workouts, and more!

Thank you and please let us know how we can serve you! Email us at transfitathens@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to schedule a one-on-one personal training session or nutrition consult.

Blessings, 

Team TransFit

🧘‍♀️ Three Ways to Recover Post-Workout and Every Day!

Sweet friends,

We had such an incredible week in the studio with you! You inspire us to stay committed each day and we love helping you transform. We have one week left in March and we are so excited to see your March calendar filled out! Let’s finish March strong! Remember when you send us your completed calendar at the end of the month, you will win a prize!

Recovery is vital to our physical and mental health! We love getting to spend our last five minutes in the studio with you focusing on recovery and allowing our minds to renew. Whether you are training for a 5k, marathon, or every day life, we all need to spend time recovering and resting in God’s truth!

Below are three ways to recover post-workout or at any point during your day!

Take a Magnesium Supplement

Magnesium is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. Magnesium is important for many processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and making protein, bone, and DNA. Get our favorite magnesium supplement on amazon HERE! Take this Natural Calm supplement at night before bed for best results. Here are just a few health benefits of magnesium!

1. Bone Health

   Magnesium is important for bone formation. It helps assimilate calcium into the bone and plays a role in activating vitamin D in the kidneys. Vitamin D is also essential for healthy bones. Optimal magnesium intake is associated with greater bone density, improved bone crystal formation, and a lower risk of osteoporosis in women after menopause.

2. Calcium Absorption

   Calcium and magnesium are important for maintaining bone health and preventing osteoporosis. Without magnesium, a high intake of calcium can increase the risk of arterial calcification and cardiovascular disease, as well as kidney stones.

3. Diabetes Prevention

   Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate and glucose metabolism, so magnesium status can also impact the risk of diabetes. Several studies have associated a higher intake of magnesium with a lower risk of diabetes.

4. Heart Health

   Magnesium is necessary to maintain the health of muscles, including the heart. It is also crucial for the transmission of electrical signals in the body. Adequate magnesium intake has been associated with a lower risk of atherosclerosis, a fatty buildup on the walls of arteries, and hypertension (high blood pressure).

5. Preventing Migraine Headaches

   Small studies have suggested that magnesium therapy may help prevent or relieve headaches, but the amount likely to be needed to make a difference is high. It should only be administered by a health professional.

6. Alleviating Premenstrual Syndrome

   Ensuring an adequate intake of magnesium, especially combined with vitamin B6, may help relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as bloating, insomnia, leg swelling, weight gain, and breast tenderness.

7. Relieving Anxiety

   Reductions in magnesium levels, or changes in the way that it is processed, have been linked to increased levels of anxiety. This appears related to activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a set of three glands that control a person's reaction to stress. Research has shown that a low-magnesium diet may alter the types of bacteria present in the gut, and this may impact anxiety-based behavior.

Stretching

We always encourage you to stretch after each workout because active recovery (stretching) is essential to recovering and helping your muscles relax! As we work out, we tear our muscles (little tiny tears, but tears nonetheless) and the way our body gains strength in our workouts of any kind is through healing and repairing those tears.  In turn, we end up with strengthened, lengthened, toned, and more flexible muscles. Our stronger muscle tissue is also less prone to injury or strains. This happens a small amount at a time, so daily practice is the best and quickest way to see results in your flexibility and strength. Below are three benefits of stretching as a form of recovery!

1. Stretching improves your flexibility and range of motion.

Exercising can cause muscles to become tighter than normal, so your range of motion decreases. As a result, your body can become more prone to injuries. Therefore, it is crucial to increase your flexibility to help improve your body's strength, balance, and health.

2. Stretching can improve your mobility and your performance in activities.

As you stretch, you are lengthening your muscles and increasing the blood flow to your muscles. It will then become easier to work those muscles while exercising and will allow your muscles to work effectively.

3. Stretching allows you to clear your mind and thoughts.

It is easy to recognize stress, but sometimes we forget about the toll stress can put on our bodies. Stretching daily will allow your mind to focus on something other than your to-do list or schedule for the day. Your body is able to concentrate on what is important, allowing the mind to recharge.

Rest in God’s Truth

We ask ourselves often, how can we transform our minds? Rest is a pillar of health we know we need, but don't prioritize. Rest is vital to the rhythms of our life. Rest is a gift from God which serves specific physical, mental, and spiritual purposes. 

We can honor God with our bodies when we take intentional time to rest, reflecting on our many blessings with having grateful hearts and acknowledging our dependence on Him.

Check out a past blog with more information on how to improve your rest and sleep habits HERE.

Our March Lunch and Learn is this Thursday, March 28th! It’s not too late to register! During this luncheon, we will cover safe and efficient running. Topics include form fundamentals, nutrition, running shoes and favorite running gear, and health benefits. TransFit Running Director Lisa Patton will teach us about running/walking hills efficiently and safely, how to run/walk a 5K, and strategies to help us get faster! TransFit Registered Dietician Kaeti Shurling will teach us about the best foods for runners. We will also have Fleet Feet Athens and Lululemon here as guests! You do not want to miss this!

The cost to cover lunch is $15. You can register on the free TransFit app under Special Events!

Fit for a Miracle 5K

Our first annual Fit for a Miracle 5k benefitting ESP is scheduled to take place on May 4, 2019 at 5:00 pm. We will also have a Miracle Mile (1 mile fun run) at 4:30 pm. We are SO excited about this opportunity to support ESP Miracle League, which will provide transformative experiences for individuals with disabilities to thrive through the magic of accessible play and inclusive baseball.

You can register for this event online HERE or download the mail-in registration form below. All of the proceeds from this event will be donated toward Extra Special People and help to fund the new Miracle League Complex. If you or your business would like to help sponsor this event please email us HERE!

Join us for yoga every Friday at 9:30 am to focus on recovery and stretching after a long week! You can sign up on our app HERE!

Check out our website for more blogs, inspiration, recipes, workouts, and more!

Let us know how we can serve you! Email us at transfitathens@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to schedule a one-on-one.

Blessings, 

Team TransFit

Meet our #ChooseJoy Client Spotlight!

Sweet friends,

Thank you, thank you! We have loved seeing you be ALL IN for our theme Optimism in October! We have challenged you to be active and to STRETCH every day! We are so proud of you, and we want to encourage you to achieve your goals!

Our #ChooseJoy October Client Spotlight is an INCREDIBLE example to all of us of how exercise can change your mindset and truly transform your body and spirit! Sarah Kate Jones brings such positivity, light, and love into this community, and it is contagious. You can’t help but feel uplifted up when you spend time with her. She will always be honest with you, saying every day is not a cake-walk. Goals of finding her confidence in Christ not in the size of her clothes or in other opinions is a daily struggle. Many days are difficult to make exercise and nutrition a priority but she is consistent and committed with her daily exercise and has really worked to eliminate sugar in her daily nutrition plan. This amazing college women exudes confidence now and is living transformed one hour, one day at time. Progress daily leads to big results over time!

We are so proud of her, and we hope you get to give her a big hug next time you see her bright, sweet face!

Sarah Kate’s Transformation Story:

“Growing up, I played competitive soccer which entailed a strict work out regime of practice and games five to six days a week. I was accustomed to eating healthy, homemade meals thanks to my mom, and exercising was second nature. When I got to college, it seemed all I knew flew out the door, and the “Freshman 15” I was so scared of became a reality for me. I grew increasingly discouraged, comparing myself to other girls constantly. I didn’t know how to get back to where I once was. About a year ago, I was sitting with my mom crying over how out-of-shape I had become. She introduced TransFit to me, which was just the jumpstart I needed.

After the first month of classes, I noticed I was both physically and emotionally healthier. I began making better food choices, as well as actually desiring to exercise. All of Freshman year, I had to drag myself to the gym just to get on the treadmill, and now I was excited. Each time I would leave TransFit, I felt stronger and encouraged. The confidence in myself increased, and I remember looking in the mirror being proud of how far I had come.

Exercise truly makes me feel alive. Not only does it keep my body in shape, but it promotes positive self-esteem. The most challenging aspect to it is definitely the initial start. If I miss a few days, it’s much harder to get myself to work out or make the right food choices. Typically, I work out four days a week, which consists of going to TransFit twice and running on my off days. I have been going to TransFit for the last year, and I think what I am most proud of is how I am content with who I am. It used to be about the number on the scale, but now I know it’s not that. It’s about being active, making good food choices, and trying your best. I try not to get caught up in the “I hate my fill-in-the-blank” or the negativity with comparison. TransFit has changed the way I speak to myself and think about myself.

Goals I am currently working on is consistency in making healthy choices in the kitchen. Living a healthy lifestyle affects my spiritual life, my day-to-day plans, my thought life—everything. When I work out, I feel rejuvenated. I am more apt to make better food choices, I have more energy throughout the day, and I think about myself more positively. TransFit truly got me out of the self-negativity rut, and I am so thankful.

It is a joy to get to be in the presence of encouraging women as our goals are not just to lose weight, but to feel better about ourselves. Finding our confidence in Christ.”

Below is one of Sarah Kate’s favorite post-workout foods, a Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie. She says it replenishes her energy and tastes delicious! Try it at home after one of your workouts this week! 

Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• ½ frozen banana

• 1 cup frozen strawberries

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt or 1 serving vanilla protein powder

• 1 tbsp ground flax-seed

• 1/2 cup crushed ice

• Honey or other sweetener, to taste (optional)

• 1 tsp maple syrup or stevia drops (optional)

Directions:

• Add ingredients into the blender in the order they are listed.

• Pulse until smooth. Serve and drink immediately.

• Top with fresh strawberries, unsweetened coconut flake, and a few vanilla wafers

• Add vanilla protein powder for an extra boost of protein to keep you feeling full for longer or to use as a post-exercise drink.

Choose Joy Challenge

Today is also Day 1 of our #ChooseJoyChallenge! We are going to finish Optimism in October strong by challenging you to choose joy every day this week! Today’s challenge is to write down or say out loud your Joy Statement of the Day!

Examples of Joy Statements:

“I will take action to reach my goal.”

“I am strong. I am healthy.”

“My metabolism works effectively.”

“I have boundless energy.”

What is your joy statement today? Share it with us on social media and hashtag #ChooseJoyChallenge!

We want to encourage you this week! If you would like to set up a one-on-one with one of our trainers or nutritionists, please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com.

Blessings,

Team TransFit

Secret to finishing the last quarter of 2018 STRONG!

Sweet friends,

No regrets! Max out your full potential in 2018 by achieving your goals and dreams. We want to serve you and hold you accountable to finish the last quarter of 2018 strong!

To Finish 2018 Strong, You Need To:

1. Write out your goals

2. Meet with an accountability partner

3. Take action and renew your mind daily

To help keep you accountable, we will be offering FREE 20-minute client check-ins with one of our trainers next week! These sessions are designed to help you set goals and create a plan to achieve these goals for the last quarter of the year. Let us help you transform your mind body and spirit!

To set up your check-in, e-mail us at transfitathens@gmail.com!

Our Fall Meal Plan is still on sale for $9.99 until the end of this week! This plan was created by our registered dietitians Katie Woodall and Kaeti Shurling and includes four weeks of meal plans, grocery lists and recipes. Buy it at the link below to help transform your nutrition this month!

Chopped Kale Salad with Butternut Squash & Chickpeas

Yield: 4 as a meal or 8 as a side

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 large bunch of kale 

• 4 cups of any other green lettuce (chopped spinach, broccoli slaw, more kale)

• 2-3 cups large diced butternut squash

• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon curry powder

• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• Kosher salt

• ½ cup toasted pecan

• OPTIONAL: Chopped chicken or other protein, pomegranate

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon honey

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Prep kale by cutting out the tough ribs of the kale and discard. Chop kale and add to a large bowl.  

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the diced butternut squash and rinsed chickpeas to a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, curry powder and cayenne. Mix until the squash and chickpeas are well coated. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender and chickpeas are lightly browned.

3. Meanwhile add the dressing ingredients to a small mason jar. Shake to mix and taste for more seasoning or vinegar if desired.

4. Transfer the butternut squash and chickpeas to the bowl of kale. Add the pecans and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Toss to coat. Allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes before serving so kale softens. Add chicken or other protein! Enjoy!

We are halfway through October, and we challenged you to be active and stretch every day this month! Here is a stretch video that you can do this week to reach your goal! You can also visit our YouTube channel HERE for more stretching videos.

Don’t forget to sign up for our Lunch and Learn on October 23 from 12-1 in the TransFit studio! We will be welcoming Kisa Raye, who is an exercise physiologist and facial stretch therapist, and she will be teaching us about stretching! The cost of attendance is $12 and includes lunch from Maepole. Register on our app at the link below under “Special Events".

Tight hips? This is the stretch for you!

If you have any questions or want to set up a one-one-one session, email us at transfitathens@gmail.com.

Blessings,

Team TransFit