If you went through the 28 day “A Better Me Challenge” with us, you are familiar with our “secret weapon.”  I call him the secret weapon because he brought us encouragement and challenged us every week to go further, dig deeper, and to be better.  I’m talking about the dynamic motivational speaker and life coach Byron Davis. The sad truth is most people will spend more time planning for their vacation than they will ever spend planning for their life. And we all know that those who fail to plan, are just planning to fail. Today your assignment is to listen to Byron as he teaches us in just 6 minutes about Unleashing Your Heroic Self! Not only do you get a “power shot”, but you also will get the chance to download a FREE copy of “Your Epic Life Plan” which was written by Byron Davis!!!   Listen to the video for more information.

After you watch the video click here to get your FREE no strings attached copy of Your Epic Life Plan! He’s not even asking for your email. Don’t get caught living someone else’s dreams. Journey through this FREE workbook and learn to live your passion, play to your strengths, and take hold of dreams, NOW!
What you waiting for? Get “Your Epic Life Plan!”

It’s time for a giveaway! If you are like me, you had tons of Barbie dolls growing up.  Today, my little princess has a room full of different types of Barbies.  She loves playing dress up with them.  Even more than the dolls, she LOVES the movies!  This month Kidtoons is proud to present, in a theater near you, Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2.

Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 Synopsis
Surf’s up for Barbie™ as she returns as Merliah™, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who’s also a magical mermaid princess!　In this exciting sea-quel™, Merliah™ makes a splash when she heads to Australia for the ultimate surfing competition. When the evil mermaid Eris escapes from her whirlpool with plans to take over the throne of Oceana, Merliah™ and her sea friends dive in to stop her.  It’s a fresh new adventure where Merliah™ learns that anything is possible and she really can have the best of both worlds!

Sign up to get a special birthday gift from Kidtoon Films.

Thanks to Kidtoons you can win your little special someone…

One BARBIE® MERMAID TALE 2 DOLL
In the movie Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2, these magical Royal Mermaids help Merliah™ save the ocean! Each mermaid princess has a beautifully detailed bodice and exquisite mermaid tail inspired by the oceans from around the world. With bewitching color change features, girls will love playing with them in or out of the water. Ages 3 and older.

Fill out the rafflecopter form to win.  If you see a different form than Barbie in Mermaid Tale 2, refresh your browser or click on the title of this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You know when you come across something you love, you just have to tell somebody!  A few months ago a company by the name of BiPro sent me some of their whey protein to try.  I was extremely skeptical because as a professional athlete I’ve tasted quite a few whey proteins over the years, and 95% of them I cannot stand.  A lot of protein powders are grainy, taste starchy, and many leave a yucky aftertaste in your mouth.  I am a self-proclaimed foodie, and when something tastes bad it just ruins my day!  BiPro really took me by surprise.

The original BiPro Whey Protein is 100% natural!  It has zero carbs, it’s fat free, sugar free, has no fat, no lactose, naturally gluten free, and is unflavored.  All of the zero’s and “frees”, and not having any flavor in it’s description both excited and scared me at the same time.  Remember, I’m a foodie.  I was thinking if it has no sugar, no fat, and no flavor, it cannot be taste free.  I though that this was going to be disgusting.  Well ladies, I’ll have to tell you this product was amazing!! This is the first whey protein that truly left NO aftertaste!  I couldn’t taste it at all!  Which was great because that meant I could put it into anything I wanted and it wouldn’t change the flavor.  Most importantly it wouldn’t leave an aftertaste to let me know I’ve had it!

The first thing I tried it in was a strawberry smoothie.  My smoothie tasted clean and delicious.  I added one scoop of BiPro giving me 20 grams of protein.  I also tried it in my husband’s Cocoa Daddy Cool Smoothie recipe (below).  Again, yummy!  I even gave it a shot the other day in my oatmeal.  When I eat oatmeal, I am usually hungry half an hour later, so I like to add protein to fill me up a little more.  Honestly, I could not taste the BiPro protein, it was great!

For those of you interested in the science behind this product, please visit BIPROUSA.com. If you are an athlete you can rest easy knowing that it is certified for sport from NSF, meaning that it has been certified as free of any banned substances making it safe for athletes who have to undergo drug tests (and safe for the everyday consumer as well!) How is BiPro different than other whey protein products on the market? (taken from their website) “Purity! BiPro is the purest whey protein isolate available. Unlike many other protein products, it does not contain any protein blends, which often include lesser quality proteins such as gelatin. In addition, BiPro does not contain any unnecessary fillers or bulking agents.”  The whey protein I used to buy costs $17.99 for just 10 oz!  A 2 lb container of BiPro Whey Protein will cost you $39.99 which is actually a great price for protein powder.     You can click here to order yours.  (I am not an affiliate)

Here’s a recipe from our Daddy Does It Raw Week, I just added BiPro to it…

Cocoa Daddy Cool Smoothie

1/2 banana

3 or 4 organic strawberries fresh or frozen

2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of raw peanut butter (you can use a nut free butter if allergic to pb)

3/4 cup of ice

handful of raw spinach

1 scoop of BiPro Whey Protein

1/2 tbs raw agave (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a good blender, and blend until smooth.  If you like it thicker add more ice.  If you like it more smooth, add more water.   (While it gives it a dark green color you can’t taste the spinach. Spinach helps fight cancer, provides fiber, anti-inflammatory, lowers blood pressure, gives you a good dose of vitamins, minerals, good for skin and brain nerve function so you can be quick like the cheetah. Just tell your kids it’s a “Shrek Smoothie” when it’s green or a “Green Lantern Smoothie.)

Thanks to BiPro, later this week we will be giving away a container of BiPro whey protein!!

If you are interested in learning more about BiPro, you can connect with them on Facebook: facebook.com/BiProUSA, Twitter: @BiProUSA and on their blog: biprousa.com/blog.

Here’s a video produced by BiPro on the importance healthy eating during pregnancy and how whey protein can help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRcDmycteXU

Disclosure: I received some BiPro products pictured above so that I could give this review.  The opinions stated are 100% authentic.

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids

FINAL Step- Day 28

Physical

Congratulations!!!! You made it!!

What a wonderful feeling to know that today you are further along than you were just 28 short days ago.  This challenge has taken you through so many things.  I’ll just name a few of the physical steps you’ve taken if you followed along with us faithfully.  You added juicing to your diet (or homemade smoothies), and possibly completed a 3 day juice cleanse.  You started to drink your recommended daily intake of water.  An exercise routine was established.  You’ve incorporated more whole natural and real food into your diets.  Your pantry should be cleaned out, as you dump the junk, and more!  I’m so excited for you.

Today we will be wrapping up our physical part of the challenge with one of my favorite things… SLEEP.  Normally we don’t think about sleeping as something that will help our health and fitness goals, but let me tell you it is extremely important.  The following is taken from a previous post on our site by trainer Nikki Steven (one of our blog team members).  “The National Sleep Foundation reports that fewer than 7 hours of sleep each night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and numerous additional health problems. Most doctors and trainers recommend 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is one of the most important things for muscle growth and tissue repair. When you get at least 8 hours of sleep your body produces the hormone leptin, which regulates your appetite and makes you feel satisfied after a meal. Enough sleep also regulates the hormone ghrelin, which increases your appetite. So skipping on your zzz’s will leave you feeling less satisfied and hungrier for high carbohydrate junk food. When you’re tired your body is more likely to want a quick boost of energy from sweet or starchy foods.  Lack of sleep will also increase your cortisol (stress hormone) levels and may result in an over production of insulin, leading to the storing of unwanted body fat, an interference in carbohydrate metabolism, reduced muscle size, impaired memory, sluggish immune system, and increased belly fat to name a few.”

Need more proof?  Here’s another study about why you need sleep to help you reach your fitness goals?  “According to a study done by Harvard Women’s Health Watch chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates.”  Who wants that?? I love our writers here at Fit Moms Fit Kids Club, one of them in particular always makes me laugh out loud.  Read this short fun and funny post by our writer Wendy Hagen, author of Totally Desperate Mom- Keepin’ it Real in the Motherhood about sleep.  She has some good ideas for you to reach your sleep goals.  (FYI if you want a great deal.. Wendy’s having a special Valentine’s book sale going on now.  You can get  books to give to your girlfriends who need encouragement and laughter in their experience of motherhood… Click here!)

Your action step is to get some sleep.    Your body needs it.

Here are some tips to make sure you meet your sleep goals.

1.  Don’t exercise too close to bed. Instead exercise at least 3 hours prior to bedtime.
2.  Don’t drink caffeine close to bedtime.
3.  Find things to do that help you wind down like taking a bath or reading a book.
4.  Plan your day to get you to bed early enough to get 8-9 hours of sleep.
5.  Don’t take naps in the day if you have trouble sleeping at night.  If you do nap, 20 minutes max.
6.  Don’t eat sugary food. Eat clean and balanced.

Bonus Tip: Ever since I’ve been juicing regularly (which started with this challenge) I’ve bee sleeping soundly, and not waking up during the night.  It began after I did the 3 day juice cleanse.  One night my alarm was going off at midnight,  I was sleeping so heavily I didn’t hear it!   I usually wake up about 3 times a night, and am a pretty light sleeper.  Juicing has changed my life as far as sleeping goes.  I highly recommend adding juicing into your life.  I drink one green juice and one fruit juice a day using my Breville juicer.

If you have benefited from our challenge please let us know in the comments, and tell your friends!  They can start at Day 1.  Send them the following link, or paste it to Twitter or your Facebook page!  http://www.fitmomsfitkidsclub.com/2012/01/a-better-me-challenge-day-1/

Thanks again for joining us on our A Better Me Challenge!

Tomorrow you will hear a short inspirational video from life coach Byron to help you continue your journey beyond this challenge. If you didn’t see the video yesterday from fellow challenger Unitha Muhammed, please take the time to listen to what she learned from our challenge.  Her video was a complete surprise to me! I didn’t ask her to do this, she was just inspired to do it.  If you have a video you’d like to share with us about the lessons you’ve learned let me know. 

Blessings-

Annett Davis

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids