Natural Chula's 30 day Fitness and health challenge Meal Plan guide

Many of us are on different paths with our healthy journey, so I have created several options to help you reach your goals. Check to see your proper calorie intake and use the meal plan as your guide. Every meal can be substituted for a healthy smoothie.


Click here for the Calorie intake guide

Meal 1

Option 1: 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1/2 banana + 1/2 cup egg whites + 1 cup of berries (on the side)

Option 2: 3 egg whites + 1 whole egg + 1 cup spinach + 1/2 cup veggies of your choice (tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms) + 1 slice of Ezekiel bread or other sprouted grain bread

Meal 2

4 oz. protein + 1 cup veggies

Option 1: Grilled chicken breast with asparagus

Option 2: Baked tilapia with broccoli topped with seasoned extra virgin olive oil

Option 3: Sardines served with mixed greens salad

Meal 3

4 oz. protein + 1 healthy carbohydrate (+ 1 cup veggies: optional)

Option 1: 1 can tuna (in water) with 1/2 yam,  and 2 tbsp. salsa

Option 2: Grilled tofu with 1/2 cup brown rice and 10-12 walnuts

Option 3: kidney beans with 1/2 cup quinoa & 1/2 sliced avocado

Meal 4

Option 1: 1 scoop protein powder + water or almond milk

Option 2: 1 cup carrots or celery + 2 tbsp. hummus 

Option 3: 1 apple + 1 tbsp. natural nut butter

Meal 5

4 oz. protein + 1-2 cup veggies

Option1: 2 cups mixed greens + grilled chicken or turkey

Option 2: lean beef burger + sautéed veggies (carrots, onions, peppers)

Option 3: chickpeas salad (with peppers, mushrooms, parsley, lemon juice, etc.)

TIPS

Caloric intake: This meal plan contains approximately 1500-1600 calories. In order to customize it, calculate your daily caloric requirements with the calorie calculator and make the necessary adjustments (ex. if you need more calories, you can increase your portion size or if you require a smaller amount of calories, you can stick with 4-5 meals instead of 6). Just make sure that you are eating a minimum of 1200 calories per day for optimal results!

Protein sources: Chicken, turkey, extra lean beef, white or fatty fishes , eggs & egg whites, tofu, beans and lentils.

Healthy fats: Extra virgin olive oil, nuts & seeds (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, natural nut butter, chia, sunflower & flax seeds, etc.) avocado, wild salmon & other fatty fish (tuna, mackerel, herring, trout sardines).

Healthy carbs: Vegetable, fruits, beans & lentils and whole grains which we will use as our healthy carb source since we’ve already listed our fruits, veggies and beans in the food options above (brown rice, yams, quinoa, oats, whole wheat pasta, barley, bulgur, etc.)

What to drink: Water & tea. If you cannot go without coffee, limit it to one cup a day using stevia and only a little bit of low-fat milk or almond milk. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning and before each meal to stay well hydrated and keep you from overeating.

Eating intervals: Since we will be eating 5-6 meals a day, it is important to space them 2-3 hours apart. This will rev-up our metabolism and provides your body with a steady flow of energy throughout the day.

Appetite Suppression and metabolism boost: add 2 tablespoons coconut oil to your diet per day in your smoothie, oatmeal or tea.

How to prepare your lean protein: Your protein should be boiled, grilled, baked or steamed.
Meal 6: Is optional, if you do not feel hungry, feel free to skip it but it’s always good to have some nutrients available for proper recovery while you are at rest.

What to expect: Fat loss & more muscle definition! You can expect to lose 1-3 pounds per week of pure fat, anything more than that can be water or simply the body cleaning up.

Condiments and seasoning suggestions: Lemon juice, garlic, hot sauce, olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, low-sodium soya sauce, & spices (limit your sodium intake).

Preparing your meals: It’s always practical to have something ready in the fridge, especially when you are following a strict diet like this one. Do your groceries at the beginning of the week and plan out the week’s menu ahead. You can even start preparing your food and placing it in Tupperware to make things easier (cooked rice, grilled chicken, turkey patties, sautéed veggies, cut up veggies and mixed greens ready to make salads, etc.). I also find it practical to separate my meals into portion sizes so I don’t have to worry about overeating when I get back home from a busy day.

Check the files at  www.facebook.com/groups/naturalchula
for recipes

Natural Chula's 30 Day Fitness and health Challeng Sept 2016, The Rules

It’s finally time for our 30 day challenge. This challenge is to promote life changing habits. We are not on a diet but a life change that includes making healthy choices. 

 Lets talk about the rules:

-Start the challenge with a before picture and weight loss goal.
-Join a group and choose a partner, make sure that they are posting at least once a day, and if not encourage one another to get back up and keep going!
-Accept one weekly Challenge.
-Follow our Workout Calendar: We will have weekly “at home workouts” ideas so subscribe to www.youtube.com/user/naturalchula1 for weekly routines.
-Calorie count daily, try Apps like S Health, Lifesum, or Myfitnesspal
-Use the “naturachula30day” #hashtag on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, etc.) to share your progress with the rest of the community.
-Rest at least once a week from your workout.
-Incorporate 1 active fun day a week i.e. belly dancing, skating, hiking, paddle boarding, swimming. Post pictures and calories burn (Incorporating Lifestyle changes will help with long term weight loss)
-In order to actually lose the weight, remember working out can only take you so far. Eating properly will be the key. Do not alter the meal plan, unless it is medically necessary.
-Post pics daily! The key to accountability is posting pics, post your meals daily and get in the habit of taking pics of what you are eating and the calorie intake, this process is time consuming, however it will get you in to a lifestyle change of watching what you eat and making great decision. Posting a pic of your work is mandatory as well. (The ladies that have been the most successful have been the one’s that post 3 times a day with workouts and meals, this makes you accountable, but also encourages someone else who doesn’t feel like working out that day)
-Drink 8-10 6 oz cups of water per day
-1 cheat meal per week, try not to go over 500 calories with this meal, but it’s your choose!
If you haven’t joined the group, the address is www.facebook.com/groups/naturalchula
Let’s do this!

Here is a video explaining the rules
Natural Chula Youtube

Leave in goodness

I always have days where I want nothing to do with my hair. On those days, I want to look cute, but tuck my hair away neatly, and allow conditioners and oils to protect it for the day. My life hack, is a fun a cute bun that doubles as a deep conditioning protective style. After a co-wash, I saturate my wet hair with conditioner and oils. My issue, I have yet to find a good leave-in conditioner heavy enough to keep my curls, so I have had to use a rinse out conditioner. So imagine my excitement when I saw the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black castor oil strengthen,  grow & restore leave-in conditioner. The conditioner is full of all kinds of good stuff, like pepper mint, Shea Butter and of course castor oil.
Tonight I will try the conditioner and let you guys no how it works.
Good night Chula's

All natural products hair journey!

Today, I have finally found my happy place. My quest for healthy hair has been misconstrued with images of silky long curly hair,  that hardly mimics my texture.  The media has perpetuated a predetermined standard of silky thick curls that most natural girls dream of, but what if the realty of you hair is not so defined curls, dull tones, and short hair. Does that mean that your hair is unhealthy,  or even worst not pretty! As I decided to embark on the "only natural products" journey,  I began to analyze what I was trying to achieve,  and have realistic expectations of my hair. For years I have only been able to grow my hair down to my arm pit, and the ends were always thin. After finally realizing that my hair was breaking just as fast as it was growing,  I got the courage to cut the split end and now I have healthy shoulder length hair. My next step was to use the right products. Keeping my hair moisturized,  was my goal, but most of the products I used, worked well, but at the end of the week, I had major build up. I was also still Confused about all of the different chemicals, even in the good brand. So that brings me back to my journey.  I have incorporated only natural products in my hair regimen such as, goat milk prepoo and wash, coconut milk and aloe vera leave in, and my favorite aloe vera juice with rose water, jojoba oil, and rosemary oils spray. For 3 weeks these products are all I have been using. And to be honest my results are not shiny, and silky looking curls, my hair is full of not shiney, undefined curls but my hair is thick and moist and healthy.  I would slather half of the container of my store bought products to get shiny, crinkly curls, and while I had great wash outs and braid outs, I still saw lots of breakage in the sink. I can say that my hair is softer, and I am experiencing less breakage with my homemades. Next we we will talk about each homemade,  and look at results.

Clean Eating

Well there’s a new Sheriff in town, and he’s called clean eating! Every week there is a new sensation floating around the web, promising lost of weight and healthy living through diets and lifestyle changes. For a while I tried to get into the Vegan lifestyle, always finding myself lacking time, innovation and desire to keep up with the veggie only diet! But if you know me, I am always looking for a lifestyle change that incorporates healthy eating and that encourages living life to the fullest! As I geared back up to loose 20 lbs and get my body in shape for the summer, I followed many body builders and fitness models, who declared a clean eating life! I thought.” Clean eating? What is that, washing your food thoroughly so that you get rid of the dirty fats and calories?”, I chuckled, but it was something new that I could definitely follow!

Clean Eating is eating for the sake of nourishing your body with food as close to it’s natural state as possible eliminating high sodiums, sugars and preservatives. There are no fancy meal plans, points, numbering systems, or calorie restrictions. When you begin to replace the processed, fried and unhealthy foods from your diet with whole grains, fruits, veggies and lean protein, your body will respond in amazing ways. Your muscles will respond to the added lean protein by growing which will speed up your metabolism.  Your body will respond to the whole grains by regulating itself. Your body will also rid itself of water weight caused by excess sodium that is in processed foods. Your Hair will respond to the Iron-rich protein, which can boost the production of keratin in the body and improve the health of skin, hair and nails. Liver, fish and lean meats build keratin in your body.

Here’s how to get started

1. Eat  Lots Of Plants – Eat food that is straight from nature. (Some people say “as close to the way nature made it as possible”. But I think that leaves too much wiggle room – in my humble opinion) Eat mostly foods that are off a tree, bush, plant or vine, and you’ve pretty much got it covered. The idea is to stay away from anything that humans (food corporations) have altered in any way.
2. Include Meats - Eat meats that are whole and straight from the butcher. Don’t buy pre-packaged meat products because you never know what’s in them. When possible, buy whole meats and grind them yourself. You’d be surprised what’s in ground turkey meat! You can also select a few turkey breasts and ask that the butcher grind them for you. Many butchers are more than willing to accommodate.
3. Enjoy Grains - Eat grains that are still complete and haven’t been broken down into “glue”. Stick to brown rice, whole wheat and other whole grains.
4. Read Labels I don’t know how many breads I’ve picked up at the store that say they are whole grain. But when I take a look at the ingredient list, white flour is the second ingredient after whole wheat flour!
5. Eat Fewer Ingredients. Try not to purchase foods that have more than 3-6 ingredients in the ingredient list. And be sure you recognize each and every ingredient. If you find a “mystery ingredient” such as “spices”, contact the company! Ask them what they consider to be spices. If it’s anything other than honest-to-goodness herbs and spices, avoid it! And remember, if you can’t pronounce it, it probably shouldn’t go into your body.
6. Eat 5-6 small meals per day. This may seem like a lot at first. But remember, you are eating smaller portions. If you really have a hard time with this, prepare your regular three meals and a snack for the day, and divide lunch and dinner in half. You’ve instantly got 6 small meals!

Look out for Recipes that encourage clean eating and healthy hair growth!

Homemade Natural Products: Black tea rinse for shedding and breakage

One of my biggest complaints with my hair is seeing the hair shedding. “Hair loss in women is, to a certain extent, normal,” says New York-based leading hair restoration specialist Dr. James C. Marotta “The average woman loses between 50 and 100 strands of hair per day, even up to 150 in some cases.” So don’t let those stray hairs in the shower drain scare you. So when I take down protective hairstyle, I am very cognizant on visually recognizing 5 days of normal shedding! But what can you do if it’s more than normal?

If you are losing an absorbent amount of hair, I would go to my dermatologist or Doctor, to ensure that here are no internal issues. Some Major causes of hair loss are heredity, Lupus, Hypothyroidism (too little hormone), Anemia, Alopecia/Skin conditions and conditions causing an elevation in testosterone. So ensuring that you are having regular visits with your doctor is important. Hair loss can also because by stress, diet and poor care of your hair! Poor care can lead to hair shedding and BREAKAGE!

There are hundreds of hair care products promising to alleviate breakage but I found a sweet alternative that you probably already have in your kitchen!

Black tea is full of antioxidants and caffeine that help hair to become stronger while helping to maintain its strength and elasticity to decrease breakage. The main benefit of caffeine located in black tea is that it blocks the DHT Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a derivative of the male hormone testosterone, from causing the hair to shed, black tea helps to increase thickness and decrease hair loss when used in small doses. Caffeine is also known to stimulate hair growth when it is used once a month, you don't want to overload your scalp with too much caffeine because it could stunt growth if you aren't careful. Another amazing benefit to including black tea rinses into your healthy hair care regimen is the sheen, luster, and natural darkness it brings. Using black tea is great for women who have dark black or brown hair and want to ward off gray hair or fading hair dyes. 

Black tea rinses can be used once or twice as a part of your hair care regimen. Boil 6 cups of water, and add 3 bags of tea, let it sit for at least an hour to give it time to cool down. Pour the tea rinse directly on your hair then wrap your hair up in a towel to prevent the tea from running down on to your body. Leave the black tea rinse on for an hour or two then wash or co-wash your hair as you normally would.

Do you want great color that can gradually darken the grays? Try the Black tea with sage! It can work even better! Black tea will gradually darken hair with the sage opening the hair shaft to allow more color in.

                                                                    Recipe

-a medium size pot 3/4 full of water
- 6 tea bags
- tablespoon of sage

First boil your water, open the tea bags and pour the contents into the boiling water, in addition to the sage. Boil this mix for 20 minutes, Next turn heat off and allow the mixture to steep, I let it steep for 2 hours. Then strain out the tea bags and sage and place into a spray bottle and soak your hair, make sure you squeeze out excess liquid. Let this sit for 30 to 60 minutes, then rinse with COOL water. You might not want to shampoo till tomorrow to let it dry and soak in. Repeat to darken/maintain your color. It may take several weeks to see the deep color of the tea!

This is definitely another natural product that I will be adding to my routine, next we will explore my homemade pomade, flaxseed/aloe Vera gel and my aloe Vera and honey leave in spritz!