Homemade Drain-O

             Homemade Drain-O

My drains have MAJOR issues! They are constantly getting backed up! Mostly my bathroom sink and shower. It gets irritating!! BUT now I found an easy, homemade fixer! 

What you'll need:

1/2 cup baking soda (I used Arm and Hamor)

1 cup vinegar

1 gallon boiling water

1. Carefully siphon the baking soda down the drain

2. Pour 1/2 of the vinegar into the drain and try to keep the fizz in the drain!

3. Add second half of the vinegar

4. Sit for 15 minutes

5. Flush with an entire gallon of boiling water

It made my drains like new!

Facial Scrubs

      Lavender Vanilla Facial Scrub

 I wanted to make a special gift for my grandmother this Christmas. She loves the smell of lavender-it helps her relax and sleep better. While I was looking for do-it-yourself gifts, I stumbled upon facial scrubs. 

 I wanted to send my health and fitness team a little something special that was unique. I thought this was a great idea. 

 As I was making all of these, which was so much fun, my brother continually made jokes about how I was working in a lab. The best was that I was creating something special, having fun and all while I was surrounded by family💖

The Ingredients:

🔻Glass container that seals (any size)

🔻2 cups of Epsom Salt (I got a lavender smelling mixture)

🔻1 cup Course Sea Salt

🔻2 TBSP Vanilla Extract

🔻1/2 cup oil (you can use coconut, Olive, peanut) I used coconut for some and Olive for others!

🔻15 drops of Lavendar Oil

🔻Red and Blue food coloring to make purple salt scrub (optional)

How to Put it All Together:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the Epsom Salt and Sea Salt. Mix well.

2. Add in the oil and mix well, make sure all salt is covered by the oil.

3. Add in the Vanilla and Lavendar Oil and mix well.

4. Slowly add some drops of food coloring to create the perfect shade of Lavendar and mix well!!

5. Carefully pour the scrub into the jar

And enjoy!!

I used the 16 ounce mason jars and hot glue gunned patterned burlap on the top for extra added decoration. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Gift In A Jar

    Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Ready made baking mixes in a jar as gifts are not new ideas. This year I decided it would be a nice change of pace for neighbors and coworkers. I looked around and found my favorites on Pinterest.

Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 1 quart mason jar

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt in a small bowl

2. Place mixture in 1-quart jar.

**for a tip to getting your mix to look nice, use the back of a spoon to pack the flour mixture down around the outside of the jar

3. Add the brown sugar- use the same method to pack it down in the jar 

4. Finish by adding the sugar and the chocolate chips 

Great gift and fun to make :)

Bath Crayons For The Kiddos!!

        Fun, Chemical-Free Bath Crayons!

     I have seen mommas posting about bath crayons since early this past fall. When it came time to decide what to get my sixteen-month-old niece, I was continually reminded of these fantastic bath crayons! 

   So what are bath crayons?!

       Fun for the kids while in the tub! They can draw and write on the tile in the shower, with NO mess! The writing easily rinses with plain water! 

So, how are they made?

   Very simply!!! I had so much fun making these! I was getting creative and trying many different things that I found in my mom's kitchen-some worked MUCH better than others!! 

What you will need:

🔹Food Coloring

🔹Glycerin Soap (I got mine from the local health food store, but I found it is also sold at Walmart, Walgreens, and Target) There are many different bases, I used plain glycerin soap 

🔹Coloring (soap or food-I used food)

🔹Scent (optional-I used lavender)

🔹Shape molds

Directions:

1. Divide the soap so you can make multiple colors, then melt them in the microwave- I did increments of 30 seconds, I only needed two!

2. Add the food coloring into the glycerin soap and mix well.

3. Pour into the molds, some I used cookie cutters and others I used jello jiggler molds (the jello molds worked best because they kept the hot soap contained, unlike the cookie cutters)

I packaged them up individually with plastic wrap and put them in a holiday bag

I really enjoyed making them! I hope my niece enjoys playing with them!!

Fun for the kids!❤️

Train Like An Athlete: Update Week 2

I have kicked my training up a notch, this past week.

Although I have to admit, I stopped completing Focus T25 workouts-due to being sore and lack of time (since we are in overlap with fall and winter sports!)

I have seen nonscale victories as well as scale victories-already in this journey. 

My nonscale victories have included increasing my maximum weights on many of my exercises, more definition in my legs and my arms, abs beginning to show, and my calluses beginning to harden! 

My scale victory is small, it is only a pound and a half, but I am happy! I have been training heavy (for me) and eating decent. 

My struggles through this week:

My hands are taking a beating, both sides. From lifting and hitting the punching bag. 

Bruises on my collar bone, quad and knee from lifting! 

My hard work is paying off. One step at a time I am seeing gains and reaching my goals as a true possibility!

Landmines: to work rotational muscles and build strength in all areas.

Circle crunches: again rotational muscles are being worked. 

I am very excited about my progress and this week will continue and add in Focus T25.

Training Like An Athlete-update 1 month

Training Like An Athlete for one month!

I know I have been completely Missing In Action for the past two or three weeks and I apologize! 

I want to share some incredible Nonscale victories and yes they are nonscale, but they have improved me physically and mentally.

*First I want to share updated pictures

(Brand new clothes absolutely loving them!)

These are week 3 pictures! 

Week 4 pictures are following:

Slowly I have been gaining strength and toning up.

I am seeing muscles that I have never seen before.

My absolute favorite NONSCALE victory is being able to do pull-ups. I have never been able to completely them, assisted or on my own. Here is proof I have began to do it.

I have been able to do sets of 5! That is a huge accomplishment! 👏

What is my training schedule?

Six days of the week I train in the weight room and the wrestling room.

Three days out of the week I mix in a Focus T25 workout. 

(Focus T25!)

Changing up training styles to avoid plateaus are necessary. You do not want to hit a plateau without being able to adjust. 

My form is far from perfect, but day in and day out I look for critiques to make me better, I push myself just a little but harder.

Here are medicine ball tosses with sprawls. Sprawls are a common wrestling move and are full body exercises.

Some days are just the kind to beat the punching bag! 

My kicks need work! As you can see here my knee is pointing up, it needs to be down. 

My absolute favorite part about training:

THE FUN CHALLENGES

Challenging myself in nontraditional ways keeps the excitement boiling!

My latest update:

This past weekend I was traveling with the wrestling team. We trained at Ground Control in Maryland.

I was lucky enough to get to train as well. This provided an opportunity to  complete a different workout than I am used to!

I began with sludge hammer slams against the tire. 

10 on each side, followed by a 10 pound dummy bag flip. 

Once those were complete I did sled pulls down and sled pushes up.

The funniest part of the training session was getting to "box" one of my wrestlers. (He of course had all the protective padding on) 

**I did get a jaw shot in!😝

I have been completely blessed with my training this past month.

I would not trade my home workouts for anything, but I have added in a different style of training as well and I have seen the most incredible changes. 

Follow for tips and eating habits!

If you would like to connect please contact me!

My email is: brittanyplummer271@gmail.com

I would love to hear from you 🌟

Train Like An Athlete

As many of you know, I am an athletic trainer-making me live an athlete's schedule without the dedication and training.

All of my athletes work hard, but as wrestling season begins I see more of their lifestyle. This caused me to think. Yes, they are a special breed of athlete, but that's no excuse. 

I see their lack of excuses, their drive, their dedication, and their constant effort to be better than they were the day before. 

Due to this I challenged myself. I want to be in the best shape of my life, I want the confidence I have never dreamed of having. I decided it's now or never. I have the resources and the drive. 

I am continuing to follow the Focus T25 workout program, because I love my home workouts! I love the impact that doing these have one my life as well as my clients' lives. Adding to that I have began a weight room workout and beginning some basic "boxing" lessons.

You may be wondering why I am doing this.

Well here is the answer. 

To challenge myself. I want to push myself as hard as I can, I want to be dedicated to a life that I designed, and most of all I want to see how capable I am of reaching my goals. 

Here are my beginning photos: 

Follow my journey week by week as I push myself, change my body, change my mindset and become a better version of me! 

Would you like to begin your own journey? 

Do you need direction? A push? Maybe an accountability partner?

I would love to begin this journey with you!

Contact me today: brittanyplummer271@gmail.com

Final Day of The 3-Day Refresh and After

I applogize to all that this has taken me so long to send out! 

I should have done this ages ago and I know that. My to-do list for my personal life, as a health and fitness coach and as an collegiate athletic trainer has grown immensely in just hours! 

But enough with the excuses!! 

The third day of the refresh was the best! I felt better than I did even before I had started! I felt energized, less bloated, more stable, able to control myself and my hunger, I was especially proud that I did not give in to eating anything off the guide. 

I was able to complete my workouts 

Lose just over 6 pounds 

Get my nutrition in check 

Decide my goals for the next few weeks 

The days following I was very surprised at how well I stayed on track. I followed nutrition guides to reach my goals and I was feeling wonderful! 

Then the next few days my schedule got hectic, my body became exhausted, I felt mentally exhausted and nutritionally I was off. 

Reminding myself of my results and the feeling while I was doing the cleanse has caused me to change for the next few weeks.

I have goals I want to reach. 

I had skipped the previous two days of my workout, but now I am back on track and feeling wonderful. 

Now my nutrition needs to get in check and I will be headed towards my goals.

Do you have goals you want to reach?

Do you want an accountability partner?

Someone to work beside you, help you, direct you, plan weeks out for you?

Contact me now!

brittanyplummer271@gmail.com

3-Day Refresh. Day 1

I have been putting off doing the 3-day refresh.

Why?! Honestly, no idea! I just kept thinking there would be a better time, a time where I can get the best results, not be hungry and not be short with athletes at work.

BUT there will never be a perfect time! The results will never come if I do not complete the 3 days. 

So I prepared my 3-days!

I prepared my days so I knew what to expect! 

I get the question often-"can I continue my workout?"

I completed T25 Speed 1.0 today and I feel amazing! 

For breakfast I had:

✔️Chocolate Shakeology

✔️12 ounces of water

✔️1/2 cup of grapes

Mid morning (after my shower) I will have my green tea. 

This curbs hunger and is very beneficial to digestion, health, skin and hair! 

And the Fiber Sweep (eek I am nervous about this one!)

If you are interested in my journey, please follow my posts here as well as 

www.facebook.com/newfoundconfidence 

I would love to connect with you!

Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge

Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge

What I have learned, What I continue to learn and how to put into practice what I have learned. 

It is not everyday that you get the information that this amazing leader with fantastic workout programs and personal development, along with long being a New York Times Best Seller offers a free seminar to teach you how to be a wonderful leader. 

I am here providing you with what I have learned. I am only on Day 16 and I am so excited about this program! I want to share it with all of you because it has helped me in so many ways. 

Making a habit: developing a habit is not just repeating the same thing for 21 days, it is LEARNING to crave that feeling of accomplishing the task.

Feeling how good you feel!

The start is rating the areas of your life. Rate each of these aspects in your life 1 to 10.

Physical Health

Emotional Health

Environment

Financial 

Leisure/Fun

Friends/Family

Significant Other

Purpose/Career

Personal Growth

Spiritual Growth

Determining your priorities. Areas of life that are my biggest priority to me.

Key Priority: changes when your life changes

Intrinsic Priority: area of life that comes easily and naturally

Focus less on your intrinsic priority then on your key priority.

Based on the ratings you gave the aspects of your life-find what your key and intrinsic priorities are.

Select you top 10  goals*

Focus on balance! your goals must align with your finances, family, personal relationships and how you want to spend your time and energy.

Repeat this every week at the same time each week. 

Set your goals with an end date-make them scary!

Personally, physically, professionally: what you want to happen in the next 12 months

**Do NOT look at last weeks goals when you make this week's list

Set goals with a stretch: outrageous, but not impossible

Do your goals align with your key priorities?

Write goals as if you already have done it

Your goals must have measure

Secret Sauce: Have the resolve and determination

Identify your push goal-this is the one goal that if you accomplish, it will make all the other ones achieved as well. 

Turn your push goal into a promise, keep your word

1. Write down the person's name this push goal will effect the most and who will be the most proud of your success:

2. Name someone who's opinion really matters:

3. Make sure within 24 hours you tell them your promise (the people listed above)

How to make your Carefully Crafted and Diligently Maintained To-Do List

5 essential steps:

1. Make your to-do list at the same time everyday 

2. Make your to-do list in the same place everyday

3. Keep your list with you at all times

4. Add 2 or 3 small steps that will move you forward on your goal list everyday

5. Review and revisit the list

**keep it on your phone: apps used can be Toodledo, Awesomenote or Wunderlist

How to make your list:

1. Brainstorm-anything and everything you need to get done in the next 6 months to a year

2. Circle any items that must be addressed this week

3. Star the items that must be done TODAY**

4. Everything else falls into the category of "soon" or "this quarter"

5. Now write your push goal at the top of your page

6. Each day you'll check your list several times, if you get through the thing that must be done today, you can move on to the "this weeks" list-time permitting 

7. Remember to include 2 steps each day that move you in the direction of your push goal

Engineering you To-Do list:

Push goal

Every pending project

Family members

Events

Health/fitness

Shopping

Home maintenance

Car maintenance

Finances

Make your habit stick!

Add tasks to your to do list that come to you throughout the day

You will become reliable-something that needs to be done, it gets written in your to do list

Check your list every hour

"Habits separate successful people from struggling people"

Schedule your to do list

What is your trigger that remind you to do what you need to do?

Reward yourself when doing positive things-finishing a task on your to do list

Stay on track!

Log your accountability by posting your trigger that reminds yourself to check your list

Be your own coach!

Listen to yourself and write down all the negative things you say about yourself in your head. After you finish CROSS THEM OUT

We believe what repeatedly we are telling ourselves!!

This step might be a hard one to grasp.

I want you to think about who your friends are. Who do you surround yourself with?

You may wonder why I ask you to think about this.

The reason-because you think and act like those you are around. 

Negativity drags you down, makes you negative and wears you out!

Part of negative relationships, don't see change as possible, but you need to take a step back from the cycle of negativity and instead invest your energy and time on relationships that are supportive and positive. 

Invest your time in the relationships that are good for you.

Be open to new friends as they come into your life and be available to new positive ways of interacting.

Winners love to see others win

Track the way you spend your time

Clock yourself: Timejot app or paper and pencil

The way you spend your time should reflect your priorities.

We have busy lives. That is why this is so important. Write down the length of time that you do everything and anything. 

This will help you shorten time spent on certain things, eliminate activities all together and spend more time where it is necessary. 

Remember: if you are asked to do something, don't just immediately say yes. 

Tell them "let me check and I will get back to you" this will give you time to check your schedule and your time, to adjust your time if needed and to identify why you are wanting to help out. 

Today I am a little more than halfway through this challenge. I started a bit late because of vacation. I cannot tell you how much I have learned, how much my eyes have been opened and what my business will be like afterwards.

I am excited to implement this new information into my life. 

Follow me through the next half of the journey :)

How Sugar Affects The Brain

Sugar Affects The Brain

  Scientists are working on a consensus that sugar is addictive. I know for the scientist and for all of us, it can be difficult to combine sugar into the same category as drugs and alcohol, but the evidence is accumulating to explain why some of us really struggle to resist or moderate our sugar intake. 

Nicole Avena is interested in the neurotransmitters and brain receptors involved in eating. She did a lab experiment with rats, she is shown how overeating tasty foods (like sugar) can produce changes in the brain and behavior that resemble addiction.

The video above, by Nicole Avena shows why our brains go crazy over sugar. In the video, it shows that our reward system in our brain-which is where we get the feeling of pleasure, is dopamine. Dopamine receptors are all over our brain. When we do a drug like heroin, it brings on an immense increase of dopamine.

  What happens when we eat sugar?? 

       Those dopamine levels surge! Not as much as they do with heroin.

Too much sugar too often can steer the brain into overdrive. This kickstarts a series of unfortunate events=loss of control, cravings and increased tolerance to sugar. All of those effects can be physically and psychologically taxing over time, leading to weight gain and dependence. 

If you are sensitive to sugar and inclined to indulge in a supersugary treat, do it rarely and caustiously. Otherwise, there is a pretty good chance that your brain is going to start demanding sugar loudly and often. And we are better off without that extra voice in our head. 

Do you struggle with cravings? Maybe it is not just sugar cravings, but it can be fattening cravings that leave you in a depressed, sour mood. 

I have been there, I ate foods I craved and afterwards felt so nasty about myself. 

Not anymore. My cravings are gone, my mood has improved and I have more positivity in my life. My body has accepted the change and reacted wonderfully. 

What changed in my life?

My intake. My nutrients and my goals. 

How did this happen? I introduced one important factor into my life. 

Would you like more information?

Contact me today!