How to Pass Your Personal Training Exam

How I studied and passed the ACE Personal Training Exam within 4 weeks

I’m sure you’re reading this for more reasons than just one. You want to know how to pass the ACE Personal Training Exam.

If you’re like me you procrastinated and procrastinated and kept telling yourself “I will get to study, tonight is the night, I’m going to do it, I still have several months left I can do this!!” And then you don’t….. and you’re upset and now you have less than 2 months to study and still don’t and then BOOM it hits you, you have exactly 4 weeks left until your exam date. You realize that retaking the exam is not really an option because lets face it.. who wants to spend another $200 on another test voucher?  Not me I said, so I started to cram, I asked questions in the facebook group, I messaged other trainers, googled and watched various videos and searched the ACE blog for tips.  One mistake I made other than procrastinating was not contacting my study coach. I finally did and low and behold she pretty much told me that it is a slim chance that I’ll pass……

Instead of letting those words “slim chance that I’ll pass” get to me I used it to fuel my fire. I’m a stay at home mom of 2 pregnant with my 3^rd running my own business, with as tired as I was how the heck was I going to pass this thing? I had told all of social media about my exam and my followers had faith in me that I could do it so I HAD to do it, to me there was no option. I had to have FAITH and BELIEF that I could do this and I did.

Everyday I sacrificed, some days I’d skip my workout just to study, I would read personal development to fuel my mind, spend time with God and pray hardcore! I studied but I just wasn’t getting it… I felt so lost, worried, and fearful that I would fail. I wanted to give up and say “screw it, I wasn’t meant to do this” but I kept going and with consistency of studying I finally got it in my head that YES I was indeed going to pass. Even though I didn’t know EVERYTHING I was confident that what I did know I knew well.

I studied 6+ hours a day, woke up at 5am studied from 5-7, nap time I studied 1-3, night time studied 8-10. My husband would take the girls for me so I could get some studying done on the days he could. God Bless him! I wouldn’t have passed without his help and taking them away for a while. I rested when I needed to, some days my brain was just shot and I literally could not learn anymore.

4 weeks, 2 kids, pregnant with my 3^rd I did it, I passed. When I saw my test score I was in shock, I couldn’t believe my eyes, I started crying! I thought did I really just pass? That was the hardest test I had EVER taken! I was confident going in but once I started answering the questions, I started to question myself and my knowledge of the material. I prayed a lot during the exam asked for God’s direction and went back through with enough time to submit. I scored a 583, not the best but it’s passing! I thank God for His hands on my exam!

So here’s the breakdown of the key things I did to pass:

·     * Sacrifice wherever you can: TV, activities, entertainment, etc.

·      *Be committed! Don’t go to sleep until you reached a certain process goal, for me I wanted to read 2 chapters a day & MAKE A PROCESS GOAL

·      *Work 45 minutes on and 15 minutes off- this helps to refuel your brain and reconnect- set yourself a timer don’t exhaust yourself to the point where you are no longer learning, YOU NEED BREAKS

·      *Close all other distractions, cell phone OFF, TV off, if using the web for your studies close all browsers not necessary for studying

·      *Type or write notes- it helped me to retain it better because I was rewording it in my own understanding

·      *Use the elite series study videos- I would read a chapter, complete the master the manual, watch the video and take the quiz. If I was lost on something I would post in the facebook groupß-- make sure you do this as this was very helpful for me

·      *Chapter 7-10 VERY HARD AND VERY IMPORTANT- focus on these chapters, reread them, redo the quizzes, redo the master the manual. Understand how certain muscles move and different exercises work. Do it to yourself, your partner, you child whatever just do it! Don’t just read the material DO the actions. Point to your muscles and bones to understand where is what. Understanding the major muscles and bones will help you understand how various exercises and tests work what muscles.

·      *While working out watch the DVD’s provided with your book- while I did my workout (in my living room) I would play the DVD from each book- Manual and Exercise Science, over and over each day so it became repetitive. I do recommend watching them first while sitting down with no distractions but after that watch and play them while you workout.

·      *Pray and pray and pray some more. Affirm yourself “I can pass the exam” positive self talk, personal development whatever you can do to boost your mind to gain the belief that you can pass…. “whether you think you can or cant…. You’re right”~ Henry Ford 

I only read in the manual chapter 1-10 and exercise science chapter 1 3 & 4. I used the online Elite video series, the master the manual and my study coach. I did not use the flash cards. I had 2 practice exams that I took over and over and over again.  It was hard work don’t get me wrong but I was determined to pass. I reread things I didn’t understand. I don’t recommended only reading those chapters that I read, I recommend ALL of them. Be focused, determined, and disciplined. Good luck <3

Tasteful Chicken Parm and Marinara Sauce (hidden veggies too)

I have to admit this is probably my favorite so far! I was very proud of this one and will be making it again. It's a bit spicy but YOU can flavor it to your liking. I also "hid" some cauliflower in the chicken breading shhhh DON'T tell Ayvah! She's my picky eater and will notice a veggie in almost anything UNLESS it's shakeology! I couldn't wait to see her face when eating this chicken my face probably lit up brightly when she said she liked it! Sadly she refused to eat chicken with the sauce on it but that's a'ok! 

I may even use this on pizza, I bet it would give it a nice ZING ;) 

As you know I try to make family meals as healthy as possible, mostly homemade, and hide veggies when I can. With picky eaters it's soooo hard to do this so I bought this book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield where I get lots of ideas from. I use her recipes as more of a guideline and add my own ingredients and substitutes. She has some ingredients in the book (can't think of the top of my head) that I simply don't agree with SUCH as using vegetable. I pitched that crap a LONG time ago. We use olive oil and coconut oil ONLY. You may notice a difference at first but after a while you'll get use to it :) Moving along below you will find the recipe to this awesome sauce, I bet you could use it in almost anything ;) Let me know if you've made it in the comments below and how it turned out and tell us how else you may use it! I think next time I may even add some pureed veggies to the sauce. 

Marinara Sauce:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 finely chopped yellow onion2 garlic cloves, mincedsalt and freshly ground black pepper1/4 tsp dried oregano1 pinch red pepper flakes (add more or less depending on your taste)1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes3 cubes of frozen basil leave cubes ( you can purchase this at trader joes) OR 1 tbsp dried basil leaves

Directions:

Saute the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, add the garlic clove for another 2-3 minutes, adding in the remaining ingredients to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, set aside and let cool. Once cooled place in blender and blend until smooth and creamy (or until it's a good consistency for you)

Chicken Parm:

3 chicken breasts split in halves
3 cubes of pureed cauliflower (or 6 tbsp fresh pureed cauliflower) 
1 egg white
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (found at Shop N Save) 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil 

Directions:
While sauce is simmering, sprinkle each chicken breast half with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix in the spices, 1 cup cheese, whole wheat bread crumbs and set aside. Mix together the flour, egg white and cauliflower puree. 

Heat oil in pan. Dip both sides of each chicken breast into the egg and flour mixture then place in bread crumb mixture. Once both sides are covered place in pan for 5 minutes on each side. Once done place on a greased pan (I prefer to use the olive oil spray from Trader Joe's) and add the remaining cheese then broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese starts to brown. Top off with marinara sauce! There you have it BEST chicken park I've made in my house thus far! Hope you enjoy :) 

Rice Bean and Pepper Bowl-Daniel Fast Approved

So I decided to make a commitment to start the new year with the Daniel Fast. If you're not sure what it is, it is a Spiritual Lead Fast to find some answers in a certain area in your life from God. You can check out more info here http://daniel-fast.com 

Anywho on the fast you pretty much eat fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, oils, legumes, and tofu. You can't eat any animal meat, or dairy etc. Because I am nursing I needed to make sure to find protein from other sources other than meat. You can eat poetry while nursing but she's not nursing as much so I decided to find it other places. So I chose the vegan shakeology for 14 g of protein, beans, tofu, spinach, nuts, and peanut butter to find it all which comes to about 40 g a day which still isn't enough :O But it's a fast so we'll make do. 

aNyWhO I'm typing this post to share with you this aWeSoMe recipe! I am not one for eating rice it's too bland! So What I did was I cooked the rice in a veggie stock that I previously prepared (recipe for that is in this book http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Toddler-Cookbook-Homemade-Healthy/dp/1740899806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421202983&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+food+books) to give it some flavor. I've also heard cooking the rice in the liquid from the beans gives it flavor as well. I cooked the beans, sautéed the peppers with salt, pepper and olive oil, and once they were all cooked I mixed it together and added some smoked paprika to give it that Mexican style taste and Done too easy! You can even add onions to this for even more flavor! I even portioned out and froze some in zip lock containers. This recipe is both Daniel Fast and 21 Day Fix approved. Check out the official directions below :)  Oh and I added left over tofu from the night before for extra protein :)

Recipe:

1 Can Black Beans

2 cups brown rice

1-2 cups (depending on your preference) peppers (i bought a frozen bag of peppers from Trader Joe's my fav store!!)

1 tbsp olive oil

dash of salt

dash of pepper

1-3 tsp smoked paprika (again depending on your preference)

veggie stock  amount according to the rice package

Cook the rice in the veggie stock until done. Mix the olive oil, salt and pepper over the peppers and sauté for a bit (if you added onion add it here). Cook the beans, once all are done mix into the rice and add your smoked paprika.... and ENJOY! This is my favorite way to cook rice because it is so bland I had to find a way to make it tasty and I finally did! 

So I've been on this kick or should I say lifestyle change to eating healthier but not being a plane jane.  It is so hard to get kids to eat healthy so I have searched and bought numerous books to help me find recipes that my kids will love. I always "tweak" it to my own liking. One recipe I have tried to master and finally did, WOOHOO, was mac n cheese. Did you know that typical mac n cheese has yellow dye and carrageenan in it? tErRiBlE! I am all about making my own foods instead of buying the very processed bad ingredient type foods. The more I research and the more clean eating books I read, the more I want to make all my own food.  After having my second baby I wanted to make sure to make all her own foods instead of buying from the store. This way I know EXACTLY what goes into her body. So I have a lot of puree's on my hand already in the freezer to simultaneously add to meals at random when I want to, works out perfectly :)

So here it is the awesome mac n cheese recipe that is both kid and 21 Day Fix approved. I am very proud of this one :)

1/2 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
1/2 cup of sharp cheddar shredded cheese
2 cups cooked whole wheat noodles
6 tbsp milk
2 servings cauliflower puree
1 serving sweet potato or carrot puree (I used a sweet potato, parsley, leek, carrot puree but any of them will do fine)
a dab of salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter or olive oil

Blend ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, milk, veggie puree, and oil or butter. Cook on low heat and add the noodles. Continue to add more noodles to get the consistency that you like. Add spices to get more or less flavor. It is that simple!

Healthy Chicken Quesadillas with hidden butter nut squash ssshhhh!!

This recipe will knock your socks off! Kid tested and approved. I am determined to help my children eat healthy so I can set them up for success for a healthy and fulfilling life. Your health all stems from what you put into your body. I am trying different favorite recipes and will post each one. I'll let you know which one's my daughter likes, the one's she refuses to eat, and one's she absolutely hates. I think this might be a favorite as she gobbled it down! I'm not one for exact measurements, I just use my judgement but check out the recipe below.

1/2 boneless chicken breast cut into pieces
1/8 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese
4 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup pureed butter nut squash
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream or greek yogurt

Note: I pre-baked my chicken earlier in the day on 350 for 25 minutes. (not required)

Preheat oven to 400
Coat non stick skillet with cooking spray or olive oil. Add chicken and sprinkle the chili powder and cook until crispy or until no longer pink if you didn't bake earlier. Cut the chicken into thin slices or puree if needed.
Mix the butternut squash puree and cheese.
Spread the sour cream or greek yogurt on two tortilla wraps. Arrange the chicken and add the cheese mixture on top. Layer with the other 2 tortillas and bake for 5-10 minutes or until crispy to your liking.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did yum!

Ant Killer

So I looked up some different home recipes to kill ants on the web and I found that this works amazing! You never know if it will work until you try it. I had an army of ants all throughout my house, they just kept coming in and swarming the place. My daughter, who's 4, was also very annoyed with all the ants. So I made this ant killer mix that was simple to make and boy did it work.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Borax
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup warm water

Directions:

Mix sugar and water until sugar dissolves then add the borax. Place cotton balls in mixture and place cotton balls in window sills, by door entrance, on counter tops etc. Wherever you see the ants coming in, place one there. It worked within a day they were gone! What happens is the ants eat/lick off of the cotton ball and go back to the nest and some how spread the borax to the others. It destroys the nest and you should be good for at least a month if not longer. Mine have been gone for a month and haven't seen any yet and it's summer nice and hot :)  Enjoy your ant free home!

Baked Chicken Tenders

This was actually really good! I reheated the next day in the over on a baking sheet for crispyness (as if that's even a word). I've been trying to play with different recipes and make them my own by replacing an ingredient with an alternative ingredient. I have also been trying to hide vegetables in dishes so my daughter will get more servings without knowing it ;)

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
4 cubes of pureed cauliflower
1 cup milled organic rolled oats from Trader Joe's
2 Cups crushed Total cereal with all purpose seasoning for taste

Directions:
Preheat over to 375
Mix egg with cauliflower
Cut chicken into strips
Place chicken strips into milled oat flour, then into egg mixture, and lastly into total mixture
Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-40 minutes until no longer pink

And now you have healthy chicken tenders :) Enjoy!

What's worse a screaming baby or disobedient toddler

As a mom of both a baby and toddler I have experienced both a screaming baby and disobedient toddler. A screaming baby usually indicates that the baby is in pain/colicky. A disobedient toddler is just a child who is going through a phase and doesn't want to listen. When the baby is in pain it makes me sad and I feel terrible because I can't do anything for her. A disobedient toddler is nerve wrecking and tests your patience. So truly which is worse? You would have to decide that one on your own.

Me personally I think I'd rather have a disobedient toddler. That's something you can control, you can teach your child discipline (yes I know kids have phases where they just won't listen) but overall it is manageable. When my daughter is disobedient I usually threaten her with something like taking away a toy, choice of food ( some kind of candy), taking away TV time or having an earlier bed time. The key point is to follow through with your threaten. I have done it myself time and time again that when you threaten a child but never follow through they will continue the same act in the future because they know you won't stick to your word. Children are smart little creatures and they know how to manipulate you.  You just have to do it better :) Kids will be kids and you need to learn to understand them and their needs. When a child is in need of something they may act out. You need to understand the difference between their wants and their needs. When deciding what is right and what is wrong I always think like this " Will it hurt them? Will it disrespect someone? Will it hurt someone else? Does it create a bad habit? Or is it just annoying?" Yes I said annoying.... if I find something annoying but it yes is not the answer to the other questions then it's ok. She's being creative and imaginative, that's how they grow character.

Now onto the screaming baby. My youngest was colicky and screamed bloody murder every single night from about 6p-10p. It was awful! I still don't know how I managed. I started off with changing my diet (no dairy), sitting baby upright, taking the child to the chiropractor, using colic tabs, making homemade gripe water, and wrapping in the moby to calm baby down. All of these worked but not all the time. For the majority of the baby's first few months she slept in the swing. You have to find different ways to soothe your baby, not all techniques work for all babies. Ask for advice from others that have gone through it, find a group on facebook for it (there's a group for everything).

Overall a disobedient toddler would be my pick over a screaming baby, what's your pick?

who am i?

So I haven't been consistent with the whole "blogging" thing probably because I am clueless on how it really works but I figured I would work on it daily but still blog once a week. ANYWAY so this post is just about who I am.

I am a mother of two beautiful little girls, at this time one is 4 years old and one is 6 months. And NO the baby is not sleeping through the night yet :/ I'm sure you know what that's like. I am now a stay at home mom who has a passion for fitness so i decided to join beach body and become a coach. I used to work in Human Resources and still plan to do things such as helping others with their resumes so if you ever need a second eye or some tips you know who to go to ;)

I met my husband in the military and he is currently still in. He was gone a lot for the first few years so I know what it's like physically to be a single mom.

What will I blog about?
Good question because i don't really know.... I figured I blog about how I handle life.... people are always asking me how I do it and I do it through my faith in Jesus Christ. I do have some kind of system going for me :) So I will share time management tips (I'm still learning myself), healthy recipes, fun tips for kids, etc.

This is one of my favorite, easy, convenient ways to clean fruits and veggies. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies in our house. They would sometimes go bad because I never had the "time" to clean them so we'd end up throwing them out. With this helpful tip we haven't thrown out our fruits or veggies in a while :) so glad I found this!

1 cup of white vinegar to a sink of water add fruits or veggies to clean :)

Healthy Yummy Granola Bar

healthy granola bars

preheat oven 350 you'll be baking for 20 minutes, use a 8x8 pan with parchment paper

you will need:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup granola

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup dark choc chios

1/2 cup raisins

a sprinkle of Cinnamon

a tsp of vanilla

2 egg whites beaten

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Mix coconut oil and sugar, then add the remaining wet ingredients. In another bowl mix dry ingredients then mix all of them together. Pour and flatten down in dish and place in oven. Let cool and cut then I put in tight container and refrigerator for freshness keep for about 5 days.