Good legs, weak arms

Well let's see, I restarted T25. Unfortunately my Dr ordered no more upper body workouts until after an MRI. That was by far the most uncomfortable MRI I've had. I've had a lot of pain in my shoulders off and on for years. I'm talking over 10years. Pain that at times interferes with sleep, driving, picking up my kids... Etc. So I went back to the Dr for the umpteenth time. This time at the peak of my pain. Very uncomfortable xrays that showed severe spasms, followed by a gnarly dye injected into the shoulder joint followed by an MRI that felt like a hot poker was in my shoulder followed by 2 excruciating days of not being able to move my arm. Well now we have some new answers. A torn rotator cuff and an appt with the surgeon. So.... Still no upper body workouts but nutrition and all the lower body workouts I want! :) commence operation buns of steel! :)

And did I mention another cross country move coming up in about a month?

Yes yes.... Life is about to get exciting. But I'm determined to stay focused!

Prayers welcome. <3

Check back for updates and tips! :)

I did it... So can you!!

So you think there's no way you can stick to an "at home" program? Yea, I understand... I started and stopped a few times. No one was there to force me to work out. No one was there to take my hand and drag me to the gym either... Even though I was paying the membership monthly saying "I'll go when things calm down. When I'm not so busy." Money was wasted and I wasn't changing. How many of you have worked out and the next day looked in the mirror saying, "I worked my ass off yesterday, where are my results!?" That was me. Kill it one day maybe 2 and then be over it because now I'm sore and have nothing to show for it! Haha... Sounds silly when you read it hu? Admit it... We've all been there. Maybe not that extreme but you get it. Right?
Welllllll... For me, I hit rock bottom. I hated shopping for clothes. I'd go for baggier clothes to try to "cover" the fat. That really only made me look bigger! I dodged pictures, I'd hide behind people if I couldn't dodge the pictures. I was depressed and I felt so uncomfortable. I didn't recognize the person in the mirror. It wasn't until my husband took the picture on the left. I couldn't believe that was me! Ta da ... Welcome to my rock bottom (everyone's is different. I couldn't hide anymore. I was 177lbs 5'6 and in a size 13/14. So I started juicing, taking a multivitamin and "eating clean." See how that's in quotes. Its kind of a joke. I mean, I believed I was making better choices, but I didn't know the first thing about clean eating. Anyway, jump ahead a few months and a friend invited me to a clean eating/shakeology challenge. Yay! Day 1 of my journey. I was hooked. In 5 days my clothes weren't fitting the same and I was already losing inches. Now jump ahead about another month. I ordered my first challenge pack from Beachbody. It included a 30 day bag of shakeology, T25 and a resistance band. Well... T25 stayed in the box. I started drinking the shakes. That was easy enough. Wouldn't you know... Just replacing one meal a day with this nutrition shake actually got me losing weight! I wasn't really keeping track too much at that point but I lost just under 30lbs in 3 months just from the shakes. THAT was the motivation I needed to pull out that T25. I could hardly get passed the warm up. I kept pushing. My first goal was to complete a full workout.... That took a couple weeks!

You think you can't do this..... You can. You just need to commit to yourself and be disciplined.
You DONT need someone to hold your hand. You DONT need a gym membership.
You DO need the will to better yourself. You DO need to set goals and map out how to get there.

If you've read my blog previously, you probably know, I fell off. Its true. I'm a Beachbody coach and I fell. I stayed down for a few months! But... I haven't failed. I just had to get back up!!

Starting is the hardest part. You need to get moving.
Have you ever pushed a dead car? Freakin heavy right? You push and push and finally it starts moving forward. It gets a little easier doesn't it? It picks up some momentum and gets easier to push. Basic physics.

Still don't believe me? How about a little challenge? I challenge you to try!
Just get started!
You're only able to complete 5 mins of the workout without feeling like you're going to fall over?
Ok!! That's 5 minutes you wouldn't have done. I did the same. So day 1... Just do the 5 minutes. Day 2... Do 7 minutes. Day 3.. Do 10 minutes.... Get it?

Get started now. Next year you will wish you started today. Shoot.... In 30 days you could be 20lbs down and ready for some Christmas pictures! ;)

Xoxo

Fell off my game

Hi all!

I wanted to post about being human.
I worked so hard at the beginning of the year to get to my best self. I'm talking mind, body & soul.
I learned a lot about myself since joining Beachbody and I am so proud of how far I've come. I definitely never thought I could be in a size 6, let alone a size 4!! I thought I was just naturally built bigger than that. I went from a size 13/14 - 4/5. I lost 50lbs and was feeling great. I quit smoking cigarettes and quit drinking. I'll be six months sober on the 18th. My husband came home from 9 months in Afghanistan and a total of 11 months away from me and the kids. Most of my posts on fb about my weight loss were blocked from him and when he came home, he surprised me while I was getting coffee with a friend of mine. He later said he was the one surprised and that he almost didn't recognize me. Yup, I got the jaw dropping reaction I was hoping for. Soon after he came home we packed up the car and the kids and drove cross country to his duty station. We got a beautiful house. Moving in was a distraction and I got lazy. I slowly started eating less healthy and slowly stopped working out. Recently my Dr ordered me to halt all upper body workouts until after an upcoming MRI. I'm in a lot of pain but I definitely have used it as an excuse to not workout at all. So naturally I've lost all definition. Then Halloween rolled around and I've been snacking on my kids candy way more than I should and again not eating what I know I should. I've been feeding my body garbage and have gained weight. And now we're packing up for another move/year long deployment.

So why am I telling you all this??

Because I fell. I'm human.. But I didn't fail.
Its so easy to come up with excuses. It takes discipline to reach your goals. (Discipline is doing what you need to do even though you don't want to.)

It's ok to fall. Its ok to be human. But don't be a perpetual victim of life. You are in control of you. Don't stay down with all your excuses. Rise up! Brush yourself off and recommit. Is it going to be hard? Hell yes it is. You have to pick up momentum again and that is the hardest part. Stick with it because it IS worth it to feel amazing.

I am recommitting. I won't be a victim of life or of my genetics. Some things may slow me down but nothing will stop me from reaching my goals!

My inspiration is my grandparents. My grandfather was a child POW. Because of the extreme malnutrition he faced, he was not expected to make it passed adolescents. He is 81 years old, has had a stroke and still works out daily! His mind and his body! My grandmother broke her hip last week. She got out of the hospital just in time for the veterans day parade that she was apart of. Best believe she didn't miss it. You'll never hear either of them complain. They have seen and endured true suffering, yet they both made a choice to not be victims or be unpleasant people. They are so full of love and generosity, and they've worked their asses off for everything that they have and everything that they are.

So my new goals:

+ Do at least 1 lower body workout every day.
+ Recommit to eating clean!
+ 3 day shakeology refresh
+ consistently drink shakeo daily
+ do a 5 day sugar detox
+ Drop the 8lbs I've gained back before family photos (Dec 1)
+ Finish the personal development book that I'm reading by thanksgiving.
+ Volunteer at least once a week.
+ Make someone smile daily.

Recommit.... What are your new goals?

And one final note....
Please stop looking for the easy quick fix. There is no magic pill or wrap. There is ONLY super nutrition and exercise that will give you true and lasting results. Be true to body, its the only one you get. 

Meatless Monday!

A day late but here is my first meatless Monday recipe. 

So basically, I'm a Pinterest  addict. I pin and forget though. So I decided to go through and actually try some of these recipes and review them. This is one of them and it is D'lish!! My husband said it would taste better with chicken, he's not getting this whole "meatless" Monday thing. Lol, but I agree. It would taste yummy with chicken too, If you can't roll with the meatless side of meatless Monday ;)

* 1 spaghetti squash
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 red onion, chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 1 Tbs. Mexican oregano
* 1 Tbs. chili powder
* 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
* 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro, plus more for garnish
* 1 lime
* 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375° F

Cut squash in half, scrape seeds out, poor a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil) on it. Roast squash on a baking sheet for 45 minutes. Cut side up. Let cool another 15 minutes, then using a fork, scrape up the flesh, making the noodles ;)

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper. Saute 2 minutes. Add cumin, Mexican oregano, chili powder and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Saute another minute. Add the beans, corn and cilantro. Stir to combine. Squeeze in the lime juice and give one last stir.

Add in half the “noodles” to the bean mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season accordingly.

Switch oven to broil.

Stuff each squash half with the mixture and top with grated cheese.

Stick it back under the broiler until the cheese melts and gets all brown and bubbly.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Turmeric Tea

Its probably well known by now that turmeric is the spice of life, so to speak. Its said to have healing powers, delay diabetes, fight cancer..... Etc
A couple reasons I like to keep it a part of my diet is that its a natural antiinflammatory and is said to be good for brain health and memory.

I have arthritis, among other things that make turmeric a blessing to my diet.
Also, dementia and diabetes runs in my family, so anything I can do to counter or postpone my genetic downfalls, I'll try. :)

Here is just one recipe I've found on pinterest that I think is a yummy treat. Reminds me of a spiced chai in a way.

If you're not a fan of curry, you may not be a fan of turmeric, but I highly suggest giving this natural remedy a shot before the chemicals that the pharmacists get paid to shove down our throat.

Let me know what you think!
Xoxo
I do it for the smiles.

Cookie swap recipe

Hi everyone!
I love to bake and I love to make people smile, so every year I go nuts in the kitchen and bake my heart out for: Friends, neighbors, my husband's unit, mail man, crossing guard at my daughters school, teachers..... Etc.
A couple years back I got this awesome "cookie swap cook book" from good housekeeping magazine. Its full of big batch recipes. It even has little decorative recipe cards in the back to write the recipe on and send with your cookies.

So far this year I've made 3 different recipes from the book for my husband's unit.
This one so far is my favorite and my sister has re-named them "holy cow" cookies. ;)

So be ready to share because this recipe will yield about 120 cookies.

Chewy chocolates cherry oatmeal "holy cow" cookies.

Ingredients:
+ 3 cups flour
+ 4 tsp baking soda
+ 1 tsp salt
+ 1½ cups granulated sugar
+ 1½ cups packed brown sugar
+ 1½ cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
+ 4 large eggs
+ 4 tsp vanilla extract
+ 6 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
+ 2 cups dried cherries (crasins)
+ 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
+ Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two large cookie sheets. In medium bowl, with wire whisk, stir flour, baking soda, and salt until blended.

+ In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat granulated and brown sugars and butter until creamy, occasionally scraping sides with spatula. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended. Occasionally scraping the sides. With wooden spoon, stir in oats, dried cherries and chocolate chips.

+ Drop dough by rounded tablespoon, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.

+ bake cookies until tops are golden, about 12-14 mins. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and repeat with remaining dough.

These cookies are too good to be true!! <3 

Xoxo 

I do it for the smiles :)

Tonights family dinner

So as you may know, I host a "family dinner" every Sunday night. My husband invites guys from his unit and other friends of ours.
I typically make cheese burgers and some sort of side, but with the cold fall weather, I decided some comfort food was needed. Most of the guys in my husbands unit are single and live in the barracks eating mostly take out, so they enjoy home cooking. In most cases this is the only "real food" they get.

Aaaaaanyways....
The first things that came to mind were, meatloaf and chicken pot pie. I gave my husband the choice and he picked chicken pot pie.

It was a big hit and everyone left with full tummies and smiles.

I found this recipe a few years back for my dad's birthday dinner. I think it was allrecipes.com that had it. It is by far my favorite chicken pot pie recipe.

Ingredients:

+1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
+1 cup sliced carrots
+1 cup frozen green peas
+1/2 cup sliced celery
+1/3 cup butter
+1/3 cup chopped onion
+1/3 cup all-purpose flour
+1/2 teaspoon salt
+1/4 teaspoon black pepper
+1/4 teaspoon celery seed
+1 3/4 cups chicken broth
+2/3 cup milk
+2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° degrees F

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add enough water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Use cooking spray on pie pan. Place bottom crust in pan. Fill with the chicken mixture. Pour gravy on top. Cover with top crust. Seal edges with fork and cut away excess dough (I use the excess dough to make a little something pretty to top it, tonight was a heart). Make several small slits in the top so steam can escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Chicken PotPie: http://youtu.be/volylN1VuQw

I do it for the smiles.

Kiddos with sensitive skin?

Hi all!
Here's another product review for you. Do your kiddos have sensitive skin?
Mine do! 

Both my kiddos were diagnosed with eczema as babies. My oldest, now 6, has seemingly grown out of it. I assumed my youngest, being almost 2, had probably grown out of it by now so I switched her shampoo to a Johnsons shampoo, specific for thick curly hair. 

Well it popped up and got really bad! She was getting an full body rash with rough skin. I was concerned it was an allergic reaction. I took her to the DR and its just really bad eczema. My first born never had it this bad. My sister in law turned me on to this Shea Moisture line when my little one was first diagnosed at 2 months. I fully regret switching to Johnsons.

Shea Moisture has lots of shampoos, lotions, conditioners, curling creams etc... They actually have a lotion specific to eczema (not shown).

The natural ingredients are great for my little ones skin. Her eczema cleared right up after switching back and she smells wonderful too :)

Its a little more expensive than I'd like for a 13oz bottle of shampoo ($8-$10 at Target) but SO worth it! 

If you or your kids have sensitive skin or eczema... I highly recommend this line!