Thanks for Visiting!

First and for most...

Thank you for checking me out anyways.

I really appreciate you stopping by to find out more about a challenge group and how it can benefit you!

 

A Challenge Group is really the best way to get your year started out right! To find out more about what a Challenge Group is by watching THIS video. It's just 6 minutes and explains exactly what to expect.

If you want to see my results from my first Challenge Group just click HERE. It just leads to one of my past posts from this blog.

Please find me, friend me, and message me on Facebook to find out how to be a part of the group and ask any questions you may have! My most asked question is cost. Each program is different so it's impossible to say how much it will cost you. However, I can say that on average it's a little more than $5/day. That's your cup of coffee!

I am so excited to help you get started on your path to proper fitness. I am excited to help you get started out right. I am excited that you are making the choice to take control of YOU and that you are doing it NOW...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

What an AMAZING Vacation

I just had one super awesome vacation. I knew I was taking Thanksgiving off from Beachbody and I knew I would take a couple days off when I went to the cabin. However, I didn't know that I was going to take a whole week off. When your job is to eat healthy and be fit you take a vacation by stuffing your face. Well, at least I do. I was in Albertson's looking at one of those "single serving" carrot cakes they have-. P.S They are huge and no one person should ever eat that piece of cake to themselves- and thought, I want a vacation so it's starting now. Just like that I decided to take a week off. I didn't have to ask my boss. I didn't have to check availability. I just took the time off. It was amazing. Oh and if it wasn't already obvious, I ate the whole piece of cake to myself. It was so awesome.

This leads into an awesome vacation...
To really get my point across, I just recorded a video. Enjoy!

I'm going to travel to the moon by December 2015!!

When Michael and I were first married and our young, freshly married brains were all moldable and crap someone in our ward was giving a talk in sacrament about goal setting. Michael and I decided that we would set goals at the end of each year for the new one coming just around the corner. For two whole years we stuck to this tradition. Is it a tradition if you only do it for two years? However, we stopped after we realized that by the end of the year our goals were forgotten and we were no where close to what we had set out to be.

I'm sure this sounds very familiar to you. Whether it be personal, work, family or whatever type of goals that you have set you see yourself falling short of them and feel discouraged to make more.

I have found the solution to the problem. I was able to do this because I found the problem. It all comes down to improper goal setting.

At Panera goal setting is a big thing so naturally I just did what I thought was a good thing by setting some when I became a General Manager. Just like when I was first married I made these crazy, unrealistic goals for just the period (4 weeks) and would always come up impossibly short of them when the period was over. Since a lot of bright-eyed new GM's and GM's who are a little out of practice want to set and meet goals and often fail, at GM meetings we often were given lesson after lesson after lesson on what goal setting is and how to achieve those goals.

I have to say what I learned from these many lessons is one of the most valuable things I took from my job as a GM. It's something I believe in and it's something I want to share with you.

I know a lot of people, myself included, who have made a goal to be more active and be in better shape for the upcoming year and have just fallen flat. Then, it's hard to be healthy and active like you want. It's hard for you to be comfortable in your own skin. It's hard for you to believe in working out. I hate this trend. I want people to be happy and healthy throughout the whole year; NOT JUST THROUGH JANUARY.

I am going to teach you in the best way I know how...through example. So, let's take an example and break it down.

The first and worst mistake that you can make in goal setting is by painting with too broad of a brush. Most people's goals look like this:

I'm going to travel to the moon by December 2015!!
      Doing this by:
                            Getting in contact with NASA.
                            Saving every dollar I get back in change so I can afford it.
                            Watching a lot of movies about space/ I love space...maybe I should get a bumper sticker to remind me of how much I love space so that I can feel motivated every time I go to my car.

Then this happens:
You get the bumper sticker because, hello, that was the most awesome idea. You also hang up your goals on your bathroom mirror. How can you not see them there? Then, you get your pickle jar and cross out the word "Pickles" and write in "Moon Fund" and put it on your dresser. Then you start to look up how to get a hold of NASA and about flights to the moon.

As you go through the first two weeks of the year you start to look in the future and think that because you are so great at following your goals by mid February all that will be left is saving your dollars to afford the trip because everything else will have fallen into place.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt....by mid February this is where you are actually at (We all know this is really mid-end January):
You no longer see the bumper sticker because now it's just there. The Pickle jar has also started to be ignored and the goals on your bathroom mirror are forgotten. When you do get a dollar in change you start to think about other ways to spend it. Then you remember that you were having a hard time finding a way to get a hold of NASA so maybe this is all just a lost cause and it's time to give up on such a stupid and unrealistic goal. So you get a candy bar with that dollar because you might as well give up on healthy eating while you are at it. It's not like you really wrote down that goal anyways. It was all just in your head so it's ok.

Seriously. That is so real life with goal setting.

Having a HUGE goal is awesome. If you want to travel to the moon than you travel to the moon dang it. I think we all should have big goals. It's the best way to be better people.

However, if we are going to make huge goals than the RIGHT steps need to be behind them.

For the purposes of this exercise we are going to pretend that there are commercial flights to the moon right now. This is just going to save a lot of steps. We will be able to cut out going to school to get a specific degree and inventing a certain type of rocket and having test flights and yada yada yada. So they already exist dang it. The flights are expensive and only a certain amount of people can go so you have to qualify by filling out the application. I promise it will help you with your fitness goals and will still apply. Are we all ok with this? Oh you're not? Too bad, it's my blog.

Let's take that same goal you failed at and break it down:

I want to travel to the moon by December 2015.

In order to achieve this goal what things do you need to do to make it?
Apply for the flight/ contact NASA
Set aside enough money.
Remind yourself of your final goal to feel motivated to stick to it throughout the whole year.

This list looks close to your original goal list that you dropped out from before. Right? So why did you fail? It's because those are too broad of steps. Each of those have steps you need to break down into. Let's start with the first one.

Apply for the flight/ contact NASA

You need to pick a day to have this done by. Since this is really the first step you should probably do it right away. Plan to have it done by January 15th. While you are there, look up the price. This will help on your next step. Set a reminder in your phone a week before January 15th so you are sure to open up your schedule. Then another reminder on January 15th. There is officially no excuse anymore.
With that application in it's like you are "locked" in. It's a way of holding you accountable. Accountability is key.

When it comes to fitness a lot of people just join a gym. They get their girlfriend who is wanting to get fit this year too and you agree to go together. Then, you miss a week or a day and slowly you two get less and less motivated. Eventually you just stop going.
You need a group to keep you motivated not just one other person. Fitness is tough. It takes dedication. You need something that will help hold you accountable. You need a place where you can check in every day to ensure that you are getting it done. Wow that sounds like a 30-day challenge group. I can guarantee that the gym does not care if you are walking in the door or not. They care if you are paying the monthly fee. So you need to find something that does care so you are accountable. 
Just an FYI: Texting your mom every time  you go to the gym to hold you accountable is not a thing. Your mom will love you no matter what so it's not going to make you feel motivated.

Set aside enough money

For the ease of this exercise we are going to pretend that it costs $12,000 to go to the moon. Easy math...
Not setting a specific goal of how much you need to set aside each month is a mistake. By saying that you are only going to save your dollars is so unspecific and leaves so many things up in the air.

In this example you have to save $100/month in order to make it to your goal. This will require you looking at your budget and fitting it in. Once again this is a realistic thing. If you love to eat out or go to the movies every weekend you need to make sure you don't totally eliminate those things. You can't say that you are going to only go to the movies once a month if you are used to go every week. Trust me. It will drive you crazy. You have to take it easy. Try cutting down going to the movies every other week. Be realistic. When the first month is hard you have to go back to your application and remind yourself that it's already in so you can just keep pushing through. Soon, it will be your lifestyle. You probably will even be able to have a couple of months where you can squeeze in another trip to the movies. Always a perk!

When it comes to fitness people have a hard time staying in line with their diet. It's because diets are stupid. Sorry Jenny Craig but I can't eat your frozen meals for the rest of my life. I can, however, take what I already do eat and mold it into a healthier style. Just like you can't cut out going to the movies you can't cut out what you love to eat. If you love chocolate than eat chocolate. You just need to learn how much to eat and make it realistic. This really is something that is learned. Most people don't really know how to eat healthy. That's ok. There are people, *cough cough* me, who do and can teach you.

Remind yourself of the goal to feel motivated throughout the whole year

In my first example I mentioned a bumper sticker. Just like I mentioned, you will soon just glaze past it as you get into your car. If you hang up your goals on your mirror you will soon not see those either. They just become part of your bathroom. (This is how hoarders are made. They learn to see past the junk. That has nothing to do with anything; I just wanted to point it out) In order to stay motivated you have to keep seeing your goals. So, you need to re-write and re-post them in a new place every month.

True story time:
I know a certain guy who was debating whether or not he wanted to go on a mission for the LDS church. His mom really felt like it would be a good decision to go but she knew he needed it to be his decision. What she did was move pictures of Christ and family around the house in places they weren't before and she knew he walked by. This same guy told me that one of the main things that pushed him over into going on his mission was a picture of his sister and brother-in-law he saw.
It works people. I'm sure you, too, have pictures hanging up all over your house. If you walked in one day and noticed they were all rearranged you would notice.

By changing and rewriting your goals every month it forces you to be reminded of them.

One last thing that is important. It's ok to have a set back and to feel discouraged. 
Think about anything you have accomplished in your life. Anything. Graduating high school, college, having a baby, getting married, cleaning your house on your day off....
All of these had moments of hard times, set backs, crying and feeling worthless and a lot more set backs. But you still did it. You got through it. You made it.

Just like those things in your past you can get through next year's goal and actually make it. You just have to be really specific about what you want and how to get it. If you don't save $100 one month don't think that suddenly you aren't going to make it to the moon. You will make it. You just have to keep pushing forward.

Like I mentioned before, most people have the goal of being more fit in the coming year. You CAN do it! You just have to get started out right. I have become a master of staying on top of my fitness and being the healthiest I have ever been. I am here to help. Keep an eye out for some great opportunities to stay fit and get started out right.

In the mean time think of some goals and start planning now...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

My Life with an ALWAYS Negative Pregnancy Test

Everyone has something in their life that is a HUGE trial. There is something that everyone faces that is huge and brings you down. Sometimes it is easIER to deal with while other days you are on your bed crying your eyes out wondering "Why you?" For each person it's different some of us have the same. No matter what we all have something. It is no secret that for me it is infertility.

My life with an always negative pregnancy test...

When Michael and I were engaged I got on the pill. We were both convinced that we did not want a child right away. Then, about 3 days (yes 3 days, leave your judgments at the door) into the marriage, I decided I wanted a baby. So, after about a month of the pill, possible two, we started to not prevent. I think that year I took about 40 pregnancy tests. No joke. I was obsessed. Every little thing was a pregnancy sign. EVERY. LITTLE. THING. Every month I had myself convinced that I was pregnant. I never was, though.
Close to our one year anniversary is when we moved to California. We decided that with me going to school and Michael going to school in a very expensive state and no Mom and Dad close by to help bail us out that having a child would not be in our best interest over the next few years. So we prevented for about 3 years. It makes me sick to think that now. I don't know how to describe it. I know this isn't true but I sometimes wonder if our chance to have a baby was during that time and maybe I missed the prompting from the spirit or wasn't close enough to the spirit and my chance is lost. I want to repeat that I know that's not true but sometimes I think it.
When we did decide to start trying again I didn't know what to expect. Also, we weren't trying we were just no longer preventing. It was almost as if we weren't really ready to say, "YES!! We are so ready to be parents", so we just kind of went with the flow. During this time is when I met a friend of mine who has some infertility problems as well. She has three beautiful children, two of which are twins, that she had to work hard and take a lot of medication for. She went through infertility treatment several times before she got the children she has. I remember sitting on her couch and we were talking about the treatments she was about ready to go through and I was really just learning. I remember saying to her that I was afraid that I, too, would have to go through these treatments. She said that I was probably wrong in my thinking and that for sure I would be pregnant or have a child within a year.
*Let's take a time out*
I have always wanted to be a mom. When I was a little girl I used to play house all day long. I always had baby dolls that I took everywhere. My parents were even awesome enough to get me a doll car seat that came in the car with us so my dolls would be safe. When Frankie became old enough to play I would make her be my kid. For me, it was just natural, to me, to think about being a mom.
When I was a sophomore in college I had an English teacher who had us write a paper on what our major was and why. At the time I was majoring in Elementary Education and the reason was because it was the best job to have when I would be a mom. Being a mom is all that ever was important to me.
*Back to my story*
I was convinced that my friend was right. She was too. It was crazy to think that I would not be pregnant or a parent within a year. Then a year turned into 18 months which turned into 2 years. 2 years and no kid. Even if you are a woman who does not want a kid I can guarantee that in the back of everyone woman's mind she thinks that when the time comes to have a kid it will just happen. People get pregnant everyday. You hear about people having babies all around the world. Your 16 year old friend or niece or whoever gets pregnant so why won't you be able to get pregnant too? So when it's been two years and you are still not pregnant it's almost unbelievable. So you go to the doctor.
Going to the doctor is a huge roller coaster. First, some doctor's don't believe you. That sounds crazy but it took several doctors and me finally saying out right that I want fertility treatment for it to even get started. Then there are the tests and the medications and the list of procedures and going down the list of procedures. There are so many moments of frustration that you want to pull out your hair. In the meantime Snookie and Kim Kardashian and your sister and your friend and that girl you hate on Facebook are all getting pregnant and having babies. I don't even know how to describe it. It's like the world is moving forward and you are left behind somehow. Like you can't move because your feet are stuck. Like those dreams where you can't run fast enough but real life.
I remember a very defining moment when I was sitting in my doctor's office. Well, she was the PA. Both her and my doctor are two amazing people. They are both so great at explaining things to help me understand completely and they are both so understanding. So I'm sitting in the PA's office. I had just finished an ultra sound after pumping my body with an insane amount of drugs over the past few weeks. I had my blood drawn  like 5 times and had to arrange my already crazy work schedule around doctor's appointments. It was nuts. I knew that her pulling me into her office wasn't going to be a good thing but after a few weeks of craziness I was hoping for the best. She passed me a box of tissues and explained to me that based on the amount of drugs I got compared to the amount of eggs I was producing continuing forward with any fertility treatment would not be a good idea because it would be a waste of money. I was told that me getting pregnant was less than a 5% chance.
I just sat and stared forward. It was horrible. Still makes me cry when I think about it. Everything that I had worked for was smashed. I didn't go to work that day. Well I did and they sent me home. I just sat in my house totally depressed.
Let's take a moment to compare this to your trial, whatever it may be. So you get where I am. I know that at some point in your life you have flat out said in a prayer, "I need to know, right now, why I am going through this and what the end result is. I know that trials take time and patience but right now I need to know when this will be over." I know you have because I have. However, the Lord doesn't work in that way. You have to learn. You have to grow. That's why we are here on Earth is to learn and grow.
If you have read my blog before than you know the next steps in my crappy journey. I started infertility acupuncture. I believe in natural medicine. I do. Whole heartily. I believe that there is an equal place in your life for a "regular" doctor and a "natural" doctor. It's a balance and you need both. So, why wouldn't I give acupuncture a try? It felt so right and I got all excited again. The last month of my acupuncture consisted of the craziest diet that Michael and I have ever done in our lives. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. For the record, I don't really have any enemies because holding grudges is dumb and takes energy. Anyways, it was horrible. We ate like we were rabbits and had no energy.
I should add, at this point, that everyone thinks they know everything there is to know about how to have a baby. Everyone knows someone that did this diet or took this medicine or stood on there head for 30 minutes a day and got pregnant so it must be the answer to infertility. Just to tell you, some women just can't get pregnant, ok. If you hear that someone can't get pregnant don't tell them about your sister's best friend's cousin's best friend's aunt that got pregnant because for three weeks she did some crazy thing. Just don't.
So we are on this crazy diet and I'm at the end of my rope. Everyone is telling me about all these crazy diets that I should try next. At one point I was standing at what is called the "Expo" at my work talking with a girl I work with. She is telling me about the next crazy diet I should try. As I listened to her I realized that this was my line in the sand that I couldn't cross. I can't try every diet. I can't keep spending thousands a month on acupuncture. I need to take a deep breath and start moving on in my life. So, at that moment at the expo I chose to move on. Being stuck in a mindset that some day I will get pregnant is holding me back from a lot. I know it's true because not moving on would have held me back from setting up the adoption I was supposed to have this year. Even though that has been hell to pay for  I still would have missed on that growing experience. It was a very essential step I needed to take in my life. I'm glad I moved on.
When I told my acupuncturist she begged me to not stop. She said I was too young to give up hope. That made me take a step back. I realized that I WILL NEVER IN MY LIFE give up hope. I will always hope with everything inside of me that one day I will get pregnant. I STILL take pregnancy tests every once in a while because I hope and pray, man oh man do I pray, for a pregnancy. Being pregnant is something I wanted to eventually be able to do my whole life. How could I give up that hope?
So, here I am. I am getting closer and closer to 30 and I do not have a baby and don't really see one entering my life any time soon. Wow, that sentence sucks. I can't, even though I want to, just sit on my bed and cry everyday. I can't. I have to move on and be a human and make an income and spend time with my husband and family. So, how do I fight against this trial and live with it?
If you look at my blog in the blurb about me it says that I believe happiness is found through exercise, eating right and finding a drop of awesome in each day. You guys hear and see me talk about fitness and eating right all day. It's easy to share that with you. The point of this particular post is to talk about finding a drop of awesome in each day.
I JUST finished and filled up every page in my Awesome Journal. On the day that was supposed to be my baby shower and the birth mother of the child I was supposed to have told me she changed her mind my friend followed the spirit so well she will never understand the impact it had in my life. She returned the baby gift she had gotten me and bought me nail polish a Diet Dr. Pepper and this Awesome Journal.

*We have to take another break to go into the past*
I have this friend and we used to just take time to read from a book that was called something like 10,000 things to smile about...or something. It is a book that just has a bunch of things that make you smile. Like sunsets, clean sheets, your first day in brand-new underwear, your pet knowing you are in a bad mood so comes over to see you, the stupid things cats do... My all time favorite was, "The way your head turns when you eat a taco". How awesome is that? How can you not smile when you think about how everyone in the world turns their head when they eat a taco? That's awesome.
*Back to what I was saying*
It turns out that the guy who wrote that book that we used to read so often from also put together this journal my other friend gave me. In the journal some pages are blank for me to fill out, others have things from his book and others have "assignments" like: Name 3 awesome people in your life and describe why they are awesome. In the beginning of the journal the guy explains the purpose of the journal is to encourage you to find one thing in each day that is awesome and journal it. Between this and my 100 Days Happy posts I was doing on Instagram I found something great in my day for 241 days in a row. I will tell you what, that takes work. When you have had a crap day you have to really think and find the awesome thing in it you start to realize how there really is happiness in each trial you face.
The last month I was doing this I really started to realize that I would be going through my day and suddenly something would stop me and I would think, "This is it. This is the awesome thing today. I can't wait to write it down in my journal." Then I would think about it all day long. I would smile over and over again thinking about that awesome thing. Sometimes something crappy would happen after I "found my thing" so I would just think about it and it would bring a smile back to my face. We'll call that benefit #1. That benefit is great.
However, the best benefit is it made me optimistic. Seriously. I can officially say that I am a glass is half full type of person. All because I had forced myself to find the happiness in each day. Is that coming across with the right gusto? I forced myself to find something that made me happy for 241 days in a row so now it's easy for me to find the happiness in each situation. Now when I say easy keep in mind that sometimes it's way easier than others. Sometimes it still takes work but now I am in practice of it. I know how to because I trained myself to do it.
Now, how does this apply to my blog?
Being healthy is mind, body and soul. Mind and body come from exercising and eating right. These are two very essential parts. However, you are doing nothing if you don't have the soul. You need to take care of that spirit inside of you. You need to be happy. Focusing on the negative of your big trial is going to happen. You will always have days that you will cry, out loud may I add, "WHY ME? Why do I have to suffer from this." However, those moments need to be sandwiched with optimism. If you don't have optimism that things are going to get better then how can you be happy?
So, I am going to challenge you. Go out and get a notebook or a journal or use your computer or your phone or whatever. For the next 100 days pick out something awesome about your day. Even on the days when it seems impossible sit and think and something will come. There is always good to your day. ALWAYS. You just have to search for it. On day 100 think about how different you are now that you know how to find awesome. Think about how it can affect you going into the future. Hold on to your optimism and never let it go. Keep pushing yourself to find awesome in your day everyday. Do it now...

Because there is NO better time than Now.

I want to share with you some of my favorites of my own awesome journal:
Pictures colored by your nieces and given to you, awesome.
It is awesome when friends who have not seen each other in a long time can pick up right where they left off.
It is awesome what a run can do for me.
It's awesome when that I can just hang with my spouse and it's fun.
It is awesome when you can take apart something, like the vacuum, and put it back together all by yourself. And it's right!
It's so awesome to laugh.
It's awesome when you are able to get a lot done and still get to fit in a nap.
Going to a movie by yourself, awesome.
Puppy paws are awesome.
It's awesome when the book you have been waiting for arrives in the mail.
It's awesome when you take a day and sleep in until noon. Because, dang it, you needed it.
Bonfires on the beach...awesome.
Guardians of the Galaxy...awesome.
Remembering you have a stack of cash "hidden" away is awesome.
Having late night, weird conversations with your sisters is awesome.
Project Runway is awesome.
I have so many more but want to add my one from last night. It was the last one to make it into my journal:
Driving home and Tim Conway Jr. (guy on AM 640 radio station) is just playing cheesy auto-tuned songs like "Friday" and "Hot Problems" and being able to sing a long to all of them is awesome. Just awesome.

The day after Thanksgiving Dinner

One of my all time favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I don't know how to describe it other than to say that the idea of people coming together around the dinner table to celebrate what things they have and the people they get to share it with is a beautiful thing. I also love the idea of people coming together to be in the kitchen to make a huge meal. It's just like a super great holiday. Don't you love it, too?

The best part of the whole day when the music to help the cooks in the kitchen stops, the football on the TV turns off, the kids come in from playing outside, and everyone finally sits down. At this point the table is set with food that looks and smells amazing. The finest china is out, the festive table cloth, and the napkin rings you have with your cloth napkins are the cherry on top to create one of the most beautiful meals of the year. The whole family is all gathered around and says a prayer and then the eating begins.

The next few hours are amazing. The food is always the best on Thanksgiving. Between the home made gravy, the fresh corn, the refreshing sparkling cider, and the soft rolls you begin to enjoy a dinner like no other. During this time you stuff your face like you don't any other time of year. It's great. The best part is, when the dinner is all said and done and you feel like you can't eat any more, you eat about 3-4 pieces of pie and a piece of chocolate (or two) from the candy bowl. Then, when all the leftovers are put away and feel like you truly can't eat anymore, you sneak to the fridge and grab yourself another plate.

Even though I am all about eating clean and being healthy, I actually super support this crazy tradition of stuffing your face. I just love the idea behind it. That picture I just painted is sometimes the only thing that brings families together for the year. So, please, be sure to participate. I'm sure there is no one out there thinking that they won't.

Now, I'm going to talk about the next month.

I understand that everyone spends their holiday season differently. However you spend it, though, it's filled with an endless amount of food and candy being shoved in your face by the kindness of others. It's secretly wonderful and even though you pretend calories don't count it's when you gain the most weight all year. The Holiday Season is hard. I would love for you to not eat one cookie or give into other holiday sugar but I know it's hard. I know that even I will be giving in to some Rocky Road Fudge and some cookies. How can you not? There is a way to slow that food train down, though.

So, just after stuffing my face full of turkey and before all the Christmas cookies I am going to do a 3-day refresh to get my holiday season off right.

Let me tell you what a 3-day refresh is...

It's a challenge where you lose weight and kick-start healthier eating habits in just 3 days—while continuing to get your Daily Dose of Dense Nutrition even after your Refresh is over—with the 3-Day Refresh and Shakeology Challenge Pack. This pack is designed to fast-track your weight loss by detoxifying and cleansing your system while helping you replace bad eating habits with good ones. In just 3 days you'll feel lighter and healthier, without starving. In 30 days, you'll feel like a whole new you.

Now what it includes:

• Your first 30-day supply of Shakeology—the superfood protein shake that helps give you energy, reduce cravings, and accelerate your fitness results—delivered on Home Direct, our monthly autoship program.
• 3-Day Refresh Kit: 6 Vanilla Fresh packets, 3 Fiber Sweep packets, and 1 program guide.

The key to this is it's a HEALTHY cleanse. I hate hearing about the cleanse that involves water, honey and cayenne pepper. That is awful and totally unhealthy. This includes food and eating. That is key.

This cleanse is a great way to kick off that Thanksgiving dinner and get started into a healthy holiday season. I am so excited to start my cleanse on December 1st! Who wants to join me? Let's have a great and healthy holiday season together...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

                                                                                                      

What's to come...

I know that right now you are all feeling this huge feeling of relief because, FINALLY, I am doing another post about my blog. Now, now...I know I temporarily left it behind but don't get all dramatic. Just calm the crap down. All will be well.

I did have to take a little break. I needed to organize my life. When you take on a business in your home it doesn't take you too long to notice that because you can work whenever you want you tend to, well I tend to, not work as much. I think to myself, "Eh, I can just do that later." So, life got crazy and I wasn't prioritizing and then a bunch of crap happened and here we are!

The point of this post is just to tell you what is ahead. First, a little update:

• I am only 1 workout away from completing PiYo! I'm so excited to be done with a workout and about ready to start another. It's like a new start and ever so exciting.
• I am starting Insanity on Monday. It's been a while since I've done it but I'm super excited about it.
• I did injure my knee and was not able to run for about a month. So, I will not but doing a FULL marathon in January but did switch to the HALF marathon instead. Still awesome, so no poo pooing it.
• Michael just completed another Tough Mudder and did awesome. One of his team mates is one of my awesome friends and she has somehow convinced me to do it with her in North Carolina next year. It should be way fun.
• I just recently started my newest 30 day challenge.
• I am about to start my FREE sugar free challenge with a fellow coach!
• After many many months I finally made it back to Disneyland. This is the most important news of all. I know you were all deeply worried.

Overall, very exciting stuff happening.

NOW, I'm going to talk about what is to come. I am very excited to lead up to the end of the year. I know that holidays are a time when "calories don't count" and it's easy to get caught up into the idea of just waiting until January. I am here to help with those things. Yay Luanne you have saved the day. I know. I know.

Blog post wise be looking out for:

• My newest "afters" pictures. Are they still afters?
• Recipes (my cleanest ones) This was by special request!
• Surviving the Holidays...this links in with one my challenges (see below)
• Why I am a coach and how it helps me stay happy.
• What is a challenge group. I know a lot of you have heard me talk about one but has no idea what it is.
• How to set proper and realistic goals. For me this one is huge. I'm big on PROPER goal setting. Perfect for the New Year
• Finding support for your hard times.

Challenge Groups Coming:

• 3- Day Refresh- This one is going to come around right after Thanksgiving. It's a cheaper challenge and offers you a refreshing 3 days after stuffing your face with awesome Thanksgiving food. More on that later.
•  My December Challenge Group- I already have two people ready to hit go....who else wants to join? More on that later.
• A BIG start on a GREAT New Year Challenge-This one is key for me. All of you know how much I hate the year 2014 and all the crap it dealt out to me. So I am starting out 2015 with a bang! More on that later.

Um, are you excited? I am. What's up ahead is awesome. However, you don't need to wait for anything. Start now...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

And the winner is...

Thank you all so much for entering the contest! It was so great to hear why you haven't yet met your goals. Why was it great? It helped me understand how I can help you. The two main reasons were:

1. Don't have the time/ It's hard giving it priority
2. It's hard for me to know how to eat right

Now I know where I need to focus my blog and ways to reach out to people to help them meet their goal.

Now the winner of Hip Hop Abs....

 

This picture is here only because I didn't want to give it away so soon.

Congratulations.....

Sarah Pope!!!

 

Sarah, be sure to email me your address so I can get your copy of Hip Hop Abs over to you ASAP!!

Now, for the rest of you. Just remember that you can still get the body you want. All it takes is proper nutrition and the right type of exercise. I can help. I'm super good at helping find a way to get you to the you that you want to be. So, contact me...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!!

1,000 Pageviews = An AWESOME Giveaway

This is so exciting! I have officially reached 1,000 pageviews on my blog. I started this blog on September 2nd so that is a lot of views for just one month.

I want to celebrate this with everyone! How shall we celebrate?

A GIVEAWAY!!!

I have Hip Hop Abs that is just dying to be given away. I know you all have seen the commercials and have secretly wished that you would just buy it. You think this because either:

• It looks like fun.
• Shaun T. is hot and has no shirt on during the video. Ladies, you know.
• You want abs like in the video.
• Or, all of the above.

So, how do you get involved in this giveaway. (P.S You don't need to know me personally to be involved. If you don't know me add me on Facebook for tons of workout tips!) All you need to do 3 easy things:

1- Like my post on Facebook about my blog.
2- Share my post.
3- PM me on why you have not meet your fitness goals in the past.

That's it. Sounds easy, right? On Sunday, October 12th, I will pick the winner. I will pick randomly. I promise. I will announce the winner on my blog on Monday, October 13th. Be on the lookout for my post of announcing the winner.

What a great way to get moving on your fitness.

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Week 5 Update: Always Progress to be Had

These last 5 weeks have been amazing. I've pushed myself to limits I didn't think I could and have had results like I couldn't believe.

This last week was filled with moments, over and over again, of me amazing myself in a whole new way. PiYo has brought out the flexibility in me that I never knew I even could have. When I first started I would look up #piyo on Instagram just to see what people were posting. I saw so many pictures of people's before and afters but of their flexibility. I thought that I would never have results like that so I never took a before.

THIS IS A LESSON:
ALWAYS TAKE A BEFORE. Even if you get no after because you will regret when you do get that after.

So I don't have any befores but here is some awesome progress I have made.

This is the pose Warrior 3. You do this a lot in PiYo. Chalene suggests that you do it with a chair until you get stable enough to do it without one. I did it with a chair for a while. Then I did it without a chair and would fall often. Now I can stand like this for quite a while. Also, my calf muscles are looking nice.

This is me touching my toes with my legs straight. This was a never before done thing. Even when I was running a lot. Oh running how I miss you. The day that I did this I wasn't planning on it. My workout had just finished and it had ended with a cool down that included bending in half. I wanted to do it just one more time because the stretch felt good. So I bent over and grabbed my toes. I almost didn't believe that I could do it and did it several more times that day. I still do a check from time to time. This is a "trick" I don't ever want to lose. My new goal is to have my hands flat on the floor.

This move is called a PiYo Flip. It is advanced. It might look easy to you (maybe not) but it is not. I still don't have perfect form but I am working on it. This move literally requires almost every muscle in your body. I had to gain a strong core before I could even attempt it.

This is a side plank. This took me ages to master. A PiYo Flip is harder but for some reason this was hard for me. I actually had to force myself to do it when I hurt my knee. The modified version of it is resting on your knee. Since I can't do that right now I had to go into a full half plank. *silver lining*

It is hard to totally tell but I am rocking a Tricep Push-Up here. This one I can only do after a good workout because my arms are always the last to catch up to the rest of my body. However, I can do it.  I couldn't before!

So, that's my progress. My favorite part about all of it? My sweet Douglas in the background sleeping. Isn't he just so cute? You can't see his face too well. Just trust me, he's cute.

Ok, for reals now people....
I seriously see something new everyday that I couldn't see or do the day before. I'm sure my next week's update I will be more advanced in ways I didn't even think were possible.

Seeing progress is a great gift that gets you to where you want to be. Let's find your limits and exceed those...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Challenge Yourself

What did everyone think of those afters? Pretty cool, right? I feel great. Like freaken great. Those pictures motivated me in more ways then I thought they could.

If you have been following my blog since day 1 then you know why I am doing this. For those that missed it and maybe because the others need a reminder I will give a bullet point overview:

• I was feeling down because of the adoption falling through.
• I needed a change and a fresh start.
• I wanted to feel great in my own body.
• I wanted to lose those last few pounds.
• I wanted a challenge.

When I say I wanted a challenge I don't mean like all the challenges I have faced this year. How many times can I say that I really just freaken want 2014 to be over? I mean like a challenge that I can control and feel good about. I wanted a healthy way to channel my feelings of depression. I wanted to feel like I had control over something that was hard.

My workouts are challenging. I sweat each day. Some days I fall down flat because my arms, legs, shoulders, whatever just won't hold me up anymore. What is great, though... What keeps me together and helps me realize that I can do anything. Yes anything. Is when my body gives out and I am laying on my floor flat and feeling defeated I am able to take a deep breath, wipe my sweat, and get back up on my shaky limbs and finish my workout. Even if it means I only do one more push up, I take control. I decide that I can get through it because I am strong. Because I control me and what happens not the other way around.

Somehow, when you feel those feelings in your workout and conquer something hard it transfers into your life. You suddenly realize what it's like to conquer something that is hard.

You might all be sick of hearing about it but it's me and my life and my reality. Not being able to have a kid when it's something that you expect you should just be able to do is super hard. It's frustrating. It sucks. Most days are just neutral. Where I just accept that this is my life and there isn't anything I can do to change it. Then there are some days that are so easy. Like I have complete faith that there is this huge plan for me that is perfect. I know exactly what I need to do to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then there are THOSE days. The ones where I'm so distraught. I sit on my bed and cry and cry and cry and wonder why I can't just get pregnant. I get mad. I get overwhelmed with grief. It's horrible.  It is truly a day from hell. Those days are fewer and far between but they still come. I actually am quite sure I will have those days either until I get pregnant, I die, or the second coming comes. I will never get over the fact that I can't get pregnant. I know that even after adopting a child and feeling the overwhelmingly feelings of gratitude of being a mother I will still grieve that I can't get pregnant. My mother-in-law once told me that she thinks it's equal to the lost of a child. It's like I am losing all these children I made up in my head my whole life. I think she's right.
Now let's talk about a different thing you are all sick of hearing about. This adoption falling through. We had the room set up. I had just organized all his little clothes and shoes and socks preparing for my baby shower. I couldn't wait to bring him home. But he never came home. At least not to me. It feels like a part of me is missing. How insane is that? How can you miss and feel empty for something that was never really yours? However, I do. I really do feel like he is missing. I'm super afraid that the whole in my heart that little boy left will never be filled by anything. I'm afraid it will always be empty. A person, who is very close to me and I will keep their identity safe, told me that she once waited for a missionary. When he got home she was ready to jump into his arms and marry him. However, he kicked her to the curb pretty fast and blunt. She said she was afraid she would never fill that spot that he left. She is now married to a GREAT guy and has 5 amazing children. It is safe to say that the spot got filled by the person it was meant to be filled by. Her telling me that story makes me think that this hole will be filled by the baby it is supposed to be filled by. However, right now that seems impossible.

Let's draw this all together now.

These two trials in my life are real. And hard. They consume my life. Most days I feel great in it all and like I can handle it. Then some days it's like all my limbs gave out and I'm laying flat on the floor. I feel tired and defeated. However, because of me working out and understanding what I can overcome, I just take a deep breath, wipe my sweat, get back up on my shaky limbs and finish the workout. Because I can. Because I'm strong.

Honestly. Honestly. Me working out reminds me how much it's mind over matter. How I can conquer anything if I just set my mind to it. Anything. I just have to challenge myself. Challenge myself to be the person I want to be.

What do you need to do to challenge yourself? What trials are in your life that overwhelm you and bring out your weaknesses? Don't you want to conquer them? Working out is a great step to do so. I believe that. I live that. So, challenge yourself to be strong. Because you are strong. Contact me to get your workout started. Do it now...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Let's see those afters!

Thirty days ago I joined my very first challenge group. I signed up to be a coach and had no idea what I was in for. I didn't know what PiYo was like. I didn't know what kind of motivation I would have. I didn't know how great I would feel. But I took a leap of faith and I just tried it.

Now here I am 30 days later...

My life is now Beachbody. I LOVE IT! I love my PiYo workout. It's been especially great on my newly injured knee. No pain but all gain. I now know how much a Beachbody product can change your life.

Before you take a look at these photos let me just say two things.

1. I am not at my goal. Heck, I've only been doing this 30 days and have more days to go!
2. I just got done working out so I'm a little sweaty and my hair is all crazy.

That being said...
Already, you can see a difference. I have lost inches and feel great. Seeing these before and after pictures just motivates me. I know over the last 30 days how many times I decided to eat a candy bar, have popcorn, and run through a quick drive through (including Jack in the Box at 12:45 AM this morning...bad idea peeps). Moral: there is a lot more I could have done and didn't do. Now, I will commit to this next 30 days. It's not easy. Changing HOW you live your life takes time. That doesn't mean we can't celebrate the mile stones.

I'm sharing my celebration of my first milestone with you. I'm excited for the next.

So, here you go! My befores and my afters...

Before

Before

Before

Before

Before

 My favorite is looking at me from the back. You can totally tell that I have lost inches. Also, my shoulders look awesome. A lot of Down Dog. I'll show a better pic of my shoulders in another post or perhaps on my Instagram. Just keep a look out.

Just remember this is after ONLY 30 DAYS!! It was 4 weeks of workouts, clean eating, and plenty of hydration. Mostly, it was motivation from the other people in my challenge group. Knowing that they were expecting to see my results and that they were all doing it with me totally motivated me. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 30 days.

Do you want to lose inches? Do you want to feel great? Well, get up! Let's go!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Finding Happy Moments in Hard Times

Let's be honest, because honesty is best.

I didn't really quit my job. *Gasps* It's a lot of  stuff that would take too much to explain so I will summarize...
*clears throat*

When my adoption fell through this year I was really struggling. I got more depressed than I have ever been before. It was hard. With the emotional toll of it and the responsibility of running a cafe was really hard for me to balance. So, after talking to my husband, having some intense prayers, and trying to decide what was best for me I decided I wanted to step down from being a GM. I wanted to step down like into another position but still work at Panera. Not quit. When I told my boss things got crazy. It was a week filled with tears, emails and a lot of confusing conversations. It ended with me and a BIG WIG in a conference room with a severance check and being sent on my way. It was all twisted and really overwhelmingly frustrating. However, it happened.

Side Note:
I honestly believe, with everything I have, that everything happens for a reason. I KNOW that being forced to quit was a path that my Father in Heaven has chosen for me and I trust that it's going to lead me on a better path. If you don't believe that, that's cool, it's however what I believe and seen as truth in my life.

Since all this craziness happened it's been rough. I lost some good friends that I really miss. (This is my saddest loss) It's been hard to make ends meet. Also, I'm having a hard time finding purpose.

For some reason this week has been the hardest. Today especially. I just felt at an all time low. Like I'm at my breaking point.

I'm taking you away from all this for a minute. Just go with it.
As you all know I am doing PiYo as a workout. The trainer is awesome. Some people find her annoying because she's super peppy but I really like her and find her inspiring. Sometimes she looks straight at the camera and says "I know you can get lower. Let's Go!" And I realize that she can "actually see me" and I do need to go lower. Also, she often tells me to "Be grateful" or "Smile, you are awesome." You  know what, I am awesome. She's right.
There is one workout that we do where we are working on the legs. Let me just tell you that in PiYo you never just work on one part of your body. When I say we are working on the legs I mean that is the part that is burning the most. Usually it's accompanied with the shoulders, abs, arms, just the whole body in general. She is killer. In a good way. What was I saying? Oh yes. So we are working on the legs. As we are going and going my legs start to hurt so bad I think I might die. Yes die. It's just burning and burning and right at what I think is my breaking point she gives me a break. She even says, "Don't worry I let you rest right when you can't take it anymore." Just like always, she is right.

Now back to my depressing and pathetic story.
Like I was saying I feel like I am at my breaking point. I'm at the edge of who knows what and I'm trying to find stability through it all. It's weird. Mega weird. However, just like when I am doing PiYo and I have my trainer looking at me and telling me that I can go lower and that I need to be grateful and that I'm awesome, I have a Heavenly Father telling me the same thing. In this time of adversity I need to just go lower. It's part of getting stronger. Also, I need to be grateful that I have this opportunity to grow stronger. And I am awesome. All the crap I have been through this year has been rough. Even though it seems unbearable I haven't killed anyone and even though I have been down I have always come out on top. That is awesome. I am awesome. Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you're part of a team. Everything is awesome when you're living out dreams. Name that movie. Also, haha, it's stuck in your head now. Sorry, got sidetracked.
Also, just like my trainer in PiYo gives me my rest right when I feel like my leg is going to turn to Jell-O and I will actually die, I know I will receive my resting point in life right before I reach my breaking point. That means my rest is just around the corner.

So, now, let's talk about finding the happiness in all of this. Part of being healthy is recognizing and coming to realization of the emotions you are going through. Even though you feel and know those emotions are real and VALID you still have to find happiness in each day and every hard moment. So, today, through the tears and frustration I fought hard to find my happiness. I did find it and I want to show it's possible. And rewarding. It really is rewarding.

The happiness of all this is that I know that leaving my job brought me to Beachbody. Beachbody makes me happy. I love it because of the affect it has on me and my health and because my job is to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle. My job is something that I am so passionate about. In fact, I can't even wait to do work each day because I feel so happy about it. Sometimes Beachbody is the only happy moment in my day.
 Also, it's leading me to being able to stay at home. One thing I thought about a lot when we were getting ready for our adoption is that I was working like 12 hour days. When was I supposed to spend time with my new baby? All I've ever wanted to do is stay at home with my kids. Now, when I do have kids I will be able to stay at home. How amazing is that?
Honestly, I never would have found it if I wouldn't of been struggling at work.    ---------Reason for me stepping down going crazy and leaving me without a job...temporarily. See?!? Reason.

There is happiness in each moment, no matter how hard it may seem. I promise. Just look for it. Recognize your feelings of struggles and sadness and validate them. It's ok to be sitting on the couch in your PJs with a gallon of ice cream and crying unbearably because life is hard. However, after doing a few minutes of that you need to find the happiness so you can stay healthy you gotta..

Because there is NO better time than NOW.

Short and Sweet

I just want to make this short and sweet.

I only have one more week until my big reveal (Why does that word look weird? Is is spelled wrong?) of my improvement.

So, I'm just putting one last push into this week but I'm super excited to show you how great I look. Is it rude or vain to say that? Well I don't care. I have worked hard to be in the body I want to be in. I'm still not totally there but I'm getting there!

I wonder what you will think....

Will my afters motivate you to try for the body you've always wanted? If so, let's go!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Big reveal: September 30th

A day of rest: are you kidding me?

I am so proud to say that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (Any other LDSers out there who read that and continue on by singing "I know who I am, I know God's plan..." Just me?) You probably know us better as Mormons. We call ourselves LDS.  However you say it you all get the picture, right?

Don't stop reading. I'm not preaching. There is a point. Just hang in there.

As members of the LDS church we believe that the Earth was created in 6 days and on the 7th The Lord rested. We use this "model" in our church. We have 6 days of work and use Sunday as a day of rest. We call it "keeping the Sabbath Day holy". This means we believe that Sunday is dedicated to going to church and spending time with family and focusing on our Father in Heaven. Everyone does this differently. Some do no TV on Sunday's. Some do their Family Home Evening on Sunday. Most have a bigger Sunday dinner. I could go on but I will just continue on with my story THAT HAS MEANING. I PROMISE.

So let me tell you how my day of "rest" goes:

• Wake up at like 8:00.
• Get ready
• Wake up Michael in the middle of all this and get him going.
• Gather all my Primary stuff and truck it to my 3 hour church day
• I am a Primary chorister so I spend two hours at top energy entertaining kids and teaching them songs.
• The other hour is spent listening and learning and focusing on the spirit.
• I come home and make lunch and dinner.
• I do usually get in a Sunday nap (I can't leave out that awesome part of my day)
• I do a little cleaning from time to time
• Then get ready for the week ahead.

Does that sound like rest? Ok, the nap probably does. My Sundays are NEVER a day of rest. Usually Sunday is the craziest day of the week. It's the day I work the hardest.

Ok, I promised a point. How does this compare to fitness?

Just as important as the actual workout is your rest day. You need to give your body a day to recover so you can continue to SAFELY build that awesome muscle. On this rest day you are expected to eat the same, drink as much water, and feel just as great. Let me tell you about my first couple of rest days.

• I would wake up later because I didn't have to work out.
• This usually caused me to feel a little bit lethargic
• Since I didn't spend my morning sweating all the fat out of me (not all you need some fat but you get the idea) I usually wasn't hungry first thing and would forget to eat.
• That lead to a very large lunch that consisted of whatever I could grab because I was starving. Starving.
• At this point I would realize that I'm thirsty and haven't had any water to drink all day. My water intake is not as much as it should have been.
• At that point I started to feel fat. 
• Since I felt that way I might as well just eat some chocolate, right? You know, because I felt fat so I might as well eat fat.
• After the chocolate my whole day was spent, right? So might as well go through a drive through for dinner. Yeah. I wanted a burger.

Every thing I worked for that week. Gone. Just gone.

It's hard though. Just like my Sunday is my day of rest and means more work; my workout day of rest needs more work, not rest. It's not a day of whatever you want. You still have to make conscious decisions to keep up your healthy lifestyle. Also, you need to keep up your new found healthy habits.

Here are some things I suggest:

• Wake up at the same time you normally would even though you are not working out. Spend that hour on some personal development or whatever seems uplifting to you. TV IS NOT UPLIFTING.
• After your workout would normally be done make breakfast. Just like it's a normal workout day.
• Plan your meals that day the previous day. So you know what you are having and when you are having it.
• KNOW that you are actually not getting fat just because you are not working out. Your rest day is part of the workout. If you grew fat on your rest day then there would be no rest. Just make healthy decisions so you really don't grow fat.
• Go on a walk. Take your dog. They want a walk. I promise. Just make it light.
• Do you have a workout buddy, yet? Get one. Text them and let them know you are struggling. Have them help you. Encourage you. Because you can do it. You can get through it. You're awesome.
• Find what works for you to keep you on track. How are you motivated to stay strong?

The best thing you can remember is that gaining a healthier lifestyle isn't always the easiet thing you will ever do. It takes learning new habits and realizing how amazing you actually are and how you can actually feel like a rock star. You are a rock star.

Stay strong through your rest day. Think of the bigger picture. Your final goal, everyone has a different one, should be posted for you to see every day. Something that you can see to remind you of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Get through your rest day so you can come out the other side on top. Don't take a step back. Just keep moving forward.

No matter what... before you can have a rest day you need to start working out. So, GET UP! DO IT!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Week 2 Update 1 Day Late

Week 2 is done! I'm even working on week 3 as of right now!

Let's talk about how I'm doing because big changes happened this week. Should we just dive into it?
Alright, I am starting with one of my befores:

 

 

Look at those sexy back folds.

I'm not spoiling anything with some after pictures but I will tell you that those back folds are GONE! GONE I SAY!! I've looked in the mirror like 100 times and bent my back in different ways. They are gone baby.

Now, if you aren't sitting down, sit down. Now bend forward. Now grab that huge piece of stomach that you hate. Mine is still there but HALF GONE! I grab it a few times a day to make sure it's really half gone. It is.

Let's move on to flexibility.

I have never been that flexible. It's always been a problem. I have always wanted to bend in half like a gymnast. Never could. I'm saying I can now so don't let your mouth drop yet. However, I can now bend in ways I never could before. I don't have a picture for this but just know that I can. It's cool. You'll get a picture in due time.

In addition to all of this I have a great amount of energy. I also notice a key difference in days that I exercise and days that I don't. That one day a week is really hard.

I really encourage you to think about your before body. I want you to think about whether or not you like that body. If not contact me...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

But Eating Heathly is Hard

Food is a beautiful thing. It brings families together. It brings memories of loved ones past. It reminds us where we came from.  However, with all this good comes a lot of bad.

Did you know that you could work your butt the hardest it has ever been worked...ever... and not lose a pound. In fact, you could gain weight. Not the good weight that is actually muscle, either.

Learning to eat right is hard. It takes time, organization and a little dedication. The hardest part is giving up habits. For me it was a series of habits:

• I would get a doughnut and a Red Bull before each work day.
• When I was at work late I would get through it by eating a cookie. (P.S If you haven't seen how huge a Panera Bread cookie is go to a Panera and look. They are huge. And Delicious. It's hard to resist.)
• When I was really stressed out I would let food give me comfort.
• I like to eat what is easy to grab. So, I would buy easy to grab things. Chips. Chips are awesome and delicious easy to grab items.

The biggest key to eating right is making healthy items easy to reach, easy to eat, and the bad food needs to be hidden.

This is what my fridge looks like all the time. There are already prepped breakfast options, already chopped fruit and already chopped veggies. Everything is easy. I even quarter my oranges so I don't have to peel an orange to eat it.

Here's what you do to have this awesome fridge. When you make a trip to a grocery store make sure that you have a couple of hours. As part of your grocery check list, make sure you have plenty of zip lock baggies. Part of unloading the groceries is chopping up the vegetables and fruit. If you can't chop your veggies and fruit right when you get home then you need to give yourself a time frame.

"I have to chop my fruit and veggies by 5:00PM tomorrow."

The reason you want to put them in Ziplock bags instead of bowls is because you can see exactly what is in what, they hold better and you can fit more in your fridge.

Bowls are for mixing not for storing. She says while picturing her chefs in culinary school throwing bowls across the room.

A lot of you out there are moms. Hi moms! You have kids that need to be bribed for when they poop on the potty, do their chores, or go a whole day without pulling on the dog's tail. You also need them to eat something, anything. So for this you need Goldfish, Poptarts, those delicious chips I was speaking of, little Hersey Kisses, and who knows what else. Those things are in your house and are not going anywhere. So, how do you avoid them? What if you want some? What do you do?

First, put all the "crap" in your kitchen in the same cupboard. Either put them up really high (like you have to get a chair to get them) or put them behind all your cans. Like your stacked cans. This way they are hard to reach. It will literally be easier for you to eat healthy. Let's say that again...

It will literally be easier for you to eat healthy.

 You can just open your fridge and eat an already cut orange. Or you can grab a chair to get the chips.


Probably the #1 to fail on having healthier eating habits is cutting cold turkey. (That reminds me buy ground turkey instead of beef. It really does taste almost the same and is a million times better for you) When you are trying to change your eating habits you need to offer yourself some rewards.

"If I go one whole day with eating clean and fresh then I can have a Hersey Kiss with lunch tomorrow."

"If I go Sunday-Friday with eating clean and fresh then I can have Jack-in-the-Box for lunch on Saturday"

Warning: If you eat clean and fresh Sunday-Friday then eat Jack-in-the-Box, you will be sick. It will suck. It might be good for you though. Then you will realize how crappy that kind of food treats your body. So, ignore my warning and totally do this.

Let's chat about stress eating.

Why do we eat wen we are stressed? It brings us comfort.

How do you fix that?

What else gives us comfort? Everyone is different. For me:

• Snuggle time with my dogs
• Reading the scriptures
• Hymns
• Talking on the phone with a loved one
• Sewing
• Shopping (this is a whole can of worms in itself but we will just ignore that)
• Modern Family
• A good movie
• Reading an awesome book
• Bubble baths
• Grocery shopping
• Catching up with an old friend
• Blasting Bad Romance by Lady GaGa and dancing like no one is watching

With all of these things why chose food? When I'm stressed I learned to turn to something else besides food. You need to find quick fixes to a stressful situation (like rocking out to Lady GaGa) and ways to unwind from a stressful day (like reading your scriptures). This will replace your need to eat when you are stressed.

In the end it all comes down to YOU and YOUR mind. It's all mental You don't really NEED that back of chips. I promise. Your system won't break down if you don't get your daily fix of an afternoon cupcake. You can do it. Just chose and make it easy for you. Make it easy for you

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Week 1 Down. How many to go?

Well my first week is past. How am I doin?

I think the biggest problem with gaining a healthier lifestyle is that everyone expects results right away. By results I mean they want to be skinnier, not crave a delicious frozen Zinger and eat three in one day (let's be honest, in 10 minutes), and have abs of steal.

At this point in the game (one week in) most people think... "I have:

• Woken up every morning (sometimes 5AM people...I don't, because I'm not insane but I have a friend that does. GO CHELS!) and worked out hard.
• The guy at 7/11 actually misses me. (Wait... not everyone does a daily visit to 7/11 for chips, soda and some sort of candy.)
• My husband is sick of hearing me talk about Shakeology like it's my new religion.

Yet here I stand still in the same body with zero results."

 Now those people are frustrated, wondering what the point is and give up.

DON'T GIVE UP!! Keep moving forward!

Let's get back to me, because I'm awesome, and I think I will tie this all together. Original question: how am I doing?

• I DO NOT have abs.
• I HAVE NOT lost weight. (ok, like .4 pounds)
• Even though I am doing PiYo I CAN NOT bend in half like a crazy gymnast.
• I AM STILL struggling during my sad, little 2 mile runs.

That, however, is not how I am doing.

That list of things are things I am not paying attention to. Those things are awesome perks that I will get in the future but I'm only one week into this.

So how I am actually doing:

• I HAVE a ton more energy.
• My butt IS super sore so I'm doing something right.
• I HAVE only had ONLY ONE soda this week and I had to talk myself into it.
• I HAVE ONLY HAD two small pieces of chocolate this week and one dessert that consisted of shortcake, fruit, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
• I AM inspiring people to get up and move.
• I GET TIME FOR ME. When I am running or doing my PiYo I don't have to worry about dinner or cleaning or laundry or the yard or the budget or ANYTHING!! Just me.

Considering the person I was a week before this last week (is that two weeks ago?) I have made a ton of progress.

*Side note: My actual progress compared to my "want but don't have" list is longer. I did not do that on purpose. I just noticed it.

I am a true believer in finding the silver lining in everything. You have to because there is too much negative in this world.

So, don't get bogged down after the first week and you aren't seeing the results you want. Look back and see what you HAVE gained because that is way more important. Then get up and go

Because there is NO better time than NOW!