You can FIGHT back those negative feelings

I was doing errands this afternoon and my heart felt so full.

My mind felt alive and I had feelings of positivity.

We all have thoughts and they can be either positive or negative... and in the past I would allow 1 negative comment or thought turn into something bigger. 

Over analyze it and dwell on it.

But, I started to learn that if I replaced negative thoughts with positive affirmations that I would feel peace in my mind and soul.

And I've learned that the more I feed the positive thoughts the more of them I will have ! 👊

New Changes

With the weather finally getting colder, and other changes that have recently happened to my schedule. 

My life feels really good right now.

 I feel weird saying it because you know life always changes, but I want to document how good it feels to be happy with your current situation.

In our house we strive to be better people. 

I see my children wanting to do better in school, read more, improve at a music talent, make wiser choices when presented in a sticky situation and because of this it motivates me !! 

I know that they watch us. Just like I watched my parents and emulated them, some good stuff and others not. 

If I hear my kids yelling more, than perhaps I need to lower my voice when asking them to do something for the 5th time... just saying :) 

I am grateful for the opportunity to push myself
- mentally
- physically
- spiritually 

Love life ~~~~>find joy 

and PUSH yourself into uncomfortable situations!!

When you do this life becomes more satisfying!

What to eat !!

I think one of the toughest problems people have is they don't know what to eat !!



And I just want you to know that you are NOT alone!!

I was the same way, and Im still learning a lot about properly fueling my body. But, what I have learned is that protein is KEY !!  But, really eating carbs, fruits and veggies is what will help you stay full !

I know this because when I am actually doing this I feel more energized and have clarity!

Here is a sample menu-

Before my workout I like to have something light
so either fruit or a carb example would be 1/2 banana or a piece of toast

After my workout I like to eat protein - so it would either be eggs or my shake
and depending if I ate my fruit or carb I would then consume it.

For a snack I like to have another protein - so it would either be my shake or tuna.
Make sure to drink LOTS of water !!

Lunch I would have my veggies in a nice LARGE salad with protein of course !

My snack would be fruit with veggies and a healthy fat such as hummus or avocado.

Lets get some more water in !!

Dinner I would finish it off with protein, veggies and a grain.

Having this variety thru the day ensures that I am staying full and not getting those sluggish feelings.

MY BEST TIP WOULD BE TO WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU EAT FOR 3 DAYS.

Sorry about the caps, but I feel that strongly about it  !

Know that you can make healthy choices, but it will take practice and a DESIRE !

You know when you really want something and you tell yourself you will do it??

That was me last night.

I wanted to wake up at 6 am and get my workout on.

And in order for me to do that I had to hit the hay sooner ! 😕

So, Lights were out @10:15 pm

I slept GREAT and none of my kids came looking for me, so that helped get a good night sleep

😊

When I can get up early my day just starts off better.

No its not easy, I almost stayed in bed longer, but once I was up... and sweating there is no going back.

Make it a good Monday 

3 Day Refresh

Menu Planning : How to plan accordingly

I think menu planning can be some what torture. I only do it 2xs a month, and you know we have to eat- SO WHY is it so frustrating and dreadful ?? 

But, here's what I have learned! That when I do sit down and take the time to write down my meals, than it becomes a NO BRAINER and my life has just gotten a lot easier. 

Well, I truly do feel blessed that I can go grocery shopping and tomorrow the day has come again for me to do buy fresh produce and veggies. So, I want to give you some tips and encouragement to overcome these feelings of ugh ! 

FIRST GO GRAB A PEN !!!!

Step 1-

 If you are NEW to menu planning, know that all this is going to help you feel more organized and SAVE MONEY ! 

When, you have exactly what you will be eating on the calendar or  written out, and it could be beans and tortillas or breakfast night this GIVES you freedom to not stress about it ! 

And who doesn't like to save money! I for one love to save money. Why buy tofu to let it sit there in the fridge. Buy ingredients that you will know you will use. Anytime I have thrown food away think about how much it was - .50 cent for that bell pepper sure doesn't seem like a lot, but over the week it sure does add up !  So plan accordingly!

Step 2-

 Check your freezer and pantry. Start by looking to see if there is meat that needs to be eaten or food in the pantry that you use up. Ground beef with spaghetti noodles would make a great dinner- and say you are just missing tspagetti sauce. Well write it on your list. 

Step 3-

Now start writing the days that you will be eating. So you can be very specific and write down each day that you need to eat or you can just write out the number of days.

For example - I like to meal plan for 2 weeks, I could write my meals like this 

Thursday : Spaghetti 

Friday : Egg sandwiches 

Saturday : Eat out

Sunday : Grilled chicken 

Or simply write out 

1-Spaghetti

2-Egg sandwiches 

3-Eat out 

The 2nd option is less strict and gives you more freedom to say I am eating out today on vs the scheduled day example Saturday. 

Step 4- 

Now LOOK at your ads and see what foods are on sale and a great deal! And write it down ! 

So if you see chicken on sale then look for some meals that would incorporate CHICKEN and stock up. I like to pay around 1.69 per pound for my chicken.

Step 5-

 Add some meatless meals !!

Yes, not all your meals have to include meat and you can still be full and happy ! 

I try to add 1-2 meals that are meatless a week which not only cuts back on cost, but allows me to use FRESH veggies ! 

These are 4 simple and quick ways you can implement TODAY !! 

If you are still stuck as to making your meal planning schedule try writing down what your family ate. And then if it was a healthy meal make sure to place it in your rotation. 

Hope this helps! 

I would love to hear, do you meal plan ? How often do you go to the grocery store ? 

Dried Apple Chips

It's apple season !! Can you smell the apple pie, taste of hot apple cider and those apples donuts - ( I know you want some - shoot those sound good RIGHT now !!  - YUM -O !!

Well,  if you get an overabundance of apples like I was fortunate to have, than you can crank out some yummy apple chips that your family will love !

I have another batch going on at this precise moment, but this time I am using a dehydrator !! But, never fear ! You can use your oven and still create a wonderful snack to take on the go !

Step 1 - 

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Step 2 - 

Peel... peel ... peel ... your apples ( I feel a song coming on - if you must... GO peel a banana - ha )
 I used a peeler, or if you are good you can use a knife !
OR ----- if you have one of those nifty little dandy peeler, PLUS spiral cutter THAN YES use it !!

But, if not you can use a mandala cutter- I used the one on a cheese grater and it worked great !

Try to cut them evenly as possible, this ensures that they are cooking at the same rate.

Does that ALL make sense ?? Peel the skin off and slice those apples evenly.

Step 3 - 

Arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This means no spraying the pan and adding extra stuff to your apples. You will want to make sure that you have arranged them evenly apart. Or place them on a dehydrator evenly apart. 

Step 4- 

If cooking in the oven place them in for 2- 3 hours.  You will want to take them out halfway and FLIP them over .  After you have pulled them out at the desired crispness you can enjoy them right away or let them cool and then enjoy later! They did not last long in my house, and loved to gnaw on them myself ! 

Give them a try ! You will love them ! 

Basil pesto - with secret ingredient - KIDS LOVE IT

I asked my 10 year old son for his input on what he wanted for dinner. Well, I asked him to help me plan the dinner for the week. Because if I am going to cook, than I might as well make sure they enjoy it as well !

And one of the recipes that he requested and which I also love is the Avocado Basil pesto over chicken.

Seriously, this recipe takes like no time, but tastes so so yummy. I love how it includes spinach and avocado.

Here are the ingredients

- 1/4 cup Basil
-2- 3 cups of Spinach
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt ( I prefer to use pink Himalayan salt )
- 1 whole Avocado
- 3 garlic pieces ( more if you like it spicy )
- Parmesan cheese approx 1/4 cup
- and 1 cup of water from the cooked noodles that you will cook

Toss it all into the blender and let it go !!!

My measurements were all to my taste, so add and remove as you like!

Once all blended up I poured it over my pasta and added my chicken !

Served it up and they ate it up !!!

Black Bean Brownie Recipe

I'm all for moderation when it comes to my diet! Which means if I want to eat something yummy I will dive in and take a bite!!

But, I know all too well that if I eat too many treats than those treats will go to my waistline, cause me to break out and cause my energy levels to get low!

So, finding new healthy treats to satisfy my sweet tooth definitely perks my interest !

I had made black bean brownies before, but I wasn't too impressed!

So I decided to try AGAIN !

This time I took some of the suggestions that were provided in the comments section of the All Recipes website.

And here is what I made

Ingredients are as follows 

-I cooked black beans and used approx 15 oz
-3 eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
-1/4 cup apple sauce
-1/4 cup cocoa powder
-3/4 raw sugar or any sweetener
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- Dash of salt

I tossed it all into my Blendtec and pulsed it until smooth and creamy.

After it was all done I poured it into a baking dish that was 8x8 size greased with butter.

Baked at 350 for 25 mins and then let them cool

They turned out bitter, BUT still a pleasant yummy surprise! Especially for something that has BLACK beans!

My youngest calls it cake :)

Glad that he ate it and couldn't detect the black beans!

I did enjoy some warmed up cake with a scoop of  vanilla  :) Super -YUM !!

Meal Prep - Doesn't have to take a lot of time or money !

I went to Sam's Club earlier this week and purchased a beautiful looking salmon. It cost me 14 and change for about 2 lbs or so. 

I came home and cooked it for dinner for our our family of 5. 

I measured each piece on the food scale 3 to 5 oz. I gave my husband a 5 oz one. 👍 I served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli. 

And I still had 5 pieces left over . I packaged up 3 of them so they would be ready for meals. Now my husband and I both have lunch ready for tomorrow. Bonus because I cooked once, and I am able to bless my family with a quick and healthy meal and not break the bank !! 

I know eating out is convenient, but when it cost 6 to 10 bucks that sure adds up !

Getting back on Track - after a CELEBBRATION

I came back from my 4 day trip to Oregon. It's good to be home and it was good to go. I had a chance to do a lot of thought and reading while I was in the cabin. Since we had no internet connection, I had to force my mind to SLOW down.

On Saturday after dinner we did go see the fireworks and stay the night to attend church.

That gave me an opportunity to check myself back in to what the rest of the world was doing... But after church we headed back up to no civilization again. Which was a good feeling.

It's funny to me because while I was in the woods there were so many times that I had to calm my mind. Calm myself from the to-do LIST that we constantly bombard ourselves.

I had to remind myself that doing nothing was ok. That just relaxing and diving into some books was perfectly fine. It wasn't until Saturday that I was really feeling that I could relax.

I also fell down the stairs. I fell while holding my son. It was quite frustrating since I sprained my ankle while doing so. I knew i shouldn't of held him. But, of course as a mother you want to carry your child. You want to help him. And so I did.

The sprain is healing nicely, and I am already attempting to do exercises to strengthen my ankle.

I also learned that I have a lot of negative talk that goes on my head. Not sure if any of you can relate. Everything from ...

- why would she do that 

- how rude of her 

- I try to give so much and get nothing back from them 

- why is she trying to make me feel bad 

- they prefer them over my child

- they really don't love me 

I learned this. People are not out to get you. People are busy with their own lives, and not worried about HOW to get YOU. And I think the most vital ahhaaa that I need to remind myself of - I can NOT change the way other people behave, or feel towards me. I can ONLY change myself. 

The best part from all of this stinken thinking is that you can dust yourself off and being today with a NEW attitude. New take on LIFE  and how you feel towards people.

Start by having a grateful heart. Grateful that I am surrounded by people that LOVE me. Like my husband and children. Grateful that I have kind neighbors that reach out to me. Grateful that I HAVE desire and motivation. Grateful that I do have friends that want to spend time with me. 

Sometimes, we allow the negative thinking to take over. To allow us to think for us. But, don't let that happen. Start thinking of all that you have and are grateful for. 

With love, ME 

It doesn't matter about yesterday - Focus on TODAY (UPDATE )

I have still been exercising. Been pretty diligent about it. And I have kept up with sharing on my like page Balanced Fitness. But, I have completly fallen off the wagon about writing and posting here on my blog. 

It just seems like my mind is always busy trying to tackle household chores, church callings, and most importantly my family. I do everything for and in behalf of my family. And now that kids are out of school it seems like my life was turned upside down and shaken several times. 

I realized that there are too many distraction in life that pull me away from the things that matter the most. I had an ahh haaa moment the other day that has made me realize I need to focus... LASER focused on the things that matter most. 

What Im still learning : 

As a mom it seems like we need to wear several hats - from cooking, to time management, to organization, and YES even conflict resolve management. It's just crazy to me when I think about all the different things moms occupy our minds with. 

So here's my golden nugget - Every single day is an opportunity to TRY ! Yes, if yesterday you burnt dinner and the whole house smells like black tortillas then guess what ?? Tomorrow you can try again. ( uhh perhaps I speak from personal experience :) 

Or if you yelled at your children and went over board on the words that you used and then you felt awful. Then guess what you apologize and vow to do better when that child is acting out. 

I don't believe that just because we have 1 bad day or moment that it will define us. 

I remember talking to a friend about this very thing. I said you know what I had a not so good mommy moment the other day. It lasted 5 - 10 minutes. But, just because I was quick to react doesn't mean I can't make up for it.

 My kids have many many years ahead of them to build, grow and gain many more memories. So, get up and dust off the frustration and move forward with your day.

That's to me what life is about- pushing Forward and realizing that life will have it's ups and Downs.

Well, I will stop rambling now... 

I hope you know you are AWESOME ! 

Crockpot Lettuce Wraps - Perfect for those HOT days !!

I LOVE lettuce wraps!! I love the yummy taste that comes with asian  chicken and the crunch you get from the lettuce. It all just makes my mouth... oh so happy !!

This recipe comes from Domestic Superhero - 

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
2. black pepper, to taste
3. 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
4. 1/4 cup honey
5. 1/4 cup tomato paste
6. 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
7. 2 cloves garlic, minced
8. 1 tbsp water
9. 1 tspSESAME OIL
10. 1 tsp onion powder
11. 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
12. 1HEAPING tbsp cornstarch
13. 1/4 cup water
14. 1/2 tbspSESAME SEEDS
15. 2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish
16. Lettuce for lettuce cups (I used bib lettuce)

Instructions

1. 1. Place the chicken in theSLOW cooker and season with black pepper.
2. 2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.
3. 3. Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in theSLOW cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.
4. 4. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.
5. Serve chicken and sauce in lettuce cups and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.
6. This could also be served over rice if you prefer that over the lettuce cups.

Easy Tomato Soup Recipe

I love to make soup for the family, especially soup that is made with veggies and without HIGH fructose corn syrup.

Here is a quick Tomato Soup Recipe that you will love

Ingredients
- Garlic
- Onion
- 3 cans of tomato sauce
- 2 roma tomatoes
- Chicken Stock
- Cumin

Start by sautéing your garlic and onion in olive oil. Then toss your roma tomatoes in the oven to broil for a bit. Get them toasty. Add a little bit of Balsamic Vinegar if you have some.

Then when your garlic and onion are soft, go ahead and add the tomato sauce to the pot. Let them get all happy and YUUMMY !

Take the Roma tomatoes out and add them to the pot, along with your chicken stock.

Season with salt and pepper. and then Add a little bit of Cumin.

I let it simmer for 15 mins. But no longer than that.

Add to your blender, but make sure to leave enough room to let it expand.

I placed a towel on top, just in case it exploded .

Then pour back into bowl add cream if desired and heat thru.

Pour into bowls and ENJOY !!

This would be a great meal to have for lunches or for dinner, pull out of fridge reheat and serve !

Update on my progress - April 2015

The other day when I picked my son up from preschool, I spoke with his preschool teacher about it being the last day of school. She confirmed to me that May is their last month of going to school.

When she said that to me I thought WOW! I can't believe that the year is just zipping by us! It seems like it was just January and I was setting my goals for the year.

What this said to me is that TIME is going to pass weather you are ready or not. So, soak up everyday! Make the most of your time! We all have the same 24 hours, what are you doing everyday  to be productive and reaching your goals ??

One of my goals for the year was to be in better shape. I have problem areas that I needed to tackle a little bit more. Such as my thighs and muffin top. It's amazing to me how quickly these areas can get out of control if you allow them to.

And that is what I did during the holidays. Slacked on my workouts and my eating !!

I want to stress though that I am happy with all that my body can do. I am grateful that I have a healthy body. I am grateful that God has blessed me with the ability to use my body to work, walk, run and be a productive human being.

That being the case, I feel more comfortable and confident when I am taking care of myself.

Right now I am working out 6xs a week. Running 3xs and trying (ha) to watch what I eat.

It's not always easy, sure there are days when I WOULD like to just flop myself on the catch and see what's on the TV. But, I prefer to keep moving and to be active.

The way I see it, everyday is a new day to try.

Prepare your day.
Prepare your mind and you can overcome those difficult moments.

Hope you are reaching your goals everyday and even if it feels like you are slipping- Keep going!!

Homemade Almond Milk

I decided to make almond milk from scratch the other day. Why?? When I can purchase it already made at the store ?  I enjoy learning how to make things from scratch and I wanted to see how time consuming it would be to make.

I found the recipe on Wellness Mamma, but I had to watch a video of one of my favorite Youtube channel - What's up Moms. I am a visual learner, so I have to see it in action !

Ingredients 

-1 cup of almonds
- Filtered water 4 cups 2xs
- sweetener vanilla ( optional cinnamon But I would say leave it out)

Step 1 -

Soak 1 cup of almonds in 4 cups of filtered water. I used my Blend-tec to pour my liquid and almonds in.
Then I let it sit/ soak for 12 hours. I threw it together at 8 pm.You know it's one of those things that you keep putting off and then you think for crying out loud just get it done :) So I did!!!

Step 2

This is where I had to watch a video because the directions were a bit unclear. I will do my best to explain how to do it. Take a strainer and drain the almonds and water ( keeping the almonds of course)

Step 3

Add the almonds BACK to the blender PLUS add 4 cups of FILTERED water

Step 4

BLEND on HIGH until nice and smooth!!

Step 5

Now this is the MESSY part. You will need a cheesecloth and strain the liquid.Yes! Dump the milk mixture in the cheesecloth and the liquid should come out into the bowl. (I should add to make sure your hands are clean) Now squeeze the excess liquid out of the cheese cloth... watch as it squirts all over you. Oh... is that just me ?

Step 6

Now I added my cinnamon and vanilla, or your choice.I would like to omit the cinnamon next time and add a different sweetener like dates

Step 7

Place in Fridge to chill. This made approximately 36 oz, which goes by pretty fast in this house especially if you are using it to add to your shakes.

I will definitely be making this mixture more often !!

Have you made almond milk ? Did you enjoy it ?

Prosciutto Wrapped Pesto Chicken Pasta

If you are like me, you are always looking for new chicken recipes, I mean who isn't right?  I believe you will love this recipe! I found this recipe on Paleo Parents and this chicken recipe was a HUGE hit with the family !

This did cost me a bit more than what my standard recipes cost me, because of the prosciutto, but it was soo worth it !!

Ingredients

- Chicken about 2-3 breasts worked for our family
- Prosciutto 8 slices - but I just used the entire package, which I found at Walmart.
- Zucchini 2-3 would be nice to have
- Coconut milk 1 can -it cals for only 1/4 cup ... I wonder if I dumped the entire container in
- 1 crown of Broccoli
- basil pesto 1/2 cup ( love this stuff )
- butter 4 tbsp

Instructions

1. Warm a large skillet to medium heat and melt half the butter in the skillet and sauté the broccoli for 5 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the heat and set aside.
2. Then Slice the chicken breast in half and then in half again, creating about 8 strips of chicken.Take your prosciutto and tightly wrap each piece in prosciutto.
3. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and SEAR the chicken for 1 minute, ( important because you want it to be crispy!  Then  flip to the other side and sear for an additional minute.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the pesto, coconut milk and broccoli, covering the chicken in the pesto sauce. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
5. Serve over a bed of warm zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or grain free side of choice. Garnish with parmesan if desired. It was pretty soupy for me so make sure that you serve in a bowl. 
6. MY KIDS loved THIS !! 

And YES! I bought a spiralizer ( spelling ?) at Bed Bath and Beyond, it also came with a peeler. Seriously LOVE it ! 

 

Making Banana Ice Cream Using 3 ingredients

I love ICE CREAM!

It seriously used to be a staple in my grocery cart.

I had a craving for late night ice cream, well then a big bowl would make it into my hands!

But, then I started to realize that it probably wasn't the BEST food staple to have in my house.
So, I stopped buying it and in doing so I STOPPED WANTING IT ! Crazy how that works !

Anytime I see a recipe for ice cream- I am all over it ! Especially for HEALTHY kind right !!

I took
2 bananas ( cut it up and place in bag and freeze for at least 4 hours or longer )
2 spoons of cocoa
1 dollop of peanut butter ( however much suits your fancy !)

Place it all in the blender and mix that puppy UP !
Seriously ! That's it !
Enjoy!
Even my husband who is a sweet tooth lover enjoyed this !!
Will make it with other mix ins' !!

Making PROGRESS ...

I'm SUPER excited over the progress that I have been making. Yes, this is the 2nd week into my cutting back on processed foods, BUT I can already feel my stomach flatter. And my jeans are feeling LOOSE!

I will be weighing myself this Saturday to see how far I have come along.

As long as I am fueling my body with veggies and proteins then I stay full thru out the day. I'm also making sure to amp up my water intake!! I'm getting enough sleep at night, YES I go to sleep at 9:30 pm,  BUT I have been able to get up at 5am!!

To me that has been my dream, go to bed early and wake up early, but I struggled so much with it because my son was coming to my bed at night and messing up our schedules. I'm glad that I finally bit the bullet and eliminated that habit !!

I'm also reaching out to other people and sharing this opportunity with them. Sometimes I wish people could see my excitement with doing these challenge groups! I love the atmosphere and supportive community that comes with these workouts and what Beach body stands for.

I want to so badly spread the joy that I have from be able to work out from home and learning to change my eating habits. I really think people just need to give it a try, but I mean really try and see if this is something that will change the way they live !

To a HEALTHY 2015 !

Success !

This past week I have been diligent and focused on eating properly.

Because for two months I allowed myself to pretty much eat it all. And in doing this I have gained 10 lbs ! Wowzzer! That seriously creeps up on you !

So, it brings me with great excitement when I jumped on the scale and saw that I lost 2.5 lbs !! Not only have I had more energy thru out the day, BUT I feel lighter! Funny how it happens by just being diligent.

If I stay on this track it should take me about 5 weeks to loose the weight I gained. Anything extra would be icing on the cake !

Honestly my mind is always swirling with either what to cook, what to clean, who's happy and who's not. That just looking at my sheet to see what I can and should eat has made my life sooo much easier !!

I don't even count calories! I mean I pick a color from the container and just make sure that I am staying on track with how many colors it says to eat! it's not hard at all.

I did stick to many of the same foods
- salads
- fish
- turkey sandwich
- my meal replacement shake  just to name a few

Here are some pictures so you can see for yourself !

Being silly with my selfie- yes straight up carrots are yummy to crunch on !

Seriously, my eggs always stick !

I cooked some other foods that my kids enjoy such as mac n cheese ( my son said it was THE BEST MAC N CHEESE EVER) I kind of enjoyed hearing him say that.

And for Saturday night I made pizza/ pretzel rolls ; which they also LOVE ! Seriously cooking from home is one of the best things ever!  I did enjoy a pizza roll because well it's homemade and then I ate my portion of fish.

I know that indulging in other foods is fine on an occasional basis, but it's that OVER indulgence that will get to your GUT!

Hope you know "if there is a will there is a way!"

Raise your HAND if...

You fell off the wagon of eating healthy… ME

You stopped working out ….ME

You developed bad habits…ME

You gained weight… ME

You need a KICK in the butt to get going … ME

Ok, so it's the NEW Year, Happy New year! And now what ?? Everyone is making goals, talking about losing weight, paying off debt and I'm sure it sounds overwhelming !!!! Shoot, I tend to sit back and just observe. It takes me some time before I commit to making the changes I want in my life.

Here's a little secret … just because you don't start at the beginning of the year doesn't mean YOU CAN'T START TODAY. Don't let that intimidate you. Realize that you can change ANYTIME you want TO.

But, with everyone making all these changes it makes you want to change as well!  Kind of like join the party and NOT get left behind. And since I'm here to push you to make yourself feel better and lose weight , WELL let's HOP to it !!

So…. here's a little story about what has happened to me. As soon as November first hit I was like BOOM… I got into this mood of wanting to indulge a little more, bake a little more and just let LOOSE. ( are you with me ??)

And, guess what ??? I was A- OK with it !! But, it wasn't until the very end of December that I noticed some changes occurring … like my pants getting tighter, my face had acne that wasn't going away and I felt more sluggish. YES, that easily in the span of over 2 months those changes came and it didn't look like they were going anywhere!!

It was like the uninvited guest that wouldn't leave, but guess WHAT … I DID invite them ! Yup, all me!  Taking accountability is the FIRST step.

Kind of sad, kind of discouraging. Especially when I just came back from my cousin's wedding where I had so many compliments " Rose you so good " " Rose good job on working out"  True story. It felt GREAT !! So, I guess I thought I was invincible.

But, here is the TRUTH .

We are not and I as HECK am not.

So, back to the drawing board of kicking those bad habits out!

So HOW the HECK do you start ??

Numero UNO- Get dressed ! Yes, that means put your workout clothes on. It can either be in the morning or in the evening when you decide that you want to workout out, but just decide and  commit !

Which leads me to my next one

Number 2 - pick the time when you will workout, if you can do it in the AM then even better. I have tried to workout in the evening BUT… well my energy is defiantly lower and i don't feel that committed. If that means you need to get up earlier to give you enough time to get your workout in then so be it, GO TO bed early enough so that you can GET UP !!  Put that alarm far away from your bed. And when you get up have your clothes picked out so that you can just get dressed. See. Easy so far !

Number 3 - Make sure you eat something - can be anything. Such as fruit, toast, cottage cheese, or yogurt. Keep it light, but make sure it has protein to keep you full during your workout.

Number 4- Start off small, don't get all crazy on me and think that you are going to be able to conquer this difficult workout, you will set yourself up for failure. And we want you to succeed !! Yes, you CAN !

Number 5- Play some music to get you into the mood! Pick something and start hopping around. It will do wonders for your mood.

I know it's hard at first.

But, ASK yourself WHY?

And KEEP that WHY in your mind alive!

To a HEALTHY New Year !!