I was struggling big time. 😢
I was exercising like a crazy woman but not seeing results. In fact, I was getting heavier and seeing no improvement in my endurance or strength. I was feeling done. I had hit a plateau and thought I was where my body wanted to be and I was just going to have to live with it. 😩 But I wasn't happy with that. I knew deep down I could achieve the results I wanted. But something was missing. I needed to do something ... I didn't want this to be my finish line. So, 🔹I cleaned up my nutrition. I mean, CLEANED IT UP. 🔹Got serious with my portions using the 21 day fix. 🔹Focused on my gut health and eating clean. 🔹Eliminated wheat and processed sugar. 🔹Drank tons of water. 🔹Ate tons of veggies. 🔹And, of course, drank my Shakeology. And a shift happened. It started happening slowly. But it was happening!! 🔹No more plateau. 🔹Im losing inches. 🔹My clothes fit better. 🔹I'm feeling amazing during and after my workouts. 🔹I actually feel stronger! 🔹I'm not wiped out at the end of the day and I have so much energy! It took a shift in my thinking. In focusing on the food part of my journey. And truly believing in the process of exercise, rest, and proper nutrition getting you to a healthier version of you. So believe in the process. And never accept that plateau as your finish line!
1 Comment
The struggle ... it's real.
You ever feel like "why the heck am I doing this" when it comes to your health journey? 🙁 There are some days I would much rather sit on the couch, relax and zone in and zone out with my fave tv shows. I mean, it's a windy, cold day so why not, right? 😐 WRONG MINDSET! You only DONT work out if you don't care about yourself. And rain or shine or sun ☀️ or no sun, you NEED to exercise DAILY! Show up. Get up. Move. Never ever ever take for granted what your body can do! The struggle may be real but it's only TEMPORARY! 👊🏼 Transformation Tuesday is upon us and instead of sharing a transformation story from the beachbody files of someone you don't know, I figured it would make sense to share mine!
So first, I'm still on my journey. It's a lifestyle and a lifelong journey. At my heaviest I weighed 208 pounds (to be fair, that was when I was about to give birth to my son and I prayed and prayed that he would weigh at least 60 POUNDS because there was just no way I gained THAT much weight during my pregnancy!!!) Needless to say, he weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces and the struggle began! Fast forward a year and I lost over 60 pounds due to the weight watchers program (Beachbody hadn't come into my life yet). But guess what else I lost? My BUTT. My MUSCLE tone. And honestly, I was FLABBY. I lost all that weight using the points system and it did work. But it was expensive to attend the meetings and I wasn't incorporating exercise as often as I should have. We moved to Indiana shortly after that weight loss and BOOM! I got a full time job at a major law firm in Indy and guess what? I gained back almost 40 pounds of that weight in a year! I stopped going to WW meetings. I started eating the extra food leftover in meetings and didn't start exercising. I was SERIOUSLY DEPRESSED. Then I found Turbojam on an infomercial back in January of 2006 and the REST IS HISTORY! lol I found Turbo, got certified, became a coach, found shakeology and challenge groups and found my thin self again ... WRONG!!! I did for a while. But this past year has been a struggle. I hit that magical age of 45 ++++++++ and NOTHING was working. I was gaining weight. I was tired. And I was not consistent with my own exercise (even though I taught group ex). And my food choices STUNK! Yes, I was drinking Shakeo but it can't help you if you don't exercise and you continue to eat junk food and fast food and bags of sour cream and onion potato chips! (fo realz!) I had to do something. So I buckled down. No more junk. No more eating out. I read "Brain Maker" by Perlmutter and was mind blown. I stopped eating Gluten (even though i'm not gluten sensitive but wheat is inflammatory). I have been diligent with my sugar intake. I also eliminated most processed sugar from my diet. I focused on taking care of my gut. I started drinking Kombucha, eating greek yogurt (that's the only dairy I ingest), eating more raw whole veggies, and focused on eating for a healthy gut. I started exercising regularly outside of my group ex classes, drank water and got enough sleep. And, of course, continued with my Shakeology but added Flax seed and Chia seed to my Shakeo mix. After a few weeks of this, I dropped close to 10 pounds, gained amazing energy, lost my foggy brain, and am able to focus like I haven't been able in a long while. It's stilll ongoing and I haven't hit my "goal" number in inches or weight and honestly, I'm not counting on that as an indicator of my "success." How I feel. How I feel in my own skin. How I feel during exercise. How I feel trying on clothes. How I feel walking into a room. THATS my true indicator ... and the before and after pics! Put down those potato chips and go for these 21 Day Fix zucchini chips that'll satisfy your need for a salty, crunchy snack!
Easy to make! (Makes 4 Servings, 1 Serving=1 Green, 1/2 Tsp.) Ingredients: 2 Large Zucchini, very thinly sliced 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1/2 Tsp. sea salt (or Himalyan Salt) Prep: 1. Preheat oven to 225° F. 2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between paper towels to help draw out liquid. 3. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 4. Place zucchini slices on prepared baking sheets. 5. Brush zucchini with oil; sprinkle with salt. 6. Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy. 7. Cool completely before serving. yup. Had a feeling sorry for myself moment today and it sucked. BIG TIME.
I don't know if this rainy day made me more vulnerable and weepy or what, but I let someone's behavior towards me affect me. It stinks when you're trying to practice what you preach about letting go and you can't!! Chalk this moment up for a big fat fail! I allowed that person to get to me. I started questioning myself as a friend, coach, business owner, human being. I allowed them to get under my skin. And I was fighting that feeling so hard that I actually started crying. Crying!! Boo! No Bueno! I know it's ok to cry but for me, I felt like they were winning and accomplishing their goal to make me feel like poop. But you know what? I'll bet that person didn't even realize what they had done! Or that what they did was intentional. Or that they tried to get me so upset! Soooo... After a few minutes of angry tears and my husband reassuring me I was wonderful! I exhaled and let it go. And that shiznit felt good!! I mean a total weight lifted. Dark cloud gone. Because honestly, you guys. If you don't and you keep that anger bottled up inside, the only one to suffer is YOU! Bless and release. Best 3 words to repeat in times of anger or hurt. What an amazing day filled with firsts:
We awoke as the sun was rising over the Caribbean Sea. We watched the beauty of that sunrise from the balcony of our room on this amazing ship. We walked the streets of Nassau for the first time and browsed the quaint shops. We swam in the waters surrounding Nassau. We sun bathed on the beach with the Caribbean sun shining down on us. And... My daughter drank from a coconut with a straw. All these firsts are some of the reasons why I am soooo grateful I said yes to this whole Beachbody coaching thing. Wouldn't you like to have some FIRSTS like this too? If so, let's talk, okay? Here is a recipe : You don't have to be a vegetarian to wanna try this dish! Its filled with veggies and provides the same comfort as chili with meat. And if you're on the 21 day fix, one serving equals 1/2 green, 2 yellow. Calorie wise per serving, you're looking at under 300 calories of deliciousness (216 calories). There are so many veggies in this chunky vegetarian chili recipe. Black beans and chickpeas were used, but you can substitute any beans you like. Almost any vegetable will taste good in this chili, so if you have extra kale or spinach in the fridge, or you want to try butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, go for it! Total Time: 55 min. Prep Time: 15 min. Cooking Time: 40 min. Yield: 6 servings Ingredients: 2 tsp. olive oil 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1 Tbsp. chile powder 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained, rinsed 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce, no sugar added 1 medium zucchini, cubed 6 Tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt Preparation: 1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. 2. Add sweet potatoes, onion, and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. 3. Add chile powder, cumin, tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. 4. Add zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 10 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. 5. Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. yogurt. LET ME KNOW IF YOU TRY IT AND WHAT YOU THINK OF IT! |
AuthorHi! Welcome to my Blog and Recipe Page! Archives
October 2020
Categories |