July 31 2016

The Day I decided to change.... For  Real Time!!!!

Sometimes it takes alot of self reflecting to really figure out WHY you are doing something.

I have been a Beachbody Coach off and on for over 3 years now and really never put any effort into it. I kept hearing people say: It is a business and you have to work it like a business,

Then I went to Summit this year....

Something hit me. In all these years of trying to be a Beachbody group and telling people:

You Should join a Challenge group and you will see results if you do the workouts and drink this shake.... I realized. I have only completed 2 programs on my own. I had NEVER been in a Challenge group. Well talking about not Practicing what I was preaching!!

So I asked my Coach, Yes even Beachbody Coaches have their own Coaches, if I could join her Challenge group along with several other coaches on our TEAM for their August group.

So here I am... Starting Fresh, Starting Over and this time I am going to Success because I have a network of friends that I have built relationships with that are going to call me out if I don't exercise, when I posted I ate a dozen doughnuts or whole large pizza. They are going to remind me in a nice way, unless I get really out of line how much I want this and What my Goals are! When you have a Coach or Team of Coaches you TRUST this is what you do.

So What are you waiting on to make a Change?

My Struggle Part 2

In an effort to tell you about myself I have decided to break my story into pieces so that you don;'t have to read this really long post... So here is Part to of My Struggle.

2007 had to be the worse year of my life so far.

I filed for divorce from my husband with 2 babies ( ages 1.5 and 4.5). My Sister (half-sister but the only sibling I had) passed away days before our birthday. We shared the same birthday. She was born very prematurely when I was 8 years old and died just short of her 20th birthday. It was only by God's grace that she was here with us so long, but it still hurt. By the end of 2007 after months of fighting over custody, my ex-husband and I agreed on an custody agreement. Looking back now I wish I would have fought it longer and not backed down from what I really wanted since there was no way he was getting help.

So at the start of 2008, Here I am now. An overweight single mother that at the time was forced to move back in at home with the grandparents who raised me due to my financial situation. My ex-husband and left me with a mountain of debt, I had drained everything I put into my kids savings just to keep the house we had bought midway through 2006 from going into foreclosure and every credit that I had in my name was maxed out. Sure part of it was my fault. I didn't know how to say no and sometimes I just felt like I needed things. We has purchased a new house before we separated and there were things we needed for that house and once I figured out why he was really taking money out of the checking account and removed him from it so we could pay our bills, giving a drug addict a credit card with  a high available balance was not a good idea. I found out the hard way a drug addict will do anything to get money for his fix.

Anyways on to happier day and how to deal with it. Now a single mom on one income with a mountain of debt I was totally lost. I stopped exercising and eating right and the weight came right back on. I tried focusing on my kids, my faith and working to pay off the debt.

That fall my oldest son started kindergarten..  That November I went to a parent night out auction at his school and won (bought) 4 personal training sessions. I went and was hooked... after those 4 were over I signed up for more. Now this wasn't at a gym, but at a place at that was all they did... There I started to find my strength and love for exercise again!!

2009 was going to be a whole new year for me....

My Struggle Part 1

Throughout High school and college, until I had children, I never really struggled with my weight. I was 5’2” 105-110lbs. In all honesty, looking back now I looked sick. When I started college I got up to around 130-135lbs. Which if I had been toned I would have looked great but still I think I looked pretty good. Today I am around the 225lbs mark.. Which is totally crazy and unacceptable for someone my height that knows what to do.

So here is part my struggle….

After having my oldest son, Cristian, in 2002 9 months to the day after the attacks on 9-11 I had gained close to 70lbs during my pregnancy..  I was miserable. I was waiting tables at Outback steakhouse and they feed me ALL the time. Fast forward 3 years and I had my second son Brody. I don’t remember my weight before I got pregnant or during but I don’t think I ever got below 160 before getting pregnant.

At the end of 2006, November 29^th to be exact, after months of speculation of drug use, I left my husband of almost 5 years. I had more than enough proof of what he was doing and it was no longer safe for me or my kids to be in that environment.  In January 2007 I filed for divorce. It was something that I didn't want to do but I really had to choice. He wouldn't admit to the drug use and I had proof. I started to have a lot of anger and anxiety and the best way I knew how to handle it was to workout. 

That year Alabama started a program, Scale back Alabama, to encourage the people of Alabama to lose weight. I joined with some fellow co-workers and during those 10-12 weeks I got down to the lowest I had in years. I was somewhere around 150-155 when it was over with. How did I do this? I wrote down everything I ate but I was spending too much time in the gym. I would spend in hour on the elliptical and then on 3 of those days I would weight train… No one has time for all that with 2 babies at home, working full time and at that time I was also working on my Master’s in Accounting. I stayed pretty fit that year, but after my divorce was final on December 10 2007 I went right back to my ways and the weight came back on.

What I did have back then was a plan. 

I got tired of the hours I was spending at the gym. I got tired of the meal planning and days of eating the same thing over and over. Yogurt with fruit, turkey and cheese sandwich on low fat bread, turkey patty and spaghetti squash (no more that 1,200 calories a day even when I worked out). I got tired of feeling so empty and not knowing what to do next. I was just tired. 

Another part of my life that had been lacking and still really to this day is was my Relationship with God. Sure I turned to him in my hour of need but did I do it everyday? Did I give him praise in what I had been given? Two beautiful and healthy children. Sure my life was a mess but things happens. We have to have faith all of the time just not when it is convenient to us. I got tired. I got run down by trying to do so much, I got tired by trying to stay busy and keeping my mind of what was really going on. I should have turned to where I needed to be. Just then maybe this struggle I have had for the last 13 years would have not have been so long. 

Matthew 11:28-30New International Version (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

60 Days at the Barre...

So for me the 60 Day Barre Challenge is over..

Granted I only missed one day because the studio was closed due to Ice, I did take an intensive that counted for 2 classes of I still had 60 classes in 60 days... Oh my...

What have  I learned?

First there are alot of little muscles in your body that we don't regularly work. before coming back to the Barre in January I had been doing crossfit since February 2014. At the end of September 2014 I did start to have some problems with my feet that turned out to be tendinitis in my Achilles which kept me from going to my crossfit workouts only a handful of times between October and January because of the pain I would be in the next day.  Yes I was sore after my Barre workouts, but even after putting on lets say 40+lbs since the last time I really did Barre.. I could finish a class and feel proud of myself when I did.


After 60 days of Barre I still can not hold a plank for the full 90 seconds. I think some of this is more I may need to take a few days off and let my body totally rest and see what happens. I will soon.. like in a week when I get a massage lol

During my last class of the Challenge I was able to hold the "chair" position for almost the full time. My typical chair pulled of the Barre is more like a water ski. Yesterday I was able to go all the way down to the chair and just let my legs shake. I did have to raise up a few times but this was such a big improvement.

During Side seat, I was able to hold my leg up higher and for longer. I could feel the muscles working all the way up into my muffin top. I have noticed over the last couple of classes that when we work seat, either side or back, that I am able to hold my leg up higher. I was even able to do the dreaded fire hydrate exercise the other day better than I have before..

All in all I love Barre.. So now that the Challenge is over what is next?

I will continue to go to Barre. I was to hit my 500 class this year.. I am at 270 classes with 294 days left in the year with 5-6 Holidays in there so it is totally doable..


I really need to start working on what I am eating so I can truly have that Pure Barre Body.

So my plan. I am going to do the 3 Day Refresh from Beachbody starting tomorrow and the after that I am going to start the 21 Day fix. With the 21 day fix plus my Barre workouts I should get to my goal!!!


Well it is almost time for today's intensive seat class. I am not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for it.  #LTB #purebarrehuntsville #60daychallenge #21dayfix #3dayrefresh

43 Days of Pure Barre and I am still going

We are 43 Days into the 60 Day Challenge and so far I have made it to call everyday and one of those days included a 90 minute full body intensive class. So a few things I am learning.

During Warm-up, I mean like the first raise your knees to your chest your legs are going to hurt after the first lift. IT is going to happen after 43 days and no breaks.

When pumping your arms at the beginning your legs aren't going to go that far down. Some Days they will be lower than others.

Plank... 90 seconds that feels a lot longer than that.. I have yet to do the whole 90 seconds. Some days I try the first 30, some days I try the middle 30 and others the last 30. There are some days that no matter how much will power I have my Abs shake uncontrollably when I do the whole plank on my knees.. My shoulders burn and my Abs burn... So who cares if I am on my toes, it is still working.

Thigh work... The Place that they say sets the ton for the class. Well today I must have been totally our of it because after 2 thighs I was ready for a stretch and honestly thought we were done. We all have good days and bad days at the Barre. At 34 straight days it doesn't take long to feel the burn or get to the shake. Honestly though I don't know sometimes if the burn is my muscles changing or them screaming "Please take a day off!"

There are days that Thigh work was so killer that the stretch even burns..

Seat... Well depending on what we do this can be really taxing. I mean if your thighs are already toast and we do one of the lunge or waterski positions seat and be overly challenging. You really have to focus on what you are doing. You can tell when someone is new in class the most during seat. Why? Because it is about little movements. During your first time in class you honestly have no idea that you are only moving those little muscles around your hips. You see women swinging their legs like it is nothing and you can't help to giggle and think I was one so there.

Abs... Round back, Flat back and on the floor. For some crazy reason someone thought it would be a good idea to add a little weight work to the middle Abs.. be warned if you do this in class, a day or 2 later it is really going to catch up with you and you will have no idea what you did to yourself. I experience this on day 42.. I think on day 41 we used weights during abs.. might have been 40 and some day 42.. the littlest abs movements hurt.

About our wonderful Pure Barre instructors..
They are always so cheerful and preppy and sometimes you'd like to play a game of dodge ball with and that little red ball. Just when you think you form is great, they either lift your leg higher, push your shoulder down sinking you lower into thigh or lift your arms higher for tricep work. I apologize now if I have every screamed so loud in class that someone might have heard me.
I often wonder how many time in class they ether get frustrated because we aren't doing things correctly or how much they laugh to themselves when they know what is next and they know it is going to hurt.

I love Pure Barre... I am 17 classes away from hitting 60 classes in a row and I just hit my 250 class last week and All I can think about is... When will I hit 500!!

Join me at the Barre if you haven't already tried it!! #purebarrehuntsville #pureresolution #60daychallenge

31 Things I have Learned in 31 Days of Pure Barre

What have I learned after 31 classes in a row at Pure Barre:

1) Warm-up is probably the hardest thing mentally to get threw.  Especially when the instructors say to pick up the little red double tube... yeah I was cussing today before class even started because I knew what was coming.

2) Plank for 90 seconds is alot harder then it seems...

3) There is no such think as picking up your heavier set of weights. 2lbs seem like 100lbs and this is coming from a girl who can clean and press 85lbs+ and deadlift 200lbs!

4)  You'd think triceps dips on the floor wouldn't be that hard when you can do ring dips... Think again.. Especially when you are supposed to have your butt of the ground and well Back Got back with some short arms.

5) All the equipment is red.. I believe that these is a reason for this

6) you cringe when you hear take the double tube to the Barre... Not as bad as seeing the Velcro tube but you know what is coming...

7) For girls with No thigh gap the double tube exercises have 100x more resistance then those bird legs... Just imagine you don't even have to try to press out on the tube to have any kind of resistance..

8) After 31 days, 1 thigh exercise is more than enough to get your legs shaking.. If it starts with a chair, you are done put a fork in me

9) Down and inch up and inch is really just that.. and inch, if that. Sometimes you think you are moving but you're really not.

10) So if Shaking if Changing, What is burning? I mean that burn where you feel like you muscles are just about to rip off the bone because well they are rebelling, Where is my stretch?

11) Why are some of the little red balls not round? They are more of an egg shape. This is due to trying to fit that not so little ball between thighs with no thigh gap.. Just saying. One day I will pop that ball with or without a pin.

12) Stretching after thigh is a "reward" It is where you need to mentally prepare for seat and you are reminded that once upon a time you could do the splits.

13) There are days that seat work is just not going to happen. Today was that day

14)  Putting that little red ball between your hamstring and calf to hold it for seat is harder than it appears, even when the two aren't that far apart when at a 90 degree angel.

15) Seat... works the hamstring.. the deadlift muscle... however dealifting 200lbs seems easier than having a double tube around both ankles trying to lift one side.

16) When starting some seat exercises, you may start to automatically shake or lose control of your muscles. There is nothing that you can do about this. It just happens. Go with it.

17) Side seat works the muffin top area..  you know this is true when you side totally cramps up. It happens.. There is nothing that you can do to prevent it

18) Pretzel is not something that they are going to reward you will. Though chocolate ones would be nice. Looks will full you on this one... I often wonder if someone walked in a watched us doing this in class if they would think that we are actually doing anything.

19) Laying on the floor working seat is not a joke.. at least no one can see your face as your side hip cramps

20) They have this exercise for side seat that looks kind of like the fire hydrant. If you make it through that without putting your leg down you are a trooper.

21) When you see the Velcro tubes hanging on the Barre and you walk into class, you will automatically start singing.. I've got no strings to hold me down..

22) Abs at the Barre, they take totally concentration and are harder than they appear when you are doing them right. It is about Abs and not hip flexors.

23) 20 Minutes of Ab work is enough for anyone in one day!

24) Te instructors are always chipper and I am sure deep down laughing at some of the things we do during class.

25) No matter what, class becomes addicting.

26) Each and every day you will push yourself hard.. Today it is 90 seconds of plank on my knees, tomorrow I will do 80 seconds on my knees and 10 seconds on my toes, ect

27) No class is the same. Yes it is warm-up, thigh, stretch, seat, stretch, other seat, stretch, Abs but with all the different exercises and equipment is is never the same

28) You will see changes. You may feel them before you see them but you will see them.

29) Friendship will be made, you will laugh together, laugh at each other and shake together.. You will make jokes that only you and other Barre Addicts understands

30) You will become addicted.. It will happen..

31) Once you Finish class...You will be checking your schedule to see when you next class is and who the instructors is. There are just some instructors you don't want to take back to back

I found this online from when Pure Barre Huntsville Opened 4 years ago.. I am the one in the pink. Clink Link to watch

Pure Barre Huntsville

Ab Work on Day 24.....

I came to a few realizations yesterday while doing Abs work under the Barre yesterday.

Not only couldn't I do round back due to the difficulty of having my legs at table top, three quarters length and then full extented, Flat Back was just hard.

Now what do I mean by Round back... here is what it looks like sometimes

You are in a curved C shape and you are working your lower Abs. We move our legs but that is to come from the Abs moving and not the hip flexors... Well that is what the instructors say :)

I normally love Round back because we do use one leg at a time and it gives a really good stretch. This is the first place that I see my flexibility come back every time I come back to the Barre.

When we got to Flat back I came to this totally realization... My thighs are just too big at the top to hold my knees together.. Okay maybe it was because I was on day 24 but even trying ot hold me legs together killed my thighs, hip flexors and nothing to do with my Abs. Flat Back is all about pressing your back all the way to the wall and breathing, pulling your Abs closer and closer to the wall each time.

Pure Barre is a 55 minute class that by holding your hips tucked under the whole time you are literally working your Abs all the time.... 

If you haven't tried it you should, If you have let me know what you think..

Today is Day 25 of 60....

My Thoughts During Day 23 at the Barre

On Day 23 of the 60 Day Pure Barre Challenge I walk into class to see a friend from High School. I started to say old friend, but we are not old. She told me that all my post on facebook about what day I was on in the Challenge inspired here to come back... No Pressure to look like I am totally sore and can't move. 

So here we go.....

Warm-up begins and I am determined to not look like I haven't been doing this for the past 23 days straight :)

We get to that awful 90 second planks.. The one were we hold it FOREVER!!!! I am determined to hold it for at least 30 second at the beginning and not end.. Kay I made it maybe 15 seconds before going to my knees and the back up for the last 10 seconds. 

Here are the differences in the planks and the muscles you use, It seems that on your knees actually works alot more muscles!

Maybe I should try the not on my knees more often.

Time for Thighs.. Take you Ball to the Barre.. but we don't need it for the first Thigh exercise.. 

It was that dreading back to the Barre Chair position hold for a good 3 minutes.. It could be longer because it seemed like forever, but I made it almost all the way through.. Here is what I mean without the double tubes but sometimes we use them.

Thigh continued with 2 more thigh exercises. and by the third one my thighs were screaming.

A Short stretch and back for Seat. 

And this is where it got funny. Place the Ball high between your inner thighs.. Okay now I took measurements last night, Right Thigh 30inches, Left Thigh 29.50 inches which means that ball just doesn't fit unless my knees are a little farther apart then anyone else in class. This is what is was supposed to look like:

That didn't happen. I ended up putting down the ball so I could focus..

Thighs done Check

Seat done check

Abs.. Here we go Check

Class 23 in the books!! Day 24 is coming......

38 More days of the 60 Day Challenge and 15 until I hit 250!!!

22 Days into the 60 Day Challenge at Pure Barre Huntsville and I am feeling Stronger. Well that is are least until I get to class and the warm-up starts!!

I really wish I would have taken my measurements!! I mean really.. My stomach and hips seem so much smaller and flatter and my legs (thighs) are getting tighter.

 Day 22 (Monday Feb 2 2015) wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, but after Friday's Class with Shawna The last three days have seemed easier.. Maybe I needed that little kick in the butt. Not only did she pull out the Double tubes but the Velcro tubes were there and if I remember correctly we used them for EVERYTHING!!

What is a Velcro tube you ask??

It attaches to the Barre with a black piece of Velcro and has two red tubes on it with handles. Just imagine a Puppet on a string because that is what I feel like. Here are some photos of what we do with the contraption... Pictures were found on the web, They haven't asked for me to pose just yet :)

Here we have Velcro Thigh and Abs at the Barre.. Not only do you work your thighs and Abs but you are secretly working your arms.. Well at least I think you are, I know I am.

I can tell that I am getting stronger. I tried the last 10 seconds of plank work the other day (we do 90 and I am on my knees but it is still effective)  until my Abs were on fire.. Yeah you read that right, 10 seconds.... Try that after some 100s and other Ab work sometimes before or after pushups.

Only 38 more classes to go until I reach the 60th day.. 

If you haven't Tried Pure Barre you should.. you really don't know what you are missing!

After Day 15 of the Challenge

My Pure Barre Life over the last 2 weeks..
1) I wish I would have taken my measurements because to me my stomach feels so much flatter and my calves are getting way defined.

2) Double tubes are not made for girls with big thighs.. They will cut your blood circulation off if you double them up and they are new tubes. However in class if you can only do one that is what you do. I love that at Pure Barre we are all doing the same class but everyone at their own levels and no one makes you feel intimidated because you dropped your ball or your couldn't hold your chair.

3) Velcro tubes make you feel like a Puppet on a string.. lol

4) Double tubes wrapped around the bar with one leg hanging through it while working seat.. Yes this is a picture everyone needs to see... You can't put your leg down because it stuck in a tube and there is no way out of it smile emoticon

5) getting into the tubes is like trying to do an assisted pull up with bands.. If you haven't tried either you should

6) You may not want to be in class but once the warm up starts you are fired up and ready to go because of all the energy from everyone there

7) The little red ball... Once placed between big girl thighs you can not put those heels together.. smile emoticon it takes very little to squeeze on the ball

8) I got Ask today by Meredith.."Is this day 15? Aren't your sore?" Well I know I am I just don't feel it. M y muscle feel tight and I know when I take a rest day on day 61 I am going to hurt like crazy on day 62... Maybe I will just keep going

9) When you thighs are sore, tight and burning an inch is really just that.. Down a inch, up and inch.... okay it may be more like a centimeter, heck just holding my form on highest pair of heels, knees bent and toes together can be a Challenge

10) Flat back,, my favorite part, Stretch out your legs and work your abs util you realize that your double chin is pressing against your chest and you can't breathe.. lol

11) Flat back, do you really think that I can press my back flat up against the wall and keep my thighs close together.. hmm.... need to lose the stomach

12) Ab work on the mat, Where is my ball? When will it end

13) Cat/Sow stretch that is nice smile emoticon

14) What, Back dancing? you said when we were done with seat we were done with that and now you want me to leave anything I don't want me to take with me... This is going to hurt

15) You have earned your cool down.. Yeah I will just lay here, roll me out of class when it is over

16) Great Class!! What time am I scheduled tomorrow?

Yes it is addictive, Yes you will see changing, Yes you will be sore, Yes you will not understand everything in class until you have come a few times and then I suggest you take a Breaking down the Barre class..

45 More Days to Go!! ‪#‎purebarrehuntsville‬

2015.... The Year of......

January 14 2015

I would to say the Year of Change, The year I take my life back, but how many people make those resolutions and never follow through with them? Well that is not going to be me.

So you know what I did?

I didn't make a Resolution. I am working on a plan. A Plan to fix my spiritual life, family life and my health.

Spiritual Life.
1. Read the Bible more
2. Pray More
3. Get more Connected at Church

Family Life
1. Eating Dinner at the table 4-5 nights a week together
2. Reading the Bible together
3. Working together to keep the house in order teaching my sons some responsibility.
4. Finding activities we all like and do them together.

Health
1. Finding what works for me.
2. Move more

Keeping it simple.

No Scale!!

I have known for years that the number on the scale really doesn't matter. I am 5'2" 190lbs and based on these numbers have a BMI of 34.7

"Your BMI is 34.7, indicating your weight is in the Obese category for adults of your height." 

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/results_obese.html?pounds=190&inches=62

What this doesn't tell you is how much body fat I have? Or if I have any other medical conditions that are causing this or even how much I work out. 

Ladies the number on the scale is a lie. Sure it is a way to measure yourself but it is not who you are. You are so much more..

This is where I am at today and How I am going to change.

After a month of watching what I eat and having binge days and/or meals during that time, heck one week I got off track for 4-5 days, I have lost 6.4 pounds. On June 16 2014 I weighed in at 196.4 today July 24 2014 I weighed in at 190. It is depressing to work so hard and see so little results on that scale even though I know that is not the whole picture.

I feel better. My pants are not as tight and I can see a flatter stomach. I will get there but over the next six weeks I am taking part in a #SixWeeksScaleFreeChallenge. 

For six weeks I will not get back on that scale. 

I will keep a food journal like I have been doing but I will also be writing down my feelings when I eat or what triggered the binge. I am female, I know that I am hormonal and I times I am going to want to crave my emotions by eating... Ice Cream, Chocolate, Wine, Pizza, Wine you get the picture. Writing down my feelings or how I feel after a meal will help me to see what causes my relationship to food to be so bad.

I will work on me. Not only in the gym and in the kitchen, but my emotional and spiritual well being. I am going to following the Made to Crave Study and re-read this book. I am going to study the Bible Everyday and spend 2 minutes with God! #20minuteGodChallenge.

I am going to work on my planks, double-unders and pull-ups. I am setting physical goals for myself and push to get there.


I am going to get healthier without having a relationship and weekly date with the scale!!

Iron Tribe and Paleo Living

On February 24, 2014 I went to a Try the Tribe workout..... Run, Squats, Situps, Kettlebell swings, run... Say What!!!!!

I have been working out off and on for a past year or so at home, but really had no idea how out of shape I was! Yeah it was bad... but at the same time I Loved it! This is my type of workout. I work out better in a group when I have not only time to compete against but other people. Sure we may not being doing the same weights, but finishing last is not something I am good at. Well at least this is how I start off at Tribe.

In the first month of Tribe I  learned how to eat properly on the Paleo Lifestyle. Cutting out diary wasn't really that hard for me because I have been drinking almond milk for a few years now. I did however eat yogurt a good bit. After only 4 week at tribe I was down 6 inches even though my weight had stayed the same. I decided to add back in a few things, rice and tortillas. Bad idea. I learned quickly that my body did not like these things. As most people go after about 6 weeks I had started settling into my old ways. Ice cream, Yogurt, Stuff Crusted pizza from pizza hut you name it.. Oreos too!!

Well enough is enough. On the First of May I had a realization. Things had to change. It was time for me to totally commit. I was getting stronger at Tribe but my body weight was going no where. Food is my real enemy!! So for the last 4 days, going on 5 now I have really tighten in my food.. Here is what I have been eating.

I feel so much better!!!

This week in Tribe I hit a new PR for Back Squats 185# at a 3RM. 

I also ran for the first time more then 400m. 800m in 6:38mins

#whyitribe

Faith and the Single Mom 2013

“We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” -2 Corinthians 5:7-9

As a single parent we have the responsibility for everything when it comes to our kids. Not only do we have to feed and clothe them, but we have to make sure they go to school, have a roof over their heads, take them where they have to be and make sure they are being raised with manners and with a moral compass. At the same time, we have to deal with our own rejection from our ex-spouse or lack thereof and figure how to support our child(ren), in the ways that they need it.

 When our jobs seem threatened or our finances are not in order we tend to totally panic. Will the child support show up on time? Will it even show up? Some single parents have an ex-spouse that pays their child support on time and is there still to help with the kid(s). For some of us though there may have never been an ex-spouse in the picture or they disappear without a trace. Sometimes it is for the good of the child(ren) and other times it is the ex-spouse being selfish, childish or just plain irresponsible.

Have you ever heard that God will not give us more than we can handle? This is not only a saying but it is found in the bible: 1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” However we know that bad things happen to “good” people and sometimes it just makes no sense. Of course when it comes to faith we do not what is really going on with someone. They can say that they are a Christian, go to Church every time the doors are open, be active in their church and tithe but we really don’t know their heart. Only God does. He promises not to give us more than when we can handle when we are with him. Once we start drifting he may do things to bring us back.

In Sunday school this last Sunday we were studying the book of Mark like we have been doing most of this year. In the verse Mark 11:15-19 it talks about how the priest made things convenient for those that came to the temple to give their sacrifice during Passover. At the temple the prices were highly inflated and Jesus did not want his father’s house made of a den of robbers. We ventured off into the subject that if something like that was convenient was it really a sacrifice? Sure it cost them money they may not have but it was not something they cared for or would no longer have to feed their family. Convenience can make things a sin because it makes things others than God the priority in our lives.

Just like with our health and fitness we have to work consistently on our relationship with God. Just like we can’t wrap ourselves healthy or take a pill to fix our health problems, we can not attend church once a week and expect us to have a relationship with God and for him not to give us more than we can handle because we are not really in our faith with him. We are those hypocritical Christians that says we are Christians but we do whatever we want because we are saved and we can do what we want. Well we all know that this is not true. When things are going wrong in our lives we need to look at our relationship with God. Maybe he is bringing on the anxiety and stress so we will turn back to him. Maybe he is giving us insomnia so we will be brought to our knees before him.

Single Parenting and Baseball: How are they alike?

I am a baseball Mom! I have 2 boys that are all about some baseball. For us it is a year round sport. Did you even know that you can play baseball year round? Well you can. I have an 8 and 11 year old. Both boys play park ball and the older one plays travel baseball. This is our first year. And I say “Our” not “His” because someone has to take him to the practices and all the games. We also play Fall Park Baseball and Spring Baseball though the older one may not be able to play Park ball come spring due to Travel Baseball and games tournament schedules.

Here we are a little over two weeks in and we have had more practices then I can count on two hands and I am feeling exhausted. My older one is playing in the Major League and the little one is in Minor League. For my little one it is his first year in kid pitch baseball. After watching a few of his practices I got to think about how baseball at the many different levels is a lot like life and being a single parent.

When you are a kid all you want to do is be in the infield because that is where the most important and best players are. All the kids want to be the best. No one wants to play in the outfield. I mean really think about it. How many kids do you see ask the coach, “Hey Coach I want to be centerfield?” I know that is a song but it is not reality. It is the same for us Single Parents who were once married. I know that some people today are choosing not to find a spouse before having a baby but the norm is to get married and then have a baby. But then something happens and the marriage falls apart and all of a sudden we are in the outfield. We are Single Parents trying to get by. We lose our dreams, some income and sometimes our sanity it feels like. We want to be the infielders, part of the team and not stuck out there by ourselves. What most kids don’t realizes that as they move from Park Ball to Travel to High School and College, the outfield becomes one of the most important positions on the team. Yes you have to have a good pitcher and catcher but if you have an outfield that can’t catch a ball you are going to be in big trouble. So for us single parents we have to learn to enjoy being single parents while we are out there in the outfield. We should be focusing on ourselves and our kids before trying to get back into the infield, aka dating or marriage. If not we become lousy infielders and get moved right back out to the outfield. 

So how can we focus on ourselves? Our kids?

I have found that for me I need to focus on my faith and health to be the best mother I can be. When either of these start to slack off, I can tell a big difference. When I don’t pray and/or studying the bible regularly things seem to fall to pieces. When I eat junk and don’t exercise I feel sluggish and I get very irritable. When these two things are in check I am a better mother. Once I have it together I then need to focus on my kids. Now I am not saying ignore them until the others are taken care of, but I need to be consistently working on all three things. The kids have school and baseball. They need to be taught responsibility, good habits, be encouraged & guided to growth their faith and they need to be kids too. They need to have some fun. For my boys that means some time on the computers or xbox, playing wall-ball or shooting targets with their airsoft guns. Summers are spent hanging out with their friends in the pool or camping out in the many tree houses in the neighborhood.

Beachbody helps me be able to be there for my kids. I can get a great workout in at home and if the kids are feeling it that can work out with me too. It gives me the opportunity to own and work my own business from home and hopefully one day be able to  fire my boss (or at least go part time) and be able to spend more time with the kids.

You have to find what works for you and stick with it. If you are a single parent out there find other single parents you can talk to or hang out with that will not pressure you to date or marry again quickly. You cannot move back into the infield until you are ready. That might take a year or two and it may take until the kids are in college. Everyone is different. We have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of anyone else. 

Single Parents & Get Results Quick Schemes

I have been doing a lot of Personal Development here lately. Some of it has been reading a book by John Maxwell with my team of beachbody coaches and some has been on my own during the long drives I have taken for certification. You can listen to a book or two on a 12 hour drive.

So what have I learned from all of this? Something I knew but maybe needed driven home to me more by these great authors and motivators. There are NO, none, nada, Get Results Quick Programs out there to build wealth or lose weight or find your Prince Charming or Princess for you single dads out there.

As Single Parents we are strapped for time and sometimes strapped for cash. When we want something for ourselves or maybe even our kid(s) we want to in the least amount of time possible and for the least amount of money too.  How many companies are out there today that promise you that you can make $500 in the first month or week all by and/or using and promoting their products?  On the same note, how many companies are out there that say here take this pill, drink this drink or wrap your body to get toned sexy abs or booty without changing your lifestyle any and no exercise is required? You can see results in as little as 48 hours. I mean really folks, how gullible has our society become?  I don’t have to work hard, I can eat all the junk food I want and never get off the couch but I can make $500 a week and look like a model.

Well sorry to tell you the bad news but most of us know that this isn’t true. However there are a few of you out there that fall for every get results quick schemes that come along.

At this point you might be saying, “Hey aren’t you a Beachbody Coach? Don’t they sell a Shake that helps you to lose weight and exercise DVDs that say you can get results as in little as 25 minutes a day?”

I am an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.  Beachbody does have a shake, they do offer all kinds of exercise programs that vary in length, but no where do we say you don’t have to work for what you want. Being a Coach is a business. It gives me the opportunity to own my own business, set my own hours and make an unlimited amount of income based on the amount of effort that I put into the business. It allows me to help other people reach their fitness goals and it holds me accountable to mine even though I fall off track from time to time, I am always working for my goals.

I do get frustrated from time to time on all aspects of it. I am not losing weight quick enough, I am not making a ton of money after a year of being a coach, though I only really only started working my business in the middle of June. I see friends that have joined other network marketing companies moving up in ranks and from what they say making a good income. But what really bothers me is that some of these companies are the Get Results Quick Schemes that no one can sustain for a lifetime and to be honest how healthy are they? Would we have an Obesity epidemic in the United States if everyone could take a pill a day or wrap your body to really lose weight? Sure you may see results for a little while but once you stop whatever you are doing the weight will come right back on.

The only real way to earn a living or get healthy is to Work for it! You have to work hard at your job or business, eat clean and healthy and exercise in some fashion every day.

“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard Work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.” –Vince Lombardi

Day 17 2013 Ultimate Reset

Day 17 and Counting

I am feeling great!! That is all I have to say!

However I am so over Fruit! I can not wait until Day 22, Ultimate Reset ends on Day 21 and for breakfast on Day 22 I am having oatmeal with cinnamon, Honey (raw and unfiltered) with an apple! I so can’t wait

Lunch today was a little tricking. I had a 2.5 hours meeting at lunch that I had an option of a few things. Red Beans and rice, shrimp and grits, fish tacos or a salad with chicken. I got the red beans and rice with sweet potatoes fries. Okay they are fried I know I think. These looked baked.

I wasn’t hungry for my snack today!! WOOH!

Dinner was Fabulous! Butternut Squash, Apparagus, Green beans and Quinao! I will be having that again tomorrow!

I may not be losing a ton of weight with the Ultimate reset, results do vary, and I may not be following it 100% I am learning how to make healthy choices. I am trying new foods and learning that somethings I thought that I didn’t like I do.

Day 16 2013

Day 16 and more fruit    

Okay so I think week 3 of the reset is by far going to be the hardest. Why? Fruit every morning for breakfast!! Enough said there

Well today I woke feeling bloated and blah. I asked on the week 3 reseat facebook page and the advice was to have some Herbal Ginger Tea. I will be the first to say that it worked and didn’t taste all that bad.

Well Breakfast… Fruit with Honey. It isn’t too bad I just would like a change. Maybe some Oatmeal and nuts or something

Lunch. Well I had plans with a friend and we went to Jason’s deli. I had a Microgreen salad and Veggie soup. It was nice to have the soup because it is so cold outside!

After Lunch I was checking in with my dietbet.com group and saw that they now had a 6 month bet you could place. Well needless to say I am all in. You have to lose 10% of your body weight in 6 months! I am so in! But the only problem I want to be at my goal weight in 6 months. That is 49.5lb at the moment or 27% of my body weight. I finally found all the rules before I decided to join. This will keep me motivated.

I skipped the afternoon snack because I was not hungry and went home to dinner. Dinner was Curry Califlower, Kale and Quinoa. I was supposed to be rice but I had the Quinoa cooked already! I was a little worried about the Curry but honestly I couldn’t taste it.

I did cook some Banana Nut bread tonight and had just a taste to see if it was any good.

5 more days to go!

Day 15 Ultimate Reset 2013

Day 15 with 7 to Go!

Either I Slept really good or I need to get used to the time change!

Results are in for week 2.. 14 days done and I am down 8.5 inches and almost 6 pounds! More important the bloat is gone and I am finally losing inches on my calves and thighs!

Breakfast… Fruit Today I added Raspberries to the mix! So Breakfast was fresh fruit with a little bit of honey on it. The honey isn’t on the list but it helps it go down.

Lunch: Well I Had a salad and Veggies. It was supposed to be Miso soup and a salad but it is very hard to make soup at work.

The day went on and it was time for the Alkalinize. I have gotten to where this stuff doesn’t bother me anymore.

Snack today was carrots and Avocado. It is much better made into guacamole.

Now on to dinner! Quinoa, Garlic Veggies and a sweet Potato. The hardest thing to do was finding something to put on the sweet potato that wasn’t butter and sugar. I settled for cinnamon, olive oil and some Himalayan salt. It was pretty good and filly though after dinner my stomach started bothering me. I am not sure if it was from the Veggies or the bite of cornbread I had.

All in all it was a good day. No craving for chocolate and it is date night! What more could a girl ask for?

Pass the Wine Please….

Day 11 Ultimate Reset 2013

I so didn’t sleep good last night. And here is the reason why I believe because it has become a pattern. I am a single mom. Ever since my divorce has been final (going on 6 years now) I have made some really bad choices when it comes to men. Bad may be the understatement of the year if you know me really well. Anyways how does this do with no sleeping well a few days a week? I have found this great guy and things are going great! We have quickly settled into a routine and things couldn’t be better. It seems that the mornings after we have a good evening together I wake up just a little over the edge nervous. A few friends of mine just say that this is me missing him. I am slowly starting to agree. I am twitterpated.

Just in case you don’t know what twitterpated is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImXJc2f05Dk

So breakfast today is fruit again. Oh how I would really like some oatmeal with walnuts and cinnamon. There is a lot of fruit on the menu for the next couple of days. Heck I could even go for Chickpeas. I am a creature of habit but I need some protein with breakfast.

By 10am my stomach was starting to growl. Okay confession. For 10 days I have been able to get almost a gallon of water down and today I have 24oz or a little more down. Maybe close to 30oz. I have been getting in 72oz by lunch and today that is not going to happen. So I broke. On weeks 2-3 of the reset you can have Vegan Shakeology with water and some fruit added in. luckily being a beachbody coach I carry around samples packets of all the flavors with me. So I poured up a cup of water and put in my chocolate Shakeology and yummy… Oh how I have missed you my Shakeology!

I just came to this very conclusion.  The marketing for Shakeology says :

1)      Lose Weight -  I know this to be true not only from my own experience but from one of my coaches who just couldn’t get off that last bit of baby weight but once she started using shakeology daily it came off

2)      Reduce Cravings – So true! I never crave anything. These past two weeks I have craves chocolate like it was going to stop being made.

3)      Feel Energized –The Ultimate Reset has been known to make you tired and to feel like you just ran a marathon because of all of the hard work your body is doing. However my energy level is no where near the level that it is always at when I am on shakeology daily.

4)      Improve Digestion and Regularity – Well nothing has changed there but I wouldn’t expect that because of all of the clean food I am eating! And the detox supplement

Lunch was a lot later than normal. I made an appointment at 11:30am, not sure what I was thinking but I did it. Lunch was a repeat from dinner last night. Quinoa Lentil Pilaf the way I made it and I had the rest of my Sweet Potatoe & red pepper Bisque soup that I didn’t eat yesterday for lunch. It was just a taste.

I rushed out of work because it is Halloween. The rain was supposed to move in at 5pm and I the boys with a lot of friends wanted to go Trick-or-Treating. Maybe I am just a big kid but I love Halloween. I always dress up with the kids as we walk around the neighborhood. This was going to be a trying Halloween for me. Normally I pick at the kids candy while we are out because we could walk for 2 hours or more. Typically we have dinner beforehand but not today because of the rain. So one all the kids (my 2 plus 3 neighborhood boys, plus one of the oldster kids friends and his brother, sister and mom) friends were over we left to go get on other friend who lived around the corner. We walked for almost 2 hours before getting back to our house. I didn’t eat one piece of candy the whole time we were out. I came home took my supplements and cooked my dinner. Hearty Vegetable Miso Soup with Asparagus. Okay it was supposed to me steamed swiss chard but I wanted my asparagus. This time I cooked it with a Olive oil, almonds, onions and some garlic. Hello new favorite!

Well after dinner was done I still had this awful craving. I broke down. I had a bit and I been a bit of a chocolate chip cookie and a small bit size twizzler. I didn’t beat myself up about it. The twizzler was not good but man oh man the chocolate chip cookie was. I could have eaten the whole thing and it was one of those big ones from Costcos. I quickly went upstairs so I wasn’t around any of that stuff. We all make mistakes, we all slip up but I am not going to let this two little bites ruin my 21 days. It will happen but it won’t happen again the next 10 days!!

I am half way through the reset and still loving it. Tomorrow night will be trying because we are going to a Ducks Unlimited Banquet. Chicken, BBQ and all the sides plus a bar. Oh my! I got this!