Don't Get TRICKED with TREATS on Halloween!

Excuses? Yea, I got 'em! SO WHAT?

TRUE STORY!

We rent our house, therefore, we use 3M products to hang our pictures...above our bed! Yep! Last night one came CRASHING down on my HEAD while I was snoozing soundly.I NOW know what it is like to be punched in the side of the head. IT HURTS! 

**TIP OF THE DAY** Never decide NOT to workout in the middle of the night...my instinct was to abandon my plan. But when I woke up (after FINALLY falling back to sleep) I was ready to go! 

BONUS TIP! Use nails!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Did you know that I feel better at 42 than 32?

THAT is what eating clean does for you!

I look younger.

I feel younger.

I am happier.

I am in WAY better shape.

 I used to take my birthday as an opportunity to be lazy and eat sugar-laden treats! Hey, I LOVE a good cupcake...BUT this year I am IN THE ZONE. I LOVE the way I feel when I exercise, so YOU BET I had a great sweat session this morning. And you know what? NOTHING tastes as good as feeling lean, healthy and toned. That is SO MUCH better than a few minutes of deliciousness.

So I have a plan! Yep, we ARE going out tonight to celebrate. I get a free surf n' turf dinner. YUM. But I will SHARE a dessert with someone. AND I will not take this weekend off of my goals! 

HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE! Deal?

I wasn't always the athlete you see now!

One of my worries is that you see my posts about running, eating healthy and exercise and you think, "I can never do what she does. She has never been where I am at."

I want you to know that I HAVE BEEN THERE. For well over a decade of my life I was very overweight. Food controlled my actions and thoughts. I was depressed and miserable. It affected my relationships, my spirituality and my job. The consistent happiness I felt came from food and, even though t was temporary, I used it more and more often. My children brought me great joy, but that was quickly masked with doubts about deserving THEIR love.

The person you see now, posting and motivating you is that same person. Over time, I have peeled away the layers of self-doubt and with every step in the right direction I have become the person I am today. It does take the decision that YOU ARE BETTER than a life of misery. We ALL deserve happiness, TRUE happiness that comes from inside rather than a pastry.

How? By taking small steps today in the right direction. You don't have to change everything, all at once.
1. Today, decide, that YOU are worth it! Struggling with that? I can help. Message me and I will personally talk to you about it. Because I have been there. And I know how it feels.
2. Once you have decided that you ARE WORTH IT, choose to step on that path. Scared you will fail? Yep! We ALL are! But you won't know if you can succeed unless you take that first step.
3. Take someone's hand. Support was the magic for me to keep me going when I wanted to fail. Who wants to fail? I did! When it got hard and I wanted that instant gratification that food gave me my support helped me to remember WHY I was on this journey. I can be that support for you! I am grateful for a friend that told me she believed in me and didn't know that she was changing the course of my life!

I have been there. Don't ever doubt that! I can help you!  Jen

To Feed The Craving or Not Feed The Craving?

CRAVINGS? 

Ugh, we ALL have them! Some are salty, some are sweet, some are on certain days of the month, some are certain hours of the day. Guess what? There is NO secret potion to make them go away...although Shakeology CERTAINLY helps with them, have you noticed? That is because your body craves what we feed it....more on that later!

Often times a "craving" is merely our mind suggesting something to us. Maybe it was from old habits (ie: going through drive thru on certain nights of the week) or traditions (ie: passing around See's Candy while opening Christmas presents). Either way, very few times our body is ACTUALLY needing that food item.

Case in point...at the beginning of the summer I did Beachbody's Ultimate Reset, which is a 21 detox and cleanse program with 100% clean eating. As mentioned earlier, I ALWAYS crave sweets a few days before I start my period. **LIKE "GIVE ME CHOCOLATE OR YOU DIE" CRAVE** Well, of course part of the Ultimate Reset included those days and guess what? I did not NEED sweets at all!

So, when we CRAVE a burger, ice cream, chips or cheese...ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I bored, tired, thirsty, hurt or angry? And is that why I want this?

2. Is this a "mind suggestion" (like seeing a commercial) or do I really NEED it?

3. If I eat this WILL I be able to bounce right back to my meal plan immediately? (BE HONEST! You will ONLY hurt yourself in you aren't)

4. Is this something that is special and "one of a kind"?

If, after you answer these questions honestly, you still want that treat...

I SAY GO FOR IT!

*EAT IT

*OWN IT

*ENJOY IT

*MOVE ON

We ALL KNOW deprivation does not work! This is NOT a diet, this is a lifestyle! And if you saw my In N' Out Double Double post yesterday you saw that A) I don't want a life without Double Doubles and B) I learned that running the day after was HORRID! You will find that a lot of the times you will learn it is NOT worth the splurge and you will be stronger from it!

Have you had a craving that you were strong through?

Have you indulged in a craving and learned from it?

SHARE BELOW!

Insanity Is My Frog

What makes our society think that everything we do has to be rainbows and butterflies? Sometimes we have to do hard things, things that are not fun and things that are HARD. Confession time...I don't love Insanity like I love other programs, but I am dedicated to finishing it (ONE MORE WEEK!). Why? Because I don't quit and I want to teach my kiddos that LIFE requires us to do things that we don't like to do!
So there, Shaun T!

INSANITY IS MY FROG!

I am a Recovering Pessimist

If you like this, you SHOULD read "Failing Forward" by John C Maxwell! Completely turned me into a recovering pessimist!