Nailed It!!

:::Attention All Moms:::

Take 8 mins of your day and watch this!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Yes! Yes! Yes! Jada Pinkett Smith nailed it all on the head right here!!

"When you don't take care of yourself, your get out of balance and you really forget how to take care of others.....We have lost our way to be happy!"

I personally struggle with this ALL.THE.TIME. I constantly struggle with being the "perfect mom" and the "perfect wife". I struggle with feeling inadequate in all aspects of life.

But the truth is, if I don't work on myself FIRST, nothing else will fall into place! #duh


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FQK9Ufr4yrY

Top 5 Items to Start YOUR Journey

I'm not gonna mess around. I'm going straight to the list. These are the BASICS!! The bare minimum basics. This list is for anyone that hasn't yet started their health and fitness journey. It's for the people that feel overwhelmed with even starting. It's for the ladies that have no idea where to start.

Getting these basics will help you develop and lay the foundation to a great future. I went through lots of trial and error, I don't want YOU to have to do that too! Our money and time is valuable. Right moms?


#1 Okay, okay... let's be honest. No matter how much you workout, no matter how clean you eat, the *first* step is getting your mind in the right place. If you believe you can't do something, you won't do it. You can lose lots of weight but if you don't address the underlying issues, you know all that hard work is going down the drain when the going gets tough. That is why this item is on the top of my list. It was the second book I ever read and it is still my number 1 even after about 20 other books I have read since. I present you with a life changer..

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

#2 A good water bottle. There are TONS out there. Pick one that you love and maybe even spend a little more for it. I have found that I drink more water when my favorite water bottle is clean. That is why I cant stress enough how important a great water bottle is. Here are my 2 favorites with 2 different price ranges. :)

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

#3 No matter if you workout at the gym, hit the pavement, or get your sweat on at home, you will need some headphones. I've had several. I love my IPhones ear buds for in the car and for conference calls but that is about it. I've had a Bluetooth set from Costco but they always bounced around and eventually lost sound quality. These ones are the ones my friend gave me when I first started on my own journey. They are cheap and are always my go to when I go running. I am sure there are better and more expensive options, but these have my heart (for now, haha).

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

I just saw that they also have one with a microphone. These are definitely on MY list:

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

#4 SOMETHING to manage your portions. What you use completely depends on your personality. For me, I am a trained pastry chef. Everything you do when it comes to baking is measured. And the easiest way to measure in large scale is literally a scale. I can't cook unless I have a recipe, that's just MY personality. You may be completely different. So you feel better using measuring cups, then use those! I'm not going to force you into one way of thinking.

No matter what you choose, it is soooooo important to measure out your food. Our society has a skewed size of portion these days. I mean, dang, do you see how big our plates are at restaurants? They are these huge, oval, space saucers! I will promise you one thing. If you get your food under control, then you will be unstoppable!

The scale I use is about 10 years old so obviously it isn't made anymore. But here is the same brand and as close as I can find to mine.

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

If you are more of a cup measurer, I LOVE these. Seriously. THESE. These have helped my crazy OCD to go down a notch and still get the right portions! Game changer!

(click the image to grab it)

#5 Resistance Bands. I know, I know. You're thinking "seriously"? Yeah, I'm serious. If you are sedentary right now, do you think you are going to jump right into an intense fitness program? These are a great starting point and the moves that you can do with these are LIMITLESS. I bought these when I still was working as a 911 dispatcher and was able to do several exercises WHILE I was sitting in a chair! #duh. And let me tell you something. I am currently doing an intense workout program and guess what we use everyday? yup. Resistance bands! boom!

(click the image to grab it from amazon)

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. Please understand that I have experience with all of these products, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.

Which is more important to YOU?!?!

 



Heeeeyyyy Fit (or wanna be fit) Friends...

 

 

I just wanted to share a little something that has been on my mind a lot recently. I think it's perfect timing considering the holiday and the New Years coming up FAST!

 

I learned about this cycle from a beautiful lady who made it for a church class several months ago. She did such a great job and when she taught it to us, I immediately knew I had to make a health and fitness version because it soooooooo applies.

 

Watch the video below to see how this cycle of choices applies to YOU!

 



 

 

 

Spicy Honey Chicken

 

I am always on the look out for clean, tasty recipes. I made this YEARS ago and when thumbing through my recipes, decided to try it again. OOOOOHhhhh, its sooooo good. I could eat this all day, every day. Yes, I realize the recipe calls for thighs. Not the best cut of chicken. But its so juicy and tender. I've made them with chicken tenders and they are also very tasty. Yes, it has a lot of honey in the recipe but divided into 8, it's less than 1 TBS of honey, right?

Spicy Honey Chicken

 Recipe and Picture  by Our Best Bites http://ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken/

 

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
      everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’ ya right now it’s better with thighs.

 2 t olive oil

 

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

 

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

 

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

 

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

 

Drizzle the remaining glaze on top of the chicken before serving.

This ride right here changed my life ....

 

 

About a year and a half ago I made a decision that enough was enough. I can't pin point an exact moment of when I thought this but something clicked. My mindset changed.
What I DO know is that this ride right here helped change my life for the better. How?

Well, 2 years ago we went to Lagoon on Fathers Day and I was going to go on this ride with my little kiddos. There aren't straps on this ride, just a bar that comes down and clicks into place over your legs. But this time, it wouldn't close. The kind teenager tried nicely to make it fit but it wouldn't. I wasn't able to ride it with my kids! I smiled. I pretended it didn't affect me. But deep down I was mortified. How could I have allowed myself to get that way?!?!

So although EVERYTIME I look at this ride I still feel sad about that day, it reminds me of how far I have come. It reminds me of my potential. It reminds me of how the small changes I make now will make huge changes in my future.

(This pic is from this year. I can proudly say I fit this time. I even had lots of room to spare! )

Never Miss a Monday!

Monday's can be crazy busy since its back to the weekly grind. Or you could be recovering rom a crazy weekend. Either way, make it a goal to never miss a Monday's workout. It starts the entire week off on a good note. It creates a great domino effect for the rest of the week.

Don't believe me?? Try it! I dare you!

Schoooolll Out!!!

My daughter's last day of Kindergarten was yesterday! Where has the time gone?!?!?

 

 

Not only does summer mean no school, it means vacations and swimming and softball tournaments and playdates and running in sprinklers and overnighters and snacking allllll through the day and and and.....the list still goes on and on. It's just a different set of tasks. Still busy as ever. Do I dare say even more busy? And even less time for us moms?

 

 

I know it gets super tricky for me to stay on track of my fitness and health goals when I am running everywhere and when fast-food is just sooo darn easy.

 

 

To help ME conquer this right from the start, I am going to open up a group for all my mommas out there that WANT to start (or keep on) their fitness journey but are still a little nervous about their summer busy-ness. For all the peeps wondering how they are going to be able to tackle their goals while living out of their car!

 

It will be 6 days of healthy snacks for kiddos and moms that are always on the go, go, go. It won't be a structured eating plan. No one has time for that! (At least not right now when schedules are out of whack and we are just trying to figure out how everything is going to work)

 



 

---> 6 Days
---> several snack ideas provided every day
---> 1 healthy easy, make-ahead/crock pot/freezer dinner recipe provided every day
---> tips on healthy snacks while on vacation
---> tips on healthy snacks while on in the CAR
---> motivation and encouragement to keep a-movin'
---> ideas and tips to keep the kiddos entertained and engaged
---> and maybe I'll throw in some educational games (kiddos won't think they are educational tho)

Sound interesting? Sound like something you need help with? I know I do! I'll be honest, I'm a little scared how this summer is going to effect the progress I've been making. But I'm not going to allow myself excuses. I am STOPPING all excuses right now. I am going to aim high. For MYSELF. Fro MY KIDS!

Who is with me?!?!?! Let's start this summer off right!