Excuses

I have been full of excuses this week, which is why that is today's topic. When I reached my 30 days on P90x & Shakeology and took those progress pictures I was so excited! I thought to myself, "There is no way, no how, I am ever going back to that person I was." Then a few days later I find out I have a stress fracture on my foot and put in a soft cast for a minimum of 6 weeks. Talk about bursting my bubble. I think alot of why I didn't get checked before was because I knew I had something wrong and I didn't want to stop my work outs. Well that did me no good. I may actually end up needing surgery because I decided to push through the pain and not take my health seriously. That is where I started making excuses. BIG mistake!

So I get this cast on and I'm still so fired up about my nutrition because of my wonderful upline Coach encouraging me to continue eating clean, drinking Shakeology and doing minimal workouts as approved by my doctor. Basically I am not suppose to do any weight bearing exercise. It has only been 2 weeks and already after one week I give in to my emotions and fall off the nutrition wagon. I have gained a few pounds back and my waist line is increasing. My second excuse was, "Well I'm not going to get the results I would be getting if I could continue P90x so why not give in to the easy fast food options. I won't see results anyways." BIG mistake!

Then I hear the doorbell this morning and what was sitting at my door....

My order of Chocolate Shakeology!

This is the healthiest meal of the day that I get to enjoy in the form of a delicious shake. This is when it hit me. I am fueling my body with the most nutritious natural ingredients around the world for one meal a day, then why am I sabbatoging my goals by eating junk the rest of the time?!?!?

Nutrition is 80% of your battle!!! If I can get my nutrition in order then the other 20% is my fitness. I have a minimum of 4 weeks in this cast to research, plan, and perfect my nutrition. Instead of focusing on what I cannot do while I'm recovering I'm going to focus on what I can do....Nutrition!!!

No one said this was going to be easy. In fact I loved looking at this as a challenge but when you are changing habits you have formed over years it will take time to break some of those habits. You may even stumble and fall down. What is the most important step in all of this...is that you dust yourself off, get back up, and get back on track!

Do not let your excuses keep your from your goals! Everyone has a busy life and things that will come up from time to time but you are the only one that can turn your goals into a reality!

So this is my word of encouragement to you. Don't beat yourself up for what you have been doing. Instead, make the decision to change today! If you are wanting to make changes to live healthier, look leaner and add years to your life..then I would love to help you along that journey. You can sign up here to get your FREE Team Beachbody membership and I will be your coach!

If you would like to join our Challenge Group starting next Monday, April 2nd please email me TODAY and we can talk more. VanessaWest@beachbodycoach.com

Nutrition + Exercise + Peer Support = SUCCESS!!!

Grief..why we must deal with it.

I've been focusing on health and nutrition topics but I want to take a moment to discuss something more personal. Did you realize that your emotional state can affect your health? If you are dealing with negative emotions this can lead to stress, depression, anxiety or many other issues. If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle you cannot neglect your emotional needs as well as your physical needs.

I've been struggling with emotions the past few days. I wasn't really sure why but then I realized tonight at my Healing Journey Class that I was indeed grieving several things. Now I will not get into all of them but there is one topic I wanted to touch on.

People that know me know my daughter, Arianna. She is 5-years old and such a blessing!

Well Arianna was born with 5 congenital heart defects and a genetic condition called, DiGeorge Syndrome (also known as 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome)

She had open heart surgery at 5-months old and will require another heart surgery in the future. She has endured numerous tests, procedures, 2 surgeries (heart related), therapy sessions, doctors appointments and much more. She is my Hero!

As I was sitting in my healing journey class tonight and the topic was on grief and how important it is to allow yourself to truly grieve and then invite God to heal these wounded areas of your heart.

I realized that I am always grieving when it comes to Arianna's health. There will be times I hear about a friends child starting kindergarden and I just want to cry because my daughter has a compromised immune system and after only 6 weeks of preschool I had to take her out of school. I may hear someone complain about having to take off work because their child is sick and I just get so upset because they can fight off an illness with some rest and TLC, where almost every time Arianna gets a respiratory illness she is on oxygen and it tends to turn into pneumonia. I wish we could deal with the simple things in life but everything is always so complicated when it comes to my daughter.

Now that being said I am extremely grateful that God choose me to be her mother. Having a child with a chronic medical condition has been eye opening. I do not take anything for granted and cherish every day I have with my kids.

I'm now learning that I not only have to allow myself to grief the lose of a healthy child but I have to give all these painful feelings up to Him. No one can heal my wounds but God.

Maybe you don't have a child with a medical condition but you are holding onto something that is disrupting the peace in your life. I encourage you to seek God and give Him the hurtful things of your life. I'm still learning how to do this. I can honestly say if it wasn't for the Healing Journey Class that I've been taking the past 26 week I would not be able to sit here and write this blog right now. I felt ashamed of my feelings and what I might say offend someone. But not anymore because God is healing my wounds. I know out of my hurts I want to help others. I am not perfect and may stumble from time to time but I know as long as I get back up and keep pressing forward in the life that God has planned for me then I will have the blessings of the Lord poured out in my life.

Cream of Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

Handful of Cauliflower

Handful of Broccoli

1 medium sized onion diced

2 cups of water

1 tsp corn flour

1 cup fresh low-fat milk

1 cup Vegetable Stock (optional)

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil


Instructions:

Wash & cut broccoli and cauliflower into florists.

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions in the pan.

Once the onion looks tender, add cauliflower and broccoli and mix well.

Now add 2 cups of water together with the stock, mix well.

Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables become soft. Do not overcook.

Once it is tender, take out the vegetables and blend it with fresh milk. (Save water for later use) Add corn flour to the mix and blend.

Now mix this with the remaining water in the pan. Simmer until soup is thick. Stir while simmering.

Add sat & pepper to desired taste.

ENJOY!

The Beachbody Solution

Clean Eating

You may here me talk about clean eating. But what exactly does that mean?

Clean eating is when you eat whole foods - that is, foods as close to their natural state as you can get them. That means eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein instead of pre-packaged processed foods and fast food.

Easy steps you can follow to ensure you are eating clean.

Step 1: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Always choose fresh over canned or processed products. If you have to choose processed, then choose frozen over canned


Step 2: Balance protein and complex carbohydrates. Incorporate whole grains like brown rice over processed grains. Always choose lean meats. Grill or broil your meats over frying.



Step 3: Avoid sugars and high calorie, sugary drinks.Choose water or tea for your beverages, or juice your own fruit and vegetables and enjoy them without all the added sugars or preservatives.



Step 4: Replace bad fat with good fat. We all need a certain amount of fat in our diet but we need to make sure we are eating the good "unsaturated" fat.

Polyunsaturated fats, found mostly in vegetable oils, help lower both blood cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels. One type of polyunsaturated fat is omega-3 fatty acids, which is found in fatty fish (salmon, trout, catfish, mackerel), as well as flaxseed and walnuts.

There are two types of fat that should be eaten sparingly: saturated and trans fatty acids. Both can raise cholesterol levels, clog arteries, and increase the risk for heart disease. Saturated fats are found in animal products (meat, poultry skin, high-fat dairy, and eggs) and in vegetable fats that are liquid at room temperature, such as coconut and palm oils. There has been studys that show saturated fat increases the risk for colon and prostate cancer.


Step 5: Eat several small meals throughout your day to keep blood sugar stable and avoid overeating.


This may seem like alot to change all at once. But if you can focus on one step a week and get that under control then move on to the next one then you are headed in the right direction. Remember you have to start somewhere!

3-Day Shakeology Cleanse

What is the Shakeology Cleanse? How is it different from other cleanses?

What makes the Shakeology Cleanse stand apart from the others is that the Shakeology cleanse is not a true “cleanse”. The Shakeology Cleanse is a calorie restricted, nutrient rich cleanse. There are no strange drinks made of maple and lemon or apple cider. With Shakeology you will be satisfied and you won’t be a zombie or feel like you are starving your body of vital nutrients, because you aren’t! The main point of the Shakeology Cleanse is not calorie restriction but nutrient richness. The aim is to get the most nutrients into your body with the fewest calories consumed. These calories are to fuel your workouts and rid the body of toxins and hydration into homeostasis. The result with this cleanse to have your body run more efficiently and the weight loss is just an added benefit that most experience (you can lose anywhere from 3lbs to 10lbs in just 3 days!!).

The Benefits of the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse:

• Rid your body of fat
• Detoxify your body
• Jump start your weight-loss and fitness routine
• Body rejuvenation

How Does the Shakeology Cleanse Work?

With the Shakeology Cleanse your daily food structure remains close to the same as you’re everyday eating. You will still be eating every few hours with meals that are balanced and nutrient rich which will make up for consuming fewer calories. This means that you can still continue with your workout routine. Adding fruits, nuts, seeds, and the Shakeology fiber supplement can be done as you see fit. Your one solid meal a day, your salad, can also contain fruits, nuts, and seeds, legumes, and veggies along with four ounces or less of a white protein. The point is to keep you satiated and to avoid anything that is artificial – including your salad dressing. The Shakeology Cleanse is designed to optimize your body’s performance. You want to have enough food to fuel your day and your workout. By eating foods that are high in fiber and nutrients it is virtually impossible to overeat. With the high fiber, digestive aids, and enzymes, your body will be ridding itself of excess food and fat and flushing out waste.

The Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse Explained

The Shakeology 3-day cleanse is an innovative way to use Shakeology as a cleanse. It’s very simple to follow and is unlike any other cleanse out there today. One of the things that makes it so different from other “cleanses” is in fact that the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is a “performance” cleanse. This is because it is designed to be done along with a workout or fitness program. Here is how it works and how to follow:

Once again, this cleanse is meant to be done in conjunction with your regular fitness routine but best to schedule during your recovery weeks if you are doing an intense program like P90X or INSANITY. It is also a GREAT way to jump-start ANY fitness routine and weight loss by doing the cleanse the week before you begin and getting your body healthy!

Reasons why you might not lose weight

First, most people WILL lose some weight but weight loss is not the goal of the Shakeology Cleanse. People with a lot of junk in their systems tend to lose the most weight from this cleanse. If you’ve been eating clean then there are less toxins and food left in your system to be rid of. While you may not lose much weight while doing the cleanse, your body will be ready to lose once you have finished and continue your fitness program.

Second, restricting calories can be stressful. Stress in the body releases the hormone cortisol and inhibits you from losing weight. This is the reason why you don’t do the Shakeology Cleanse no longer than 3 days.



If you are interested in doing the 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse you can purchase it directly through my website. On the right hand side you will see an option to pay via Paypal. I only have Tropical Strawberry at the moment but will be getting Chocolate in soon so check back!

Just a bump in the road

I've been having some pain in my right foot for several weeks that was not going away. X-ray was negative so I went for a bone scan and found out I have a stress fracture on my right fifth metatarsal. I saw the orthopedic doctor this week and found out some bad news. The fracture is in a VERY bad place, close to the metatarsal head, and if it spreads to the head my bone could die. BAD news! I've been put in a boot and told this could take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to heal. It may take longer than the typical 6 weeks due to the fact that I've been on it and working out for 5 weeks.

That being said. I am not going to let this get me down. I am just focusing even that much more on my nutrition. I'm eating clean, drinking Shakeology and doing modified workouts. I WILL SUCCEED!!!

P90x & Shakeology

These are my 30 day results with P90x & Shakeology. I feel stronger and healthier! If you make the decision to change and give it 100% then you WILL see results!

Welcome

I would like to take this time to say, "WELCOME!" Many of you follow my other blog about my daughter, Arianna. Well this blog is going to be alot different. It will be a place for me to not only document my journey to health but to share the things I learn along the way. If so happy you took time to stop by and hope you leave here with more knowledge than when you came. Remember, I'm learning just as well and if you ever have question about something I post please don't hesitate to message me or email me. If I do not know the answers right away I'll research it until I do!