Moms Can Be Fit Integrative Health Coach

It’s been awhile! I’m over here in The Villages making dreams come true. Absolutely LOVE what I’m doing and so so so thankful for it! Hope you all are doing fabulous and making your own dreams come true too!

Oh man! This afternoon delight sweet treat was soooo rich I could only finish half. Zero guilt if I had finished the whole thing though as it has great ingredients!
I filled up my blender cup with approximately:

1 cup of ice
6-8 oz of almond milk
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (discount link in bio)
1/2 tsp xantham gum
Packet of stevia (optional)

Blend until smooth

Once blended I slightly stir in a heaping scoop of powdered peanut butter, some GF granola and some dark chocolate chips! Toppings can vary on anything that suits your fancy!!

Decided to go old school and return to my “roots” with BBG (also known as ) since I’m fixing to go back to work-work next month. I’ll be selling homes in The Villages (which is an AMAZING retirement Mecca 🤣 think Disney World for retirees!!) and we have NINE weeks of training to learn everything our future customers will need to know about life there! I can’t wait, but it’s also gonna be a HUGE adjustment. Gotta leave my home each morning around 6:45am so I have to work out efficiently. I love how the BBG workouts are 30 minutes and I’m dying by the end. Today was the first day of the and I picked the High Intensity plan. Thankfully there was no crazy jumping, and when that comes up, I’ll just modify it. Who else is doing the challenge???

I’ve always loved hiking but only did it when we’d travel through the Carolinas or Tennessee. We’ve discovered a whole new world searching for fun trails around Central Florida! Sure, there’s no mountains to climb, but something about being beneath the canopy of trees and hearing all the sounds of nature is still pretty amazing! We always love to see the creatures who inhabit the woods and aren’t running us off their land. So far we’ve seen bobcat, alligator, deer (young and old), turtle, snake and some weird bugs too! It’s super hot here I’m Florida, so we head out early enough and thankfully most of the trails are covered by the tree canopy so the heat is bearable! Get out there and move your body! Doesn’t have to be an exercise class at the gym....do what you enjoy doing to be active and it will all pay off!
What new adventures have you been up to lately?

I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of bringing new life and positive energy to a space. As most of y’all know, we sold our house (that I love love love) but we really couldn’t say no to the incredible offer we received in the crazy seller’s market. We always had plans to downsize once our youngest graduated a year from now, but decided now was the most bang for our buck!! I highly doubt we’d get what we got a year from now! Sooooo.....now after 23 years, we are back to the apartment life! 🤣🤣🤣. I’m trying my best to not spend much money, but to make small changes with HUGE impact! Plus, everything I change will have to be brought back to its original status when it’s time for us to move out. First thing I did when I got the keys was to simply paint this one wall Peacock Blue by Sherwin Williams. What a difference bringing in a pop of color makes, right?! Paired with the furniture and rug I brought from my other home and WOW! I feel so happy walking into the apartment each day!
Make your space personal and cozy. It doesn’t have to cost a million bucks to FEEL like a million bucks either!!!

Dinner last night was so quick, easy, filling with all that fiber and AMAZING!!
I took two sirloin strips and sliced into bite-sized pieces. Placed in airtight container or baggie with 1/2 cup coconut aminos, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1 Tbsp coconut sugar. Allow to marinate for at least 3-4 hours. Once done marinating, remove excess liquid from baggie and sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of arrowroot. Thoroughly mix or massage the bag to coat the steak.
On medium high with a touch of avocado oil on your pan, cook the steak on both sides (really only 2-3 minutes on each side is necessary when the pieces are small)
While steak is cooking, chop 1/2 white onion and dice 3-4 garlic cloves. Remove steak from pan and set aside, add onion to pan scraping all the sides down and allowing it to sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir. Add 1 tsp ground ginger. Finally add a bag of pre cut riced cauliflower or simply make your own using a grater to sheer a head of cauliflower!
In a separate pan, cook all the stir fry veggies you enjoy. Mine included 1/2 head of green cabbage, broccoli, snow peas, broccoli slaw and shredded carrots. Add a wee bit of oil to bottom of pan, veggies and a heavy splash of coconut aminos. Place lid on top and allow it to steam cook, stirring occasionally.
Plate a helping of the cauliflower rice, your stir fry veggies, steak and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Season with additional coconut aminos if you wish as well!
Enjoy!!!

Dinner last night was so quick, easy, filling with all that fiber and AMAZING!!
I took two sirloin strips and sliced into bite-sized pieces. Placed in airtight container or baggie with 1/2 cup coconut aminos, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1 Tbsp coconut sugar. Allow to marinate for at least 3-4 hours. Once done marinating, remove excess liquid from baggie and sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of arrowroot. Thoroughly mix or massage the bag to coat the steak.
On medium high with a touch of avocado oil on your pan, cook the steak on both sides (really only 2-3 minutes on each side is necessary when the pieces are small)
While steak is cooking, chop 1/2 white onion and dice 3-4 garlic cloves. Remove steak from pan and set aside, add onion to pan scraping all the sides down and allowing it to sauté for 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir. Add 1 tsp ground ginger. Finally add a bag of pre cut riced cauliflower or simply make your own using a grater to sheer a head of cauliflower!
In a separate pan, cook all the stir fry veggies you enjoy. Mine included 1/2 head of green cabbage, broccoli, snow peas, broccoli slaw and shredded carrots. Add a wee bit of oil to bottom of pan, veggies and a heavy splash of coconut aminos. Place lid on top and allow it to steam cook, stirring occasionally.
Plate a helping of the cauliflower rice, your stir fry veggies, steak and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Season with additional coconut aminos if you wish as well!
Enjoy!!!

Happy birthday to this guy right here!!! It may be HIS big day, but I am certainly the one who has been given the gift!! Preston is selfless, always willing to help anyone/anytime, my BIGGEST cheerleader and fan, who works hard daily to honor and cherish me and would turn down a million invitations from others as he’d honestly rather be with me. I’m a lucky lucky girl! I hope he feels the magnitude of how much I love him, and how grateful I am that he loves me so well.

Here we goooooo! Day 1 of Pretty Intense and I’m so super stoked that so many of you are doing this with me. It’s been several years since I’ve been a part of a community doing the same workout program together. I think the accountability and camaraderie is going to be GREAT!
Today is a two workout split kinda day....AM is a 25 minute HIIT and the PM is a upper body workout!!! Some of you may be looking at the AM cardio session and think from the get-go there is no way you can do this; 20 minutes of 1 min jog and 1 min walk. Girlfriend....MODIFY to make it work for you!!!! Perhaps power walk as fast as possible for a min and then a minute of a decent pace walk. Guarantee your heart rate is gonna be affected. Or attempt a 30 sec jog and a 1.5 min walk. Or use a stationary bike!!! Ride your heart out for a minute for a minute and then back it down for a minute. Whatever it looks like for YOU, make it work. As long as it’s challenging, that’s all that matters! We are all so different and individual. As you saw when I posted a few of the fit test times you sent me, we all come from a wide range of fitness levels, strengths and weaknesses. There will ALWAYS be someone fitter, stronger, faster, better. But who cares. This isn’t about someone else. This is about YOU becoming all you want to be. And I know STRONGER is at the top of my list. So I’m keeping my eyes in my lane, cheering you along as you run this race beside me and thinking of the celebration we will all have come April! 🎉🎉

Don’t forget to use so we can all find each other and encourage each other on!!!!

The gauntlet has been thrown and challenge accepted! Many of you who watched my stories have decided to join me doing Pretty Intense 12 week program. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the highlight on my page!!!

Then commit to join me!!!

1️⃣Do the Fit test this weekend;
100 air squats
100 knee push-ups
100 butterfly sit-ups
100 lunges (50 per side)
Time yourself and then write it down. Doesn’t matter how long it takes you because we will do the same fit test in another 12 weeks to celebrate how much stronger we’ve gotten!!!
2️⃣Print out the 12 week’s worth of workouts and prepare to start on Monday!!!

Roll call!!! WHO’S JOINING ME???🗣🗣🗣

I’m so excited!!!!

No amount of bubble baths or facials in the name of can lighten the burden of an over-worked, stressed out mama! Yes, it can give you a moment of pleasure and temporary relaxation, but truly setting up boundaries and discipline will do way more for you than any one of the top 50 self care lists floating out there on Pinterest.
Sure, you may not have the luxury of demanding your boss give a bit more towards work-life balance, but there’s nothing wrong with polishing up that resume and pursuing a path that does! Working 60+ hours per week or for a horrible boss is the ultimate stress/killer. Been there, done that. No bueno! My old boss was so bad, he broke so many employment laws; like only hiring people based on their looks 😱 and zero lunch breaks were allowed. No amount of money could keep me there despite his dangled carrots to try!!
Work on things within your control at the moment; ie. diet, exercise, sleep times and mindfulness. Every one of those things works for or against your state of mind. I used to walk around in funk and depression thinking it was a perfectly normal state of being. It wasn’t until I changed my diet (paleo) that I realized just how closely our diet and gut health affect our state of being. You truly ARE what you eat. Set up systems in place to get 30 minutes to move your body, even if it’s yoga in your living room while the kids use you as a jungle gym. And how you start your morning plays a significant role on the tone for the rest of the day. Wake up with enough time to practice mindfulness, read something that grows you as a person and connect with God. Imagine your morning starting this way vs all harried and rushed!? It’s gotta improve your day, right!?

We all go through various seasons, so if you’re in a season of struggle, the bubble baths are amazing, but they are temporary forms of self care. I challenge you to look for ways to improve your overall life that are lasting and long term!!!

PS...I’m loving my new glasses!!!!!

Diet culture vs lifestyle culture

It’s easy and “safe” to follow an outline as written. Have a blueprint that someone else used for success feels like the inevitable path to glory, right? But what if that roadmap worked for a time but then stopped working? Would you look to find someone else’s roadmap again and again or perhaps blaze your own trail?

That’s the difference between diet culture and creating a lifestyle of eating that works specifically for you! Diet culture says eat this, not that. Only eat during this window of time or you failed. Don’t stray outside of the lines or you’ve ruined it.
Lifestyle of eating says I feel my best eating this, not that. Lifestyle says I aim to eat in this certain time window, but if something comes up, I adjust. Lifestyle says I may eat a certain way the majority of the time, but if I want something else, it’s okay to eat that too.

During my stories yesterday, I shared how I’m eating more beans lately as part of the Liver Detox protocol I’m doing. Beans (legumes) are a big NO NO in the paleo world. However, legumes don’t adversely affect me, so I incorporate them into my diet here or there. Paleo dogma would hold me back from doing this. Lifestyle freedom says why not!?

Don’t get so caught up in the food label you most identify with that it becomes your shackles vs your source of freedom. A paleo & intermittent fasting lifestyle has brought me tremendous freedom. I easily identify with the tenets of the food choices and it’s helped me to find my healthiest self. But goodness gracious I’m certainly not going to have the paleo police come and arrest me for eating beans with no complications! (Btw....there is NO paleo police 👮‍♀️ lol)

So find the foods that help you to feel your best and take the label, don’t take the label or make up your own label. It’s not the label that matters anyways, it’s how you feel!!!

Five days into the new year....how are you feeling? Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
The gyms (that are open😞) are always bustling with new resolution makers, but sadly, give it a month or two and a lot of those motivated people start to fizzle out and give up on their goals.
Don’t do that.
Set attainable goals for yourself that are easily achievable. Success breeds success. So many people say THINK BIG, and while, YES! I love thinking big (and eventually you’ll get there too) right now, think small and CRUSH those feats.
Trust me, crushing a bunch of small feats will lead you to wanting BIG things more so than aiming for something huge, failing, and then walking away. So what could be some small goals? Here are a few ideas:

📌 Replace soda for water or flavored seltzer
📌 Take the stairs every time instead of the elevator
📌 Park in the furthest parking spot on the lot
📌 Stop weighing yourself
📌 Add a vegetable in with each of your meals
📌 Take a walk with the family after dinner
📌 Commit to doing 10 push-ups on your knees three times per week
📌 Read 5-10 pages in a book each day
📌 cut your alcohol consumption down to 1-2 nights per week
📌 Rid your pantry of foods with chemicals you can’t pronounce
📌 Buy a new cookbook
📌 Learn the art of meal planning and prepping

I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the point. Build your momentum instead of blazing out in front only to fade into oblivion like you’ve experienced before. And savor those small feats! Greatness isn’t found in the “one-hit wonders,” but in those that put in the time and consistency to build something marvelous. There’s no race. And I guarantee you’d rather have lasting results this time instead of having to do a do-over year after year. So put in the work of overhauling your lifestyle brick by brick, slow and steady.

Latest blog post is now live!

Book Recommendations!! - Moms Can Be Fit Book recommendations to kick of your 2021 health goals

I love that we get to keep defining who we are. I don’t care if you are 20, 47 (like I am pictured here on the right,) or 77 we can always find areas to increase our strengths and better our weaknesses.
That pregnancy photo of me feels like a million lifetimes ago, but the beautiful, miraculous journey to motherhood often leaves our bodies like war-torn battle grounds. I still carry around stretch marks on my tummy, thighs and breasts. Gaining over 45 lbs on my 5’2” body during each of my pregnancies stretched out my skin and elasticity hasn’t brought it all back into place. However, don’t let postpartum, your age, or any other mountain give you hesitation to not work hard at your health! At the end of the day, who cares how many stretch marks we carry when we have a strong core that supports a strong body? Does it really matter that our breasts aren’t as perky when we can run circles around our previous abilities? Our grandchildren won’t have nothin on us! I plan on not only keeping up, but being the ring leader in spirited fun!
And honestly, while YES! I’d love to look like a super model naked, I’m an almost 50 year old, happily married mama of two (almost) young adults (19 & 17.5) and as long as I’m feeling strong and vibrant, confident in my clothes, and healthy to my bones....I’m ALL good. Trust me....my husband has no qualms either way 😉 and I bet yours doesn’t either ❤️

So this is your reminder. I don’t care where you are starting from; whether you are a novice or a paid athlete. We ALL have areas we aren’t thrilled with. Don’t let it define you. We are so much more than the skin we live in. But while we are existing in these bodies, it’s much easier if we are in our healthiest form. So eat well, move, get rest, avoid toxins, have grace, and learn to love the process!!!

One word challenge.

Many years ago our church started this practice. Finding a word, phrase and scripture for the year ahead. Many years I participated, some years I didn’t. However, after the year we’ve had, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, I felt very drawn to meditate on what God was pressing upon my heart.

This verse kept coming to my mind. On repeat.

It’s so easy to be discouraged. To put forth the effort in so many areas of our lives without seeing the immediate fruit. We want immediate answers and results. But I’m encouraged knowing that in due time, if I don’t give up, I WILL reap that harvest!

So this year, more than ever, I’m going to toil, cultivate and invest my time so that I can reap the harvest that is promised.

I want to increase my faith and my walk with the Lord and the impact that will have with my marriage and my children, in my community, and even amongst strangers.

I’m determined to age well to avoid the many “age-related”health issues. I’m investing in my health; committed to proper nutrition and building strong muscles. I will reap a harvest of good health because of my investment.

I love sharing information here that betters the lives for others. I will continue to freely invest my time and resources so others may benefit and prosper as well.

I love, love, love my Beautycounter small business. I have made wonderful connections with people as I help them remove toxins and harsh chemicals from their skincare routines while improving their skin at the same time. I will continue sharing this passion and see my business multiply.

So what’s your word? I’d love to hear it!!!

Last post of 2020. January 2020 to December 2020!

This has been a crazy/bad year, but also a great year for me in so many ways. If 2020 isn’t ending on a high note for you, let me be the first to encourage you to make 2021 all that it can be! There are MANY things out of our control. But there are also just as many things we do control! So take charge and show this coming year who’s boss!

Give your burdens over to Christ. His yoke is light and He is the one who wants to carry them anyways. It’s amazing how much stress and worry can kill our spirit, ambition and drive. So don’t keep grabbing it back. Give it over to Him. And then do it daily, because if you’re like me, you tend to want to keep grabbing it back. Release it.

Return to the days of our ancestors when they cooked everything they ate! Eat whole foods! Increase your vegetables and healthy fats. Ditch the low fat and keep sugar to a minimum.

Move your body. Build muscle. It’s so important. Walk and stretch. Strength and flexibility is the key to aging gracefully.

Read!!!! I can’t stress how important this is! Keep your mind stimulated. Learn, grow and watch your motivation for good things increase!

And above all else, be kind to yourself. You are beautiful and wonderfully made....yep! Even your “before” photo. If you’re like me, the outer shell was just the physical manifestation of the inner struggle and pain that was present. I was tired, sad, suffering from joint pain and inflamed. I wasn’t doing all the things I know to do. Once I did, my energy increased, my joy returned, my pain went away as the inflammation went down. So don’t be too hard on yourself. Baby steps towards finding yourself again, or even re-creating a new you with lifestyle changes instead of anything extreme and temporary!

Should you have goals between Christmas and the New Year?
Maybe???
For some, family is in town, the stress of 2020 has just been too much, and honestly, the thought of adding any additional “goals” to your plate is JUST. TOO. MUCH! I get it. Your goal is simply to BE. There’s a lot to be said about just being. Enjoy it. Recharge. Relax. There will be plenty of time to get back at it.
For others, myself included, I’m like a Lion ready to GOOOO! I love having goals. They motivate and charge me, not drain me.
There’s nothing wrong with either scenario. What’s important is to listen to your body and feed the need. Nothing’s worse than over-taxing an already stressed body. That leads to inflammation, sickness and disease. On the other hand, it’s also not so great neglecting your potential because you need to wait for a certain date on the calendar to arrive.
Remember, progress. Not perfection.
Don’t make resolutions this year.....reflect on an area that’s been eating at you to change and put in the work to truly make it a part of your lifestyle. For example: you may want to lose 20 lbs. So, instead of setting a weightloss goal, look at the root cause of why you have 20 lbs to lose in the first place???
Stress?
Emotional eating?
Lack of knowledge on how to eat right?
Don’t know how to cook?
Need better time management?
Haven’t exercised in years?
Etc....
Whatever the root cause may be....focus on improving THAT!
Take an online cooking class
Hire a personal trainer or download a workout guide
Read books on nutrition, toxins, and health
Find outlets to de-stress your life a bit
Work with a functional medicine practitioner
Improve your gut health
Say no to certain things, so that you can say YES to others
Find a support group

Be the action you need to take control of your life. Focus on the good things and then repeat, repeat, repeat. I bet, by the end of 2021, you’ll be amazed at all you accomplished by focusing on what matters. And hint: it’s not the 20 lbs.

“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11❤️

Merry Christmas to you and your family! ❤️

Gluten free Monkey Bread!!!

If you’ve been watching my stories today, you’ll know I was on the warpath to making our beloved Monkey Bread that we have every year as part of our Christmas morning tradition. However, since going GF, I’ve just passed on enjoying it. Not this year, baby! I wish I had started my experimentation last week as now it’s crunch time and no more time to fool around with various components of the ingredients. I wanted to go completely grain free on this attempt, so I used Paleo baking flour, but if you aren’t opposed to GF grains, you may want to use their 1:1 GF flour blend instead. Also, next time I’m definitely going to cut the sugar down and use some sugar alternatives. Because let’s face it, while it’s GF, this recipe is still packed with a boatload of processed white sugar, and I typically don’t feel that great consuming sugar! But alas, this is certainly an amazing recipe for the special occasion that Christmas surely is!!!

Biscuits:
6 cups GF flour blend or paleo flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 cups room temp butter
2 cups almond milk

Combine first 3 ingredients using a stand mixer. Then slowly spoon butter a little at a time. Soft dough will begin to form. Add almond milk and beat on medium for 15 seconds, so the dough is soft.

Cinnamon coating:
1 cup sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Spoon small amount of biscuit into hand (helps to wet hand each time to prevent sticking) and roll into a ball. Dip ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Add to a lightly sprayed Bundt pan. Continue adding and layering into the pan with remaining biscuits.

Liquid Mix:
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup of butter (melted)
Pour liquid mixture over dough. Bake on 350° for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Invert onto a large serving plate to release the Monkey Bread.

It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Hashimotos that I started taking care of myself for health reasons instead of pursuing weightloss goals. In the process, my weight righted itself, my cyclical depression went away and everything else improved as well. It’s funny how a health crisis can make you do things you didn’t think you were capable of. However, it doesn’t require a health scare to do the same, right things. Don’t wait for a health crisis!!
So what does that look like?

📌 When we are focused on health, the scale doesn’t hold as much power. I knew if I did all the right things, the scale would take care of itself.

📌 I went for whole food nutrition instead of a 100 calorie chemical laden snack pack. Feed your micro biome good things. It is the KEY to good, vibrant health.

📌 I had to adjust what my training looked like. While my body was inflamed, balls-to-the-wall exercise was out of the question. It would only serve to keep my body in further distress. Movement is good, but less was actually more in this case.

And even though I’ve had some stumbling blocks since then, every time I go to get back on track....it’s always returning to the fundamentals of health, not weightloss, that serves as my guide. I KNOW if I’m serving my health, my body will naturally respond. It sure takes a lot of pressure of you too.
But that’s also the reason I can easily say no to certain food temptations, etc. When I’m looking at a choice through the lens of health vs purely for vanity reasons, my answer and dedication is much more clear. It’s so much easier saying no, knowing my health is at stake, not just the size of my pants.
You may not feel the pressure of a health crisis causing you to rethink your direction. But, unfortunately, in today’s toxic environment, it’s typically not a matter of “if” but “when!” So take action now! Don’t wait until your sick, depressed and in pain!

I wrote a three part blog series back in 2017 about my journey with Hashimotos. Link in bio if you want to read it.

Does anyone else eat something on repeat x1000 until you can’t eat it anymore??? No? Just me 🤷🏼‍♀️ Because when it’s so darned good you can’t stop (won’t stop) but then you realize you’re burned out of eating that same thing over and over again!!?
Well, chicken salad is my “thing” right now. I’m trying to learn from past mistakes and pace myself so I don’t crash and burn too quickly. 🤣 But seriously, y’all need to make it. It’s soooo good! The KEY is putting your chicken into the food processor to chop it up pretty finely! It tastes like something you’d get from a professional that way 😉 Once my chicken is chopped, I add a handful of shredded carrots and pulse them in the food processor too so that they are also finely chopped. I made the mistake once of doing the same for my red onion and my eyes deceived me thinking it wasn’t very much, so I ended up with WAYYYYY too much onion and that was very bad! Now, I only hand chop my onion. Scoop in the desired amount of Mayo (I use Mayo since it’s made with avocado oil instead of soybean 🚫 oil.) Dash with a liberal splash or two of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix it all up and you’re good to go! Here’s the ingredients list. I don’t put the ingredient amounts because it will vary based on how much chicken you use.

🐓 De-boned skinless rotisserie chicken or several cooked chicken breasts
🥕 Shredded carrots
🧅 Red onion
🏺 Mayo
🍷 Red wine vinegar
🧂 Salt & pepper