A piece of my story...

I LOVE my jobs- each and every one of them. My job as a wife and mom fills my heart daily and my family never fail to teach me more about who I was created to be. I love my job as a personal trainer and feel challenged daily to stretch myself further to better train my clients. Last but certainly not least I love my job as a Shaklee distributor; a job which encompasses the two aforementioned jobs and wraps them into one. I get to not only help my family live healthier, more balanced lives, but I get to encourage my clients to approach health from the inside out.

It's not very often that someone truly LOVES their job, let alone all three of them! But I do, I am so blessed to have a passion for health and fitness and to be given the platform in which I can love others to wellness. My hope is to help shift the focus from external approval to inward acceptance and total wellness. 

I have been recently asked "why Shaklee?" and "why network marketing... especially for YOU!?" Well, honestly it's simple.. it comes down to quality and efficacy. I have been in the fitness industry long enough (over 17 years!) to know that products and product lines will come and go; they will fade out just as quickly as they blasted on the scene. I have specifically chosen to stay out of network marketing (until now) because I never considered myself "a saleswoman" or "good at selling something." Ya' know what? I still don't and I am still not! :) With Shaklee, the products truly will sell themselves, instead I just get to build solid relationships with people who are interested in improving their health and bodies from the inside out and the products do the work.

This company is centered around science and so highly values their purity that it does over 100,000 quality control tests on its products. It is constantly checking to make sure that what is on the label are the ONLY things that are in the products. As a girl who has several auto-immune diseases, I value their commitment to purity. Another things that comes with purity is potency, because the ingredients of their products (from cleaning to skin care to vitamins, to protein powders) are so pure, they are also incredibly effective. Dramatic health changes can happen incredibly fast because the ingredients are of such high quality.

I am so thankful to have found a company that values health and stresses change from the inside out. If you are interested in improving your own health and well being please contact me! I would love to share with you the products that can dramatically improve your health from the inside out!

Workout Challenge

It's not a secret that I like to push myself physically, emotionally and spiritually (example- 2 marathons in 6 days :). I find that's when I discover how far I can be stretched and where my rope ends and God's starts. Sure it's uncomfortable at times, sure it hurts, but it's been my experience that this is how life is too.

So when I go through a tough week of training and workouts I just file it away. When life gets tough, I can think back to that tough week and know that if I can make it through THAT, then I can make it through my present situation with God's sovereign help.

So I challenge you this week... push yourself to get comfortable in the uncomfortable and try this workout...

Amazing Paleo Banana Muffins

YUM! It has been a really long (like 11 years LONG!) time since I have found a gluten free muffin recipe that doesn't resemble a hockey puck in taste or texture. Sure gluten free products have come a long way, but still most muffins are dense and sit like rocks in my stomach. BUT NOT THESE! They are made of nut butter, bananas and dates for sweetener, plus they come out soft, pliable and UBER delicious! They are also a great balance of protein, fat and carbs (from the dates and bananas) and serve as an awesome quick breakfast! Full website recipe here.

5 Minute Muffins - High Protein, Grain Free, Sugar Free!

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  12-15 mins

Total time:  ~20 mins

 Serves 12

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup any nut butter (I used almond)
• 2-3 VERY ripe banana w/ tons of black spots (I used some dates to help sweeten in place of the some of the banana)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 TBSP honey or agave
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
3. Blend until well mixed: batter will be sticky.
4. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin tins.
5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then remove from muffin tin to finish cooling.
6. Enjoy!

IT MATTERS

For the last two weeks, I have had the two words "it matters" running through my head at all times of the day and night. WHAT MATTERS!? I kept asking myself as I wrestled with this idea. What is IT? And WHY does it matter? Why do the little things matter... such as the extra sets at the gym, whether or not I make the best food choices, whether or not I pray when I feel like complaining, why does IT MATTER!?

1 Peter 4:11 says: "Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the STRENGTH and ENERGY that God supplies. Then EVERYTHING YOU DO will bring GLORY to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! AMEN."

This is why it matters!! This is why all of the little choices we make throughout the day matter- to bring glory to the One who made us!!! If nothing else, my hope and desire for my life is to honor the One who gives me my very breath moment after moment and has set me free. He has redeemed this life and made all things new and so with great conviction, I have realized that IT MATTERS. Everything I do matters because it all provides an opportunity to bring Him the glory and point others to Him. Yes, indeed, IT ALL MATTERS.

In this next week, I challenge you to look at the big moments and the little moments and remind yourself that IT MATTERS! Check how you respond to that rude driver, how you respond to the 1,043 questions your kids ask you throughout the day, how you talk to yourself, how you treat your spouse... because they are ALL opportunities to bring glory to God. IT ALL MATTERS.

Real food

Since September of last year, I have followed a paleo diet pretty exclusively (minus a month or two). I initially started a Paleo challenge as a way to rid my body of processed sugars and increase my protein intake, but it has evolved into a lifestyle which is clean, healthy, and nutrient dense. I have so enjoyed the freedoms this lifestyle has provided for me- freedom from guilt after eating sugar-heavy foods, freedom from blood sugar spikes, freedom from the scale, and most importantly for me, freedom from the power struggle food had over me at times.

I was driving down the highway some months back and saw the picture of guardrails on either side of the road, no big deal, guardrails are everywhere. However, I started to consider their purpose and realized that they are placed there for the driver's safety and for the safety of others.

I translated this into my own life and realized that guardrails in my life of health and fitness not only provide safe boundaries for me but more importantly they allow me freedom inside. See, when you travel down the highway, you have two, sometimes three lanes that you can move in and out of as you choose. If you get too close to the guardrails the rumble strips let you know and you navigate your car back onto the highway. Nutrition is no different. If I place the guardrails of paleo (gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and sugar free) on either side of my 'eating highway' then I have freedom to move in between the lanes and eat nutritious food as my body desires and craves. It no longer becomes about the number of calories or the percentages of fats, carbs, and protein, but instead it becomes about choosing the most nutrient dense foods for my body that will fuel and heal it appropriately.

See, for me eating a Paleo lifestyle isn't restrictive, instead it is freedom. I get to explore new recipes, (find more recipes by following me on pinterest) new foods, and eat when my body is hungry. It's how we were designed- to live in freedom in all areas of life. Cheers!

My new favorite recipe for 'nut milk'

Cashew Milk

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 3-4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
• pinch celtic sea salt

Instructions

1. Discard soaking water and rinse cashews thoroughly until water runs clear
2. Place cashews, (3-4 cups fresh) water, agave and salt in a vitamix
3. Process on high speed 20-30 seconds
4. Store in glass mason jar in refrigerator

Let's get real...

Please, don't misunderstand me, I love my season of life and cherish the moments I get to spend with my three kids, but can I just say two words... Monday morning... Mondays are always a kick in the pants for us- we start running at 8:15am and stop about 8:00pm- it's no joke. From school, to the box, to gymnastics, to preschool, back to school for pickups, back to the box for CrossFit kids, then home for dinner, homework, showers and bed. Quite honestly, when I woke up this morning I wasn't ready to face this mountain of a day; I just wanted a slower pace but Mondays are not at all slow. I felt spiritually empty and hungry and had my eyes on myself.  I was focused on me and my insufficiency and it was going downhill fast!

As I drove my son to school, I felt a stirring in my gut for rest and respite. I knew I just wanted Jesus and a long quiet time in the word and couldn't see how that was going to happen in this monster of a day. But God knew! He gently encouraged me to bag my workout this morning (I will do it this afternoon) and go spend the time with Him. It was glorious, slow, quiet, relaxing, and restorative.

 

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

 

If I have learned one thing along my journey of faith, it is this... any time we give to spend with the Lord, He will undoubtedly meet us in that place and give back the time in ways we couldn't imagine. He is a blesser!! He loves to lavish His love, patience and restoration on His children. Seek Him first, ask Him where the time is to spend in His word, His presence is so sweet. Blessings to you on this Monday morning!

Killer 30 minute cardio

So I have this friend; you know the kind of friend that make you do things you really don't want to do, but in the end you know it's the best thing for you. After an Olympic lifting WOD (workout of the day) and setting a new PR (personal record) in the split snatch, she says to me and another innocent bystander friend... "hey girls want to do a 30 minute cardio workout with me? It's a good cardio blast, c'mon it will be fun." (insert sly sarcastic smile here). So hesitantly we agreed, and do you know what? It was empowering, faith building and one of my favorite cardio workouts I have done in a long time even though it was TOUGH. I love my friend for so many reasons, but one of them being that she pushes me to be a better athlete and believes in my ability way more so than I do at times. Friends are such a blessing- especially fitness and faith centered friends!

So here's the workout... try it if you have a good base of cardio endurance and want a challenge! You can also scale it back to 15 minutes or minimize the number of reps in each round to fit you fitness level.

Every minute on the minute (EMOM):
10-12 calorie row
10-12 burpees
  * pick a number than you can maintain throughout the entire workout. Also, If the row takes 40
     seconds, rest for the remaining 20 seconds then start with burpees at the top of the next minute.  
     Continue until set time elapses.