Beauty And Muscles

When my husband is on week 3 of my 10 Week Fitness Program and tells me how good he feels. 🙌🏼☺️

When my husband works out with me I show him what it feels like to really sweat! 😂

THE BEST TASTING BCAA
I have a goal to drink a minimum of 3 liters of water a day. It's hard for me to achieve that sometimes with plain water. Sometimes my taste buds just want something with more flavor. Instead of resorting to a sugary drink, I use a scoop of my favorite BCAA (branch chain amino acids). Not only does it help me get my liquids in at no calories but it helps with fueling and recovery for workouts.

After trying multiple brands I found this one to be my absolute favorite! Some brands don't dissolve well, leaving a chalky texture behind or they have a chemical taste. This one has neither! Not only does it help me easily drink my daily goal of water but it also helps with my sweet cravings. It tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher.

I've found it on Amazon for the best price and they have a variety of flavors. It has 40 servings and unlike many other brands I have used, one scoop gives the perfect amount of flavor to 1.5 liters of water. Whereas, one scoop of most other brands only gives good flavor to just one liter of water.

THE SECRET TO LASTING LOVE
There’s a NY Times best seller book called, “The 5 Love Languages -The Secret To Lasting Love” written by Dr. Gary Chapman. Since it’s original publication date in 1995 there have been over 11 million copies sold.

You and your partner likely have different love languages. While you feel loved one way, they feel it a completely different way if you’re not speaking their language. For example, if yours is physical touch but your partners is acts of service. You’re going to feel loved by a hug whereas they are going to feel loved by you helping them out with a chore. You can hug them all day and still not be fulfilling their needs.

The book has a website where you and your partner can take the online quiz and discover your primary love language as well as the order of importance. While the quiz is a great place to start, we highly recommend the book because it will teach you so much more. They even have multiple versions now. One for the male, children, singles, etc.

We have learned a lot about each other since reading the book and taking the quiz. It’s helped our relationship and understanding each other on a much deeper level. By knowing your partners love language and your own you can learn how to best make them feel loved.

The website is also packed with more information and FAQ, etc.

The 5 Love Languages

Physical Touch
This language isn't all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face – they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive. Physical touch fosters a sense of security and belonging in any relationship.

Quality Time
In the vernacular of quality time, nothing says, "I love you," like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there – with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby – makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful. Quality Time also means sharing quality conversation and quality activities.

Words of Affirmation
Actions don't always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, "I love you," are important – hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten. Kind, encouraging, and positive words are truly life-giving.

Acts of Service
Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an "Acts of Service" person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: "Let me do that for you." Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don't matter. Finding ways to serve speaks volumes to the recipient of these acts.

Receiving Gifts
Don't mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous – so would the absence of everyday gestures. Gifts are visual representations of love and are treasured greatly.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
This post was inspired by thoughts that came to my mind during my workout last night. Lately, I have been working a lot, but I haven't been going to the gym consistently, eating 100% clean, and doing all of the things I should be doing to reach my goals. During my superset rests, I took some notes and eventually came to this conclusion.

Sometimes setbacks happen... That doesn't mean you have to give up on your dreams, give into temptation, or get down on yourself. Instead, just make it a reason to push through and work even harder than before to get a few steps further than where you were before! If that means obsessing over everything it takes to get you there, then DO IT! Whatever works, whatever it takes! Just get it done! You only live once, let there be no room for regrets! If it means setting new goals, praying for your strength and success, re-evaluating your current priorities, then take immediate action an DO IT! Every living thing has a purpose. I am living! I want to be more alive than ever! I want to have a huge purpose! I know I was destined to do great things with my growing passion for God, love, health, and fitness! So I need to do them sooner rather than later! I need to be mentally strong and trust myself and God! I need to be smart with my decisions and serious about my goals. I need to be FEARLESS! Most of all, I need to believe in myself. And... I DO believe in myself! So watch out, here I come!!! 4/24/16

DAILY MOTIVATION
Be ambitious. Dream challenging goals, take action and give it your all to achieve each one. You will encounter struggles. People and life will test your strengths and weaknesses. You will need to overcome these obstacles. No matter what happens, never give up! Hold yourself accountable. Stay strong through all temptations. Don't look for shortcuts. You get out what you put into your goals. If results come easy they can leave just as fast. If they come hard they will be harder to lose. Practice self-discipline, balance, stay focused and be patient. Don't ever settle. Don't be comfortable with being ordinary. Be obsessed with becoming extraordinary! If it we're easy, everyone would do it. Honestly, it's not easy... But honestly, it WILL be worth it! Stay motivated by inspiring others. Encouragement and positivity are contagious. It is my passion to spread this to as many bodies as possible and to be a walking example of what perseverance can help you achieve. What is your passion? What lights your fire? Find it and fuel it each and everyday. Become a better version of yourself starting now!

COURAGE TO GROW
Over the past year I have done a lot of growing in many aspects of my life. I have grown mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have had many different feelings along the journey of my growth with each and every different situation that has helped me grow. With everything I have been through this past year and my entire life that has led to my growth, I can't say that I would change a thing. Even with the moments I dreaded at the time they occured. If it wasn't for those moments, growth wouldn't be possible!
So, I just have a few thoughts here on "growth" that came into my mind when hearing and thinking about that word...
Growth is a learning experience. The more you grow the more you learn. The more you learn the more you grow. It is attained through struggles, triumphs, lessons, happiness, pain, success, failure, dedication, and determination. It provides mental clarity, confidence, strength, endurance, faith, hope, and wisdom.
A huge part of my growth came after building a stronger relationship with God!
We are all growing each day at different rates through different experiences. What are you doing personally to advance your growth? Are you starting a new hobby, reading more, volunteering, setting and achieving goals, educating yourself, or just coping with life as it comes? Have you experienced a major or valuable growth? If so, what brought it about?

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" ~Matthew 19:26
4/24/16

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Adapting a healthy lifestyle and transforming your body start from within. What do I mean by this? There are a few different meanings and thoughts that come to mind that go along with this statement! After reading this, I am hoping you will discover that adapting a healthy lifestyle is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and A, B, C!
You need to be mentally prepared in order to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Going cold turkey and changing your diet over night might seem like the best idea, but there is way more to take into consideration. Getting rid of all the junk food in your home is a great start because you just can't go wrong doing that! Getting it out of site & mind is very helpful and effective! Eventually though, you will leave your home and meet up with coworkers, friends, and family. You will stop at the gas station to fuel up (hopefully just on gas and not goodies). You will attend events every single day (big or small) based around food for the rest of your life! There are so many unhealthy options awaiting you, and your pre-programmed mind will be ready to indulge or over-indulge. At some point you will face the decision to satisfy your craving with the tempting, junk food or to fuel your body with the delicious,nutritious food. If you are not mentally prepared, it will be so much easier to just give into your regular ways of eating. Why not? I mean, just about everyone else is doing it, and they seem to be happy, right? Wrong! They might be happy eating their favorite foods in the very short-lived moment of tasty satisfaction. What happens when they over eat because the calories they just consumed are completely empty with zero nutrition (which leads to more hunger and junk food cravings). This causes digestion issues, weight gain (which leads to obesity), and obesity which is the number one cause of most cancers. It is a horrible domino effect. In the long run, all of those junk foods don't bring happiness, they actually bring pain. Feelings of disgust,failure, and actual pain due to serious illnesses are commonly what one will experience at some point in their life if they don’t adapt a healthy lifestyle. It doesn't just affect that one person but it also affects their friends, family, and even acquaintances. Nobody wants to hear that their family, friend, or co-worker is suffering from health issues due to a poor diet and inactive lifestyle. Being mentally prepared means:

1) Educating yourself - It is important to educate yourself regarding junk foods and the effects they have on your body. Just reading up on this information will make you more aware and concerned about what you choose to eat each day. It will make you think twice before giving into a temptation because you will know that the only benefit it will bring is short lived taste-bud satisfaction. It is just as important to educate yourself regarding nutritious foods and the benefits they will bring to your body! There are countless and ongoing studies and researches regarding health foods. Information is always being updated. Reading about nutrition on a daily or even weekly basis is a great habit to get into, because you can never know too much. It will give you a much better outlook on why you are choosing to live a healthy lifestyle. Knowing what foods provide what benefits is wonderful because once you physically start noticing the benefits of health foods taking effect, you will have a better appreciation for those foods and you will want to maintain that feeling by making them staples in your diet. Instead of thinking that you don’t “get” to eat certain junk foods you will be thinking more of how you don’t “want” to eat those foods and how you would much rather take the healthier alternative. Especially once you realize how healthy foods transform your body inside and out! Your mental and physical alertness will be at a peak high. Your organs and muscles will perform amazingly well as intended and you will feel well too!

2) Evaluating on paper – It is also just as important to ask yourself open ended questions about your health along with providing well thought out, in-depth answers. Some great example questions that you should really think about and definitely write down include: Am I happy with my current lifestyle? Why and why not? How will improving my lifestyle affect my life? Good and bad ways? What are all of my goals relating to changing my lifestyle? How long will it take me to achieve these goals? What can I do to make sure I stick to my new lifestyle and achieve my goals? Will I have to cut some people out of my life temporarily or even permanently? Will I have to adjust my schedule and priorities? Will I have to make drastic changes? How can I be okay with these changes? What will I do to maintain my motivation throughout my journey? Etc. It’s really important to dive deep inside your mind and figure out A)Why you want it. B) How you will achieve it. C) How you will maintain it. Without mentally digging deep, all you are going to get is a superficial or insignificant reason for living healthier. There has got to be more of a reason than just: to fit into your old jeans, look amazing in your bridesmaid dress, or the most common reason, “bikini season”. Think about it… Have you used one of those reasons to try and motivate yourself before? If so, chances are that it didn’t get you any further than to that small goal, if even that at all! It all comes from within. You really and truly have to think about it in depth and you have to want it for yourself. Having those questions and all of the answers are a great base for a successful transformation!

3) Taking action and accountability – It is very important for you to make a plan for yourself and take action immediately. Be sure that it is attainable and also well-thought out. You will need to re-prioritize your daily schedule to fit your new goals.This doesn’t have to be very hard either. Make it to where you are completely comfortable with it. For example, if you have a favorite television show that you just have to watch or a girl’s night out that is tradition, alter it to fit your new healthy lifestyle. Instead of just watching that show laying lifeless on the couch, cook up a batch of brown rice and cut your veggies while watching. Place them in containers and refrigerate during commercials. Instead of “girl’s night out” every Friday at the bar, invite them to your place for a "Fitness Friday". Make a new healthy meal and enjoy a glass of red wine while you take measurements, progress pictures, and discuss your goals and achievements. Make it a weekly event and monthly competition with motivating prizes! Whoever wins, the other person(s) treat them to a monthly cheat meal dinner out or a gift card to their favorite clothing store to rock their body in style! You can even keep more inspired with quarterly fitness prizes like a new pair of running shoes, lifting gloves, at home fitness equipment, etc. Fitness can be super fun if you get creative with it! Remember, only you can take accountability for your actions. There are no excuses to not stay on track. If you don’t prepare your meals or go to the gym, (both take less than 2 hours) it is because you failed to plan. If living a healthy lifestyle is truly important to you, then you will make the time to make it happen! You have to be accountable because no one else will be.

The key to success begins from within. You have to think of everything in a positive way. You have to know why you are doing things differently, you need an important purpose. You have to keep yourself in-tune with your feelings (inside & out). You have to find ways to keep it interesting and ongoing. A healthy lifestyle isn’t a quick fix; it is an ongoing process that will transform your life into something extraordinary. It could be transforming your poor health to superb health. It could be transforming your low self-esteem to pure confidence. It could be transforming your physical/mental health to become a positive influence for your family and friends. No matter what it is, adapting a healthy lifestyle for one reason will always open up many more great successes and possibilities. I know it has for me, and I know that if I can do it, so can you! Good Luck! If you have any questions or comments, I am always hereto listen and help! 2/19/12

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Here is a lengthy yet reasonable sized list of necessary things I need to practice everyday in my life to reach my goals. If you don't constantly remind yourself of what's important, then it might possibly go unnoticed and be forgotten.

I will continuously PRACTICE...

* Being accountable
* Time management
* Creating goals
* Reviewing goals
* Accomplishing goals
* Rewarding myself
* Pushing myself
* Self affirmations
* Self education
* Self control
* Being consistent
* Overcoming temptations
* Staying motivated
* Prepping meals
* Eating regularly
* Portion control
* Drinking water
* Taking vitamins
* Intense training
* Daily cardio
* Daily stretching
* Teaching others

All of these practices will help me become extraordinary so that my dream becomes my reality! One of my favorite quotes ever, by Ashley Horner, my favorite fitness idol ever... This quote inspires and reminds me to never give up on these daily practices and to do whatever it takes to succeed!

"When you want something so bad you think about it every second of the day... You dream about it at night, you research; study & you mold your entire life around it. You feel like you were meant to do be or become this one person to accomplish this one goal & no matter the sacrifice or the risk and no matter how many times you get turned away, you smile b/c you know... soon you will live in that dream." -Ashley Horner 5/23/12

WORDS OF INSPIRATION
I believe words can be extremely powerful. They can either make you or break you depending on the selection you choose to create your thoughts with. The mind is extremely powerful and when it is constantly flowing with positive, strong thoughts it can fuel your ambition and you can then accomplish your goals and reach your dreams and desires! I use the following words on a regular basis. They motivate me through my journey of maintaining a healthy, happy, lifestyle no matter what obstacles might come my way!
















I create mantras, quotes, sentences, goals, etc with a combination of these words. I think it is important to use them each day. Remember that when one negative thought or word enters your mind to replace it with 3-5 positive words or thoughts to counteract it!!! 5/11/16

A HEALTHY SNACK
I'm sure you've seen the 100 calorie packs that come in many varieties; cookies, muffins, chips, ice cream bars, fruit snacks, to name a few! I can tell you from first hand experience that they are a waste of money and not a good option for those looking to manage their weight (empty calories). I admit I've actually eaten an entire box of them in one day! What's supposed to be a guiltless 100 calories turns into a meals worth of 600 calories! And... the snack craving doesn't go away, it only grows stronger. That's because they have absolutely no nutrition and are loaded with preservatives and junk that make you crave even more junk.

Instead of wasting your money, grab a truly healthy snack that will actually keep you full and satisfied until your next meal. You can buy a bowl full of fruit for the price of one 100 calorie pack box! Some healthy & smart options include: apple slices & peanut butter, cottage cheese & diced peaches, rice cake topped with peanut butter & banana slices, homemade protein bars, a protein shake with nuts. or veggies & hummus with almonds.

Get creative and think of whatever you want, as long as it's healthy and portioned correctly! Be sure to always pair a protein with your carb & add in a small amount of healthy fats occasionally throughout the day.
Remember... Stay away from the calorie packs & prepare your healthy snacks ahead of time! If you have any snacks that I haven't listed, I would love to hear your ideas! 5/10/16